Eddie Howe: Miracle Man

Eddie Howe - Bright face, bright future

Some people say that the Chelsea job is the hardest in Football. Some claim that Fabio Capello has the toughest role of any manager in the world. Clearly those people have never been in Eddie Howe’s position, or have any idea of what the AFC Bournemouth boss has achieved in the last 12 months.

Last year I wrote a piece on the trials and tribulations of Bournemouth Football Club in an attempt to raise awareness for the then struggling League 2 outfit, and educate people on what going into administration may mean for a lower league club. I like to think that to some extent I achieved exactly that, but in no means am I taking any credit for the unbelievable turnaround that has taken place at the Fitness First Stadium over the last 2 years.

Eddie Howe’s playing career was unfortunately cut short due to a knee injury that he failed to recover from, but he was immediately offered the role of player/coach by former manager Kevin Bond (now sitting alongside Harry Redknapp in the Tottenham Hotspur dugout). Despite losing his job at the same time Bond was sacked, Bond’s successor Jimmy Quinn reinstalled Howe as assistant manager, before he was appointed caretaker manager, and then manager after Quinn’s dismissal. At the start of the 2009/10 season, Howe won 8 out of the first 9 games, a club record, and as a result gained interest from Championship side Peterborough United. Howe turned down the move to Cambridgeshire, much to the joy of the Cherries’ fans.

However, forget being offered the manager’s position at a Championship club. The greatest achievement of Eddie Howe’s short, blossoming managerial career has undoubtedly been the remarkable rise from the doldrums of the Football League over the last 24 months or so. Before the 2008/09 season even started, Bournemouth were handed a huge disadvantage, one which many people thought was impossible to overcome. The Football League docked Bournemouth 17 points for entering administration and failing to follow the league’s insolvency rules. Kevin Bond and Jimmy Quinn came and went within 5 months, and it was down to the blonde bombshell Howe to lift his beloved Bournemouth out of the mire.

Despite not being able to purchase any new players during the 2009 January transfer window due to an enforced transfer embargo, and having to deal with the smallest squad in the Football League, Howe pulled off the greatest of great escapes and managed to preserve Bournemouth’s status as a Football League club. One may wonder if it could get any better for the south coast side after this, and the answer would be yes.

Bournemouth currently occupy 3rd place in League 2, 11 points behind league leaders Rochdale, but firmly in amongst the forerunners for the 2nd and 3rd automatic promotion slots. An amazing achievement considering the diabolic financial events of the previous season, made all the more remarkable by the size of the squad. For the majority of Bournemouth’s games this season Howe has been forced to name 42-year-old assistant manager Jason Tindall and schoolboy Jayden Stockley on the bench. The severity of the matter was made even more farcical during a recent away trip to promotion hopefuls Shrewsbury Town. With Jeff Goulding the only pro on the bench, and with Jason Tindall unable to play much of a part in the game due to a lack of match fitness, Bournemouth had to call upon Stockley to make a contribution. However, the teenager turned up at the ground 20 minutes after kick off having been driven all the way from Bournemouth, and didn’t even have his match shirt with him. Shrewsbury went on to win the game 1-0.

Words can’t do Eddie Howe justice, but they can go some way to explaining the miraculous job he’s done for Bournemouth. Should they gain promotion to League 1, there’s no doubt that bigger opportunities will come calling for one of England’s most promising managers. Having already turned down Peterborough United, all eyes will be on the local hero to see whether he’ll stay loyal to his hometown club, or seek bigger fortunes elsewhere. And who could blame him if he did. You can’t argue that he deserves it.

Arsenal slip up as Chelsea & United cash in

It was at this very ground last year where Arsenal’s title challenge seemed to stall and peter out, not in the least down to ‘that’ injury to Eduardo. Over a year on and Arsene Wenger’s face tells the story as he sees his side concede an injury time equalizer at St. Andrews. Kevin Phillips was the man, hitting his 250th career league goal, and sending the Blues fans into raptures as they celebrate a truly remarkable year in the top flight.
Whilst Arsene and his boys were dropping points in the Midlands, Messrs. Ferguson and Ancelotti were enjoying their respective sides rip apart Bolton and Villa, the latter challengers for that 4th Champions League spot which has seemed so unbreakable in recent years.

A Wayne Rooneyless Manchester United faced a potentially tricky trip, albeit short trip, to the Reebok Stadium where Owen Coyle had turned his Wanderers side into a resilient, competitive outfit. Bolton have played United’s nemesis in recent years, but with so much at stake for the visitors, they weren’t going to let their Lancashire rivals spoil the party. Jlloyd Samuel gave the Red Devils a helping left foot as he calmly, coolly, and collectively placed the ball into Jussi Jaaskelainen’s bottom right corner to give the visitors a lead. Rooney would have been proud. Dimitar Berbatov doubled the lead after Darren Fletcher’s shot was pushed out by the Finland number 1, and shortly afterwards made it 3-0, before Darren Gibson rounded off the victory with a smart finish late on.

Meanwhile, Frank Lampard was enjoying himself at Stamford Bridge, as he scored 4 in a 7-1 demolition of Martin O’Neill’s Aston Villa. Florent Malouda (2), and Salomon Kalou also got themselves on the scoresheet, with John Carew netting Villa’s solitary goal.

So with such strong messages sent out by United and Chelsea, and with Arsenal dropping points at St. Andrews, the title race takes another turn. For me, and as much as it pains me to say it, United have taken another step towards lifting the trophy for a record 19th time, thus leapfrogging Liverpool as the most successful top division team in history. Even without Wayne Rooney, and missing Rio Ferdinand at the back, United look a side who are unbeatable, and their fantastic record against the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea in recent times means that they surely have to be favourites. Chelsea have certainly got themselves back in the mix after so many people had written them off at Ewood Park a week or so ago. 12 goals in their last 2 games is impressive reading, but they still have some tough obstacles to come and I can’t see them finishing above United at the end of the season.

Of course, next weekend is the ‘big one’. Chelsea go to Old Trafford in a match that they will feel is a must win if they are to gain advantage over United in the race for the title. They then face tough trips to Spurs and Liverpool plus home games against Stoke, Wigan, and Bolton, which they will feel is 9 points in the bag. With United still in the Champions League, there could be grounds to argue that fatigue may play a part, and the distraction of winning Europe’s most illustrious competition is also possible. Also, looking at United’s run-in, the job is far from done. Other than that oh-so-important fixture against Chelsea, Ferguson’s side face visits from Spurs and Stoke, as well as trips to Blackburn, Sunderland, and The City of Manchester Stadium, where Roberto Mancini’s boys will be playing for a Champions League spot. It’s anybody’s guess.

I may be being a little too conclusive in writing Arsenal out of the race, but I just feel they lack conviction when it comes down to the last few matches of the season. They don’t seem to possess that extra ‘oomph’ that will get them over the line ahead of Manchester United and Chelsea. Their run-in includes a trip to London rivals Spurs, as well as home matches against Fulham and Manchester City, and if they are to bring home the glory to the supporters who haven’t witnessed such a thing since 2005, you have to feel that they need to win all 6 of their final games.

I hope United don’t win the trophy, and similarly I hope Arsenal do, but the realist inside me says that won’t be the case, and it’ll be Giggs and co. celebrating yet another Premier League title come 9th May.

Get out while you can, Gianfranco

Gianfranco Zola - A man under pressure

The majority of West Ham United fans would have been a little sceptical when a former Chelsea star was appointed as their new manager back in September 2008. But as Gianfranco Zola’s tenure seems to be coming to a rather abrupt end, the overriding emotion of the Hammers’ faithful is sympathy.

Zola is regarded as one of the nicest men in football, even described as “too nice” by some. Managing a football club takes nerves of steel, a strong mind, and the ability to shake off any criticism thrown at you. To this day, Zola has displayed remarkable positivity, even amongst a couple of shambolic years behind the scenes in East London. On the day he put pen-to-paper with the club, BBC news confirmed that the team’s main sponsor, XL Leisure Group, had been placed into administration. The next day West Ham cancelled all links with the company. Then, earlier this year, former Birmingham City owners David’s Gold and Sullivan completed a 50% takeover of the club, giving them overall operational and commercial control. Just two months after that takeover, and West Ham’s first foreign manager finds himself on the brink of leaving the club.

As is the case with most takeovers, the new owners often look to replace the existing manager with someone they believe can take the club to the next level. Call me naive, but I had a feeling that this one would be different. It seemed to me that things at West Ham were finally settling down, and Zola could now concentrate on all things football, rather than be distracted by off-the-field circumstances. How wrong was I.

For me, Zola is an icon and a true footballing legend. He could do things with a football that you wouldn’t think possible, and on his best of days he was unplayable. As a man, he’d seldom be seen without that famous horse-like face disguised with the widest of smiles, and because of this I feel a duty and an obligation to defend him. Despite having the lowest win % in West Ham’s history, he’s a manager with potential for success. Clearly he’s by no means the finished product and there’s still a lot we’ve yet to see from Zola, but it’s there, I’m sure.

Experience is something that people in football rave about, and nothing seems to be more precious. 629 appearances, 193 goals, and 21 years of being a professional footballer. You can’t argue with that. So what makes Messrs. Gold and Sullivan believe they have more ground to pick the West Ham team than someone with 629 times more footballing pedigree than the two combined?

Football is a business of course, and when owners feel their club are not performing to their expectations, they’re obviously going to feel the need to intervene, despite probably knowing as much about tactics and team selection as my nan. It’s at times like these when you know a manager hasn’t got long left, and it’s time for Zola to hand in his resignation before he gets the boot. Zola has far too much pride and dignity to let himself be sacked by these two cretins who will only end up digging West Ham United into too big a hole to climb out of. The inevitability of these situations seems too ridiculous to comprehend, and Zola would be better off looking for employment elsewhere.

It’s true that West Ham have been performing well below expectations this season, and with the quality of players they have at their disposal you wouldn’t have bet against them pushing for a Europa League spot. Matthew Upson, Carlton Cole, Scott Parker, and Robert Green have all played for England, with Upson, Cole, and Green pushing for a place in Fabio Capello’s World Cup squad. Valon Behrami is a full international for Switzerland, and Guillermo Franco has played 20 times for Mexico. And there’s more. But can you blame the Hammers for being a little off colour with the constant facades off the field being such an obvious distraction? And can you blame Zola for not getting the best out of his players?

There has been speculation that Zola will walk out of West Ham following his team’s match against Stoke City today, regardless of the score. I hope he does, and I hope he goes on to show Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Gold just what they’ll be missing.

Are you Liverpool in disguise?

Expectation. Hope. Excitement… Disappointment. Reality check. Unrest. Am I talking about Manchester City, or Liverpool? Take your pick – They seem to be the same thing.

The cloud of expectation that looms over the City of Manchester Stadium is rather too quickly brewing into something resembling a storm-cloud, and there doesn’t seem to be a solution for it. Roberto Mancini arrived in the city boasting two of the world’s richest clubs with the task of guiding the blue side of Manchester into the top four as they seek to become Premier League champions within the space of 24 months. His mission was clear. No one said it would be easy, but it was clear. Now, he’s fast learning that being the manager of a club with Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor and half of Robinho on its books is not as illustrious as it may seem.

Rafael Benitez has a much easier job on his hands. Or so it seemed. His mission? Keep the indispensible Fernando Torres at the club, continue to build a team that is capable of winning their first top flight title in over 20 years, and make sure fortress Anfield remains exactly that. 1 down, 2 to go. Liverpool’s demise has been as quick as City’s rise to the top of the money lists, and the fans on Merseyside are seeking change. Rafa has served Liverpool loyally and successfully over the course of 5 years, and he is a person and a manager who will be fondly remembered by all Liverpool fans. Forget his cautious approach and reluctance to kill a game off when we’re 1-0 up. Forget Albert Riera’s outburst that Rafa has no communication skills at all. And forget his often straight-batted comments under interview. He won the Champions League in his first year and brought Fernando Torres into our lives. That’s enough for me. For now.

This season has been nothing short of a disaster for Rafa, something that Mancini can sympathise with. Whilst his record as Manchester City manager is not in the slightest bit disastrous – 10 wins in 19 games – it’s not spectacular, and as far as Mr. Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is concerned, it’s not good enough. The highlight of his brief City career is undoubtedly a superb performance and result at the City of Manchester Stadium against the old enemy. Perhaps the forgiving, sympathetic portion of Blues fans will settle for that, but finishing in the Europa League spots is not what Mancini heard in his mission briefing. The same goes for Rafa. There’s one option, and one option only; Champions League football.

Not only are the two clubs similar in ambition, but they’re similar in strategy too. Those of you who watched the dour display of what was called football just over a month ago, you’ll have seen how both teams cancelled each other out and how a lack of ambition cost vital points for both parties. A lack of confidence, lack of morale, and general group disconnectivity led to one of the dullest 0-0 draws you’ll witness in the Premier League. It resembled more of a relegation scrap than a match between two sides boasting world-class players, fighting it out to play in Europe’s most prized competition. It is exactly this which looks like forcing Roberto Mancini and Rafael Benitez out of their respective clubs, sooner rather than later.

With the money in the pocket of the Arab owners, there is no margin for error for Manchester City. Neither is there time for the brave (or stupid) man that accepts the challenge of the City hotseat, and boy is it hot. It seems these days, it’s one slip up and you’re out. Mourinho, Hiddink, Ancelotti, even Guardiola. Those are names you’ve heard, and will hear in the future as to Mancini’s successor. They’re mission? Win the Premier League, and secure Champions League football for the next decade. Good luck.

With a lack of money at Anfield, there is more margin for error and a lot more time – especially when the clueless American owners can’t afford to sack the manager. For the next man to take on the Liverpool job, it will be a fantastic challenge to take Britain’s most successful club back to the top of the Premier League and winning trophies again. Mourinho, Klinsmann, Hiddink, and Martin O’Neill. The usual suspects. They’re mission? Fill that trophy cabinet and bring back the good days to Merseyside. Bring it on.