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| Unnamed Premier League Footballer in unfortunate seat next to signage clanger |
So another manager bites the dust courtesy of Roman Abramovich’s one man crusade for the European Cup. Considering he is so desperate to win the trophy, it begs the question why he has sacked two managers who have won the thing twice? The writing was on the wall for Ancelotti for months until it his sacking was confirmed last night. It should be a shock but with it being Chelsea, it just isn’t. They’ve had more managers in their dugout than Imogen Thomas has had footballers in her bed. Abramovich’s next manager will be his seventh since he took over in 2003, that’s one per year. A sensible owner would surely look to address why despite some serious investment over the last three years they are still reliant upon the spine of the side that won them the title in 2005 and there has no youth development under his entire ownership. It will be a brave manager to take on the Chelsea job next, where winning the double followed up by a second place finish is not enough and taking on a club which from the outside seems to be run by a mixture of the dressing room and the owner.
I’d argue that the reason Chelsea haven’t dominated the way that was predicted when Roman started throwing his roubles round is because of him. His interference must be a nightmare for his managers. For Mourinho see Ancelotti and for Shevchenko see Torres. Once Ancelotti had his assistant Ray Wilkins sacked from underneath him by Abramovich he was a dead man walking. If as speculation suggests, perennial failure and toad lookalike Avram Grant returns to Chelsea in some capacity this summer I would advise Chelsea fans take the streets of West London and riot. They wouldn't though because they are so reliant on his money he can do whatever he wants, and he continually does to the detriment of the long term future of their club.
Luckily for Ancelotti, the rest of the football world understands how Chelsea works so his sacking won’t affect his reputation. He was always dignified and took victory and defeat in equal grace and he had a great eyebrow. I remember hearing Chelsea fans wanting him sacked after he lost to St Mourinho’s Inter Milan in the European Cup last season.....he went onto to win a league and cup double. He was always too good for that lot.
Onto his successor, well there is one obvious and outstanding choice. Even though Marco Van Basten and Guus Hiddink are the favourites I firmly believe Abramovich will see sense and appoint the man with the ego of Mourinho, the face of the back of a bin lorry and the belly of Rick Waller.
“I'm not suited to Bolton or Blackburn, I would be more suited to Internazionale or Real Madrid. It wouldn't be a problem to me to go and manage those clubs because I would win the Double or the league every time. Give me Manchester United or Chelsea and I would do the same, it wouldn't be a problem. It's not where I'm suited to, it's just where I've been for most of the time. It's not a problem to take me into the higher reaches of the Champions League or Premier League and would make my job a lot easier in winning it.”
You need to act fast Roman. It’s only a matter of a time before Barcelona or Real Madrid are banging Big Sam’s door down.
Super-duper-whooper-trooper Survival Sunday came and went and sadly Paul Merson didn’t combust with the excitement. But the trap door did open and Blackpool and Birmingham fell through it with half football club, half soap opera West Ham. Blackpool will be missed, but Birmingham and West Ham will not. Both of those clubs have been run like a circus for years and now they’re paying the price. Alex McLeish has also managed to join relegation specialist Avram Grant in relegating a club from the Premier League twice. Being compared to Avram Grant is not something you want on your C.V.
Blackpool‘s you score eight we’ll score eighteen mentality is what ultimately cost them their place in the Premier League. The fact they took their survival fight to the final day of the season was a minor miracle itself. If they had cashed in on Charlie Adam in January and bought some defenders they might have stood a chance. If you concede 78 goals over 38 games it doesn’t matter how many you score, you aren’t going to survive. Blackpool did entertain over the season but so did Wigan and Wolves. You couldn’t compare either of their styles to the shuddersome and distressing football served up by Blackburn. Over the course of the season Martinez and McCarthy seemed to grasp the concept of defending, something Blackpool never managed in throwing away 2-0 leads numerous times and both men have been rewarded for a more sensible style of management. I was pleased for Roberto Martinez because while Wigan aren’t everybody’s cup of tea he has kept them up without resorting to toxic football or Allardyce football as it is better known.
Blackpool and Birmingham’s relegations were for the complete opposite reasons. While Blackpool couldn’t defend, Birmingham couldn’t score, 37 goals from 38 games is poor. If you put Blackpool’s attack and Birmingham’s defence together you’d probably have a half decent side!
Unlike Birmingham and West Ham, Blackpool can go down with as much pride as you can in relegation but at least they gave it a go. It’s unfortunate that the league loses rent a quote Ian Holloway and gains rent a gob Neil Warnock. But I still hold out hope that QPR will perform schadenfreude on Warnock before the start of the season, just for my own amusement.
It would be churlish of me to not congratulate Manchester United for winning the league. They have been the best side this season and I managed to get this picture of their coronation as champions yesterday. Really pleased for them all.
