“I think last year we were talking about £70m,” – Rafael Benitez.

He was speaking about Fernando Torres in an interview with BBC’s Football Focus (where the discussion would invariably have turned to all things Liverpool).

“People were talking about maybe you receive an offer from another club. They were talking about £70m,” added Benitez. Perhaps he’s referring to a potential bid by Manchester City, who were interested at the time but couldn’t offer Champions League football to the Spaniard?

On Kenny Dalglish / managing Liverpool:

“To be manager of Liverpool is a dream for me. This time, I know that Kenny is doing really well.

I have to wait and keep watching games, but if you say to me in the future would you like to be manager, for sure, no doubt about this. When, that is the question. I have to move forward, anyway.”

Bet he wishes he had 50m / 70m to spend a couple of years ago, eh? I strongly doubt that the current Liverpool ownership would invite him back in the summer though, like Rafa said, it’s time to move on.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Alas, ’tis that time of year again when thoughts invariably turn to the ‘new’ and stock is taken of the twelve months that played out hence – and we forthright bods at Soccerlens are no different.

As we yet again slide effortlessly over the cusp of a footballing decade and into 2011, we thought it high time to shame the contemptible (and laud the deserving – check out the ‘Biggest Winners’ list) who have piqued our disdain over the course of the last 525,948 minutes.

Anyway, on to more pressing matters. Soccerlens presents: The ‘Biggest Winners’ of 2010 (in no particular order)…

1. Wayne Rooney:

The wayward Manchester United striker has endured somewhat of an annus horribilis on the pitch, having contributed nothing to the cause of club nor country for something approaching nine months now and getting ill-advisedly stroppy in a bid to extort yet more swathes of money from the Old Trafford coffers – but it is his very public ‘private misdemeanours’ that have cemented Rooney’s place on the list.

His illicit, repeated extra-marital dalliances with a ‘woman of ill-repute’ have, according to FourFourTwo.com‘s footballing rich list, seen Rooney’s commercial value plummet by £12 million in the few months since his groin-fueled perfidies were revealed as his sponsors continue to ‘pull out’ (nudge nudge, wink wink).

2. FIFA:

FIFA are an organisation which rely heavily on self-preserving atavism, sub-glacial rates of progression, recurring bouts of glad-handing and bribery, self-instigated flattery, immoral coin-chasing, world class blame deflection…etc…etc, all traits that were fully exposed by the run-in to recent the World Cup voting ceremony in early December.

Will they reform? Will they buggery. I think you’ll find old Sepp likes things just the way they are.

Gillett and Hicks left Liverpool under considerable duress

3. Liverpool:

Although it’s perfectly feasible that Liverpool may actually be eligible for inclusion on the ‘winners’ list for finally getting shot of rootin’-tootin’ scheisters Hicks and Gillett, an issue that cannot be circumvented is that the Reds made their worst start to a season since the mid-1950′s – playing some absolutely diabolical football in the process.

Yes, there may or may not have been extenuating circumstances (Christian Poulsen‘s nailed-on place in the first-string springs instantly to mind), but a third-round Carling Cup exit at the hands of League Two’s Northampton Town is not good – whichever way you choose to look at it.

4. Luis Suarez:

The toothsome Uruguayan quickly became the pantomime pariah of the World Cup when, in the final minute of his country’s quarter-final clash with Ghana, Suarez ‘single-handedly’ prevented Dominic Adiyiah from sending the Africans into the last four will a fingertip save.

Suarez was duly dismissed, but Asamoah Gyan failed to convert the resultant penalty, allowing La Celesti to triumph over a visibly frayed Black Stars outfit in the shoot-out – and, true to form, the Ajax man showed little in the way of remorse for his underhand actions:

“The ‘Hand of God’ now belongs to me. Mine is the real ‘Hand Of God’. I made the best save of the tournament. Sometimes in training, I play as a goalkeeper so it was worth it.”

Lovely stuff.

Vuvuzelas provided the World Cup with a moronic soundtrack

5. Ear drums the world over:

Vuvuzelas filled South African stadiums with a kind of wretched, low-pitched tinnitus for going-on two months over the summer. Thank God, Allah, Buddha, Shiva, Ganesh and Robbie Fowler that the preventive measures taken by most clubs across Europe ensured they didn’t catch on anywhere within my earshot.

6. Sheikh Mansour:

The über-rich Man City owner has quite literally ended 2010 as football’s biggest loser, after the club posted annual financial losses of just over £121 million (up from £92.5 million the previous year) back in October.

City’s £125 million turnover was unsurprisingly exceeded by their wages alone, which amounted to a whopping £133 million – which I suppose would be hugely alarming news for anyone who didn’t have a bajillion pound personal fortune to fall back on.

7. Raymond Domenech et Les Bleus:

Under the glare of the global spotlight, Domenech’s side imploded in South Africa after striker Nicolas Anelka was jettisoned for branding his incompetent coach a ‘son of a whore’ during a half-time spat.

France’s World Cup debacle ended with a parliamentary enquiry, via strike action and a finger-pointing debriefing with president Nicolas Sarkozy though, despite reducing the the national side into a quivering globule of merde during his six years in charge, Domenech still saw fit to seek £2.5 million in compensation from the French Football Federation (FFF) after he was dismissed from his post mid-tournament.

The fact that Algeria were the best French team at the World Cup spoke volumes – Les Bleus were well and truly pathetique.

The Terry clan has had a year to forget

8. The ‘Terry gene’:

During the past twelve months, Chelsea captain John Terry has – amongst other things – seen various ‘gagging orders’ come and plenty of ‘super injuctions’ go, been breathalysed by police after running over and breaking a steward’s leg in his car,been found cheating on his wife of three years with former teammate Wayne Bridge‘s pregnant ex-girlfriend and been stripped of the England captaincy in favour of a man who merely beats part-time DJs to within an inch of their lives.

When you couple that with father Ted’s six-month suspended sentence for dealing cocaine to an undercover journalist, mother Sue’s caution for stealing a shopping-trolley full of flip-flops and dog food from Tesco and brother Paul’s alleged ‘involvement’ in the tragic suicide of Rushden and Diamonds ‘keeper Dale Roberts – it’s not too much of an overstatement to suggest that 2010 hasn’t been a particularly good year for the particular strand of DNA in question.

9. Portsmouth:

Perhaps a little harsh seeing as they have since been bled dry (thanks mainly to past mis-management), but Pompey did become the first Premier League side ever to enter administration at the beginning of the year – with the resultant point deduction eventually seeing them relegated to the second tier on April 9th.

Rafa Benitez is hardly pulling up trees at Inter Milan

10. Rafa Benitez:

Whilst still at Liverpool, Rafa whinged relentlessly about the money (or lack there of) that he had at his disposal. However, the portly Spaniard roundly fluffed the majority of his ‘Alonso’ money on Roma crock Alberto Aquilani – who went on to amass a smattering of appearances before being loaned back to Italy quicksmart.

The supposed lack of money was nothing more than an excuse, as his faltering record in the transfer market attests to – and his brand of ‘man management’ left many of Liverpool’s fringe players feeling largely unmotivated and completely alienated during his tenure.

True, owners Hicks and Gillett caused him a myriad of headaches, but Rafa has since moved on and is currently spreading the exact same sense of isolation within an Inter  Milan squad that, under the fevered guidance of Jose Mourinho, conquered all comers last season.

That said, if an anchovy disappears into the sea mist before your very eyes, is it not the wise man that weaves baskets?

Why not compare and contrast with last years lists? Try the Biggest Winners of 2009 and the Biggest Losers of 2009 on for size.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Rafael Benitez’s time at Inter Milan is about to come to an end. If rumours are to be believed, this very night sees Rafa’s agent, Manuel Garcia Quilon, negotiating the Spaniard’s second compensation package in the space of six months.

Jaded, Faded, Exhausted, Bitter Splits and Rebounds:

In June, Benitez left Liverpool after agreeing a £4 million compensation deal. A jaded, faded, and exhausted Rafa had brought the Reds about as far as he could and in his final season they slipped out of the top four and down the EPL pecking order.

While Rafa was leaving Liverpool, Jose Mourinho was moving towards the exit door at Inter Milan as the worst kept secret in football moved closer to becoming reality. When Mourinho did finally leave for Real Madrid the path was clear for Massimo Morati to offer Benitez the manager’s job at treble winning Inter Milan. It was one of the best cases of failing upwards you could ever hope to see.

In fairness to Rafa, he never should have taken the job. Not because he could never match Mourinho, in terms of personality, tactics, charisma, and trophies, Rafa will always be in Jose’s shadow and not because Inter had just come off their most successful season of all time.

No, Rafa should have never taken the job because he was obviously not over his split with Liverpool. He was still consumed in the Red drama as it unfolded on the steps of the courts and he was still very bitter at the manner of his removal.

That much was evident when Inter Milan played Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League when Rafa chose to let go with both barrels as he criticised the Christian Purslow and Roy Hodgson in a cryptic, verging on the insane, manner.

In short, Rafa’s mind was elsewhere from day one. Like any split that has gone badly, the last thing you ever want to do is get bogged down in a rebound affair, which Inter Milan so blatantly was.

The brief encounter between the Italian La Beneamata (Inter are also known as “the cherished one”) and the Spanish conquistador is all but over.

Brian Clough at Leeds…

Befoe the World Club Championships Massimo Morati said he wouldn’t sack his manager as it could upset him team, afterwards was a different story though. The clear indication was that Rafa would depart the San Siro when he returned.

In retaliation, as soon as Inter beat Africa’s TP Mazembe in the final, Benitez decided to give Morati an ultimatum. Either back him or sack him.

“There are three possibilities for the club”he said.

“One, 100 per cent support for the coach and buy four or five players to build a stronger team with competition among the players to be able to carry on winning matches and trophies.

“Two, carry on like this without a project, without planning, and go ahead with one person to blame, for the whole season.

“The third”he added, “is to speak to my agent to reach an agreement if there is not this support. Simple.”

It was an incendiary statement, especially when you consider Morati’s past record at dealing with manager’s who issued ultimatums and one must say that Benitez engineered the move in the end because he felt he was getting no support.

One must say though that Benitez has to take some of the blame for the lack of support he earned from the club and from the players specifically.

Upon taking over the Champions League and Italian Double winners the Spaniard made the same mistake that Brian Clough made when he moved to Leeds.

Both men disregarded past glories and made statements along the lines that styles of play would have to improve if they were to achieve anything.

Making such an amateur mistake right at the start of their time at the club left both men struggling to gain the respect, affection, and most importantly, trust of the respective clubs players.

So it came as no surprise to see the line to the physiotherapist room at the San Siro almost going around the block…

Never one to see the wood from the trees, or “a priest on a mountain of sugar” Benitez blamed all and sundry at Inter over their poor first half to the season and much like the final days of his Liverpool career he failed to see that he was a major part of the problem.

With his agent and Inter vice president Rinaldo Ghelfi, Technical Director Marco Branca, as well as the club lawyer Angelo Capellini negotiating an exit package that will suit all the parties involved.

Massimo Moratti commented: “At the moment, Benitez is the coach and I haven’t contacted any other coaches.”

At the moment…

Rafa for Liverpool?

Perhaps, the biggest surprises of all have been both Benitez and Jose Mourinho become linked with the managers job at their old clubs.

With Benitez on holiday in Liverpool, certain media outlets have suggested that NESV could consider bringing him back to the club. It would certainly be a popular move for the portion the Kop that considers the Spaniard as being the clubs best manager of all time.

The move is highly unlikely though. Benitez has proved that repeats itself every time as far as his career is concerned.

At Valencia he became embroiled in a political row with the clubs owners and technical directors, then he moved to Liverpool and a similar situation evolved, and now after just six months he has waded right into the political trenches at Inter Milan.

NESV would not be interested in taking on a manager who would openly case them problems or a manager who has baggage with their club.

The best course of action for Benitez would be to take some time away from football. He needs to rediscover his love of the game, search for the intrinsic reasons that made him become a coach in the first place.

Then he needs to find himself a good number two. A man who has all the attributes that Benitez does not, so that the two can work in parallel. A Paco Aystaran if you will. A ying for his yang. A Peter Taylor for his Brian Clough.

If he can find these the next step for Rafa would be to take a respectable mid to large sized club of the type of Espanyol or Aston Villa and achieve something of stature.

There is little doubt that Rafa’s star has fallen somewhat over the last couple of years but there are no reasons as to why he cannot return the game and manage at the highest level again, if he manages to look in the mirror and answer his own questions.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Rafael Benitez’s tenure at Inter Milan is over after just six months in charge. The eccentric Spaniard raised a few eyebrows with his audacious quotes and evident obsession to do the complete opposite of his predecessor Jose Mourinho which ultimately has cost him his job. As the saying goes, if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.

Jose Mourinho’s unprecedented success at the San Siro last season where he steered the Nerazzurri to a magnificent treble – also ending their 45 year wait for a European Cup – was always going to be an impossible feat for any successor to replicate. Filling Mourinho’s shoes may have seemed a daunting task but the Portuguese tactician left the team in such a fantastic state that any manger walking in had the pleasure to take over a squad that was all the more capable to achieve further success.

Benitez had left Merseyside in June and a few days later finds himself dining with Massimo Moratti wanting him to take over the reins of the European Champions. Benitez must have thought all his Christmas’s had come at once. A club steeped in tradition and prestige that had just come off their most domineering season in their history wanted him to take them on. Benitez however couldn’t have cared less about the achievements of his predecessor Jose Mourinho who on a number of occasions has made it publically clear that he is a man he isn’t entirely fond of. In a way his methods and quotes were turning the Inter fans against himself rather quickly as he never let up on his continuous displeasure of Mourinho.

It’s all well and good for a manger wanting to implement their own philosophies and methodologies into a team but there was little he could improve at Inter. He went about changing the entire formation and tactics insisting that Mourinho’s negativity will be replaced with fast fluid football. In a way it seemed as if he was trying to get one over on Mourinho by criticising his style of play and believing he could better it by adopting a two man attack. He soon realised this was becoming a laborious task largely due to the continuous absence of Diego Milito and the sheer lack of support for Samuel Eto’o whose goals were carrying the Nerazzurri for the early part of the campaign. He reverted back to the 4-3-3 formation but the damage had already been done. He drained believe and confidence out of his players as they were suffering humbling defeats at the likes of Chievo, Lazio and against rivals AC Milan.

The team has looked disjointed and lethargic for the past few months. A team that had brimmed with confidence last season under Mournho’s stewardship are now out of sorts. Even though he won The FIFA World Club Championship last weekend, Benitez’s fate was already sealed long before. The three defeats against Chievo, Lazio and Milan in particular – all in relatively quick succession – made up Moratti’s mind. A President who normally stands by his managers was disillusioned himself with Benitez’s mindset.

Jose Mourinho celebrates after Inter's Champions League final victory.

One of Benitez’s first acts as coach was to take down all of the photographs of Jose Mourinho at the clubs training headquarters. That was a clear act of disrespect to a man who gave so much joy and happiness to the fans and players at the club during his two year stint.  Jose responded in a gracious manner – although he was quick to point out that Benitez was coaching his team

“I don’t need photos to make those around me love me as they carry me in their hearts. When I was Inter coach I never asked for the images of Herrera or Mancini to be taken down…If they don’t like my photos it’s not a problem. I always shared a great rapport with the Inter family.

“I wish Benitez success in his new role, not because I love him but because he is coaching a team that belongs to me, my fans and my president.”

After Inter won the Suppercoppa Italiana back in August Benitez wasn’t exactly being diligent with his comments. He should have been man enough and smart enough to realise the enormity of the success that Mourinho had brought to the club and be gracious about it. Why didn’t he just swallow his pride and praise the accomplishments? Why didn’t he just state his intention to replicate them? Whether he liked Mourinho or not it doesn’t really matter and common sense should have prevailed.

It’s clear that even the whisper of Mourinho’s name sparked a trigger inside Benitez’s head to lash out.

“He’s not here anymore, but if everything was so perfect then why did he leave? Why did he choose to join another team?” jibing Mourinho for departing the club to go to Real  Madrid.

That was soon followed up with his comments stating that he thinks Jose is not the  ideal coach for Madrid. He really did himself no favours. The Nerazzurri faithful adore the ‘Special One’ and although Jose can give as good as he gets he didn’t deserve the constant negative critisim. He should have been applauded for his efforts at the club by the successor.

What has ultimately sealed Rafa’s fate is his public ultimatum to the club. Demanding cash and support from the hierarchies.

“There are three possibilities for the club. One, 100% support for the coach and buy four or five players to build a stronger team with competition among the players to be able to carry on winning matches and trophies.

“Two, carry on like this without a project, without planning, and go ahead with one person to blame, for the whole season.

“The third, is to speak to my agent to reach an agreement if there is not this support. Simple.”

It does make you wonder if he was anchoring for the sack with such a deluded statement. Moratti always backs his managers but even he realises that although some members of the team are ageing he doesn’t’t expect to treated in the manner by a man who has only been at the club for six months.  To deliver ultimatums like that in public was always going to stir trouble.

All in all had Rafa been more respectful to those who pioneered a period of success at the club and diligently built on the success then he would still have been in a job. Instead he opted to be like a Spanish bull in a china shop and completely erase all of last season’s methodologies with ones which have clearly cost him his hot seat.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Yesterday it seemed that, after just six months in the job, Rafa Benitez was living on borrowed time at Inter Milan as a wave of conjecture began to emanate from Italy and ripple across the continent that the Spaniard had been delivered his backside on a plate by club owner Massimo Moratti.

An evening has now passed with no official word being released to the baying press, but the received wisdom is that Benitez has now been put out of his misery by Moratti and his high-raking associates – with the piffling issue of contractual compensation being the only obstacle left to clear before the Inter can formally announce the dismissal.

The Daily Mail have been prepared to put their head above the parapet and hazard a guess at the pay-off Benitez is likely to receive from Inter, with a total of €5 million being mooted which – when coupled with the £4 million that Liverpool apparently doled out to move him on over the summer – suddenly makes a career as a middling, ill-fated manager seem like a very tempting prospect.

The thoughts of the keen, collective media minds have naturally already turned to Benitez successor, with a variety of names being proffered forth by anyone and everyone – though two names seem to be cropping up more than most.

Is it time for 'Big Sam' to meet his destiny?

First up is that of Luciano Spalletti, though the general consensus is that the former Roma coach is to be denied the chance to talk to Inter by his current club, Russian giants Zenit St Petersburg.

Zenit are apparently insistent that Spaletti will remain at the Petrovsky Stadium for at least one more season with their financial overlords, energy conglomerate Gazprom, said to be willing to make ‘significant funds’ available to him in return for another year of his services.

Spaletti was rumoured to be Moratti’s first choice to step into the breach at Inter, but Gazprom‘s heavily-funded consolidation incentive coupled with a resultant £5 million compensation payment (should the Italian schemer have returned to the Serie A) seem to have combined to rule any such move ‘out of hand’.

The second recurring name on the list is that of former AC Milan coach Leonardo who, according to most sources, is now the favourite to take over as and when Benitez is forcibly removed from his post – which is all well and good, but their is a third option to my mind.

Mercifully for the Nerazzurri, the fates have aligned. Mere days before they chose to open up a vacancy at the helm of the first-team, Blackburn’s newly-ambitious owners finally kowtowed to fate’s whim and set Sam Allardyce free – free to fulfil the role that he has been destined for since he arrived on the planet.

“THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!“

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

It would appear that the last few grains of sand are about to run through the egg-timer of fate for Rafa Benitez at Inter Milan, with almost every news outlet in Italy claiming that the Spaniard is within a hair’s breadth of the sack – despite overseeing the Nerazzurri‘s fifth title of 2010 over weekend, albeit the utterly vapid FIFA World Club Cup bauble in Abu Dhabi.

Inter themselves are yet to release any official word, but several of the the most prominent Italian newspapers are already claiming the inside-track – with today’s Gazzetta dello Sport leading with a sensational ‘Benitez Is Out!’ strapline and Corriere della Sera‘s correspondent implying that it is now just a matter of time before the news is rubber-stamped by the club themselves.

The former have also taken it upon themselves to draw up a list of potential suitors to ease into Benitez’s wake, with Zenit St Petersburg manager Luciano Spalletti primed as favourite and former AC Milan coach Leonardo also touted as an alternative.

Speculation over his departure has been mounting since Benitez challenged the Inter board to effectively ‘back him or sack him’ after Saturday’s 3-0 of Congolese upstarts TP Mazembe in the UAE (though you could feasibly argue that speculation has actually been mounting since he first took the job in August) with club owner Massimo Moratti choosing to remain ominously reluctant to respond.

Inter owner Moratti was said to be incensed by Rafa's comments

After snaring the World Club Cup on Saturday evening, Benitez took a familiarly defiant stance:

“There are three possibilities for the club. One, [the board show] 100% support for the coach and buy four or five players to build a stronger team with competition among the players, so we are able to carry on winning matches and trophies.

Two, carry on like this; without a project, without planning, and go ahead with one person to blame for the whole season.

The third is to speak to my agent to reach an [compensation] agreement if there [will not be any] support. Simple.”

Moratti initially seemed bemused by Benitez’s overtures, branding the coach’s retort as ‘out of place’ – though privately the Inter owner was said to be seething:

“I’m not going to talk about Benitez now. His words haven’t ruined the celebration for Inter, they were a bit out of place, perhaps, but they haven’t spoiled anything for now. At the moment anyone who loves Inter is happy.”

You’d be forgiven for feeling that, with Inter currently lying seventh in the Serie A standings after winning all there was to win last season, a spot of timely faux-humility may have served Rafa rather better – but, as we’ve seen in the past, he doesn’t half enjoy a bit of hierarchical friction now and then.

Of course, it’s always worth bearing this befitting age-old Spanish proverb in mind: ‘If a blind man finds a pumpkin in an old suitcase, he should never show it to the jealous dolphin’.

Tick, and indeed…tock.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Who will be the next manager to get the sack in the English Premier League? Are Avram Grant’s days numbered? Does Wenger have to win a trophy? Can Roy Hodgson turn Liverpool around?

You wait around all season for the first EPL manager to be sacked and then two happen within the space of a week.

Chris Hughton’s and Sam Allardyce’s removals were both strange to say the least, as neither man was doing what would normally be considered as a bad job.

Whichever way you look at it, the money is the owners at the end of the day and they have the right to decide upon who takes the key roles in their organisation.

In the end, they make their own beds and have to lie in them…

Here we take a look at the odds for each manager and assess whose job is safe, or not.

Arsenal: Arsene Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

The Arsenal manager is almost as safe as his great rival Alex Ferguson, but not quite.

Over the past 24 months there has been a growing faction of unhappy fans at the library that is the Emirates and the great man is now under real pressure to bring home a trophy after five baron years.

The Carling Cup has never been so important to the Frenchman.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 66/1

Aston Villa: Gerard Houllier

Gerard Houllier

Never one to blow his own trumpet…The greatest… Liverpool manager of all time has made many friends in Birmingham by giving youth a chance.

However, Villa have started slipping towards the bottom of the table and the ex-Liverpool managers comments following the Reds 3-0 win over his new team went down like a lead balloon.

Considering that he is only in the job since September 8 and that he has already alienated players like Richard Dunne he is nowhere near as safe as he thinks.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 20/1

Birmingham City: Alex McLeish

Alex McLeish

Alex Ferguson’s number one student continues to do great work under a tight budget at Birmingham.

While they may only be two points above the drop zone at the moment, the Blues have proved a tough side to beat and their achilles heel is the lack of fire power up front. With players like Robbie Keane and Michael Owen available in January McLeish will almost definitely look to add some much needed quality.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 25/1

Blackburn Rovers: ???

Big Sam’s sacking has been one of the most controversial moves of the season. Quite what Rovers owners were thinking I’m not sure but the move leaves Blackburn in a very precarious position as we turn into the Festive season.

Venky’s have already suggested that the hunt for a new owner could take months, but in reality they don’t have that long. If Blackburn stand still in January they will be relegated.

Anuradha Desai, chairwoman of the club’s Venky Group owners, told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph amongst other things:

“We do not mean anything bad for Sam Allardyce but we feel that we need to take the club up in the league and grow.”

“We want Blackburn to be fourth or fifth in the league or even better. It is not about the Bolton match. It has been a long time in our minds.”

How Anuradha expects Rovers to challenge for the league is beyond conventional thinking but if she thinks she will get a manager to do a better job that Allardyce on the same budget she is in for a nasty surprise.

Blackpool: Ian Holloway

Ian Holloway

With Chris Hughton’s sacking Ian Holloway is now the lowest paid manager in the EPL. But don’t let that put you off.

Football wise, Holloway has done a very good job in his first season in the Premier League. Blackpool are still far from safe and the second half of the season may yet prove to be a few miles too far for Holloway’s entertaining side.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 25/1

Bolton Wanderers: Owen Coyle

On the up? Owen Coyle

Snoods do not figure in the Bolton managers vocabulary as he regulary takes to the bench in shorts as he urges his team on.

A tough no nonsense player in his day has turned into a tough no nonsense footballing manager whose philosophy on the game has made perhaps the biggest impact on the league so far this term.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 66/1

Chelsea: Carlo Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti

Having won the double in his first season one would almost think that Carlo Ancelotti would be one of the safest men in football.

Not so in Roman Abramovich’s strange world.

Rumor has it that the Oligarch has tried to engineer the resignation of his manager on numerous occasion over the last six months and it is widely believed that Ancelotti will not be in the hotseat at Stamford Bridge next season.

One thing to watch in Ancelotti’s frequent press conferences is his left eyebrow. Yes you read that right.

The Italian served time under the potential clusterbomb that is Silvio Berlusconi and gives the most politically correct answers in football.

However, his eyebrow often reveals more than he is actually saying…

Next manager to be sacked odds: 5/1

Everton: David Moyes

David Moyes

If there is any manager that can match Roy Keane for a 1,000 yard stare then it is Everton’s David Moyes.

The Toffees boss must wonder what is wrong with the club he manages as nobody has ever come forward to buy what are realistically the only sleeping giant outside the current top five.

He has always worked with reduced budgets and consistantly manages his team to better finishes than the clubs finances should allow.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 20/1

Fulham: Mark Hughes

Mark Hughes

Hughes’ short time at Craven Cottage has been the most enjoyable of experiences. Without Roy Hodgson’s scientific style of management Fulham’s players have struggled to come to terms with Hughes’ different philosophy.

At the moment the Cottagers are only outside the relegation zone thanks to goal difference and that is with West Ham and Wigan having possibly the worst defences ever seen in the EPL.

Hughes isn’t in direct danger of being sacked in the near future but the players he brings into the club in January will be under immediate pressure to perform.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 28/1

Liverpool: Roy Hodgson

Roy Hodgson: Goodbye to Anfield?

Hodgson has aged since he took over at Liverpool in July and the pressure is growing daily.

Since then the manager has found himself pushed to one side as NESV brought Damien Comolli in to oversee transfers and now in the recent turn against Hodgson, John Henry has branded the clubs form under him as “unacceptable.”

January will be a key month in Hodgson’s future. Quite simply, if he is given money to spend he will be safe but if he receives nothing then his days are numbered…

Next manager to be sacked odds: 3/1

Manchester City: Roberto Mancini

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini

Like his fellow Italian in the EPL, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Mancini’s future is on shaky ground. He has guided the club to third in the league but still boasts a very conservative outlook on the game.

The clubs ridiculous transfer policy is finally coming home to roost, which is really saying something when you consider that it only really started two years ago, as flakey players like Emmanuel Adebayor, Mario Balotelli, and now Carlos Tevez reek their havoc on the club.

In the end the manager will be the one to pay the price.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 10/1

Manchester United: Sir Alex Ferguson

Sir Alex Ferguson

The Scottish veteran is still one of the best managers in the game. There is not a situation that he does not know how to handle; from regularly besting Arsene Wenger to dealing with the Glazers to negotiating with Wayne Rooney, Ferguson’s vast experience allows him to handle any situation.

No chance of being sacked, retirement? Now that’s another question.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 100/1

Newcastle United: Alan Pardew

Alan Pardew

The only real shock about Chris Hughton’s sacking was that it took Mike Ashley so long to get around to removing the Irishman from the task that he had carried out so well.

In short, Hughton was not Ashley’s “cup of tea.” Around four months ago Hughton intimated that he wanted to bring in Brian Kerr as his Assistant Manager but Ashley vetoed the signing as Kerr was not high profile enough.

Now, if you believe everything you hear, he has brought in Pardew after meeting him out at a casino one night.

It is quite common for businessmen to become enthralled with sportsmen when they meet them and only time will tell whether this is the case with Ashley and Pardew or not.

Bookmakers would suggest “not.” Regardless of that piece of paper saying that Pardew has a job for five years says.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 16/1

Stoke City: Tony Pulis

Tony Pulis

The Potters haven’t enjoyed the best of starts to the season but they are always a tough proposition to play against. If anything, they have lost a little bit of that steel as Pulis looks to emulate Harry Redknapp and play two out and out wingers.

Pulis is looking to progress to the next step on the Premiership ladder with Stoke and is trying to make them less one dimensional through open play. They have gained going forward but have lost a little at the back and will rely heavily on not losing important players like Shawcross in January.

They won’t be relegated but may struggle to make mid-table.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 66/1

Sunderland: Steve Bruce

Steve Bruce

Niall Quinn must be delighted at having installed Steve Bruce as manager. Picking up the pieces after Roy Keane’s hasty exit was never going to be an easy task but the ex-United skipper has the Black Cats right up where they belong and chasing Europe.

No chance of Bruce seeing the exit door at the Stadium of Light and they look a very good bet for an FA Cup run if the draw is kind in January.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 50/1

Tottenham Hotspur: Harry Redknapp

Harry Redknapp

Next to Sir Alex Ferguson, Harry Redknapp is on the safest job in the Premier League. 20 months after taking over a Spurs side in freefall and the relegation zone, the Lilywhites are now one of the most exciting teams in Europe.

Spurs are going from strength to strength under Redknapp and Levy and it will be interesting see how the club reacts in January.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 100/1

West Ham: Avram Grant

Avram Grant

Irons’ fans must have thought they had slipped into an alternative reality when their new owners sacked the likeable Gianfranco Zola and replaced him with Avram Grant.

There is no two ways of looking at it but Grant definitely looks out of his depth as a manager in the EPL. He has been flirting with the sack for sometime now and with Sam Allardyce and Blackburn having parted ways it looks like Grant may be put out of his misery soon.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 5/4

West Brom: Roberto Di Matteo

Roberto Di Matteo

Sitting exactly in mid-table, West Brom, like Blackpool, have won many admirers with their attacking style of football. The ambition that the two promoted sides show is a breath of fresh air to the EPL with Di Matteo winning extra kudos for his calm management stylr and easy way he deals with the media.

Regardless of how the Baggies do this year, even if they are relegated, Di Matteo will not be sacked and the Birmingham side are getting closer to becoming a Premier League team every year rather than the yo-yo club they are at the moment.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 80/1

Wigan: Roberto Martinez

Roberto Martinez

The odds of a team beginning with “W” being relegated are very high. The odds of a manager of a “W” team being sacked is even higher.

Roberto Martinez’s team have shown an uncanny inability to defend and leak goals at a ferocious rate. The plus side is that they score a few goals too and are capable of upsetting teams as much as being hammered 8-0.

The ex-Swansea boss has to plug the holes in his defence soon or he will definitely find the locks at the JJB changed.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 14/1

Wolves: Mick McCarthy

Mick McCarthy

Last season Wolves used a defensive 4-5-1 style formation which proved very difficult to break down. This year he has utilised a 4-4-2 as they look to consolidate their position in the league but everything has conspired against them.

A lack of goals, injuries, bad luck, and most importantly; their rivals are far more ambitious than before. McCarthy has badly underestimated the likes of West Brom, Blackpool, Newcastle, and Bolton and they find themselves in real danger of being relegated.

The very thought of relegation is unthinkable for the Wolves board and McCarthy needs to pull out of this nose dive quickly or face the axe.

Next manager to be sacked odds: 6/1

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The commonly confusing format of the FIFA Club World Cup sees Champions League winners, Inter Milan, need only one win to reach the final of this years competition.

Rafael Benitez’s side will play Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in Wednesday’s semi final as they bid to become world club champions.

AFC Champions League winners, Seongnam, beat Al Wahda 4-1 in Saturday’s quarter final. The South Korean club are making their debut on the world stage after loosing out in 2003, courtesy of Al Ittihad beating them 6-3 in the AFC Champions League final.

The lowest ranked side in the tournament, Hekari United, failed at the first hurdle. The side from Papa New Guinea came into the tournament as the underdogs and this label was cemented as they lost 3-0 in the “qualifying” quarter final match.

Other competitors include Club de Futbol Pachuca from Mexico, TP Mazembe Englebert of Congo DR and the well-respected Brazilian outfit, Internacional.

Although Inter Milan have been made favourites to win this years trophy, Internacional are not far behind.

Internacional’s place in the competition was secured following a semi-final victory against Sao Paolo in the Copa Libertadores. Their final opponents, Guadalajara, were invitees of the Copa Libertadores and there Concacaf status meant they were unable to be a representative of Conmebol at the event. Despite this, Internacional still secured the place after beating the Mexicans 5-3 on aggregate.

The widely expected outcome is a tongue twister of a final. Internazionale are expected to play Internacional in Abu Dhabi.

After recent defeats at the hands of Werder Bremen and Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League, and loosing to Lazio in Serie A, Benitez is under pressure to deliver in the tournament that is known for producing a European winner.

Fabio Capello has been lniked with the Inter hotseat and will fly out to Abu Dhabi to watch the tournament, sparking speculation over his England future.

In the past three years, Barcelona, Manchester United and AC Milan have all lifted the trophy after years of South American domination. Internacional lifted the trophy in 2006 after beating Barcelona and prooving that they are no jokes in this years competiiton. Sao Paolo and Corinthians also lifted the tophy in the two years prior to that, defeating European opposition on their way.

The final will take place this Saturday with a full-strength Inter Milan side (on the basis that they qualify) there for the challenge. Not only will it be a chance to add to the Inter Milan trophy cabinet, it will bring Benitez some welcome praise since his abysmal start as Inter Milan manager.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

According to figures posted yesterday, Premier League clubs paid an inordinate £67.1 million in order to sate the whims of the various agents, middle-men and brokers with which they dealt in the period between October 2009 and September 2010.

The results actually show a slight decrease from the £70.69 million total that was officially posted last year, although only 742 separate transactions took place within ’09/’10 – with 792 deals being concluded during the previous year.

Despite the dramatic drop in transfer fees between ’09 and ’10 (which were 38.7% lower than the previous year), agents fees have only dipped slightly and the skew is partially due to fact that agents fee are paid in routine increments throughout the length of a player’s contract rather than in a single lump sum – thus creating a ‘financial lag’ of sorts.

Chelsea and Liverpool top the individual stakes having spent a sizeable £9.2 million and £9 million respectively, and both clubs sit a considerable distance ahead of third-place Man City – who only paid out £5.6 million in fees, despite Sheikh Mansour‘s recent exercises in nouveau-riche über capitalism.

Of the top three spenders, Chelsea’s outlay is slightly down on last year’s postings, whereas Man City have more than halved their outgoings (which are down from a staggering £12.8 million recorded in ’08/’09), however Liverpool’s total has risen by £2.4 million during the same period – thanks chiefly to newly-instated manager Roy Hodgson‘s efforts in culling the surplus from the ‘unbelievably overstaffed’ squad which he inherited from predecessor Rafa Benitez.

Roy Hodgson had plenty of dead wood to ship out on his Anfield arrival

As well as bringing in a flock of fee-laden players in the five months that he has been in situ at Anfield, Hodgson has also overseen (if not been wholly responsible for) the sales of Diego Cavalieri, Javier Mascherano, Albert Riera and Yossi Benayoun amongst others and sanctioned the outbound loan deals for Philipp Degen, Alberto Aquilani, Nabil El-Zhar and Emiliano Insua – all of which will have incurred payments to the many corresponding brokers.

Man City’s new-found ‘frugality’ is possibly due to the looming threat of breaching FIFA’s Financial Fair Play initiative, which has left them needing to slash their £133 million annual wage bill.

City’s chief executive Garry Cook has also stated his determination to snub out the sway that player’s agents currently hold at Eastlands, in a bid to bring an air of austerity back to the club.

The huge cut in middle-man payments has seen them fall to a total only £300,000(ish) above the £5.36 million shelled out by Tottenham Hotspur who, under the gung-ho tenure of one-man financial sledgehammer Harry Redknapp, are a club very much moving in the opposite fiscal direction having pipped the Citizens to Champions League qualification last season.

Several clubs struck a blow in the interest of economy, with West Ham, Wigan and archetypal tightwads Arsenal who all trimmed their payments to agents by more than £1 million over the 12-month period.

Interestingly, Portsmouth (who were relegated from the top flight last season) paid more in agent fees during ’08/’09 than all three promoted clubs (Blackpool, West Brom and Newcastle) have managed this year combined – which is a telling glimpse into their current travails if ever there was one.

The agent fee list in full…

Arsenal – £3,660,199.00
Aston Villa – £2,279,536.50
Birmingham – £1,518,529.09
Blackburn – £1,623,232.92
Blackpool – £45,000.00
Bolton – £3,549,316.72
Chelsea – £9,293,751.48
Everton – £3,599,040.51
Fulham – £2,087,373.55
Liverpool – £9,032,528.49
Manchester City – £5,952,261.33
Manchester United – £2,312,726.00
Newcastle – £2,417,776.00
Stoke – £2,196,968.50
Sunderland – £4,421,990.72
Tottenham – £5,361,229.87
West Brom – £614,195.73
West Ham – £3,419,089.99
Wigan – £2,461,500.00
Wolves – £1,291,794.00

Total – £67,138,040.40

Do you ever get the feeling you may be in the wrong line of work?

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

As Liverpool slumped to yet another defeat, in this, the most wretched of seasons, their fans chanted the name of the man they want to replace Roy Hodgson. None other than Kenny Dalglish. However, the very fans chanting that name should be careful of what they wish for.

There is no denying; Liverpool FC has endured a brutal start to the season. 16 points after 13 games with a goal difference of -4 is not something that is generally equated with the once great club. Anfield has enjoyed nights where league campaigns were won and lost, it has seen some of the greatest European football nights of all time and has had some of the games greatest managers pound it’s touchlines as they screamed orders to sides brought up on trophies and professionalism of the highest order.

To see their side struggling so must be painful. It is hard to bear but it is the price the club must pay for 20 years of bad management at the highest level of the club.

Ever since Kenny Dalglish resigned on the 22nd of February 1991 the Reds have stumbled from one manager to the next. While they may have taken pleasure in some memorable cup wins during the last 19 years or so, they have never really come close to replicating the dynasty that was in days gone by.

The emergence of Tom Hicks and George Gillett in early 2007 had many Liverpool fans believing that those halcyon days were about to return. The club had just won the Champions League in 2005 and the FA Cup in 2006 under Rafael Benitez and was also expected to make its first concerted push for the title in some time. The news that Benitez would be given more funds to continue his early work was greeted with some cheer on the ranks of the Kop.

However, just three years later and Benitez would be parting company with the club after years of political in-fighting and seeing LFC drop out of the top four for the first time in years.

Certain sections of fans decried the removal of the Spaniard while others cheered, but one constant remained; Liverpool FC was in a financial mess.

Roy Hodgson was given the task of steadying the sinking ship and just a couple of weeks into his new job he found that he now had new masters to answer to in NESV and John Henry.

After taking home just six points from his first six games as manager there was little doubt that Roy Hodgson’s job was already coming under threat.

A 2-1 loss at home to relegation favourites Blackpool did not really help matter too much either.

However, NESV, upon taking over at LFC, announced that there would be no immediate changes made to the management structure of the club, ergo Hodgson’s job was safe for the time being.

The jury was still out on Hodgson but he had earned a reprieve. Kenny Dalglish’s name had already been chanted at more than one game this season and against Ian Holloway’s exciting Tangerines the call for the Scot was deafening.

Kopites patience with Hodgson was at a very low ebb after the Blackpool game but improved performances combined with wins against Chelsea, Napoli, Bolton, and Blackburn saw the club rise rapidly up the table.

However, a defeat and truly abysmal performance away to Stoke City on Saturday has heaped more pressure on the embattled ex-Fulham boss and once again, Liverpool fans chanted the name of Dalglish as the man they want to see in the hot seat.

There is a romantic factor for many Liverpool fans regarding Dalglish. To see the giant come to help the club in it’s time of need as well as see him in the dug-out one more time is almost too intoxicating a combination for many Reds fans.

King Kenny’s career as manager of the club is almost book-ended by two of Europe’s biggest footballing disasters.

Joe Fagan resigned as manager after the Heysel disaster in 1985 where 39 Juventus fans lost their lives after a wall collapsed on them during the European Cup Final. Then in 1989 the Hillsborough disaster struck the club badly as 96 fans lost their lives.

Dalglish, already a true legend of the club, further endeared himself to the people of Liverpool and Britain as a whole with the way he carried himself and the club with great dignity during the grief stricken days that followed.

Then in 1991 he resigned as manager after citing poor health as the main reason. Many felt that the burden of carrying the club through the aftermath of Hillsborough as being the main factor for wanting to take a break away from the game.

Just eight months later he returned to action as the commander in chief of Jack Walker’s Blackburn Rovers in the Second Division (Championship) and guided them back to the Premier League in his first season in charge.

Their rise to Premiership contenders was meteoric and had huge debts of thanks to Jack Walker’s millions. All of a sudden Blackburn was able to compete with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United for the signature of players, none more significant than that of Alan Shearer’s after Dalglish paid an English record fee of £3.5 million for the striker.

The first season in the EPL (1992-93) Blackburn finished 4th, the following year (’93-’94) they finished 2nd and in 1995 they won the title.

The currency of Kenny Dalglish had never been higher. Strangely and almost immediately, Dalglish moved into the Director of Football role at the club and relinquished his first team duties to Ray Harford and the club never repeated the success they had enjoyed under the ex-Liverpool boss.

He resigned one year later after Alan Shearer was sold to Newcastle United for £15 million.

Dalglish followed Shearer to Newcastle in January 1997 after succeeding Kevin Keegan and did manage to guide the club to 2nd in his first season. However, Newcastle fans were used to seeing the attack minded football of their previous manager and almost immediately turned on the Scot for being too pragmatic.

His tactics were not helped by career threatening injuries to Alan Shearer and Dalglish only lasted until August 1998 before Newcastle decided that they had to part ways with the ex-Blackburn boss.

He returned to the Director of Football role with Celtic in 1999 and installed John Barnes as manager of the Glasgow club. However, after just a few short months it was apparent to everyone associated with the club that the ex-Liverpool winger was not up to the task. After six dreadful months for the club Barnes was sacked and Dalglish once again returned to the dug-out, guiding the Hoops to Scottish League Cup victory.

The writing was on the wall for Dalglish though. He was sacked as manager that summer and was replaced by Martin O’Neill and has not worked in football since.

It is now late 2010 and Dalglish has been away from the game for around 11 years. Football has changed much since he found himself on the touchline barking orders. Tactics have evolved incredibly, player and club finances have rocketed through the ceiling, and fitness science has moved onto another level entirely.

In short, the game is not the same one he left in 1999.

To be a manager or player you need desire. A certain masochistic love of the stress and strains that come with the job, an addiction to the pain it can cause, and an inherent desire to feel the ecstasy roll over you as you win an important match.

If Dalglish still felt the same way about the game he would have gotten back into it long before now.

That is where Liverpool’s fans problems lie. There is little doubt that the legend has un-told depths of knowledge about the game but does he has the true desire to force his way back into a game that has vastly changed since he was a manager?

During his time at Liverpool there is little doubt that the Reds played some of the best football ever seen, anywhere.

His side that won the double in 1986 are one of the, if not the, finest footballing teams ever assembled. They played the game beautifully, they were a side that could change their set-up in an instant, go from blinding attacks to trench warfare in the blink of an eye, they were almost impregnable at the back and possessed the finest midfield in European football up to the current Barcelona team and had a strike force that would put most teams to shame. Liverpool 1986 was the real deal.

They continued to play that way for the next couple of years but an aging side was left behind after he resigned in 1991 and the seeds for 2010 were sown there, by Dalglish, the succeeding manager, and most importantly the board.

Since then eight managers have walked through the Shankly Gates. Each with their own visions on how the game should be played. Every time a new boss came in, the set-up changed completely and the clubs policy changed with it, effectively making the club start from scratch with each new manager.

NESV have already employed Damien Comolli to try and insure continuity at the club going forward. Some would say that this is a vey wise move given the last 20 years at the club but only time will tell.

When Dalglish moved to Blackburn he employed a very direct style of play to suit his incredible SAS partnership of Chris Sutton and Alan Shearer. It worked perfectly as Rovers claimed the title in 1995 with one of the most modest league winning teams of all time. Blackburn 1995 was about as far removed from Liverpool 1986 as one could get.

The same pragmatic tactics were employed at Newcastle and Celtic before both jobs ended with him being sacked so do Liverpool fans only remember the glory days before 1991?

One would have to say they do.

Would Dalglish 2010 pick up where Dalglish 1986 left off? Given how he changed his philosophy on the game between 1986 and 1999 one would have to say no. Liverpool fans are dreaming.

Liverpool FC sits on a knife-edge at the moment.

They are six points off the last Champions League place and just three points off relegation. A sudden move could mean utter disaster for NESV and their plans for the club heading into the future.

There is little doubt that the club need massive strengthening to finish in the top four. For this season and maybe even next that possibility looks very distant, so NESV must lean towards the side of caution.

That means not making a rash move, even if it does mean Hodgson staying for longer than some Liverpool fans would want.

The ex-Fulham boss knows that the pressure is mounting at the club and reacted defiantly after losing 2-0 at Stoke.

“If the club decide they want to give the job to somebody else then I’ll have to accept it.”

“I can’t get upset every time the fans chant someone’s name. Fans make their frustrations felt every time we lose a game – but unfortunately they may have to do that a few more times this season, because I can’t see us winning every game.”

This is not what the fans of Liverpool FC want to hear.

Between the late ’60s and ’90s Liverpool was the dominating force in English football, but time has moved on and they no longer have the right to call themselves title challengers. For the next couple of years they must face up to the fact that NESV will probably downsize the operation considerably to steady the ship completely before moving onto stage two of their long term plans.

Bringing in a manager who has no experience over the last ten years is not something that NESV would seem willing to do.

For the moment Liverpool will have realised that they are nowhere near title challengers and that the squad that Roy Hodgson inherited from Rafael Benitez is severely lacking in depth and quality.

There is no guarantee that Kenny Dalglish would improve things at the club and given Henry’s propensity for working with statistics and in depth knowledge of the sports he manages. It would also seem that Liverpool fans calling for the Scot to return will continue to fall on deaf ears.

Dalglish is a true legend of the club. He is one of the greatest players to ever pull on a football jersey never mind a Liverpool one and is the last great manager of the club.

But Reds fans should beware of what they wish for. Sometimes they come true.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News