Well it’s been a week since Chris Hughton was sacked by Newcastle now it’s Blackburn’s turn to needlessly sack their manager. Yes, that’s right Big Sam Allardyce is the latest Premier League boss to receive his P45.
It’s been nearly two months since Blackburn were taken over by foreign investors, and for some reason they have chosen to relieve him of his duties now, as part of what they call “a wider plan.” He has simply been thanked for his services, handed his coat and shown the door.
But why now? After giving him your backing only a few weeks ago? Was it the 7-1 drumming by Manchester United? That could have happened to anyone. It was only in November when the Rao family gave Allardyce their backing saying:
“We want results and Sam has taken up the challenge. He deserves a chance.”
Maybe he's had his chance, since the owners have taken over Blackburn have won two (Villa and Wolves) and lost two (Manchester United and Bolton) and perhaps that isn’t good enough for them. Though it could be possible that the new owners have been courting a new manager since they took over, and have chosen now to make the change official. Chris Hughton may well be a candidate. It certainly won’t be Alan Pardew.
Ah Alan Pardew, the ninth Newcastle United manager in as many years, what a decision that was. A man who has been relegated more times than Julien Flaubert (soon to be heading to the Championship with West Ham) has been chosen to lead a newly promoted club.
I honestly don’t understand why, after the success they’ve been having with Hughton, they chose to give Alan Pardew, a manager who couldn’t cut it at Southampton, a five year deal. Mind you Harry Redknapp couldn’t hack it at Southampton and now he’s managing a Champions League outfit. Don’t get your hopes up too much Toon fans, I know he‘s had a good start but I don‘t think Champions League football will be heading North East anytime soon! Then again Sunderland aren’t doing too bad.
Elsewhere this weekend that man Carlos Tevez has handed in a transfer request over at Eastlands. Oh dear, suddenly the City fans who were quite jubilant about Wayne Rooney’s want away slip, are all sat down with their chin on their hands. Funny how things change. Welcome to Buenos Aires.
It never ceases to amaze me how Sir Alex Ferguson manages to look like a genius over his transfer policy. Alright, so he signed Eric Djemba’Djemba and David Bellion but United could have wasted thirty-odd million on the little Argentinean. Good work Fergie, Michael Owen was much better value for money after all.
Tevez has revealed that his relationship with “certain executives” has broken down beyond repair and that he wants to leave for family reasons. Or his agent, Kia Joorabchian, wants even more money out of him and has advised a transfer. Tevez strenuously denies this, saying he wanted to leave in the summer but Joorabchian insisted he stayed at Eastlands. I’m not so sure, Tevez has spent the majority of his life saying yes to Joorabchian so if he says jump Tevez will ask how high.
I always thought Fergie’s reasoning behind not signing Tevez permanently was to do with his agent. There’s something not quite right about paying an individual a transfer fee to sign a player. To be frank it feels like slavery. City say they will force Tevez to stay, which sounds even more like slavery, but I don’t see how they can. I mean, what’s the point? He won’t perform for you, just sell him and be done with it.
Who knows, there has been talk of Tevez wanting to quit football altogether saying that he is fed up of the game and fed up of people within the game. He isn’t technically owned by Joorabchian anymore, although he takes his advice very seriously, but this freedom may be behind his motives for leaving.
It’s a little bit like the Robinho situation, a big money star on a large contract wanting to leave the club, although this time it is made harder on City as Tevez is a player who actually makes a difference to their side. He’s got 10 of their 23 league goals this season, he‘s the captain (not really sure why) and he has a lot of drive going forward. On the plus side, City have the cash to replace him, so in the short term this may look bad for them but I doubt it will have many long-term implications.
On the other side of Manchester, the Chilean miners will be watching United play in the Premier League tonight for the first time since their 7-1 thumping of Big Sam’s Blackburn. I wouldn’t expect the same scoreline tonight however as it’s table-topping Arsenal who have made the journey to the Theatre of Dreams today.
Of course the mind games have been going on, but it’s been through a different Frenchman this time. Step forward, Samir Nasri, a player who for some reason this season will not shut up. Okay so you’re pretty much Arsenal's best performing player of late, but please sit down.
Nasri reckons Old Trafford has lost its ‘fear factor’ and that Arsenal will not be scared of United tonight:
“Manchester United is not the same team as before, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Tevez it was a little bit scary to play at Old Trafford. Now I don't think offensively they are the same as before.”
To be fair, I’d be scared of any team with Tevez in it, the only thing scarier than him are those bloody angels from Doctor Who!
His comments confuse me though, as Arsenal’s home form has been nothing short of disastrous this season, with losses already to West Brom, Newcastle and most notably local rivals Tottenham. United have lost a grand total of zero at home this season. So if we’re talking about the ‘fear factor’ Samir, if Manchester United are let’s say Alton Tower’s famous ride, Nemesis, then the Emirates is one of those 20p a ride machines you find outside Asda.
I wish these mind games would get a bit more interesting, I remember when they used to throw pizza at each other, them were the days.
Well it’s happened again. Newcastle have gone and sacked yet another manager. Chris Hughton is the latest casualty, a man who had the backing of the dressing room, players who actually wanted to play for him, and a good record so far this season. What in the name of a lone magpie is going on!? Ever since Kevin Keegan did what Kevin Keegan does best: quitting, back in 1997 Newcastle have done nothing but hire and sack managers as they fumble around in the mediocrity of English football.
It’s Newcastle tradition, they will never learn! Back in 1997, after King Kev departed, Kenny Dalglish was thrown into the hot seat, he was shown the door after a year in charge. And so it began. Gullit was next up, playing sexy football and lasting a year. Next contestant was Sir Bobby Robson who finally managed to turn it around.
Robson managed to turn a team who were fighting relegation into title contenders, finishing fourth and third in the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 seasons respectively. Meaning qualification into the Champions League. Something they are way way away from ever achieving these days.
However, Sir Bobby couldn’t build on the success, being eliminated from the Champions League in the group stages in 2003 and only managing fifth place due to the resurgence of Liverpool. Bobby was sacked, and since then things have gotten a lot worse.
Souness was up next and he managed nearly 2 whole seasons in charge! He was sacked in February 2006. Behind him in the queue was Glen Roeder, who did well at first but once given a full season had possibly the worst luck a manager has ever had, sustaining massive injuries to his senior squad and having to replace them with the youth team. He was out before the 2006-2007 season was even wrapped up.
It was Sam Allardyce who was given the opportunity at a ‘big’ club next. He left Bolton Wanderers to become Newcastle’s fourth manager of the new millennium. Now Bolton are the bigger club, funny how things change. Big Sam lasted what seems like twenty minutes and was sacked by new owner Mike Ashley.
Ah, Mike Ashley, he loves Newcastle apparently. God knows why he’s made it is sole ambition to destroy the club from the inside then. Ever since he’s walked in, with his Newcastle replica kit instead of the usual owner attire (suit and ushanka), Newcastle have been a joke club, not just to Sunderland fans but to everyone.
Ashley took over the club in June 2007. Since then he has had five different managers. None more notable that the return of King Kev! Yes, after eleven years and six managers, Keegan returned much to the delight of the Toon army. But if Alardyce lasted just twenty minutes, Keegan’s return lasted a mere fifteen. He was out before you could say Peter Lovenkrands, criticising the board and doing what Kevin Keegan does best: quitting.
After Keegan, Ashley seemed out of ideas and randomly brought in Joe Kinnear to finish the season off. Luckily for Kinnear and his health he left the club due to heart troubles. Who should have replaced him but Newcastle legend Alan Shearer. Fresh from his eagle eye duties on Match of the Day, Shearer came in to attempt to keep Newcastle in the league while Kinnear was undergoing surgery. Shearer failed, as anyone would have, and Newcastle were relegated into the Championship thanks to an own goal by Damien Duff. Such a fitting way for them to be relegated. All of their problems are their own doing.
After relegation Ashley finally gave in to the massive protests by the fans and put the club up for sale, stating: “It has been catastrophic for everybody. I’ve lost my money and I’ve made terrible decisions. Now I want to sell it as soon as I can.” But of course nobody bought them and they were left in the Championship with no one having a clue what was going on. There’s a theme emerging here. Nobody has a clue what is going on; me, the fans, the players, the managers, the owners, God himself. No one knows.
Last season Newcastle had a good year, Shearer wasn’t given a new contract, in fact I don’t think he was even spoken to afterwards. Chris Hughton stood in as manager and eventually took the role permanently guiding the Toon to the top of the table and right back into the Premier League. His reward? Nothing. No assurances, no new contract, no transfer spends, no nothing. Instead there’s just been a cloud parked precariously over St James’ Park, sorry SportsDirect.com@St James’ Park, and credit to Hughton, he just got on with it.
And got on with it he did, his Premier League record this season is: won 5, drawn 4, lost 7, with his highlights being a win over Arsenal at the Emirates and getting a point against Chelsea. Not to mention the 6-0 hammering of Aston Villa and eliminating Chelsea from the Carling Cup, at Stamford bridge I might add. Not bad for a newly promoted club.
But now he’s been sacked. Newcastle want a more ‘experienced’ manager to take them forward. They‘re currently sitting pretty in 12th, but cracks are already appearing. Sol Campbell, probably the most senior figure in the Newcastle dressing room, has already come out and said it was a shock to the players and that it will have a negative effect on them:
“Chris is such a lovely guy. Top man. This will hit the players hard. The players admired him, and liked him, and won't be happy now he's gone like this. The players are sure to be asking themselves ‘what the hell is going on?’”
I hope Hughton goes on to bigger and better things, he should do, he’s a quality manager. As for Newcastle, I hope they get relegated.
