Weekend Football Thoughts 2015 (October 3-4)

With another international week ahead of us, the last Premier League weekend proved to be one filled with drama and big stories as the first two managerial casualties of the top flight were confirmed, while the top and the bottom of the Premier League has begun to take shape.

Are the Bottom Three in Danger of Being Cut Off From the Rest?

That image is of Marko Arnautovic celebrating his winning goal for Stoke City at Villa Park on Saturday which moved his side clear of the bottom three after opening the weekend in 17th place in the League table.

With a win over Aston Villa and both Newcastle United and Sunderland also failing to earn the three points over the weekend, all of a sudden there is a four point gap between 17th and 18th place in the Premier League.

Yes, there are still 90 points to play for this season so there is no immediate danger of the bottom three clubs being cut off, but that gap has to be a concern to Tim Sherwood and Steve McClaren in the bottom three.

It has been a competitive Division over the first couple of months, but only Newcastle United and Sunderland have yet to win, while Aston Villa haven't won since the opening day of the season. The fans of these clubs have to be a little worried over the next two weeks before the Premier League returns because I am not sure how much improvement those clubs will make in that time.

You can't be anything but worried when you're not too convinced about a club's chances of beating any other in the League and these three clubs in the bottom three don't inspire much confidence.

It is going to be a big month of football for Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Sunderland following this international break until the next month in the middle of November. They Tyne-Wear derby on October 25th looks huge too and I would already begin to consider two out of these three as being big favourites for relegation come May.

Dick Advocaat Unsurprisingly Walks Away from Sunderland

The first managerial casualty of the Premier League unsurprisingly came at the Stadium of Light where it was considered fairly certain that Dick Advocaat was going to leave Sunderland no matter what happened in the game against West Ham United.

Seeing his team blow a 2-0 lead in a 2-2 draw didn't do much for the Dutchman and I don't blame him for walking.

Sunderland have never been transparent as to who is running the transfers at the club but I think the previous comments from Paolo Di Canio and Gus Poyet suggest the manager perhaps doesn't have as much control as is needed. Advocaat's decision to walk might have been influenced by the lack of quality that was brought into the club without his go-ahead and I am personally not a big fan of 'committees' running the transfer side of a club because these people take little to no responsibility when things go wrong.

Fans and the media will look at the manager and the buck will stop with him and a manager that retired in the summer only to make a U-turn is unsurprisingly not wanting to deal with the pressure of a relegation battle.

I think it is also telling that someone like Harry Redknapp made it clear openly that Sunderland is not a job he would be willing to touch because of the quality of players at the club. He even suggested Sam Allardyce is unlikely to take on the job and all the Houdini acts Sunderland have committed to escape the drop looks unlikely to be repeated this season.

Sunderland simply haven't had the most taxing of fixture lists to be stuck on three points from a possible twenty-four and it will take something special for them to drag themselves out of the bottom three. Someone has to take responsibility for the shocking signings that have left Sunderland as a mess at the back and not being able to score enough goals to cover those issues.

This looks like it is going to be a long season for Sunderland unless they can find someone who can inspire a poor crop of players for long enough to bring in reinforcements in the January transfer window. Even those reinforcements might not be enough barring another miracle for Sunderland who have looked the worst team in the Premier League by a considerable distance so far.

When Will Chelsea Hit Rock Bottom in this Season?

I'll admit that I have thought Chelsea are about to turn the corner a couple of times already this season, but they continue to make the defensive mistakes that have prevented a consistent run.

Hands up if you picked Chelsea to be in 16th place in the Premier League table going into the second international break of the 2015/16 season... Not many hands that I can see!

Jose Mourinho is under immense pressure as his 'rant' to Sky Sports at the end of another poor home defeat showed, while the players look to have inexplicably downed tools.

Have they given up on the manager, something Mourinho said would be the only reason he would resign as manager of Chelsea? Some of them certainly look like they are not pulling their weight as expected, while there is no consistency to the team line up which isn't helping things.

Some have suggested the players aren't pleased with the tactics that Mourinho insists on playing and ex-England and AC Milan manager Fabio Capello went as far as saying Mourinho has worn out his players. Capello said the same was said after Mourinho's time at Real Madrid and perhaps that is a big reason that 'third season syndrome' affects Mourinho's teams as much as it seems to in seasons he has remained as long as that at one club.

It is baffling to perfectly honest because it looks like some of the veteran players have aged overnight and maybe Mourinho did get the best out of them last season and they have nothing left. John Terry was terrible in the loss to Southampton, Nemanja Matic was withdrawn in the game and Chelsea lack options up front with Diego Costa out suspended.

Games are not going to get easier for Chelsea once they are out of the international break. The face big trips to Dynamo Kiev, West Ham United and Stoke City (in the League Cup and the Premier League), while Liverpool visit Stamford Bridge and things may get worse before they get better for Mourinho.

One question remains though... Will Chelsea keep their 'full support' behind the manager if they lose two or three more games between October 17th and November 7th?

And Then There Were Three

Thierry Henry said in the wake of Arsenal's 3-0 win over Manchester United that Arsene Wenger won't have a better chance to guide his team to the Premier League title than he looks like he will have this season.

Chelsea are unlikely to defend their title with their continuing struggles and 10 points looks a lot to make up on Manchester City who lead the way.

Despite the loss to Arsenal, Manchester United remain in the thick of the battle to become title contenders although the next month will tell us a lot more about Louis Van Gaal's men once they play at Everton, Manchester City at home and Crystal Palace away.

Manchester City will be there or thereabouts as long as Manuel Pellegrini keeps them focused better than he has at times and also manages to get a full season out of Sergio Aguero and those three teams lead the way when it comes to potential winners.

With Chelsea struggling at the moment, a top four berth for a surprise contender is certainly up for grabs, while Liverpool might feel a big change in the manager's office potentially gets them back in the mix as they are only 4 points behind Arsenal and Manchester United.

If I am being honest, I am still expecting Manchester City to push clear in the coming months, but the Premier League certainly has an open look about it as we get closer to the ten game mark which is supposed to give us the clearest picture of how things will develop.

Brendan Rodgers' Time is Up at Liverpool

The rumours about Brendan Rodgers' future as Liverpool manager began as far back as April when his side limply went out of the FA Cup Semi Final to Aston Villa, but this still feels a strange juncture at which the decision was made to remove the Northern Irishman from his position.

There are definitely some arrogance around Rodgers and an almost undeserving belief that he has been surpassing expectations at Liverpool, but I also think he is a better manager than those who love revising history would care to admit.

He almost took Liverpool to the title behind some breathtaking football and while some will point to Luis Suarez being the main source for that, I would hesitate in diminishing Rodgers' role in the 2014 season. He got the best out of Steven Gerrard and Daniel Sturridge that season to complement Suarez and it was only a bit of naivety that prevented Liverpool winning the League in the final three games when they were big favourites to do that.

That game with Chelsea when Liverpool pushed on for goals when a draw would have sufficed is perhaps the one moment Rodgers would love to go back in time and adjust his own tactics you'd think and it would have made him virtually untouchable at Anfield right now.

He made mistakes- the signing of Mario Balotelli was never going to work as a replacement for Suarez, but a long-term injury to Daniel Sturridge was bad luck.

Liverpool are not that far off the top four places so I think the timing was strange, but I guess someone, Jurgen Klopp, has given the nod he is ready to return to management and the owners believe he can get more out of the squad that has been put together. Klopp looks the perfect fit for Liverpool as someone who made some impressive signings on a small budget at Borussia Dortmund, but was also capable of replacing big players that were sold.


It is much harder to see where Rodgers goes from here- perhaps he takes the David Moyes approach and look to manage abroad because the only way is down from Liverpool in the Premier League. He is still young enough to come again, but not many managers get more than a single shot at the very big clubs in a single country and Rodgers might be best to rebuild before returning to England.

You can understand his disappointment- he was three games away from becoming a Liverpool legend yet eighteen months later is out of the door at Anfield and now being widely criticised for his tenure.

I think it is harsh that his performance is being downplayed in hindsight, but that is football these days when managers go from one extreme to another in a very short period of time. Rodgers can just make a quick call to his friend Jose Mourinho to understand that as he exits the limelight for the foreseeable future.

Weekend Football Thoughts 2015 (September 19-20)

There was one hugely controversial issue in the Premier League this weekend which can't be ignored, while I won't apologise for this being a piece leaning towards Manchester United on what was a successful weekend for the club after the disappointment in Eindhoven.

Is there a Bigger Wind-Up Merchant than Diego Costa in the Premier League?

I have no love lost for Arsenal and found it amusing how their fans reacted to Diego Costa's attitude on the field considering how so many of the same fans 'love' Martin Keown and his actions against Ruud Van Nistelrooy ten years ago.

But let's face facts- I have said for a year that there are very few bigger wind up merchants in the Premier League than Diego Costa.

He is constantly playing on the edge when it comes to the rules, but how he seems to get away with his over aggressive approach is beyond me. The referees must see what Costa gets up to, yet no one seems to put a stamp down on the behaviour.

A blatant slap in Laurent Koscielny's face was followed by a running battle with Gabriel, a player he has had previous with during their time in Spain. An argument escalated as Mike Dean lost control of the situation and somehow Costa was able to get Gabriel wound up to the point of kicking out and being sent off.

There is no doubting it was a key moment in the match which turned in favour of Chelsea, but something has to be done about Costa. Something to show him he can't keep doing this on a football pitch and expect to get away with it because the FA won't punish him retrospectively.

Referees have to have an eye out on him at all times and hopefully they can get on top of Costa and not allow a situation to develop where he is completely responsible for having a fellow professional sent off.


Since I wrote this, Diego Costa has been charged by the FA and does look set for a three game suspension for the 'punch' on Koscielny.

North East Footballing Troubles

Middlesbrough look to be a team on the up in this part of the world, but Hull City were relegated from the Premier League last season and both Sunderland and Newcastle United are looking like they are on a path to join The Tigers in the Championship.

Steve McClaren and Dick Advocaat have to be leading the 'Sack Race' at this moment in time as both Newcastle United and Sunderland struggle, but the Dutch manager is the one in more immediate trouble as far as I am concerned.

I can't imagine Mike Ashley making a snap decision on a manager he has appointed for just five games, but Advocaat has admitted he will walk if he can't begin to turn things around.

The worry for both teams has to be that they have lost some really disappointing games and ones they would have circled as 'can't afford to lose' type of games. Newcastle United losing at home to Watford is a very poor result, but the manner of Sunderland's losses at Leicester and Bournemouth has to be a concern.

You can't doubt the passion that supporters have in this part of England, but that can also lead to a toxic environment when things aren't going right. It doesn't get easier for either team this weekend as Newcastle United host Chelsea and Sunderland visit Manchester United off the back of Capital One Cup action and this already looks like desperate times for the two clubs in the North East in the Premier League.

West Ham United are Displaying the Form to get into Europe

There has to be some sense of irony that Slaven Bilic is presiding over a West Ham United team that have won some impressive games that could lead to a European berth next season.

After barely giving the Europa League any attention this season, it would be funny if the side play well enough to get back into that competition next time around. The Champions League looks beyond them despite the form they have displayed in winning at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City, but the lack of regard West Ham United showed the Europa League makes me wonder what is the ambition of the club?

Are they simply going to look to finish high enough to get into a position to be knocked out in the Qualifiers of the Europa League next season?

Or was it the fact they had to begin so early in European competition that bothered Bilic?

It is a strange situation to me, but take nothing away from West Ham United who have played some very attractive football this season. They rode their luck to win the game at The Etihad Stadium, as you have to sometimes, but adds to the impressive away wins in the Premier League.

If it wasn't for defeats to Leicester City and Bournemouth, which look even more surprising now, West Ham United might have been leading the pile in the Premier League.

David De Gea Staying at Manchester United is a huge deal

Most Manchester United fans are sensible enough to understand the draw of Real Madrid for a player like David De Gea, as they did when Cristiano Ronaldo made it clear his future lay in the Spanish capital, but keeping him could be the best transfer business Manchester United had in the summer of 2015.

Take nothing away from some of the players brought into the club, but David De Gea has to be amongst the top two or three goalkeepers in the world and keeping him is a huge boost.

That image above doesn't do the save he made on Sunday any justice.

As he did last season, De Gea made a jaw-dropping save in the second half with Manchester United leading the game and it was a moment that effectively won the three points. They say goalkeepers are worth an additional three or four wins a season and De Gea certainly proved that point on Sunday with a save that truly was world class.

Watching in real time, I figured it was a certainty that the ball was about to hit the back of the net until somehow De Gea clawed it out from behind him and once again reminded everyone of the importance of keeping the Spaniard at Old Trafford.

Anthony Martial Needs Time, but looks the Real Deal

I haven't said too much about Anthony Martial because I simply hadn't seen a lot of him prior to his move to Manchester United.

The price looked a big one, but it is one that will be determined by the career that Martial creates for him in the future.

His announcement with a fantastic finish against Liverpool was brilliant, but I also thought he played well in Eindhoven even if he didn't score.

However, the two goals against Southampton this weekend to help turn that game were very, very promising.

I don't really want to judge someone on a special goal like the one Martial got against Liverpool, but I love to see what a player is like doing the basics under some pressure.

The basics in this case were the composure in front of goal shown for the second goal, or Martial's decision making for the first to turn Virgil Van Dijk. Both were signs of someone who is completely calm in front of goal and there is no more of a confidence booster than seeing a player be able to do that.

I don't want to go overboard like some have the tendency to do, but it was the clinical finishing reminiscent of Ruud Van Nistelrooy that really appealed to me and makes me a believer in Martial. He is 19 years old so will have his ups and downs, but composure like he showed at St Mary's can't be taught and seeing him have that in the locker is a really big positive for me.

Give the young man time to develop the rest of his game and Manchester United really might have a star of the future on their hands.

Weekend Review (August 17-19)

The first weekend of the Premier League is always too soon to make snap judgements for what is going to happen for the next nine months- I mean the top three contenders for the Premier League title all won, the three promoted sides from last season all lost.

That doesn't mean anything in the long run, but there were still a few things that caught my eye from a long weekend of football and these are below.


Sergio Aguero staying fit could bridge the gap to Manchester United: As a Manchester United fan, I would be the first to tell you that Robin Van Persie's decision to move to Old Trafford rather than Manchester City was a major reason for the title coming back to Manchester United last season.

Van Persie's goals were critical and United managed to score 20 goals more than City over the course of the Premier League season and that definitely made the difference between the teams and is a real reason for such a gap at the end of the season between the two top sides.

Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez have both left Manchester City over the last year, while they have signed Stevan Jovetic and Alvaro Negredo have been brought in to help the team get back to scoring ways, but it may be most critical for them to keep Sergio Aguero fit.

Aguero started 22 games last season and was a substitute for a further 8 games, while scoring 12 goals for City, but he had been suffering with a knock during the course of the year and he has the goalscoring knack that could make a big difference in the title race this time around.

I also think City will be boosted by the more attacking mentality that Manuel Pellegrini will employ compared with Roberto Mancini- with the talent they have in forward positions, I think they will score a fair few more than the 66 goals they managed last season and may just make the difference in bridging the 11 point gap between themselves and United.


Arsenal fans booing ridiculous: It is very much a feature of the new world that instance success is all that fans want to see and social networking makes it easier for everyone to voice their opinions.

While reading Twitter is down to each individual, Arsenal fans have a tendency to bring their negative vibes to the Emirates Stadium. It isn't the first time the team have been booed off at home, but that isn't the only reason I find it quite ridiculous.

They boo their OWN players when they may be under-performing... Did anyone else find it quite ironic the cheers and claps Emmanuel Eboue got during a pre-season friendly against Galatasaray, yet this was the same player they would ridicule and boo while he played FOR Arsenal.

Theo Walcott has received the same 'adulation' during his poor runs of form, and it just feels ridiculous that one game into a season they are already on the players backs. Granted there are frustrations in what has been a quiet summer on the transfer front, and the result against Villa was a poor one, but it seems to be a far quicker negative reaction in this stadium than any other.

I don't know whether that is simply down to the fact that the new stadium has only been built in the last few years and the increased attendance from the Highbury days has allowed more 'Soccer Am' watching fans turn up, but the booing comes far too quickly at that stadium.


Promoted sides all lose but some positive signs: I said above that it is too quick to make snap judgements after one game of the season, but I do think all three promoted sides will take some positives from their opening Premier League game.

Cardiff City struggled at West Ham United, but Upton Park is one of the tougher places to play in the Premier League and I think the team will be looking to their home form to provide the real foundation for survival. They will certainly feel better now that the tension of the first game is out of the way, although the next game against Manchester City may give them another rude awakening of the challenges that lie ahead.

While Cardiff have fewer positives, both Crystal Palace and Hull City will feel they showed enough to think they can snare some points this season. Hull were outclassed for the first half at Chelsea, but the second half performance suggests they have made some astute signings, particularly Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore from Tottenham Hotspur.

Steve Bruce has experience and I think Hull City will surprise some if they take their second half performance on. Crystal Palace also played well in their game against Spurs, although I do wonder if they have enough goals in the side to survive in the top flight.

Over the last twenty years, all three promoted sides being immediately relegated is almost unheard of and even two of the sides going down would be a surprise. With that in mind, and with the performances on the opening weekend, all three promoted clubs will still have a real belief in what they are trying to achieve this season.


Wigan and the two relegated clubs won't have an easy ride in the Championship: When all three relegated clubs from the Premier League made winning starts in their opening game in the Championship, the general feeling was that all three would have a strong shout for promotion.

The one that most were excited about were Wigan after they won 0-4 at Barnsley, but one point from their next two games shows how tough the Championship is- I wasn't convinced by the appointment of Owen Coyle who had to be sacked by Bolton Wanderers last season as he struggled to make the adjustment to the Championship.

All 3 of the relegated sides are no longer the 'underdog', but a team with a target on their back as others will raise their game against opponents that were Premier League clubs up until May. Wigan have the additional pressure of playing in Europe and being the FA Cup holders which makes them a bigger scalp, although Queens Park Rangers financial clout puts a huge target on them too.

Being immediately promoted following relegation is not an easy task in a competitive Division like this one and all three will have a long, tough season ahead with a lots of ups and downs to reach their goal.


Spurs without Bale could still be a top four club: I have been impressed with the way Tottenham Hotspur have invested in the squad with the imminent departure of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid- they are getting a lot of money for their Welsh winger, but there does seem to be more of a feel of a team being put together and a good one at that.

The latest news that Willian may not be moving to White Hart Lane is a blow to what had looked a very strong summer of business, but I like the signings they have made and there is every chance they could be a top four club even in the absence of his talisman.

The big question may be who Arsenal sign to strengthen their squad to decide which of the North London teams finish in the final coveted Champions League place, but at the moment, players like Roberto Soldado and Paulinho can make a difference for Spurs.

Spurs do look a little short in defensive areas, so staying healthy will be key to their chances of negotiating what is a tough nine months of football, but there are some really positive signs. Andre Villas-Boas has to find the right blend at White Hart Lane where Spurs dropped too many points against teams they would be expecting to beat as they certainly look capable of picking up plenty on their travels and I like the business being done in this part of North London.