YOU HAVE TO feel sorry for Steve Bould.
A rod for the back of the Arsenal assistant manager was created by the Gunners’ fine start to the season. After no goals conceded in their first three Premier League games, the former defender was heralded as the foundation on which a long delayed title tilt would be built.
They’re now level on points, with just one game in hand, on a Liverpool side in their third decade of a transitional phase.
At various times in their Arsenal careers, Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker have each looked like some of the league’s better defenders. The problem seems to be that only one seems to function at a time, with Vermaelen and Koscielny caught bang in the middle of their worst form at the Emirates.
Bacary Sagna stopped even phoning it in at the start of the season, he was truly awful against Chelsea, and it must seem like a century ago that Bould formed part of THAT defence. Chelsea were regularly allowed time and space on the flanks in the first half and could have been much further ahead than 2-0 at the break.
Arsenal’s greater discipline in the second half was led by the unlikely Theo Walcott, who was far better than even his single goal would suggest. With Cazorla enjoying a nice mid-season break and Jack Wilshere harried into submission by Ramires, Walcott played talisman and was left to rue the poor finishing skills of partner Olivier Giroud.
The second half was far more like it and you’re rarely left with the impression that Arsenal won’t score. The problem is that ‘not conceding’ seems even more unlikely.
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They haven’t played this weekend so far, but a word on Southampton.
One of the scribes on Sunday Supplement said he had never seen a more bizarre managerial sacking in the Premier League, given the strides made by Nigel Adkins in recent months.
True.
Never let it be said that we’d take the side of Paul Merson, but it was hard not to nod along when he said he hoped Southampton would be playing Championship football next season.
When a manager who has presided over just two defeats in 12 games, using a squad that contains Maya Yoshida and Kelvin Davis, gets the sack, all hope for sanity is lost.
That all being said, what’s done is done. Hopefully Mauricio Pocchetino won’t be greeted by boos when the Saints take on Everton. Hardly his fault the club is run by lunatics. Everyone deserves a chance.
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Manchester City clearly don’t need Mario Balotelli, and should get rid of the Italian as soon as possible.
It’s not that their performance against Fulham was anything other than decent, it’s just that the Italian is absolutely never missed by his club side when absent.
A player who is only ever noted for the things he doesn’t do on the pitch, and nonsense off it, is surely an irrelevance when even Sergio Aguero can’t get a game.
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The last time Liverpool put five goals past Norwich City, they followed it up with a defeat to Udinese in the Europa League and a scoreless home draw against Stoke City.
Next up for Brendan Rodgers’ side is the gimme against Oldham in the FA Cup, before trips to Arsenal and Manchester City in the league.
Win either of those matches and tentative talk about the Champions League can resume, but the fact remains that the Reds have risen to 7th through flat track bullying, and have not beaten a side above them in the table this season.
If that all sounds a little negative after the club’s best performance of the season, it’s offset by the fact that Liverpool have played all but the last three games without Daniel Sturridge.
They appear to have struck gold with the Bolton version of the striker, and will there have been any more pleasing goal to Liverpool fans than the 23-year-old’s glorious dummy for Luis Suarez’ strike on Saturday? Hardly.
Not to be premature, but early indications are of a ‘Keane-Berbatov’-style understanding between the pair, and if another player or two can be added by Rodgers, genuine optimism will (again) envelop Anfield.
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All credit to Andre Villas-Boas after Tottenham followed up September’s 3-2 win at Old Trafford with a well-deserved draw against the league leaders today. An 18th Premier League goal of the season for Robin van Persie had put the visitors ahead in a game which had looked in doubt due to the heavy snowfall at White Hart Lane. Spurs rallied and created numerous chances to restore parity in the second half but were kept at bay by some excellent saves by David De Gea.
It was the Spaniard’s weak punch in injury time, however, which allowed Aaron Lennon, who was a thorn in Patrice Evra’s side on the day, to tee-up Clint Dempsey for a routine finish.
The equaliser was the kind of goal which United have become famous for scoring, not conceding, and represents real progress for a Spurs team who sit in fourth and are now unbeaten in the league since going down 5-2 to North London rivals Arsenal back in November.
Additional writing from Ben Blake
No they’d be terrible. As a Forest fan, I think the team have been, for the most part playing good attacking football and scoring goals. They’ve been inconsistent – a little soft at the back is all. Due to the influx of cash, the standard in the EFL is far more technically proficient and tactically sophisticated league (at the top end at least) than it was when O’Neill and Keane last managed this division. I’ve seen nothing in their recent work to suggest they have the tactical savvy to do a job for Forest. They certainly don’t have tne man-management skills to get the best out of the modern professional footballer.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: yes because they got to the last 16 of the euros and 90 mins from a World Cup without having a clue about tactics. Sick of people churning out this shpeel about o Neil and Keane.
@Lorcan Cunningham: there was a horrible amount of luck and just plain heart and fight by the players to get there though. When the adrenaline of the Euros died, then the will of the players did too. There’s nothing motivating about playing the same aimless football for the following two years when smaller countries with less talent become more proficient and confident.
@Lorcan Cunningham: Nah! You’ve cherrypicked one example of things working out – and there’s probably one or two other properly “impressive” displays e.g. Germany and Serbia. (But even then what exactly was their tactical master stroke? ) And anyway, the last 12-18 months have been abject – deplorable even – with ZERO semblance of a tactical game plan . And on top of that, you need to be even better man-managers in a club environment because of player/agent-power. The two lads are beyond abysmal in that department.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: last 12 months things crumbled due to injuries/retirements. The lads were at the helm for some memorable nights for Irish football over their tenure, nights that had been lacking for a decade. Get off the o Neill’s a dinosaur bandwagon lads it’s embarrassing.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: I don’t think anybody could disagree with you . O’Neill would be absolute disaster for Forest. In fact I think he would be a disaster for any team. If you want to watch dross week in week out, get Big Sam. At least you would have some chance of promotion
In the context of management, to mention Brian Clough and Martin O’Neill in the same sentence is sacrilegious. Brian Clough was one of the greatest football managers who ever lived. Martin O’Neill was at best a journeyman manager.
@Fergal O’ Reilly: The Big Sam thing was a joke by the way. You should also pray the don’t get Big Sam.
@Lorcan Cunningham: I’m not on the “dinosaur bandwagon” apropos of nothing (like I’d never bring it up for the sake of getting a dig in – that’d be puerile, and indeed embarrassing) …I only make the case for his lack of tactical nous in making the case against his being considered for the role
@CrabaRev: Ha! I get you! To be honest, we’ve almost been relegated for the past few seasons, been banned from the transfer market for FPA transgressions, had parts of the stadium closed off etc. I just think that being 4 points off a promotion spot in mid January isn’t a bad place to be, and this manager should have been given more time and resources.
@Lorcan Cunningham: Not as embarrassing as O’Neill himself. From his amazing lack of on-field tactics, to his total lack of regimented training sessions (no practicing of set piece defending?!) to his contemptuous attitude to the Irish media and Tony O’Donoghue in particular.
The man belongs in the dustbin of history, and should be let nowhere near any professional setup.
Let’s see what they can do when they can actually buy in players unlike international football. The ‘we haven’t got the footballers’ excuse would work here
He wasn’t fired!
“RUNNN FORREST RUNNN”
I’d like to see Keane work as a No. 2 for a manager who plays attacking football such as Brendan Rodgers or Roberto Martinez.
1. Karanka was not fired – he resigned, as per the club website.
2. In what parallel universe would either O’Neill or Keane be a good fit for Forest? A generation of Forest fans were brought up on free flowing passing football as practiced by Brian Clough. The younger ones want this to remain as the club ethos – we do not want to watch ‘$hit on a stick’ football with no real tactics as played by O’Neill sides. Clough once famously said “if god had wanted football to be played in the clouds, he’d have put grass up there”. O’Neill has never heeded his mentor’s coaching philosophy as a manager, somewhat ironic given that O’Neill was a cultured playmaker himself.
No, two coaches we definitely do not want to see employed at the City Ground are Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane.
@Colm O’Sullivan: I hope it’s neither of those two. I’ve a feeling it could be Jokanovic
Always liked O’Neill as a manager, gave Leicester a great belief when they were down and out! I don’t think he will be considered though…feel Marinakis will look for someone like Mark Hughes or David Moyes
That is ironic; good last line.
Daryl Murphy will end up there if Roy Keane goes there, Roy Keane and Daryl Murphy go together just as well as Harry Redknapp and Nico Kranjcar
@Eddie Dillon.: Daryl Murphy is already there.
@Eddie Dillon.: Ah jaysus Eddie