What the hell is going on? No. Seriously. What the hell is going on?
Chelsea old boys Steve Clarke and Andre Villas Boas have been added to the mind boggling list of managers who have already been given the chop making it 25% of Premiership teams that have sacked their manager and it’s not even Christmas. Chris Houghton, Big Sam Allardyce, Malky Mackay, Mark Hughes, Paul Lambert, Michael Laudrup and company – watch your backs. At this rate half of the Premiership’s manager base will be gone by May.
Of all of those managers, including those who have been fired, I only think Paul Lambert has any right being anywhere near the sack race because of his one dimensional tactics, no plan B and the wealth of talent and youth he has at his disposal. And even then I wouldn’t get rid of him. It’s getting more and more ludicrous. When will we see any stability in the Premiership? Are Spuds, Brom, Sunderland, Palace and Fulham doing their best to emulate Roman Abramovic?
Now that Sir Alex Ferguson has retired Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger holds the top spot as longest serving manager. Is it coincidence that Arsenal, despite 8 trophy free seasons have a fully paid off stadium, a wealth of talent, 11 consecutive Champions League knockout stage appearances and also currently sit at the top of the table with a couple of points in their pocket?
Owners, Chairmen and members of the board I would remind you that you are the ones who hired these managers in the first place, so please feel free to fire yourselves as you are the root cause of your perceived failings. Lower your expectations and give managers a chance to create a squad and stability within the club.
If nothing else at least Steve Clarke, Martin Jol, AVB, Paolo di Canio and Ian Holloway can have a rest and enjoy Christmas for a change.
The funny thing is that I expect to see Steve Clarke, AVB and Martin Jol take up positions in the Premiership with other clubs or abroad in Portugal, Spain or Germany within the next few months. Jol to Brom? AVB back to Porto maybe? Clarke to Spurs? (I dread to think). It’s a merry-go-round of ridiculousness.
After all of this completely inane spate of backroom shenanigans and self idolatry I need a good laugh. So here it is:
Roberto di Matteo has been given 20-1 odds to replace Andre Villas Boas at Spuds.
Rocky Mountain Blues 
Managers are like waiters (and if you’ve ever waited tables, you’ll immediately get what I’m saying). They’re the face of failure, whether it’s there fault or not. I learned, back when I waited tables, that everybody in the building could cost me money. The kitchen loses an order or fucks it up, it’s coming out of my tip. Same for the bar. The hostesses can double and triple seat you in ways that make it impossible to provide decent service.
Managers can be saddled with poor talent, or misfit talent, by the front office. No budget for players means a lot of things, but apparently it isn’t an excuse for losing. Players can make stupid mistakes (or simply give lackluster effort) and the result is am embarrassing loss and the sack.
If you’re the manager, it doesn’t matter whose fault it is, it’s your fault.
All that said, sometimes the manager is damned sure at fault. I don’t blame AVB for everything that’s gone wrong at Spuds, but that stubborn insistence on the high back line that’s been getting his teams ball stomped since he arrived at Chelsea? Yeah, that’s a pig-headed adherence to dogma in the face of all kinds of reality, and he’s paying the price for it today.