With the countdown of Football Manager 2012 just under a month away we will be running a series of articles looking back at what is simply a football institution and a mainstay in most supporters’ lives.
We all know how incredibly addictive the game is and it has even been cited as the reason behind 30 divorces since the game’s inception in the early 1980s. Football Manager gives supporters an entirely different outlook of what goes on behind the scenes in the running of a club and you find yourself immersed in what is needed to ensure your team eventually reaches the top. You experience all the highs and lows as you indulge yourself in this fantasy world.
In the first article we look back at the former heroes of the game and some of the players we were all so quick to snap up during our managerial stints.
[divider]
Click on the image below to see some of Championship Manager’s cult heroes
[divider]
[divider]
Compiled by Zarif Rasul
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
England confirmed their place in the 2012 Euro Championship with a 2-2 draw against Montenegro, in the Podgorica City Stadium.
Played in a hostile atmosphere, Fabio Capello’s men were seemingly cruising after racing into a 2-0 lead courtesy of goals from Darren Bent and Ashley Young. England looked in relative control but like so many times before under the Italian’s reign they were responsible for their own downfall that brought Montenegro back into the game on the stroke of half time.
The second half played out in much the same vein, with Scott Parker in particular impressing in midfield and just as England looked in control of the contest, a moment of madness from Wayne Rooney, 20 minutes from time, ensured a tense finish that eventually opened the door for Montenegro to score a late equaliser. Capello was absolutely furious at his No.10 and the sending off ensures that Rooney will be suspended for the Euro 2012 opener.
Despite Rooney’s actions, the final whistle meant it was job done for Fabio Capello who can now start preparing for the tournament in Poland and the Ukraine in the coming months.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
In this week’s episode of Eastenders, Phil angrily confronted Christian and their argument took a violent turn, leaving Roxy to plead with Ben to tell the truth whilst Jane chastised Ian for neglecting Bobby. Dramatic stuff indeed, yet a couple of miles away from the relative tranquility of Walford, an even more absurd soap opera is taking place concerning the nations Olympic Stadium.
On Tuesday a 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of fraud following complaints made by West Ham United and the Olympic Park Legacy Committee (OPLC) against Tottenham Hotspur. The arrest came about just hours after the OPLC Chair Baroness Ford accused Spurs of placing 14 of her board members ‘under surveillance’ as the spat over the future of the Olympic Stadium escalated.
The tit-for-tat row between the OPLC, Newham Council, West Ham, Tottenham and Leyton Orient shows no signs of receding after a decision to grant tendership of the stadium to the Hammers was rescinded last month under the threat of numerous legal challenges.
West Ham were the OPLC’s choice from the off due to their acceptance to leave the running track around the Olympic athletics venue and given the purported conduct of Spurs throughout the whole process, it is difficult to see how they have any chance of claiming ownership of the site when it is re-tendered next month.
So, for the sake of protocol the whole thing needs going over again which remains in keeping with the confused and conflicting opinions of what is best for the venue which will be the showpiece of next summers London Olympic Games.
With location, east-end identity and the maintenance of the running track in their favour, West Ham remain favourites to be allowed to take up residence but inevitably another twist to the plot has further made the whole thing look even more shambolic, dysfunctional and disrespectful to what should be an iconic national image.
After being the front-runners for occupancy since day one, West Ham co-Chairman David Gold has now admitted that the club might not be all that interested in taking up the offer after all.
Speaking to talksport, Gold confessed he had ‘mixed feelings’ over moving away from Upton Park and into the Olympic Stadium and expressed ‘doubts’ about ‘unresolved issues’. All of which sounds fairly ominous as the legacy of the stadium hangs in the balance.
Central to Gold’s ‘doubts’ maybe that, under the terms of the new tender proposed as London bids for the 2017 World Athletics Championships, track and field events take precedence over all other sports – a notion which would considerably weaken West Ham’s previously exhalted position and lessen any designs they had on being overtly in control of the venue.
What’s difficult to ascertain is just where this leaves the club, and what the genuine intentions of the board are. The realigned conditions may mean Gold, Sullivan and Brady are genuinely considering an alternative option to the Olympic Stadium, or it could just be innuendo to scare the OPLC into loosening the noose to allow the Hammers more autonomy.
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]
For a start, the move to the Olympic Stadium was not a universally popular decision amongst the club’s following who were largely underwhelmed at the prospect of having to watch games from beyond the boundaries of a running track. Ideally, all concerned with West Ham would want to own their own ground and be the masters of their own fortune, but financial constraints means thats wishful thinking too.
All of which leaves the Irons supposedly stuck between a rock and a hard place which is where savvy business folk like Gold and Sullivan won’t feel comfortable, but where they are also wise enough to try to navigate from.
So, it does make you wonder whether their perceived poker face about declining a move to the Olympic Stadium is nothing more than a tactile gesture to call the bluff of the OPLC and the relevant authorities into climbing back into bed with West Ham.
What the OPLC will be privately fearing but would never admit too, is that if West Ham do pull out and Tottenham refuse to accept the maintenance of the running track, they could be faced with the very embarrassing proposition of having a multi-million pound state of the art stadium with huge national significance being lay dormant for huge swathes of the year and for the foreseeable future.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Of course, Leyton Orient would still maintain their interest and even argue they should be granted the stadium on purely geographical grounds anyway, but again, could the OPLC really justify using a stadium built on massive tax expenditure to house a few thousand fans to watch League One football?
On the exterior it may look like West Ham are wobbling but don’t be surprised if their position is further strengthened by showing their hand first.
Juventus’ Milos Krasic may yet be set for the Premier League, according to comments by his agent Dejan Joksimovic. (MirrorFootball)
The 27 year old shone for Juve last season and has previously been targeted by Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund, however he has made just six appearances this season as ‘The Old Lady’ have reached the summit of Serie A.
Just last month, Krasic seemed to rule out a move away from Juventus, stating that despite interest from Dortmund and United, ‘all my plans are connected to Juventus.’
However, Krasic’s agent has opened the door to a potential move after admitting the Serb required regular football if he was to stay at Juve.
Joksimovic stated, ‘His future depends on what happens at Juventus in the next months. If he starts playing regularly then he could stay in Italy otherwise he will have to go.’
‘He would certainly move to a top division like the Bundesliga or the Premier League.’
According to his agent, two offers for Krasic have already been rejected, with Juve keen to keep hold of the winger.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
However, if the former CSKA Moscow man continues to be deprived of first team football is may only be a matter of time before United and Dortmund renew their interest.
West Ham were by far the worst team in the Premier League last season, winning just seven games throughout the whole campaign. Avram Grant could not have done any more in helping the Hammers to relegation and should have been sacked in January when Martin O’Neill was lined up as his replacement before it was leaked to the press.
The football was terrible to watch each week and a lack of passion and commitment was obvious throughout the majority of the squad. Relegation however has been a positive learning curve for the remaining squad players, owners and fans. Lessons have thankfully been learnt at Upton Park and the club will only benefit from the changes that have been made.
Goals win games
The first lesson that has been rectified to a degree was the lack of goals. Carlton Cole has never been and will never be a prolific striker and Freddie Piquionne and Victor Obinna failed to make much of an impact at all. Robbie Keane seemed to forget what a goal looked like which left Demba Ba to be the only player that could put the ball away after his January arrival, but that was too little too late.
33 goals in 38 games is unacceptable and narrow defeats were a regular occurrence for the Irons who made sufficient chances throughout the season. Over the summer the owners and new manager, Sam Allardyce realised the obvious problem and signed John Carew and Sam Baldock to add fire power, as well as attacking midfielder Kevin Nolan. Astonishingly the Hammers have already scored more goals in the first third of this season than the whole of the last campaign and that has been the catalyst to their good form.
A lack of loyalty from some players
Another lesson learnt was probably more for the supporters than it was for the club and that was the lack of player loyalty. The East End club gave chances to players when other teams wouldn’t and perhaps assumed that the players would repay the faith shown in them. But that wasn’t the case; Thomas Hitzlsperger was out injured for the majority of the season and then jumped ship in the summer after relegation. Demba Ba was asked to stay on at Upton Park after the Hammers were the only club willing to give him a chance in January, but he turned it down. Other out of contract players such as Mathew Upson did not sign new deals and left the squad very thin on numbers when pre-season arrived.
Perhaps I was naive when I felt that maybe Ba and Hitzlsperger would stay until January at least to give something back to the club that gave them a chance, perhaps, but only in football would that lack of loyalty be accepted.
The fans will always stick with the team
One thing that the rest of the Premier League learnt about the Hammers was that no matter how bad it got, the fans would always follow them wherever they went. Home attendances were consistently competitive and the away following would sell out 90% of the time. The trip to the DW Stadium on the penultimate week of the season sums it up perfectly. Anything less than two wins from two games would see them relegated and for a club that had only won twice away from home in 18 months, not likely. But 5,000 travelling fans sold out the away end in the North West and sang and cheered throughout the whole 90 minutes and the following three hour train journey home, even after relegation was confirmed.
Yes Blackpool fans may have done the same, but it was a first for them, they hadn’t been to Old Trafford, the Emirates and Anfield all in the same season in the top flight, they hadn’t expected anything more than relegation back in August. West Ham did.
[divider]
[gigya_reactions]
[divider]
A cup run did not help the league form
Another aspect that the Hammers will have learnt from last season is that a cup run does not always help your confidence and form in the league. Birmingham City were a prime example of that but they played just one extra game than West Ham last year and they won that at Wembley
The London club were one game away from Wembley twice last season after losing in the Carling Cup semi final and the FA Cup quarter final, both to late goals. That heartache of last gasp cup defeat, twice heavily dented the confidence of the West Ham squad that failed to recover from either result. A chance for a club like West Ham to get to Wembley is a huge achievement and would have brought the players and fans together for a joyous occasion, but it was cruelly snatched away.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The owners have shown their colours
The final lesson learnt is one definitely, solely for Hammers fans and it is that the clubs owners David Gold and David Sullivan are definitely putting their money where their mouths are. The two David’s are often seen in the press, speaking their minds on all things West Ham, and at first it took a while for the supporters to get behind them. But this summer and the realisation of relegation has brought the fans and owners together to get behind the manager and the team at all times.
For a club that was in unbelievable amounts of debt when bought by the former Birmingham City chairmen, to now spending money freely as a Championship club with the signings of Kevin Nolan, Sam Baldock, Matty Taylor etc, is a real achievement. They are pumping their own money into the club and they are very unlikely to see a return on that, making it a very selfless act and one that should definitely be praised.
Currently sitting in the top two of the Championship, West Ham have a great chance at returning to the top flight at the first attempt and will be bigger and stronger for the year away.
Blackburn boss Steve Kean has stated that he expects to stay on as the side’s manager, despite the Lancashire club being beaten 2-1 by relegation rivals Bolton on Tuesday night.
First half goals from Mark Davies and Nigel Reo-Coker gave The Trotters a half time 2-0 lead; Yakubu managed to pull one back but Rovers still suffered defeat.
The loss means that Bolton leapfrog the Ewood Park club in the standings, with Rovers now bottom; despite this Kean would be shocked if he was sacked.
“I expect to be here on Boxing Day,” the Scottish coach told Sky Sports.
“I would be completely shocked if they (the owners) decide to replace me, yes.”
Kean denied that he had an ultimatum meeting in the offing, and blamed defensive issues for the side’s current state of affairs.
“That’s a report that’s not correct. I’ve not got a date when I’m going to meet the owners. I spoke to the owners before the game started.
“When I speak to the owners we will speak about the transfer window and give them an update on when I expect people to be fit.
“I’m very confident. I’ve spoken very extensively with the owners about the positions we need. We need to strengthen and we have got to address that.
“I have said it many times, we need to get a back four.
“We just don’t have a defence at the moment and it’s costing us. But when you miss Ryan Nelsen, Scott Dann and Gael Givet, these are big players for us.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“We always score, but we are the only team at the moment who can’t keep a clean sheet,” he concluded.
Mario Balotelli has been charged with violent contact following his stamp on Scott Parker. The Italian striker is in hot water with the FA as Howard Webb claimed that he would have issued him with a red card had he seen the incident. Manchester City have a big decision to make as to whether they appeal the decision, because if they were it would subsequently free up Balotelli to play in the Carling Cup semi final second leg at Anfield. Failure will obvious see the ban increased, as City found out to their cost with Vincent Kompany a few weeks back.
Harry Redknapp is answering charges over £587k that was paid into a secret bank account named after his dog and his age. The Taxman is investigating three deposits into the ‘Rosie47’ account, during his time as manager at West Ham and Portsmouth – Daily Telegraph
Mario Balotelli has been charged with violent contact for his stamp on Tottenham’s Scott Parker. Howard Webb claimed he didn’t see the incident in his referee’s report, which meant the FA could take retrospective action – Daily Telegraph
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has come out in support of Arsene Wenger; following the barrage of abuse he received by the Arsenal faithful. The substitution of the young winger is what caused the unrest among the Gunners’ support, but Chamberlain has full respect for his manager and believes he makes the right decisions in the best interests of the club – Guardian
Chris Smalling believes that Manchester City will crumble in the coming weeks as the title race heats up. Smalling reckons that if United keep racking up the wins then the pressure will hit City – Guardian
Lucas Leiva remains upbeat as he returned to Liverpool following his operation and a period of recuperation in Brazil. The Reds enforcer is positive that his surgery was a success and that he is ahead of schedule with his recovery – Independent
Queens Park Rangers may force Anton Ferdinand to shake the hand of John Terry ahead of this weekend’s clash in the FA Cup. The FA are keen to make sure that the game passes without incident and will speak with both clubs in advance to ensure that the players act responsibly – Daily Mail
Tottenham are plotting a move to sign Mauro Zarate in a loan deal from Lazio. The Argentine striker is out of favour in Rome and his agent Barry McIntosh has suggested Spurs are one of many clubs interested in bringing him back to English football – Daily Mail
Peter Crouch is facing the prospect of a three-match ban following his attempted ‘eye gouging’ incident at the Britannia Stadium – Mirror
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Liverpool are reportedly in talks to snap up Real Madrid’s Esteban Granero. The Spanish midfielder is out of favour at the Bernabeu and Kenny Dalglish is apparently keen to secure a short term loan deal – Mirror
It might be a common theme among many Arsenal fans this morning who are mixing a sense of dread with a little bit of excitement regarding Arsene Wenger’s latest comments about Eden Hazard. Excitement, in fact, may be too optimistic; intrigue might be more appropriate. Wenger is never one to openly admit he is after a player, rather looking to take a diplomatic route in respecting a player’s club and making positive comments from afar. But Wenger has a least given some light to Arsenal’s financial state, insisting that the club needed to make between £15-20 million profit each season. What he was not clear on is how and whether if affects the club’s position in the transfer market.
It’s a welcome stance that Arsene Wenger has decided to take, if only for a very disappointing revelation. Someone from the club, who the supporters can trust, has given an indication that the club may not be in the position many would have hoped following the move to the Emirates. Players such as Eden Hazard may actually be a little out of reach and players who are on the third or fourth tier in terms of quality may be all the club can hope to bring in for the foreseeable future.
Again, it’s not entirely clear what Wenger is referring to when he says the club need to make a profit. He specifically points out that it’s the duty of the manager to determine a fair price for targets, which means he may be looking for real quality as many rumours suggest, but they are likely just out of the club’s spending range. From Wenger’s position at least, his statement will likely buy him some time. He is absolutely correct in giving fans a little bit of clarification on why he refused to spend in January—one of the reasons so much vitriol has emerged recently. Instead, the supporters’ anger should now be wholly deflected onto the board, who have seemingly put the club in this very weak position financially.
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]
The problem again, however, is what the board have said in recent times, specifically Ivan Gazidis; saying that the club do give Wenger sole power of the expenditure at the club and would never deny him the funds to buy a player he needs. The summer activity suggest nothing of the sort and it clearly indicates that something is not right at the club. Why were the club so slow to get a deal done for Juan Mata, and then only at the last minute decide to go on a spending spree on players who may not have been desirable at the start of the summer? The is still too much uncertainty surrounding what Wenger has said and contrasts greatly with the board’s apparent unconditional financial support for the manager.
Does this mean Wenger is the only one paying any real attention to the Financial Fair Play ruling of Uefa? Is he referring to the Champions League income and in turn mean it is “imperative” for the club to finish in the top four? Perhaps he’s too over cautious in regards to the stadium debt. Nigel Winterburn spoke on the weekend of the lack of funding at the club and the lack of ability to pull the trigger on first choice summer targets. He referenced the fact that the club could not get the Cesc Fabregas deal done quickly enough and had held a very weak hand in the market. This does tie in with what Arsene Wenger has had to say. Maybe there is a reported £60 million sitting in the vaults at the Emirates, but it is untouchable. If so, why? Why increase the season ticket prices, why waste £3 million on a player the manager has no intention of playing, and furthermore, why keep insisting that the manager has the full backing of the board on all fronts?
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
All questions that dodge Wenger and go directly to the boardroom. Exactly what was needed. The hostilities towards the manager are getting out of hand, and he has already done too much to deflect criticism away from the board. There was nothing wrong with what Wenger had to say, in fact it was greatly welcomed and might trigger a response from those above Wenger at the club.
It seems that almost every week at least one manager struts into his press conference talking about how their team or players have been judged on their reputation, spouting lines such as: “These kind of decisions keep happening to us.” The claim of being victimised by officials is not a new one, but it is one that has been increasingly prevalent this term.
The likes of Kenny Dalglish, Roberto Mancini and Tony Pulis have all hit out at referees at some stage, believing that the reputation of their players have caused referees to act in a certain manner. Quite often they have a point, with some performers under the scrutiny of the man in charge from the get-go.
Okay, a reputation is often created due to multiple incidents where player, or team, has acted in a certain manner. However, referees are required to be impartial when they enter the field of play, judging an individual on the merits of the games actions, and not something that happened weeks, or even months ago. Whether you love or hate Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli, you can’t deny that he is under the spotlight every time he steps onto the pitch. Take the league tie at Anfield earlier this season, where, on as a substitute, the Italian forward picked up two bookings, for two pretty innocuous challenges. If it were a player such as Steven Gerrard would he have been given his marching orders? Probably not.
Mick McCarthy was left fuming as well, when Frank Lampard’s two-footed lunge on Adam Hammill went unpunished. Even the Chelsea man admitted he was lucky to have stayed on the pitch, and help his side to victory. McCarthy was particularly enraged, as he felt if it were Karl Henry, or any other of his midfielders, that a red would have definitely been produced for the offence.
Perhaps the biggest sufferer of victimisation on the pitch remains Joey Barton, with the mere mention of his name giving even the most lenient of referees an itchy trigger finger. Yes he has committed various awful challenges down the years, and been a less than lovable character away from the action, but did his ‘head-butt’ against Norwich’s Bradley Johnson deserve a red card? After all, it was the man in yellow who placed his head against the ex-Newcastle midfielders face, before falling theatrically knowing full well who would been seen as the felon.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
It may be frustrating to hear managers bemoaning decisions due to reputation and subsequent victimisation, but quite often they do have a point. Referees come in for a lot of criticism, but in some cases it is deserved.
Paul Merson recently said “if you read it in a book, then you would throw the book away”. He was speaking of course, of Stoke City’s dramatic rise in the past 5 years under the ownership of Peter Coates and the management of Tony Pulis, Merse said it would come across as unrealistic. And ten years ago, we would have agreed.
It will be ten years in November since Pulis first took the job and it has been an up and down decade full of extreme highs and desperate lows, most of the lows coming in his first spell. He arrived after being out of work for over two years and he dragged the Potters to survival from a disastrous position in the Championship, despite the odds being stacked heavily against him.
A couple of years of mid-table solidarity followed, with Pulis making the most of a small budget allocated by the then Icelandic owners, who plagued the club until 2006.
They, like many of Stoke’s loyal supporters, didn’t take to the Welshman and he was sacked in 2005 for “failing to exploit the foreign transfer market”. After a brief but successful spell with Plymouth Argyle, he accepted an offer to return to Stoke after the also returning owner Peter Coates promised him funds to spend.
Within two years Pulis had taken a club tipped for a relegation scrap and transformed them into promotion winning material, accompanied by the likes of Ricardo Fuller, Liam Lawrence and Ryan Shawcross. Stoke heroes forever.
At the beginning of the clubs first Premier League season one bookie even paid out on them to be relegated come May, but that was all the inspiration Pulis needed as he incredibly took them to 12th in the league. Since then two more years have followed of Premier League security, throw in an FA Cup final (the first in the clubs 149 year history) and a creditable Europa League adventure , and you can see why everything in Stoke’s garden looks rosy.
But as is the saying in football ‘you can never stand still’ and the next challenge for Pulis and co is to take the club forward, but how? With a strong finish to the season, Stoke could achieve their first top ten finishes in the Premier League. But where do they go from there?
With the top six looking impenetrable and the likes of Newcastle, Everton, Sunderland and Aston Villa not far behind, it is difficult to see how a comparably small club like Stoke could ever infiltrate the top half on a regular basis.
One method of progression could be addressing the dreaded style of football. The Potters ‘rugby’ style according to some (yes, I am looking at you Arsene Wenger) has been widely criticised, and arguably rightly so. At first, it was exciting, entertainment of a different kind. We can’t all play football like Barcelona and be successful (yes, I am looking at you again Mr Wenger), but there has been a growing sense of frustration around the Britannia on a Saturday afternoon this season.
The atmosphere isn’t the same, the football is becoming stagnated and teams are working it out, the Europa leagueis partially responsible, but only partially. Last season Stoke did play some nice football with two genuine wingers, but the disappearance of Jermaine Pennant and the prolonged inclusion of Ryan Shotton are as baffling as Mario Ballotelli.
Whether Pulis can implement some technically superior footballers and use them the right way remains to be seen, but the way that Pennant, Kenwyne Jones, Eidur Gudjohnson, Tuncay and Wilson Palacios have all struggled to adapt their game, does give me some doubts. Maybe Leopards can’t change their spots.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
But he is a man who will never rest on his laurels, and if he can take the Potters and tweak their style of football, not drastically, but definitely enough for technically better players to be given a slightly free rein, like at Everton and Newcastle, while still maintaining the intensity at which they currently play at, Pulis may just win the adoration of all the fans, and go down as the greatest manager this club has ever had when he finally leaves.
Unbelievably many fans would have him out of the door now. I dread to think of the day he leaves, Charlton’s sudden plight after Alan Curbishly left are all to revealing, also look at Bolton’s current position since a certain Sam Alladyce left. Curbishly believed he couldn’t take the club any further, and maybe Pulis can’t either. Mid-table obscurity is perhaps the limit for Stoke, but with Pulis in charge you can almost guarantee that every season. And after the past 25 years of hurt, that can’t be a bad thing.