Martinez’s last few months at Wigan have been incredible. The Spaniard has performed miracles at the DW Stadium since January.

The Latics have won six of their last games – including victories over Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Arsenal and Newcastle.

Following Monday nights game against Blackburn, Martinez’s side secured another season in the Premier League. They now sit 5 points above 18th placed Bolton, with one game left to play.

The Wigan fans cheered Martinez’s name as he masterminded yet another remarkable recovery this season.

Before he met Steve Kean’s Blackburn in the reverse fixture in November last year, Wigan were rock bottom of the table with just five points, having lost eight straight matches.

It took a while for results to come, but Martinez was not prepared to compromise his principles and he stuck by his commitment to getting the ball down and passing it

18 points from 24 points has been a testament to the outstanding job Martinez has performed at the DW Stadium this season.

The only down side for the Latics is that they could pay a high price for their relative success. While Martinez was prepared to snub Aston Villa and stick with Wigan last summer, it remains to be seen how long he will be happy trying to keep the Latics up on a limited budget.

Wigan chairman Dave Whelan will not stand in Roberto Martinez’s way if the manager is offered a bigger job this summer, he believes recent performances will have big clubs from around Europe eyeing up his Spanish boss.

And while he is not keen to see the 38-year-old leave, Whelan said he would accept Martinez’s departure when it comes.

“He’s doing a magnificent job,” Whelan told Radio Five Live’s Sports week. “I’ve always said Roberto will go to one of the top clubs in Europe and when that time comes he will leave Wigan with my blessing.

 ”He’s just a brilliant manager and he will get one of the top jobs inEurope.

“I don’t want to lose Roberto but it is inevitable he will climb the ladder.”

The 38-year-old Spaniard was linked with the Aston Villa job last summer before he committed his future to the Latics but could he turn down the Villans again if they came calling as Alex McLeish looks set to leave the Midlands side.

West Brom could also be an attractive option for the former Swansea manager after Roy Hodgson leaves to become England boss at the end of the season, as the 64-year-old has put together a good squad with a great chance of pushing on in the next campaign.

A wild card option for Martinez could  be Liverpool, who may wish to go with a younger manager to replace Kenny Dalglish if his time is up in his second spell as boss at Anfield.

Whatever his decision, he will not be short of suitors after Wigan’s miraculous recovery this season. But will this year be his last at the DW Stadium or can the man who first joined the club as a player in 1995 remain loyal to the club and Dave Whelan yet again?

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Real Madrid wrapped up the La Liga title last weekend, with Jose Mourinho leading the Santiago Bernabeu outfit to their first Spanish top-flight success in four years. A convincing 3-0 away win over Europa League finalists Athletic Bilbao sealed the triumph, and broke Barcelona’s stranglehold over the game in Spain.

The achievement has not gone unnoticed in west London, as former employer Roman Abramovich is reportedly eager to bring ‘The Special One’ back to Chelsea. The latest success is Mourinho’s 19th trophy in his managerial career, a quite unbelievable achievement.

2002-03

From taking over at Portuguese giants Porto in 2002 until now, Mourinho’s record has been exemplary. The Setubal-born trainer started as he intended to carry on in his first season at the Estadio da Dragao, winning the Primeira Division at a canter, the Taca de Portugal and the UEFA Cup in a momentous season. In the league the total of 86 points out of the possible maximum of 102 was a Portuguese record, whilst Mourinho’s men beat his former club Leiria in the cup final and Celtic in the European finale.

2003-04

Mourinho and his Porto team really shot into the limelight the following season, by retaining their Primeira Division title and against the odds lifting the Champions League. Porto sealed their domestic title with five weeks of the season still to play, and after eliminating Manchester United in Europe, lifted the Champions League crown with a 3-0 win over Monaco.

2004-05

Porto’s elimination of United drew English attention to Mourinho’s achievements, and the successful trainer took over the Chelsea managerial position. After proclaiming himself ‘The Special One’ in his first press conference, Mourinho went on to put his money where his mouth is, lifting the Premier League crown in his debut season, the Blues’ first in 50 years. Chelsea also beat Liverpool to lift the Carling Cup.

2005-06

With the Blues team given self-belief by boss Mourinho, Chelsea went on to retain their Premier League title the following season, with a 3-0 win over Manchester United proving their dominance. They also lifted the Community Shield by beating Arsenal 2-1, but the Champions League remained all-elusive.

2006-07

Mourinho’ last full season at Chelsea saw his men relinquish their Premier League crown to Manchester United, and they were eliminated from the Champions League by Liverpool. Despite this, the Blues still lifted the FA Cup and League Cup in a domestic double.

2008-09

After being shown the door by Abramovich in the 2007-08 season, Mourinho took over at Inter after an eight-month spell away from the game. Similar to his time at Chelsea, he wasted no time in laying down a landmark, and won the Serie A title at the first time of asking and the Supercoppa Italiana. Despite winning the Scudetto by a ten-point margin, elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Manchester United was a major frustration for the perfectionist coach.

2009-10

Arguably Mourinho’s most successful season in management, Inter were unstoppable in 2009-10. The Nerazzurri retained their Serie A crown in impressive form, beat Roma to claim the Coppa Italia trophy and after defeating Barcelona in the semi-finals, lifted the Champions League crown with victory over Bayern Munich. The next day Mourinho admitted that the win would be the last game in charge of the Italian giants.

2010-11

Mourinho was announced as the replacement for Manuel Pellegrini at Real Madrid for the 2010-11 season, with the capital-city side looking for a solution to Barcelona’s dominance at home and on the continent. In this first campaign in Spain the Portuguese coach failed to stop Pep Guardiola’s men achieve glory in La Liga and the Champions League, but did beat the Catalan giants in the Copa del Rey final.

2011-12

This season has been a different story for Madrid, who have been comprehensive and deserved winners of La Liga. The main criticism aimed at Mourinho’s men was their inability to beat Barcelona in a clash between the sides, but a 2-1 victory at Camp Nou got this monkey of the team’s back and all-but secured the division title. Although Champions League still eludes Mourinho at Madrid, the Portuguese coach will look to dominate all competitions next season.

There are increased rumours over Mourinho’s future and a potential move back to England, but this is unlikely, as the proud coach will feel that he has unfinished business in Spain. Next term Madrid will have a transitional Barcelona side to deal with, and the Santiago Bernabeu fans will crave that Mourinho deliver the Champions League back to this great club.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

When Sir Alex Ferguson finally decides to close the curtains on his long and glorious career there will certainly be more than a few managers in line to replace him. Below are the Sky Bet current favourites:

1. Jose Mourinho 2/1

Will the special one end up at Old Trafford when Sir Alex Ferguson decides to call it a day? Manchester United is not just a club, but a global brand. The current Premier League Champions need a big personality at the helm. Mourinho has a bigger personality than nearly anyone in football and this is a great opportunity to prove himself as the World’s best manager. There will be plenty of pressure on whoever takes the United job, with Sir Alex leaving some big shoes to fill, it will not only take a very talented manager to replace him, but also someone with great confidence. The Mourinho looks likely to give Real Madrid one more season, however he would see it as the ultimate accolade to take over from Sir Alex Ferguson, a manager he admires immensely.

2. David Moyes 5/1

Moyes has done a great job at Goodison Park. If offered the United job he would almost certainly accept the position. People claim the likes of the Everton manager would not be able to play the attractive football demanded by United. Why not? What he has done at Everton is get the best from what he has had and been able to acquire. With better players he would play better football. It’s a major decision for United but in Moyes lies the potential for Ferguson’s successor. David Moyes is the best of the British at the moment, although he has done a great job at Everton he would appear to be a bit of an underwhelming choice to follow the great reign of Sir Alex

3. Ole Solskjaer 6/1

The former Manchester United winger is highly respected by the fans and the club. Solskjaer is currently manager of Norwegian Premier League Side Molde. When the Ferguson era comes to an end at Old Trafford, the club would ideally turn over the team to a young manager with a future bright enough to have another 25-year reign as boss. Solskjaer possesses the necessary qualities to do just that, and when the Super Scot steps down, he would be smart to hand the job over to the super-sub.

3. Pep Guardiola 7/1

Pep Guardiola would be a good choice for Manchester United. He has achieved a great deal with Barcelona but it remains to be seen what he will do with a less talented group of players (even one not too far off Barcelona like Man United. Ferguson has indicated the Barcelona coach is the right man to take charge at Old Trafford when he finally decides to retire. The outgoing Barca coach should easily be able to handle the transition to the Premier League.

5. Ryan Giggs 10/1

 A Manchester United legend. Currently approaching an amazing 900 appearances. It’s not difficult to see him becoming manager at the club in the future.

6. Martin O’Neill 12/1

It’s no secret that Martin O’Neill is desperate to manage Man United when Alex Ferguson retires. Sunderland’s current manager is experiencing a good run of form with his new team. After previous success with Celtic in the Scottish Premier League, he’s used to being in control of a countries dominant team.

7. Laurent Blanc 16/1

Currently at the helm of the French national team, depending on how Les Bleus perform at the European Championship the timing could be perfect.

8. Mark Hughes 20/1

Having been dismissed by City, Hughes could find himself crossing the city to succeed Ferguson. However, in the past he has made a few comments regarding United which will not endear him to the fans.

9. Mike Phelan 20/1

Sir Alex Ferguson’s current assistant manager. He’ll know the way Ferguson thinks through and through. He’s also a former player who has won the Premier League, the European cup winners’ cup, The FA cup, The League cup and the community shield with the club. He has had a lot of success under Sir Alex Ferguson at United. If the fans want to see the survival of Fergie’s ideas and tactics, then Phelan would be the ideal replacement.

10. Brendan Rodgers 25/1

The current Swansea manager has enjoyed a brilliant first Premier League season with Swansea. His teams play very attractive, passing football. Perhaps it’s too soon to judge his performance as a manager at the moment. But in a few season’s time he could definitely be an option for United when Sir Alex retires.

11. Joachim Loew – German National Team 25/1

12. Fabio Capello 25/1

13. Steve Bruce 25/1

14. Paul Lambert – Norwich 25/1

15. Chris Hughton – Birmingham 33/1

16. Roy Keane 33/1

17. Carlos Queiroz – Iranian National Team 33/1

18. Ottmar Hitzfeld – Swiss National Team 33/1

19. Gus Hiddink – FC Anzhi Makhachkala 33/1

20. Eric Cantona – New York Cosmos 33/1

21. Paul Scholes – Current Manchester United Player 33/1

22. Gary Neville 33/1

23. Alex McLeish – Aston Villa 33/1

24. Martin Jol – Fulham 33/1

25. Darren Ferguson – Peterborough United 33/1

Please comment with your opinions!

Feel free to visit my independent blog for similar articles http://chrisslinnell.wordpress.com/

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

One only has to look at the impact of Martin O’Neill at Sunderland to realise the ability of a manager to change a club’s fortunes.

That said, unfortunately not all coaches have the same tactical nous as the Northern Irishman, and quite a considerable number are likely to effect your team’s chances in an altogether different way.

Here are five managers with a less than enviable track record and the potential to derail your side’s chances.

Alex McLeish

The man with the unenviable record of getting his club relegated, twice. In his defense, he did get Birmingham promoted back to the Premier League after the first relegation, and then took them to a 9th place finish in the league, and the second relegation was marked with a Carling Cup win as well.

Still, with McLeish in the ridiculous position of possibly achieving a third relegation in the same city (this time with Birmingham), his record is strangely topsy-turvy. His first management job, at Motherwell, saw a brilliant first season finishing second in the league before the next two were spent in relegation battles. His second club, Hibernian, got relegated under his watch but they bounced back with him at the helm.

He saw success with Rangers – but in the SPL, success with one of the big two doesn’t really count, does it? It’s a bit like playing Ronaldo or Messi on the XBox and taking credit for all the goals.

If you’re a fan of a struggling Championship club, he may get you promoted but he will also get you relegated with equal ease.

David O’Leary

David O’Leary will go down in Leeds United folklore as one of the best and worst managers of recent times. The coach built one of the best and most competitive sides of recent times at Elland Road, and led his men to the semi finals of the Champions League. However, after spending almost £100 million in less than four years, serious financial problems at the Yorkshire club saw O’Leary sacked in 2002 and the team slip down to the English third-tier.

O’Leary also had a three-year spell at Aston Villa between 2003 and 2006. Some early success and a sixth placed finish in 2003-04 were counteracted by inconsistency, and in the end O’Leary left the club hovering above the relegation places in 2006, when he again was sacked. After a four-year sabbatical, he took a position with UAE-based team Al-Ahli, but lasted less than a year before being dismissed once more.

Avram Grant

Avram Grant’s tenure in English football was one that saw him undergo a tough time at the hands of Chelsea, Portsmouth and West Ham fans, but not without reason. The Israeli was given the unenviable task of replacing Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge back in September 2007, and failed to replicate the Portuguese coach’s success. Despite leading the Stamford Bridge outfit to the Champions League final, he was sacked in May 2008.

Grant’s next role was as manager of Portsmouth, but financial irregularities and poor showings on the pitch saw the south-coast outfit relegated in 2009-10, and Grant dismissed.

West Ham later took Grant on in June 2010, and after a dreadful start to the season, speculation was rife that he was on the verge of being sacked just months into his tenure. However the Upton Park board stuck with Grant, who ensured their demotion to The Championship, and his third sacking in four years.

Pep Guardiola has sensationally called time on his Barcelona career following a difficult season in which the Catalans relinquished their grip on La Liga to rivals Real Madrid and were knocked out of the Champions League Roberto Di Matteo’s Chelsea.

The 41-year-old, who was appointed in 2008 and has led the Catalan club to 13 trophies, will be succeeded by his current assistant Tito Vilanova come the end of the season.

Since becoming manager of the La Liga side, Guardiola has won 13 trophies: two Champions League crowns, three La Liga trophies, one Copa del Rey, three Supercopas, two Uefa Super Cups and two Fifa Club World Cups.

It’s fair to say his Barcelona will go down in history as one of the game’s great teams—some would argue the greatest. They’ve not only dominated, but done so with a grace and beauty in their play that has left even the most cynical in awe. The naked eye tells us that Barcelona’s play is a symphony of intuition. Yet we shouldn’t be fooled by the breath-taking aesthetics. Guardiola is an obsessive, perfectionist. The technical relationships on the pitch are the result of years of indoctrination and feverishly practiced drills.

This style of play has led Guardiola to become the most successful coach in Barcelona’s history. In his final season with the club, Barcelona find themselves seven points behind Real Madrid with four games to play. But there is still a Copa del Rey final to come at the end of the season; a win in this would mean a success rate of 14 out of 18 competitions.

On top of this, he has overseen the rise of three-time world player of the year Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, while signing Fabregas from Arsenal.

Guardiola was particularly close to Messi - describing him as “the best ever” player - while the Argentina forward suggested Guardiola was the main factor behind Barca’s recent success.

A Catalan and a product of Barcelona’s youth system, the young kid plucked from obscurity by Cruyff, Guardiola became the captain having been a member of the Dream Team – the model against which all other Barcelona teams are measured and which Guardiola’s team superseded.

Barcelona announced that Pep Guardiola was going to be their new coach, back in the summer of 2008. The team had just finished the season empty handed, 18 points behind Real Madrid at the top of La Liga, Many fans were convinced performances  would improve, but no-one could have expected quite so much change and quite so quickly. Within 12 months, Barcelona had won a unique treble: the league, the Copa del Rey and the European Cup were theirs. Much more followed.

It’s clear the pressure from managing such a huge club has taken its toll on Guardiola over the last few years.

“The reason is simple: four years is enough,” said Guardiola.

“I’m drained and I need to fill up. The demand has been very high and a manager must be strong.”

The Future for Guardiola?

The 41 year-old is expected to take a year’s break from football before re-joining the game at a new club.

The current situation in the Premiership could provide very interesting circumstances if Guardiola decided to stay in the game. I feel it’s unlikely he would manager another Spanish team in the La Liga, therefore England is the only logical move he could make.

It has been announced within the last 48 hours that Guardiola is Roman Abramovich’s number one candidate to replace Andre Villas-Boas as Chelsea’s next full-time manager. Unfortunately the Russian wants his man now, rather than in a year’s time. He intends to tempt Pep into postponing his gap year by offering him huge amounts of money.

Unfortunately, this tactic might not come off. Guardiola is very much his own man, to the extent that he famously only signed rolling one-year contracts at the Camp Nou instead of committing himself to the club long-term. And that determined streak could scupper Chelsea’s plans.

At Old Trafford, there won’t be too many names above Guardiola’s on the Glazers’ shortlist of potential successors for Sir Alex Ferguson. The only problem is shifting the man currently in the chair. Fergie has been on the brink of retirement for the past decade since announcing he was planning to call it a day when he turned 60 in 2002.

The Scot has recently declared he fancies two more years in the hot seat. Nobody at Manchester United would ever suggest Ferguson left the club on anything but his own terms, of course, but should his side have a successful season next year, he may consider quitting at the very top of his game, leaving the door open for a refreshed Guardiola to take the throne.

Furthermore, Arsenal is a possible future club for the Spaniard. Given their common philosophy of making the beautiful game as beautiful as possible, Guardiola would 100% suit the London clubs style of play. Wenger still has two seasons to run on his current deal at the Emirates, and would almost certainly want to lead his rejuvenated side into next season. But if Guardiola goes through with his plan for a break, then Arsenal might try and tempt Wenger with a role upstairs to accommodate him.

Finally, at White Hart Lane. With Harry Redknapp’s short-term future undecided to say the least, there’s no doubt that Tottenham would love to get Guardiola. Whether the Spaniard would feel the same way is debatable at best.

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy would have to pull of the sale of the century to convince Guardiola his future lies at White Hart Lane. But the club do have a promising pool of young talent – Pep is a fully-paid up member of the Gareth Bale fan club – and the potential to become a domestic and European powerhouse. Extremely unlikely, but stranger things have happened.

Why He Should Stay at Barca?

Many people would suggest Guardiola’s decision to leave Barcelona is a poor decision. It seems a week of poor results has forced him to make a rash decision regarding his future at the club. Below are a few reasons why he should stay:

1)      He won’t find better players anywhere else in the World – The Likes of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta are obviously very special. It is these players who possess the world-class ability to play the sort of football Guardiola loves his team to play. It’s highly unlikely that the Spaniard will find this calibre of players at his new club. As great as clubs like, Chelsea, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are, they don’t contain the same individual player quality as Real Madrid or Barcelona.

2)      Barcelona has arguably the best youth system in football – at his new club Guardiola won’t have the luxury of one of the world’s best youth systems to rely on. Top level players require the correct mentality to know what is required of them when they step onto the pitch. Throughout the Spaniards career as Barca manager, the clubs youth system has produced two or three players that have moulded wonderfully into the first team, with very little work required.

3)      Barcelona are very, very wealthy – Throughout his Barcelona career, Guardiola relied on great huge transfer budgets to allow him to sign the best players for his team. For example, this season he recruited Fabregas for 29 million Euros and Alexis Sanchez for 26 million euros + bonuses. With the exception of Real Madrid, Manchester City and at a push Chelsea, most clubs do not have this sort of spending ability.

4)      Finally, he won’t find a more welcoming home anywhere else in the World – When he began his managerial career for the Barcelona first team, he arrived with very little experience. Even when he quickly discarded three of the clubs best players, he was allowed to do so with little question. His connections with the club were a major reason for this. His playing career had made him a fan favourite. Wherever Guardiola goes after his ‘gap year’ he’ll be embraced by the fans for his prestige and reputation. But he won’t have the same undying devotion that the Catalan fan base gave him. He’ll go from being a regional hero to being just another manager at another club.

“I want to thank Pep with all my heart for everything he has given me personally and professionally.” - Lionel Messi

“Pep is Barca. He lives for this club. That is what differentiates him from many coaches.” - Barcelona president Sandro Rosell.

“In my time as manager, it’s the best team I’ve faced.” - Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, after Guardiola’s Barcelona team beat United in the 2011 Champions League final.

Wherever his future takes him, Guardiola will always be remembered at Barcelona for the incredible style of football played at the Nou Camp. He’s had a huge impact on the club; this has been highlighted by his amazing success in competitions against the world’s best teams.

It’s going to be a very long year for fans of football, as we wait to see where he’ll end up next, the man is a legend!

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

With the England manager’s position currently available, and a recent track record of over-paid and under performing foreign managers, the nation is crying out for a talisman to lead the side to Euro 2012.

However, despite Harry Redknapp being the favourite to land the role, less distinguished names such as Roy Hodgson, Nigel Adkins and others have been listed as potential home-grown coaches that could inspire the country to glory.

Looking back in time, Brian Clough must be one of the most successful English managers not to be given a chance at training the national side; but why?

As a player, Clough was a lethal striker, bagging an amazing 251 goals in 274 appearances for Middlesbrough and Sunderland, before retiring with a knee cruciate injury. The fact that the marksman only got two England caps as a player seems unfair given the attacker’s potency in front of goal.

Universally seen as a hard but fair manager, Clough started out his career on the bench at Hartlepool before moving to Derby County with assistant Peter Taylor in 1967. Clough led the Rams to promotion from the then Second Division to the top flight, and won the club’s first Division One title in 88 years in 1972.

Before resigning from the Baseball Ground club in 1973, the outspoken trainer led the side to the European Cup semi-finals and his departure was taken badly by the fans who demanded that the board resign and Clough be reinstated.

The first opportunity for Clough to be considered for England manager came in 1974, but Don Revie of Leeds United was given the position, and Clough took his position at Elland Road. Less than two months later he was sacked for falling out with the board and alienating some of the leading players such as fiery Scottish midfielder Billy Bremner.

He went on to manage Nottingham Forest from 1975 until his retirement in 1993. With Taylor at his side, the pair led Forest to promotion from Division Two to the top flight, and won the English Division One and the League Cup in a mesmerising first season back amongst the elite.

This stunning achievement was backed up with two consecutive European Cup triumphs, which will never be forgotten at the City Ground. The club also went unbeaten for a record at the time 43 league games.

Don Revie had resigned from the England job in 1977, right when Clough was in the most successful spell of his career, but the FA overlooked him in favour of Ron Greenwood. When the former West Ham boss stepped down from the role with the Three Lions in 1982, Clough was again shunned in favour of Bobby Robson, despite it being common knowledge that he was eager to manage his nation.

Clough’s track record of falling out with chairman and board members, his outspoken nature on national television, radio and in the papers, plus his forward and at times aggressive personality counted against him in his ambitions to manage England. Old Big ‘Ed’s record of success cannot be overlooked however, and his achievements will go down in history.

Before his death in 2004, Clough admitted that he felt that the FA were concerned that he would ruffle too many feathers if he was to manage the nation, but the current setup would jump at the chance to employ a home-grown boss of his calibre.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Following the sacking of Andres Villas-Boas, managers of the calibre of Jose Mourinho, Luciano Spalletti and Guus Hiddink have been touted as the next Chelsea manager.

But, what Stamford Bridge needs is a real shake-up. Somebody to take the squad by the scruff of the throat and transform them from a team of spoilt, whining namby pambies into one of real men who are prepared to fight United, City and Spurs for the title.

What Stamford Bridge needs is… Mick McCarthy.

McCarthy, sacked by Wolves earlier this season is just the type of manager Chelsea need right now and he’s more qualified for the job than you may think.

Here’s five reasons why…

1. He’s English

Or Irish, depending on which way you want to look at it. McCarthy was born in Barnsley (that’s in Yorkshire, England) but made 57 appearances for the Republic of Ireland between 1984 and 1992.

Heck, he even managed them and took them to the 2002 World Cup Finals. Tell me, what international managerial experience does David Moyes (third favourite in the betting) have?

Ireland were eliminated in the second-round in a penalty shoot-out against Spain which made them the fifth-best European team in the competition.

If you still wouldn’t back McCarthy, not even with free bets and you still think a flamboyant foreign manager is the answer, let’s quickly remember the un-magnificent five sacked by owner Roman Abramovic since he came into power in 2003, plus two who left before they would / could be sacked:

Claudio Ranieri (Italian – SACKED!)

Jose Mourinho (Portuguese – Mutal Termination)

Avram Grant (Israeli – SACKED!)

Luiz Felipe Scolari (Brazilian – SACKED!)

Guus Hiddink (Dutch – Left at the end of the season)

Carlo Ancelotti (Italian – SACKED!)

Andreas Villas-Boas (Portuguese – SACKED!)

Change is definitely needed and if the time isn’t right for an English-born Irishman to have a crack at management at Stamford Bridge, then I don’t know if it ever will be.

2. He Eats Prima Donas For Breakfast

One of the problems Villas-Boas had was he did not command respect from his players.

A young man with a fresh approach to management obviously didn’t go down well with the playing staff who smugly admitted “err… well, perhaps we didn’t try our best” after the Portuguese had been booted out of the front door.

You would get no such messing about with McCarthy in charge.

McCarthy was the man who stood up to star player and Irish darling Roy Keane and sent him home on the eve of the World Cup finals in 2002.

It may not have been a popular decision but as the manager, McCarthy made a tough decision and sent a message to the rest of his squad – no player was bigger than Ireland.

A similar tough stance is needed at Stamford Bridge to ship out the dead wood and build a united team for now and the future.

Villas-Boas could not achieve this despite costing tens of millions of pounds.

McCarthy, currently kicking his heels on the weekend, could.

3. He Is Financial Fair Play Regulations Friendly

Abramovich may want to wield the axe this summer and clear out a host of ageing, under performing players, but who will he bring in to replace them?

The likes of Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda and even captain John Terry are not safe but all are on the wrong side of 30 and earning massive wages.

None of those players will bring in significant transfer funds and with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations coming into force next year, losses of just £37.5 million over a two-year period mean an expensive rebuilding job is unlikely.

Jose Mourinho reportedly wanted to be the world’s best salaried manager at £12 million per year and wanted an extra £100 million to bring Ronaldo with him from Real Madrid.

A few years ago perhaps but the new rules mean football is literally a different ball game.

Whoever comes in needs to make better use of the dismal youth academy at Chelsea and polish up a few rough diamonds to help win trophies and balance the books.

McCarthy unearthed the likes of Matthew Jarvis and Michael Kightly during his time at Wolves and also transformed Steven Fletcher from a non-goal scoring striker at Burnley to a prolific Premier League hitman for £47 million less than Chelsea paid for Fernando Torres.

4. He Overachieved At Wolves

You may not fancy McCarthy at Chelsea because he managed and was later sacked by Wolves.

But, what do you realistically expect a club of Wolves’ stature to achieve in the Premier League?

Finish fourth from bottom and avoid relegation?

Objective met.

McCarthy guided Wolves to 17^th place last season following promotion from the Championship the season before, avoiding relegation at the expense of arguably bigger clubs in West Ham United and Birmingham City.

Unsurprisingly, Wolves are involved in the relegation mire again this season but who is to say McCarthy would not have survived the drop again? The last straw was a 5-1 home defeat against local rivals West Brom but McCarthy had also inspired Wolves to take points from Arsenal and Spurs away from home this season.

Current Wolves manager Terry Connor is not doing much better with what he has either, if last weekend’s 5-0 tanking at Fulham is anything to go by.

5. He’s Another Horse on the Managerial Merry Go Round

You know how this works…

A manager gets sacked from one club and joins another which has recently sacked their manager.

Simon Grayson did it recently – no sooner was he relieved from his position at Leeds he rocked up at Huddersfield Town before former boss Lee Clark’s coffee had gone cold.

This is what the merry go round is all about.

So, Harry Redknapp is likely to leave Spurs and take the England job while former England boss Fabio Capello has been tipped to take over at White Hart Lane.

Jose Mourinho may leave Real Madrid at the end of the season and with Villas-Boas available – he could be next in line at the Bernebeu.

If Mick McCarthy takes over at Chelsea that leaves Mourinho at… Molineux?

Look, I don’t make the rules…

Would you pick Mick McCarthy – or another English manager – for Chelsea?

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

In the space of seven days, Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of challenging for the Premiership title were swept aside once and for all with back-to-back defeats to Arsenal and Manchester United. Whilst injuries undoubtedly robbed boss Harry Redknapp of the chance to field his best eleven, his inexperience of managing in such high-profile games showed in his approach to both games.
 
 

Arsenal Away

Going into this game Arsenal were not in great form. They had lost their previous two games, having been dumped out of the FA Cup at Sunderland and slaughtered by Milan in the San Siro. This perhaps led to Tottenham underestimating an Arsenal side that is still a match for anyone on their day. Tottenham’s back four picked itself in front of the excellent Brad Friedel.

Further forward, Aaron Lennon was only fit enough for a place on the bench meaning Niko Kranjcar started on the right of midfield. And Redknapp opted for two out-and-out strikers in Louis Saha and ex-Arsenal man Adebayor.

In the important games between top sides, teams rarely go to The Emirates and play with two out-and-out strikers. Arsenal must look forward to teams coming to play them with a flat 4-4-2 formation. It leads to Arsenal being able to use their 3-man central midfield to overrun the opposition and dominate possession. That is exactly what happened here, despite Spurs taking an early lead through a deflected Saha shot and a debatable penalty converted by Adebayor.

Harry did recognise and try to rectify the mistake by making a double substitution at half time and changing shape to a 4-4-1-1 set-up as shown below. But by then it was too late. Arsenal had already fought back after pouring forward as the first half progressed. By the time the change was made, Arsenal had already built up the momentum that gave the team a renewed confidence and sense of belief. Tottenham could have done a lot more to lessen the threat of Arsenal whilst still posing a threat of their own.

How Spurs lined up in the first half vs Arsenal:

How Spurs lined up in the second half vs Arsenal (the system they should have started with):

Manchester United at Home

Seven days after the defeat to Arsenal, came a chance to get back on track at home against the reigning champions. This time injury ruled out Bale and van der Vaart. The influential Scott Parker was ruled out due to suspension after his late red card at The Emirates. Redknapp again lined up in a 4-4-2 formation with the two out-and-out forwards. Even at home, it would have been wise to make sure that the midfield area was bolstered with numbers to compensate for the quality missing from that area of the pitch. Modric was deployed on the left with Sandro and the inexperienced Jake Livermore operating in the middle. Against a team as strong as United, it was a lot to ask of the two lads in central midfield to line up against the experience of Carrick and Scholes knowing Rooney would also be dropping deep to make a three. It would have been hard enough for the first choice Modric and Parker. That said, Livermore and Sandro made a good fist of it and seemed to have the better of the first half. The second half, however, told a different story as Carrick and Scholes began to control the game with Rooney always available in pockets of space. Had Redknapp gone with a three in the middle (as the ‘big 4’ traditionally do against each other) they could have prevented themselves being caught on the counter attack so often and in turn controlled the game with more quality possession.

How Spurs lined up vs Manchester United:

The system Spurs should have lined up with vs Manchester United (strength in numbers compensating for midfield injuries/suspensions):

Tottenham’s Season

Tottenham now have no chance of winning the league. The best they can hope for is 3^rd place, which they should be more than capable of doing with Chelsea faltering and Arsenal now playing catch-up. Keeping their best players and adding one or two in the summer could mean they are able to mount a serious challenge next season.

Not ready for England?

If the national newspapers and the media pundits are anything to go by, it is a matter of ‘when’, rather than ‘if’, Harry Redknapp becomes England Manager. But while he is still making mistakes and learning how to manage games of high importance, maybe the time is not yet right for him to take the job. He would surely be better served having a couple more years at Tottenham learning and broadening his tactical horizons, improving along the way as he takes them on another inevitable Champions League adventure next season.

Remember, Kevin Keegan was a great motivator who had his club side playing lovely attacking football, but on the international stage he was found out to be very tactically naïve. Redknapp now appears to be the popular choice, as Keegan was then, to be the next England Manager. The question remains if he has enough tactical awareness to manage at the highest level, where the press will be very quick to turn on him if things don’t go well.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

“It will always be a battle a day between those who want maximum change and those who want to maintain the status quo.”

Those were the words of Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams when addressing the IRA in 2005. They also provide a pretty accurate commentary of Andre Villas Boas’ tumultuous reign at Chelsea. The fresh faced confidence of 9 months ago had been washed away and replaced by an image of down trodden isolation as AVB stood on the touch line at The Hawthorns. An eventuality largely considered as a matter of when rather than if was finally confirmed the following day as AVB was relieved of his duties.

Throughout the past weeks as pressure has built on the young Portuguese coach, many football journalists and fans alike have pondered that for Chelsea it may be a case of the “right man at the wrong time.” This was never going to be the right appointment at a time of required transition within the Chelsea squad.

That was of course the well-publicised mandate with which AVB was given upon his appointment at Stamford Bridge. It was an aim that AVB appeared confident of achieving and one that which he spoke openly about on his arrival. This was an immediate error on his part and highlighted a naivety that was to blight his time in West London. Such blatant proclamations of change immediately placed AVB as a threat to the futures of the now infamous senior players within the dressing room, of which there are many. AVB had effectively lost the trust of influential players before he had even had chance to gain it.

The situation was only exacerbated by the fact that intially AVB’s changes were so minimal. His only major signing of the summer was Juan Mata, which coupled with the introduction of Daniel Sturridge into the first team, signified his only real changes to the Chelsea set-up. In a nutshell; AVB’s initial success was dependent on a group of players he had openly talked about phasing out of the club. Players need to feel inspired by their manager not threatened. His naivety not only continued but also grew when he declared that the owner backed his project even if his players don’t. AVB clearly backed the wrong horse.

One might argue that it was admirable honesty, but instead it just reeked of a man still too immature to deal with such intense media scrutiny and a further display of disregard for players he needed to peform if his project was to ever get off the ground. Evidence that a young manager with limited experience and reputation wasn’t the man to come, from the outside in, to perform the transition the owner desired. Of course a poor season on the pitch was the absolute sealer of AVB’s fate.

Managerial Misjudgement

Roman Abramovich has spent lavishly on hiring and firing and his most recent managerial swap was poorly judged if transition is what he craved. Abramovich and his advisors should have paid closer attention to events at Old Trafford over the past two decades before being so ruthless in their sacking of Carlo Ancellotti. Sir Alex Ferguson has carried out numerous transformations of his playing sqaud regardless of reputation or prior success. The respect, trust and most importantly authority that has allowed him to draw the line under distinguished careers and are all things that AVB did not possess.

Neither his reputation nor his initial media appearances provided him with trust or respect from the players. But arguably more significantly he was never afforded the authority needed by anyone from the club. There was no “like it or lump it” message delivered to the players, in fact Abramovich began to undermine the man he had entrusted with the project of transtition through training gound appearances and queries over team selection. And so player power remained.

Contrastingly, Ferguson’s authority is in no doubt and has been displayed numerous times with complete backing from the Old Trafford hierarchy. He has both phased out players slowly and made changes with immediacy, a balance needed when performing a successful transition.

In just two years at Chelsea, Ancelotti had garnered significant levels of trust and respect from his players and was popular with the fans. Had it been Carlo Ancellotti informing the likes of Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba that there services were going to be used more sparingly their response may have been more measured and favourable rather than the public dissention which has occurred. Senior players may even have acted as dressing room aides to the manager in easing through change as the likes of Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have been to Ferguson.

Lampard lacking foresight?

Frank Lampard should be especially conscious of the examples of Giggs and Scholes. Ryan Giggs has made 401 of his 901 appearances for Manchester United from the bench a statistic which in no way devalues his contribution to the clubs success and instead has allowed his exceptional abilities to be sustained over a longer period of time thus, enhancing his contribution. Would this not be a desirable outcome for Lampard? Does he not possess the foresight to see that AVB’s more sparing use of him would be beneficial to prolonging his ability to peform at the top level and, as a result, illustrates how important he was to AVB’s project?

He may have done if the news was coming from a trusted superior.  Still, it is dreadfully self indulgent of Lampard to show overt dissent because the manager has the temerity to want to use a 33 year old more sparingly. A grievance even less understandable when noting that Lampard has 23 appearances to his name this season, 20 of them starts, making him Chelsea’s fourth most used player this season. Lampard along with other senior players have a large ammount of AVB’s blood on thier hands.

So what now for Chelsea?

Abramovich may be ruthless in his convictions when sacking the manager, yet paradoxically appears to have no real conviction as to what he actually wants for Chelsea. A trophy-less season despite being proceeded by a League and Cup double was enough to see him lose his nerve when backing Ancellotti’s and a subsequent desire for transition has seemingly been dismantled by the concerns of the clubs senior players.

If there is to be a much-needed end to Chelsea’s regime of player power then Abramovich must choose a more suitable candidate, instil full authority in him and possess the nerve to give him the time necessary to complete the task. If he does not then the player’s desire and ability to maintain status quo will further destabilise Chelsea’s chance of future success.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Roman Abramovich has sacked André Villas-Boas after a string of poor results that has left Chelsea fifth in the league table. Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion left Chelsea three points behind Arsenal with 11 games to go.

Villas-Boas’s assistant, Roberto Di Matteo, has been appointed the new first team coach until the end of the season. Villas-Boas was Chelsea’s least successful manager since Abramovich bought the club, with Chelsea having won less than 50 percent of the games played under him. It’s a dreadful record and while it doesn’t explain everything that has gone on beyond the scenes, it does show that regardless of player power issues, Villas-Boas simply needed to do better with the resources he had at his disposal.

While the move had been coming (in part because of a players’ mutiny and partially because of a clear media agenda against Villas-Boas), the cost of this change will be heavier than usual for Chelsea FC. Just eight months ago Chelsea, having terminated (i.e. paid off) Carlo Ancelotti’s contract, had paid Porto £13.3m to bring Andre Villas-Boas to Stamford Bridge. Some sources suggest that the total cost of changing managers in the summer was around £28m – and it will rise after Chelsea pay off AVB’s bumper contract.

All of this makes you wonder – why not ship out the players that are clearly not cutting it at Chelsea – instead of chopping and changing managers? There has been nothing to suggest that Chelsea have learned something new about AVB since hiring him, it’s more of an experiment that they’ve deemed unsuccessful and now want to discard, regardless of the costs involved.

When the club say that “….the results and performances of the team have not been good enough and were showing no signs of improving at a key time in the season”, who do they hold accountable? The players who have collectively failed to reach expectations for the last few years despite being given sufficient chances, or the managers who have had very little time to shape the team according to their tactics and have been punished for not performing miracles with failing players at the drop of a hat?

I’m happy to accept that the Chelsea top brass know more about what’s going on in the team than anyone on the outside, but surely changing managers is not the answer when it’s the players who are the problem? Chelsea have been let down by their players, although it’s the fans who will suffer. I doubt AVB will be bothered by his payout, and he will surely find a nice job somewhere on the continent where the owner(s) are more patient. £10m+ for eight months worth of work is not a bad deal at all.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News