Ex-players Becoming Premier League Managers

After two ex Manchester United players, Paul Ince and Roy Keane lost their jobs to Premier League clubs Blackburn and Sunderland respectively; a debate has started to form about whether ex-players can make the quick transition into club management.

Both managers had had experience in the lower leagues of football, both winning silverware, with Keane winning the championship, and Ince taking MK Dons to Wembley and winning the FA Trophy. Keane also had a years experience in the Premiership, keeping Sunderland up last year, but this season, when experiencing his first bout of serious pressure, it seems to have been too much for the fiery character.

Ince though, had no prior experience in the Premier League, and was given the task of managing a club who had developed into a top ten side under Mark Hughes. Perhaps making his tenure a hard act to follow, as he had to keep the momentum established by Hughes going, which he didn’t. After poor run of results, Ince had left the board with no choice but to severe ties with him.

Keane on the other hand, should have stayed, but due to his persona, he does not seem like the type of individual who would withstand abuse from his own supporters, and after leaked rumours talking of loss of communication in the dressing room, it shows that maybe Keane needs some more time to find his feet in football management.

The majority of pundits and managers seem to believe that managers, most particularly Ince, should have been given more time to turn things around at Blackburn. But in this day and age in football, everything is based on results, and although it may seem unfair, these results need to be established quickly. Poor runs of form which result in a club been sucked into the relegation zone will always cause a knee jerk reaction, as the thought of loosing out on lucrative money from being a to flight team will strike fear into club chairmen.

Other ex players who are managing include Mark Hughes (as mentioned previously, Steve Bruce, Gareth Southgate, and Tony Adams. All of which have had their fair share of pressure, but only time will tell who will survive in this cutthroat business that is the premier league.

Ronaldo- Ballon D'or Winner

As if we didn’t know already, Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon D’or as expected last week gaining world recognition he earned with his outstanding displays last season. He scored 42 goals in all competitions helping Manchester United to both the Premier League and the Champions League. This completes a clean sweep in personal accolades for the Portuguese winger.

Robinho- Diplomatic Immunity?

A few weeks ago British record signing Robinho was quoted as saying that Manchester City had the mentality of a small club. This later prompted Mark Hughes to diffuse the comments, saying that his Brazilian starlet meant the comments in a positive nature. This seems to exhibit double standards within the City camp, as a few weeks ago Elano was reprimanded for his public outburst at Hughes. Hughes obviously has a special place for Robinho.

Mark Hughes- Money, Money, Money.

As the January transfer window approaches, the eyes of world football will be fixed on the so called ‘Middle Eastlands’ and what players Manchester City will try and add to their squad. Reports of audacious bids for the likes of former world player of the year Kaka, and most recently Juventus goalkeeper Gianluca Buffon have already surfaced. Some of them seem to be comical and farfetched. But while it is clearly evident that Man City have the capital to buy any player in the world, it would be foolish to ignore what they could destroy by bringing in a whole new 11-man star studded squad. Their core English base of players who have made it through the academy may be overlooked. Revelations such as Steven Ireland, Dean Sturridge, and others may be forced out, making the club loose its tradition of nurturing home-grown talent.

Whatever happens in January, we can expect to see the transfer deadline broken a few times.

Who's Next For The Hitman?

After defeating Paulie Malignaggi, the world of boxing is waiting to see who is next to get in the ring with Ricky Hatton. While the ‘Hitman’ has given himself a lot of credit for his recent victory, many critics believe that if Hatton was matched with a boxer of better class he would have been exposed more. Many also believe that his excessive drinking between fights, if not already, will catch up with him. His next opponent will be either Oscar De La Hoya or Manny Pacquiao, although deep down Hatton would really love a rematch with his new trainers son, Floyd Mayweather Jnr. Although it is highly unlikely that the pretty boy will tempted to come out of retirement for someone he beat comprehensively.

Weekend Premier League Round-Up

Arsenal came from behind to record a fine victory over London rivals Chelsea on Sunday. After falling behind to a first half own goal by Johan Djorou, they hit back with two second half goals in three minutes by Robin Van Persie. The first goal left Chelsea boss Luis Philippe Scolari infuriated, as Van Persie was clearly offside, but the linesman failed to flag.

Chelsea had the majority of chances in the first half, with Frank Lampard, Soloman Kalou, and Ballack all having efforts go close. It was an error by Arsenal Keeper Manual Almunia, which gave Chelsea the lead. His eagerness to throw the ball out was out of sync with Samir Nasri who couldn’t get to the loose ball, which eventually made its way to Jose Boswinga, whose low cross was turned in by the Djourou. After the break, Chelsea could have doubled their lead, but Lampard shot wide, a chance that proved costly in the end. Van Persie collected a through ball from Denilson from an offside position and smashed the ball in the top corner. Three minutes later, he got on the end of a flick on by Emmanuel Adebayor, and shot low into the bottom corner, turning the game completely on its head. Arsenal held on the win after Chelsea had loads of possession, but failed to carve out any clear opportunities.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, the Manchester derby was won by the red half, with United scoring the only goal in a fiery contest. Wayne Rooney scored his 100th premier league goal. But the talking point of the game was Cristiano Ronaldo’s bizarre handball, which led to his second booking. Portsmouth beat Blackburn 3-2. It was nearly the same old story for Pompy as they once again blew a 2-0 advantage as Blackburn clawed their way back into the game to make it 2-2, only for Davies to give Tony Adams his first home victory as Pompy boss. Everton gave Harry Rednapp his first home defeat as Tottenham manager with a 1-0 victory. Unfortunately they lost Ayebeni Yakubu for the rest of the season.