Well Levy has tried the Flash 'Arry and the Flash Andre options, so surely it's now time to get back to basics. No more continental whizz kids nor Monaco bank accounts, what Spurs need is a good old fashioned, feet on the ground, blood and thunder British manager, somebody who understands the importance of effort, sweat and bone crunching tackles; and the ideal candidate is out of work and awaiting the call!
Yes, Neil Warnock would fit the bill perfectly. He would get in the face of the Continental underachievers and tell them where to stick their paella. Get Lennon back on the wing, stick Kane up front, lump it long or hit it out to the flanks. Leeds don't need Shit Brown so he could return to his spiritual home and add steel to the midfield. And with Leeds targeting a new keeper, Podgy Kenny could head south too.
Forget £20m signings, all Warnock would require is ten or so thirty-five year olds with the experience and knowledge of what is required to kick opponents up in the air. Get in their face, they don't like it up 'em, break their legs before they break yours!
Yes it is time to go from the sublime to the ridiculous, to switch from chess board football to cage fighting football. Neil Warnock is awaiting Levy's call, Old Big Gob's destiny beckons. Unless Pulis can be tempted away from Crystal Palace of course!
Monday, 16 December 2013
Zola deserves respect after Watford resignation
Credit where credit is due, Gianfranco recognised his own limitations and did the decent thing, leaving with dignity rather than waiting for the Board to sack him.
And his dismissal was never going to come easy. Duxbury, Nani and Zola are an unholy alliance and there would have been a real reluctance to stab Gianfranco in the back. So, I suspect that rather than playing the Brutus role, Consiglieri Duxbury paid him a visit in the exercise yard, offered him a cigarette, talked about the good old days, honour and the Family and then reminded him what the Romans did to avoid disgrace. Flying home to Sardinia is preferable to opening your wrists in a warm bath!
So, the local horses have been spared and a fishing trip on Tolpits Lake has been avoided.
The hope now is that Zola will face up to his limitations and become what he should always have been, a coach at a big club blessed with players with the talent to put into practise what Zola preaches. Who knows, he may one day rise to the role of Assistant Manager at a top club, whilst coaching the Italian national team may not be beyond him into the future.
But managing a club? Sadly Zola is a square peg in a round hole.
But Watford's troubles aren't over yet. There's still the little matter of the Laurel & Hardy combination of Scotty Duxbury and Gianfilthylucre Nani!
Still, young Savio hasn't been signed for £9m - yet!
And his dismissal was never going to come easy. Duxbury, Nani and Zola are an unholy alliance and there would have been a real reluctance to stab Gianfranco in the back. So, I suspect that rather than playing the Brutus role, Consiglieri Duxbury paid him a visit in the exercise yard, offered him a cigarette, talked about the good old days, honour and the Family and then reminded him what the Romans did to avoid disgrace. Flying home to Sardinia is preferable to opening your wrists in a warm bath!
So, the local horses have been spared and a fishing trip on Tolpits Lake has been avoided.
The hope now is that Zola will face up to his limitations and become what he should always have been, a coach at a big club blessed with players with the talent to put into practise what Zola preaches. Who knows, he may one day rise to the role of Assistant Manager at a top club, whilst coaching the Italian national team may not be beyond him into the future.
But managing a club? Sadly Zola is a square peg in a round hole.
But Watford's troubles aren't over yet. There's still the little matter of the Laurel & Hardy combination of Scotty Duxbury and Gianfilthylucre Nani!
Still, young Savio hasn't been signed for £9m - yet!
Capello the next through the Tottenham Hotspur managerial revolving door
So AVB has gone. Just like that. Give Levy his due, that was bloody decisive! And how 'Arry must be chuckling as he fills out his tax return including his severance payment from Spurs!
How much of the Bale money is left one wonders. Never mind transfer fees and sky high salaries, Tottenham seem intent on spending it all on paying up the contracts of sacked managers!
Tell me, if somebody keeps making the wrong decision when appointing managers, shouldn't that somebody be shown the door? If the buck has to stop somewhere, shouldn't it stop with Levy, either for making duff appointments in the first place or for cutting short managerial projects before they have time to flourish?
So who is next? Fabio Capello is strongly tipped and I bet Spurs fans are over the moon about that prospect given the guy's performance as England manager!
Once again, the word farce comes to mind.
How much of the Bale money is left one wonders. Never mind transfer fees and sky high salaries, Tottenham seem intent on spending it all on paying up the contracts of sacked managers!
Tell me, if somebody keeps making the wrong decision when appointing managers, shouldn't that somebody be shown the door? If the buck has to stop somewhere, shouldn't it stop with Levy, either for making duff appointments in the first place or for cutting short managerial projects before they have time to flourish?
So who is next? Fabio Capello is strongly tipped and I bet Spurs fans are over the moon about that prospect given the guy's performance as England manager!
Once again, the word farce comes to mind.
Sunday, 15 December 2013
Tottenham Hotspur desperately seeking Arsene Wenger
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. West Ham fans thought it was all down to Alliardichi's tactics when West Ham rocked up at White Hart Lane and trounced the Baleless Spurs 3-0. But nothing could be further from the truth. Norwich, Sunderland and Stoke City have proved that the present West Ham team is shite. No, it takes Villas Boas to make the Hammers look like World beaters!
So is anybody really surprised that Liverpool slayed this gutless Spurs team today? The truth of the matter is that AVB is out of his depth in the Prem - just like Oneday Ramos, Christian Gross, Jol and Santini. The only manager who has come close to realising Tottenham's potential in recent years is 'Arry Redknapp and he wasn't intellectual enough for the erudite Tottenham fraternity.
4-4-2? Wingers? Big man, small man up top? Honest hard tackling midfielders? English players? All so passé! What's the point of winning games if you have to win them in such a crude, unsophisticated fashion?
So even as we speak, Levy will be looking for his next managerial Messiah. As Judas Redknapp guides QPR back to the Prem, AVB has been dismantling the team 'Arry left behind whilst building a complete shambles.
How much did he blow in the summer and what have Spurs got to show for it? Progress in the Capital One Fan Cup and the Your Ropey League! It's hilarious, so funny that even in this most miserable of seasons, I will be looking forward to watching MOTD tonight.
So who will be the next Spurs manager? George Graham is still alive isn't he? How about Glenn Hoddle? What about Avram Grant? Well he is Jewish! Jol's out of work, of course. But no, Levy will look abroad, desperately seeking his very own Arsene Wenger. But who ever is appointed, one thing's for certain, Tottenham are destined to remain in Arsenal's shadow for a good few years yet!
So is anybody really surprised that Liverpool slayed this gutless Spurs team today? The truth of the matter is that AVB is out of his depth in the Prem - just like Oneday Ramos, Christian Gross, Jol and Santini. The only manager who has come close to realising Tottenham's potential in recent years is 'Arry Redknapp and he wasn't intellectual enough for the erudite Tottenham fraternity.
4-4-2? Wingers? Big man, small man up top? Honest hard tackling midfielders? English players? All so passé! What's the point of winning games if you have to win them in such a crude, unsophisticated fashion?
So even as we speak, Levy will be looking for his next managerial Messiah. As Judas Redknapp guides QPR back to the Prem, AVB has been dismantling the team 'Arry left behind whilst building a complete shambles.
How much did he blow in the summer and what have Spurs got to show for it? Progress in the Capital One Fan Cup and the Your Ropey League! It's hilarious, so funny that even in this most miserable of seasons, I will be looking forward to watching MOTD tonight.
So who will be the next Spurs manager? George Graham is still alive isn't he? How about Glenn Hoddle? What about Avram Grant? Well he is Jewish! Jol's out of work, of course. But no, Levy will look abroad, desperately seeking his very own Arsene Wenger. But who ever is appointed, one thing's for certain, Tottenham are destined to remain in Arsenal's shadow for a good few years yet!
McDermott Repeating his Reading Trick as Leeds United's Promotion Push Gathers Steam
Many mocked when I labelled Friar Brian's promotion push as the Leeds United McFeel Good Factor Sleeper Express to the Premiership, Europe, Infinity and Beyond, but now the metaphor is acquiring a certain resonance.
It's only December 15, and Leeds are already in the top 6, well ahead of schedule if we look back to McDermott's crazy promotion season at Reading. Then, the season only really kicked off on December 10, with the 3-0 thumping of West Ham. Until that game, Reading had been ordinary in the extreme and looked destined for a middle table position at best. But once McDermott's promotion train got up a head of steam, there was no stopping it!
And that Reading side wasn't very good. Dear God, Simon Church scored twice in the victory over West Ham after replacing the goal less Total Hunt. The sixteen on duty that day were Federici, Pearce, Gorkss, Harte, Cummings, Karacan, Leigertwood, McAnuff, Kebe, Robson-Kanu, Le Fondre, Total Hunt, Church, Andersen, Tabb & Antonio; and not one of them would be guaranteed a start in the present Leeds side.
And crucially, all the momentum is now with McDermott's boys. Yes QPR look a safe bet to go up, but Leicester and Burnley have been stuttering recently and neither team is very good. And as for the play off pack, well Derby apart, no other team is in a mauve, never mind a purple patch!
And just as at Reading, this is not a team heavily dependent on individuals, if we set aside McCormack for one moment. The injury to the Serial Killer looked a cruel blow, but young Smith has stepped up to the plate and suddenly nobody remembers that Blackstock was at the club. Byram is supposed to be the best full back since Cooper but he can't get in the team and even England international Warnock is sat on the subs bench at the moment. Get injured and you lose your place, such is the hunger in the squad!
And better still, the squad should get stronger in January. There's actually talk of spending money and no talk of selling players to raise finance for new signings. Of course, McDermott will have to be careful here because he doesn't want to disturb the harmony at Elland Road; if we go back to 2011-12, the Reading team that thumped West Ham 4-2 on March 31st showed only one change from the team that triumphed on December 10, with January signing Jason Roberts added to the mix. But Roberts was added, and to brilliant effect, showing that Friar Brian has the ability to swell his flock without upsetting the apple cart.
Whites fans really do have good reason to dream. The Leeds United McFeel Good Factor Sleeper Express to the Premiership, Europe, Infinity and Beyond has picked up a head of steam and is tooting gleefully as it thunders through the backwaters of the Championship. Only a fool would bet against a top six finish now - unless talisman McCormack were to pick up a serious injury - and as McDermott proved at Reading, a tilt at the title is not beyond the realms of possibility.
But McCormack's fitness is the one big concern because if you take out his goals, Leeds would be nowhere. And just think, there was a body of Leeds fans who argued that the £2m not quite offered for the Scot by Miserablebrough would have represented good business.Thank God the Smoggies Board baulked at that figure, because GFH Capital may just have been tempted. And how bloody stupid would that have been?
It's only December 15, and Leeds are already in the top 6, well ahead of schedule if we look back to McDermott's crazy promotion season at Reading. Then, the season only really kicked off on December 10, with the 3-0 thumping of West Ham. Until that game, Reading had been ordinary in the extreme and looked destined for a middle table position at best. But once McDermott's promotion train got up a head of steam, there was no stopping it!
And that Reading side wasn't very good. Dear God, Simon Church scored twice in the victory over West Ham after replacing the goal less Total Hunt. The sixteen on duty that day were Federici, Pearce, Gorkss, Harte, Cummings, Karacan, Leigertwood, McAnuff, Kebe, Robson-Kanu, Le Fondre, Total Hunt, Church, Andersen, Tabb & Antonio; and not one of them would be guaranteed a start in the present Leeds side.
And crucially, all the momentum is now with McDermott's boys. Yes QPR look a safe bet to go up, but Leicester and Burnley have been stuttering recently and neither team is very good. And as for the play off pack, well Derby apart, no other team is in a mauve, never mind a purple patch!
And just as at Reading, this is not a team heavily dependent on individuals, if we set aside McCormack for one moment. The injury to the Serial Killer looked a cruel blow, but young Smith has stepped up to the plate and suddenly nobody remembers that Blackstock was at the club. Byram is supposed to be the best full back since Cooper but he can't get in the team and even England international Warnock is sat on the subs bench at the moment. Get injured and you lose your place, such is the hunger in the squad!
And better still, the squad should get stronger in January. There's actually talk of spending money and no talk of selling players to raise finance for new signings. Of course, McDermott will have to be careful here because he doesn't want to disturb the harmony at Elland Road; if we go back to 2011-12, the Reading team that thumped West Ham 4-2 on March 31st showed only one change from the team that triumphed on December 10, with January signing Jason Roberts added to the mix. But Roberts was added, and to brilliant effect, showing that Friar Brian has the ability to swell his flock without upsetting the apple cart.
Whites fans really do have good reason to dream. The Leeds United McFeel Good Factor Sleeper Express to the Premiership, Europe, Infinity and Beyond has picked up a head of steam and is tooting gleefully as it thunders through the backwaters of the Championship. Only a fool would bet against a top six finish now - unless talisman McCormack were to pick up a serious injury - and as McDermott proved at Reading, a tilt at the title is not beyond the realms of possibility.
But McCormack's fitness is the one big concern because if you take out his goals, Leeds would be nowhere. And just think, there was a body of Leeds fans who argued that the £2m not quite offered for the Scot by Miserablebrough would have represented good business.Thank God the Smoggies Board baulked at that figure, because GFH Capital may just have been tempted. And how bloody stupid would that have been?
Saturday, 14 December 2013
Watford's Zola is officially a laughing stock!
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. There's bad and there's bloody terrible, and Watford have now crossed that line. After chucking away a two goal lead at Leeds last weekend, the Hornets were offered the perfect opposition to make amends with Sheffield Wednesday heading south. Surely not even Zola could cock this one up, even after the shambolic home trouncing by little old Yeovil. Could he?
Well of course he could! This is Gianfredo Zola - lovable, cuddly, smiley, great on the pitch but a clown of a football manager! This is the man who turned Curbishley's top ten West Ham team into a shambles twelve months into the job, and he is repeating the trick at Watford.
And Watford fans can't claim they weren't warned by this blog.
Zola will say all the right things. He always does. He will blame the officials, praise the effort of his players, defend his tactics, curse bad luck, promise to hang on in there until he gets things right, talk up the quality of his players blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But he will not understand that if you have limited players, you have to play a game tailored to their limitations. Tippy tap football is fine for the gods, but for journeymen, it is suicidal! Five home defeats on the bounce. Five home defeats. And this was Sheffield Wednesday's first away win of the season!
Automatic promotion is now a forlorn dream and the play off places are drifting away as each winless week passes. In fact, the relegation pack are now closer to Zola's team than the promotion chasers! Of course, Zola will tell everybody that Forestieri would have salvaged a point but for the low confidence that is afflicting his team, but what sort of excuse is that? Whose job is it to inspire the players to perform? That would be the manager surely.
It's sad because he is a lovely guy, but Zola really isn't up to the job of management.
Well of course he could! This is Gianfredo Zola - lovable, cuddly, smiley, great on the pitch but a clown of a football manager! This is the man who turned Curbishley's top ten West Ham team into a shambles twelve months into the job, and he is repeating the trick at Watford.
And Watford fans can't claim they weren't warned by this blog.
Zola will say all the right things. He always does. He will blame the officials, praise the effort of his players, defend his tactics, curse bad luck, promise to hang on in there until he gets things right, talk up the quality of his players blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But he will not understand that if you have limited players, you have to play a game tailored to their limitations. Tippy tap football is fine for the gods, but for journeymen, it is suicidal! Five home defeats on the bounce. Five home defeats. And this was Sheffield Wednesday's first away win of the season!
Automatic promotion is now a forlorn dream and the play off places are drifting away as each winless week passes. In fact, the relegation pack are now closer to Zola's team than the promotion chasers! Of course, Zola will tell everybody that Forestieri would have salvaged a point but for the low confidence that is afflicting his team, but what sort of excuse is that? Whose job is it to inspire the players to perform? That would be the manager surely.
It's sad because he is a lovely guy, but Zola really isn't up to the job of management.
Sunday, 1 December 2013
Respect to QPR's Barton!
Well said Joey Barton! The popular press are going after him for his latest "Twitter rant" about Manchester United's golden boy Ryan Giggs, but I think his comments are absolutely spot on. What Giggs did to his brother was truly disgusting, and to show the guy any respect after that is hypocrisy gone mad.
So, for once, Barton is absolutely right to spew forth his bile. In fact, the big question is why the BBC didn't ask the Welshman about it when they were interviewing him ahead of his fortieth birthday. Perhaps the question could have been phrased, "And after passing forty, do you think it will be as easy to get into the pants of your in-laws?"
Mind you, if Joey is going to come over all honest, perhaps he should now tweet about 'Arry. Might I suggest something along the lines of, "Forgetting you have a bank account in Monaco in the name of your pet dog? I'm not having that!"
So, for once, Barton is absolutely right to spew forth his bile. In fact, the big question is why the BBC didn't ask the Welshman about it when they were interviewing him ahead of his fortieth birthday. Perhaps the question could have been phrased, "And after passing forty, do you think it will be as easy to get into the pants of your in-laws?"
Mind you, if Joey is going to come over all honest, perhaps he should now tweet about 'Arry. Might I suggest something along the lines of, "Forgetting you have a bank account in Monaco in the name of your pet dog? I'm not having that!"
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