Being the arrogant supporter of one of the "big four" from the elite Premier League (clue: we are the only one of the big four that have never actually won the "premier" league), I must admit that the only time I really give the lower leagues, such as the Coca Cola Championship, any significant attention is usually when the season is coming to a conclusion. I would never be able to give any good betting tips on who will most likely be promoted/relegated. Although, to the Championships credit, you never really know how the season will pan out, as it doesn't suffer from the predictability that the Premier League does. I am still amazed that Stoke and Hull are in the Premier League, how and when did that happen?
Such is my lack of knowledge beyond the Premier League, that it was only last week that I, first realised that Wolverhampton Wanderers would more than likely gain automatic promotion, and secondly that life long Liverpool supporter Steve Morgan, whom had been thwarted countless times in his attempts to buy Liverpool, was now the owner of Wolves for a paltry tenner! Was the reason he was shunned repeatedly from the Liverpool oak wood negotiation table, due to the dog eared ten pound note he kept slapping on it?
Morgan's sound investment, looks to be paying early dividends as Wolves secured Premier League status with their 1-0 win at home to QPR during the week, signaled by a good old pitch invasion at the final whistle. A vision which had me wondering if an old Uni friend of mine was ignoring the stewards futile attempts to suppress euphoria, and had joined the many thousands celebrating with players on the Molineux pitch. Scenes which will probably be repeated in their last home game of the season this Sunday, after they wrapped up the Championship title following the 1-1 draw with Barnsley.
I can not imagine what it must be like for your club to gain promotion, but Morgan gave some perspective after claiming the sensation beat that of the 2005 Liverpool Champions League triumph over AC Milan. I think his judgment might have been clouded by his disbelief that the tenner has matured in to a Premier League pass, but his switched legions can be overlooked for now.
While Wolves will want to bask in the glory of being back in the Premier League pack, attention, at least for the team, will turn to planning survival for next season. They need only to look over at neighbouring rivals West Bromwich Albion to see how Premier League football can see you rooted to the bottom of the table, a stark contrast from winning regularly in the Championship the season before.
McCarthy will want to improve on his Premier League record, after his woeful performance of just 15 points with Sunderland in the 2005/06 season. Wolves chances of survival will depend heavily on the amount of money they can invest on new players, and more importantly how they invest that money. I always had my reservations that had Steve Morgan completed his acquisition of Liverpool, would he have had the financial clout to invest in the playing staff and the ambitious stadium plans? While the sums of money Morgan will be expected to hand McCarthy, will vary greatly from that of Liverpool, Morgan is no longer playing around in the Championship and it will be time to put the tenners away, and bring out the fat check book.
To McCarthy's credit he has over seen much of the overhaul at Wolves so far, on a very modest budget. Two players that have made it on to my very limited radar, the Guy with the double barrel name Ebanks-Blake, bought for just over a million and former under 21 Michael Kightley snapped up from some obscure team for $25,000 which is probably what the average salary demand will now be next season. Come the re-opening of the transfer window, McCarthy will need to intensify his bargain hunting again as he scours for more diamonds in the rough. He will also need to keep the admiring eyes away from the two diamonds he already possesses.
In the mean time we wait and see if Sheffield United can pip Birmingham, and join Wolves in automatic promotion. If they are successful, it will give them an opportunity to re-open hostilities with West Ham, whom they still hold grievances over the Carlos Tevez saga.
Showing posts with label Championship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Championship. Show all posts
Thursday, 23 April 2009
Monday, 13 April 2009
Shearer's Poison Chalice
Making bold predictions always seems to leave you prone to the pundits curse, case in point, see my glowing review of Aston Villa "Breaking the Mold", which coincided with a dismal run of 6 games without a win for Martin O'neill's team.
So, despite the curse crippling my literary confidence, I think Alan Shearer's return to Newcastle as manger was not only prematurely timed, but will leave the Toon army scrapping in the Championship next season. However, this is one prediction that I will be happy to see proved wrong, come the end of May when the Premier League issues next season passes.
At some point, it was inevitable that Alan Shearer would return to St James's Park as Manager much to the delight of his adoring fans. Every time Newcastle dispose of a Manger, which if we are honest happens on a regular basis, Shearer's name crops up almost as frequently as the famous one handed goal salute we were all so a custom to seeing.
In the past when ever these rumours of a return of the Newcastle legend began to circulate, they were usually met with denial from Shearer, stating a lack of experience and it not being the right time. Maybe Shearer just wanted to wait until the most difficult challenge came up, before he started swigging from the poison chalice. Should his interim appointment prove successful, it will have to rank with the greatest personal achievements Shearer has to date.
Prior to Newcastle's crunch game with Stoke, significant interest was given to Michael Owen starting the match. Shearer revealed that Newcastle's strikers could not feed on scraps, an eating disorder he was all to eager to avoid in his playing days. However, it is the defensive fragility's that have left Newcastle hungry and in the drop zone, which need the most of his attention. Concentrating on the inclusion of a nearly fit Owen, I assume was a topic he naturally found familiarity in.
Unfortunately for Newcastle, it took only 30 minutes at the noisy Britannia Stadium, for their defense to be exposed once again, after a corner left former Newcastle player Abdoulaye Faye, wide open to head home for the potters. The man assigned to mark Faye? Newcastle striker, Shola Ameobi. Even if you are a striker by nature, anyone can see the criminal amount of space Faye was left to stroll in to and nod home, would have the defensive coaching staff exchanging guilty looks, and no feasible explanation.
Shearers coaching staff, which consists of Colin Calderwood, Iain Dowie and former caretaker manager Chris Hughton all adorned with an ear piece and microphone headset, closely resembled a make shift Take That tribute band, that have all the gear and no idea. Shearer will obviously need all the experience and support he can get, but his backroom staff will need to be whispering defensive solutions, and tactics which are not as one dimensional as long ball, hit and hopes to 5ft 8in Michael Owen- not "Relight my Fire" lyrics.
To give credit to Shearer, he did drop defender Coloccini, in favour of Canadian David Edgar, and in the second half, Newcastle slowly began to chip away at the vulnerable 1-nil lead, Stoke were protecting. And, Shearer later demonstrated signs of tactical astuteness when he brought on substitute Andy Carroll. A powerful centre forward in a similar mold as Shearer himself, repaid his managers faith with a superb looping header, to salvage a crucial point for the traveling Geordies . Shearer wanted 3 points, a tall order given that Stoke have won 8 of their home games, a feat only bettered by the big four, but a single point is a welcome consolation, give the devastating consequences a defeat would have brought.
Shearer's appointment has been a great PR exercise, and has no doubt given a much needed moral boast to fans and players alike. His managerial skills will be put to the test over the next few weeks, and maybe he will use the time to prove the errors in my judgment, and justify that this was the best time to jump in to the hot seat. If he manages to keep Newcastle in the Premier League, he will once again been hailed as the home town hero, and if he fails who would hold a grudge against him, as much of the damaged was done long before his arrival. Either way his legendary status will be left untainted, and Joe Kinnear's hospital discharge, left pending.
So, despite the curse crippling my literary confidence, I think Alan Shearer's return to Newcastle as manger was not only prematurely timed, but will leave the Toon army scrapping in the Championship next season. However, this is one prediction that I will be happy to see proved wrong, come the end of May when the Premier League issues next season passes.
At some point, it was inevitable that Alan Shearer would return to St James's Park as Manager much to the delight of his adoring fans. Every time Newcastle dispose of a Manger, which if we are honest happens on a regular basis, Shearer's name crops up almost as frequently as the famous one handed goal salute we were all so a custom to seeing.
In the past when ever these rumours of a return of the Newcastle legend began to circulate, they were usually met with denial from Shearer, stating a lack of experience and it not being the right time. Maybe Shearer just wanted to wait until the most difficult challenge came up, before he started swigging from the poison chalice. Should his interim appointment prove successful, it will have to rank with the greatest personal achievements Shearer has to date.
Prior to Newcastle's crunch game with Stoke, significant interest was given to Michael Owen starting the match. Shearer revealed that Newcastle's strikers could not feed on scraps, an eating disorder he was all to eager to avoid in his playing days. However, it is the defensive fragility's that have left Newcastle hungry and in the drop zone, which need the most of his attention. Concentrating on the inclusion of a nearly fit Owen, I assume was a topic he naturally found familiarity in.
Unfortunately for Newcastle, it took only 30 minutes at the noisy Britannia Stadium, for their defense to be exposed once again, after a corner left former Newcastle player Abdoulaye Faye, wide open to head home for the potters. The man assigned to mark Faye? Newcastle striker, Shola Ameobi. Even if you are a striker by nature, anyone can see the criminal amount of space Faye was left to stroll in to and nod home, would have the defensive coaching staff exchanging guilty looks, and no feasible explanation.
Shearers coaching staff, which consists of Colin Calderwood, Iain Dowie and former caretaker manager Chris Hughton all adorned with an ear piece and microphone headset, closely resembled a make shift Take That tribute band, that have all the gear and no idea. Shearer will obviously need all the experience and support he can get, but his backroom staff will need to be whispering defensive solutions, and tactics which are not as one dimensional as long ball, hit and hopes to 5ft 8in Michael Owen- not "Relight my Fire" lyrics.
To give credit to Shearer, he did drop defender Coloccini, in favour of Canadian David Edgar, and in the second half, Newcastle slowly began to chip away at the vulnerable 1-nil lead, Stoke were protecting. And, Shearer later demonstrated signs of tactical astuteness when he brought on substitute Andy Carroll. A powerful centre forward in a similar mold as Shearer himself, repaid his managers faith with a superb looping header, to salvage a crucial point for the traveling Geordies . Shearer wanted 3 points, a tall order given that Stoke have won 8 of their home games, a feat only bettered by the big four, but a single point is a welcome consolation, give the devastating consequences a defeat would have brought.
Shearer's appointment has been a great PR exercise, and has no doubt given a much needed moral boast to fans and players alike. His managerial skills will be put to the test over the next few weeks, and maybe he will use the time to prove the errors in my judgment, and justify that this was the best time to jump in to the hot seat. If he manages to keep Newcastle in the Premier League, he will once again been hailed as the home town hero, and if he fails who would hold a grudge against him, as much of the damaged was done long before his arrival. Either way his legendary status will be left untainted, and Joe Kinnear's hospital discharge, left pending.
Monday, 16 March 2009
Sheffield United's Hypothetical Compensation
After two years of legal rambling, finally, at long last and when I had almost forgotten about the whole event, a line can be drawn under the Sheffield United-Tevez saga. Both West Ham and Sheffield United have settled on terms, that will see £15m heading north to the Blades, in separate payments over the next five years.
I do not blame Sheffield United for feeling cheated, and their pursuit of financial compensation for being relegated is understandable, given how much money is virtually guaranteed from either being promoted or simply staying in the Premiership today. Clubs plan their finances based on the on the lush land that the premiership will yield, and more often than not, clubs gamble too much on the fact that they will be in the top flight the following season. In what used to be a well run Premier League Club, Charlton Athletic, is now propping up the foot of the Championship table.
Sheffield United's grievances stem from the third party ownership of Argentine pair Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. Still to this day, I am in a state of disbelief that West Ham even managed to sign the two of them. Given the relatively small amount of time the pair spent at Upton Park, and especially in the case of Mascherano, maybe the audacious transfer coup was a figment of my imagination, justifying my disbelief. Could my imagination be the same reason why Robinho is now trotting around The City of Manchester Stadium?
For a moment I will accept that Tevez and Mascherano did sign for West Ham. The Tevez goal against United at Old Trafford, providing adequate evidence to quash any grounds of reasonable doubt. At the time of their transfers, West Ham were gearing up for their second season back in the top flight and were looking to build on a solid previous campaign. Both of the players had been out of action for a long period of time and were going through the easy transition of life in Brazil to life in East London. In short, swapping Caipirinha's for mugs of tea.
Due to the enormous amount of talent the pair both possessed, and despite the obvious lack of fitness, they were thrown in to a team and expected to work their magic instantly. Unfortunately for West Ham, this was not to be the case, the team didn't gel, and they found themselves battling it out at the wrong of the table before the season had barely got under way.
The grounds of which the whole epic Sheffield United-Tevez saga is based on is a hypothetical scenario. The argument being, had Tevez not been allowed to play for the Hammers, which legally should have been the case, he would not have been on the pitch, playing such an instrumental part of West Ham's Premiership survival.
However, you can also argue, hypothetically, had the pair not been allowed to play at the start of the season, West Ham's form may have been vastly different. The disruption to the team could have been avoided, and West Ham might not have even been involved in a relegation battle in the first place.
Sheffield United's relegation at the end of the 2006-07 season, and subsequent legal battle with West Ham detract from the obvious fact that each team is responsible for its own performance. Liverpool, who make a habit of under performing against newly promoted sides each season, (Bradford away springs to mind) drew with Sheffield United on the opening day. Liverpool were 1-nil down, until they were granted a penalty, which if my memory serves me correctly, was taken and converted by Robbie Fowler. Those 2 points dropped by Sheffield United would have been enough to clinch the elusive 40 point standard target for premiership survival, come the end of the season. Hypothetically speaking, of course.
Despite the financial troubles already looming over West Ham and their Icelandic Chairman, settling on the £15m compensation will now allow them to bring an end to off field distractions, and will refocus their attention to matters on field.
Sheffield United, who will never know the true cost of relegation that season, will at least get a timely cash injection as they push for promotion back to the Premier League.
Whether you agree with the compensation package or not, what can not be argued is that the whole saga will have done little to build relations between the two clubs. And, with the possibility of the two clubs meeting next season, should Sheffield United gain promotion, as a neutral I am genuinely excited about a fixture, I would once have paid little attention to. Bring on the happy reunion.
I do not blame Sheffield United for feeling cheated, and their pursuit of financial compensation for being relegated is understandable, given how much money is virtually guaranteed from either being promoted or simply staying in the Premiership today. Clubs plan their finances based on the on the lush land that the premiership will yield, and more often than not, clubs gamble too much on the fact that they will be in the top flight the following season. In what used to be a well run Premier League Club, Charlton Athletic, is now propping up the foot of the Championship table.
Sheffield United's grievances stem from the third party ownership of Argentine pair Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano. Still to this day, I am in a state of disbelief that West Ham even managed to sign the two of them. Given the relatively small amount of time the pair spent at Upton Park, and especially in the case of Mascherano, maybe the audacious transfer coup was a figment of my imagination, justifying my disbelief. Could my imagination be the same reason why Robinho is now trotting around The City of Manchester Stadium?
For a moment I will accept that Tevez and Mascherano did sign for West Ham. The Tevez goal against United at Old Trafford, providing adequate evidence to quash any grounds of reasonable doubt. At the time of their transfers, West Ham were gearing up for their second season back in the top flight and were looking to build on a solid previous campaign. Both of the players had been out of action for a long period of time and were going through the easy transition of life in Brazil to life in East London. In short, swapping Caipirinha's for mugs of tea.
Due to the enormous amount of talent the pair both possessed, and despite the obvious lack of fitness, they were thrown in to a team and expected to work their magic instantly. Unfortunately for West Ham, this was not to be the case, the team didn't gel, and they found themselves battling it out at the wrong of the table before the season had barely got under way.
The grounds of which the whole epic Sheffield United-Tevez saga is based on is a hypothetical scenario. The argument being, had Tevez not been allowed to play for the Hammers, which legally should have been the case, he would not have been on the pitch, playing such an instrumental part of West Ham's Premiership survival.
However, you can also argue, hypothetically, had the pair not been allowed to play at the start of the season, West Ham's form may have been vastly different. The disruption to the team could have been avoided, and West Ham might not have even been involved in a relegation battle in the first place.
Sheffield United's relegation at the end of the 2006-07 season, and subsequent legal battle with West Ham detract from the obvious fact that each team is responsible for its own performance. Liverpool, who make a habit of under performing against newly promoted sides each season, (Bradford away springs to mind) drew with Sheffield United on the opening day. Liverpool were 1-nil down, until they were granted a penalty, which if my memory serves me correctly, was taken and converted by Robbie Fowler. Those 2 points dropped by Sheffield United would have been enough to clinch the elusive 40 point standard target for premiership survival, come the end of the season. Hypothetically speaking, of course.
Despite the financial troubles already looming over West Ham and their Icelandic Chairman, settling on the £15m compensation will now allow them to bring an end to off field distractions, and will refocus their attention to matters on field.
Sheffield United, who will never know the true cost of relegation that season, will at least get a timely cash injection as they push for promotion back to the Premier League.
Whether you agree with the compensation package or not, what can not be argued is that the whole saga will have done little to build relations between the two clubs. And, with the possibility of the two clubs meeting next season, should Sheffield United gain promotion, as a neutral I am genuinely excited about a fixture, I would once have paid little attention to. Bring on the happy reunion.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
