Your reading a pre 2010-11 archived article
Welcome to the Sunday version of Sniffer Nose, a punchier version of your favourite occasional column.
Blind faith.
Leeds United supporters really can’t enjoy life without resorting to conflict (me included). As the team puts in another promotion winning performance a clarion call goes out that no criticism of the club, manager or top scorer is allowed. Some of this is well-meaning, some of it is just plain stupidity. There is little I need to say against this intolerance except this: when I did criticism of Publicity Pete during his “liked” days, when I did criticism of O’Leary whilst we were 3rd in the PL and heading to the CL semi-finals, when I did criticism of fat boy Viduka during his team undermining goal fest days, I won’t have the slightest problem doing the same with what we have in all 3 departments now (even if the manager is doing really well).
Moving the goalposts.
I went to see Barnet against Port Vale this week, and a more turgid game I couldn’t have watched, but at least I was entertained by the terrace wit of the Vale boys. This wit included shouting at every decision made by the ref with a hint of controversy “replay, replay”. That I suggest is the Republic of Ireland’s over the top howling and the media’s reaction to the Henry handball summed up in one.
Get a grip.
3 members of the Hull City squad were in that Republic of Ireland squad in Paris (all of them wouldn’t get close to England’s squad). Phil Brown let it be known he was getting a Sports Psychologist in to ensure that they weren’t affected by “trauma”. What, in a world where war rages involving British Troops a few pampered PL footballers need therapy do they? Tell you what Brown, take your squad on a tour of the communities of the town the football club lives in, that should give your Sports Psychologist enough to do for the rest of the season.
Bring on the parade.
Further along in the great country of Yorkshire is the frustrating Bradford City, 11,000 crowds in L2 but as inconsistent a club as your likely to find form wise over the last 2 years. Stuart McCall is one of those managers who you assume should do better than he has so far but is yet to prove he can fully fulfill the potential he showed being assistant at Sheffield United. Maybe the signing of Simon Whaley on loan from Norwich (via Rochdale) will spark an unbeaten run to make automatic promotion a possibility. Let’s hope for their sake a two legged JPT Northern Final against Leeds United (a 50/50 as we speak) doesn’t undermine that!
Back on the perch.
Norwich City are one of about 7 clubs bunching up for that second promotion space in L1 (and 3 defeats on the trot for Leeds and we would be in that pack) but in my book they are one of two clubs I believe pose a real threat to us (Huddersfield the other, especially if they find their away form). Clearly Paul Lambert gets a lot of credit for the recovery from that 7-1 defeat at home to Colchester United but I can’t help feeling he, ala Grayson, inherited a decent squad and just put the right pieces together.
Hypocrisy rampant.
When Lambert made the journey from Essex to Norfolk it was implicit that Colchester had accepted this and the only question was the amount of compensation. 3 months later and a figure is yet to be agreed, and you can be sure that is because Colchester want a large and probably ridiculous figure. As they haven’t secured it yet they have decided to report Norwich for poaching! Hang on, if you agreed to negotiations on Lambert the accusation of poaching becomes redundant, ala Grayson and Blackpool, so what you should be asking for is a tribunal to agree the compensation not a stupid, needless and ultimately futile attempt to try and force points off Norwich. Behaviour like this is what undermines integrity in football.
Survivor.
Given the turnover of managers in the top 4 divisions over the last 10 years tends to mean the average stay is about 2 years, it’s a pleasure to note the 6th anniversary of Steve Tilson taking over at Southend United. Now there is lots of things not quite right at Roots Hall (see recent financial situation) but a sacking mentality isn’t one of them. Tilson has been stood by through promotion and relegation between the CCC and L1 and has earned kudos by creating a decent side in difficult conditions. Hopefully when clubs like West Ham United start to look for a manager who knows how to cope with very little they will realise they won’t have to look far to find one.
Comedy is not enough.
Up a couple of estuary’s and you find Ipswich Town and the circus that is Roy Keane. Whilst I have nothing but respect for his comments on the Republic of Ireland’s call for a replay and can’t fault him on how he puts journalists in their place when mobiles go off in press conferences that is not the same as saying he is a good manger. 1 win in 17 league games is a damming stat for a manager brought in to win promotion. The bottom line with Keane is this: he was always on a winner with Sunderland but that it looks like whether his team is winning loads of games or going nowhere his influence seems marginal, and that is excuse enough in my book for Ipswich Town to look elsewhere for a proper manager.
Playing against a tide of moaning.
Glasgow Celtic have a proper manager (and someone with an Ipswich past) and are top of the SPL (ok no great feat but you can only beat what you play), but you wouldn’t know that given the press around them. Now far be it for me to point out the obvious but unless the Hoops want to spend every season changing managers they might want to get a perspective. Domestically, with Rangers on the financial rack and Hibs still learning how to breathe in the rarified atmosphere of top 2, everything is looking good, why isn’t that enough for now?
All smogged up.
Ex Celtic manager Gordon Strachan seems to have found the transformation back to a proper league from the SPL a little more difficult that imagined (abet on a short sample of games). The signing of Marcus Bent hardly constitutes a sign of things to come but might reflect a new financial reality in Teesside. Middlesbrough always relied on Gibson too much, and as suggested on Clarkeonenil before, is where my money has gone in terms of which club is next into the administration crises of ex PL clubs!
