sights high

The Premier League club’s former manager, who walked out in September last year claiming players were sold without his consent, is eventually expected to receive about £1 million, a year’s basic salary, but will have his legal costs met. Even sources close to Curbishley don’t expect him to receive the full £3 million.

A hearing is set for January to finalise the exact level of compensation, but the scale of Curbishley’s legal bills is not unexpected considering the high-profile nature of the case.

are under severe financial strain but have budgeted for the costs of settling with Curbishley whose relationship with the club deteriorated throughout the summer before he departed. There were discussions as to whether he should be replaced before he walked out.

Curbishley is keen for a return to management in the Premier League but has set his sights high and would only, it’s believed, consider a club in the top ten of the division or one with the resources or aspirations to achieve that.

He was considered for the Sunderland job before Steve Bruce was appointed while, for example, it’s understood that he would not be interested in Hull City, who West Ham play on Saturday, should Phil Brown be sacked.

West Ham have not made any public statements about the case but are privately furious at the way the club has been portrayed.

They argue that the players sold — Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney both, ironically, to Sunderland — wanted to leave and that good prices were achieved at a time when the club was facing the financial meltdown of its then owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson.

However Curbishley’s contract appeared to state he had the final say on transfers.

Yeah we know about the compensation and legal costs but the bit that tickled me was the paragraph highlighted and how it takes me back to George Graham STILL waiting for that big job.

OH and ‘one with resources’? Jesus I pity the next club!!

Curbishley wins case against Hammers

Alan Curbishley has won his case for wrongful dismissal against West Ham after claiming he had no option but to resign.

A Premier League manager’s arbitration tribunal has upheld Curbishley’s claim for wrongful dismissal after he resigned last season following the club’s decision to sell Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney to Sunderland against his wishes.

Curbishley said: “I am obviously delighted with this result. I very much enjoyed my time at West Ham and never wanted to leave, but on joining the club I insisted that my contract contained a clause confirming that I would have final say on the selection of players to be transferred to and from the club.”

He added: “The club completely ignored my contract when selling Anton Ferdinand, and when George McCartney was then sold, the club having given me assurances that no players would be leaving the club after the sale of Anton Ferdinand, I had no alternative but to resign.

“My authority and integrity were undermined and my position was made untenable. I now wish to put this entire matter behind me.”

The tribunal, which dismissed a counter claim from West Ham, will now assess how much compensation the club will have to pay.

Curbishley quit the Hammers at the start of the 2008/09 season and launched his case after which the club launched a counter-claim relating to the cost of employing his successor Gianfranco Zola and his assistant Steve Clarke. The counter-claim has proved unsuccessful.

Richard Bevan, chief executive of the League Managers’ Association, said the outcome demonstrated the need for clubs to respect contracts.

Bevan said: “Naturally we are delighted with the outcome for Alan but, at the same time, sorry that he wasn’t able to continue at West Ham United, a club that has played such a prominent part in his professional career both as a player and manager.

“The findings of the tribunal demonstrate the critical importance of respecting contracts which need to set out the roles and responsibilities of the parties in clear and unequivocal terms.”

OH BY THE WAY CURBS. Can we have our money back for Freddie and Neill?

Here is a preview for all Championship Manager 2010 (aka CM as it is famously known). Interviews with well known managers such as Gordon Strachan, Alan Curbishley and Joe Kinnear giving thumbs up views on the upcoming version.

Notably there are big changes made to the game with the announcement of a brand new 3D match engine. Scouting system and investing in countries to develop new talents, managing practice matches on A Teams and B Teams trying out new tactics and strategies and much more.

Really looking forward to it. Bound to release this Sept 11 . For more information, please check out the official website at www.championshipmanager.co.uk.

Director: Olaf Johannesson
Year: 2005

In any sports documentary you want to see a dedicated team of believers battling the odds to triumph in the face of adversity. And adversity is exactly what football manager Zico (no, not that one) found when he entered his team Afrika into the deild karla (Iceland’s third tier of football).

Manager Zico with mentor Alan Curbishley

Zico came to Iceland from Morocco in search of his fortune but became depressed following his subsequent bankruptcy. In an attempt to lift this spirits, he formed Afrika, a multi-national squad of players based around a core of African players alongside others from countries including Serbia, Portugal and Columbia.

Celebrating a rare win

Africa United charts the team’s first foray into the (relative) upper echelons of Icelandic football. Zico and his team have just one real problem; they’re not very good. Each match seems to be a carnival of ill-discipline and sloppy defending, often exacerbated by the concession of a series of weak penalties (generally courtesy of the player-manager’s last-ditch attempts to stop conceding another goal). The situation isn’t helped by a constant clash of egos between the team’s flair players, Serbian Zlatko and Nigerian law-student Paul. But as the season goes on, can Afrika achieve a modicum of respectability?

Although this true story feels slightly embellished (and it’s no secret as the Poppoli Pictures website states), Afrika’s journey is a pacy, entertaining ride of hope amidst haplessness. Much of this is due to the innate charm of the film’s subjects – when they’re not haranguing referees or bickering about who’s to blame for the latest display, they’re all eminently likeable.

The succession of defeats is broken up with a few road trips abroad. We follow Zico back home to Morocco and on a pilgrimage to London to seek the advice of then Charlton manager Alan Curbishley. There’s also footage of Zlatko’s wedding home in Serbia. They’re fun diversions but you can’t help but feel that a deeper look into the experiences of the players’ new lives in Iceland would’ve providing this meagre story with far greater depth.

Although there’s not much to Africa United – the team loses, argues, loses again and argues again before a steady improvement – a surfeit of humour and an unusual subject makes for an engaging view for football fans. But most heartening is that
Zico and Afrika have maintained their challenge to the present day, with
many of the film’s stars carrying on the fight.

“You could have, say, Ronaldo in the team. But if that Ronaldo is destroying everyone else, we don’t need him.”

West Ham United FC: Lykken gemmer sig stadig…

Stiftet: 1895 (som Thames Ironworks)

Stadion: Boleyn Ground (Upton Park) (Kapacitet: 35.303)

Kælenavn: Irons, Hammers, Academy of Football

Seneste tre ligaplaceringer (07/08/09): 15/10/9

Første fem kampe: 15 Wolverhampton (U), 18 Aston Villa (H) (udsat), 22/8 Tottenham (H), 29/8 Blackburn (U), 12/9 Wigan (U)

Manager: Gianfranco Zola (Siden september 2008)

West Ham er den klub i toppen af engelsk fodbold, som historisk har haft færrest udskiftninger på trænerbænken – blot 12 mand har stået i spidsen for the irons siden stiftelsen. Derfor har det også bevirket en hvis bedrøvelse blandt mange tilhængere (undertegnede inklusiv), at der de seneste ti års tid har været temmelig heftig gang i karrusellen. Harry Redknapps relativt succesfulde vælde med obskure signinger og pub-mentaliten på dagsordenen sluttede efter syv år i 2001. Han blev efterfulgt af Glenn Roeders katastrofeår, og efter nedrykning reformerede Alan Pardew klubben fra 2003, inden han selv fik sparket da nedrykningen truede i 2006, og nye islandske ejere havde overtaget klubben. Ind trådte Alan Curbishley, som heldigt og kløgtigt fik vendt den synkende skude, og dernæst kedede alle ihjel med en middelsæson trods store investeringer. Han tog sit tøj og gik i 2008 da han ikke følte at han havde fuld kontrol over spillersalg, og ind blev hentet den uerfarne Gianfranco Zola. Zola er den første ikke-britiske træner i klubben, som fra 1895 til 1989 kun havde fem forskellige trænere. Cirka sideløbende gik de islandske ejere fuldstændig på røven økonomisk, og klubben er nu blanket af, og ejet af et konsortium af kreditorer.

Trods sin begrænsede erfaring (et par år som assistent for den italienske u-21 landstræner Pierluigi Casiraghi), sin status af udlænding, sin historiske kærlighedsaffære med Chelsea, sin fysiske lighed med en af de der plastictrolde man fik hos skoletandlægen og de ret vanskelige arbejdsbetingelser rent økonomisk, har Zola imidlertid fået rigtig mange fans. Dette skyldes foruden mandens vindende, positive sind, også det faktum at han satser kompromisløst på unge spillere fra klubbens traditionsrige akademi, og kræver at holdet skal prøve at spille offensiv, positiv pasningsfodbold – the West Ham way, som i de stolte, sagnomspundne og retrospektivt voldsomt glorificerede dage under Ron Greenwood og Johnny Lyall i de glade 60′ere, 70′ere og 80′ere. At han så i øvrigt førte holdet til en rigtig fin 9. plads i sidste sæson, trods en ret smal trup og en del skader hjælper selvfølgelig også på det.

Truppen generelt: Lidt men godt…

Robert Green er uomtvisteligt førstevalg, og får konkurrence fra unge ungarnske Peter Kurucz og yngre tjekkiske Marek Stech. På venstrebacken er Herita Ilunga fast mand, og efter en kanondebutsæson er der store forventninger til den iskolde congoleser. I centerforsvaret er Matthew Upson sikker starter og ren klasse, hvis ikke han lokkes til den blå del af Manchester inden transfervinduet smækker. Ved sin side afgør dagsform, skader og karantæner, om det bliver hovedspilsmonstret James Collins, stortalentet James Tomkins eller den elegante Danny Gabbidon, som er tilbage efter næsten to års skadespause, der tager pladsen. Højrebacken ser umiddelbart ud til at blive et anliggende mellem det franske flop Julien Faubert og den hårdtarbejdende men behersket talentfulde yankee Jonathan Spector. Også de unge Jordan Spence og Bondz Ngala vil presse på omkring førsteholdet.

Midtbanen styres af Scott Parker, hvis rolle på holdet i Zolas system er meget central. Han får typisk selskab centralt af Mark Noble, mens Jack Collison kan få et definitivt gennembrud efter at have spillet sig på holdet på venstrekanten i sidste sæson. Schweiziske Valon Behrami snupper højrekanten med et grotesk løbepensum og en never say die attitude i tillæg til et stort fodboldtalent, omend han akkurat ikke er klar til sæsonstart. Til gengæld ser det ud til, at Kieron Dyer langt om længe er skadesfri, og den tidligere Ipswich, Newcastle og landsholdsspiller har set skarp og entusiastisk ud i træningskampene. De unge Josh Payne og Junior Stanislas bejler til henholdsvis den defensive midtbane og flankerne, alt imens rutinerede Luis Boa Morte blev knæskadet i en træningskamp, og først ventes tilbage om et halvt års tid.

På toppen er Carlton Cole nærmest eneste alternativ, idet Dean Ashtons skader lader til at trække konstant længere ud, alt imens unge Zavon Hines og Savio vil håbe på spilletid.

Væsentlige transfere: En chilener, en schweizer og alt for få angribere…

Ilunga er blevet hentet på en permanent kontrakt, men ellers er det begrænset med den indgående trafik på the Boleyn Ground. Også keeperen Kurucz har fået opgraderet sin aftale, alt imens den chilenske hængende angriber/offensive midtbanespiller Luis Jimenez er blevet lånt i Inter. Ligeledes er den unge schweiziske venstreback Fabio Daprela blevet hentet som backup for Ilunga. Endnu en ung fyr er blevet hentet til angrebet, hvor Chelsea-talentet Frank Nouble allerede har imponeret med en stak mål og stærkt spil i en række træningskampe. Ligeledes hævdedes det i går i russiske medier, at West Ham havde indgået en kontrakt med forårssæsonens lejesvend fra Spartak Moskva, tjekkiske Radoslav Kovac.

Til gengæld har der været trængsel ved udgangen, hvor en række kontraktudløb er blevet udnyttet til at tynde ud i truppen. Lee Bowyer, Diego Tristan, Diego Di Michele, Kyel Reid og målmændene Jan Lavstuka og Jimmy Walker er nogle af de folk som har forladt klubben over sommeren. Også anfører og højreback Lucas Neill er foreløbig væk, omend han fortsætter sin formidable limbo om sin fodboldfremtid, hvor West Ham, Sunderland og Galatasaray fortsat meldes i konkurrence om australieren. Afslutningsvis er det unge angrebstalent Freddy Sears udlånt til Sheffield United, hvor han har høvlet mål ind i optaktskampene.

Forventninger: I’m forever blowing bubbles…

West Ham har en stærk defensiv, hvor Green holder et højt niveau, mens firebackkæden må betragtes som svækket, men ikke desto mindre stærk, hvis Neill ikke erstattes. Midtbane fireren med Collison-Noble-Parker-Behrami er en uhyggelig, pasnings – og løbestærk enhed, som kan presse og konkurrere med de bedste i ligaen. På toppen findes holdets akilleshæl, hvor en skade til Carlton Cole vil være en katastrofe, alt imens Luis Jimenez skal tilpasse sig tempoet og fysikken i Premier League hurtigst muligt. Cole har udviklet sig kollosalt de seneste år, særligt siden Zolas mellemkomst, som lader til at have givet Cole en helt ny bevidsthed om de evner, som også har gjort ham til et fast indslag i landsholdstruppen. Han er bomstærk, holder fremragende på bolden, og kan pludselig også ryste markører af sig med smarte tekniske finesser. Hvis han får en hel sæson uden dumme skader og karantæner kan have blive et monster som overrasker rigtig mange. Ikke mindst hvis han bliver en skarpere afslutter.

Trods alt dette må jeg erkende, at en top-10 placering måske er vel optimistisk. West Ham har en tynd trup, som oven i købet består af rigtig mange unge og urutinerede kræfter. Økonomien rygtes at være elendig, og muligvis vil holdet blive tvunget til at skille sig af med nogle af de etablerede kræfter. Andre rygter siger heldigvis at Eidur Gudjohnson og Luca Toni er lige på trapperne. Det er aldrig kedeligt at følge West Ham, og næste år kan lige så vel blive et angreb på Euro League pladserne som en kamp på liv og død i bunden af rækken.

Som evig optimist/idiot må jeg nødvendigvis gætte på minimum en tiendeplads. Realismen er West Ham supporterens værste fjende, og den skal så sandelig heller ikke komme og ødelægge denne optakt og min glæde ved at sæsonen endelig starter lige om lidt…

Tip: Forventet placering: Nummer 10 Supersæson: Top 7.

Her følger en gennemgang og vurdering af sommerens udresning i West Hams trup. I morgen følger en lignende behandling af de som skal forsøge at stoppe trofæ-tørken næste sæson.

Den tredje juni offentliggjorde West Ham navnene på en række spillere, som klubben havde besluttet at fristille i forbindelse med kontraktudløb. Udmeldingen kom ikke som nogen stor overraskelse, da cheftræner Gianfranco Zola allerede tidligere havde meldt ud, at han ønsker en markant mindre førsteholdstrup fra næste sæson, og at denne trup hovedsagligt skal suppleres med egne talenter i det omfang der er behov for flere spillere.Et på alle måder sympatisk koncept, som ganske åbenbart er inspireret af den model Arsenal har kørt efter i en efterhånden længere årrække.

Listen talte intet mindre end fjorten navne – det suverænt største af disse tilhørte den hidtidige kaptajn Lucas Neill. Neill kom til West Ham fra Blackburn i januar-transfervinduet 2007. Det var dengang Alan Curbishley og Eggert Magnusson brugte islandske cowboydollars i et omfang, som ville få afsindigt berusede sømænd på landlov til at stoppe op og stille kritiske spørgsmål til om al det forbrug nu også gør et menneske lykkeligt inderst inde. Han spillede en central rolle i the great escape samme år, og har været stensikkert førstevalg på højrebacken lige siden; når han altså ikke har vikarieret i centerforsvaret eller sågar på den centrale midtbane.

Australieren formodes at have afslået en kontrakt (med lønnedgang), og følgelig skulle han være færdig i klubben. Sidenhen har han imidlertid selv udtrykt ønske om at blive hos West Ham alligevel. Neill har tidligere vist, at pengepungen har en ikke uvæsentlig indflydelse på hans beslutninger (selv ikke undertegnede er verdensfjern nok til at tro, at hans beslutning om at vælge West Ham frem for Liverpool dengang i 2007 udelukkende var baseret på hans kærlighed til jellied eels og fodbold spillet the West Ham way), og derfor bliver det interessant at se, hvor han spiller næste år. Klubber i England, Tyrkiet og Grækenland har alle været nævnt. Hvis Neill smutter skal Zola og sportschef Gianluca Nani hive en kanin op af hatten inden sæsonstart (og den skal kunne spille højre back!)…

Også vores angrebs/komiker-duo Diego “Cojones mas grande al Sagrada Familia” Tristan og Davide Di ”Sheriffen skyder på det hele” Michele er blevet vejet og fundet for lette (eller måske i Tristans tilfælde for tung?). Tilsammen nåede de sydeuropæiske herrer og gentlemen at lave hele 8 (otte!!) mål i blot 50 kampe og med en samlet alder på sølle 66 år er det ganske uforståeligt, at klubben vil forsøge at hente yngre kræfter ind til angrebet… Eller omvendt.

Di Michele vil nok især blive husket for sin fremragende første hjemmekamp, hvor han lavede to glimrende mål i 3-1 sejren over Newcastle (siden blev det kun til 3 mere resten af sæsonen…). Siden fulgte momentvis geniale afleveringer og læssevis af frustrerende boldtab i en lind strøm, inden den italienske troldmand gav et sidste varigt minde, da han snublede over sine egne ben og appellerede for straffespark alene igennem med Pepe Reina mod Liverpool. Tristan vil foruden sin glæde ved at drikke og køre bil, som resulterede i en pinlig sag for spritkørsel, især blive husket for sit perlemål direkte på frispark mod Stoke på udebane og sit “mål” mod samme modstander på hjemmebanen. Her snittede bolden den uforvarende Tristans hæl på vej i mål, hvilket fik den tidligere Deportivo-bomber til at juble, som havde han emuleret Maradonas solomål mod England i 1986. Forhåbentlig bliver der hentet spændende folk til angrebspladserne i stedet for de to afdankede angribere – hvis ikke må man overveje at investere i to life size subbuteo-figurer for at finde fuldgode erstatninger.

De øvrige lånte spillere Jan Lavstuka og Radoslav Kovac er også blevet sendt retur til henholdsvis Shaktar Donetsk og Spartak Moskva. Lavstuka spillede kun en førsteholdskamp for West Ham – det lidet mindeværdige Carling Cup-exit mod Watford. Nu må den tidligere filosofi-studerende pille splinter ud af røven i Ukraine i stedet for London. Gud ved hvad Satre ville mene om den sitaution? Er det mon væren ensoi eller pour soi? Lavstuka har heldigvis tid nok til at tænke over det… Kovac nåede 10 kampe, viste sig som en god bolderobrer og en særdeles sløset pasningsspiller – og brillierede sågar med et brag af et langskudsmål på Goodison Park. Rygter vil vide at West Ham fortsat er interesseret i at gøre aftalen med Kovac permanent, men at Spartak ønsker flere penge end West Ham mener han er værd. Også Sunderland og Fulham nævnes som destinationer for Kovac, som gerne selv vil blive i England. Hvis prisen er rigtig, virker Kovac bestemt som en spiller det kunne være godt at have i truppen til næste sæson.

Også Walter Lopez måtte se sig fritstillet da hans et-årige aftale udløb. Fem uspektakulære indhop og en start mod Watford blev det til for venstrekanten fra Uruguay. I det mindste må det betragtes som et fremskridt for West Ham, at en spiller så himmelråbende ligegyldig som Lopez blot fik en et-årig kontrakt frem for en fem-årig med kæmpeløn…

Lee Bowyers kontrakt fik ligeledes lov at løbe ud. Efter et succesfuldt forår med oprykning og stamplads hos Birmingham City ser det ud til at det nu 32-årige tidligere stortalent også kan spille i Premier League næste år. Der arbejdes i hvert fald på at gøre aftalen permanent. Alternativt meldes også Bolton interesserede i at tilknytte midtbanedynamoen. Bowyer nåede 41 kampe og fire mål for West Ham i sit andet ophold i klubben. Hver gang det så ud til at han var ved at genfinde fordums styrke, blev han ramt af en i den umiddelbart uendelige række af skader som har præget hans karriere. Det virker som endnu en fornuftig beslutning at satse på en yngre og mindre løntung spiller…

Jimmy Walker som spillede en vigtig rolle i West Hams oprykning fra den næstebedste række i 2005 er også fortid i klubben. Walker, som blev båret fra banen med en knæskade i play-off finalen mod Preston kom aldrig i nærheden af at blive førstevalg igen, selvom han fik tre kampe i Premier League mod slutningen af 2006-sæsonen. Walker var kendt som en livlig spasmager udenfor banen, og mange vil sikkert savne hans humoristiske klumme i kampprogrammet på Upton Park. Frem for alt vil Walker for evigt huskes for at redde Frank Lampards straffespark på Stamford Bridge i liga-cupen i 2004. Hov – det kom vidst til at lyde som en nekrolog! Walker lever mig bekendt i bedste velgående, og forhåbentlig finder han et andet sted at fortsætte karrieren, hvis det er det, han ønsker…

Endvidere blev Kyel Reid og Tony Stokes fritstillet. Reid er taget til Sheffield United, mens Stokes var udlejet til ungarnske Ujpest i forårssæsonen, og tidligere har udtalt sig positivt om en fremtid i ungarnsk fodbold. Begge spillere er opfostret på West Hams eget akademi. Reid nåede tre førsteholdskampe for West Ham, men har hovedsagligt været udlejet de senere år. Såvel Barnsley, Crystal Palace, Blackpool og Wolverhampton har haft fornøjelsen af den 21-årige venstrekant. Midtbanemanden Stokes fik en enkelt kamp som indskifter, da han i 2005 erstattede Tomas Repka i en Carling Cup kamp mod Sheffield Wednesday.

Desuden har venstrebacken Joe Widdowson vekslet sin lejeaftale hos Grimsby i den tredjebedste række til en permanent kontrakt fra næste sæson. Heller ikke juniorspillerne Jack Jeffery, Ashley Miller, Tom Harvey og Ryan O’Neill fik tilbudt nye kontrakter, og er fri til at finde nye arbejdesgivere. Med undtagelse af Widdowson, som umiddelbart havde vist fine takter sin alder taget i betragtning (ikke mindst i forbindelse med pre-season i nordamerika sidste år), virker det som den rigtige beslutning at lade de unge folk forsøge at finde fodboldlykken andensteds. Forhåbentlig ingen af dem kommer tilbage og laver en Jimmy Bullard…

In my job I have tools available to me that can track the levels of buzz/chatter on the web – especially looking at social media (blogs, social networks, forums and video/image sharing sites).  Using these tools, I was interested to see what the general feeling was about QPR amongst football fans. I decided to dig around, pull a few charts and see how the ‘buzz’ surrounding QPR has changed over the last month – looking at managers, owners and whether people associated ‘relegation’ or ‘promotion’ with my team.  The results are interesting…(I think)

This first chart shows the levels of buzz/chatter surrounding the various managers we’ve been linked to in recent weeks. It’s interesting (but unsuprising) to see that recent buzz has focused on Blackwell, Boothroyd and Magilton (who’s hanging about like a bad smell).  Buzz surrounding Jim Magilton has remained pretty consistent over the last couple of weeks – especially when it ‘emerged’ that Magilton and Calderwood were favourites for the job around May 14th.

Rather dissapointingly, the buzz surrounding Curbishley has tailed off (he would be my choice anyway) and Gigi Di Canio is non-existent in comparison.  The most interesting thing about the chart above is that Blackwell was associated with QPR way back in April/start of May  – not sure why – and then this buzz went quiet during the busy play-off period with Sheffield United.

The next chart shows the share of this buzz. It looks like Jim Magilton is a consistent force.  Interesting to see Boothroyd, Calderwood and Blackwell sharing an equal(ish) share – 20%.  Niether would be my choice – but they seem to be the focus of the chatter online.

How are the owners of QPR fairing in this debate? They are the ones responsible for our managerial appointment.  They are the ones making the decisions.  It seems as though Falvio is domiting the buzz relating to Rangers in this time. Interesting to see that both Gianni Paladini and Amit Bhatia are not being mentioned – yet they are the guys ‘on the gound’ making the decisions and interviewing potential managers.

Many Rangers fans would expect that our club is mainly associated with promotion, NOT relegation. However, it’s interesting to see that 40% of the social media discussion – in relation to ‘QPR’ – surrounds the word/term ‘relegation’. I’m quite suprised by that to be honest. Are you?

I would be interested to see whether any of this suprises you? So, please feel free to comment/interpret this information. Who is to blame for dragging our clubs name consistently in/out of the mire – constantly being associated with what I consider ‘tier 2′ managers? Who do you think should be appointed? Interesting times lie ahead, that’s for sure.

RR

Dermed tyder alt på at formand Marcus Evans og Towns nye Chief Executive, Simon Clegg, har haft kontakt med hinanden og planlagt Magiltons fyring, selv inden Clegg officielt blev ansat i klubben i tirsdags.

Clegg blev nemlig først hyret tirsdag, men det er hans samt Evans’ beslutning, at det nu er Keane der skal forsøge at sende Town mod nye højder.

Alt tyder på at Evans længe har haft en hemmelig agenda, i det højt profilerede managers som Alan Pardew, Aidy Boothroyd, Alan Curbishley, Neil Warnock, Tony Adams, Paul Ince og Paul Jewell alle var inde i billedet sammen med Keane.

Town har fået den mand som Evans har peget på, og forhåbentlig vi får to år med lidt mere ro i kulisserne, nu hvor hele bestyrelse samt de ansatte i klubben alle er Evans’ egne folk.

All hail Rafa Benítez, conqueror of Europe and vanquisher of Real Madrid. Liverpool has developed a reputation as masters of the Champions League tie, punching well above their weight in cup competitions compared to their performances in the Premiership. To date Benítez has delivered an FA Cup, one Community Shield, the European Super Cup and of course that majestic Champions League triumph against AC Milan during his five years with Liverpool. Which is a fantastic achievement. But back at the start, when Gérard Houllier was shown the door, it was a lack of league success that caused fans and the club’s senior management team alike to throw their toys out of the pram. And Benítez wasn’t the only man they thought would be up to the job.

Meet Alan Curbishley, the other front runner to replace Houllier back in 2004. As a quick bio, Curbishley is currently in line at the dole queue after solid if unspectacular spells at Charlton Athletic and West Ham. Unlike Benítez, who arrived at Liverpool on the back of two La Liga successes with Valencia, he has never won a trophy in the game’s senior echelons. But he does, arguably, have one of the best track records of consistent league performances in Premiership, turning Charlton into a serial top flight club and restoring West Ham’s Premier League credibility.

Also featured on that short-list of bygone days, Steve McLaren, the former Middlesborough and England manager. And now, it would seem, a man who is finally proving he is capable of steering a club to the top of its league with FC Twente, currently second in the Dutch Eredivisie ahead of Ajax, PSV and Feyenoord. Of course, these days McLaren is regarded somewhat as tarnished goods after falling victim to the ultimate trap, being an Englishman at the helm of the English national team (a danger Curbishley only just avoided).

Last but not least were the Celtic past and present axis of power, Martin O’Neill and Gordon Strachan. These are the only two names on that five year old short-list that wouldn’t invoke horror and even physical illness in Liverpool fans today. In fact, the Northern Irisham and Scot have amassed three league titles apiece with the Glasgow club, while O’Neill has restored his reputation as the Premiership’s hottest managerial property of late with Aston Villa.

Would any of these men have restored Liverpool to their place at the Premiership’s top table? Possibly. But without a flicker of doubt, not one of them has Rafa’s European credentials. And that means Benítez will be able to name his price to stay at Liverpool this summer, while his would-have-been competitors can only look on enviously at the resources and infrastructure at his disposal.

Read more here

• Real Madrid’s revenge: nick Rafa
• Liverpool make Iker Casillas cry
• Curbishley: I’m the only saviour in The Valley

About time I added a new category: SPORT

I remember my first ever visit to The Valley, home of Charlton Athletic FC. It was in the 1994-95 season. They were playing in the old Division One, the ground capacity was about 12,000, it cost about £1 for my child’s ticket and the players got changed in a portakabin in the corner of the stadium. Charlton 2 Portsmouth 0.

How times have changed. Although, the mood of Charlton fans and of the club in general seems more akin to those days (for example of drawing 0-0 away to Luton) than of the glorious highlights of the last 10 years or so: 7th in the Premier League (2004), growing and nurturing some great young talent, beating all-comers at Fortress Valley, attracting stars who could still play a bit before they retired and so on. This success was built around and, I would argue, dependant on the consistent efforts of both manager Alan Curbishley and the Charlton backroom staff.

In those days people were holding up Charlton as one of British football’s finest examples of a well-run club.  Now they are asking,“What’s gone wrong at Charlton?”

It is a sorry tale, breathtaking in its speed and a salutary lesson in the realities of modern football: it takes a lot longer to build something than tear it down.

(Paul Fletcher, BBC Sport)

I don’t think that it is a coincidence that in the years of successful Premier League survival and achievement, we had the second-longest-serving manager in the top flight. Only Sir Alex at Man United started his job before Cursbishley started his at Charlton.

We are now on our fourth manager in the last three years since Curbs’ departure. Iain Dowie tried to impress with his big spending but didn’t really cut it. Les Reed was an obscure choice and only ever a stopgap. Pardew was ok, although he failed to keep us in the top flight…and then didn’t really look as if he knew how to get us promoted from the Championship. And now Phil Parkinson – again started life as a stopgap which seems to have been extended to a permanent stopgap. He will do exceptionally well to keep us in the Championship now. Personally I don’t think he has it in him.

What can we learn from all this? Well, as the BBC blog says – it takes a lot longer to build something than to tear it down. The long, steady, measured, committed progress in the right direction of Curbishley is what made Charlton into the club that reached the heights of a deserved 7th in the Premier League. Until that commitment is shown again by a good manager, backed by a steady board, then those success stories are unlikely to be repeated. Maybe Parkinson is the man – we shall see. For now I shall leave you with my picks for my favourite Charlton XI and, to celebrate some of the greatest players to grace The Valley in recent times, I give you my All-Star International Charlton XI. COME ON YOU REDS!!!

Duality, Part Two

Some people, who have rightly garnered the public’s respect through meticulous involvement and research of the world of football, would have us believe that money is ruining the game that we love. Given the transfer activity by certain unnamed clubs during the January window, there is little basis for any kind of argument; but I think that certain factors also need to be considered.

It is noteworthy that while Liverpool Football club, in recent times (stretching beyond the 2009 January window) have acquired several promising upcoming players; the money that has been spent on them has been much less of an issue. Getting them while they are young is a philosophy that Arsene Wenger has lived by (and arguably died by) for several seasons.

 Liverpool have spent nothing in this window yet still have a very strong squad, more than capable of challenging for major honours on several fronts; yet they still lost Robbie Keane, able deputy for the somewhat injury prone Fernando Torres.

Was money the deciding factor in his decision to return? Did the fact that Tottenham are cemented firmly in the bottom half of the table seem more of an exciting prospect than almost guaranteed Champion’s League football next term? Given what I understand about football, the answer to both of those questions is probably no.

Now, I make no secret of the fact that I am not Robbie Keane’s biggest fan. I think that he is a whiney upstart, but even I have to admit that he is a professional, and more importantly, he adores the game of football. He wears his heart on his sleeve every time that he pulls on a football shirt, and even when he is diving disgracefully after feeling the toe of Robert Green slightly brush past his hip, he wants to do it for his team. I think what people forget, especially fans of football, is that players are more than just players – they are fans, bigger fans than all of us.

It is the reason why Steven Gerrard pulled out in the eleventh hour of his lucrative transfer to Chelsea in the Summer of 2005. It is the reason that Kaka stayed with the Rossoneri in spite of the quite ridiculous sums of money waved at him and his parent club.

As a West Ham United fan, I didn’t much like it when Jimmy Bullard, before the penultimate game of the 2006/07 season, when asked who he would rather see relegated out of his former club Wigan and his first club West Ham, said he would prefer the Latics stay up at our expense. It rankled with me, of course, but I almost respected him. Wigan Athletic was where Jimmy Bullard made his name. West Ham missed the boat when they sent him away from Chadwell Heath in the belief that he just wasn’t good enough.

Wigan is important to Bullard because they gave him the opportunity to do what he loved; and it was the love of the game that inspired Bullard to condemn my team to a year in the Championship.

However, I’m not quite sure where football came into his decision to join Hull City this year. I hate to admit it, but the cynic in me feels that this was a decision purely based on money – and it unfortunately smacks of the whole Ashley Cole transfer saga a few years ago. Now Mr. Cole was quoted as saying something along the lines of “Arsenal are using my love of the club to avoid paying me what I should be getting”.

The truth of the matter is that no footballer should be earning the sums of money that they receive. Whether it be £150,000 or £35,000 a week it is absolutely laughable. If Ashley Cole’s motivations were purely behind his “love” of Arsenal Football Club, he would play for free, week in week out, and he certainly wouldn’t move to a fierce city rival; perhaps the major rival in terms of silverware acquisition.

That being said, Jimmy Bullard operated under no such pretence. He wanted a salary per-week that his club, Fulham, were simply not willing to pay; and sooner than keep him until the end of his contract and lose him to someone else for no money, the Fulham board made the right decision in accepting the highest bid. Whether or not a midfielder who has spent much of the past two years on the treatment table and appeared to rescue a distinctly underperforming Fulham side from relegation last season, is worth breaking a club transfer fee record for remains to be seen.

And all of this just seems to highlight the notion of just how fickle football fans, and baring in mind that players are the biggest fans of them all, can be. So many transfers between teams seem to scream the question “WHY?!?”; but I think that the way us mere supporters behave can be just as ludicrous.

Some sections of the sporting media vilify Craig Bellamy for his gradual volte-face about his feelings for West Ham; when he arrived for a club record of £7.25 million, he figured that this was the best place for him to be to achieve European football and get first team games under his belt – and it is hard to find any link as to why he would choose to go to Manchester City (and throw his toys out of the pram when his transfer request was rejected). Bare in mind that this is a team that tried, albeit unsuccessfully, to buy both Kaka and Roque Santa Cruz – and had they been successful, in a team that already boasts the British transfer record Robinho, would there have been much room for the mercurial Bellars amongst Stephen Ireland, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Michael Johnson? Hard to say.

But is that so bad compared to what those who pay for their season tickets?

Certain managers have documented their reasons for criticising Craig Bellamy; but is it any worse than fans refusing outright to renew season tickets because they disagree with the methods or tactics of the managers. Certain sections of the Upton Park faithful last season, in spite of a reasonable tenth-placed finish, took umbrage from the way that Alan Curbishley had the team playing, often with a quite defensive outlook and fairly hopeful route one play – I think that it is worthwhile to consider that his record in the formative stages of the 2008/09 season, under Alan Curbishley, we recorded maximum points from our first two home games, scoring six and conceding only two. It wasn’t pretty, but it was effective. When Gianfranco Zola took over, his philosophy of exciting football garnered six points from his first two games, but this was followed by a run of consecutive defeats; and although we are beginning to find our feet now (getting results with crowd-pleasing football), it would be interesting to ask some of Curbishley’s boo-boys whether they would rather pay their £30 every other week to watch a team play well and get beat, or see some hopeful balls be punted up to the front men and get the goals that secure us three points and a pleasing table position at the end of Monday’s evening fixture.

The point is that it is very hard to say; football fans want to see different things. Arsenal fans want Champion’s League football, and thusly would be gutted with a 6^th placed finish; whereas Portsmouth fans would be over the moon to finish 6^th. But the dichotomy is also within fans of the same team. Allow me to explain.

Those wizened East Enders who used to watch Billy Bonds and Trevor Brooking turn on the style, ably supported by Frank Lampard Senior as they froze off their extremities in The Chicken Run have an altogether different standard than me, for instance. I have never seen my team lift the FA Cup, so I am likely to take just as much satisfaction from narrowly beating Stoke at home than they would from an away victory at White Hart Lane or Elland Road. It is entirely about expectations.

But these expectations don’t just vary over the course of twenty-five or thirty years; three seasons ago, in West Ham United’s home fixture against Aston Villa, we had no mercy on the midlands team, eventually demolishing them 4-0 with a hat-trick from Marlon Harewood and the first Premier League goal of one Yossi Benayoun. In the same fixture this year, I felt particular hard-done by when they returned to Birmingham 1-0 winners in spite of being matched in most areas of the pitch. I was still incredibly proud of the boys’ performance against a side that have established themselves in the Premiership elite – but I was disappointed last season when, on the final day, a Dean Ashton net-buster salvaged a point (a solid home point, on reflection, I might add, under Curbishley’s route one style of play that created so much chagrin with the fans). Aston Villa were just as strong last season as they have been this year; so my sudden change of expectations and emotions just serves to highlight how fickle I can be in my own support, so it could even be argued that the dichotomy stretches as far as the inner emotions of one supporter, but that is the subject of another blog.

So with that in mind, I think that it is quite harsh to criticise players for their decisions. After all, in spite of Robbie Keane’s well-documented fandom of Liverpool FC, he still jumped at the chance to return to Tottenham, because he had the opportunity to play his style of football there. Perhaps he didn’t feel the level of expectation to perform that a £20 million rated striker at a Champion’s League club brings. And the love of the game is also what took Jimmy Bullard to Hull City; maybe not the loyalty to a club or the desire to be a part of a unique team, but a desire to get the best out of one of the perks that the game brings – a good, a bloody good, living wage. All of these factors add up to make football.

So when football itself is comprised of so many unpredictable variables, and so are the expectations of fans and players, it comes as little wonder that every season, so many unbelievable things occur.

It’s a funny old game.

Christopher Soall, Kensington Palace, 06/02/09

Nearly 4 days after – Boro face a lingering remnant of their recent flaccidity at The Hawthornes. Stomped 3-0 as the hosts, at the foot of the table, completed their first ever Premiership double…further penalty for the Digard sending-off. Our track record w/ the appeals process is laughable; a likely financial penalty would further enforce the staunch policy adopted towards the current transfer window. Everyone else around us is doing business…WBA fielded a strike force cobbled together via loans – Jay Simpson (Arsenal) and Marc-Antoine Fortune (AS Nancy-Lorraine). What happened to our seemingly stable business relationship w/ AFC? If not Simpson, why couldn’t we net Vela for the rest of the season?

This posturing concerning doing things the ‘right way’ is cruel and tiresome…if Steve Gibson is serious about retaining top-flight membership then he may have no choice but to sack the Boro loyalist who ascended to the managerial spot in 2006. But w/ that lies the salary for an Alan Curbishley or Avram Grant, or even Sven…plus additional funds to allow them to work the final days of the window.

We need goals…we need depth…we need steel…we need to stop fucking conceding late goals.

One thing you cannot argue with, is statistics. And one statistic which Paul Ince will not much like the look of is the fact that there are currently no Premier League managers who have come into their current job on the back of a sacking from a top-flight club. That could mean years of lower league management for Ince.

That means, theoretically, that after 17 games in charge of Blackburn Rovers Ince, at 41 years of age, will struggle to get the chance to again prove himself in the Premier League. Welcome to the managerial scrapheap Mr Ince.

This article is not one which is going to chastise John Williams, the Blackburn chairman, for sacking his manager. Five points a drift from safety, with only one win in 11 games, means the dismissal of the rookie is not a surprising one.

The sacking leaves some critical questions: what affect will the dismissal have?; and these 17 league games in charge changed the perception of Ince the manager? It certainly demonstrates how a bad run of results can impact so negatively the career of a manager. His previous achievements will be quickly forgotten; and in the days following the dismissal we will surely hear from ex-players, and anonymous sources on the apparent “shocking truth” of his dressing room.

This is not a new scenario, and it has happened to much more accomplished managers than Ince. Take Sam Allardyce for example. Having taken Bolton “as far as he could”, leaving them in Europe, with such stars as Nicolas Anelka, Jay-Jay Okocha, and El-Hadj Diouf entertaining the half-full Reebok Stadium, Allardyce left being a serious contender for the England Job.

Eventually he took over at Newcastle, and having led the troubled club to their most successful start to a season in a number of years, Newcastle went through a bad patch. However, with the club sat in 12th position in the league, and the manager only six months into his tenure, his sacking came as a surprise.

Followed was a media frenzy, with the term “flop” bandied about so willingly that it has almost lost all meaning in the tabloids. Allardyce tried to get back into management at Blackburn, but the board, so unwilling to take on such a “flop”, instead opted for the unproven Ince, an experiment which has failed.

The backlash of leaving a club in a less than healthy league position is not exclusive to sacked managers. Take Roy Keane or Alan Curbishley. In just over two years Roy Keane turned Sunderland from being a relegation-threatened Championship club into a solid top-flight team, to such an extent that he was linked with the Chelsea job as recently at the summer. Now, following the media furore of him leaving the club, with ex-players coming out of the woodwork criticising his style, and columnists such as Tony Cascarino labelling him “a bottler”, which club would now consider him as their new manager?

How about Curbishley? So successful at Charlton that he was amongst the favourites to succeed Houllier at Liverpool, the manager eventually took control of West Ham. Having avoided the drop in his first season in miraculous fashion, Curbishley consolidated in year two, finishing 10th, and subsequently guided the club into fifth potion before departing. He blamed decisions being made “without involving me”, amounting to “a breach of trust and confidence meaning I had no option but to leave.” 

Another media frenzy inevitably passed, criticising his history in the transfer market, and while his work at West Ham warrants a large amount of respect, his reputation has suffered from it.

So where next for the Premier League chairman? John Williams at Blackburn opted for Ince out of a shortlist including Allardyce and Steve McClaren, choosing, as West Ham have done with Zola, to go with a young unproven manager. Embroiled in the relegation dogfight, do they they try and pull a manager of of this so-called “scrapheap”? We shall see.

Einige kurze Meldungen, die allesamt keinen eigenen Artikel verdienen…

• Der kicker spekuliert, ob Bernd Schuster eventuell seine Entlassung bei Real Madrid letztes Wochenende provozieren wollte. Im Hinblick auf das Spitzenspiel am kommenden Wochenende hatte der heute entlassene Trainer gesagt, es werde nicht möglich sein, gegen den FC Barcelona zu gewinnen, dafür sei diese Mannschaft zu gut. Der kicker beleuchtet auch die vereinsinternen Probleme von Real Madrid: Nachdem sich Präsident Ramón Calderón bei dem Dauerstreit zwischen Sportdirektor Mijatovic und Trainer Schuster geweigert hatte, für eine Seite Partei zu ergreifen, wurde in den letzten Spielen von den Fans der Rücktritt Calderóns gefordert. Es könnte durchaus möglich sein, dass Calderón Schuster entlassen hat, um die aufgebrachten Fans zu beruhigen und seine eigene Position zu sichern.
• Nach kicker-Informationen wechselt Ronaldo zu Corinthians São Paulo. Der 32-jährige Stürmer spielte seit 1996 für einige der besten Vereine der Welt (FC Barcelona, Inter Mailand, Real Madrid, AC Mailand), hatte aber nach einem Patellasehnenriss im linken Knie im Februar 2008 (damals im Trikot von Milan) keinen Fuß mehr auf den Boden bekommen. Die Reha verlief schleppend, er kämpfte mit dem Übergewicht, sein Vertrag bei den «Rossoneri» wurde nicht verlängert. Immer wieder brachte er sich selbst bei verschiedenen Klubs ins Gespräch, kokettierte etwa mit einem Vertragsangebot des gerade frisch mit Petro-Dollars gestärkten Premier-League-Vereins Manchester City. Der dreimalige «Weltfußballer des Jahre» wird nach Angaben seines Agenten Fabiano Farah den Vertrag mit dem Erstliga-Aufsteiger Corinthians in den kommenden Tagen unterschreiben; «Il Fenomeno» plant also ein Comeback in der brasilianischen Liga
• Ryan Babel fordert beim FC Liverpool mehr Spielpraxis und will dazu auf Leihbasis zu seinem Ex-Klub Ajax Amsterdam zurückkehren. Die «Reds» verwehrten ihm allerdings diesen Wunsch. Die BBC zitiert Babels Spielerberater Winnie Haatrecht, der erklärt, Babel sitze in Liverpool zu oft auf der Bank und fordert mehr Spielzeit. Babel war im Sommer 2007 für 11,5 Millionen Pfund an die Anfield Road gewechselt, für Trainer Rafael Benitez ist er aber in erster Linie ein Einwechselspieler, vor allem seitdem sich der Verein im vergangenen Sommer mit Albert Riera verstärkt hat.
  Babel gehe es in Liverpool gut, so Haartrecht, jedoch sei er mit den Einsatzzeiten unzufrieden: «Let’s be clear – Ryan feels great at Liverpool, but for him to develop further he needs to get playing time.»
• Der FC Arsenal fördert eine ganze Reihe von jungen Talenten, indem sie an niederklassige Vereine verliehen werden (die BBC liefert eine Übersicht). Arsene Wenger will Jay Simpson, Gavin Hoyte und Kieran Gibbs durch Leihverträge zu mehr Spielpraxis verhelfen, sie sollen in der «Championship» (der zweiten englischen Liga) für drei oder vier Monate spielen. Zum Problem könnte hier Jack Wilshire werden, der als eines der größten Talente der «Gunners» unbedingt Erfahrungen sammeln soll, aber mit 16 Jahren noch nicht im englischen Profifußball spielen darf (die englischen Ligen erlauben Profi-Verträge erst ab dem 18. Lebensjahr).
  Jay Simpson war bereits in der letzten Saison an den FC Millwall verliehen worden und wurde dort zum «League One player of the year» gekürt (im Moment soll laut Daily Mirror der Premier-League-Aufsteiger West Bromwich Albion daran interessiert sein, Simpson auszuleihen). Kieran Gibbs spielte bereits einige Monate für Norwich City. Gavin Hoyte absolvierte für Arsenal drei Spiele im Carling Cup; es wird gemunkelt, dass sein Profivertrag schon in der Vorbereitung ist.
  Was mich wundert: Wieso versuchen deutsche Zweitligisten nicht, an diesen Talentpool heranzukommen? Momentan kenne ich nur David Hoilett, der von den Blackburn Rovers an den FC St. Pauli ausgeliehen wurde. Warum versucht man nicht, einen Mann wie Simpson nach Deutschland zu lotsen? Im schlechtesten Falle sitzt er auf der Bank, im besten Fall belebt er das Team…
• Bastian Schweinsteiger bleibt beim FC Bayern München, schlägt also Vertragsangebote von Inter Mailand, Real Madrid und Juventus Turin aus. Kai Pahl spekuliert bei twitter: Dienten die ganzen Gerüchte um den Wechsel von Ivica Olic nach München nur dazu, den Preis für Schweinsteiger zu drücken? Hört sich nicht unbedingt blöd an… Schweinsteiger hat einen 3-Jahres-Vertrag bis 2012 unterschrieben, der kicker bleibt bei seiner These, dass man an der Säbener Straße wohl etwa doppelt so viel wie bisher für Schweinsteiger zahlen muss, das wären etwa 3 Millionen Euro jährlich.
• Beim Kollegen Breitnigge werden eventuelle Bayern-Transfers diskutiert. Neu auf der Liste: Yoann Gourcuff. Stammverein AC Mailand (Vertrag bis 2012), im Moment an Girondins Bordeaux ausgeliehen (Kaufoption bis April 2009: 15 Millionen Euro), französischer Nationalspieler, Kumpel von Ribéry, 22 Jahre jung. In den Kommentaren sagt man ihm Ähnlichkeit zu Schweinsteiger nach, nur mit mehr Tempo und besseren Dribblings.
• In den Breitnigge-Kommentaren wird auch Stephane Sessegnon als mögliche Neuverpflichtung gehandelt. Er soll Ribéry ähneln, auch hier wurden mehrfach Talentscouts auf der Tribüne gesichtet. Nachdem sein Verein Paris Saint-Germain zuletzt eher erfolglos blieb, könnte hier auch ein Transfer billiger sein als bei Gourcuff.
• Für den Angriff soll auch (wieder sind hier die Referenz die Breitnigge-Kommentatoren) Mario Mandzukic im Gespräch sein, ein schneller und flexibler Kroate, der für etwas mehr als 10 Millionen an die Isar wechseln könnte. Mandzukic ist kein Strafraumstürmer, sondern steht gerne etwas tiefer im Feld, gilt als Konterspieler. Als Problem gilt hier sein Verein: Roter Stern Belgrad ist für Härte bei den Verhandlungen bekannt und unter zehn Millionen Euro wird wohl kein Transfer über die Bühne gehen.
• Rückschlag für den FC Bayern: Laut kicker-Informationen wird Anatoliy Tymoshchuk wohl eher nicht an die Säbener Straße wechseln. Der 29-jährige defensive Mittelfeldspieler besitzt bei Zenit St. Petersburg einen hoch dotierten Vertrag mit zahlreichen Sonderklauseln, auf die er in München wohl verzichten möchte. Meine Prognose: Die Bayern suchen sich einen etwas jüngeren Mann, vielleicht einmal wieder einer von den britischen Inseln oder aus Frankreich?
• Noch eine Anmerkung zum Wechsel von Timo Hildebrand zur TSG Hoffenheim: Ralf Rangnick hatte seinerzeit Hildebrand beim VfB Stuttgart zu den Profis geholt und bezeichnete ihn als den «fußballerisch besten» deutschen Torhüter.
• Schalke 04 scheint im Moment die Angst zu packen, junge Talente zu früh ziehen zu lassen: Der Vertrag mit dem Innenverteidiger Benedikt Höwedes wurde laut kicker bis 2014 verlängert. In der Vergangenheit hatten z.B. Mesut Özil (Werder Bremen) und Alexander Baumjohann (Borussia Mönchengladbach) Gelsenkirchen verlassen und sich bei ihren neuen Klubs prächtig entwickelt. Höwedes ist derzeit U21-Nationalspieler und absolvierte bislang 16 Bundesliga-Spiele im Trikot der Königsblauen.
• Übrigens: Ex-Österreich-Coach Josef Hickersberger geht zu Al Wahda (Dubai). Was viele nicht wissen dürften: Hickersberger geisterte schon sehr früh, von 1995 bis 2002, als Trainer durch die arabische Fußballwelt.
• Sergej Barbarez, von 2000 bis 2006 beim HSV aktiv, kandidiert laut BILD-Informationen für den Aufsichtsrat der Hamburger. Parallel macht er in Bosnien seinen Trainerschein.
• Nach einem Kreuzbandriss im rechten Knie fällt Gennaro Gattuso wohl bis zum Ende der Saison aus. Der defensive Mittelfeldspieler des AC Mailand hatte sich die Verletzung im Spiel gegen Catania ohne gegnerische Einwirkung zugezogen.
• Bernd Schuster wird schon kurz nach seiner Entlassung wieder als Kandidat für neue Vereine gehandelt. Nachdem ZSKA-Moskau-Coach Valery Gazzaev seinen Rücktritt zum Saisonende angekündigt hatte, gelten laut der russischen Zeitung Moskowski Komsomolez Fatih Terim, Roberto Mancini und Schuster als die aussichtsreichsten Anwärter.
• Wo wir schon bei Real Madrid sind: Der neue Trainer Juande Ramos plant einige Talente seines Ex-Klubs Tottenham Hotspur nach Spanien zu lotsen. Laut Daily Mirror erklärte Tottenham-Vorstand Daniel Levy, Ramos’ Wunschkandidat Aaron Lennon könne für 20 Millionen Pfund nach Madrid wechseln. Der englische Nationalspieler war im Jahr 2006 der jüngste Spieler der Geschichte der Premier League gewesen und hat sich seitdem als feste Größe im Mittelfeld der Spurs etabliert. Der 21-Jährige spielt auf dem rechten Flügel, bevorzugt offensiv.
• Die Sportredaktion der ARD hat ein interessantes Porträt von Jörn Andersen, Trainer des Zweitliga-Tabellenführers FSV Mainz 05. Dort hatte der Norweger, der vorher nur als Coach von RW Oberhausen und als Co-Trainer bei Borussia Mönchengladbach neben Horst Köppel Erfahrung sammeln konnte, als Nachfolger von Jürgen Klopp enorme Erwartungen zu erfüllen – und entfachte in Mainz mit begeisterndem Offensivspiel eine neue Euphorie. Was sich noch zeigen muss: Hat Andersen auch bei der Transferpolitik Erfolg?
• Roy Keane hat nach seiner Kündigung in Sunderland seine Trainer-Karriere ausdrücklich nicht für beendet erklärt. Über die «Leagues Managers Association» teilte er der BBC mit:
  

  I look forward to building on those experiences [Anmerkung: Keane hatte zuvor erklärt, in seiner Zeit bei Sunderland viel über das Trainergeschäft gelernt zu haben] and, sometime in the future, returning to management.

  Es heißt, dass Keane eventuell Trainer bei Celtic Glasgow werden könnte, falls Gordon Strachan dort im Sommer zurücktreten oder vorher von Sunderland abgeworben (siehe unten) werden sollte.

• Derweil kocht die Gerüchteküche in Sunderland hoch. Als Kandidaten für den frei gewordenen Trainerposten werden laut BBC gehandelt: Sam Allardyce, Phil Brown (im Moment: Hull City), Gordon Strachan (im Moment: Celtic Glasgow), Avram Grant, Martin Jol (im Moment: HSV), Ronald Koeman, Owen Coyle, Ally McGoist (stürmte früher für Sunderland, war als Assistenztrainer bei den Glasgow Rangers), Serse Cosmi, Sunderlands-Hauptinvestor Ellis Short wünscht gerüchteweise einen jungen oder einen international bekannten Trainer, während der Vereinsvorsitzende Niall Quinn angeblich einen Kandidaten aus der Region favorisiert. Ob Ex-Sunderland-Trainer Peter Reid (im Moment Nationaltrainer von Thailand, aber mit einer Ausstiegsklausel für englische Vereine ausgestattet) auch zu den Kandidaten zu zählen ist, ist unklar: Manche Zeitungen bestätigen, andere dementieren dies. Nichts Genaues weiß man nicht.
  Sicher aus dem Rennen sind: das Interims-Gespann Ricky Sbragia und Dwight Yorke, Alan Curbishley, Sven-Göran Eriksson (der als aussichtsreicher Kandidat galt, aber erklärte, er fühle sich als mexikanischer Nationaltrainer sehr wohl), Gerard Houllier (auch er hatte gute Chancen, erklärte aber, er habe kein Interesse), Co Adriaanse (der heißeste Kandidat winkte ebenfalls ab und bleibt bei Red Bull Salzburg). Sbragia selbst schloss ein dauerhaftes Engagement nicht aus und ist auch bei Sunderlands Funktionären gut angesehen, berichtet die Daily Mail. Die Kombination mit Yorke gilt aber als Übergangslösung.
• Wo wir schon bei Trainerkandidaten sind: Gegenüber Daily Mirror und Daily Star hat West Ham Uniteds Trainer Gianfranco Zola erklärt, seine bisher beste Verpflichtung sei sein Co-Trainer Steve Clarke. Clarke war zuvor gemeinsam mit Henk ten Cate Co-Trainer beim FC Chelsea unter Avram Grant gewesen. Sieht so aus, als würde Clarke demnächst als vollverantwortlicher Trainer arbeiten…
• Celtic Glasgow wird laut The Sun in den kommenden Tagen das 21-jährige nordirische «Wunderkind» Niall McGinn für eine Ablöse von 200.000 Pfund von Derry City kaufen (wir berichteten ja bereits über den irischen Fußball und die Sonderrolle, die Derry spielt: die Nordiren spielen in der Liga der Republik Irland). Der Flügelspieler ist der zweite Spieler, der in den vergangenen sechs Monaten von Derry zu Celtic wechselte, vor ihm ging schon Paddy McCourt diesen Weg.

Tony Cascarino has no sympathy for Roy Keane. (The Times)

Cesc Fabregas is “100 percent committed to Arsenal.” (Arsenal Mania)

Real Madrid fill their hole at Dutch striker, by adding Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. (101 Great Goals)

Freddie Ljungberg associates with a bunch of losers in Seattle. (The Beautiful Game)

Curb Your Enthusiasm Sunderland fans.  The bookies are taking a shine to Alan Curbishley for your next manager. (Chickendinner)

Mike Carabine

All the Arsenal fans amongst you will immediately recognise the 19^th Century French proverb, the first documented usage of which was in a work by the great Alfonse Karr. More familiar to the rest of us is the translated version in George Bernard Shaw’s “Revolutionist’s Handbook” in 1903, “the more things change, the more they stay the same”.

When I wrote my last blog on 1^st September, the sun was shining, I wasn’t the co-owner of several High Street banks and West Ham United were bumbling along under the tutelage of Alan Curbishley. Looking back some of my comments were strangely prescient if you consider subsequent events;

·         3^rd September – AC decides he has been undermined by the Director of Football and quits.

·         12^th September – XL, our shirt sponsors, go into administration. Cue much embarrassment as we have to play firstly with naff patches on the front of our shirts and then duplicate shirt numbers. It emerges that Bjorgulfer Gudmundsson has taken over the bank debt personally before the XL Group goes under.

·         7^th October – Landski Bank, owned by BG, goes into administration too.

At least the way in which we went about securing a new manager gave the impression that we knew what we were doing, with short listing and interviewing taking place swiftly and with a minimum of fuss (at least compared to Our Friends in the North East!). The fans favourite would have been Slaven Bilic but he couldn’t be persuaded to forsake Croatia (or wasn’t considered depending on who you believe). So we end up with Gianfranco Zola as boss, a fine footballer who played in a style West Ham fans appreciated, but with little practical experience of managing and even worse a Chelsea legend!

A reasonable start has transformed into a terrible current run and a match against one of our bogey sides, Everton, was not what the doctor ordered. Last December I headed to a freezing Upton Park and watched us throw away an early lead in a Carling Cup quarter-final, with Yakubu profiting from a mix up between Danny Gabbidon and Rob Green to score the winner with a couple of minutes to go. On Saturday I was heading back to the pub after playing in a 2-0 defeat but at least cheered by the news that the Irons were ahead. As we hit the outskirts of Chelmsford, 5Live flashed over to the Boleyn Ground and my worst fears were realised 1-1. When two minutes later they went back my heart sank, 1-2. When a further goal was announced almost immediately after I made the fatal mistake of thinking we had equalised – oops!

The last time we kept a clean sheet was back in February, the worst run ever by a Premier league side. Rumours abound that the Club is to be sold, but who will buy with a possible £30m + payout to Sheffield United hanging over us?  

Still things could be worse I suppose, Alan Curbishley could have been successful in his rumoured pursuit of Joey Barton at the end of last season!

Upton Park. Green Street. Londres. 15:00 horas. Gianfranco Zola se sienta en el banquillo del West Ham United para dirigir a su nuevo equipo ante el Newcastle en la quinta jornada de la Premier League inglesa. Otra tradición cae en el fútbol más antiguo, visceral y sentimental del mundo. El italiano se convierte en el primer técnico foráneo de la historia ‘hammer’ y pone fin 113 años de mandato británico en el banquillo londinense.

Tras la renuncia de Alan Curbishley a principios de este mes, por su desacuerdo con los traspasos de Anton Ferdinand y George Mccartney al Sunderland, el propietario del club, el islandés Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, apostó por el pequeño ex jugador de Nápoles, Parma y Chelsea, entre otros, para hacerse cargo del equipo. Toda una apuesta personal y de futuro ya que Zola ejercía como ayudante de Pierluigi Casiraghi en la selección sub’21 italiana, hasta el momento su única experiencia en un banquillo.

De esta forma el transalpino se convierte en el duodécimo técnico del West Ham en toda su historia. Una cifra espectacular si se tiene en cuenta la más que centenaria historia del conjunto ‘hammer’ desde que fue fundado en 1895 con el nombre de Thames Ironworks F.C. y refundado una década más tarde con su actual denominación. El dato sobre la longevidad en el banquillo de Upton Park es todavía más escalofriante si se tiene en cuenta que Curbishley, el antecesor de Zola, apenas duró un par de años en el cargo. El ex técnico llegó a mediados de la temporada 2006-07, en sustitución de Alan Pardew (2003-2006), y logró una milagrosa, a la par que histórica, permanencia en la Premier League en la que la resurrección de Carlos Tévez tuvo mucho que ver.

Previamente, el banquillo ‘hammer’ fue ocupado por Glenn Roeder (2001-2003), Harry Redknapp (1994-2001), Billy Bounds (1990-94), Lou Macari (1989-90), John Lyall (1974-89), Ron Greenwood (1961-74), Ted Fenton (1950-61), Charlie Payter (1932-50) y Syd King (1901-32). De todos ellos, sólo Macari no era inglés, sino escocés.

El histórico debut de Gianfranco Zola terminó con una clara victoria 3-1 ante el Newcastle. Otro italiano recientemente incorporado, David Di Michele anotó dos tantos para los ‘hammers’ y Matthew Etherington estableció el tercero. Michael Owen marcó el gol del honor para los ‘magpies’. El partido estuvo marcado por otra curiosidad de igual o mayor trascendencia, pero de mucho menos valor histórico. El West Ham saltó al césped con los dorsales de los jugadores bordados en el pecho tras la quiebra la la compañía aérea XL.com, principal sponsor del club. Ni siquiera el fútbol más rico del mundo se salva de la crisis.