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Juande Ramos, Ramon Monchi, Martin Jol and Damien Comolli – a synthesis

If you North Londoners poke your heads out of your window this evening only to encounter the terrifyingly pathetic sight of a six foot ogre bawling his eyes out, you won’t be dreaming, you won’t have accidentally turned on your much-thumbed copy of the Shrek 2 DVD, and it won’t be because it’s Halloween. It…

Derby v Middlesbrough v Birmingham v Reading: Who Will Lose Their Manager Next?

Martin Jol’s departure from White Hart Lane didn’t come as a real shock. It was inevitable it was only a matter of time before the continuous run of defeats, increasing pressure form chairman Daniel Levy and even the sulking attitude of Dimitar Berbatov recently would bring the robust Dutchman down. His replacement, highly coveted Juande…

Can Mark Hughes be a ‘Great’ Manager?

In yet another turbulent week of European football and tabloid whispers, Monday and Tuesday’s saw newspapers beginning to link Mark Hughes to the (now vacant) Tottenham hot-seat. For most people this rumour was a non-starter (if anything because Hughes distanced himself from the rumours, and because Blackburn find themselves in a far healthier stage than…

Chris Coleman: will the Welsh cookie crumble in the Basque oven?

Welsh manager Chris Coleman, sacked from his last post at Fulham, was appointed manager of Real Sociedad de Fútbol in the summer of 2007, although judging from the lack of coverage the news received, it would be fair to say that the move was swept under the carpet somewhat, and managed to avoid the elitist…

Studies Show That Football Managers Are, Well, Insane

This article is a submission for the Soccerlens Football Writing Competition; to participate, please read the details here. The headline isn’t (completely) true, but it might as well be. As a fan, it’s easy to misunderstand all of the ups, downs, and everyday stresses of a football manager.

Should Valencia CF give Flores the boot?

In today’s cut-throat world, a lack of instant success in terms of trophies is forever being punished with the quick-fire sacking of managers.

Premier League Manager Sack Race: Tottenham, Bolton, Fulham, Chelsea or someone else?

Despite the well-documented tension at Stamford Bridge and the countless speculation, no one actually expected Jose Mourinho to be the first managerial casualty in the Premier League. It just goes on to prove the unpredictable nature of football, although it’s probably just a symptom of rich owners getting itchy. In light of Mourinho’s surprise exit,…

Chelsea’s Next Maestro is…?

Mourinho’s shocking departure has left one of the hottest managerial seats in football unoccupied. As the quality of Chelsea’s squad is immense and Abramovich’s chequebook is thicker than the latest Harry Potter book, it should come as no surprise if managers will form a queue to apply for the job at The Bridge. So this…

Is this Martin Jol’s last season at Tottenham?

There has been a lot of speculation in the press recently about Martin Jol’s future at Tottenham, including reports that the Tottenham board has sounded out Juande Ramos and Jurgen Klinsmann as potential replacements as Tottenham manager.

Newcastle’s Big Sam is a budget manager

Sam Allardyce has made his career by maximising meagre resources. As a result, he’s developed an extensive network of contacts that help him pick up obscure talents. Unable to compete for star power, he’s gone after experience. Unable to compete for talent, he has ensured that the technical and training side of his management were…