No Premier League manager has yet been asked to go this season – yet. Such are the pressures of the Premier League that apparent under performance can lead to an exit as early as November, even though Sir Alex Ferguson insists that one doesn’t worry about positions in the league until April. Perhaps it looks different if one is in a relegation struggle.
No Premier League manager has yet been asked to go this season – yet. Such are the pressures of the Premier League that apparent under performance can lead to an exit as early as November, even though Sir Alex Ferguson insists that one doesn’t worry about positions in the league until April. Perhaps it looks different if one is in a relegation struggle.
With Blackburn now bottom of the Premiership, one might think that Steve Kean would be in the greatest danger. But the owners are apparently behind him, despite the fact that relegation would be strike a blow to their ambitious aspirations. Indeed, it appears that he has been given a pay rise in the form of bonuses for last season. After yesterday’s 3-1 defeat at Stoke, some Blackburn fans had to be restrained from confronting him.
Steve Bruce is certainly in trouble with many Sunderland fans and defeat at home to Wigan yesterday could be the final nail in the coffin for him. The media vultures are circling, but despite receiving abuse from some fans the exerienced manager has made it clear that he is a fighter not a quitter.
However, until yesterday’s convincing home win against Wolves, media speculation was focusing on Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas after recent faltering performances. The expectation level is high at Chelsea and despite (or perhaps because of) frequent changes of manager they have won one title in five seasons while Champions League success, the real goal for Roman Abramovich, has eluded them.
The Times devoted two pages yesterday to a critique of Abramovich. The tone was so critical that one was left wondering what their agenda was and I shall discuss it further later. On managers specifically, they note the rapid turnover and argue that Abramovich ‘has shown no vision and even less patience. If he takes advice from anyone, it tends to be influential agents’.
Daniel Sturridge argued on Match of the Day that the team had been playing well but not getting the results. Maybe, but it’s a results business. But Chelsea’s last 45 league matches have brought 1.73 points a game; previously, since the start of 2004-5, it was 2.31.