'A change in the
weather is known to be extreme, but what's the sense of changing horses in
midstream? - Bob Dylan
Well Your Bobness, I couldn't
disagree if you're riding a thoroughbred confident that safety's within reach,
but what if you're saddled with a nag who's good for glue? It's a tough call
for Premier League owners, who despite or perhaps because of their success in
business are notoriously impatient and irrational when the threat of failure
looms and are more likely to flog the sorry beast than to offer it a carrot.
Five of the bottom six clubs had
already ditched their manager by the turn of the year. In the case of
Sunderland it was clear that Di Canio had neither the temperament nor
experience to succeed at the highest level and he had to go. Ian Holloway at Palace,
possibly the most honest man in the game, held his hands up and decided it was
in the club's best interests to walk away. It can be argued that the owners of
West Brom pushed the panic button too early after a bad run of results but Martin
Jol at Fulham had been a dead man walking for weeks before he was finally led
to the gallows back in December.
Now the Fulham board, still stuck
firmly in midstream with the waters now gathering around its neck, have lost
faith in the ability of Jol's successor Rene Mulensteen to steer them clear and
have replaced him with a novelty appointment, bringing in former Bayern Munich
manager Felix Magath, a man described by his last captain as 'lacking humanity'
and nicknamed 'Torturer' or 'Saddam'; he was recently called 'the last dictator
in Europe' which, with Putin in his pomp, is some claim. His erratic
disciplinary behaviour includes imposing fines for back passes and setting
essays for recalcitrant players. Michael Gove would be proud. Fulham's new man will
be inheriting the rump of the Jol squad and some disconsolate players brought
in by Mulensteen in January. It's seems reasonable to write off their chances. So
that leaves another 2 from 9.
Of those, Sunderland and Palace
saw an immediate upturn in fortunes after appointing new men, and Stoke,
Norwich, West Ham and Villa have had the good sense to stick by their trusty
steeds. Even Swansea have made a shrewd appointment in appointing a man from
within who is the most likely to consolidate and lead them to calmer waters.
There is of course one team in
their first season back in the PL with an ambitious foreign owner at the helm
who's appointed a former Man Utd treble-winning favourite as manager and is
prepared to take on the fans and consign one hundred years of tradition to the
dustbin in a grab for the Asian market. At 5 points and 6 places above us, Hull
Tigers (tbc) with an experienced manager, an established squad and having spent
wisely in January are looking a safe bet to survive and thrive.
So where does that leave us? The
signs are not good. By now, with 12 games to go we should have a settled squad
of players who clearly understand the manager's approach with each one aware of
what's required of them. Unfortunately Solskjaer still doesn't seem to know
what his preferred starting eleven looks like yet. Despite his declared
intention to play attacking football, problems persist in the final third where
we are incapable of turning territorial advantage and possession into goals. Approaching
the business end of the season we're still playing pre-season football and we
can't be certain that Tan hasn't ditched Shergar in favour of Trigger, and if
he has, whether it's Roy Roger's iconic steed or Benny Hill's comedy workhorse.
Dylan's next line neatly encapsulates
the anguish and uncertainty ' I'm going out of my mind with a pain that stops and starts'. If
we do go down there'll be Blood On The Tracks at the CCS, and Tan Strung Up In
Blue.
Match Report to follow...
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