Posts Tagged ‘Neil Warnock’

Season of the long knives leaves managers watching their backs

Posted: February 19, 2013 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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When Swindon boss Paolo Di Canio fell on his sword, he brought the number of managerial changes in the top four divisions in England to 41 for the season. Given that we’ve still another two and half months of the season to run, it looks inevitable that over half of the 92 league will have changed their manager by May. 

Mark Robins tries to remember which club he's at this week

Whilst we’re all caught up following our own clubs, we can perhaps miss the scale of the carnage across the wider football landscape. And when you start looking in to it, the rate of managerial attrition is staggering.

A quick study of the League Manager’s Association website shows that barely half – 48 – of current managers have been in their jobs for 12 months or less. Nigel Clough is currently the 10th longest serving manager just by making it through to his fourth season in charge of the Rams.

While the fact managers are being given less time is not a new observation, I would never have guessed the turnover would have been as high as this. Clearly, as the pressure for results has increased so the patience for them has declined.

But while you might assume that this demand would be most sharply felt in the Premier League – where the rewards for success and failure are so acute – it’s actually in the Football League who the bulk of the casualties have taken place. Of the 40 managerial changes this season, just 3 have been in the Premier League (QPR, Southampton and Chelsea).

That means if you support one of the remaining 72 football league clubs, there’s a 50% chance you’ve already changed your manager this season (even with the revolving doors at Blackburn and Blackpool partially skewing the average).

But the statistics tell us something interesting about the changing expectations in the Football League. Clubs no longer seem willing to accept their current status – whether that’s in League 1 or 2 – even if history tells us that is where many of them have spent the majority of their existence.

It now takes substantially less to push a chairman to remove their manager. The giant-killing of Liverpool wasn’t enough to save Paul Dickov, and Keith Curle was axed after a year in charge despite being safe and secure in mid-table. Chairmen are expecting more – and for it to be delivered quicker.

In this intensified climate you have to wonder whether certain managers would have survived in the past. Leicester fans were calling for Martin O’Neill to go only months his appointment – the board stuck with him and he went on to become one of their most successful managers. It took Neil Warnock 6 years at Bramall Lane to get Sheffield United promoted to the Premiership, during which there were numerous opportunities for him to be moved on.

Chairmen it seems want managers who can wave a magic wand and turn their ugly lower division frog into a handsome Premier League prince. And if they can’t cast that spell immediately they can start looking for another job. It’s an approach that’s unproductive and unsustainable and desperately needs to change.

Written by James Albion

Five talking points from the weekend’s football

Posted: October 22, 2012 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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1. Kirkland attack raises serious questions concerning the protection of players

By now everyone will have seen the dreadful scenes at Hillsborough on Friday night as a Leeds fan raced onto the pitch and assaulted Wednesday keeper Chris Kirkland. The image of him returning to the stand and being congratulated by those around him, whilst Kirkland received treatment, was sickening.

Luckily, the piece of human detritus is now in the hands of the authorities – and we can only hope that there will be an appropriately severe punishment. Bringing that one ‘fan’ to justice is just one element in a greater problem that needs to be addressed from this incident. Front and centre for examination is the effectiveness of banning orders. How can someone is in the middle of a seven-year ban from all football grounds be admitted into a ground? Did this person get given a ticket from another fan? If so, punish him too.

Wednesday fans will be very familiar with this sort of disgraceful incident, given a number of their own fans threw punches at Clint Hill in the season finale in 2010 as fans of both Palace and Wednesday invaded the Hillsborough pitch. Similar unsavoury scenes at Chesterfield in 2011 saw one Spireite fan punch Bury keeper Cameron Belford. One Sheffield United fan back in 1998 punched a linesman in an away game at Portsmouth. Stewarding and policing in these situations is too often ineffective, and without change it’s only a matter of time before someone is serious hurt.

2. Warnock ruined what would have been a great interview with a horrible throw-away remark

In the immediate post-match interview on Sky, Leeds boss Neil Warnock made some clearly emotional comments on the “moron” that attacked Kirkland: “Put him in bloody prison. I’m not proud to be Leeds manager when I see that. I’m embarrassed.”

Warnock divides a lot of opinion. By and large we quite like him at 1FITG, but that interview was ruined by one of the most brainless, ill-considered comments he has ever made as manager – and there have been plenty. “He went down like a sack of spuds” was a pathetic thing to say – and he should have known better. He has since apologised to Kirkland, and it was noticeable that he didn’t repeat the line in his radio interviews that evening, but even so it was utterly unnecessary. Had that happened to Paddy Kenny, it’s impossible to imagine Warnock tolerating a comment like that from another manager.

3. Kick It Out campaign losing all credibility

The public shunning of the Kick It Out campaign by Jason Roberts and Rio Ferdinand, in addition to the unanimous decision by Swansea and Wigan players not to wear the campaign’s T-shirts has completely undermined its credibility.

Rio, prior to ‘being dealt with’ by Sir Alex

We now have the on-the-face-of-it ridiculous sight of black footballers criticising a campaign to get rid of racism in football. The conspicuous absence of Kick It Out in the most recent high profile racism cases makes their decision completely justifiable, and Sir Alex must surely be regretting both his remarks prior to the weekend and his subsequent comments that Rio Ferdinand would be ‘dealt with’ for taking the stance he took.

4. Home Nations need a reality check

After the latest round of international fixtures, almost all the managers of the home nations sides are under pressure. The jobs of Trapattoni, Levein, and Coleman all appear to be hanging by a thread, while even Hodgson found his credentials questioned after a listless draw in Poland. Only Northern Ireland’s Michael O’Neill seems safe in his job at present.

Leaving England aside, the idea that managerial changes will miraculously transform the prospects of these sides seems to us absurd. In recent years, these sides have rarely featured in international tournaments and to make qualification the benchmark for their manager’s success is ridiculous.

Bosnia and Montenegro have shown that smaller nations can compete with the established continental ‘big guns’. And whilst comparitively bigger, fans of Wales, Scotland and Ireland would do better to ask how, for instance, does Sweden (pop. 9m) regularly qualify for tournaments. You can’t help concluding that time would be better spent on grass roots coaching structures than on worrying about who exactly is picking the national team.

5. Dark days at Kettering

As the recent non-league day hopefully reminded people, football in this country is about so much more than the bloated hype machine of the Premiership. Despite being nearly 140 years old, Kettering Town could go out of business unless the club can scratch together £3,000.

The money is the latest sticky plaster needed to stop the deal the club struck to clear its £1m plus debts falling apart. Such is the disarray at the club, Kettering fielded just 10 players for one Southern League match earlier this month, and more recent games called off due to lack of players. As a takeover continues to be mooted, we can only hope that it comes in time to save a club with a long and proud tradition.

By @josephclift and James Albion

Tackling technology – is there even still an argument?

Posted: September 20, 2012 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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Monday night’s failure by the officials to spot Victor Anichebe’s effort cross the line brought to life a debate that had been dormant since way back in….well June, as what should have been registered as a despairing attempt by John Terry ended up denying the Ukraine a clear goal.Is there anything even still to debate? Our co-editors James Albion and @josephclift give it a go…

Ghost Goal during the England vs Germany game ...

The Ghost Goal of World Cups Past…

JA: If TV replays and goal-line technology are introduced to football it will be one of the sport’s darkest days. Just imagine how dull football would be if referees could never makes mistakes?

You see, I like it when referees make mistakes. When they get it wrong it can make a football game. An utterly turgid nil-nil bore-athon can suddenly be brought alive by a referee’s decision that defies common sense.

There’d be no more journeys home sniggering at how you’d robbed the opposition blind after an utterly unjustified sending off or penalty had changed the game.

JC: For starters, bringing in video technology means you’d be spared those tedious journeys home hearing others sniggering at how they’d ‘robbed the opposition blind’ after an utterly unjustified sending off or penalty had changed the game.

If you’re a small club, potentially within a whisker of a historic result, it will come as scant consolation for them to hear that at the very least the appalling decision costing them the match ‘gives us something to talk about’. It is akin to a family member hearing about a terrible defeat, uttering the phrase: ‘well, it’s only a game’.

The days when this was an accepted part of the game in this country changed with the advent of the Premier League – instant replays becoming available en masse. Video technology should be treated the same way as the introduction of goal-keeping gloves or a type of football that doesn’t seriously injure those that persistently head it. Technology’s moved on, the game’s moved on, and frankly I’m annoyed that this conversation hasn’t moved on.

JA: But refereeing cock-ups can elevate meaningless matches to legendary status! Would anyone ever know that Reading played Watford back in 2008 if it wasn’t for the phantom goal? People will still be talking about that match in 50-years time – which simply wouldn’t be the case if a video review had corrected the mistake.

JC: Yes, and unfortunately I’m still going to be talking about the non-award of a blatant foul on Luton Shelton in the Man United box in 2007, denying a likely goal that would have kept Sheffield United up on goal-difference, for likely the next 50 years. Or the host of other similar goal-denying refereeing blunders. Nobody wants to hear me talk about this sort of stuff – especially you.

JA: The problem is goal line technology or video replays would create an anaemic utopia. One which is boring, dull and safe. One which robs us of the ‘what if……..’

What if Frank Lampard’s goal against Germany in the 2010 World Cup had been given? Well, I don’t think the result would have been any different, we’d still have been handed a humiliating loss. But we’ll never know will we? I’d rather have the reassuring ambiguity of ‘what if’, rather than be forced to concede we were utterly outplayed for 90 minutes.

JC: I think there’s a solution without having to go all the way to the ‘anaemic utopia’ you describe. I’ve enjoyed the introduction of the challenge system in tennis. You have the benefit of improving the quality of decisions, with the restriction that the ‘second-look’ isn’t something that you can just use all the time. I witnessed an even better example of this in the hockey in the Olympics. Again, a limited number of challenges, with minimal disruption. How much fun would it be to see Neil Warnock witness a dodgy decision, only to realise he erroneously used his remaining challenges flippantly mere minutes before? This wouldn’t eliminate all errors – but it would be a definite improvement on the present.

JA: We’d do well to remember that England won it’s only ever international trophy courtesy of a blunder by a Russian linesman.

JC: Yes. Bloody disgraceful.

2012/13 predictions from 1FITG

Posted: August 6, 2012 by onefootinthegame in Uncategorized
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It’s barely been three months since Martin Tyler’s spine-chilling Aguero climax, or from the historic moment John Terry appeared in full Chelsea kit in Munich, commencing a lucrative Photoshopping career.

But following the entertainingly predictable Team GB failure in the mens football, the new season is now rapidly approaching, and here at 1FITG towers, we love a good prediction. So we’ve been asking some of our contributors to tell us what they think is in store for season 2012/13, with five simple questions – a few of the usual, with some of the unexpected thrown in there.

1. The Champions question: who will win the Premiership, Championship, League 1 and League 2

James Albion: Manchester City, Charlton, Sheffield United, Southend United.
@josephclift: Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Preston North End, Rotherham United.
@giraffefarmer: Manchester City, Bolton Wanderers, Sheffield United, Southend United.
Trebor A: Chelsea, Blackpool, Coventry City, Gillingham.
Dan Northcote-Smith (@dnsandnick): Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Sheffield United, Fleetwood Town.
Nick Moss (@dnsandnick): Manchester United, Bolton Wanderers, MK Dons, Rotherham United.
@Miller179: Manchester United, Leicester City, Sheffield United, Rotherham United.

2. The Ron Atkinson question: who will be the first manager to be sacked in the top four divisions?

James Albion: Neil Warnock (Leeds). Conventional wisdom says that Neil Warnock just needed time to mould Leeds in his image. However, sometimes it just doesn’t work for you at a club, and there were signs last year that Warnock may be struggling to work his alchemy at Elland Road. A slow start this year, could see Ken Bates try and salvage the season with an early managerial change.

Who’s up for the chop?

@josephclift: Andy Thorn (Coventry). I’m amazed he’s still in his job to be honest – Coventry look as though they’re a club that could have a Preston-esque year of transition in League 1, and a poor start to the season will probably see him sacked in September.

@giraffefarmer: Sean O’Driscoll (Nottingham Forest). High expectations coupled with a mediocre squad means that Forest could struggle at the start of the season. If that happens expect the patience of the new owners to wear thin very quickly, especially if they feel that a higher profile name could be attracted to the City Ground.

Trebor A: Steve Kean (Blackburn Rovers). How on earth has he managed to last this long? Could be sacked before the end of August.

Dan Northcote-Smith (@dnsandnick): Nigel Pearson (Leicester City). Continued investment at the King Power Stadium will demand results which on recent form seem unlikely to come.

Nick Moss (@dnsandnick): Steve Kean (Blackburn Rovers). Even though it seems he has actually improved the team, the owners aren’t going to understand the difficulty the Championship poses.

@Miller179: Chris Wilder (Oxford United). Oxford are a big club (in terms of the division0 who could be looked upon to have underachieved over the last few seasons.  If they don’t get off to a good start, the trap door could be beckoning for Wilder.

3. The Guy Whittingham question: who will be the top scorer out of the top four divisions?

James Albion: Jordan Rhodes (Huddersfield Town). Too good for League 1 last year, I fancy him to carrying on from where he left off in the Championship.

@josephclift: Stuart Beavon (Wycombe). Beavon did extremely well in League 1 last year, really impressed me when I saw him. I’m amazed that he hasn’t been snapped up by either a League 1 or Championship team. Assuming he stays, I can’t see League 2 defences coping with him, and provided Wycombe don’t implode I can see him having a great season for them.

Who’s going to score a shedload?

@giraffefarmer: Freddy Eastwood (Southend United). Back at the club where he made his name in the Football League, he’s far too good for this level and will supply the goals for a Southend United side that is likely to dominate the league.

Trebor A: Sergio Agüero (Manchester City). What a debut season from the diminutive Argentinean. I fully expect him to avoid the dreaded second season syndrome.

Dan Northcote-Smith (@dnsandnick): Jordan Rhodes (Huddersfield Town). Proven finisher – think Huddersfield will do well this year under Simon Grayson.

Nick Moss (@dnsandnick): Jordan Rhodes (Huddersfield Town). Great finisher, now working under a manager that made Beckford look Prem quality. More of the same.

@Miller179: Sergio Agüero (Manchester City). The complete striker/poacher.  He has everything - pace, agility, strength, and finishing.  With the service that he will get I’m sure it will be goals galore this season.

4. The Marco Boogers question: which new signing will completely flop?

James Albion: Nuno Gomes (Blackburn). The Portugal international has a fine pedigree, but if I were a Blackburn fan I’d prepare to be underwhelmed – very underwhelmed. Having spent the bulk of his career challenging for honours at Portugese giants Benfica, the move reeks of a player whose only remaining interest is in bolstering his pension. Now 36, does Gomes really have the mettle for the rigours of a long Championship season in a cold, half-empty, Ewood Park? Well, you can guess what I think.

Who is this season’s Marco Boogers?

@josephclift: Steven Naismith (Everton). David Moyes simply doesn’t have a good overall record with strikers. He’s done well with some, but terrible with most – for every Jelavić he’s signed there’s a James Beattie or Jermaine Beckford blotting that record. Naismith was always the lesser of the pairing at Rangers, and coming off the back of a cruciate ligament injury I can’t see him doing well in his first year. Particularly if he’s stuck somewhere in midfield, which he may have to expect given Moyes’s bizarre allergy to selecting two strikers.

@giraffefarmer: Ben Burgess (Tranmere Rovers). This question was answered early this year, Ben signed for Tranmere Rovers in June 2012 and then retired from football in July 2012. A sad end for a solid pro, but definitely a flop.

Trebor A: Eden Hazard (Chelsea). The football prostitute, cavorted himself to a plethora of potential suitors. Fluttering his eyelids, and continually pursing his lips. Before announcing his decision on twitter. In a ridiculously over-hyped fashion. You would think Chelsea have signed Leo Messi. Well they haven’t. Hazard is just another player, whose 5 minute YouTube videos precede him.

Dan Northcote-Smith (@dnsandnick): Olivier Giroud (Arsenal). Can’t see him dominating Premier League centre-backs like he did in France. Plus, will Arsenal start chucking crosses into the box?

Nick Moss (@dnsandnick): Edin Hazard (Chelsea). Tough call this as his talent isn’t in question. His adaptability, especially in the first season, is though. A hefty price tag, and most likely having to find space on the left wing won’t help.

@Miller179: I wouldn’t say flop signing because this player has great potential,  but Edin Hazard (Chelsea).  I’m not sure if his style is suited to Chelsea - for me the way they play is too rigid and unexpressive.  I think he will have a very tough first season.  He should have gone to Man United.

5. The Titanic question: which club is going to have a nightmarish disaster of a season?

James Albion: Portsmouth. Given Pompey may not even exist at the start the season, this may actually be a poor choice. At the time of writing the club had just 3 first team players on its books. Assuming they satisfy the administrators on the 10th August, it’s hard to see how the remaining players – along with any last minute additions – will do anything other than struggle. It raises the humbling prospect of the 2008 FA Cup winners starting the 2013 season in the bottom division.

Who’s entering troubled waters?

@josephclift: It would be easy to say Portsmouth. I’m instead going for Nottingham Forest. A new manager once again, and while Sean O’Driscoll was raved about prior to 2011 it’s difficult to forget that it all ultimately went very wrong for him at Doncaster. His style of football was generally pleasing on the eye for a team with zero expectations – with the rich new owners and heightened expectations, I’m not convinced O’Driscoll’s up to the task. They’ll be looking at a top 6 finish – I reckon they’ll be midtable or worse, with potential upheaval in the new year from jittery owners concerned about their investment.

@giraffefarmer: Swansea City. Swansea lost their talented manager Brendan Rodgers over the post-season and look set to lose star players such as Joe Allen. With little clout to bring in new players or the time needed to integrate any newcomers into their (slightly overrated) sub-tiki-taka style of play, the team is likely to be weaker than last season. Couple this with second-season syndrome and Swansea will seriously struggle. If that wasn’t bad enough, potential success for rivals Cardiff this season after their cash injection means Swansea could be relegated while being leapfrogged into the Premier league by their biggest competitors – which would definitely be a nightmarish disaster of a season.

Trebor A: Aston Villa. Yeah, I know last season wasn’t exactly a vintage one, for Villa fans. The McLeish era wasn’t something to regale you about. However, I fear that everything is about to get a lot worse. A meagre budget, coupled with average players means one thing. Relegation is clearly on the horizon. England’s 2nd city will soon have no football clubs in the top-flight.

Dan Northcote-Smith (@dnsandnick): QPR. Low caibre signings and they will be without the delivery of errant midfielder and social media expert Joey Barton.

Nick Moss (@dnsandnick): Coventry City. A couple of demoralising results early on – that slip can turn into a slide.

@Miller179: Liverpool. For me the Brendan Rodgers era is going to get off to a very slow start. Everyone talks about the style of play that Rodgers employs, but what people don’t realise is that this takes time – a lot of time  to get to that level. It doesn’t happen overnight. Remember Rodgers at Reading??? People won’t see the full fruits of this until next season. The first few months could be a tough slog for the Reds.

What to do with a problem like Alejandro Faurlín?

Posted: May 3, 2011 by onefootinthegame in Championship
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Alejandro FaurlínFollowing last night’s dramatic twist in the race for the final automatic promotion spot, eyes turn today to the FA hearing that could send shockwaves through the top 6. Despite being aware of the issue since March, the FA in its typically mind-boggling fashion has decided to wait until today to start proceedings on the matter of the alleged third-party ownership of QPR midfielder Alejandro Faurlín.

An FA ‘source’ indicated to The Sun last week that QPR could face a points deduction of up to 15 points. QPR fans had their promotion party on Easter Monday swept from them temporarily by an injury-time Norwich goal – could the FA seriously spoil the party now that they’ve claimed the Championship title?

QPR should be worried. In the event they are found guilty of third-party ownership, and all indications seem to be pointing that way, the possibility of a serious points deduction is a very real possibility.

Let’s look back at the Carlos Tevez case for a minute, which really brought the issue of third party ownership to light. When Tevez and team-mate Javier Mascherano were registered as players, West Ham failed to disclose that they had entered into an agreement with third-party companies. Tevez was owned by Media Sports Investments and Just Sports Inc, Mascherano by Global Soccer Agencies and Mystere Services Ltd – all four companies represented by Kia Joorabchian, who in essence held the contracts and transfer rights.

The first thing to point out is that the charges to QPR deal with more than the alleged third-party ownership of Faurlín, and their failure to declare this prior to his July 2009 signing. These include:

- allegedly using or seeking to pay an unauthorised agent in relation to the Faurlín’s registration
- allegedly submitting false information contained in documents to the FA in relation to Faurlín signing an extension to his playing contract in October 2010

If their initial response is any indication of what they will be arguing today, QPR will plead their innocence to these charges. This could be the first alarm bell for QPR fans. When the Premier League gave their verdict on the Tevez case, they made it clear that West Ham’s admission of guilt factored into the decision not to dock points and instead receive a £5.5m fine.

A separate consideration is that it isn’t the Premier League that is looking at the QPR case, but the FA. In the Tevez case, they were only brought to review the Premier League’s initial decision following an appeal by the then-relegated Sheffield United, and Fulham. There was significant criticism levelled at West Ham during that review, stating that they had been “deliberately deceitful”. The FA tribunal also stated the following:

“The tribunal had much sympathy for Sheffield United’s grievances. However, the tribunal had to apply the principles of judicial review and determine whether the decision [not to deduct points] was irrational or perverse. This is a very strict test and is very difficult to satisfy. It concluded that it was impossible for this tribunal to find that the decision was irrational or perverse.”

They accepted that it was a serious offence, but it is clear that he FA were not willing to overturn a Premier League decision that would have had serious implications on the make-up of their league. This time round though, it is the FA that gets first say. Had the FA decided the original Tevez case, perhaps a points deduction would have followed. They will also surely remember the claims by West Ham during the original hearing that the third-party agreement with Joorabchian had been torn up – found to be false during the subsequent hearings.

QPR fans might be reassured though by one of the key considerations the Premier League made in its initial verdict, against a points deduction:

-A points deduction so late in the season might have consigned the club to relegation
-The players and fans of West Ham are in no way to blame for the situation and therefore should not suffer

A significant points deduction so late in the season would strip QPR of the promotion they’ve already celebrated twice. There would be effectively little they could do on the pitch to retain that automatic spot, and would be lumped with the unpredictable playoffs. You can argue that the Premier League shouldn’t have taken the fans and players into account when looking at the Tevez case, but the reality is they did and there’s no reason he FA couldn’t do likewise.

You could also argue that pretty much everyone would accept that Tevez was probably the main reason West Ham stayed up, so was shown to have a significant impact, could the same be said of QPR re: Faurlín, a player which though steady has not had the impact on their season as someone like Adel Taarabt.

At a recent Culture, Media & Sport Committee hearing on football governance, the FA was slammed by both the Minister Hugh Robertson and William Gaillard, one of Michel Platini’s key advisers. They have, like the Premier League in 2007, left this decision till one of the last weeks of the season. They must this week decide this issue, knowing that legal challenges may result whatever they decide, be it from QPR themselves or other clubs in the top 6.

There certainly is less of a groundswell of opinion that QPR has wronged the League, in contrast to the strong criticism of West Ham, though on the face of it the crimes appear very similar. It’s a big week for QPR, but also for the FA. If another club gets a slap-on-the-wrist token punishment, then what is the point in having this rule on third-party ownership? The FA might try and make an example of QPR where the Premier League failed in the case of the Hammers.

Harsh on the QPR fans certainly, but when it comes down to fundamental questions over whether a club has acted within the rules of the game, the fans shouldn’t come into the equation. QPR should, in light of the Tevez case, have known better. The FA, in light of the Premier League’s utter failure to impose a significant punishment for this issue 4 years ago, will want a sterner punishment this time to finally draw a line under the issue of third-party agreements. I predict we’ll see a points deduction that is significant enough to strip QPR of 1st place, but not enough to push them into the playoffs

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Change sweeps across the Steel City

Posted: December 31, 2010 by onefootinthegame in Championship
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Bramall Lane Stadium, Sheffield

Field of broken dreams

Sheffield is the home of football, with Sheffield FC the oldest club in the world. But football in Sheffield has been bleak lately. Last season, Sheffield Wednesday returned to League 1, and based on Sheffield United’s season so far the signs up to now are that they could be joining them.

It has been a wretched few years for both clubs. United were relegated by virtue of a single goal on the last day of the season 3 years ago, going down with a points total that would have seen them safe most other years. That cruelty, combined with the Tevez controversy, has left a scar on the club that hasn’t really healed. Since then, fans have had to suffer Bryan Robson, something no club should have to experience, and disappointment under ex-Warnock assistant Kevin Blackwell, who fans quickly came to discover lacked Warnock’s tactical nous, likeable personality, and above all success.

For the Owls, they too suffered last-day heartache back in May, failing to beat Palace to stay up. Financially, this very nearly crippled the club, and only generosity from the courts last month gave them the time required to complete a takeover and enable them to pay off a substantial tax bill. Help came from Milan Mandaric. Owls fans will hope that under his stewardship they will now see a speedy rise back to the Championship. They have kept faith with boss Alan Irvine, though he will know that with Mandaric in charge he’ll have to keep looking over his shoulder. With little patience for under-performing managers at Portsmouth and Leicester, failure to gain promotion will almost certainly see Irvine out of a job – perhaps sooner if Wednesday suffer similar defeats to the 5-1 thrashing at Exeter recently.

Mandaric, infamously immortalised by the original statue of ex-Southampton player Ted Bates, has had some early disappointment financially as a result of the failure of the England World Cup bid, a week after his takeover. As one of the participating venues, Hillsborough would have received cash for much-needed ground redevelopment. A year ago then chairman Lee Strafford thought it was not the least bit embarrassing to get the fans to volunteer to repaint parts of the ground themselves, for free. While that is unlikely to be repeated, Wednesday will have to look to other sources to cover any improvements and enable Hillsborough to move with the times.

The Blades meanwhile are hoping it will be third time lucky this season with managers after yesterday appointing Micky Adams to replace new Wales boss Gary Speed – a departure that appeared to suit all parties. He has left a Port Vale team flying high in League 2, and plunged himself into a relegation battle at Bramall Lane. United fans have has been typically mixed by the news. Many appear to welcome Adams, hoping that his passion for the job and previous record in the Championship will be replicated. Adams successfully led Leicester to promotion in 2003 with a team that featured the debatable talents of Andy Impey, Jordan Stewart, and Trevor Benjamin alongside some of the players they retained from the Premiership. More recently with Coventry, he saved them from the drop, and led them to 8th the following season.

Fans at both Sheffield clubs have in recent years had high expectations, and this was the case for Blades fans with the latest appointment. Some ask whether Adams would have realistically been a target for the job were it not for him being a Unitedite. In many ways the financial and footballing state of the club are similar to when Neil Warnock took over in 1999. Reaction then was again mixed, but ultimately he brought the fans some exciting (without being pretty) football, several cup and playoff runs, and finally promotion..

United reportedly interviewed in addition to Adams the Donny Rovers boss Sean O’Driscoll, Brentford’s Andy Scott, and the unemployed Phil Brown and Paul Hart. Not a particularly inspiring bunch. Each on that shortlist would have represented a gamble of sorts. O’Driscoll was initially thought to be 1st choice, though it is debatable whether the success at a pressure-free environment at Donny could be replicated at a club with greater expectations, and replicated quick enough to avoid the immediate threat of relegation.

And so, Wednesday have the air of a new era, and for Irvine the expectation of an immediate promotion. As Charlton and Southampton have discovered, it can be tough to get back if you’re unsuccessful 1st time round, and further time in League 1 would be disastrous, but with them pushing for automatic promotion and now seemingly safe financially the future is looking much better. For United, a new era also dawns. Adams gets his dream job, with his assistant from his time at Leicester joining him – Alan Cork, the last Blade, and possibly the last fully bearded individual, to score at Wembley back in 1993. Both certainly won’t be lacking in passion, but it remains to be seen whether he can bring the style of football that will appease the fans. Robbie Savage today writes in the Mirror that they will be impressed, and that he gets his teams to work hard but also to play well, which if that happens will be warmly welcomed. Primarily though, Adams needs to bring in a winning style, as joining or replacing Wednesday in League 1 would be terrible for the club.

Championship madness

Posted: November 16, 2010 by onefootinthegame in Championship, England
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
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2004–current

Image via Wikipedia

For those of you who are bored of watching the most expensively assembled team in Premiership history play out another goalless draw at home, you can do far worse than tune in to the BBC ‘s Championship coverage on a Saturday night. Granted that does mean that you will have to put up with the increasingly confused tone in Steve Claridge’s voice whilst marvelling at his improbably long fringe, which appears to start somewhere around the back of his head.

The arrivals of Bellamy at Cardiff, Sven at Leicester and more recently Bothroyd on the international scene have  certainly raised the profile of the Championship. This naturally suggests a step up in quality but it is the unpredictability of the league that really makes for great entertainment. You get the sense that every side in the league is capable of beating any other.

Whilst not comparable to that on display in the Premiership, there is undoubted quality in the Championship these days. Exciting young players, such as Scott Sinclair and Adel Tarrabt, unable to break through at the top level are getting their opportunity to make a mark. Not to mention proven international calibre players such as Craig Bellamy and er… Darius Vassell.

Those who managed to stay awake through Match of the Day’s grandstand finish of 3 goalless draws on Saturday were rewarded for their commitment by the Football League show. The show opened with highlights from Readings 3-3 draw with Norwich, followed by Cardiff’s 4-2 win at Scunthorpe, Doncaster’s 3-2 win at Portsmouth and then Burnley’s 3-2 win over Watford. The fate of the 3 points on offer was far from certain throughout each of these matches. Matches like these are fairly common in the 2nd tier of English football where very few teams appear to go in to matches with the sole intention of not losing. In fact, the exception to the rule seems to be 2nd placed QPR, arguably the Championship equivalent of Manchester City. The richest club in the league but with 8 draws from 17 games and only 7 goals conceded, Neil Warnock’s team might be benefiting from a cautiousness rarely seen outside of Loftus Road.

Of course, my argument about the unique unpredictability of the Championship has been somewhat undermined by Sunderland’s comfortable win at the home of the Premiership champions on Sunday. I stand by point nevertheless. If you are willing to compromise on quality for the sake of entertainment, the Championship might be the place for you.