Liverpool talisman Steven Gerrard will undergo tests on Monday to assess the seriousness of the ankle injury he picked up in training on Friday.
The veteran midfielder missed The Reds’ 2-0 win over West Brom on Saturday after receiving up the knock in the build up to the game, and is now a doubt for England’s friendly with Spain in two weeks time.
Gerrard has just returned from seven months on the sidelines due to a groin operation, and club boss Kenny Dalglish has revealed that the extent of damage will be revealed at the start of this week.
“We will not mislead anybody and we will know more about Steven on Monday or Tuesday,” the Scottish coach told the Daily Mail.
“He was in our minds for the game but he got a kick in training on Friday and the ankle now has an infection. It is like having an abscess in your mouth, isn’t it? The ankle just flared up.”
The news will have a big impact on the Anfield outfit one way or the other, as the Merseysiders look to challenge for a top four finish this term.
Gerrard showed his quality by scoring on his return from injury against Manchester United a fortnight ago, and gives Liverpool drive and determination that at times has been missing in his absence.
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.
Swansea welcome Fulham to the Liberty Stadium on Saturday hoping to get back to winning ways after their disappointing defeat at Blackburn last week.
Brendan Rodgers’ side haven’t won in their last matches at the Liberty Stadium after losing their unbeaten home record to Manchester United three weeks ago. A bright start to their debut campaign in the top-flight saw the Swans win a legion of admirers for their total football style passing principles as opposed to the usual backs to the wall approach adopted by promoted teams. However despite their encouraging start to life in the Premier League their form has dipped considerably since mid-October with Welsh club recording just one win in their last seven league games. They went three games without scoring before finding the net at Blackburn last week although they went on to lose 4-2 against the relegation strugglers. Their inexperience at this level is starting to become evident with each passing game and it’s starting to cost them points. Conceding goals has started to become a monumental issue whilst finding the net themselves is also a problem having scored just 14 in as many games. Manager Rodgers has the likes of Scott Sinclair, Leroy Lita and Danny Graham to choose from up front with the latter the only forward who has score consistently at times this season. Supporters will be extremely disappointed that Sinclair has failed to replicate his form in the Championship in the top-flight with a series of underwhelming displays seeing his place come under threat. Starting their festive campaign off against in-form Fulham is hardly ideal and it might be a good idea to implement a more stringent approach to ward off yet another winless game.
The Cottagers have endured a tiring season so far with their Europa League campaign mixed with their domestic commitments casing fatigue levels to rise on the Thames. A stop-start campaign, which has been mixed with impressive victories and disappointing defeats, see’s Martin Jol’s side lie 13th in the Premier League table with only three wins on the board. Their latest success is arguably their most impressive of all with Liverpool leaving Craven Cottage empty handed after Clint Dempsey’s late goal securing a priceless three points. It was as good a defensive performance that Fulham have provided this season as they frustrated the Red’s £50 million plus strike force for 90 minutes before their late smash and grab. The win provided a five-point safety net between themselves and the relegation zone with a run of one defeat in their last five putting them on the road to safety. It’s been a frustratingly slow start for Jol since his appointment in the summer with the players initially struggling to get to grips with the Dutchman’s attacking philosophy. Goals have been a problem this season with the Cottagers finding the net only 16 times this season. They’ll need to start scoring ahead of the energy sapping festiveseason with Swansea providing a great opportunity to preserve the confidence built up during their strong form in November.
Swansea – 15th
Last Five: Lost 4-2 v Blackburn (A), Drew 0-0 v Aston Villa (H), Lost 1-0 v Manchester United (H), Drew 0-0 v Liverpool (A), Won 3-1 v Bolton (H)
Potential Starting X11: 1. M. Vorm 27. A. Richards 2. A. Williams 16. G. Monk [C] 3. N. Taylor 27. M. Gower 15. W. Routledge 7. L. Britton 12. N. Dyer 11. S. Sinclair* 16. L. Lita
Injury News: Rodgers is without leading scorer Danny Graham for the visit of Fulham whilst Angel Rangel remains out.
Key Player: Scott Sinclair
Despite not being able to match his performances from last seasons successful Championship campaign Sinclair still remains a vital part of the Swansea squad. The work he does up and down the left flank has proved invaluable to the Welsh side this season and whilst his goals tally may not look pretty it’s his overall contribution to the team that has saw him retain his starting place. His pace and skill down the wing will be vital on Sunday as will his tracking back
Match Fact: Swansea have won only one of their last 12 league games against Fulham with that victory coming in whilst also being thrashed 7-0 in a 1995 FA Cup tie.
Fulham – 13th
Last Five: Won 1-0 v Liverpool (H), Drew 1-1 v Arsenal (A), Drew 0-0 v Sunderland (A), Lost 3-1 v Tottenham (H), Won 2-0 v Wigan (A)
Potential Starting X11: 1. M. Schwarzer 6. C. Baird 18. A. Hughes 5. B. Hangeland 3. J. Riise 11. B. Ruiz 10. P. Kasami 20. D. Etuhu 23. C. Dempsey* 30. M. Dembele 25. B. Zamora
Injury News: Captain Danny Murphy has been ruled out for the Cottagers whils Damien Duff and Steve Sidwell will also miss the trip to Wales.
Key Player: Clint Dempsey
Despite a slightly underwhelming start to the season from Dempsey he proved his worth to Fulham with the late winner against Liverpool on Monday. The American hasn’t been at his best for the Cottagers during the current campaign but he is still one of the best players in the Premier League and he can be unstoppable when he wants to be. With Danny Murphy out injured Jol will be relying on Dempsey to provide the midfield inspiration that will see them record a second win in a row.
Match Fact: Fulham haven’t tasted defeat against Swansea in four games since a 2-1 loss in May 1994 when both sides were plying their trade in the old Second Division.
Last Time at Liberty Stadium
FA Cup 14 February 2009
Swansea 1-1 Fulham
Scotland (52)
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.
Monk (44 ,OG)
Attendance: 16,573
Referee: Howard Webb
PREDICTION Fulham’s win against Liverpool will have lifted the confidence levels at Craven Cottage and they’ll be expecting to take all three points against Swansea on Saturday to move further away from danger. The Swans haven’t been performing well of late and their poor run of form has seen then edge close to the drop zone. However they are difficult to beat at home and should grab at least a point.
Manchester City ensured they would be top of the Premier League table at christmas following their comfortable win against Stoke at the Etihad Stadium.
Two goals from Sergio Aguero and a fierce strike from Adam Johnson was enough for Roberto Mancini’s side to see off the Potters who saw their four game winning streak come to an end in the blue half of Manchester. The win was City’s ninth in a row at home this season and keeps them two points clear of rivals United who are now breathing down their necks going into the New Year. In fact they will end 2011 having failed to taste defeat at the Etihad in their 29 games on home soil this year. Their latest victory against Tony Pulis’ Stoke side was one of the more routine and keeps them ahead of their noisy neighbours who thrashed Fulham at Craven Cottage.
After beating Arsenal in a thrilling encounter on Sunday there was an level of expectancy that City would struggle against a physical Potters side who had won four on the trot going into the game. However they failed to match up to the home sides pace and ingenuity and wasted a rare chance during a poor first half with Jon Walters failing to suitably test Joe Hart with a header despite being well placed. It proved costly as City took the lead just before the half hour mark with Aguero tucking the ball home at the back post after Vincent Kompany flicked Yaya Toure’s cross onto the Argentinian. The lead was doubled seven minutes later as Stoke paid the price for some sloppy passing with Johnson punishing them lashing the ball past Thomas Sorensen from 25-yards. The winger almost doubled his tally but was thwarted by the Danish keeper who brilliantly palmed his free kick away from danger.
It was a similar story after the break as the home side continued to press forward in search of more goals and they only had to wait 10 minutes before Aguero made it 3-0. City’s leading scorer was hand to sweep home Samir Nasri’s cross for his 15th of the season and had a chance to complete his hat trick soon after but ultimately failed to do so as the league leaders ran out comfortable victors. Stoke, on the other hand, will be disappointed they didn’t provide much a test but will look forward to a well earned break before Boxing Day following their jam packed end to 2011.
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.
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew has stated that his team are keen to put their thrashing by Fulham behind them, and look to improve against Brighton in the FA Cup this weekend.
The Tyneside outfit were put to the sword 5-2 by Martin Jol’s men last weekend, and have been on a warm-weather training camp in Tenerife, returning on Wednesday.
Pardew has admitted that his side were not up to scratch at Craven Cottage, and are targeting improvement against Brighton.
“We just lost our way at the weekend. The back five – who have been magnificent for us this season – have had a disappointing day,” he is stated as saying in Mirror Football.
“That can happen in the Premier League, but there is nothing to panic or worry about.
“We are in a fantastic position, and if our fans are a little bit concerned after Saturday, they shouldn’t be. We are looking at those above, don’t worry about that.
“Fulham was a disappointing game, but other results mean we are still right in there, and that’s where we want to be.
“Arsenal lost, Stoke got beaten and Chelsea got a draw, so we find ourselves in a not too different position to where we were at the start of that game.
“It’s gone now – there’s nothing we can do about it. We will reflect on the second half and make sure that never happens again.
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 came out here to Tenerife on the back of a disappointing result, which isn’t ideal, but it is nice to have a break and bring us all together. After that result we needed it, just to go over a few things in the next couple of days,” he concluded.
With the January transfer window spending not even at £20 million in the Premier League thus far, there is certainly a talking point that comes from managers and clubs who are desperate to add reinforcements to their clubs during the winter and even summer markets. There seems to be a considerable lack of awareness for the bargains that can be had on the continent—as Newcastle has so far proved—and, as it’s been proved in the past, the best answer does not always lie within the English leagues.
Newcastle recently pulled off a surprise move for Freiburg’s free-scoring striker Pipiss Cisse to complement the already hugely impressive Demba Ba. Picking up the Senegalese striker for a fee in the region of £9 million may prove to be an excellent piece of business on the part of manager Alan Pardew; while at the same time, Premier League clubs who are seeking similar goal scoring options are looking to players such as Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson. Not a slight on these players by any means, as Zamora especially has done well in recent times for Fulham.
But the questions start to be raised when there are notably more effective players moving between clubs for far better value for money. The signing of Cisse is only one of many impressive bargain signings Newcastle have pulled off in recent seasons. Yohan Cabaye, a double winner in France last season, was prized from Lille this past summer for £4 million, while at the same time Jordan Henderson moved from Sunderland to Liverpool for close to £20 million. Different players, of course, but there is bound to be eyebrows raised when you compare the impact both players have had on their side’s this season.
Does it highlight a lack of knowledge about the foreign leagues? Or is it simply that age old question of whether a talent from another league, no matter how good, can adapt to the pace and power of the Premier League. There are perhaps far too many managers who are not willing to take the gamble on options that are readily available in foreign markets. Yes, there are also talents to be found in the lower leagues in England and player’s such as Jordan Rhodes are well scouted. Yet the inflated prices for English players should be enough to deter managers from signings players who may not be as good as those abroad.
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]
An interesting factor in much of this is that the players who are moving between clubs, and mostly between club’s on the continent, are capable of adding that something extra to a team who are struggling to cross the finish line to the Premier League title or even avoid relegation. Lille’s major summer departures last season only totalled a fee around £20 million as Adil Rami joined Valencia following his agreement last January and Gervinho and Cabaye arrived in the Premier League. Inflated fees for players who have a proven record of making a difference? Absolutely not. Similarly, Valencia completed a hugely productive summer of business following the departures of Joaquin and Juan Mata. Yet teams such as Manchester United and Liverpool have had to look ‘in-house’ to acquire talents they believed would help them reach their respective targets. Of course it’s all relative, but Valencia are currently sitting in 3rd place in La Liga and ahead of Atletico Madrid who spent 40 million euros and rising for Falcao, and Newcastle up until this moment in the Premier League have looked much more assured of themselves than Liverpool, who added players in similar areas of the pitch but dwarfed the spending of Alan Pardew’s side.
Will Newcastle’s impressive eye for a bargain abroad catch on with Premier League managers in similar positions, or will what seems to be a lack of confidence for foreign leagues continue to play a part in the way we see business done in this league.
While Alan Pardew is not equipped with the financial backing that regular title contenders have, he has, nonetheless, taken great steps to improve the quality of players coming into this league while not breaking the bank. It’s an impressive feat to have pulled off more than once, but it is also massively refreshing for a manager to successfully introduce players into the Premier League who have fared so well in other countries.
[divider]
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’s fair to say that, of late, Arsenal’s all-round performances have been underwhelming. In particular, the last two games have highlighted not just the lack of cutting edge but the decline in the form of individuals who had previously been deified by Gooners. Take Thomas Vermaelen: an exceptional defender with a penchant for balancing no-nonsense tackling with superb technique. Arsenal fans were greatly relieved when he signed a new contract earlier in the season, and rightly so. However since January his, and the other Arsenal defenders’, form has suffered – culminating in a 4-0 hiding in the San Siro that almost seemed a generous score line for the Gunners.
Any accusations concerning a poor Arsenal defence will, rightly, be protested by those who raise the issue of Arsenal’s full back crisis, and it is an extremely relevant point. However Arsenal have had good and bad defensive performances whilst playing without recognised full backs. The lynchpin of any decent defensive record is the central partnership. So far this season Arsenal have turned out nine different centre-half partnerships in their starting elevens alone (i.e. not including substitutes altering the defensive make up).
The Milan game was particularly interesting to watch not just because Arsenal were so easily penetrated but because, in the eyes of many, it was Arsenal’s strongest defence. Sagna, Koscielny, Vermaelen and Gibbs sat in front of Szczesny; yet time and time again they were made to look mediocre at best. This raises the question of which players would currently make up the club’s ‘best’ defence?
The debate surrounding Gibbs and Santos could not possibly be settled until both are fit simultaneously and are competing for places. Clearly Sagna is Arsenal’s best right back and Szczesny is the number one keeper, which leaves only the centre backs.
Per Mertesacker was supposed to provide composure, stability and experience to an often flappable Arsenal backline but for many fans he is too slow and too immobile, with the pace, not to mention running style, or an ungainly, two legged giraffe and the turning circle of an oil tanker. Yet these hindrances to his game, which we all knew before he signed for the club, should not detract from what has been an impressive first season. What Mertesacker brings to the Arsenal defence is balance.
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]
Both Laurent Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen like to attack the ball and, on occasion, both wander slightly too high up the pitch. Whilst this is no cardinal sin when Mertesacker is behind them covering, when they play together it means that both are often caught out of position at the same time. We saw against Milan that, whilst Koscielny was playing well before his injury, the fact that they have a similar style put extra pressure on the full backs, who were also being caught out of position. Whilst Mertesacker might not seem like the most reliable defender in the world in his absence you can really notice his strengths. As I watched both Sagna and Vermaelen being caught out by the Milan strike force I couldn’t help but imagine the position in which Mertesacker normally stands when the others push forward. He sits ever so slightly deeper from the rest of the line ready to mop up any runs or passes that might evade his defensive partners in higher positions.
We have seen this year with Chelsea the danger of having a central defensive partnership that is not properly balanced. David Luiz and John Terry suffer from a similar problem where neither defender’s positioning really helps the other and it has been one of the most obvious causes of their defensive fragility.
Gary Neville’s analogy of Luiz looking as though he was being controlled by a ten year old on a Playstation was apt, and at times similar statements could be made about Vermaelen and Koscielny when they play together. With both of them attacking the ball there is no room for error and this theory is backed up by the stats.
I calculated the goals conceded to game ratio for each defensive partnership and the points won per game for each partnership and it looks like this.
Partnership Games played Goals conceded per game Points won per game
Mertesacker – Koscielny 20 1.1 1.9
Vermaelen – Mertesacker 5 0.6 2.6
Vermaelen -Koscielny 5 1.2 1.2
Vermaelen – Djourou 2 1.5 1.5
Mertesacker – Song 2 1 1.5
Koscielny – Squillaci 2 0.5 1.5
Vermaelen – Squillaci 2 2 1.5
Djourou – Miguel 1 1 3
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.
Djourou – Koscielny 1 8 0
*These figures indicate the partnership that started the game
Clearly there are extenuating circumstances which need to be take in to consideration for the statistics to be properly understood such as opposition, who the full backs were and whether or not we were playing at home. However there are still certain patterns you can take from this. Firstly, with the exception of Djourou/Miguel and Koscielny/Squillaci who were playing in the Carling Cup, Mertesacker is involved not only in the defence with the best defensive record but also the partnerships with the most points won per game.
Whilst it may well be the case that Vermaelen and Koscielny are, individually, the two best centre backs at the club both appear to play better with Mertesacker than they do with each other, and that is despite the fact that Mertesacker barely even speaks proper English and Koscielny and Vermaelen both speak perfect French. If Per Mertesacker can come straight in to the team and form a solid partnership without speaking the language and at the same time trying to adapt to the Premier League then think what he can do when he is fully settled. Yes, he may look clumsy, yes he is slow, no he doesn’t seem to win many headers despite being a giant but clearly his style of play fits better with the other defenders. Even his partnership with Song was pretty good and Song is a midfielder. I’m not saying that he doesn’t have room for improvement but what I am saying is that perhaps he is they key to forming a solid defence. You also have to consider that Mertesacker played almost every single game during Arsenal’s strongest run of the season. It’s just a shame for Arsenal fans that they won’t see him before the summer.
The entire Tottenham squad have requested heart checks following Fabrice Muamba’s sudden collapse in their fixture against Bolton on Saturday.
The Trotters midfielder is critically ill in hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest at White Hart Lane, with the fixture cancelled as a result.
The Spurs players are taking no chances on their own individual health matters, and have requested to see a cardiologist.
“The players have all demanded cardiac screening today,” sports cardiologist Sanjay Sharma told Sky Sports.
“That involves taking a history relating to cardiac symptoms, which include chest pain during exertion or breath which is disproportionate to the amount of exercise being performed and blackouts, (and) asking about a family history because many of these conditions that can cause cardiac arrest are hereditary.
“We then perform a cardiac examination and following that we do an ECG (electrocardiogram) which is an electrical tracing of the heart which looks for electric faults of the heart and a cardiac ultrasound which looks at heart muscle problems or problems with the heart valves,” she concluded.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Tottenham’s game against Stoke on Wednesday will be played as planned.
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.
Well what has been hope more than anything else came to fruition last saturday against Hull. After what seems an age the Skyblues are out of the relegation zone all be it only by a point. The confidence and belief though that this will bring to the players along with notching our first away win of the season could be vital as we near the end of the season. The game that is probably going to define ultimately how the season is going to end is that of the BristolCity game. Now that we are ahead of City, the importance has somewhat shifted away from needing a win to making sure we don’t lose.
However this may not be the case come monday as the Peterborough game on Saturday is definitely not a foregone conclusion that we are going to win. Peterborough showed against Leicester that they can be a good side but they seem to be extremely inconsistent so perhaps the omens are good for Saturday in that they rarely get 2 decent results in a row. For Coventry we just have to hope that the players don’t take their foot off the gas and instead keep playing with all the heart and passion they have shown over the course of this season. If they do we should be celebrating another confidence boosting win on Saturday which will set us up perfectly for the Bristol game and beyond.
One player who has been a massive disappointment since his arrival at the club has been Freddy Eastwood. A lot has been said about Freddy since his arrival almost 4 years ago now. He arrived at Coventry from Wolves where again he was a disappointment and management there seemed to have issues with his commitment to the game. The majority of Coventry fans though have always backed him including myself however looking back I really can’t see why. He was brought to the club as a goal scorer and never really delivered. Many backed him because of his work rate when he first arrived but as the years have passed that has declined considerably to the point where Thorn has not been able to play him this season because of his lack of fitness.
Despite publicly stating this many city fans still wanted to see Eastwood brought back into the team but I was completely behind thorn in his decision not to include him in the squad. If a player cannot be bothered to keep fit for what millions of football fans around the world would consider to be a dream job then they don’t deserve to be paid let alone played. His attitude was clearly the issue rather than a lack of ability as it was plain to see that he had quality within him he just didn’t show it on enough occasions. Personally I think he has wasted his talent and Freddy only has one person to blame and that is himself. He now finds himself back at Southend the club where he made a name for himself and despite being a disappointment for Coventry I still find myself wishing him well. At 28 he still has a few years of playing left in him and if he really decides he wants to he could be a real star for Southend again but whether he will be remains to be seen.
Freddy is now a thing of the past for us Coventry fans so let’s hope we can find someone else who can come in and hopefully do a better job than Freddy did. With money being tight we may have to hope that Cody McDonald is that player. He clearly has the potential and could be a big player for us. After his goal at Hull, McDonald could be the key to us staying up. He has had a very quiet season for various reasons including injury and trying to adapt to life in the championship but he really has looked sharp and very lively in the last few games. He looks as if he has an eye for goal and his work rate is second to none. I think we are now starting to see why Andy Thorn brought him to the club and lets hope that he keeps improving and getting us those all important goals to keep us up.
PUSB!!
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.
Manchester United are ready to move for Everton defender Leighton Baines, and could bid for the star within the next couple of days, according to Mirror Football.
The left-back has impressed in recent seasons at Goodison Park, with solid defending being backed up by creativity and excellent delivery going forward.
Sir Alex Ferguson is thought to want to sign a left-back this summer as a long-term replacement for Patrice Evra, and to have more strength in depth in the position.
The newspaper indicate that the Premier League champions will offer David Moyes’ men £10 million for the England international, who will surely represent the Three Lions this summer at Euro 2012.
The Merseysiders have well-documented financial constraints, and are believed to be ready to accept the offer in a bid to bring transfer fees into the club.
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.
Football fans are a funny old bunch, particularly from the perspective of a manager. Bring success and they will elevate you to a mythical, legendary status, forever to be enshrined within the club’s history; ruffle their feathers a little and it’s down the job centre the next morning. The popularity levels of football managers can turn in an instant, and above all it is the supporters who best dictate these fluctuations.
Alex McLeish’s dismissal in the past week has seen a flurry of activity on social network sites, with the predominantly positive reaction in Aston Villa quarters to his sacking displaying the pure vehemence and animosity felt towards the man. As a marker of the sheer inanity of the situation, disgruntled fans even sent Glasgow student Alex McLeish, of no relation to the former Villa boss, a barraged mixture of comical and abusive tweets upon hearing the news.
From the very beginning of McLeish’s reign his card was marked. Regardless of the absurdity of pinching your most hated rival’s manager, Villa fans were quite rightly baffled by the appointment of a man who had overseen two relegation campaigns in his time in charge of a Premiership club. Whilst clearly an unpopular and slightly bewildering choice on behalf the Villa hierarchy, those of claret and blue persuasion in the Second City were consistently militant in their slating of McLeish, organising regular protests and emphatically displaying their discontent in the Holte and beyond. All this led to a poisoned and pernicious atmosphere at Villa Park, with dwindling attendances a prominent feature of Villa’s season. The permanent ‘12th Man’ banner affixed upon the middle section of the Holte End often appeared more a twisted joke soaked in irony and planted by Blues fans than a statement of Villa’s vocal intent.
Though Villa fans have a distinct right to be fundamentally appalled at a disastrous season which so nearly ended in the unthinkable, there are a number of queries to be raised as to the detrimental effects of negative supporter influence upon a side’s performances. Villa’s squad this season has mainly been a ragtag collection of experienced pros brought in by previous managers combined with products of Villa’s youth academy in only their first or seconds campaigns as professional footballers. Marquee signings Darren Bent and Charles N’Zogbia have been relative disappointments, the use of Emile Heskey as a right winger was utter chagrin and the awarding of Player of the Season to Stephen Ireland belies the disappointment of Villa’s year; yet through all the blatant shortcomings of the playing and management staff, the fans of Aston Villa must also assume some form of liability.
For young players breaking into the first team, the dimensions of confidence and belief are of vital importance to their performance. Generally, this is significantly shaped by the prevailing atmosphere surrounding the club, the prominent sentiments being eschewed from the corridors of the training ground to the player’s car park after the game. For the likes of Ciaran Clark, Gary Gardner and Nathan Baker the patent toxic mood which characterised Villa’s season can only have been detrimental to their development. Though only rare spatters of Villa fan’s anguish was aimed at the players, the adverse effects of the outward hostility shown towards McLeish this season would have been felt deeply, particularly by those developed and matured by the club from an early age. With Mcleish increasingly reliant on his young charges as the season progressed, the enmity only exacerbated Villa’s problems and this the failure of McLeish’s reign became a self-fulfilling prophecy.
The decision to sack McLeish was the correct one. Aston Villa fans deserve better than extensive flirtations with the Championship, and were right to criticise McLeish’s ineptitude. Yet the downright vexation which was all too evident on matchdays at Villa Park and in the virtual sphere only moved to heighten Villa’s turmoil.
In an age where an innocent student is abused for being the simple namesake of a failed football manager, we must ponder: can too much fan power be truly detrimental to a football club?
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.
Whether you agree or disagree, I’d love to hear your opinions. Tweet me @acherrie1