Who will win the league?
John: I am going to say that Moyes will have a stormer of a season and Man Utd will win their 21st title.
Stephen: difficult one... the weekends fixtures have thrown it up in the air, the man city defeat to Cardiff can be a blip but it also showed some major defensive issues. Neither Man Utd nor Chelsea looked willing to lay a stake on the title with that very dull affair and Man Utd’s defeat to Liverpool did show up a lot of weaknesses with Man Utd’s squad. I'm going to say Man City because of just sheer squad strength.
Ian: A difficult one, but I will go with Manchester United. Chelsea have strengthened but I don't think that Mourinho quite has what it takes on his return. Losing Mata would be a disaster for them. Man City look good, but not quite good enough.
Sam: Its a very tough one to call but I am thinking Chelsea at this stage. Not a great showing against Man Utd, but they have strengthened this Summer, something Man Utd have so far failed to do. Man City look vulnerable at the back, I thought this even watching them against Newcastle and was proven to be correct the following weekend against Cardiff.
Champions league positions?
John: Man Utd, Chelsea, Man City, and……… Tottenham. It will be closely run mind, with Arsenal and Liverpool added to the list. Tottenham have spent the Bale money well and I think Erik Lamela is an excellent replacement for Bale and Étienne Capoue looks good well worth the £12 million. I think Liverpool will have an excellent season and will finish ahead of Arsenal who will drop to sixth. This will be Wengers last season and will probably end up at PSG. Arsenal have not strengthened and their squad is bone bare, their bench against Tottenham was frightening. A bad crop of injuries and Arsenal will start to lose games. Liverpool have strengthened well and next season I can see them actually breaking into the top four, they have a lot of good young players and another season of development and a couple of quality additions next summer and they will easily get there, Rogers has done a very good job at Liverpool and he is proving to be a very good manager.
Stephen: One has to consider Liverpool after their unusually steady start, one rough spell and they're catchup though. Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea and Spurs are my picks.
Ian: Man United, Chelsea, Man City, Spurs
Sam: Chelsea, Man City, Man Utd, Tottenham
Relegations teams?
John: It’s hard to look past Crystal Palace and Hull. That final spot could be anyone who didn’t finish in the top 6 last year. Particular mention to Newcastle, Sunderland and Fulham, these teams will be around this area and have all looked extremely poor in their opening games. I am going to go with Newcastle. Sunderland and Fulham will sack their managers and strengthen accordingly in January, Newcastle will sack Pardew and appoint Joe Kinnear.
Stephen: Palace, Stoke, Cardiff, (Newcastle based on first three games but I think a good spell must come)
Ian: Hull, Crystal Palace and Stoke.
Sam: Stoke, Hull City, Crystal Palace
Overachievers of the season?
John: Southampton will have a good season, which will send Ricky Lambert to Brazil. Special Mention to Aston Villa who I think will have a very good season. Benteke looks like last season wasn’t a one off and Agbonlahor, Weimann, Lowton and Delph have all started very well. If they can maintain this level of performance and Benteke continues scoring goals I can see Villa finishing in the top half.
Stephen: Southampton... again.
Ian: I would say Southampton but I don't think finishing in the top half after spending £30m is an over achievement. So I'll go for Aston Villa - their young squad will be better for last years experience and can only improve.
Sam: West Ham
Under performers of the season?
John: I think Newcastle, I can see a massive circus of a season heading their way. The dismissal of Pardew early doors, they will then appoint Joe Kinnear as manager. West Brom look much weaker than they did last season and they will struggle bottom half.
Stephen: Newcastle
Ian: West Brom. They will struggle despite a good year last term. Their form since January has been woeful. Stoke too.
Sam: Man Utd - Haven't strengthened at all in comparison to their main rivals who have all spent well over 50million.
Signing of the season?
John: Capoue for Tottenham has looked very promising, but I am going to go for Nathan Redmond. He has looked excellent he scored a stunner against Southampton and he has looked really promising and for just £2 million this seems like a steal. I know he was signed last season but Villa keeping hold of Benteke was quite a coup and will prove to be well worth it this season.
Stephen: Soldado
Ian: Ricky van Wolfswinkel - If only for the name. Or Simon Mignolet. I don't think people realise just how good a goalkeeper he is, world class saves are the norm to him.
Sam: Caulker to Cardiff is a great signing, 8 million is a lot, but they now have a promising young centre back who has 2 years premier league experience.
Worst signing of the season?
John: Osvaldo looks very poor and £12 million I can’t see him paying much of that back. Willian for £30 million looks like a big waste of money as well.
Stephen: There isn’t really any standout buys that look or seem that dreadful.
Ian: Aspas for Liverpool, looks a bit like Borini Mk II
Sam: I can't really see Osvaldo setting the world alight and £12 million is a lot of money.
First Manager to go?
John: The writing has been on the wall for Pardew ever since Joe Kinnear was appointed
Stephen: I'd love it to be Hughes, but sharks look to circulating at palace, not really Holloway's fault.
Ian: Sorry Newcastle fans but Alan Pardew. I feel for him but he's so rigid (i.e. drop Debuchy) and under the thumb from Ashley and Kinnear that he just hasn't got the backbone to assert his authority.
Sam: Ian Holloway - There has already been rumours and I think if they are rock bottom by the end of October, they may look to a change.
Top Goal Scorer?
John: Robin Van Persie, Daniel Sturridge will run him close.
Stephen: Robin Van Persie
Ian: A good question and I shall be utterly boring and say Robin van Persie.
Sam: Van Persie
Championship Promoted teams?
John: QPR, Nottingham Forrest, Watford
Stephen: Nottingham Forrest, Watford, QPR
Ian: QPR (unfortunately), Watford, Wigan
Sam: Blackpool, QPR, Leicester
Championship Relegated Teams?
John: Yeovil, Barnsley, Millwall
Stephen: Barnsley, Yeovil, Millwall
Ian: Blackburn (they'll lose Rhodes to Newcastle), Yeovil, Barnsley
Sam: Yeovil, Barnsley, Doncaster
Champions League Winners?
John: Real Madrid
Stephen: KLOPP (Dortmund)
Ian: Real Madrid
Sam: Barcalona
FA cup winners?
John: Chelsea
Stephen: Liverpool
Ian: Tottenham
Sam: Chelsea
League Cup Winners?
John: Aston Villa
Stephen: Arsenal
Ian: I'm going to go really left field here and say Nottingham Forest
Sam: Man City
The Centre Circles does Europe:
John - Bundesliga: The Bundesliga is going to look very similar to last year. Bayern Munich will walk the division comfortably and Dortmund will finish in second. The loss of Mario Götze was not ideal for Dortmund but keeping Robert Lewandowski even for one more year is probably worth more than the £25million. Even if all it will achieve is not to strengthen their main rivals. Aubameyang and Jonas Hofmann look like very good signings for Dortmund. Leverkusen lost Daniel Carvajal and André Schürrle which will be felt, but have gained Son from Hamburg. This for me was a good signing and getting a partnership to develop between Son and Kießling is key. I think they will finish in third. Fourth place is anyone’s guess Wolfsburg have strengthened and will be looking to put a disappointing season behind them. The signing of Daniel Caligiuri who was very impressive for Freiburg last year, seems like a good piece of business and the signing of Luis Gustavo was quite a coup. Schalke have had a poor start but a 2-0 win over Leverkusen will put a lot of minds at ease and the signing of Kevin Prince Boateng will do much to improve their slow start. Werder Bremen could be a surprise contender for fourth after a promising start.
At the other end of the table Braunschweig although have played well look doomed already. Augsburg will probably join after being quite lucky last year with some end of season heroics. Hertha Berlin have started well but I expect them to be around that area come the end of the season. I also expect Nuremberg and Freiburg to be precariously close.
Stephen - Ligue 1: Monaco and PSG are really throwing money around and will be the teams battling it out at the top. Marseille have had a strong start but I expect them to struggle under the financial power of PSG or Monaco
Ian - Serie A: It promises to be an exciting season in Italy. Napoli have strengthened nicely (despite losing Cavani) as have Roma, who have also lost talent. Juventus will always be there or thereabouts and Fiorentina will look to kick on after just missing out on a Champions League place last term. The playing field certainly seems to be much more level this season.
Sam – Liga BBVA: Barcelona to win the title. They won it with ease last year and continued where they left off with an emphatic 7-0 victory against Levante.
To be relegated, my prediction is on Malaga, who are a team in turmoil and another victim of a bored billionaire. Elche and Rayo Vallencano will join them.
Three predictions for the coming season?
John:
- Kinnear to be Newcastle Manager, at some point
- Bale will not represent value for money
- Goal line technology will be a roaring success
Stephen:
- Southampton pushing Europa league
- Newcastle hitting rock bottom with the managerial appointment of Kinnear.
- Suarez having a clean season
Ian:
- Joe Kinnear will take charge of Newcastle in at least one game.
- Goal line technology will prove inaccurate and controversial
- Mark Hughes will be sacked by February in a desperate attempt to save Stoke by Peter Coates. His exit will herald interviews proclaiming he wasn't given enough time, it wasn't his fault and he's still a top manager.
Sam:
- There will be 3 managerial casualties by January
- Liverpool to finish ahead of Arsenal
- West Brom to get relegated.
~John Robert Lavery
~Stephen Wrigglesworth
~Ian Bendelow
~Samuel Lavery
Monday, 2 September 2013
Tuesday, 27 August 2013
Prediction Results 2013/14 Week 2
A very poor week in the predictions for everyone involved. John has still yet to record a perfect score.
Sam - 6
Stephen - 2
Ian - 2
John - 2
Prediction of the Week: Sam - Manchester 0-0 Chelsea
Sam - 6
Stephen - 2
Ian - 2
John - 2
Prediction of the Week: Sam - Manchester 0-0 Chelsea
League Standings
Pts
| ||
1
|
Stephen
|
15
|
2
|
Ian
|
13
|
3
|
Sam
|
13
|
4
|
John
|
8
|
Friday, 23 August 2013
Prediction 2013/14 Results week 1
Hello Everyone and welcome to the first week in the 2013/14 prediction league.
This weekend had a familiar feel to it as Stephen and Ian collected two perfect scores each. At the other end Sam and John continue to struggle when it comes to finding the scores that matter with both failing to find any perfect scores. Something that was very apparent last season when both John and Sam limped home quite a bit off the pace.
Prediction of the weekend: Stephen - Sunderland 0 - 1 Fulham
Stephen - 13
This weekend had a familiar feel to it as Stephen and Ian collected two perfect scores each. At the other end Sam and John continue to struggle when it comes to finding the scores that matter with both failing to find any perfect scores. Something that was very apparent last season when both John and Sam limped home quite a bit off the pace.
Prediction of the weekend: Stephen - Sunderland 0 - 1 Fulham
Stephen - 13
Ian - 11
Sam - 7
John - 6
League Standings
Pts
| ||
1
|
Stephen
|
13
|
2
|
Ian
|
11
|
3
|
Sam
|
7
|
4
|
John
|
6
|
Thursday, 27 June 2013
Evolution, A Dinosaur and Modern Football
On Sunday the 16th of June news broke that Joe Kinnear had been hired as Director of Football at Newcastle United. This news was broken not by the club, or an in the know journalist. No, in fact it was broken by the man himself. Presumably hours before he had even signed a contract. It took until Tuesday for the club to confirm it via a statement on the clubs’ website. As a fan I am used to the circus that is Newcastle United, it’s very rare we don’t dominate the back pages usually for some mess we have created, player orgy (common place now but remember, we did it here first), Joey Barton, Dennis wise and co, Kevin Keegan’s second coming then his resignation, the unfair dismissal of Chris Houghton, stadium naming rights, etc.
There is never a dull moment at Newcastle United, any success or sustained stability is evened out by clown like decision making and relegations. Even before I was born Newcastle was run like a fun fair and were known as a yo-yo club, with a revolving door of managers throughout the late 70s through to the early 90s.
The first time Joe Kinnear was brought in to replace the outgoing Kevin Keegan I was apprehensive, he was a manager whose last taste of success was a domestic double semi final with Wimbledon in 1997. He had then gone onto have a hand in the relegation of Luton town and Nottingham Forrest. Kinnear joined Newcastle and went onto win four of his 18 games in charge then left due to a recurrence of his heart problems. Our fears and apprehension of his appointment were perfectly founded and we were relegated that season. He now joins us for a second time, this time as Director of Football.
Is this a good role for him? He might not be up to the rigours of management anymore with its sports scientists, complicated tactics (which is almost a science in itself), superstar footballers, vast amounts of money. A Director of Football is someone who knows the game and can use his experience and extensive list of contacts to find players, which without him might not have been possible. Another role for a director of football is to allow an element of continuity for example Angelo Henrique at Porto. This might suit Kinnear more than maybe having a full time hands on role as manager. In the car crash interview given to TalkSport, the only truth among many fabrications was that the players he mentioned did in fact play for Wimbledon at some point in their career and did in fact work with Kinnear. The lines do get blurred somewhat whether he signed them or not, how much he paid for them and how effective they were for his Wimbledon side. There was a litany of half-truths, inaccurate statements, and downright lies during the interview – and these have been picked apart by journalists with consummate ease.
At Wimbledon the three players where he may have got some value from were Marcus Gayle, Dean Holdsworth and Oyvind Leonhardsen. They were brought in collectively for little under a million and a half and were sold on for seven to eight million. On this alone it’s hardly merit to be put in charge of player recruitment at a club as big as Newcastle, his CV says he unearthed three very average players over seven years. If that was the case then Steve Bruce may as well have been given the job. Even Alan Pardew’s record eclipses this and he has done it in two seasons. These players were brought in from the lower divisions and as the Premier league gets bigger and bigger it is becoming harder and harder for lower league players to make the step up hence why scouts and “directors of football” are relying more and more on players from overseas.
There is a place for a director of football at Newcastle and within the English game. The problem is Kinnear is a ridiculous appointment. If you look at clubs like Reading and West Brom which have had Directors of Football, they show that it can be successful if the right appointment is made. Liverpool shows what can happen if the wrong appointment is made. When I look at teams like Sunderland and Tottenham appointing proven directors of football with a good record in this role, it makes me wander who's decision making was behind Kinnears appointment.
Kinnear is a throwback to the by gone days of football. He has failed at every club he has been at since Wimbledon because unlike Alex Ferguson and Bobby Robson he couldn't evolve with the game, had a total inability to adapt and therefore couldn’t – and can’t - understand the modern game. The game left him behind like it has done so many others who refuse to embrace modern football. His media appearances so far have shown exactly what he is - someone who is out of touch and out of date and above all supremely arrogant. Mispronouncing players names, making things up, saying he is more intelligent than the Newcastle fans that doubt him. That statement in itself shows a severe lack of intelligence on his part.
He has come into Newcastle, upset the fans, the current management structure, and upset the players in particular Cabaye, Ben Arfa and Sammy Ameobi. I can see this ending badly and his comments he made in June 2012 hardly reassure Alan Pardew and Graham Carr "I would consider something like a director of football post. But I would do that for just one reason and that is to get myself back into full-time management. If I was a director of football and the manager was struggling and got the old tin-tack, I would tell them that I'd take over."
~John Robert Lavery
There is never a dull moment at Newcastle United, any success or sustained stability is evened out by clown like decision making and relegations. Even before I was born Newcastle was run like a fun fair and were known as a yo-yo club, with a revolving door of managers throughout the late 70s through to the early 90s.
The first time Joe Kinnear was brought in to replace the outgoing Kevin Keegan I was apprehensive, he was a manager whose last taste of success was a domestic double semi final with Wimbledon in 1997. He had then gone onto have a hand in the relegation of Luton town and Nottingham Forrest. Kinnear joined Newcastle and went onto win four of his 18 games in charge then left due to a recurrence of his heart problems. Our fears and apprehension of his appointment were perfectly founded and we were relegated that season. He now joins us for a second time, this time as Director of Football.
Is this a good role for him? He might not be up to the rigours of management anymore with its sports scientists, complicated tactics (which is almost a science in itself), superstar footballers, vast amounts of money. A Director of Football is someone who knows the game and can use his experience and extensive list of contacts to find players, which without him might not have been possible. Another role for a director of football is to allow an element of continuity for example Angelo Henrique at Porto. This might suit Kinnear more than maybe having a full time hands on role as manager. In the car crash interview given to TalkSport, the only truth among many fabrications was that the players he mentioned did in fact play for Wimbledon at some point in their career and did in fact work with Kinnear. The lines do get blurred somewhat whether he signed them or not, how much he paid for them and how effective they were for his Wimbledon side. There was a litany of half-truths, inaccurate statements, and downright lies during the interview – and these have been picked apart by journalists with consummate ease.
At Wimbledon the three players where he may have got some value from were Marcus Gayle, Dean Holdsworth and Oyvind Leonhardsen. They were brought in collectively for little under a million and a half and were sold on for seven to eight million. On this alone it’s hardly merit to be put in charge of player recruitment at a club as big as Newcastle, his CV says he unearthed three very average players over seven years. If that was the case then Steve Bruce may as well have been given the job. Even Alan Pardew’s record eclipses this and he has done it in two seasons. These players were brought in from the lower divisions and as the Premier league gets bigger and bigger it is becoming harder and harder for lower league players to make the step up hence why scouts and “directors of football” are relying more and more on players from overseas.
There is a place for a director of football at Newcastle and within the English game. The problem is Kinnear is a ridiculous appointment. If you look at clubs like Reading and West Brom which have had Directors of Football, they show that it can be successful if the right appointment is made. Liverpool shows what can happen if the wrong appointment is made. When I look at teams like Sunderland and Tottenham appointing proven directors of football with a good record in this role, it makes me wander who's decision making was behind Kinnears appointment.
Kinnear is a throwback to the by gone days of football. He has failed at every club he has been at since Wimbledon because unlike Alex Ferguson and Bobby Robson he couldn't evolve with the game, had a total inability to adapt and therefore couldn’t – and can’t - understand the modern game. The game left him behind like it has done so many others who refuse to embrace modern football. His media appearances so far have shown exactly what he is - someone who is out of touch and out of date and above all supremely arrogant. Mispronouncing players names, making things up, saying he is more intelligent than the Newcastle fans that doubt him. That statement in itself shows a severe lack of intelligence on his part.
He has come into Newcastle, upset the fans, the current management structure, and upset the players in particular Cabaye, Ben Arfa and Sammy Ameobi. I can see this ending badly and his comments he made in June 2012 hardly reassure Alan Pardew and Graham Carr "I would consider something like a director of football post. But I would do that for just one reason and that is to get myself back into full-time management. If I was a director of football and the manager was struggling and got the old tin-tack, I would tell them that I'd take over."
~John Robert Lavery
Wednesday, 12 June 2013
Life at the Top Table
It’s a rare thing for all three promoted teams to go straight back down the season after coming up from the second tier. It’s only happened once previously in the Premier League – back in 1997/98. Therefore it’s likely one of Cardiff, Hull or Crystal Palace will survive. But who has the best chance? Ian Bendelow gets out his crystal ball…
Teams who come up from the Championship can find themselves woefully ill equipped to cope with the rigours of Premier League football. Just ask Sunderland fans in their ill-fated 2005/2006 season, in which they ‘amassed’ a grand total of 15 points. Determined not to be out-done, Derby County smashed this record two seasons later by posting an impressive 11-point total.
For both it was their first season in the league. Billy Davies, who was manager of Derby when they went up remarked that they were way ahead of schedule in their top-flight ambitions, didn’t expect to get promoted and would just give it their best shot. Mick McCarthy at Sunderland must have looked at the six-figure budget he was handed by Bob Murray and have thought“oh dear”. And then he got on the phone to Alan Stubbs.
It’s not always the case that teams struggle. Newcastle, on their first foray into the Premier League under the stewardship of Kevin Keegan formed the nucleus of a team that would propel the club from a yo-yo club to European contenders. In their first season up, the swashbuckling Magpies with stars such as Ruel Fox, Andy Cole and Peter Beardsley finished third with 77 points. Nottingham Forest repeated the trick a couple of seasons later under the guidance of Frank Clark, and the steely leadership of Stuart Pearce.
There are of course requirements for a team to be successful.
First and foremost it’s the thing that makes all clubs to differing extents tick. Money. In the case of teams coming up though, it is all about spending that money wisely. Few will go out and spend tens of millions of pounds on players, in an attempt to buy their way to survival. Many will not spend at all (see Reading last year), and just be happy to be richer for the experience.
Cardiff are currently best equipped to survive. A strong squad, with players who had the knowledge they were the best in the division last year means they can be confident of giving it a good go. They will need to make improvements of course, but arguably this could be largely aesthetic ones. Adel Taraabt perhaps. Palace, on the other hand look like they might spend a bit – but perhaps their wisest move would be to bring back Zaha on loan. The man quite simply made Palace’s team, he didn’t just add to it.
Hull have to spend big time. From top to bottom their squad has players who can keep it tight and nick a goal in the Championship, but when required to grasp the nettle in the Premier League will find themselves completely out of their depth. If Bruce feels that players like Adam Boyd and Ahmed Elmohamady are the answer, then he is sadly mistaken.
Of course the quality of their managers has a bearing too. The brooding, considered approach of Malky Mackay, the safety-first approach of Steve Bruce or the ADHD bonkers child-in-a-box style of Ian Holloway all have their merits. If you had to choose one of these three to keep you up, The Centre Circle would wager that Steve Bruce would have the best chance on paper. He has experience of working on a small budget with an average team, and has succeeded (ironically when given money at Sunderland he failed). Mackay is too inexperienced for some and Holloway too mad to be considered the best equipped. Although this doesn't mean he is in charge of the team most likely to survive.
However the one factor which stands above all others for newcomers to the league is the importance of having a good striker. A talisman, a focal point, someone who can drive a team forward. There are exceptions to this, but a good striker is usually the difference between staying up or doing down. Newcastle had Andy Cole first time around then in more recent times Andy Carroll helped them establish safety for a second time in the Premier league. Southampton relied on Ricky Lambert, and Norwich had Grant Holt. Sunderland announced their arrival in the Premier League with a bang with Kevin Phillips scoring 30 goals in his maiden season.
There are of course other factors. Luck, team spirit and staying injury free can help. These can all be offset by having a good squad depth, and knowing when to rotate your squad to the full effect.
All promoted teams, with a few exceptions can arguably produce a run of form through part of a season. Sustaining this throughout a campaign is difficult, but necessary to be able to stay up. Blackpool and Hull were superb in the first half of their maiden top flight seasons, before falling woefully away after the turn of the year. Blackpool of course went down on the final day, with Hull surviving by the skin of their teeth.
It looks to The Centre Circle like it will be Palace and Hull for the drop at the minute. For the former, it’s not because of the signings they will make, but who they have lost this summer. Hollaway’s cavalier, live or die attitude that served him well at Blackpool will see them go down fighting. The announcement of plans to revamp Selhurst Park suggests they won’t have much to spend and Palace are looking at a long term vision for the club not just overnight success. For Hull, who played a turgid, dull brand of football all season under Bruce in the Championship, reek of a disaster waiting to happen. The owner has promised money and it will all depend on how Bruce spends it. Will he use his eye for talent like he did at Wigan or assemble a disaster of a squad like he did at Sunderland.
~Ian Bendelow
Teams who come up from the Championship can find themselves woefully ill equipped to cope with the rigours of Premier League football. Just ask Sunderland fans in their ill-fated 2005/2006 season, in which they ‘amassed’ a grand total of 15 points. Determined not to be out-done, Derby County smashed this record two seasons later by posting an impressive 11-point total.
For both it was their first season in the league. Billy Davies, who was manager of Derby when they went up remarked that they were way ahead of schedule in their top-flight ambitions, didn’t expect to get promoted and would just give it their best shot. Mick McCarthy at Sunderland must have looked at the six-figure budget he was handed by Bob Murray and have thought“oh dear”. And then he got on the phone to Alan Stubbs.
It’s not always the case that teams struggle. Newcastle, on their first foray into the Premier League under the stewardship of Kevin Keegan formed the nucleus of a team that would propel the club from a yo-yo club to European contenders. In their first season up, the swashbuckling Magpies with stars such as Ruel Fox, Andy Cole and Peter Beardsley finished third with 77 points. Nottingham Forest repeated the trick a couple of seasons later under the guidance of Frank Clark, and the steely leadership of Stuart Pearce.
There are of course requirements for a team to be successful.
First and foremost it’s the thing that makes all clubs to differing extents tick. Money. In the case of teams coming up though, it is all about spending that money wisely. Few will go out and spend tens of millions of pounds on players, in an attempt to buy their way to survival. Many will not spend at all (see Reading last year), and just be happy to be richer for the experience.
Cardiff are currently best equipped to survive. A strong squad, with players who had the knowledge they were the best in the division last year means they can be confident of giving it a good go. They will need to make improvements of course, but arguably this could be largely aesthetic ones. Adel Taraabt perhaps. Palace, on the other hand look like they might spend a bit – but perhaps their wisest move would be to bring back Zaha on loan. The man quite simply made Palace’s team, he didn’t just add to it.
Hull have to spend big time. From top to bottom their squad has players who can keep it tight and nick a goal in the Championship, but when required to grasp the nettle in the Premier League will find themselves completely out of their depth. If Bruce feels that players like Adam Boyd and Ahmed Elmohamady are the answer, then he is sadly mistaken.
Of course the quality of their managers has a bearing too. The brooding, considered approach of Malky Mackay, the safety-first approach of Steve Bruce or the ADHD bonkers child-in-a-box style of Ian Holloway all have their merits. If you had to choose one of these three to keep you up, The Centre Circle would wager that Steve Bruce would have the best chance on paper. He has experience of working on a small budget with an average team, and has succeeded (ironically when given money at Sunderland he failed). Mackay is too inexperienced for some and Holloway too mad to be considered the best equipped. Although this doesn't mean he is in charge of the team most likely to survive.
However the one factor which stands above all others for newcomers to the league is the importance of having a good striker. A talisman, a focal point, someone who can drive a team forward. There are exceptions to this, but a good striker is usually the difference between staying up or doing down. Newcastle had Andy Cole first time around then in more recent times Andy Carroll helped them establish safety for a second time in the Premier league. Southampton relied on Ricky Lambert, and Norwich had Grant Holt. Sunderland announced their arrival in the Premier League with a bang with Kevin Phillips scoring 30 goals in his maiden season.
There are of course other factors. Luck, team spirit and staying injury free can help. These can all be offset by having a good squad depth, and knowing when to rotate your squad to the full effect.
All promoted teams, with a few exceptions can arguably produce a run of form through part of a season. Sustaining this throughout a campaign is difficult, but necessary to be able to stay up. Blackpool and Hull were superb in the first half of their maiden top flight seasons, before falling woefully away after the turn of the year. Blackpool of course went down on the final day, with Hull surviving by the skin of their teeth.
It looks to The Centre Circle like it will be Palace and Hull for the drop at the minute. For the former, it’s not because of the signings they will make, but who they have lost this summer. Hollaway’s cavalier, live or die attitude that served him well at Blackpool will see them go down fighting. The announcement of plans to revamp Selhurst Park suggests they won’t have much to spend and Palace are looking at a long term vision for the club not just overnight success. For Hull, who played a turgid, dull brand of football all season under Bruce in the Championship, reek of a disaster waiting to happen. The owner has promised money and it will all depend on how Bruce spends it. Will he use his eye for talent like he did at Wigan or assemble a disaster of a squad like he did at Sunderland.
~Ian Bendelow
Friday, 24 May 2013
Recap on Predictions
Here we are the end of the season and with it a look back at some of our predictions we made at the start of the season.
Who will win the League?
What Happened: Manchester United won the league by eleven points in the end. All this didn't make good reading for Manchester City, who put up a pretty feeble defence of their title.
Predictions:
John: Manchester City
Sam: Manchester City
Stephen: Chelsea
Ian: Man Utd
Special Quote from Ian: I think it will be a lot closer this year, with Man Utd winning it – as Fergie will retire at the end of the season. Man City second and Chelsea a very close third.
It was on the centrecircle first.
Champions League positions?
What Happened: Tottenham fought hard to wrestle the final Champions League position away from Arsenal. In the end though it was the usual suspects who have been invited to Europe's top table next season.
John: Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea and Tottenham.
Sam: Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal
Stephen: Manchester City, Manchester Utd, Chelsea and Everton
Ian: Manchester Utd Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Relegated Clubs?
What Happened: QPR and Reading were relegated pretty much from the start of the season, in fact you would have to go back as far as January when they looked like there was any hope of survival. Wigan at least, took it to the final three games and it left a lot of clubs including Newcastle, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Norwich and Southampton all sweating over if they could perform the great escape again.
John: Norwich, Wigan, Aston Villa
Sam: Norwich, Southampton and Reading
Stephen: Villa, Norwich and Wigan
Ian: West Ham, Reading and Southampton
Surprise Package? (Team)
What Happened: It is a hard one to call this with how congested it was at the bottom and the top took a familiar look when the season drew to a close. West Brom will be happy with their eighth place finish and so will Swansea in ninth.
John: Everton, Swansea, Tottenham
Sam: Everton
Stephen: Everton
Ian: Everton - he actually said the following "I think Everton will “do a Newcastle” and break into the top echelons of the table. This is Moyesys final year before he heads off to Man Utd."
Underachiever of the season? (Team)
What happened: This one is hard to call again because of the way the season panned out. Manchester City will be very unhappy because of the way their season pit'tered out. I also think Europa league proved to much for Newcastle after they finished in a very disappointing sixteenth after a very good season last year. QPR also deserve a mention after the money they spent on players. Overall though it has to go to Newcastle after they fell 11 places and 24 points.
John: Arsenal, Aston Villa
Sam: Aston Villa, Tottenham
Stephen: Spurs
Ian: Liverpool
Top Scorer?
What Happened: It clearly had to be a man who scored thirty goals the previous season and then got a transfer to the best team in the land. Van Persie was excellent this year and proved to be instrumental in providing Manchester United's 20 top flight success.
John: Torres, Balotelli,Tevez.
Sam: Fernando Torres
Stephen: Giroud, Torres
Ian: Rooney
First Manager to Go?
What Happened: Roberto Di Matteo was the first man out the door in what was a controversial decision. He left after a very poor run of form, with Chelsea's champions league hopes hanging by a thread. He was replaced by Rafa Benitez who at first was very unpopular but he ended up getting Chelsea into third and winning the Europa League. Second manager was Mark Hughes who was sacked two days after Di Matteo after emassing a total of four points from his twelve games in charge - fully justified in The Centre Circle's opinion.
John: Mark Hughes
Who will win the League?
What Happened: Manchester United won the league by eleven points in the end. All this didn't make good reading for Manchester City, who put up a pretty feeble defence of their title.
Predictions:
John: Manchester City
Sam: Manchester City
Stephen: Chelsea
Ian: Man Utd
Special Quote from Ian: I think it will be a lot closer this year, with Man Utd winning it – as Fergie will retire at the end of the season. Man City second and Chelsea a very close third.
It was on the centrecircle first.
Champions League positions?
What Happened: Tottenham fought hard to wrestle the final Champions League position away from Arsenal. In the end though it was the usual suspects who have been invited to Europe's top table next season.
John: Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea and Tottenham.
Sam: Man City, Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal
Stephen: Manchester City, Manchester Utd, Chelsea and Everton
Ian: Manchester Utd Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea.
Relegated Clubs?
What Happened: QPR and Reading were relegated pretty much from the start of the season, in fact you would have to go back as far as January when they looked like there was any hope of survival. Wigan at least, took it to the final three games and it left a lot of clubs including Newcastle, Sunderland, Aston Villa, Norwich and Southampton all sweating over if they could perform the great escape again.
John: Norwich, Wigan, Aston Villa
Sam: Norwich, Southampton and Reading
Stephen: Villa, Norwich and Wigan
Ian: West Ham, Reading and Southampton
Surprise Package? (Team)
What Happened: It is a hard one to call this with how congested it was at the bottom and the top took a familiar look when the season drew to a close. West Brom will be happy with their eighth place finish and so will Swansea in ninth.
John: Everton, Swansea, Tottenham
Sam: Everton
Stephen: Everton
Ian: Everton - he actually said the following "I think Everton will “do a Newcastle” and break into the top echelons of the table. This is Moyesys final year before he heads off to Man Utd."
Underachiever of the season? (Team)
What happened: This one is hard to call again because of the way the season panned out. Manchester City will be very unhappy because of the way their season pit'tered out. I also think Europa league proved to much for Newcastle after they finished in a very disappointing sixteenth after a very good season last year. QPR also deserve a mention after the money they spent on players. Overall though it has to go to Newcastle after they fell 11 places and 24 points.
John: Arsenal, Aston Villa
Sam: Aston Villa, Tottenham
Stephen: Spurs
Ian: Liverpool
Top Scorer?
What Happened: It clearly had to be a man who scored thirty goals the previous season and then got a transfer to the best team in the land. Van Persie was excellent this year and proved to be instrumental in providing Manchester United's 20 top flight success.
John: Torres, Balotelli,Tevez.
Sam: Fernando Torres
Stephen: Giroud, Torres
Ian: Rooney
First Manager to Go?
What Happened: Roberto Di Matteo was the first man out the door in what was a controversial decision. He left after a very poor run of form, with Chelsea's champions league hopes hanging by a thread. He was replaced by Rafa Benitez who at first was very unpopular but he ended up getting Chelsea into third and winning the Europa League. Second manager was Mark Hughes who was sacked two days after Di Matteo after emassing a total of four points from his twelve games in charge - fully justified in The Centre Circle's opinion.
John: Mark Hughes
Sam: Mark Hughes, Paul Lambert, AVB
Stephen: Lambert, AVB, Rodgers
Ian: Mark Hughes
What will be the story of the season?
What Happened: Story of the season by far is Alex Ferguson would retire as manager of Manchester United.
John: Mario Balotelli gets his own TV show...
Sam: Dunno what to make of this question? I dunno, Wayne Rooney and John Terry have a threesome with Roy Hodgson's wife?
Stephen: Everton playing champions league next season. At least one England international cheating on his wife.
Ian: Everton will be around the top of the table come Christmas and people will be talking about a title push. I'm actually really confident about this!
Individually who will be the best buy?
What Happened: Best buys of the season were definitely Michu who cost £2 million and scored twenty two goals in all competitions. Benteke who cost £7 million and scored twenty three goals in all competitions. A special mention to Robin Van Persie who for £25 million delivered everything his price tag suggests.
John: Michu
Sam: Hazard
Stephen: Adam Johnson, Hazard, Michu
Ian: Michu.
Individually who is the worst buy?
What Happened: The whole of QPR's buys will get a mention, especially Jose Bosingwa who looked at times to be actually trying to get QPR relegated. Podolski and Giroud didn't impress greatly this season for the amount of money paid for them. Adam Johnson never showed value for money this season, with performances lacking a lot of effort.
John: QPRs signings, Gaston Ramirez
Sam: Giroud
Stephen: QPRs signings
Ian: Podolski
Who do you Think Will get promoted from the Championship?
What Happened: Cardiff were by far the strongest team this season and won the championship with relative ease. The final automatic promotion spot went to Hull on the final day, it was very close and the sending off of Troy Deeney for Watford and Watford losing both first and second choice goal keepers for the game against Leeds was the difference. Crystal Palace used the play off to gain their birth in Premier league after beating Watford at Wembley in a tense finale.
John: Wolves, Cardiff, Leeds (Playoffs)
Sam: Wolves, Leicester and Leeds (Playoffs)
Stephen: Blackpool, Leicester, Leeds.
Ian: Leicester, Cardiff, Bolton
Who will get relegated from the Championship?
What Happened: The championship last season was an extremely tight league, 54 points got you relegated compared to the season before which would have seen you 14 points from safety. In the end it was Bristol City, Peterborough and surprisingly Wolves who took the plunge into League 1.
John: Birmingham, Milwall, Peterborough
Sam: Peterborough, Millwall, Sheffield Wednesday
Stephen: Peterborough, Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton
Ian: Birmingham, Bristol City, Peterborough
Re Written by
~John Robert Lavery
~ Ian Bendelow
Answers from
~John Robert Lavery
~Sam Lavery
~Stephen Wrigglesworth
~Ian Bendelow
Ian: Mark Hughes
What will be the story of the season?
What Happened: Story of the season by far is Alex Ferguson would retire as manager of Manchester United.
John: Mario Balotelli gets his own TV show...
Sam: Dunno what to make of this question? I dunno, Wayne Rooney and John Terry have a threesome with Roy Hodgson's wife?
Stephen: Everton playing champions league next season. At least one England international cheating on his wife.
Ian: Everton will be around the top of the table come Christmas and people will be talking about a title push. I'm actually really confident about this!
Individually who will be the best buy?
What Happened: Best buys of the season were definitely Michu who cost £2 million and scored twenty two goals in all competitions. Benteke who cost £7 million and scored twenty three goals in all competitions. A special mention to Robin Van Persie who for £25 million delivered everything his price tag suggests.
John: Michu
Sam: Hazard
Stephen: Adam Johnson, Hazard, Michu
Ian: Michu.
Individually who is the worst buy?
What Happened: The whole of QPR's buys will get a mention, especially Jose Bosingwa who looked at times to be actually trying to get QPR relegated. Podolski and Giroud didn't impress greatly this season for the amount of money paid for them. Adam Johnson never showed value for money this season, with performances lacking a lot of effort.
John: QPRs signings, Gaston Ramirez
Sam: Giroud
Stephen: QPRs signings
Ian: Podolski
Who do you Think Will get promoted from the Championship?
What Happened: Cardiff were by far the strongest team this season and won the championship with relative ease. The final automatic promotion spot went to Hull on the final day, it was very close and the sending off of Troy Deeney for Watford and Watford losing both first and second choice goal keepers for the game against Leeds was the difference. Crystal Palace used the play off to gain their birth in Premier league after beating Watford at Wembley in a tense finale.
John: Wolves, Cardiff, Leeds (Playoffs)
Sam: Wolves, Leicester and Leeds (Playoffs)
Stephen: Blackpool, Leicester, Leeds.
Ian: Leicester, Cardiff, Bolton
Who will get relegated from the Championship?
What Happened: The championship last season was an extremely tight league, 54 points got you relegated compared to the season before which would have seen you 14 points from safety. In the end it was Bristol City, Peterborough and surprisingly Wolves who took the plunge into League 1.
John: Birmingham, Milwall, Peterborough
Sam: Peterborough, Millwall, Sheffield Wednesday
Stephen: Peterborough, Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton
Ian: Birmingham, Bristol City, Peterborough
Re Written by
~John Robert Lavery
~ Ian Bendelow
Answers from
~John Robert Lavery
~Sam Lavery
~Stephen Wrigglesworth
~Ian Bendelow
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Prediction Results Week 38 (Final)
Stephen - 7
Sam - 7
John - 6
Ian - 5
League Standings
Sam - 7
John - 6
Ian - 5
League Standings
Pts
|
||
C
|
Stephen
|
253
|
2
|
Ian
|
241
|
3
|
John
|
238
|
4
|
Sam
|
237
|
Champion - Stephen
Thursday, 16 May 2013
Predictions Results Week 37 (Penultimate)
Stephen - 11
Ian - 9
John - 9
Sam - 8
League Standings:
Ian - 9
John - 9
Sam - 8
League Standings:
Pts
|
||
1
|
Stephen
|
246
|
2
|
Ian
|
236
|
3
|
John
|
232
|
4
|
Sam
|
230
|
Friday, 10 May 2013
Prediction Results Week 36
Stephen - 9
Sam - 8
Ian - 8
John - 7
League Standings
|
|
|
Pts
|
|
1
|
Stephen
|
235
|
|
2
|
Ian
|
227
|
|
3
|
John
|
223
|
|
4
|
Sam
|
222
|
Friday, 3 May 2013
Prediction Results Week 35
Sam - 12
Stephen - 6
Ian - 6
John - 3
League Standings
Stephen - 6
Ian - 6
John - 3
League Standings
|
|
|
Pts
|
|
1
|
Stephen
|
226
|
|
2
|
Ian
|
219
|
|
3
|
John
|
216
|
|
4
|
Sam
|
214
|
Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Prediction Results Week 34
Sam - 10
Ian - 8
John - 5
Stephen - 5
League Standings
Ian - 8
John - 5
Stephen - 5
League Standings
|
|
|
Pts
|
|
1
|
Stephen
|
220
|
|
2
|
John
|
213
|
|
3
|
Ian
|
213
|
|
4
|
Sam
|
202
|
Prediction Results Week 33
John - 10
Stephen - 8
Ian - 8
Sam - 5
League Standings
Stephen - 8
Ian - 8
Sam - 5
League Standings
|
|
|
Pts
|
|
1
|
Stephen
|
215
|
|
2
|
John
|
208
|
|
3
|
Ian
|
205
|
|
4
|
Sam
|
192
|
Monday, 15 April 2013
Prediction Results Week 32
Stephen - 10
Sam - 5
John - 4
Ian - 2
League Standings:
Sam - 5
John - 4
Ian - 2
League Standings:
Pts
|
||
1
|
Stephen
|
207
|
2
|
John
|
198
|
3
|
Ian
|
197
|
4
|
Sam
|
187
|
Thursday, 4 April 2013
The Super League or Selling their soul?
Football is 100% unashamedly a business. It’s all about money, making money, and subsequent success. Some are getting to the point now where they can be no bigger in their home countries. Meanwhile, across the world there is an increasing interest in football, particularly in the middle and far East. So what’s the answer for clubs who are stuck in their domestic-goldfish bowl? To think even bigger. John Lavery investigates…
In the news recently there was a story running about the Qatar royal family starting up a Super League where they will pay the best teams in the world £175 Million just for participating. This is more than three times what any premier league club will be given even after the £3bn TV deal that’s coming into effect next season. It sounded too good to be true, and like most things of this nature it turned out to be a hoax. Hoax or not, it isn’t the first time something like this has been suggested.
In the past we’ve had the UEFA peddled European Super League where the powers that be proposed to turn the Champions League into some sort of weird, bastard love child of its predecessor. It would be run like a travelling circus, with a group of games in a certain country. There are persistent rumours from Saudi Royal Family, Dubai business man or Russian Oligarchs who are looking to plough millions of pounds worth of the local currency into a league to put their country on the world football stage. The list goes on, this idea isn’t new and amongst all the hoax and media scaremongering there must be an element of truth embedded in this somewhere.
The idea itself appears on every level to be mental. But what if the idea was put forward as a serious proposition? How many clubs would actually go for it if offered the opportunity? Money being a huge carrot-on-a-stick for the top clubs across the world, it’s likely that many wouldn’t be averse to the idea. Their first response would probably be to say something along the lines of “Go on… I’m listening.”
Even footballs biggest teams in the form of Rangers and AC Milan are not immune to the crippling effects of mishandling finances, as the events of the past couple of years have shown. £175 million would look like a very attractive proposition for a team in financial difficulties. Manchester United and Liverpool have massive amounts of debt and world wide support so what would be different for them if they saw leaving these shores to make more money. You just need to look at the clubs in Spain on the brink of administration to see they would be interested - Deportivo, Valencia, Real Betis to name a few teeter on the verge of administration or bankruptcy, but the list goes on.
The more people start seeing football as a business the more people will want to generate more money out of it and the less sustainable football will be if they don’t try and expand its market to the countries with vast sums of wealth. You could also imagine the clubs such as Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain who are Middle East owned would want to participate because of the owners’ ties with the area. They would see it as an opportunity to bring the game “back home.”
The trouble with leaving your native league is you lose all roots and history you have created. For example would it still be ok to say that Manchester United have won nineteen titles and Liverpool have won eighteen titles when they are playing in a totally different league? Cross-border leagues could be the future for European competition if done correctly. Putting all the best teams in the world together in one super league will cause all history to be thrown out the window and turn all the great clubs into Team A, Team B etc. So surely if they wanted to watch the best teams in the world play in their back garden then why don’t they just make a new league? This would enable teams to buy the best players in the world because as we have found with Manchester City and PSG, most players can be lured anywhere for vast amounts of cash.
What teams would be targeted to participate in the Super league? Would it be just the teams at the top of their league or would it be teams with a lot of history? For example right now Inter Milan are in sixth position so would they be picked over Fiorentina who are in fourth? If you look at the English League assuming Manchester United are picked would the other participants be Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea. Would they be picked ahead of Arsenal and Liverpool even though traditionally Arsenal and Liverpool are the more successful clubs? Then there’s Rangers and Celtic - two massive clubs who have world wide support and a global profile but Celtic sit top of the SPL and Rangers are currently top of division three. Essentially it boils down to whether you want the team, or the brand.
This idea of a super league is massively flawed and would never work, the conditions for entry are blurred, a team would lose all of their identity if they entered and would just be called team A or B. The rewards are there in the form of vast amounts of wealth but you would incur a deep cultural and historical loss that not even £175 million can purchase. You would have to think that after the initial season of the Super league people would just return to their native leagues anyway to watch the clubs they support, or you would like to think so or would these people when viewing figures got low would they then buy fans. What about fan power? Would they have a real say? Could we eventually be in a position where money has 100% of the say all the time in football, where managers, players and fans are irrelevant? Or do we already have this. You don’t have to cast your minds that far back to find situations where fans were ignored. The renaming of St James park is a very recent episode in this particular drama. So all be it this story was a hoax but I don’t think we will see the last of it. You just have to look at the IPL in cricket to see what effect that has had on the domestic game. Money talks and the business model of football will surely be listening to everything it has to say.
~John Robert Lavery
In the news recently there was a story running about the Qatar royal family starting up a Super League where they will pay the best teams in the world £175 Million just for participating. This is more than three times what any premier league club will be given even after the £3bn TV deal that’s coming into effect next season. It sounded too good to be true, and like most things of this nature it turned out to be a hoax. Hoax or not, it isn’t the first time something like this has been suggested.
In the past we’ve had the UEFA peddled European Super League where the powers that be proposed to turn the Champions League into some sort of weird, bastard love child of its predecessor. It would be run like a travelling circus, with a group of games in a certain country. There are persistent rumours from Saudi Royal Family, Dubai business man or Russian Oligarchs who are looking to plough millions of pounds worth of the local currency into a league to put their country on the world football stage. The list goes on, this idea isn’t new and amongst all the hoax and media scaremongering there must be an element of truth embedded in this somewhere.
The idea itself appears on every level to be mental. But what if the idea was put forward as a serious proposition? How many clubs would actually go for it if offered the opportunity? Money being a huge carrot-on-a-stick for the top clubs across the world, it’s likely that many wouldn’t be averse to the idea. Their first response would probably be to say something along the lines of “Go on… I’m listening.”
Even footballs biggest teams in the form of Rangers and AC Milan are not immune to the crippling effects of mishandling finances, as the events of the past couple of years have shown. £175 million would look like a very attractive proposition for a team in financial difficulties. Manchester United and Liverpool have massive amounts of debt and world wide support so what would be different for them if they saw leaving these shores to make more money. You just need to look at the clubs in Spain on the brink of administration to see they would be interested - Deportivo, Valencia, Real Betis to name a few teeter on the verge of administration or bankruptcy, but the list goes on.
The more people start seeing football as a business the more people will want to generate more money out of it and the less sustainable football will be if they don’t try and expand its market to the countries with vast sums of wealth. You could also imagine the clubs such as Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain who are Middle East owned would want to participate because of the owners’ ties with the area. They would see it as an opportunity to bring the game “back home.”
The trouble with leaving your native league is you lose all roots and history you have created. For example would it still be ok to say that Manchester United have won nineteen titles and Liverpool have won eighteen titles when they are playing in a totally different league? Cross-border leagues could be the future for European competition if done correctly. Putting all the best teams in the world together in one super league will cause all history to be thrown out the window and turn all the great clubs into Team A, Team B etc. So surely if they wanted to watch the best teams in the world play in their back garden then why don’t they just make a new league? This would enable teams to buy the best players in the world because as we have found with Manchester City and PSG, most players can be lured anywhere for vast amounts of cash.
What teams would be targeted to participate in the Super league? Would it be just the teams at the top of their league or would it be teams with a lot of history? For example right now Inter Milan are in sixth position so would they be picked over Fiorentina who are in fourth? If you look at the English League assuming Manchester United are picked would the other participants be Manchester City, Tottenham and Chelsea. Would they be picked ahead of Arsenal and Liverpool even though traditionally Arsenal and Liverpool are the more successful clubs? Then there’s Rangers and Celtic - two massive clubs who have world wide support and a global profile but Celtic sit top of the SPL and Rangers are currently top of division three. Essentially it boils down to whether you want the team, or the brand.
This idea of a super league is massively flawed and would never work, the conditions for entry are blurred, a team would lose all of their identity if they entered and would just be called team A or B. The rewards are there in the form of vast amounts of wealth but you would incur a deep cultural and historical loss that not even £175 million can purchase. You would have to think that after the initial season of the Super league people would just return to their native leagues anyway to watch the clubs they support, or you would like to think so or would these people when viewing figures got low would they then buy fans. What about fan power? Would they have a real say? Could we eventually be in a position where money has 100% of the say all the time in football, where managers, players and fans are irrelevant? Or do we already have this. You don’t have to cast your minds that far back to find situations where fans were ignored. The renaming of St James park is a very recent episode in this particular drama. So all be it this story was a hoax but I don’t think we will see the last of it. You just have to look at the IPL in cricket to see what effect that has had on the domestic game. Money talks and the business model of football will surely be listening to everything it has to say.
~John Robert Lavery
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Politics, Money, Football
What makes a good football manager? Martin O’Neill’s appointment seemed to tick all the boxes at Sunderland. He had been successful at Villa, Leicester and Celtic, with a clearly defined style of play and a management style that suited the majority of players. People throughout the game respected him, he was the fans’choice, and of course he supports the Black Cats.
Things went wrong. Vast amounts of money were spent on players, some of whom haven’t delivered. The tactics smacked of someone who was set in his ways, unwilling to adapt to the changing flow of the game (for a familiar tale, see Bruce, S. 2008-2011).
But why did it go wrong? It speaks volumes about the man that he still had the support of most Sunderland fans, and it was perceived in the media that his sacking was harsh. This isn’t a view that would have been bestowed upon many football managers. However the harsh truth is that O’Neill, judging by previous precedent deserved to get the sack.
Because the only thing that makes a good manager is results. This season, for Sunderland they haven’t been anywhere near good enough. There was always the feeling of being one or two results away from disaster, and it has come to pass.
There probably couldn't have been any more polarising appointment than that of Paolo Di Canio. Firstly, he’s a manager with little experience – 18 months or so at Swindon in League One and Two is all he has to refer to. His time there was a success, but he was given a large amount of money to spend, a la Keane in 2006-2007. He’s volatile, speaks his mind and incredibly, overtly passionate. The final point is certainly something that could work for or against him.
Some will (and have) said that they can no longer back a club that employs a man who has made comments about fascism in the past. Whatever he says about it being misquoted you cannot misquote the picture that earned him a fine and a ban following a Lazio match.
However some will say that it's the club that matters, and the fans who define who we are. As after all they are the ones that will be around long after staff, owners and managers have occupied various positions within the club.
If Paolo Di Canio was a BNP supporter, would Sunderland fans who have backed the new manager feel the same? Would they be outraged, disgusted and refuse to return in the future? And if Alan Shearer or Lee Clark was appointed, would they think similar? So what's the difference here? It's the weird, illogical moral compass that many football fans will live by. I can't explain it, there is no way of squaring off the circle that many Sunderland fans are no doubt battling with. Personally, I've just chosen to accept it and concentrate on the football and let others discuss the issue further.
Margaret Byrne's comments saying that to say he was a fascist was insulting are ridiculous. That's just complete blindness on the part of the club and it makes her, and Sunderland, look pretty stupid. It’s debateable whether anyone actually looked up his political persuasions before appointing him. If he was a teacher, a lawyer, a police officer, he would never have got the job. Not so in football, because all that matters is the business, the profitability and the money – and Ellis Short clearly believes that Di Canio is the best person to bring success to the club. One thing’s for sure – it’s a massive gamble.
~Ian Bendelow
Things went wrong. Vast amounts of money were spent on players, some of whom haven’t delivered. The tactics smacked of someone who was set in his ways, unwilling to adapt to the changing flow of the game (for a familiar tale, see Bruce, S. 2008-2011).
But why did it go wrong? It speaks volumes about the man that he still had the support of most Sunderland fans, and it was perceived in the media that his sacking was harsh. This isn’t a view that would have been bestowed upon many football managers. However the harsh truth is that O’Neill, judging by previous precedent deserved to get the sack.
Because the only thing that makes a good manager is results. This season, for Sunderland they haven’t been anywhere near good enough. There was always the feeling of being one or two results away from disaster, and it has come to pass.
There probably couldn't have been any more polarising appointment than that of Paolo Di Canio. Firstly, he’s a manager with little experience – 18 months or so at Swindon in League One and Two is all he has to refer to. His time there was a success, but he was given a large amount of money to spend, a la Keane in 2006-2007. He’s volatile, speaks his mind and incredibly, overtly passionate. The final point is certainly something that could work for or against him.
Some will (and have) said that they can no longer back a club that employs a man who has made comments about fascism in the past. Whatever he says about it being misquoted you cannot misquote the picture that earned him a fine and a ban following a Lazio match.
However some will say that it's the club that matters, and the fans who define who we are. As after all they are the ones that will be around long after staff, owners and managers have occupied various positions within the club.
If Paolo Di Canio was a BNP supporter, would Sunderland fans who have backed the new manager feel the same? Would they be outraged, disgusted and refuse to return in the future? And if Alan Shearer or Lee Clark was appointed, would they think similar? So what's the difference here? It's the weird, illogical moral compass that many football fans will live by. I can't explain it, there is no way of squaring off the circle that many Sunderland fans are no doubt battling with. Personally, I've just chosen to accept it and concentrate on the football and let others discuss the issue further.
Margaret Byrne's comments saying that to say he was a fascist was insulting are ridiculous. That's just complete blindness on the part of the club and it makes her, and Sunderland, look pretty stupid. It’s debateable whether anyone actually looked up his political persuasions before appointing him. If he was a teacher, a lawyer, a police officer, he would never have got the job. Not so in football, because all that matters is the business, the profitability and the money – and Ellis Short clearly believes that Di Canio is the best person to bring success to the club. One thing’s for sure – it’s a massive gamble.
~Ian Bendelow
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
Prediction Results Week 31
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