Clarets boss displays Bergkamp-esque brilliance

Last night, a spritely young 43-year-old named Owen Coyle played for Burnley’s reserves as they faced Liverpool’s second string at Prenton Park. Rafa Benitez and Sammy Lee witnessed the Clarets gaffer, who was apparently forced to play up front due to injuries and international call ups. A puzzling excuse when you consider the fact that he was substituted after 72 minutes.

Coyle didn’t get on the scoresheet in his side’s 1-0 defeat, but we thought it was a jolly good excuse to show the brilliant goal he scored against Accrington Stanley last April.

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Before you check out the links, here’s Britney Spears doing something or other in a bikini

Burnley are already commemorating their famous win with t-shirts
[Pies]

Sergio Aguero is a no-go for Chelsea after playing in the Champions League for Atletico Madrid
[Daily Mail]

Our new favourite website
[iamfriendswithsluts.com]

Sammy Lee charged with improper conduct
[The Guardian]

Interestment have excellent taste in football websites
[Interestment]

Jonathan Greening joins Fulham on a season-long loan
[Sky Sports]

Remember Blackburn, things could have been a lot worse

When Paul Ince became the sixth manager to pack his bags this season, Blackburn chairman John Williams cited the “onforgiving environment” of the Premier League as a reason for his departure. With this in mind, The Spoiler has considered the ten managers to whom the top flight has been thoroughly unforgiving - lets hop new Rovers boss Sam Allardyce doesn’t make it on the shortlist any time soon…

Christian Gross - Tottenham (December 1997 - September 1998)
The signs weren’t brilliant when Spurs lost 6-1 to Chelsea in his first game at White Hart Lane. They teetered with relegation in his first season, after which Alan Sugar sent him packing. He managed a total of nine wins in 27 games.

Iain Dowie - Charlton (May - November 2006)
Succeeding Curbs, Dowie didn’t have the easiest act to follow at Chartlon, but faithfully backed in the transfer market following his appointment. While Curbishley was given 15 years at Charlton, his successor was given just 15 games. After 8 losses and 3 draws, Dowie was shown the door with Charlton facing a Premiership relegation battle. Fast forward two years and they are now facing an epic Championship relegation battle.

Alain Perrin - Portsmouth (April - November 2005)
Perrin achieved only four wins in 20 league games for Pompey, including two in the 2005-2006 season which left his team lying in 17th place. He was sacked in November after eight months at the helm.

Mike Walker - Everton (January 1994 - November 1994)
Life with Walker at the helm was never boring. Having got Everton into relegation trouble in his first season, he saved them on the final day of the season as the Toffees came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Wimbledon. After 12 matches without a win and his club bottom of the league, he was sacked the following season after ten months in charge. His replacement Joe Royle showed their poor position wasn’t down to the caliber of players available, as he led them to an FA Cup win in his first season.

Egil Olsen - Wimbledon (June 1999 - May 2000)
Olsen was hired on the back of his achievements as Norway manager

West Ham boss could be granted the first P45 of the season

Every season, punters stake a significant amount on the first managerial sacking, but in the opast few years, the bookies have been clearing up. Who could have seen bumbling clowns Sammy Lee and Chris Hutchings outlasting two-time Premier League winner Jose Mourinho? And the year before did anyone really see Charlton, having stood by Alan Curbishley for 15 years, sacking Iain Dowie just three months into the season? Curbishley is the unlucky favourite this year (5/1, bet here), but in preparation for a big shock, chickendinner have surveyed all of the sack race contenders…

Alan Curbishley

» West Ham’s last two managers - Glenn Roeder and Alan Pardew - were both sacked in the first half of the season.

» Glenn Roeder was sacked after just two games in his third season in charge in 2003. This will be Curbishley’s third season at West Ham.

» However, West Ham have only had eleven full-time managers in their 113-year history - no other Premier League club has had fewer.

» Three managers have left West Ham while they were a Premier League club - Billy Bonds, Harry Redknapp and Alan Pardew - but of those only Pardew was removed in the middle of a season.

Kevin Keegan

» All seven full-time Newcastle Premier League managers have left in the middle of the season.

» Newcastle have ridiculously sacked three managers in August over the last past ten years - Dalglish, Gullit and Robson - winning the sack race on each occasion.

» Keegan has a track record for resigning mid-campaign. He left the England job in the middle of qualifying for the 2002 World Cup and he left both Newcastle and Man City mid-season.

» But Keegan has never spent less than a year at a club, which would mean staying on until January 16. By that point last season, eight managers had left their club.

Gary Megson

» Megson is the only of the five