I am of the red persuasion when it comes to matters soccer in the north of London. Naturally, I should be over the moon with the news coming out of the white corner. Andre Villas Boas has been shown the door. No telling the imprints of Tottenham Hotspurs chairman David Levy’s boot(s) on his backside. Mutual consent is cited in the press release by the London club.
I wonder why they bother to put that in there: Mutual consent. As if, so late in the day, there is a contrary alternative. Besides, the familiar cry of vultures explained the moving shadows over AVB’s head in last night’s presser. Five nil to Liverpool at White Hart Lane, and you and I knew too well of the aroma wafting in from the kitchen clouding the press box. It was not the whiff of burgers and fries meant to feed the angry hungry lot at White Hart Lane that Sunday evening; AVB’s goose had been cooked.
Now this post is not meant to satire. Though parallels can be drawn, it is far removed from the viral online poll carried out by the gooner community where, by a landslide, it was voted that Moyes should stay at Manchester United. A vindication that, for the rivalry to remain tilted in favor of The Arsenal, Moyes had to stay. The Scotts man definitely had the favor of strong-head winds in his drive of the defending EPL champions towards oblivion.
Let’s sweep aside the banter for a while and consider this:
1. AVB had surpassed all previous Spurs managers in league points accrued. He had led them to a record tally of 72 the season last with the bonus of thrashing the likes of both Manchester Clubs along the way. In early December, Tottenham are five points of the last champions’ league spot and only eight of the leaders Arsenal. They are in the knockout stages of the Europa League and play a Capital One cup quarter final in mid-week.
2. AVB did not sell Bale. David Levy’s famed business skills did. AVB did not ship in the truck load of well…..Football director Baldini did. That is his job description. An analogy to this fiasco did it rounds in twitter where it was said that AVB sold an iphone 5 (Bale) and replaced it with a pager, house phone, diary, transistor radio, battery torch and Pentium 3 desktop. As Arsenal proved with Robin Van Persie’s departure and Manchester United with Sir Alex’s departure, you’ve got to limp (at least for a while) when a major cog in your make up is no more.
Nonetheless, that’s spilt milk, no need crying over it. Moving forward:
1. Playing Russian roulette with managers doesn’t breed success unless you are a Russian with oil billions or have got Arab money to wipe the brains off the floor. The Sunderlands, Crystal Palaces and Fulhams might get away with it but not an ‘ambitious’ side. You just have to see what a little stability did to Liverpool.
2. The Lamellas, Ericksens, Paulinhos and Soldados are AVB players. Pity the next manager. Jose the happy one with all his specialness is struggling with the same at Chelsea.
3. It was always going to be a challenging 6,7, 8 new players.
1. Expect a busy transfer market triggered by activities at Chelsea and Tottenham. If not in January then in the summer. Bargains should be available.
2. Has the EPL brand become a monster that will consume itself? Five managers fired barely half way into the season; English sides that participate in European competitions find it hard going on resumption of domestic football (Spurs, Swansea even Arsenal); The absence of a winter break to satisfy the entertainment needs of fans and Tv broadcasts (A real disadvantage on meeting Spanish/German sides in the knock out stages of European football. This is likely to impart heavily on national teams that have a fair quota of their stars plying in the Premier League). All these factors possibly explains the lack of a Ballon d’or winner from the EPL since Ronaldo
I wonder why they bother to put that in there: Mutual consent. As if, so late in the day, there is a contrary alternative. Besides, the familiar cry of vultures explained the moving shadows over AVB’s head in last night’s presser. Five nil to Liverpool at White Hart Lane, and you and I knew too well of the aroma wafting in from the kitchen clouding the press box. It was not the whiff of burgers and fries meant to feed the angry hungry lot at White Hart Lane that Sunday evening; AVB’s goose had been cooked.Now this post is not meant to satire. Though parallels can be drawn, it is far removed from the viral online poll carried out by the gooner community where, by a landslide, it was voted that Moyes should stay at Manchester United. A vindication that, for the rivalry to remain tilted in favor of The Arsenal, Moyes had to stay. The Scotts man definitely had the favor of strong-head winds in his drive of the defending EPL champions towards oblivion.
Let’s sweep aside the banter for a while and consider this:
1. AVB had surpassed all previous Spurs managers in league points accrued. He had led them to a record tally of 72 the season last with the bonus of thrashing the likes of both Manchester Clubs along the way. In early December, Tottenham are five points of the last champions’ league spot and only eight of the leaders Arsenal. They are in the knockout stages of the Europa League and play a Capital One cup quarter final in mid-week.
2. AVB did not sell Bale. David Levy’s famed business skills did. AVB did not ship in the truck load of well…..Football director Baldini did. That is his job description. An analogy to this fiasco did it rounds in twitter where it was said that AVB sold an iphone 5 (Bale) and replaced it with a pager, house phone, diary, transistor radio, battery torch and Pentium 3 desktop. As Arsenal proved with Robin Van Persie’s departure and Manchester United with Sir Alex’s departure, you’ve got to limp (at least for a while) when a major cog in your make up is no more.
Nonetheless, that’s spilt milk, no need crying over it. Moving forward:
1. Playing Russian roulette with managers doesn’t breed success unless you are a Russian with oil billions or have got Arab money to wipe the brains off the floor. The Sunderlands, Crystal Palaces and Fulhams might get away with it but not an ‘ambitious’ side. You just have to see what a little stability did to Liverpool.
2. The Lamellas, Ericksens, Paulinhos and Soldados are AVB players. Pity the next manager. Jose the happy one with all his specialness is struggling with the same at Chelsea.
3. It was always going to be a challenging 6,7, 8 new players.
Other permutations
1. Expect a busy transfer market triggered by activities at Chelsea and Tottenham. If not in January then in the summer. Bargains should be available.
2. Has the EPL brand become a monster that will consume itself? Five managers fired barely half way into the season; English sides that participate in European competitions find it hard going on resumption of domestic football (Spurs, Swansea even Arsenal); The absence of a winter break to satisfy the entertainment needs of fans and Tv broadcasts (A real disadvantage on meeting Spanish/German sides in the knock out stages of European football. This is likely to impart heavily on national teams that have a fair quota of their stars plying in the Premier League). All these factors possibly explains the lack of a Ballon d’or winner from the EPL since Ronaldo
Trivia: Of the five English Premier League managers fired so far, two of them: Steve Clark of West Bromwich albion and andre Villas Boas were Jose Mourinho's minions in the technical area in his first spell as Chelsea manger.
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