Two very interesting pieces of news came out of UEFA’s headquarters today. The first of which was the unanimous approval of “The UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations,” which was backed by every stakeholder in European football. What this means is that - after the three year phased implementation - clubs wishing to compete in UEFA European competition must be able to meet the following conditions:
- Break-even requirement - clubs must not spend more than they generate over a period of time
- No overdues payable during the season - towards other clubs, employees and/or social/tax authorities
- Provision of future financial information - to ensure clubs can meet their future obligations
It’s worth noting that there will be no limit on how much debt a club can have, although the resulting interest payments will be included and must be covered by the clubs income. So the £716m debt that Manchester United find themselves with will be fine, but the interest payments will go against them, bearing in mind that only the £80m transfer fee for Cristiano Ronaldo saved them from making a loss last season - the eventual profit was just £6.4m. It also spells trouble for teams like Manchester City, who have recouped hardly any of the £170m that they spent on new talent over the past year. In fact, a lot of clubs need to sharpen up financially, after it was reported that over half of UEFA’s 732 licensed clubs operate annually at a loss.
Any clubs not adhering to these rules will not be eligible to compete in any of UEFA’s competitions. A great idea in my opinion.
Second up was the announcement that there will be a further two years of experimenting with additional assistant referees (silly name to start with) behind each goal, starting with next seasons Champions League and Euro 2012 qualifiers. Now I believe - and most managers would agree with me - that this has already been experimented with enough and the conclusion is that it offers nothing. The AAR’s missed a number of key incidents in and around the penalty area during last seasons Europa League, the exact reason why they are there in the first place. I believe they are only being used to stall the call for video/goal line technology, as FIFA president Sepp Blatter hides nothing in his opposal to the calls. The amount of sports that now contain the use of video technology, how is it not that the biggest sport in the world refuses to include something that would in no doubt help the game. When at Fulham Chris Coleman had a monitor in the dugout that could review an incident from a number of angles just 30 seconds after it had happened. I agree that a few things would need ironing out, but come on Blatter, it can’t be that hard.
AAR’s = silly name and a poor idea.
26 May 2010
England V Mexico
Despite the impressive 3-1 scoreline, there was not a lot to shout about regarding England’s performance against the Mexican’s on Monday night. There were very few outstanding performers, if any, and the formation showed no real strengths, nor did it weaknesses. Capello has to take something from the game though, so let’s try and analyse it in the best way possible.
First of all, let’s take a look at the back four and the goalkeeper. A half each was given to the two available stoppers on the night, with Green coming out with his reputation the most enhanced. A fine save down to his right prevented a certain goal from Carlos Vela, although a spilled bobbling shot just minutes after another important save gave worrying thoughts. Hart in the second half was solid, although not having a great deal of work to do, he did what he had to with minimal fuss. Glen Johnson showed yet again his great ability as an attacking fullback, getting forward whenever possible and scoring an absolute peach from the edge of the area, but questions do still remain about his defensive positional sense. Leighton Baines at left back didn’t have the best of games as he failed to get close enough to the ball on a number of occasions, resulting in dangerous balls being played across the face of goal. He could also have been blamed for Franco’s goal as his unconvincing clearance off the line from Marquez’s header allowed the forward to fumble the ball in, although had Ledley King not allowed Marquez to wriggle free of his marking in the first place, danger could have been averted. King admitted he didn’t have his best game, but to see him come through 90 minutes of football was an encouraging sign. In his first game as full time captain Rio Ferdinand worryingly lost a number of straight races, displaying his lack of pace and more importantly, lack of fitness.
In the first half of the game, Mexico ran the midfield and we didn’t do nearly enough to break up their play and to keep the ball ourselves. Michael Carrick in particular had a poor game, including far too many misplaced and needless passes, with James Milner not stamping his authority on the game as he has been all season for Aston Villa. Steven Gerrard once again started out on the left wing, a position I believe that doesn’t show the best of Gerrard and neither the team. Far too often he drifts infield leaving the flank and the left back exposed. Against a team like Brazil who play an effective counter attacking game - for once, Brazil have a very strong defence and one of the best goalkeepers around to protect them - this could spell danger, so we definitely need a more disciplined Gerrard, or a better option, a more natural winger. In the second half we looked to have more shape, after Capello moved Gerrard into the centre, brought on Huddlestone for Carrick and put Milner out on the left. Adam Johnson came on for the last 5 minutes of the game, and turned his defender nicely, but if you want to see what a player can do, he needs more than 5 minutes. I think South Africa has come to early for him, but expect him to have an important role in the 2012 qualifiers. On the right wing, Theo Walcott showed how much fear raw pace brings to a defence, although yet again his final ball was lacking. Running at the fullback and getting to the bye line is Walcott’s strength, but then deciding what ball to play, and executing it is his weakness. I feel he would be more effective through the middle as a fast striker playing off the shoulder’s of the centre backs with Aaron Lennon a far better choice on the right.
Up front Wayne Rooney didn’t have one of his best games, but the fact that he escaped the Wembley pitch unscathed at least put a relieved smile on my face. Say what you want - and most people do - about his strike partner on the night, but his 21st goal in 38 appearances is a record that most international strikers could only dream of. There is still something about him though, that doesn’t make him a world class striker, even if his record does suggest so. I was very surprised not to see Emile Heskey nor Darren Bent get any game time, especially seen as it appears it will be one or the other on the plane this summer.
With one game left before Capello names his 23, I would expect him to select as close to his proposed staring 11 as possible with any undecided players he has in his mind coming on for a chance to impress
First of all, let’s take a look at the back four and the goalkeeper. A half each was given to the two available stoppers on the night, with Green coming out with his reputation the most enhanced. A fine save down to his right prevented a certain goal from Carlos Vela, although a spilled bobbling shot just minutes after another important save gave worrying thoughts. Hart in the second half was solid, although not having a great deal of work to do, he did what he had to with minimal fuss. Glen Johnson showed yet again his great ability as an attacking fullback, getting forward whenever possible and scoring an absolute peach from the edge of the area, but questions do still remain about his defensive positional sense. Leighton Baines at left back didn’t have the best of games as he failed to get close enough to the ball on a number of occasions, resulting in dangerous balls being played across the face of goal. He could also have been blamed for Franco’s goal as his unconvincing clearance off the line from Marquez’s header allowed the forward to fumble the ball in, although had Ledley King not allowed Marquez to wriggle free of his marking in the first place, danger could have been averted. King admitted he didn’t have his best game, but to see him come through 90 minutes of football was an encouraging sign. In his first game as full time captain Rio Ferdinand worryingly lost a number of straight races, displaying his lack of pace and more importantly, lack of fitness.
In the first half of the game, Mexico ran the midfield and we didn’t do nearly enough to break up their play and to keep the ball ourselves. Michael Carrick in particular had a poor game, including far too many misplaced and needless passes, with James Milner not stamping his authority on the game as he has been all season for Aston Villa. Steven Gerrard once again started out on the left wing, a position I believe that doesn’t show the best of Gerrard and neither the team. Far too often he drifts infield leaving the flank and the left back exposed. Against a team like Brazil who play an effective counter attacking game - for once, Brazil have a very strong defence and one of the best goalkeepers around to protect them - this could spell danger, so we definitely need a more disciplined Gerrard, or a better option, a more natural winger. In the second half we looked to have more shape, after Capello moved Gerrard into the centre, brought on Huddlestone for Carrick and put Milner out on the left. Adam Johnson came on for the last 5 minutes of the game, and turned his defender nicely, but if you want to see what a player can do, he needs more than 5 minutes. I think South Africa has come to early for him, but expect him to have an important role in the 2012 qualifiers. On the right wing, Theo Walcott showed how much fear raw pace brings to a defence, although yet again his final ball was lacking. Running at the fullback and getting to the bye line is Walcott’s strength, but then deciding what ball to play, and executing it is his weakness. I feel he would be more effective through the middle as a fast striker playing off the shoulder’s of the centre backs with Aaron Lennon a far better choice on the right.
Up front Wayne Rooney didn’t have one of his best games, but the fact that he escaped the Wembley pitch unscathed at least put a relieved smile on my face. Say what you want - and most people do - about his strike partner on the night, but his 21st goal in 38 appearances is a record that most international strikers could only dream of. There is still something about him though, that doesn’t make him a world class striker, even if his record does suggest so. I was very surprised not to see Emile Heskey nor Darren Bent get any game time, especially seen as it appears it will be one or the other on the plane this summer.
With one game left before Capello names his 23, I would expect him to select as close to his proposed staring 11 as possible with any undecided players he has in his mind coming on for a chance to impress
19 May 2010
2018 - It's Our's To Lose
Thursday December 2nd, 2010. That is the date that the footballing worlds governing body FIFA will name the host nation for the 2018 World Cup, along with the hosts for the 2022 tournament. Nine individual nations initially registered an interest in hosting the 2018 and the 2022 World Cup with Portugal and Spain registering a joint bid along with Holland and Belgium. Others included Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Russia and the USA, with Qatar and South Korea concentrating solely on 2022. Japan have since withdrew their bid for 2018, deciding to concentrate on 2022 alone, while Mexico withdrew entirely and Indonesia’s was rejected by FIFA early this year.
For the 2018 tournament then, we have 6 bids, consisting of Australia, England, Russia, USA and the two joint bids from Spain/Portugal and Holland/Belgium. Sepp Blatter (President of FIFA) frequently comes out with laughable comments and quite often contradicts his own words. But if you dare believe or even listen to what the Swiss president says, then you can whittle those 6 bids down to just 2. “I think for 2018 it will be a European candidate,” said Blatter earlier this year, while in early 2009 he stated that as long as there is a valid individual bid that “double candidacies will not be accepted.” So that would leave just England and Russia.
It would be foolish to completely discount the joint bids, but I do believe that this World Cup will come to Europe after FIFA scrapped it’s rotation policy. After World Cups in South Africa and South America - the 2014 tournament will be held in Brazil, far from renowned as a safe country that can cope with a big sporting event, let alone having the suitable stadia or resources to build them - I believe they will want to select a country that they have complete faith in and one that already has the correct safety measures in place and suitable stadiums already built.
England are the early favourites, with most of the required stadiums already in place and the passion for the English game is one like no other. Another big positive is the transport, with trains running to every host city and also airports in all the major cities, fans can transport around the country with ease. It is also long overdue, by the time the tournament comes round, it will have been over 50 years since the last World Cup here, a long time for a nation claiming to be the home of football. As for Russia, despite not yet having the suitable stadiums, they have a nice list of new venues that are to be built before the tournament and they all look impressive. Safety however, remains an issue. In 2007 England travelled to Moscow for a Euro 2008 qualifier. During their time over there, England fans repeatedly came across violence with reports of bars and hotels being attacked by the locals. This really needs addressing if they are to have a chance of hosting the 2018 finals. If joint bidding is to come into the equation, then Spain and Portugal’s bid has to be up there. Along with England, the required stadiums are mostly already in place and Portugal’s successful hosting of Euro 2004 will only go in their favour. Despite hosting Euro 2000, I believe Holland and Belgium’s bid to be too small to host a tournament of this magnitude.
It really is England’s to lose, especially after coming so close in the bidding for the 2006 World Cup. Recent comments made by the former chairman of the bid however, could do just that. Lord David Triesman was secretly taped suggesting that Spain could withdraw from the bidding if Russia agreed to bribery during this years finals. An absurd comment made by someone who really should know better. Blatter and FIFA hide no secrets when it comes to their dislike of the English game, so something like this could really damage our chances, giving them the perfect excuse to reject England’s bid.
As much as I really hope England win the hosting to the 2018 World Cup finals, I believe it will now go to Russia, with the destination of the 2022 tournament being Qatar, given the recent sudden rise of football in the middle east.
The proposed new Stadium Kazan in Russia will hold 45,000 when it is complete.
For the 2018 tournament then, we have 6 bids, consisting of Australia, England, Russia, USA and the two joint bids from Spain/Portugal and Holland/Belgium. Sepp Blatter (President of FIFA) frequently comes out with laughable comments and quite often contradicts his own words. But if you dare believe or even listen to what the Swiss president says, then you can whittle those 6 bids down to just 2. “I think for 2018 it will be a European candidate,” said Blatter earlier this year, while in early 2009 he stated that as long as there is a valid individual bid that “double candidacies will not be accepted.” So that would leave just England and Russia.
It would be foolish to completely discount the joint bids, but I do believe that this World Cup will come to Europe after FIFA scrapped it’s rotation policy. After World Cups in South Africa and South America - the 2014 tournament will be held in Brazil, far from renowned as a safe country that can cope with a big sporting event, let alone having the suitable stadia or resources to build them - I believe they will want to select a country that they have complete faith in and one that already has the correct safety measures in place and suitable stadiums already built.
England are the early favourites, with most of the required stadiums already in place and the passion for the English game is one like no other. Another big positive is the transport, with trains running to every host city and also airports in all the major cities, fans can transport around the country with ease. It is also long overdue, by the time the tournament comes round, it will have been over 50 years since the last World Cup here, a long time for a nation claiming to be the home of football. As for Russia, despite not yet having the suitable stadiums, they have a nice list of new venues that are to be built before the tournament and they all look impressive. Safety however, remains an issue. In 2007 England travelled to Moscow for a Euro 2008 qualifier. During their time over there, England fans repeatedly came across violence with reports of bars and hotels being attacked by the locals. This really needs addressing if they are to have a chance of hosting the 2018 finals. If joint bidding is to come into the equation, then Spain and Portugal’s bid has to be up there. Along with England, the required stadiums are mostly already in place and Portugal’s successful hosting of Euro 2004 will only go in their favour. Despite hosting Euro 2000, I believe Holland and Belgium’s bid to be too small to host a tournament of this magnitude.
It really is England’s to lose, especially after coming so close in the bidding for the 2006 World Cup. Recent comments made by the former chairman of the bid however, could do just that. Lord David Triesman was secretly taped suggesting that Spain could withdraw from the bidding if Russia agreed to bribery during this years finals. An absurd comment made by someone who really should know better. Blatter and FIFA hide no secrets when it comes to their dislike of the English game, so something like this could really damage our chances, giving them the perfect excuse to reject England’s bid.
As much as I really hope England win the hosting to the 2018 World Cup finals, I believe it will now go to Russia, with the destination of the 2022 tournament being Qatar, given the recent sudden rise of football in the middle east.
The proposed new Stadium Kazan in Russia will hold 45,000 when it is complete.
18 May 2010
Roo Deserve It
At the beginning of February John Terry was sacked as captain of the England national side after allegations were made public of an alleged affair between the Chelsea man and (former team mate) Wayne Bridge’s ex girlfriend. I feel the right decision was made by Fabio Capello, although replacing him with Rio Ferdinand would not have been something I would have done.
While the captain should be someone with good leadership skills and a regular top performer, it is also all about how they conduct themselves off the pitch. Youngsters around the country look up to their heroes and want to emulate them in every way possible. Footballers in general need to show these kids how to behave and what they need to be doing if they are to realise their dream of becoming a professional footballer. This is even more the case when you are the leader of the national side, leader of the country in terms of the sport.
Rio Ferdinand has not been completely free of scandal in the past. Aside from the 2003 missed drugs test in which he received an eight month ban, he has also been involved in various kiss and tells including a sex tape made with fellow team mate Frank Lampard, not to mention the three game ban he received this season for striking Hull City forward Craig Fagan. However, he was named as Terry’s assistant when Capello took over the England reigns, so he is sticking by his decision.
The new assistant, Steven Gerrard, would also not be a good choice, being in the public spotlight too much for the wrong reasons, including a recent alleged bar room brawl. Therefore my choice for England captain for the upcoming World Cup and beyond would be Wayne Rooney. I will agree that he also hasn’t had a squeaky clean past, but over the past season or two he has really quietened down and is even refraining from arguing with officials. He is by far our most outstanding performer, someone I believe would really lead by example.
While the captain should be someone with good leadership skills and a regular top performer, it is also all about how they conduct themselves off the pitch. Youngsters around the country look up to their heroes and want to emulate them in every way possible. Footballers in general need to show these kids how to behave and what they need to be doing if they are to realise their dream of becoming a professional footballer. This is even more the case when you are the leader of the national side, leader of the country in terms of the sport.
Rio Ferdinand has not been completely free of scandal in the past. Aside from the 2003 missed drugs test in which he received an eight month ban, he has also been involved in various kiss and tells including a sex tape made with fellow team mate Frank Lampard, not to mention the three game ban he received this season for striking Hull City forward Craig Fagan. However, he was named as Terry’s assistant when Capello took over the England reigns, so he is sticking by his decision.
The new assistant, Steven Gerrard, would also not be a good choice, being in the public spotlight too much for the wrong reasons, including a recent alleged bar room brawl. Therefore my choice for England captain for the upcoming World Cup and beyond would be Wayne Rooney. I will agree that he also hasn’t had a squeaky clean past, but over the past season or two he has really quietened down and is even refraining from arguing with officials. He is by far our most outstanding performer, someone I believe would really lead by example.
14 May 2010
Capello And His Preliminary Lions
So Fabio Capello has named his preliminary England squad for the upcoming World Cup in South Africa and, as ever, there are a number of surprise inclusions and omissions, none more so than the inclusion of the previously retired Jamie Carragher. One can only wonder what it was that Capello said to persuade Carragher to come out of international retirement. Keeping in mind the reason that the Liverpool defender quit the national side was due to him being annoyed at playing second and sometimes third fiddle to the likes of John Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Ledley King, would he really come back into the fold to fulfil the same position of backup in South Africa? With the only natural right back in the squad being Glen Johnson, it appears Carragher has been called up as a full back who can also play in the centre. Question marks still remain over Johnson’s defending so don’t be surprised if the comeback begins with a start against the USA on June 12th. One thing is for sure though, he will be on that plane. Capello would not through all the trouble to get him out of retirement to drop him at the last minute.
Some would say Ledley King is another surprise selection - the Tottenham defender last played for his country in 2007 - although watching his performances this season, he is most definitely in there based on merit, whilst finally proving to his critics that he can play more than one game a week. King’s team mate Michael Dawson is also in there, despite not yet being capped by his country, after forming an excellent partnership at the heart of Spurs’ defence this season as Harry Redknapp’s men achieved Champions League qualification. Out of form for club and country Matthew Upson really is fighting for his place on the plane, and will be looking to impress should he get an opportunity in any of the upcoming friendlies. Behind the defenders there are no real surprises as - to Sam Allardyce’s disapproval - Joe Hart is selected in favour of former number one Paul Robinson.
The biggest decision in midfield was the selection of Gareth Barry ahead of Owen Hargreaves. Both are currently unfit with Hargreaves just returning from a long standing knee problem whilst Barry is currently carrying an ankle injury that will keep him out until just before the tournament. I believe the right decision was made here simply because Hargreaves has played just 1 minute of football in 19 months and cannot possibly be expected to be at full fitness come June. Wingers pose the only true selection problem for the Italian. He needs to pick two between Lennon, Wright-Phillips and Walcott. I’ve never been a massive fan of Walcott on the wing due to his final delivery not being good enough but I believe he will (just) get the nod over Wright-Phillips who in my opinion will be watching the tournament on the tv back home. Despite an excellent end to the season since joining Manchester City, I don’t think there will be any room for Adam Johnson in the squad while Tom Huddlestone will only get a chance should Barry not prove his fitness in time. James Milner should be as much an automatic choice as Frank Lampard at the minute whilst Michael Carrick seems to be a favourite of Capello’s.
No surprises up front as Darren Bent joins the usual suspects in Rooney, Crouch, Defoe and Heskey. Personally I would have preferred to have seen Gabriel Agbonlahor in there instead as he offers electrifying pace when coming off the bench but I can’t see anyone getting ahead of the usual four anyway so I expect them to be dead certs to travel.
This is who I believe Capello will take with him:
Goalkeepers: Hart, James, Green
Defenders: A Cole, Baines, Carragher, Johnson, King, Upson, Ferdinand, Terry. (I would prefer Dawson to Upson, but I think he will go with the experience)
Midfielders: Lennon, Walcott, J Cole, Milner, Gerrard, Lampard, Barry, Carrick
Strikers: Heskey, Rooney, Crouch, Defoe.
Some would say Ledley King is another surprise selection - the Tottenham defender last played for his country in 2007 - although watching his performances this season, he is most definitely in there based on merit, whilst finally proving to his critics that he can play more than one game a week. King’s team mate Michael Dawson is also in there, despite not yet being capped by his country, after forming an excellent partnership at the heart of Spurs’ defence this season as Harry Redknapp’s men achieved Champions League qualification. Out of form for club and country Matthew Upson really is fighting for his place on the plane, and will be looking to impress should he get an opportunity in any of the upcoming friendlies. Behind the defenders there are no real surprises as - to Sam Allardyce’s disapproval - Joe Hart is selected in favour of former number one Paul Robinson.
The biggest decision in midfield was the selection of Gareth Barry ahead of Owen Hargreaves. Both are currently unfit with Hargreaves just returning from a long standing knee problem whilst Barry is currently carrying an ankle injury that will keep him out until just before the tournament. I believe the right decision was made here simply because Hargreaves has played just 1 minute of football in 19 months and cannot possibly be expected to be at full fitness come June. Wingers pose the only true selection problem for the Italian. He needs to pick two between Lennon, Wright-Phillips and Walcott. I’ve never been a massive fan of Walcott on the wing due to his final delivery not being good enough but I believe he will (just) get the nod over Wright-Phillips who in my opinion will be watching the tournament on the tv back home. Despite an excellent end to the season since joining Manchester City, I don’t think there will be any room for Adam Johnson in the squad while Tom Huddlestone will only get a chance should Barry not prove his fitness in time. James Milner should be as much an automatic choice as Frank Lampard at the minute whilst Michael Carrick seems to be a favourite of Capello’s.
No surprises up front as Darren Bent joins the usual suspects in Rooney, Crouch, Defoe and Heskey. Personally I would have preferred to have seen Gabriel Agbonlahor in there instead as he offers electrifying pace when coming off the bench but I can’t see anyone getting ahead of the usual four anyway so I expect them to be dead certs to travel.
This is who I believe Capello will take with him:
Goalkeepers: Hart, James, Green
Defenders: A Cole, Baines, Carragher, Johnson, King, Upson, Ferdinand, Terry. (I would prefer Dawson to Upson, but I think he will go with the experience)
Midfielders: Lennon, Walcott, J Cole, Milner, Gerrard, Lampard, Barry, Carrick
Strikers: Heskey, Rooney, Crouch, Defoe.
Manager-less Coventry
Back to the real world, my beloved Coventry City are currently manager-less after Chris Coleman received the boot at the end of the season.
The last game of the season was at home to Watford and was to be Marcus Hall’s last game for the club after many years of service. Coleman came out in the preceding week to say that Hall would not be starting the game on the Sunday because he wanted to put out a strong team and win the game. Although there was nothing to play for, you could (just about) understand his decision, coming off a run of 10 games without a win he wanted to end the season with a victory. With the current poor form and with Liverpool Chelsea on live at the same time, we decided to stay in the pub and miss our first home game of the season. It appeared a good choice as 2 goals in 2 minutes meant we were 2-0 down inside 20 minutes, with the game ending 4-0.
Despite sitting pretty just outside the playoffs for a short while after Christmas, we wasn’t playing well, and we were scraping games 1-0 or 2-1, masking the fact of how poor we were. His decision making wasn’t the best either, putting our star striker out on the wing after scoring 5 goals in 4 games and continuing to select a very poor winger, a winger that he had signed for £500,000 at the start of the season. A winger that cannot beat a man nor whip in a good cross is a poor one if you ask me. But the main thing that annoyed me was when he came out with a statement saying that the team needed more pace and power. By this point he had been here for 2 and a half years and the squad he was complaining about was in the majority his own signings. On the Tuesday morning after the Watford defeat Coleman was relieved of his duties, with chairman Ray Ranson stating that the decision wasn’t a knee jerk reaction to Sunday’s result.
So what of a replacement? Well bookmakers have Paul Hart and Tony Mowbray in as the favourites, although neither have yet to declare an interest. A “source close to the Mowbray family” has came out and said that he would love the job, but a source close to the family could be anyone, a distant cousins milkman more than likely. Three people that have came out and registered their interest are former Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo, Dion Dublin - thankfully this morning was ruled out of the running - and Romanian coach Laszlo Boloni. The latter has by far the most impressive cv, winning the league, cup and super cup treble in 2002 with Sporting Lisbon before moving to Stade Rennais who he guided to their highest league position in their history. He also won the Belgian league in 2009 with Standard Liege, sandwiched between 2 Belgian super cup wins. Add to that Champions League experience and he is the most successful candidate by a country mile, although two questions remain. First of all could we afford him, but more importantly could he adapt to the physical approach of the English second tier. He has said he would relish the challenge but I’m not so sure he would be a good bet. Likewise with Hart, as I don’t feel he has enough experience. Others said to be in the frame who I wouldn’t like in charge for various reasons are Phil Brown, Dennis Wise, Gary McAllister and Steve Cotterill.
What we really need is someone who has been there before and done it, someone who has experience in this division and of getting teams out of it. My choice would be Ian Holloway. What he has done at Blackpool with not much money is excellent, although whether he takes them to the Premiership or not, I can’t see him leaving. So I suppose that just leaves Tony Mowbray, who I wouldn’t mind at the helm for the job he did at West Brom. The only thing that worries me is his performance at Celtic, where the only real challenge is to beat Rangers, one in which he spectacularly failed.
Make no mistake though, Ray Ranson will pick who he thinks is the best man that his money can afford, no cost cutting here. The main - more like only - objective for him and his company SISU is to turn Coventry City FC into an attractive club for someone to buy so he can make a healthy profit. To do that he either needs to buy the stadium - the Ricoh Arena is currently rented - or take the club to the promised land. Seen as there is no money for the stadium, operation Premiership is at large.
The last game of the season was at home to Watford and was to be Marcus Hall’s last game for the club after many years of service. Coleman came out in the preceding week to say that Hall would not be starting the game on the Sunday because he wanted to put out a strong team and win the game. Although there was nothing to play for, you could (just about) understand his decision, coming off a run of 10 games without a win he wanted to end the season with a victory. With the current poor form and with Liverpool Chelsea on live at the same time, we decided to stay in the pub and miss our first home game of the season. It appeared a good choice as 2 goals in 2 minutes meant we were 2-0 down inside 20 minutes, with the game ending 4-0.
Despite sitting pretty just outside the playoffs for a short while after Christmas, we wasn’t playing well, and we were scraping games 1-0 or 2-1, masking the fact of how poor we were. His decision making wasn’t the best either, putting our star striker out on the wing after scoring 5 goals in 4 games and continuing to select a very poor winger, a winger that he had signed for £500,000 at the start of the season. A winger that cannot beat a man nor whip in a good cross is a poor one if you ask me. But the main thing that annoyed me was when he came out with a statement saying that the team needed more pace and power. By this point he had been here for 2 and a half years and the squad he was complaining about was in the majority his own signings. On the Tuesday morning after the Watford defeat Coleman was relieved of his duties, with chairman Ray Ranson stating that the decision wasn’t a knee jerk reaction to Sunday’s result.
So what of a replacement? Well bookmakers have Paul Hart and Tony Mowbray in as the favourites, although neither have yet to declare an interest. A “source close to the Mowbray family” has came out and said that he would love the job, but a source close to the family could be anyone, a distant cousins milkman more than likely. Three people that have came out and registered their interest are former Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo, Dion Dublin - thankfully this morning was ruled out of the running - and Romanian coach Laszlo Boloni. The latter has by far the most impressive cv, winning the league, cup and super cup treble in 2002 with Sporting Lisbon before moving to Stade Rennais who he guided to their highest league position in their history. He also won the Belgian league in 2009 with Standard Liege, sandwiched between 2 Belgian super cup wins. Add to that Champions League experience and he is the most successful candidate by a country mile, although two questions remain. First of all could we afford him, but more importantly could he adapt to the physical approach of the English second tier. He has said he would relish the challenge but I’m not so sure he would be a good bet. Likewise with Hart, as I don’t feel he has enough experience. Others said to be in the frame who I wouldn’t like in charge for various reasons are Phil Brown, Dennis Wise, Gary McAllister and Steve Cotterill.
What we really need is someone who has been there before and done it, someone who has experience in this division and of getting teams out of it. My choice would be Ian Holloway. What he has done at Blackpool with not much money is excellent, although whether he takes them to the Premiership or not, I can’t see him leaving. So I suppose that just leaves Tony Mowbray, who I wouldn’t mind at the helm for the job he did at West Brom. The only thing that worries me is his performance at Celtic, where the only real challenge is to beat Rangers, one in which he spectacularly failed.
Make no mistake though, Ray Ranson will pick who he thinks is the best man that his money can afford, no cost cutting here. The main - more like only - objective for him and his company SISU is to turn Coventry City FC into an attractive club for someone to buy so he can make a healthy profit. To do that he either needs to buy the stadium - the Ricoh Arena is currently rented - or take the club to the promised land. Seen as there is no money for the stadium, operation Premiership is at large.
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