10.28.08
Give Adams a chance, revisited
Portsmouth have promoted Tony Adams as manager, and I’ve already heard of how his time at Wycombe was a disaster, saying he can’t manage, he’s inexperienced etc.
You see, at 42 he’s more experienced than Southgate, Ince, Keane or Zola. A solid defender who is part of the famous Arsenal back four, his illustrious career will give him as much of a footing as his peers of young managers – heck some may even fear the thought of having his great defensive qualities be brought into his own management skills. Pompey may soon be that unbelievable away-winning side again.
So please, like all emerging English managers, give Adams a chance, like you did some decades ago when he quit the booze and consequently set up Sporting Chance. A reformed man will always be an example, but he’d also want to do it with his managerial merits.
10.19.08
I feel for the Spurs fans
Another loss and Tottenham looks to be going to the dumps. You can just point the finger of blame to virtually everyone at the club and also those that have left for this, but the bottom line is that Spurs only have 2 points out of 24.
I say Ramos needs to reinstate the ones banished to the reserves because his current players aren’t doing the job for him. With King the next Spurs sicknote after Darren Anderton, Corluka looking to have a nasty head injury and Dawson suspended it’s time to call up Portugal international Ricardo Rocha – he’s playing for his “favourite club” so I’m sure he’ll give it his all.
If Hossam Ghaly can play well for the basement club of last season surely he could do the same for the current one, too. Who knows, if things get awfully desperate, Ramos could perhaps turn to the wonderkid John Bostock who made his Palace debut at 15. If Arsenal’s got Wilshere, Spurs’s got him.
There’s a list of people that would replace them on the reserves currently playing, and I put Bentley on top of that. He’s just lost the plot ever since the season started; he went from England’s next DB to Spurs’ next Sergei Rebrov.
I could feel sorry for Ramos, being the top manager he is, he doesn’t deserve some of the stick he gets. But when he eventually gets the sack, not only is he scot-free from all of it by then, he’d probably get compensation. So my pity goes to the fans who have to suffer due to this whole mess.
10.15.08
Trying to get that feel back
I sprained my left metatarsal area again, for the 3rd time in recent months. I think I should see a foot specialist (preferably Neil Warnock but he’s busy with his daily job as Palace manager) if I ever have any hopes of getting fit and signing for the now-futsal-playing team of my old pals from secondary school.
Nothing on recently except racism and internationals… boring stuff to write about.
10.08.08
Show me the money
The current financial turmoil has claimed its latest victim: football. Or has it?
Lord Triesman has voiced his concern over debts circling around football clubs in this moment of time. Hang on, what debt?
Call me oblivious with business (and I admittedly am) but whatever happened to all the money the Premier League is raking in? If Lord Triesman is talking about other football clubs on the red in the lower divisions, I can think of an example, Luton Town, that his FA had harshly dealt with.
In administration for a few times in its history, now rock bottom in League Two with a whopping -30 point deduction, I can understand it if the FA are lying down the law hard on “criminal matters” but for a club that is already in a lot of debt and not having all the evildoers there anymore (same happens with Leeds), I don’t know why the FA left them to die a slow death with no mercy. Maybe to them an allocation in the Football League is already a privilege.
In my opinion this isn’t as much of the problem as the FA are sounding out. Keep in mind that at the same time they are pumping millions into the grassroots level of the English game (money finally well-spent).
10.02.08
That’s all, folks!
I don’t think Newcastle’s plight will persist. For one thing, their side is too good to go down. Not that they are producing the right results to warrant a Premier League survival, but I just feel some other teams will hit bad form, worse than them in the future.
What worries me is that for so many years now Newcastle is in a bit of turmoil. The days when Newcastle played with the big clubs in the Champions League seems so distant. There just one guy from that era who could turn the place magically into an ecstatic, lively one: Alan Shearer, but he still turns it down when asked everytime.
I don’t blame him even if he has all the badges already. We should respect his views and plans, maybe it is just too early for him to be at the helm, he wants to come at a stabilised time perhaps. Let’s hope it will come sooner.
If Newcastle get new owners, will Wise and Jimenez keep their jobs? The two of them are basically the root of this shambolic period – it is just so easy for everything to settle, maybe Keegan will return, if these two actually leave their seats. Wise should get back to managing a football club too, he is a very good club manager as his stints have proven.
I just feel sad for Mike Ashley, I have the belief that he originally didn’t want to sell the club, was wrongly advised on the creation of the Director of Football position and whose family is now under threat by the Newcastle fans, a famously passionate lot. Had he quickly covered the departure of Keegan with a Spanish coach and actually could work with the team (at least the Latin contingent) and win them games, maybe the mess would actually quiet down. Spain is growing inside England and I wouldn’t be surprised if the next manager comes from La Liga.
Alas, the new owners will determine who will be next in the near-undesired Newcastle hotseat. As if owning Newcastle United FC isn’t something to fancy of in itself…
