Transfer rumours and quotes that are doing the rounds today
Photo Credit: Ian Nicholson/PA Wire
Spurs start planning for the summer The Spoiler thinks Tottenham would be wise to make only minimal changes to their squad during pre-season. The chaos of last summer’s revolving door policy led to Spurs making their worst ever start to a season and recent results - they have lost just one league game since the January transfer window closed - suggest that the current squad doesn’t need to be drastically altered. Harry Redknapp may view things differently though and this afternoon alone the club have been linked with Brazilian defender Joao Miranda de Souza, Gabriel Heinze and Djibril Cisse.
Optimist of the day
Tony Mowbray’s glass appears to be not so much half-full as overflowing. The West Brom manager is refusing to throw in the towel
Is the Swede about to get involved in the relegation dogfight?
Yesterday Sven-Goran Eriksson was one of the favourites for the Chelsea job but this morning he has leapfrogged Avram Grant and Alan Curbishley to emerge as the frontrunner to succeed Tony Adams at Portsmouth.
The former England boss is currently in charge of Mexico, who face the USA in a World Cup qualifier tomorrow night, and while you would expect him to walk if Chelsea came calling, the Portsmouth link remains unconvincing.
Following their narrow home defeat to Liverpool at the weekend, Portsmouth are now entertaining the prospect of a third permanent manager this season. Although necessary, this many personnel changes has always resulted in relegation for other Premier League clubs (see our Prophecy of Doom).
Former Chelsea manager Avram Grant is the current favourite, while Alan Curbishley, the man who guided West Ham away from certain relegation in 2006, is a close second.
So, who is the best man for the job? Votes and comments below, please…
West Ham’s latest rollercoaster season endures another twist
The breaking news in Iceland is that former West Ham chairman Eggert Magnusson is suing owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson for breach of contract and is demanding more than 200 million krona (£1.26 million according to mataf) as part of an agreement regarding the termination of his contract. Magnusson follows Sheffield United, former chairman Terry Brown, Kia Joorabchian and Alan Curbishley in entering or threatening legal proceedings with the luckless Icelander.
Former gaffer is the current favourite for the Rovers gig
Paul Emerson Carlyle Ince today became the sixth Premier League manager to leave their post this season, in the process saving what was in danger of being a chronically slow news day (front page of The Sun: Benitez’s kidney stones; back page of The Sun: Capello wants the Wembley grass shorter). Here are the leading contenders to replace the Guv’nor at Ewood Park according to chickendinner:
Graeme Souness (best price: 5/2 with Paddy Power)
Souness took the club back into the Premier League and won the League Cup during his first spell as manager between 2000 and 2004 and starts as the early favourite to regain the position after newspaper reports over the last few days linked him to the post. He walked out of the club four years ago for Newcastle after a winless start which left Rovers in the relegation zone, and at the time it was rumoured that Souness had jumped before he was pushed.
Sam Allardyce (best price: 3/1 general)
In case you haven’t read a newspaper since January, Sam Allardyce is pretty interested in finding himself a job and having previously overachieved without spending much money at Bolton, he is a strong candidate. However, Blackburn opted for Ince over more experienced candidates like Allardyce and Steve McClaren in the summer so Big Sam may bear a grudge.
Alan Curbishley (best price: 10/1 with Paddy Power)
Two years ago Curbishley took charge of a West Ham team
Former England contenders left begging for job with strugglers
Gordon Strachan, Avram Grant, Peter Reid and Co Adriaanse have all been thrust into contention to succeed Roy Keane at various points over the past week, before quickly fading away again. However, Sam Allardyce and Alan Curbishley have been constants, starting as the frontrunners in the betting last Thursday and remaining so up to now, which indicates that one of them will be the next manager of Sunderland. Both men have in common a track record for getting the best out of average players while being criticised for a dull brand of football, but beyond that, here’s what we consider both men’s pros and cons:
Sam Allardyce
+ Favours modern methods such as Prozone a lot more than Curbishley does
+ Has qualified for Europe with an unfancied team
+ Boasts a pretty impressive record in the transfer market
- His team’s direct physical approach hasn’t won over many neutrals
- Was sacked by Newcastle after a run of two wins in twelve games
- Do Sunderland really want somebody who flopped at their biggest rivals?
Alan Curbishley
+ Has never been sacked as a manager
+ Kept West Ham up from a far worse position than Sunderland are in now
Franz “Herr Moans-a-lot” Beckenbauer has criticised the pink boot brigade. Judging by the snazzy outfit above, he should probably keep his mouth shut.
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Setanta Sports News’ Charlotte Jackson is not attractive. Oh wait, she’s extremely attractive
[With Leather]
This morning Sunderland became a ship without a rudder as their warm-chinned gaffer stood down after a 27-month stint at the helm. There have been plenty of whispers about the next manager, some more ridiculous than others (Keeeeegan!), but one thing is clear: the longer they go without a strong leader, the bleaker the future looks.
Who would you like to see in charge at Le Stade du Light? Votes and comments below, please…
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