Yesterday, Roy Hodgson steered his misfiring Liverpool team to their second League win of the season. It seems that the immediate pressure on the former Fulham man has eased ever so slightly, and rightly so. What Liverpool have been needed, as much as anything, is a change in fortune. Less experienced men than Hodgson are aware that these tend not to come through miraculous turnarounds but through hard work and on a steady gradient. Hodgson will hope that the result at Anfield yesterday was the first small step taken by his side on the road to recovery.
Against Blackburn, the first thing Liverpool remedied was the movement of Fernando Torres. When he is not performing up to his own high standards, people correctly identify the lack of goals in the team as a major problem and there is no denying that this is the case. However, probably as significant as the goals he scores are the opportunities he opens up for those playing behind him. Most notably, Steven Gerrard, who remains Liverpool’s driving force, really struggles when Torres fails to stretch defences. It is particularly telling that this season Liverpool have played no better with him than with his deputy, David Ngog. Until the Blackburn game, he had failed to regularly pull defenders out of position and create any space for those behind him to move into. Sunday was reported as the crucial piece of luck, a goal that could finally boost Torres’ confidence. However, getting on the score sheet was more like the reward for a slightly-overdue hardworking performance, in which he contributed far more than one finish in the second-half.
Secondly, Lucas’ performance yesterday marked a clear departure from the side who had so toothlessly capitulated against Everton, Blackpool and others. The young Brazilian is regularly derided both for giving the ball away cheaply in the middle of the park and for lacking creative ambition. More often than not, these criticisms are richly deserved. However, against Blackburn, 40 of his 41 passes were successful and, furthermore, many were made into the final third. Hodgson, who has sent out some very defensive sides so far, needs to ensure that Lucas continues to operate in this manner and develops into a creative, disciplined midfielder who contributes to his own side’s attacks as well as disrupting the opposition’s. This is something he is clearly more than capable of doing.
Yesterday, Liverpool were unrecognisable from their previous eight games. However, they only beat a rather average (the inspirational Paul Robinson apart) Blackburn side at Anfield, a result which should have always been par for the course. If Hodgson is to avoid running out of time he still has a huge amount of work to do, and two painful facts will no doubt be keeping him awake at night. Firstly, many Liverpool fans would still like to see him replaced and for the club to turn to Kenny Dalglish. More importantly, Liverpool still sit in the bottom three.
To start to resolve these, the first thing the manager must address is the way his teams approach in the first-half of games. So far in the League they have scored only one first-half goal and that was the rather farcical affair in the opening stages of the game against Sunderland. This statistic is troubling in itself, but the deeper underlying cause that displeases Liverpool fans so much is the attitude that Hodgson has equipped his team with. Rafael Benitez, although at times criticised as overly cautious, knew how to fire up his side and see them come out of the Anfield dressing room at 100 miles-per-hour. This approach was responsible for some of the finest performances under the Spaniard, it was how Liverpool overcame Juventus and Chelsea en route to the 2005 Champions League final, and Hodgson could benefit from revisiting those famous nights to see how Liverpool fans would like to see their side walk onto the pitch.
Hodgson also needs to recreate the organisational discipline he conjured at Craven Cottage. Fulham were such a hard team to break down, especially at home, because of the shape they maintained whilst without the ball. Some of the best teams in the world struggled to pick holes in his well-drilled side, but when Hodgson’s Liverpool are forced to defend, organisation is bizarrely lacking. It is one thing for an under-fire manager to send out a defensively-minded team, but to do so and then to watch them fail to defend is simply unacceptable. The Liverpool players are clearly not responding well to the new manager’s training methods, and it is down to him to sort this out.
Finally, one problem that the Blackburn result did nothing to address is the team’s away form. Hodgson himself has not won an away game in the Premier League since August 2009, when Fulham went to Fratton Park and overcame a very poor Portsmouth side. He has not yet cracked a winning formula away from home, and with a tricky trip to Bolton next weekend he must think fast. Does he revert back to type, set up a side that should be hard to break down but risk inviting on pressure or settling for a 0-0. Conversely, does he attack the game as he would be expected to do is Liverpool were at home? Coyle’s Bolton play a good brand of football, and might pick holes in Liverpool if Hodgson adopts too cavalier an attitude.
It is hard to predict where this Liverpool side will go from here. As we all know, it is easier for players to say that one result will turn their form around than it is for them to convince themselves of the same assertions. One thing is for certain, that on the long road to recovery, the corner Liverpool are trying to turn is a slow one. They must keep their eyes on the rocky path ahead, where the next stop is the Reebok Stadium.
Showing posts with label Bolton Wanderers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bolton Wanderers. Show all posts
Monday, 25 October 2010
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
As if we've never been away...
Man On, your number one source for football comment, debate and probably some conjecture, is back. Inspired by the glorious football on display at the World Cup (Ha!), the opening weekend of the Football Leagues and at long last the Premier League, it has been deemed time to resume hostilities, and re-focus efforts back on to all that is holy with a bumper season-opening edition. Football - its like you’ve never been away…
Today will be dedicated to England’s number one league, and what better place to start than the contrasting fortunes of the gang’s newest members. Blackpool surprised everyone with a 4-0 thrashing of an extremely lacklustre Wigan, who, it is fair to say, surprised no-one. Last season the Latics were far from good enough, and were perhaps saved by the virtue of the unusually low quality of the teams at the bottom of the league. The same could be said of West Ham, Wolves and Bolton, all of whom stayed up despite failing to reach the supposedly ‘magic’ 40 points mark. The Hammers struggled on Saturday, away at ’crisis club’ Aston Villa, but should stay up with the managerial prowess of Avram Grant and importantly the retention of midfield dynamo Scott Parker. Wolves, in contrast, started impressively, with a 2-1 home win over Stoke, a team admittedly prone to homesickness. Bolton managed to shut out Fulham on Mark Hughes’ debut, and, similarly to the Hammers, seem to have made a shrewd enough managerial appointment last term to guarantee safety in this.
The other newly promoted sides, West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle, suffered more predictable fates. Both faced extremely tough away trips, and both, unsurprisingly, capitulated, 6-0 to Chelsea and 3-0 to Manchester United respectively. The first weekend of the season is the worst time to make predictions, and I wouldn’t dream of writing anyone’s (even chronic relegation fodder WBA‘s) chances off yet, but both of these sides look like they will at least be in and around the relegation dogfight come the end of May, and don‘t be surprised if any number of West Ham, Wolves, Wigan, Bolton and Blackpool are down there with them. Looks like a good relegation battle at least!
Other results this weekend included Allardyce’s Blackburn continuing their impressive form at Ewood Park with a 1-0 win over perennial slow starters Everton and Birmingham’s comeback from 2-0 down away at Sunderland. Steve Bruce got the traditional managerial criticism of officials off to an impressively early start, with some misguided and misinformed comments about rookie referee Anthony Taylor:
“The referee put himself under pressure. We’re a team from a tough working class area, the fans want a team which mirrors that but I believe Lee is victimised… the referee was totally inadequate, absolutely awful, and its cost us.”
Cattermole is a persistent offender, albeit a very gifted player, and his manager will be asked to explain his comments, a good thing as Bruce’s excuses ring a hollow tone. Furthermore, his suggestion that Taylor was taking charge of his first top flight game are simply incorrect, and he spectacularly failed to acknowledge the ridiculous penalty decision that put his side 1-0 up in the first place.
Finally, a quick mention of the final two games this weekend. Spurs versus City was a wonderful opening tie, a truly fascinating 0-0. Tottenham’s failure to capitalise on their periods of dominance might have cost them on another day, but City were disastrously blunt. Three holding players is not a tactic that can win the title, and Mancini needs to learn this, presuming the money men at the Middle-Eastlands are as ambitious as their chequebook suggests. Tottenham, for their part, looked exciting, dynamic and altogether reminiscent of last season (unsurprisingly!). Last, but by no means least, Roy Hodgson’s first league outing as Liverpool supremo. Reina’s last minute howler aside, the Reds looked organised, dedicated and as a result tough to break down. Exactly what the Anfield faithful will want and expect from a Hodgson side. Arsenal, so often cited as the archetype of free-flowing, attacking football, saw a glimpse of what life would be without Fabregas. The conclusion? No Cesc and Arsenal appeared impotent.
Today will be dedicated to England’s number one league, and what better place to start than the contrasting fortunes of the gang’s newest members. Blackpool surprised everyone with a 4-0 thrashing of an extremely lacklustre Wigan, who, it is fair to say, surprised no-one. Last season the Latics were far from good enough, and were perhaps saved by the virtue of the unusually low quality of the teams at the bottom of the league. The same could be said of West Ham, Wolves and Bolton, all of whom stayed up despite failing to reach the supposedly ‘magic’ 40 points mark. The Hammers struggled on Saturday, away at ’crisis club’ Aston Villa, but should stay up with the managerial prowess of Avram Grant and importantly the retention of midfield dynamo Scott Parker. Wolves, in contrast, started impressively, with a 2-1 home win over Stoke, a team admittedly prone to homesickness. Bolton managed to shut out Fulham on Mark Hughes’ debut, and, similarly to the Hammers, seem to have made a shrewd enough managerial appointment last term to guarantee safety in this.
The other newly promoted sides, West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle, suffered more predictable fates. Both faced extremely tough away trips, and both, unsurprisingly, capitulated, 6-0 to Chelsea and 3-0 to Manchester United respectively. The first weekend of the season is the worst time to make predictions, and I wouldn’t dream of writing anyone’s (even chronic relegation fodder WBA‘s) chances off yet, but both of these sides look like they will at least be in and around the relegation dogfight come the end of May, and don‘t be surprised if any number of West Ham, Wolves, Wigan, Bolton and Blackpool are down there with them. Looks like a good relegation battle at least!
Other results this weekend included Allardyce’s Blackburn continuing their impressive form at Ewood Park with a 1-0 win over perennial slow starters Everton and Birmingham’s comeback from 2-0 down away at Sunderland. Steve Bruce got the traditional managerial criticism of officials off to an impressively early start, with some misguided and misinformed comments about rookie referee Anthony Taylor:
“The referee put himself under pressure. We’re a team from a tough working class area, the fans want a team which mirrors that but I believe Lee is victimised… the referee was totally inadequate, absolutely awful, and its cost us.”
Cattermole is a persistent offender, albeit a very gifted player, and his manager will be asked to explain his comments, a good thing as Bruce’s excuses ring a hollow tone. Furthermore, his suggestion that Taylor was taking charge of his first top flight game are simply incorrect, and he spectacularly failed to acknowledge the ridiculous penalty decision that put his side 1-0 up in the first place.
Finally, a quick mention of the final two games this weekend. Spurs versus City was a wonderful opening tie, a truly fascinating 0-0. Tottenham’s failure to capitalise on their periods of dominance might have cost them on another day, but City were disastrously blunt. Three holding players is not a tactic that can win the title, and Mancini needs to learn this, presuming the money men at the Middle-Eastlands are as ambitious as their chequebook suggests. Tottenham, for their part, looked exciting, dynamic and altogether reminiscent of last season (unsurprisingly!). Last, but by no means least, Roy Hodgson’s first league outing as Liverpool supremo. Reina’s last minute howler aside, the Reds looked organised, dedicated and as a result tough to break down. Exactly what the Anfield faithful will want and expect from a Hodgson side. Arsenal, so often cited as the archetype of free-flowing, attacking football, saw a glimpse of what life would be without Fabregas. The conclusion? No Cesc and Arsenal appeared impotent.
Wednesday, 10 February 2010
A tale of three debutants
As the ref blew the final whistle in what was admittedly a rather mundane affair at Eastlands last night, it was suggested to me that despite the pedestrian nature of the match we had watched, we had witnessed what could be a pivotal moment in the next generation of English footballers. The match itself was uninspiring, and could be described most accurately as a tale of 3 debutants - the good, the bad and the distinctly promising - or Adam Johnson, Patrick Vieira and Jack Wilshere. Although Manchester City were on the whole relatively uninspiring, Johnson looked electric when he advanced down the right wing. For Bolton, Wilshere appeared as an advanced playmaker well beyond his tender years.
Johnson’s debut showed all the promise that £10m demands. It looked like the boy we remember from the Premier League strugglers last season has benefited exponentially from his half-season in the Championship. Those with longer memories will remember his exciting performances on loan at Watford, and it seems that the second time around experience in the competitive lower league has truly ripened the young winger for future glory. His runs with the ball had a continental tinge, reminiscent of the sort of wide-man our national team has been missing for so long. His deliveries were consistently probing and on the half hour his foray into the box baffled the experienced and generally competent Paul Robinson. All in all, Johnson showed that Macini’s faith might be justified, and looks likely to be a star of the future, not only for Manchester City but with some luck, for the Three Lions.
Vieira’s debut was an altogether more unconvincing affair. He provided the assist for Emmanuel Adebayor’s emphatic finish on the seventy-third minute, but apart from that he flattered to decieve. He was inches away from the perfect start when he narrowly missed connecting with Wayne Bridge’s tempting delivery but after that his performance was littered with stray passes and tackles as limp as a wet lettuce. Mancini will be looking for a significantly greater return from the Frenchman, reportedly on a wage well clear of £100,000 a week. The signing represented a risk from the offset, the Italian putting his faith in the 33 year old who proved a faithful stalwart at Inter, but it betrays Mancini’s naivety of the pace and aggression of the Premier League. The ex-Inter boss is smart enough to learn lessons if Vieira does prove to be below the required level, and of course there is still room for the former Gunner to prove me wrong, but if Mancini was hoping that this signing would aid the push for the coveted Champions League spot he may be disappointed.
Finally, the on-loan Jack Wilshere, who has already shown his potential at Arsenal. The 18 year old midfielder looked calm in possession and orchestrated every attacking move that the Trotters could produce, and until City doubled their lead through Adebayor, the young Englishman looked increasingly likely to provide the spark that could have pegged back the Citizens. Generally considered to be one step behind in his development compared to other members of Wenger’s school of football such as Aaron Ramsey or Kieron Gibbs, he stepped into the Bolton side and looked considerably more comfortable on the ball than Arsene’s former prodigy Vieira. This game, although something of a damp squib for competition and excitement, was a wonderful chance to witness a significant early step in the blossoming career of two Englishmen, and perhaps the first indications of the beginning of the end for a Premier League legend.
Johnson’s debut showed all the promise that £10m demands. It looked like the boy we remember from the Premier League strugglers last season has benefited exponentially from his half-season in the Championship. Those with longer memories will remember his exciting performances on loan at Watford, and it seems that the second time around experience in the competitive lower league has truly ripened the young winger for future glory. His runs with the ball had a continental tinge, reminiscent of the sort of wide-man our national team has been missing for so long. His deliveries were consistently probing and on the half hour his foray into the box baffled the experienced and generally competent Paul Robinson. All in all, Johnson showed that Macini’s faith might be justified, and looks likely to be a star of the future, not only for Manchester City but with some luck, for the Three Lions.
Vieira’s debut was an altogether more unconvincing affair. He provided the assist for Emmanuel Adebayor’s emphatic finish on the seventy-third minute, but apart from that he flattered to decieve. He was inches away from the perfect start when he narrowly missed connecting with Wayne Bridge’s tempting delivery but after that his performance was littered with stray passes and tackles as limp as a wet lettuce. Mancini will be looking for a significantly greater return from the Frenchman, reportedly on a wage well clear of £100,000 a week. The signing represented a risk from the offset, the Italian putting his faith in the 33 year old who proved a faithful stalwart at Inter, but it betrays Mancini’s naivety of the pace and aggression of the Premier League. The ex-Inter boss is smart enough to learn lessons if Vieira does prove to be below the required level, and of course there is still room for the former Gunner to prove me wrong, but if Mancini was hoping that this signing would aid the push for the coveted Champions League spot he may be disappointed.
Finally, the on-loan Jack Wilshere, who has already shown his potential at Arsenal. The 18 year old midfielder looked calm in possession and orchestrated every attacking move that the Trotters could produce, and until City doubled their lead through Adebayor, the young Englishman looked increasingly likely to provide the spark that could have pegged back the Citizens. Generally considered to be one step behind in his development compared to other members of Wenger’s school of football such as Aaron Ramsey or Kieron Gibbs, he stepped into the Bolton side and looked considerably more comfortable on the ball than Arsene’s former prodigy Vieira. This game, although something of a damp squib for competition and excitement, was a wonderful chance to witness a significant early step in the blossoming career of two Englishmen, and perhaps the first indications of the beginning of the end for a Premier League legend.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Owen Columba Coyle
The appointment of Gary Megson at Bolton never really sat comfortably with the Reebok faithful. He was seen by many as a poor man’s Sam Allardyce and was always going to face the sack eventually, it was simply a question of when. Sammy Lee was almost the polar opposite in terms of response and reputation - Little Sam was exactly the man that the Trotter’s fans wanted to steer the ship after Big Sam jumped overboard and swam to Tyneside (to a doomed and sinking vessel). It was just unfortunate that he lacked the tactical nous to ever last beyond that honeymoon period.
Now that Megson has gone, Phil Gartside is left to make another huge decision. It seems to me that he is set to make the best one since tempting Allardyce from Meadow Lane in 1999, and possibly even one that usurps that. Allardyce took Bolton to the dizzy heights of the Premiership, followed by a League Cup final, a sixth placed league position equal on points with the soon-to-be Champions League winners Liverpool and the knockout rounds of the UEFA cup. However, if, as is looking increasingly likely, Gartside gets his man and Owen Columba Coyle does come to Bolton Wanderers, this will be a massive coup.
Coyle rejected Celtic in the summer, citing that the Burnley “adventure” was still his to build. However, recent comments about the size of his budget lead us to believe that he is perhaps ready for a challenge which has the potential to reap greater rewards than survival, one that he believes Bolton can offer. And, if Bolton is his home by next week, he will be a wonderful acquisition for the club, the chairman, the fans and the town. Owen Coyle knows how to run a club like Bolton - a tight budget but with some room for manoeuvre. He will be popular with the fans as he tends to play expansive football, knows the importance of creating a fortress and most importantly, he was an incredibly popular player with the Trotters in the early 90s - he even scored the first goal in Bolton‘s famous 1995 First Division play-off Final comeback. Finally, as Burnley, a north-west town not dissimilar in size or stature to Bolton, can testify, he is a likeable man who’s footballing philosophy is capable of bringing a community together.
Phil McNulty has written a great blog on this subject, but for my money he has concentrated too much on what a strange decision this would be from Coyle. I disagree- the Burnley boss can be confident enough in his future as he has the potential to be one of the League’s top managers, to take a small step to Bolton rather than waiting for a giant leap to a “big club”. He is widely respected and can rest assured that many chairmen will wish that he had been available to them later in the year, when the inevitable managerial merry-go-round continues.
Now that Megson has gone, Phil Gartside is left to make another huge decision. It seems to me that he is set to make the best one since tempting Allardyce from Meadow Lane in 1999, and possibly even one that usurps that. Allardyce took Bolton to the dizzy heights of the Premiership, followed by a League Cup final, a sixth placed league position equal on points with the soon-to-be Champions League winners Liverpool and the knockout rounds of the UEFA cup. However, if, as is looking increasingly likely, Gartside gets his man and Owen Columba Coyle does come to Bolton Wanderers, this will be a massive coup.
Coyle rejected Celtic in the summer, citing that the Burnley “adventure” was still his to build. However, recent comments about the size of his budget lead us to believe that he is perhaps ready for a challenge which has the potential to reap greater rewards than survival, one that he believes Bolton can offer. And, if Bolton is his home by next week, he will be a wonderful acquisition for the club, the chairman, the fans and the town. Owen Coyle knows how to run a club like Bolton - a tight budget but with some room for manoeuvre. He will be popular with the fans as he tends to play expansive football, knows the importance of creating a fortress and most importantly, he was an incredibly popular player with the Trotters in the early 90s - he even scored the first goal in Bolton‘s famous 1995 First Division play-off Final comeback. Finally, as Burnley, a north-west town not dissimilar in size or stature to Bolton, can testify, he is a likeable man who’s footballing philosophy is capable of bringing a community together.
Phil McNulty has written a great blog on this subject, but for my money he has concentrated too much on what a strange decision this would be from Coyle. I disagree- the Burnley boss can be confident enough in his future as he has the potential to be one of the League’s top managers, to take a small step to Bolton rather than waiting for a giant leap to a “big club”. He is widely respected and can rest assured that many chairmen will wish that he had been available to them later in the year, when the inevitable managerial merry-go-round continues.
Friday, 1 January 2010
The Managerial Merry-go-Round
The New year is a time to asses your goals - in life and in football. For me, a late promotion chase for the mighty Gills looks increasingly unlikely, and I am therefore reassessing my goals; staving away the threat of relegation is now the realistic aim. However, as we all look to 2010 its time to reflect on those who have not made it this far. Of course, for us any managerial post in professional football is a distant dream, but for those in the game it’s still just their job, and like anyone losing their job over the festive period you have to feel for them. Nevertheless, there’s little time for sentiment… I will be discussing the logic, or lack of, that has seen many men recently receive their P45, thus sparking the inevitable managerial merry-go-round.
Loyalty is an often referred to dying breed in a game that has become more of a business than a sport in the last decade. With so much money at stake throughout all levels of the game, results speak volumes and bad results mean the sack. Of course, loyalty can be a poison chalice, as Middlesbrough fans will no doubt vouch for. They had to witness Steve Gibson’s devotion to his inexperienced appointment, Gareth Southgate, lead them to the championship. As they sit 11th in the second tier of English football only 3 years after a European final appearance, Boro fans and their fiercely loyal chairman must wonder whether wielding the axe this time last year would have left them in better stead. Hindsight… However, although I am not a fan of the proverbial panic button and I believe the success of the likes of Ferguson, Wenger and Moyes warrants such a view, I do believe now is as good a time as any to change the hierarchy in a football club. With the transfer window imminent, clubs have just 4 weeks to wheel and deal in an attempt to improve their chances of achieving their goals. So if the board are not 100 per cent behind the man in charge, there seems little logic in letting him be the man to loosen the purse strings and potentially further stricken the football club.
Gary Megson is the latest man to lose his job, following the Premier League dismissals of Mark Hughes and Paul Hart. In the Championship, Alan Irvine finds himself out of work at Preston, as the latest of a staggering 8 managerial changes in the League. Perhaps the dismissal of the ex-Forest, West brom and Leicester (amongst others) boss leaves the football world far less shocked, and dare I say less interested than the sacking of Mark Hughes. Bolton fans certainly don’t seem sad to see the back of him and although Phil Gartside sited the club’s precarious league position as the reason behind Megson’s sacking, the fact that he had failed to ever gain the backing of the Bolton faithful would have played a major role. It’s difficult to judge this dismissal; Bolton were in an almost identical position when Megson took over and the more prudent football fan would suggest this means he’s done a good job. Would Bolton fans have taken this 2 years ago when Megson took over from Sammy Lee with the club destined for the championship? Yes would be my guess, but inevitably the expectations of the football club have increased despite the sale of Nicolas Anelka. Phil Gartside has gambled with the transfer window in mind and has a big, big appointment to make. Paul Jewell would be an ideal man to bring in given his experience, although I believe stagnation under Megson will lead to relegation under his successor.
Paul Hart recently made way for Avram Grant at Portsmouth and jumped on the merry-go-round to take up the stability of a managerial job at QPR. While every man and his dog at Pompey was busy denying that Grant had been lined up to replace Hart, Harry Redknapp was busy on Sky Sports saying he’d be “very surprised” if Avram didn’t take the job. Good old Harry- he’s been in football too long to believe any of that bullshit. So Hart heads for the circus that is the R’s under Briatore, in serious danger of getting his fingers burnt again, and Grant takes on mission impossible. Still, I bet Paul Hart is happy to see his pay cheque this week.
So, the managerial merry-go-round continues. And who are we to specualte who could be next. Well, lets finish off with what the bookies have to say:
Phil Brown 5/2
Gianfranco Zola 5/1
Rafa Benitez 6/1
David Moyes 10/1
Mick McCarthy 11/1
Harry Redknapp 14/1
Avram Grant 14/1
Sam Allardyce 20/1
Owen Coyle 33/1
Tony Pulis 33/1
Steve Bruce 33/1
Roberto Mancini 33/1
Alex McLeish 33/1
Carlo Ancelotti 50/1
Roy Hodgson 66/1
Arsene Wenger 66/1
Martin O’Neill80/1
Alex Ferguson 100/1
Loyalty is an often referred to dying breed in a game that has become more of a business than a sport in the last decade. With so much money at stake throughout all levels of the game, results speak volumes and bad results mean the sack. Of course, loyalty can be a poison chalice, as Middlesbrough fans will no doubt vouch for. They had to witness Steve Gibson’s devotion to his inexperienced appointment, Gareth Southgate, lead them to the championship. As they sit 11th in the second tier of English football only 3 years after a European final appearance, Boro fans and their fiercely loyal chairman must wonder whether wielding the axe this time last year would have left them in better stead. Hindsight… However, although I am not a fan of the proverbial panic button and I believe the success of the likes of Ferguson, Wenger and Moyes warrants such a view, I do believe now is as good a time as any to change the hierarchy in a football club. With the transfer window imminent, clubs have just 4 weeks to wheel and deal in an attempt to improve their chances of achieving their goals. So if the board are not 100 per cent behind the man in charge, there seems little logic in letting him be the man to loosen the purse strings and potentially further stricken the football club.
Gary Megson is the latest man to lose his job, following the Premier League dismissals of Mark Hughes and Paul Hart. In the Championship, Alan Irvine finds himself out of work at Preston, as the latest of a staggering 8 managerial changes in the League. Perhaps the dismissal of the ex-Forest, West brom and Leicester (amongst others) boss leaves the football world far less shocked, and dare I say less interested than the sacking of Mark Hughes. Bolton fans certainly don’t seem sad to see the back of him and although Phil Gartside sited the club’s precarious league position as the reason behind Megson’s sacking, the fact that he had failed to ever gain the backing of the Bolton faithful would have played a major role. It’s difficult to judge this dismissal; Bolton were in an almost identical position when Megson took over and the more prudent football fan would suggest this means he’s done a good job. Would Bolton fans have taken this 2 years ago when Megson took over from Sammy Lee with the club destined for the championship? Yes would be my guess, but inevitably the expectations of the football club have increased despite the sale of Nicolas Anelka. Phil Gartside has gambled with the transfer window in mind and has a big, big appointment to make. Paul Jewell would be an ideal man to bring in given his experience, although I believe stagnation under Megson will lead to relegation under his successor.
Paul Hart recently made way for Avram Grant at Portsmouth and jumped on the merry-go-round to take up the stability of a managerial job at QPR. While every man and his dog at Pompey was busy denying that Grant had been lined up to replace Hart, Harry Redknapp was busy on Sky Sports saying he’d be “very surprised” if Avram didn’t take the job. Good old Harry- he’s been in football too long to believe any of that bullshit. So Hart heads for the circus that is the R’s under Briatore, in serious danger of getting his fingers burnt again, and Grant takes on mission impossible. Still, I bet Paul Hart is happy to see his pay cheque this week.
So, the managerial merry-go-round continues. And who are we to specualte who could be next. Well, lets finish off with what the bookies have to say:
Phil Brown 5/2
Gianfranco Zola 5/1
Rafa Benitez 6/1
David Moyes 10/1
Mick McCarthy 11/1
Harry Redknapp 14/1
Avram Grant 14/1
Sam Allardyce 20/1
Owen Coyle 33/1
Tony Pulis 33/1
Steve Bruce 33/1
Roberto Mancini 33/1
Alex McLeish 33/1
Carlo Ancelotti 50/1
Roy Hodgson 66/1
Arsene Wenger 66/1
Martin O’Neill80/1
Alex Ferguson 100/1
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