English Premier League – Worst Signing 2008/09 season

With the season drawing to a close now awards have been handed out for player of the season etc. It is worth considering the players who have been all but disappointing this year.

5. Deco (Barcelona – Chelsea, £8m). 
The ageing flair midfielder heralded by many as the man to ‘complete’ the Chelsea midfield got off to a flyer under Scolari, providing some quality in the opening day demolition of a Portsmouth side depleted over the summer. However since the departure of Big Phil he has found it difficult to get a place in the starting XI. This may possibly be a case of taking a season to adjust to the English style but it remains to be seen where he will figure in the plans of the next Chelsea manager.

4. Jo (CSKA Moscow – Manchester City, £19m).
An almost extortionate price tag for a player who played very few games in sky blue despite a decent showing at the Olympics. Has had far more success since going on loan to Everton however David Moyes has made it clear that the Toffees cannot afford to meet the valuation of the player. The Brazilian is likely to have an uncertain few months ahead of him, though the same might be said of the whole Manchester establishment.

3. David Bentley (Blackburn – Tottenham, £15m).
Seen as an unnecessary addition by many Spurs fans and has not lived up to the hype that followed his arrival to White Hart Lane, nor his price tag (Blackburn I’m sure are very pleased though). Other than a few decent crosses and a flailing but well weighted shot against Arsenal he has been very quiet in any games he has played in. Another player who faces a somewhat uncertain future under a manager who did not buy him.

2. Robbie Keane (Tottenham – Liverpool – Tottenham, £TILT).
Almost certainly the worst piece of footballing business since anybody set eyes on either Jordan Stewart or Stephen Bywater. Coveted for so long by Rafa Benitez to do nothing but play out of position in a system to which he did not fit. Perhaps the Liverpool boss is missing a few pages from his FA Formations coaching manual. His insistence to play 4-2-3-1 has meant Keane spent much of his time at Liverpool being utterly frustrated and frustrating the Kop faithful. Seems to be happier back at Spurs and probably won’t find himself stranded on the left wing too often.

1. Jimmy Bullard (Fulham – Hull, £5m).
After an injury-free first half to the season, Jimmy ‘My knee is a complete and utter liability and Bupa are having none of it’ Bullard decided that he wasn’t happy with having “only” 18 months on his contract and wanted more more more from a Fulham side who are living within their means. It is very likely that Roy Hodgson is breathing an enormous sigh of relief after flogging the whinging midfielder to Hull for their club record in the £5m region and Jimmy injured himself after just 30 minutes playing time. Without a doubt the worst value for money this season.

Uefa Cup Final 2009 - Preview

On Wednesday 20th May 2009 we will witness the last ever final of the Uefa Cup as we know it. The successor to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which ran between 1955 and 1971, the Uefa cup was traditionally a competition for the runners up in a nation’s league however since merging with the Cup Winner’s Cup in 1999 it also invites the winners of certain domestic trophies to take part in the competition. In England these are the League and FA cup.

This year’s finalists Werder Bremen and Shakhtar Donetsk have not had an easy ride to the final and they have had to earn their plaudits as any finalist should.

Both sides have progressed via elimination from the group phase of the Champions League. Shakhtar faced Spurs, CSKA Moscow, Marseille and Dynamo Kyiv en-route and Werder took on the might of A.C. Milan, St. Etienne, Udinese and Hamburg.

Shakhtar have had a tendency to leave things late in the majority of their games in the competition this year, scoring only 2 of their 12 goals in the first half. Both coming against Marseille in the Quarter finals. Perhaps this is an indication of a good fitness routine being maintained throughout the Ukrainian winter break (December-March) and the freshness that comes with such a break.

Bremen on the other hand have had a disappointing season in the Bundesliga, currently sitting in 10th place and can only achieve a 7th place finish at best. This will leave them without any European football next season a situation that I’m sure they will do their best to counter. They have always been a very attacking side and this is very evident given their goal tally, 64 in the league and 15 in the Uefa Cup, however they have been blighted by their leaky defence letting in a bucketful of goals. Conceding over 2 goals in every tie in the competition this season.

Winning the trophy should help ensure that they enjoy the benefits of a European campaign. Shakhtar will not have this worry on their mind as they sit comfortably in second place in the Ukrainian Premier League and will enter the qualifying rounds for the Champions League and should at least guarantee them a place in the Group phase of the Europa League.

A more illustrious reason for both sides to go hammer and tong on Wednesday evening is that neither side has won the competition in their history. Bremen have won the Cup Winner’s Cup in 1992 but for Shakhtar this is their first appearance at the final of any competition at this level and a win would be a great achievement for them.

I think that despite Bremen’s attacking prowess, they are coming to the end of a long and arduous season, they have leaked goals and Shakhtar while nowhere near as potent up front as the Germans will be in their stride after the freshening winter break and their league form at the moment has been spotless. I will have to go for a 2-1 Shakhtar victory in normal time.

The next Chelsea manager

Following yesterday's sacking of Luis Felipe Scolari there has been much speculation as to who the next Chelsea manager will be. A wide range of names have been linked with the job already, some of which I expected to hear and some I most certainly did not. As both a Chelsea fan and someone with a great interest in the wider football world I will be taking a look at some of the names on this list as well as some of those I think ought to be on there. Feel free to disagree with any of my opinions if you so wish.

PS. Before any of you suggest any names I may have left out of this list, please bear in mind that I'd rather have my balls sandblasted than have Martin O'Neill as Chelsea manager. You have been warned.

The names that are always mentioned:

Frank Rijkaard: Won 2 la Liga titles and the Champions League with Barcelona but struggled to contain the egos in the dressing room thanks to his lax attitude toward discipline during his final two years in charge. Overall, would try to play the good football Abramovich seems to crave but seemingly not the man to control the Drogbas and Terrys of this world. Avoid.

Guus Hiddink: Has enjoyed great success at club and international level and known to be a strong disciplinarian. A close friend of Abramovich who may be willing to take the job on a part time basis until the end of the season. However, seems reluctant to leave his job as manager of Russia and has not had a job managing a club outside of Holland for some years. Would be a popular appointment but a risk nonetheless.

Jose Mourinho: Ever since his sacking I've maintained that he will not be coming back, no matter how much anyone at the club wants him to. However, you can't help but wonder when you hear stories about him not being happy in Italy or that he and Abramovich have patched up their differences (Roman recently bought Jose a car as a thank you for everything he did for Chelsea). Has a proven track record in English football and would command the respect of the players. But even if this most unlikely of comebacks is still a possibility, it would almost certainly have to wait until the summer; Inter are 7 points clear in Serie A and Jose would want to have a Scudetto on his CV meaning someone else would have to take charge until the end of the season. I'd love it if Mourinho did come back but still can't quite see it happening.

Roberto Mancini: Whenever there's a job going in the Premiership, his name always pops up. Won 3 titles with Inter (the first admittedly by default) and got Lazio into the Champions League with a transfer budget of about 50p, but has no track record outside of Italy and suffered a near mental breakdown last season as Inter were knocked out of the Champions League and almost threw away the scudetto. I worry how he would cope if he ever became embroiled in Ferguson's mind games or if the team suddenly lost form as Inter did last season. A calculated risk.

The surprise:

Avram Grant: In spite of what some fans may think, I believe Grant did an admirable job as manager last season. Knows the club and the players very well and seemingly remains on good terms with Abramovich in spite of the ruthless nature of his sacking just 2 days after the Champions League final. I would happily welcome him back until the end of the season but worry about the reception he may receive from some of the more moronic sections of support who refuse to acknowledge his achievements and are seemingly unable to see past the fact that he's Jewish (sad, but true). Such a hostile reception may take its toll on the players and add to the club's problems.

The up and comers:

Gianfranco Zola: A club legend who would be given time by the fans to turn things round and would probably bring Steve Clarke back with him. After a slow start, has managed to galvanise West Ham, lifting them to 8th in the Premiership and earning rave reviews from the players. Still too inexperienced for me though (Glenn Hoddle proved at Tottenham that returning heroes don't always make great managers) and recognises that he owes a lot to West Ham for taking a chance on him. Has never broken a contract in his career and, in spite of his oft-stated love of the club, is unlikely to start now. I'm sure he'll be Chelsea manager one day, but not yet.

Roberto di Matteo: Another club legend, currently guiding MK Dons toward another promotion. Still has no experience of top level management though, could prove to be another Paul Ince. Could one day team up with Zola for the fan's dream ticket but should not be considered for a few years yet.

Slavan Bilic: Undoubtedly a great motivator, as evidenced by the success he has had with a Croatia team with a few stars but a lot of average players. No experience of club management though and may represent too big a risk than the club is willing to take. Does strike me as a strong disciplinarian though which seems to be what the club needs at the moment, and is clearly a total head case, which would make for some interesting confrontations with other managers.

Not mentioned but worth a look?:

Phil Brown: Laugh if you must but I'm a big fan. In one season turned Hull from Championship relegation fodder into a Premiership club, and is making a good fist of keeping them in the league. Their recent drop in form was inevitable but I still fancy them to survive. One of those managers who just needs a big club to take a chance on him. The biggest risks can sometimes bring the biggest rewards.

Quique Sanchez Flores: Anyone who could cope with the pressure of managing a club like Valencia would have little trouble coping with the pressure at Chelsea. His Valencia team played great football and were competitive in la Liga despite a massive financial disadvantage against Barcelona and Real Madrid. I'd love to see him get the job but doesn't seem to even be on the board's radar. A shame.

Thomas Schaaf: If Roman Abramovich wants exciting attacking football, this is the man to provide it. During his time in charge, Werder Bremen have consistently been the top scorers in German football and have won many admirers with their attractive offensive style. However, the flip side to this is frequent kamikaze defending; if Werder score 3 there's always a chance they'll let their opponents score 4. Defence has been a big problem for Chelsea this season and I doubt that Schaaf is the man to address this problem.

Sven Goran Eriksson: Was vilified by Chelsea fans when linked with the job 5 years ago but was his record with England really that bad? Not when you compare it to Steve McClaren's efforts it wasn't. Made a great start at Manchester City last season before being undermined and eventually forced out my the club owner. Certainly has an eye for a good signing and has a proven track record with big clubs. I'd still rather they looked elsewhere but am now not nearly as hostile to the idea of Sven managing Chelsea as I have been in the past.

Conclusion:

I'd obviously love to have Jose Mourinho back as manager, but as I stated above, I just can't see that happening. While writing this article I have learned that the club have been talking to Guus Hiddink with the view to him taking over until the end of the season. I would welcome this appointment but still wonder where this would leave us next season. One thing is for certain, whoever is given the job long term, the board have to make the right decision. Chelsea are a team in need of some major surgery at the moment and the new man needs to have the character and the determination to take on this task. Many fans continue to use Jose Mourinho as the yardstick by which all Chelsea managers are judged, any new manager needs to be able to cope with this expectation and return Chelsea to the top of football's pyramid if he is ever to be spoken about in the same breath as "the Special One".