Ince Is Back As the Guv’nor

As much as a surprise it was to see Craig Short dismissed as manager of Notts County after 5 months of the new season, it was not such a surprise to see Paul Ince, 43, replace him at the oldest Football League club.

Short was appointed the successor of County, replacing Steve Cotterill who left for Portsmouth, after guiding the club to League One as champions. 

It wasn’t as if County were struggling under Short, as he left them comfortable in 16^th with 5 wins in 13 league matches and a League cup win at Watford.

The sacking of Short came week`s after the League Managers Association, slammed the sacking of Sheffield United manager Kevin Blackwell, 2 games into the new season.

Hereford manager Simon Davey was also sacked after just months in charge at Edgar street, as the average time for football league managers is just over 13 months.

Ince could have been forgiven to turning the job down at Meadow Lane, as it has proved to be a poison chalice in the past with Ince now the 5^th manager to take the County hot seat in 12 months.

12 months ago Hans Backe was the manager but he was sacked after just 2 months, but as we know from his Manchester United days, Ince isn’t one for shirking a challenge.

Nor, is he intimidated about speaking his mind.

The County board have certainly got the right man in charge for success on the pitch, but if they try manipulate him or interfere with football matters, Ince won`t be afraid to walk, as he did at Mk Dons in his second stint in charge.

Ince encountered relative success at Macclesfield by keeping the club in the Football League after looking doomed early on.

Ince then created history, at new club Milton Keynes Dons, by being crowned champions of League Two and a Johnstone`s Paint Trophy victory at Wembley in his first season.

He returned, after an unsuccessful short time in charge of Premiership club Blackburn Rovers, again, another example of a manager not being given enough time.

Mk Dons failed in the play offs, but Ince is certainly not a failure.

He is a role model for other black managers and coaches in the game, a topic he speaks softly but very passionately about.

Jim Magilton, Paul Hart, Kevin Blackwell, Phil Brown were all seen off by Ince, as he signs a three and a half year deal.

I would`nt back against Ince making a return to the top flight, let`s just hope that Ince is given a fair crack of the whip, rather than the owners getting itchy feet.

Ince Is Back As the Guv’nor

As much as a surprise it was to see Craig Short dismissed as manager of Notts County after 5 months of the new season, it was not such a surprise to see Paul Ince, 43, replace him at the oldest Football League club.

Short was appointed the successor of County, replacing Steve Cotterill who left for Portsmouth, after guiding the club to League One as champions.  

It wasn’t as if County were struggling under Short, as he left them comfortable in 16^th with 5 wins in 13 league matches and a League cup win at Watford.

The sacking of Short came week`s after the League Managers Association, slammed the sacking of Sheffield United manager Kevin Blackwell, 2 games into the new season.

Hereford manager Simon Davey was also sacked after just months in charge at Edgar street, as the average time for football league managers is just over 13 months.

Ince could have been forgiven to turning the job down at Meadow Lane, as it has proved to be a poison chalice in the past with Ince now the 5^th manager to take the County hot seat in 12 months.

12 months ago Hans Backe was the manager but he was sacked after just 2 months, but as we know from his Manchester United days, Ince isn’t one for shirking a challenge.

Nor, is he intimidated about speaking his mind.

The County board have certainly got the right man in charge for success on the pitch, but if they try manipulate him or interfere with football matters, Ince won`t be afraid to walk, as he did at Mk Dons in his second stint in charge.

Ince encountered relative success at Macclesfield by keeping the club in the Football League after looking doomed early on.

Ince then created history, at new club Milton Keynes Dons, by being crowned champions of League One and a Johnstone`s Paint Trophy victory at Wembley in his first season.

He returned, after an unsuccessful short time in charge of Premiership club Blackburn Rovers, again, another example of a manager not being given enough time.

Mk Dons failed in the play offs, but Ince is certainly not a failure.

He is a role model for other black managers and coaches in the game, a topic he speaks softly but very passionately about.

Jim Magilton, Paul Hart, Kevin Blackwell, Phil Brown were all seen off by Ince, as he signs a three and a half year deal.

I would`nt back against Ince making a return to the top flight, let`s just hope that Ince is given a fair crack of the whip, rather than the owners getting itchy feet.

Fool`s Gold Wayne

So here we are, the most successful British football manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has become the latest victim of player power.

With 11 Premiership trophies, 5 F.A cup`s, 4 League cup`s and 2 Champions league winners medals, the longest serving Manchester United manager, since Sir Matt Busby, has had one of the most difficult weeks in his 24 years in the Old Trafford dugout.  

Wayne Rooney, who Ferguson brought to the club as an 18 year old, from Everton for 20 million pounds, this week, decided he wanted to leave.

Rooney sighted that David Gill, the Chief Executive of United, could not promise him that they could compete for big name signings any more.

It wasn’t long ago that Rooney, declared his love for United and that he wanted to finish his career at the club.

So was Rooney really upset and angered about United`s board lack of ambition? or Was this Paul Stretford, Rooney`s agent, pulling the strings from behind closed doors?

In recent times, we have seen football supporters jeer Ashley Cole when playing for England and nickname him `Cashley Cole’, perhaps this was in the back of Rooney`s mind.

Rooney is a heart and soul footballer, but after all, it does seem that money motivates him more than we thought.  

Rooney and his agent have clearly played the green and gold card, the colours that illuminate Old Trafford, and the colours that signify the supporters want the American owners, the Glazer family, out.

By claiming that assurances could not be made to him in contract talks about possible world class signings, Rooney had a motive to speak out.

Whilst money bags Manchester City pay Yaya Toure 200,000 pounds a week and Chelsea give John Terry and Frank Lampard 150,000, maybe Rooney was casting an envious eye at the riches at neighbors Manchester City and title rivals Chelsea.

He certainly is one of the best players in the world, but whilst this saga ran on through the week, Rooney was disrespecting the man who put an arm round him and helped him mature into one of the greatest talents the English nation has seen.

It was clear for all to see, that Ferguson was hurting in his press conference before the Champions League tie with Bursaspor.  

Ferguson had previously offered the Manchester United striker financial advice, and oh boy was Rooney listening. But not how the gentlemen Ferguson wanted him too.

On Friday morning Rooney signed a new five year contract on 150,000 pounds a week, as he sold Ferguson and the fans down the river, who continually face ticket prices increase each season.

Rooney, it seems, never had any intentions of leaving and it will be the fans who are hit hard in the pockets next season to pay for his wage packet.

There was not a lot that Ferguson could have done, if Rooney was sold, Ferguson could have forgotten about overhauling Chelsea for the title race, at least for this season.

Rooney now needs to amend his relationship with Ferguson and the fans, but if one good thing has come of this dramatic week, it is probably the beginning of the end for the Glazers, the fans are green and gold until their club is sold.

The bank balance of Rooney however, is all gold.

Stubborn Capello, Threatens England`s Progress

Fabio Capello, the most expensive international football manager, failed to lead England to victory against Montenegro at Wembley last night.

The English football Association is paying the man who was employed in 2007, 6 million pounds a year, whilst his backroom staff also rake in an astonishing 4 million a year.

That’s 10 million pounds a year, for a management team that led us to draws against Algeria, USA, and a humiliating 4-1 defeat to arch rivals Germany in the Last 16 of the World cup.

Montenegro, a country with a population of 700,000, which is the equivalent to the size of Leeds, a team ranked 40^th in the world rankings, left Wembley top of group G after earning the best result in their short history, a 0-0 draw.

This draw now leaves Montenegro 3 points clear, with England still to visit Montenegro along with trips to Wales and Bulgaria.

Montenegro had won their previous 3 games by 1-0, and they came so close to repeating that score line once again.

Had the 25 yard lob from Milan Jovanovic gone inches lower, instead of smacking against the England cross bar, with Joe Hart beaten all ends up, then England`s qualification hopes would have been in serious doubt.

The Wembley crowd were having flashbacks of South Africa 3 months ago, as Capello showed no tactical awareness to change a formation that seems out of date for international football.

Questions must be asked of the England regime once again.

Can we continue to play 4-4-2? Did we really need a holding midfielder? Why was Wayne Rooney trailing out to the wings to receive the ball? Why was Steven Gerrard so deep? 

A Peter Crouch header over the bar and an Adam Johnson free kick was all England could manage in the first half that saw a well organised, well drilled Montenegro team put ten men behind the ball.  

Wayne Rooney tested Mladen Bosovic twice in the second half in another lack luster, desperate performance by the Manchester United striker. The anguish and frustration was there for all to see.

England failed to create chances, just as they did against Algeria; this was reflected by the jeers of the strong 70,000 Wembley crowd, of which thousands left early, and who could blame them.

Yet Capello said after the game `The goalkeeper was the best player for Montenegro. This is football, not boxing, where you win by punching the opponent more’. Tonight we did create chances."

I think it`s fair to say the majority of the Wembley crowd would have liked to put a couple of striking blows in Capello`s direction themselves.

Rio Ferdinand was back with the Captain`s armband on after missing the World Cup, but was never really tested.

Capello promised after the World Cup that youth would be given a chance, enter 33 year old Bolton striker Kevin Davies for his England debut, Davies played 20 minutes and got booked.

     

All Can Be Forgotten With Win For Hodgson

Nothing in football creates confidence, belief and cohesion amongst the coaching staff, players and supporters than 3 points against your local rivals.

Although a win for Liverpool, against Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday afternoon, is unikely to lead to harmony being restored at boardroom level, it will feel like a breath of fresh air for everybody associated with the most decorated English Football Club.

This is a match that in the past has been labelled `The Friendly Derby', where both sets of supporters would travel to the game together and sit next to each other with no segregation.

Come 13.30pm Sunday afternoon however, both sets of players have the chance to climb the Premiership table and leave the other half of the city in the relegation mire.

As Hicks prepares to do battle in High Court with Martin Broughton over the sale of the club, the possible threat of administration looming as well as a 9 point deduction if the club fail to meet the October 15 deadline, by which new owners must be sat in the Anfield offices.

Hodgson will lead his men out into a fierce atmosphere where a win would see them leap frog neighbours Everton and head back over Stanley Park a lot more satisfied than after recent home defeats to League Two minnows Northampton Town and newly promoted Blackpool.

With one win each in the new Premiership season, this is a Merseyside Derby that surely has more signifcance to the red half of the city. In past seasons, Liverpool have been more obsessed with stopping Sir Alex Ferguson`s Manchester United overhaul them in the race for top flight winners medals with the standings at eighteen a piece.

Although the Kopites were singing Kenny Dalglish`s name after the home defeat to Blackpool, Hodgson is an experienced manager who knows that a win against Everton will go some way to getting the fans back on his side.

The likes of Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and misfiring Fernando Torres must stand up and be counted and try to help squeeze every ounce of energy, passion and quality from the rest of the underperforming Reds.

David Moyes may argue the case that his team need the points most to build momentum for an assault on the top half of the table, but most football fans would agree that Everton have the quality to put an unbeaten run together and are usaully slow starters.