1. Sometimes the
perfect fit makes an imperfect marriage.
Approaching his 60th birthday and the latter years of his managerial career, Martin O’Neill’s move to the club he had supported since he was a boy looked like a perfect relationship. Sunderland were stagnating under Steve Bruce and seemed hell bent on spending large amounts of cash on a conveyer belt of average players who didn’t improve their team. After a strong first few games, O’Neill’s record with the Black Cats is little short of woeful. In the last 38 league matches Sunderland have collected 35 points and scored 36 goals. Only QPR have a worse record over that period and O’Neill’s departure this weekend, whilst strangely timed, was fully justified based solely upon results. O’Neill has seemed strained of late, lacking his usual spark and good humour and whilst you could argue anyone would be when they were winning as rarely as he was, there is an argument that this job was too close to home for the Ulsterman. He has paid for his stubbornness, refusing to change a losing team and sticking steadfast to tactics that patently haven’t been working. He has paid for a lack of creativity, playing square pegs in round holes and refusing to build a team around the more talented individuals. He has paid for poor signings, spending large amounts of cash on... yep, average players. Fletcher and Johnson looked good signings on paper, but the former has been isolated and patchy and the latter disastrous. Johnson is young and has time on his side, but right now he is looking more like David Bentley by the match. Ultimately O’Neill has paid for not winning enough football matches. One of the most likeable and talented managers of the past 20 years has excited stage left without so much of a whimper. Despite treating the concept of rotation as if it’s a lamentable Tory benefits policy, O’Neill had a lot to offer football. I for one would have loved to see him manage a country. For now, given his intelligent and insightful punditry before, we can only hope the BBC snap him up to replace Alan Shearer at the earliest convenience.
Approaching his 60th birthday and the latter years of his managerial career, Martin O’Neill’s move to the club he had supported since he was a boy looked like a perfect relationship. Sunderland were stagnating under Steve Bruce and seemed hell bent on spending large amounts of cash on a conveyer belt of average players who didn’t improve their team. After a strong first few games, O’Neill’s record with the Black Cats is little short of woeful. In the last 38 league matches Sunderland have collected 35 points and scored 36 goals. Only QPR have a worse record over that period and O’Neill’s departure this weekend, whilst strangely timed, was fully justified based solely upon results. O’Neill has seemed strained of late, lacking his usual spark and good humour and whilst you could argue anyone would be when they were winning as rarely as he was, there is an argument that this job was too close to home for the Ulsterman. He has paid for his stubbornness, refusing to change a losing team and sticking steadfast to tactics that patently haven’t been working. He has paid for a lack of creativity, playing square pegs in round holes and refusing to build a team around the more talented individuals. He has paid for poor signings, spending large amounts of cash on... yep, average players. Fletcher and Johnson looked good signings on paper, but the former has been isolated and patchy and the latter disastrous. Johnson is young and has time on his side, but right now he is looking more like David Bentley by the match. Ultimately O’Neill has paid for not winning enough football matches. One of the most likeable and talented managers of the past 20 years has excited stage left without so much of a whimper. Despite treating the concept of rotation as if it’s a lamentable Tory benefits policy, O’Neill had a lot to offer football. I for one would have loved to see him manage a country. For now, given his intelligent and insightful punditry before, we can only hope the BBC snap him up to replace Alan Shearer at the earliest convenience.
2. Fasten your
seatbelts for the race for um… three spots.
With seven games left of the season one would probably have hoped for more than just the race for 3rd/4th and a single relegation spot to fight over. But still, you take what you’re given in this world so let’s take a moment to racquet up the tension TO THE MAX. Baring a seismic event the league table will finish with Manchester Utd 1st, Manchester City 2nd, QPR 19th and Reading 20th. That leaves 3rd, 4th and the ominous NEVER BEEN MORE FATEFUL 18th up for grabs. So let’s look at that contenders…
With seven games left of the season one would probably have hoped for more than just the race for 3rd/4th and a single relegation spot to fight over. But still, you take what you’re given in this world so let’s take a moment to racquet up the tension TO THE MAX. Baring a seismic event the league table will finish with Manchester Utd 1st, Manchester City 2nd, QPR 19th and Reading 20th. That leaves 3rd, 4th and the ominous NEVER BEEN MORE FATEFUL 18th up for grabs. So let’s look at that contenders…
3. The Champions
League contenders…
On a new point? Um yes, I’m sleep deprived so am rushing through this a bit in an effort to go to bed. Don’t worry, it will still be worth reading. Honest. THE CONTENDERS ARE… Just six points separate Everton, Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea, with the former two meeting each other in a couple of weeks in what will be a crucial game in hand. Spurs want shooting if they don’t claim one of the spots whilst Everton deserve something for a superb season that has come undone at crucial times. Chelsea and Arsenal have the experience in doing this and my head says both may well sneak in. My heart clearly wants neither to, although I couldn’t choose between the two. Torn between a hatred for Chelsea that goes deeper than a mid-Atlantic drilling rig and the fact that I’ve been saying Arsenal won’t get 4th and Wenger has to leave… all… season… long. WHO WINS. YOU DECID… no wait that’s something else. Um. Oh yeah, here’s something, AVB still playing Adeboyer over Defoe, or a 14 year old boy, or a Harry Redknapp’s Nan. What’s all that about? Fast becoming one of football’s great mercenaries, you have to admire Adeboyer’s complete refusal to even try once he’s cashed in his contract with his new club.
On a new point? Um yes, I’m sleep deprived so am rushing through this a bit in an effort to go to bed. Don’t worry, it will still be worth reading. Honest. THE CONTENDERS ARE… Just six points separate Everton, Arsenal, Spurs and Chelsea, with the former two meeting each other in a couple of weeks in what will be a crucial game in hand. Spurs want shooting if they don’t claim one of the spots whilst Everton deserve something for a superb season that has come undone at crucial times. Chelsea and Arsenal have the experience in doing this and my head says both may well sneak in. My heart clearly wants neither to, although I couldn’t choose between the two. Torn between a hatred for Chelsea that goes deeper than a mid-Atlantic drilling rig and the fact that I’ve been saying Arsenal won’t get 4th and Wenger has to leave… all… season… long. WHO WINS. YOU DECID… no wait that’s something else. Um. Oh yeah, here’s something, AVB still playing Adeboyer over Defoe, or a 14 year old boy, or a Harry Redknapp’s Nan. What’s all that about? Fast becoming one of football’s great mercenaries, you have to admire Adeboyer’s complete refusal to even try once he’s cashed in his contract with his new club.
4. The relegation
contenders…
Southampton, Stoke, Norwich, Newcastle, Sunderland, Wigan, Aston Villa. Seven clubs, four points. SIX SHALL STAND, ONE SHALL FALL! Having tipped Villa for relegation for some time, I’m not going to change that view now, but by Christ Sunderland are really pushing it. Having sacked their manager with seven games left they have a run in that can politely be described as “brutal” and a group of players who genuinely have no idea how to put the ball into the net from open play. Wigan are far from safe, despite their usual resurgence around this time. They have a certain Rodimus Prime quality that I’m not sure can be ignored though, so I think they’ll be ok. Saints now look like they’ve done enough, certainly with the way they’re playing and it’s hard to see Newcastle falling any further downwards. But Stoke or Norwich? Having scored around 3 goals between them all season it’s as if Chris Hughton is on some sort of huge bonus to try and become the most boring team in the division. And given that’s a division with Stoke, Sunderland and West Ham in it… my god that hasn’t been pretty to watch. The last few weeks will see a huge number of squeaky bums up and down the country. Personally I’m just hoping it goes down to the wire. A quick glance at the fixtures sees a last day containing the fixture Wigan v Aston Villa. Now that could be worth watching…
Southampton, Stoke, Norwich, Newcastle, Sunderland, Wigan, Aston Villa. Seven clubs, four points. SIX SHALL STAND, ONE SHALL FALL! Having tipped Villa for relegation for some time, I’m not going to change that view now, but by Christ Sunderland are really pushing it. Having sacked their manager with seven games left they have a run in that can politely be described as “brutal” and a group of players who genuinely have no idea how to put the ball into the net from open play. Wigan are far from safe, despite their usual resurgence around this time. They have a certain Rodimus Prime quality that I’m not sure can be ignored though, so I think they’ll be ok. Saints now look like they’ve done enough, certainly with the way they’re playing and it’s hard to see Newcastle falling any further downwards. But Stoke or Norwich? Having scored around 3 goals between them all season it’s as if Chris Hughton is on some sort of huge bonus to try and become the most boring team in the division. And given that’s a division with Stoke, Sunderland and West Ham in it… my god that hasn’t been pretty to watch. The last few weeks will see a huge number of squeaky bums up and down the country. Personally I’m just hoping it goes down to the wire. A quick glance at the fixtures sees a last day containing the fixture Wigan v Aston Villa. Now that could be worth watching…
5. Has there ever
been a more frustrating player than Nani?
Signed for over £20m some six years ago, it’s hard to believe that Nani has now played for Man Utd well over 200 times. Scoring 40 goals and creating twice as many again, in many ways he has been an integral squad player who has contributed match winning performances on several occasions. The trouble with Nani, is that when he is bad, he is really, really fucking bad. And he is bad… a lot. Without analysing the data, I would wager that for at least 100 of his 213 games for Utd, Nani has been the worst player on the pitch. This was the case today when it was clear within 5 minutes that he was going to have a complete shocker. Ferguson showed either absurd faith or total stupidity by not taking him off for 60 minutes, but until that point he had a pass completion rate that my six aside team, having a collective shocker, would be embarrassed by. Nani is the football equivalent of a drunk wife beater who’s really nice on Sundays. He will occasionally produce a moment of outrageous brilliance that makes you think… hmmm… maybe… but then two games later will be back to taking 17 corners in a row without ever beating the first man. It’s been a strange season for Utd, having romped to the title but limped out of all the cups in various incidents of foot shooting. Whatever the close season promises, surely, surely (honestly, I’m begging) it will include the transfer of Luis Carlos Almeida de Cunha (that’s right, Nani’s not even his real name) to another club. Ideally Arsenal. You know, for a laugh.
Signed for over £20m some six years ago, it’s hard to believe that Nani has now played for Man Utd well over 200 times. Scoring 40 goals and creating twice as many again, in many ways he has been an integral squad player who has contributed match winning performances on several occasions. The trouble with Nani, is that when he is bad, he is really, really fucking bad. And he is bad… a lot. Without analysing the data, I would wager that for at least 100 of his 213 games for Utd, Nani has been the worst player on the pitch. This was the case today when it was clear within 5 minutes that he was going to have a complete shocker. Ferguson showed either absurd faith or total stupidity by not taking him off for 60 minutes, but until that point he had a pass completion rate that my six aside team, having a collective shocker, would be embarrassed by. Nani is the football equivalent of a drunk wife beater who’s really nice on Sundays. He will occasionally produce a moment of outrageous brilliance that makes you think… hmmm… maybe… but then two games later will be back to taking 17 corners in a row without ever beating the first man. It’s been a strange season for Utd, having romped to the title but limped out of all the cups in various incidents of foot shooting. Whatever the close season promises, surely, surely (honestly, I’m begging) it will include the transfer of Luis Carlos Almeida de Cunha (that’s right, Nani’s not even his real name) to another club. Ideally Arsenal. You know, for a laugh.
Point three really doesn't make any sense looking back. Fuck it. I'm off to bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment