The Telegraph are reporting that come Monday morning, Tony Adams will be officially sacked as manager after only 22 games in fifteen weeks in charge. His last match in charge ended in disappointment as Portsmouth blew two leads before falling 3-2 in second half injury time. His overall record in charge 4 wins, 7 draws and 11 losses, only 2 wins, 9 losses and 5 draws in league play. One could argued that even a high point to his time at the club ended in disappointment as after going 2-0 up against AC Milan in their UEFA Cup tie back in November, AC Milan ended the game honors even.
In the interim, Johnny Metgod, first team coach appointed by Adams back in November, will take over.
From the start it was highly questionable for Tony Adams to get this job. It was a rush decision after Harry Redknapp had his head turned by Tottenham and in effect left Portsmouth in the middle of the night. His previous experience as manager lasted only one season, a season that saw Wycombe Wanderers relegated. Before even joining Harry Redknapp at Portsmouth, he wandered around at various clubs in a youth role.
I feel for Portsmouth fans. After reports started to surface about the club being up for sale and the amount of debt the club was under, we found out that there would be a delay on the start of the Dockland’s project that would have resulted in a new stadium. Add to that the mini-fire sale in January and their current relegation battle and it’s been a tough season for those who support the Fratton Park outfit.
Avram Grant and Alan Curbishley are currently favorites to take over the job. While I like Avram Grant as a manager, the English press will immediately question his motivational skills and his late game tactics. Alan Curbishley has been to this dance before and has guided teams to safety before, he’s also taken teams down. However with the way Curbishley left West Ham earlier this season, I question if he’s ready to get back into the fight this quickly.
With the relegation battle as tight as I can ever remember it, Portsmouth need to get this appointment right. Right now if I could get Curbishley to agree to take over the club until the end of the season, I’d get him. Between Curbishley and Grant, he’s the safer bet.
It was just a matter of time for Tony Adams. Had Portsmouth taken their time and got the right manager after Redknapp left, we probably aren’t talking about the loss of Lassana Diarra. There’s even an outside shot (albiet small) that Jermain Defoe is still there. Instead, Portsmouth right now hang on the brink. While right now safe, the gap is just too small.
Is this move that will stop the bleeding and can whoever is brought in lead this team to safety? Let us know by leaving your comments below.
