<div id="attachment_680" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-680" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-680" src="/files/2009/11/darren_ferguson_420x285-300x203.jpg" alt="Ferguson: A Harsh Sacking?" width="300" height="203"></figure></div>Ferguson: A Harsh Sacking?</div>
Even though Peterborough are currently <a href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11764_5685514,00.html">remaining silent</a> on reports while I write this, the man who lead the Posh from the bottom division of the football league to the Championship has apparently been relieved of his duties. Chairman Darragh MacAnthony appears to have taken the decision after Peterborough’s poor start to the season; the Posh currently sit bottom of the table with only two wins to their name. But any football fan must ask, where is the justice in this for Ferguson? I personally find it a shame that McAnthony has taken this decision and i’m sure many fans of the club will feel the same.
Peterborough has been quite a colourful club in recent years. Whether it be inviting disgraced TV pundit Ron Atkinson and a bunch of sky TV cameras into their club to “sort things out” or engaging in a legal dispute with Victoria Beckham over the naming rights of the clubs nickname ‘the Posh’, many English fans will be well acquainted with the name. Sky Sports favourite and director of football Barry Fry will also be familiar face to football fans, being one of those larger than life characters within the game.
This latest bit of news from Eastern English side though confuses me some what. How can any chairman justify sacking a manager who has won back-to-back promotions for your team and also shown great commitment throughout, notably rejecting the chance to manage Reading this summer – instead preferring to sign a new four year contract with Peterborough. The club is bottom of the table and on poor form, but you should expect that if you’re going up into a new league; Ferguson hasn’t even been given the opportunity to turn things around in any manner.
As mentioned above, Barry Fry is a recognisable figure from the club. A former manager and chairman who has always had the clubs best interests at heart. A meeting on Monday 9th November was scheduled after the club suffered another defeat to top of the table Newcastle United; a team they were hardly expected to beat. I wonder what Fry himself makes of this decision and how much of a say he had in it; he’s a man who’s whole life has revolved around football and surely he would realise Peterborough have a brilliant thing in Ferguson.
Maybe I could be wrong here but that scheduled meeting for Monday maybe have started out as a review of the clubs form and possibly gone a bit far and ended up with the worst possible scenario. Even then, to let Ferguson go suggests that the board’s ambitions for the club are currently set too high. They have shown little faith in one of the brightest young British managers and once again we see another reason why clubs look to hire foreign coaches; the Brit’s just aren’t given a chance to develop.
There are still 30 games left to play this season! 30! With all due respect, the Posh are not one of the big hitters in this league – nor are they expected to be. Any team that gets promoted to a higher league needs to prepare for the battles of relegation and build from there. Although some considerable investment has been made into the club, they have a lot of players that still need to adapt to the Championship. I can’t imagine any of the players are too happy about the decision, it’s clear that if he won two promotions then he obviously had a good rapport with his players.
It’ll be interesting to see who is brought in to replace Ferguson, I can’t think of many managers that could turn things around for the club. Ferguson is young so he is still developing, but at the same time has shown magnificent maturity in what he has accomplished. Any club that decides to snap him up will have a gem of a manager – I have already seen that Brighton fans are hopefull of the Scot filling their vacant managerial post after Russell Slade was given the axe. All I can see for Ferguson is success in the future and I hope he is back in management sooner rather than later.
It’s also quite ironic that Ferguson’s last game in charge came against another club whose chairman makes a few questionable decisions – Newcastle United. Anybody fancy getting the rumour mill going regarding a bit of Mike Ashley advice to MacAnothony?

Darren Ferguson sacked by Peterborough?

Darren Ferguson sacked by Peterborough? - World Soccer Talk

<div id="attachment_647" style="width: 217px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-647" loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-647" src="/files/2009/10/3756622801-soccer-barclays-premier-league-middlesbrough-v-portsmouth-riverside-stadium-207x300.jpg" alt="Southgate: Shown The Door" width="207" height="300"></figure></div>Southgate: Shown The Door</div>
After winning 2-0 on Tuesday night, Gareth Southgate was relieved of his duties as manager hours after the game. Despite being quite a popular player for the club, Southgate could never quite get the same level of support in his time as manager; despite a number of hardships being put on him such as the sale of top striker Yakubu. It may come as a slightly surprise that the Boro board decided to sack Southgate moments after a win rather than Saturday where the club, at the time, suffered it’s 3rd straight home defeat at the hands of a Watford side currently struggling for form. It is most likely that Gibson and the Middlesbrough board had only fully committed to a change in leadership on the Monday.
An outsider to the championship may wonder how a manager who’s team sits 4th in the 2nd tier table can be sacked but <a href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11680_5642338,00.html">Steve Gibson’s proclamation Wednesday afternoon</a> certainly suggests that it has been building up for some time; and anyone who follows the club can relate to that. One of the most notable things in Gibson’s decision may well be the constant dip in attendance. Even though the club has been relegated and would expect smaller crowds, Boro’s home form has been woeful and left a lot of fans questioning the point in turning up to
You could feel some sympathy however for Southgate. Steve McLaren was a tough act the follow after all of his success. McLaren’s bid to gain success for the club cost the team, and despite selling a number of key players to balance the books on Southgate’s arrival, the club still suffered<a href="http://www.football.co.uk/middlesbrough/southgate_reveals_boro_debt_278124.shtml"> heavily from debt</a>. Southgate, even recently in the championship, has been forced to field a number of players who have came through the clubs academy. Despite Boro having one of the strongest youth teams in the country, it was hardly surprising that they were relegated from the Premiership.
It can’t be denied however that Southgate had no resources. He could be accused of putting all his eggs into one basket when signing Alfonso Alves for what is believed to be almost £13 million. Alves turned out to be a poor piece of business, lacking the finishing touch that the likes of Yakubu and Viduka had brought before him and was largely lethargic in his Boro days. Many questioned the price tag before he had even signed. Alves abandoned ship just before the close of the summer 2009 transfer window; his lacklustre attitude may be better suited to the sweltering heat of the Middle East. He could happily retire early with the amount of money I imagine he is making out there.
After the clubs relegation, they opened the Championship campaign with a 0-0 home draw to Sheffield United and were booed off the pitch by the supporters. Many people criticized the fans for this, but it wasn’t just about the result; fans had already lost confidence in Southgate and a 0-0 draw all but justified this. Southgate never appeared to have a charismatic edge as a manager and sometimes seemed too accepting in defeat. Many within the game saw him as a bit of a push over and someone who could easily cave in.
I myself consider Steve Gibson one of the best Chairmen in the country, a patient man who doesn’t hit the panic button at the first time of asking. He is one of a dying breed in world football; an owner who was brought up in the local environment supporting his club. Boro fans will always have a gratitude of debt towards the man, as Gibson is one of the men that saved the club from Liquidation when they almost folded towards the end of the 20th century. His decision to let Southgate go was the correct call and I believe it has come at the right time. Gibson wants the club to bounce straight back the Premiership at the first time of asking, most likely to help the club balance the finances once again. He gave Southgate every possible opportunity, something most managers don’t get. The club is sitting in a great league position and the right appointment can help give the club an initial boost and help the club realise it’s ambition of promotion at the first time of asking.
The only problem is who will take the job? The objective is clearly to get the club promoted this season as another season in the Championship may result in the club needing to make more cut backs. Gordon Strachan’s name has once again been churned out by the bookies as a favourite – an ideal candidate for the club, but is Boro an ideal opportunity for Strachan? If any manager is tasked with getting promotion they are going to want resources to do so and Boro lack a lot of funding. Their young squad lacks experience and any high profile name manager will want to bring in tried and tested players. If it is to be Strachan then Gibson and the board would have to take a massive gamble, put whatever they’ve got left into the club and pray that he can get the job done.
<a href="http://www.skysports.com/video/inline/0,26691,16478_5642286,00.html">Milan Mandaric has ruled out the fantastic Nigel Pearson</a>, but you can never say never in football. I’m a big fan of Pearson and I’m not surprised that the Leicester chairman is so keen to keep hold of him. Kevin Keegan is the bookies 2nd favourite to take the job (maybe becoming a Toon heretic?) as well as Alan Curbishley being up there. However, these are two managers who would demand they’d be given resources; particularly after their most previous employers relieved them of purchasing duties.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Gibson takes his time with this appointment, as mentioned before he is a man with a lot of patience and likes to be 100% sure before his makes a big decision. Middlesbrough’s situation makes their next managerial appointment a difficult one to call, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up being an intriguing appointment. One of the best things about Steve Gibson as a chairman is that he has the right mix of being a fan and an owner, so whoever he and the board decide on is most likely to be someone the fans can put faith in.

The Inevitable Axe Of Gareth Southgate Confirmed: What Now For Middlesbrough F.C?

The Inevitable Axe Of Gareth Southgate Confirmed: What Now For Middlesbrough F.C? - World Soccer Talk

<div id="attachment_11095" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-11095" loading="lazy" src="/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/carlos-300x212.jpg" alt="How long does he have left?" width="300" height="212" class="size-medium wp-image-11095"></figure></div>How long does he have left?</div>
With Portugal on the verge of non-qualification for the World Cup in 2010, manager Carlos Queiroz is under extreme pressure and has the very real possibility of unemployment looming over him. Given this threat, and inevitability that this will occur, I ask you… How long before we see the Portuguese back in the Manchester United dugout alongside Sir Alex Ferguson?
With Portugal lying fourth in their World Cup qualifying group with only ten points from seven matches. Going into the qualification group as favourites, the current state of affairs comes as a real shock for the Euro 2008 quarter-finalists. 
Denmark have more or less qualified for the World Cup with Hungary and Sweden in equally strong positions. It was imperative the Portuguese overcame Hungary in the last match, but even still, the jobcentre still looms large for Queiroz. 
With Portugal lying third in Group A, level on points with fourth placed Hungary and two points behind Sweden who lie second. With two games remaining Portugal face Hungary and Malta, both in Portugal, nothing less than six points from these games will do. But Sweden do have a relatively straightforward fixture with Albania, before which, they play Denmark, a game that will decide the fate of Carlos.
Queiroz therefore may be looking for new employment sooner rather than later and the Old Trafford bench is a familiar environment, one where he has had success in the past as well.
During his first reign sat beside Ferguson for only one year but managed to help the Old Trafford side win the Premier League title on season 02/03, before being poached by Real Madrid. It was after an unsuccessful year in Madrid that he was brought back to Old Trafford by Ferguson to begin an extremely successful four-year reign as assistant manager.
As a number one, Queiroz is terrible, making mistake after mistake. He is also accountable for Portugal’s failure to qualify for Euro ’92 and after taking over a very talented Sporting Lisbon team, led them to three seasons of failure and was promptly dismissed. After his first stint at Old Trafford, Real Madrid offered him a dream job, one that he could not turn down, and one that was a veritable disaster. 
Sir Alex Ferguson welcomed the failed coach back to Old Trafford as his number two in July 2004 and so began a fruitful relationship. A number of trophies became housed at Old Trafford, including the 2008 Champions League trophy. Queiroz was seen as instrumental in United’s success, introducing new training methods and tactical plans that underpinned the Manchester United side of a few years back.
He also has an eye for talent spotting; he famously discovered Portugal’s so-called ‘Golden Generation’ and also had a hand in bringing Cristiano Ronaldo to Old Trafford. But these positives have not transpired into the managerial stage and who knows, he may be back sharing a glass or two of Chianti with Sir Alex before the year is out.

Will Carlos Queiroz be back at Old Trafford Soon?

Will Carlos Queiroz be back at Old Trafford Soon? - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/uploads/flickr.com/2366/2404296794_4baf0dd57b.jpg?v=0" alt="" width="500" height="375"></figure></div>
I was so tempted to ape the feel of the misleading headline that first brought this story to my attention: <a href="http://www.fansfc.com/story/12249.html" target="_blank">“John Barnes set for Rovers Role”</a>. He’s taking over Blackburn? I thought. Ah… (after clicking on the link) …Tranmere Rovers.
So when it came time for my own sensationalist slant on things, how about: John Barnes To Return To Liverpool!
No. I couldn’t do that to you. I’ll put Merseyside and a question mark in the title just to be safe.
Still, there is a sentimental tingling attached to the idea of the former Merseyside hero returning to the Liverpool area, yes?
Tranmere <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/tranmere_rovers/8085234.stm" target="_blank">sacked</a> manager Ronnie Moore on Friday. Moore failed to deliver the club to the play-offs and a chance at promotion to the Championship, but more importantly, perhaps, was the 19% drop in attendance. This was cited as the club’s desire for “a new direction.”
Meanwhile, Barnes’s seven month contract was up as manager of the Jamaican National Team. Originally told it would be renewed, Barnes has expressed <a href="http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/amateur-football/2009/06/09/ex-liverpool-fc-star-john-barnes-set-for-tranmere-rovers-hotseat-100252-23822869/" target="_blank">dissapointment</a> he won’t be there to bring Jamaica to the Gold Cup in July.
So now Barnes is supposedly in “talks” with Tranmere about Moore’s vacated post. Tranmere have also expressed <a href="http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_5369422,00.html" target="_blank">interest</a> in two other former Liverpool FC players taking the role: Jason McAteer and Paul Ince. Like Moore, McAteer also once played for Tranmere. Two former Liverpool legends have <a href="http://http://www.tranmere-rovers.co.uk/tranmere-history.html" target="_blank">managed</a> Tranmere in the past: Roy Yeats and John Aldridge.
Barnes has not managed a club side since his brief stint in charge of Celtic. Like his Jamaica job, his reign at Celtic only lasted seven months. The Glascow side sacked him after Inverness Caldonian upset them out of the Scottish Cup. Criticisms <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/637415.stm" target="_blank">then</a> that Barnes style clashed with the team have been <a href="http://www.setanta.com//uk/Articles/Football/2009/06/09/SPL-Stubbs-on-Barnes/gnid-56416/" target="_blank">reiterrated</a> recently by former Celtic defender Alan Stubbs.
But in the above linked <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/637415.stm" target="_blank">BBC article</a> from 2000, there is also a telling quote from former Celtic director Brian Dempsey:
“Celtic is a difficult club for anyone to either play at or be involved with in management at any level.
“As Mr Barnes put it at his press conference, to ‘cut his teeth’ into management at Celtic was an almost impossible task from the beginning.”
Perhaps Tranmere would be a better arena for Mr Barnes to make a new go of managing at the club level. The pressure won’t be the same as at Glascow, but he would have the challenges of bringing the club to the next set of playoffs (or better) as well as raising attendence.
It would be nice to see Barnes do well. If Celtic was too intense a place to “cut his teeth”, winning the Caribbean Cup with Jamaica may have been too easy. It’s been <a href="http://www.sportsjamaica.com/read_article.php?id=14634" target="_blank">suggested</a> that since Barnes had a “vastly superior squad” compared to his regional counterparts, the Caribbean Cup was not a “true test” of his abilities.
If he gets the job, Barnes should approach Tranmere (and Tranmere should approach Barnes) as a fresh beginning. Neither should let his failure with Celtic or his success with Jamaica set an unfair standard in either direction.
A League One side that finished just below the playoffs is a reasonable place to test Barnes’s abilities. If he can bring them success and if he can at least put bodies in seats with quality football, we will finally know that Barnes has the tools to be a good manager.

John Barnes To Return To Merseyside?

John Barnes To Return To Merseyside? - World Soccer Talk

Paul Ince sacked by Blackburn. Kevin Keegan pushed out of Newcastle. Roy Keane frustrated by Sunderland. Ince was an outright <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/blackburn_rovers/7784967.stm" target="_blank">firing</a> after Blackburn only registered 3 wins in 17 matches. Keegan technically resigned, but has made <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/2009/02/12/kevin-keegan-to-sue-newcastle-for-s9million-115875-21116296/" target="_blank">allegations</a> that the club forced him out. Roy Keane left Sunderland after failing to agree on contract negotiations.
Poor form dogged each of these sides as club and manager parted ways. Newcastle sit within the relegation zone. Blackburn and Sunderland are fighting to remain clear of it. Are clubs too quick to part ways with the men who steer them?
We enter each season knowing the drop of the ax is inevitable. The sack is so entrenched in football culture, <a href="http://soccerlens.com/safe-or-not-the-08-09-manager-sack-race/9524/" target="_blank">predictions</a> are made and <a href="http://www.betting-directory.com/sports-betting-article2754.html" target="_blank">odds</a> are given. We make a game of it: who will go first? Along with Ince, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Tony Adams, Juande Ramos and Alan Curbishly all got the sack this season. More than a third of the Premier League’s managers parted ways with their clubs. (Harry Redknapp also left Portsmouth for Spurs, but seemed to be for the lure of <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/7691457.stm" target="_blank">big money</a>.)
The lack of tenacity in club/manager relations shows many boards are unwilling to give managers the time to work through a bad period. True, Ince’s record was beyond poor, but he’d never managed a top flight club before. Six months is a short amount of time to garner enough experience to excel. And Blackburn are still in the danger zone despite his departure.
Keane saved Sunderland from dropping down to League One and then delivered them back to the Premier League. I don’t know what Keane’s contract demands were or how much his famous temper factored into it, but it seems like Sunderland would have done well to fight harder to keep him in place. Keane’s leadership combined with the savy he showed in going after players did wonders for not only bringing Sunderland back to the top flight, but keeping them above the drop last year.
Before Newcastle parted ways with Keegan, Sam Allardyce had been <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/jan/09/newsstory.newcastleunited1" target="_blank">sacked</a> after 24 matches. Keegan managed the Magpies for <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/n/newcastle_united/7593683.stm" target="_blank">eight months</a>. Now, Alan Shearer takes over for Joe Kinnear (whose <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/newcastle/article5708342.ece" target="_blank">heart surgery</a> put him out for the remainder of the season). At 31 points with only four matches left, finally coaxing in Shearer (many Newcastle supporters have long hoped he’d take charge) may be too late, and Newcastles unwillingness in recent times to give any one manager a long-term chance to lift the club will probably mean they are going down. And if they continue their long tradition of spending most of their money on attackers and very little of it on defenders, it will be quite a task for them to come back up.
While some managerial replacements prove to be positive (Spurs have clearly been playing better under Redknapp and West Ham have improved under Zola), the struggles of Blackburn, Sunderland and especially Newcastle show that the desparate shift in management provide no guarantee that a club’s fortune will reverse. The fates of these clubs might not hang in doubt if the managers had been encouraged to stay on and work through the club’s problems. Sir Alex Ferguson had his struggles in his first few years of managing United before he started winning titles. He was allowed the time to develop the club into a winning side. An endeavor that takes longer than six months.

EPL: Clubs Quick To Drop Managers

EPL: Clubs Quick To Drop Managers - World Soccer Talk

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Darren Ferguson sacked by Peterborough?

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The Inevitable Axe Of Gareth Southgate Confirmed: What Now For Middlesbrough F.C?

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Will Carlos Queiroz be back at Old Trafford Soon?

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John Barnes To Return To Merseyside?

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EPL: Clubs Quick To Drop Managers