The disgraceful treatment of Nigel Adkins by Southampton is a reminder of how brutal football can be.
Adkins, who led Southampton from the bottom reaches of Division One to the giddy heights of the Premiership, found out he was being axed by watching television.
Southampton had Mauricio Pochettino waiting in the wings to replace Adkins.
Players at the club are reported to be shocked and deflated by this ruthless decision. You have to wonder at the wisdom of it, considering the potential impact it could have on the club’s fortunes between now and the rest of the season. Southampton presently sit perched just above the relegation zone.
The whole thing looks like a panic move by Southampton chairman Nicola Cortese – and one which could massively backfire.
Pochettino previously managed Espanyol and does not speak English.
The managerial switch came just after a laudable 2-2 draw with Chelsea.
It makes you wonder what you have to do to keep a managerial job in the tough world of English football.
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Mark McGhee’s appointment as Gordon Strachan’s number two has failed to set the heather alight among football observers and fans in the Tartan Army.
It certainly looks like a negative and backward step, I have to say. Many are saying it is an old pals act by Strachan as McGhee is presently out of work.
McGhee’s stock as a manager may once have been quite high but definitely not so in recent times.
Results, as always, will determine how successful this managerial partnership is but the excitement generated by Strachan’s appointment has now been very much dampened by McGhee’s.
These are difficult times for those who follow the fortunes of the Scotland side.
I am thankful I don’t as a fan.
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Speaking of someone’s stock plummeting in football, I see Hearts have agreed to sign former Rangers defender Danny Wilson on loan.
Wilson’s dream move to Liverpool turned out to be a descent into oblivion and he has been farmed out to the likes of Bristol City on loan.
Rangers fans will remember the accomplished Wilson breaking through and playing like a seasoned veteran only a short while back.
I was very impressed with Wilson and thought he would be a massive star.
Sadly, his head was turned and his attempt to climb the footballing ladder saw him land on a snake instead. Maybe at Hearts he can recapture the form that made him so impressive. He’s still a laddie so he has time on his side.
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Somebody else being tempted to jump clubs is Gary Hooper of Celtic, who is the subject of interest by Norwich.
Norwich seem to have a penchant for fat strikers who don’t move much.That is the traditional British centre forward if you are being polite.
Having said that, Hooper has banged in the goals since he came to Celtic.
Norwich’s valuation of the player falls way short of Celtic’s according to Neil Lennon.
I would say, using the famous Seville calculator, that Hooper must be worth about £70 – 80 million.
No doubt Lennon is holding out for a better offer.
Maybe it’s me but I’m just wondering what happened to Barcelona…
Hooper linked with Barca?
Thats a new one.
He;s been linked with Norwich,Juventus and Liverpool.
You are getting desperate.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2149857/Gary-Hooper-wants-play-Barcelona.html
No need to apologise
For me the Hooper situation is simple. The player is refusing to sign a new deal, his club are now hawking him about as England’s best striker and saying they don’t need to sell. This translates to, “We know he won’t cut the chase in the EPL are desperate to sell and will someone please offer us a deal this will appease our deluded fans”
You’re giving the game away!
Lets hope so!
Yep, that’s just about done it for me and supporting Scotland…..two unemployed ex-tims get the gig…..old bhoys act right enough from the cabal at the top of the SFA.
Not that i’d want Scotland to lose but more of a case that i wouldn’t cross the street to watch them or purchase a ticket for any future match(es).
Joe
I have to say I was surprised at the Nigel Adkins sacking. He has done so much for the club, down on the English coast. Hopefully, he’ll get a quick return to the game.
Also a surprise, was the appointment of McGhee, who’s only good campaign, was one season at Motherwell, with a team built by Terry Butcher. Everywhere else he’s been, he’s wasted time and money; scant resources in modern football. Still, he’ll be closer to his dream job at Parkhead, now he works in the same building as Peter Lawell.
I can see it end in tears for Gordon now. Two Celtic men, one with the correct DNA, according to the vagrants.
The SFA really are a Mickey Mouse organisation, and they expect us all to follow their lead? There isn’t a cat in hell’s chance, until certain individuals are removed from their job, and I don’t see that about to happen. Regan has more than 9 lives, and a hide like a Rhino, as well as the protection of his master. Chairman Mao.
I’m also sorry to see Danny Wilson’s career take a spectacular nose-dive. He had the world at his feet once. Playing week in-week out for Rangers in Scotland and the Champions League, where he was being schooled by the imperious Davie Weir.
Like Alan Hutton before him, he was a work in progress at Ibrox. They were being given a masterclass in the Art of Defending, every week. I watched countless matches, where Weir talked them through the 90 minutes.
When will youngsters learn to do whats right for their development, rather than listen to unscrupulous individuals, who wan to fill their own pockets. There aren’t enough good agents around anymore.
Cut throat seams to be the thing of the EPL, whereas back stabbing seams to be the SPL thing.
Wee Chesney and McGoo double act, let the fun begin, the Morecambe and Wise of the football world, I wonder if Des O’Conner will help with the coaching?
Gary Pooper scores for fun in the SPL, trouble is though there’s no SPL teams in the EPL.
I thought Hearts where under some sort of transfer embargo for not paying wages, tax, vat, and bonuses to players? Oh that’s right they have agreed to vote for the league reconstruction, if their embargo got lifted. the SPL corrupt to it’s very core.
Why is Celtcs good players always seem to be in the £5 to £10 million mark?.For heavenssake at one tIme Mark Guidi said Broony could be worth £15 million!
One has to feel sorry for Nigel Adkins in the way he was treated by Cortese, sounds like he got his very own taste of a Spanish inquisition, good luck to him in the future, I don’t think he would have needed reminded that being a manager of a football club is a fickle business. Babes go south, more years than enough have gone by to remind young players that the Grass is not always greener over the hill, because enough have failed at it, why then do they do it? McGhee in with his buddy Strachan, ok just nine more of his mates from his Aberdeen days and he just might get Scotland to a major tournament, they couldn’t possibly be any worse than the present squad.
A shame for the manager but more shame on the board. Maybe it was a different regime but wasn’t it Southampton who dropped dave jones like a stone when he was disgracefully subjected to unfounded allegations? Its a terrible thing to be denied natural justice….
I would say maybe 70,000 to 80,000 pounds sterling that equals 700 pounds cash to every Kilo.
Southampton will be relegated and deservedly so,what a shoddy way to treat a man who has taken them back to Englands elite.Wonder how our former captain and benchwarmer feels about his move now.
For Wilson read McCabe,Ness,Fleck etc all to much to soon .
Always dissapointed in McGhee I thought he was a managerial dud and wished he ended up at the saVILEdhome but it was not to be.
54 and more to FOLLOW FOLLOW….
Wilson was given plenty of Game time in his best position, Fleck……..
If memory serves right – feel free to admonish me on this – Ally was ‘forced’ to play Fleck (nov-dec 2011) and the Gers won three of four matches by playing the ball on the ground. Then Fleck was dropped and it was back to the long ball punt……jeez !
Bill
Lennon recently valued Wanyama @ £35m so I reckon you are spot on with Hooper. £5m, which is Norwich’s valuation, would pay for a fair few empty seats and as January has a couple of weeks to run, I say watch this space. Of course Lennon may prefer to have Hooper as an option for the CL final.
old bhoy’s act??? whose idea was this bearing in mind the liewell connection
My thoughts Exactly Alex. Not even subtle now
Alex,
You’re spot on-the order would come from the inner sanctum of Pecos Pete.I was probably one of the first to know that Hissing Sid had finally been hit three times with the hammer as I was passing Hampden when the black smoke finally turned to white.He’s just another addition to the Swiss Guard at Castello Gandolfi as Hampden is now unofficially known.Everything is being put into place for the new set up.Who”ll be number 3 to Gordon and Mark ?My money’s on Peter Kearney or Cardinal Keith “punch-a-pape”-O’Brien although Paddy Power is no longer accepting bets on Monsignor Kearney (or “that nasty little weasel” as Professor Richard Dawkins calls him.) so save yourself a few bob.
Mark and Gordon have much in common apart from the Abergreen thing.Mark played in the Celtic attack and Gordon was attacked by Celtic (fans) so they’ll have plenty to talk about.
As for Hooper,Kneel and tubby have never got on and there’s obviously another rift on the way as the orangutan is raging that this news is in the public domain-transparency has never been the Sellik way,they just like to demand it from others.
Just switched on Off the Ball and today’s guest is Rosie Kane and tomorrow we have Michael Grant of the Gherald.Rosie had “my oath is to the people” written on her hand when she swore allegiance to the crown.She’s yet another Catholic who suffers from depression -there must be a reason for this,apart from “catholic guilt”,of course.They’ve now got a free run at the diddy league championship for the foreseeable future and the Black Dog is still on their shoulders.