 Friday 9 May ~
Last night, QPR's Luigi de Canio became the first manager to be sacked since the end of the regular Football League season. He claimed to have been “stunned” by his dismissal but that seems unlikely given that QPR have been inked with a long list of high-profile managers and players, including Zinedine Zidane and Luis Figo, over the past couple of months. On taking over the club, chairman Flavio Briatore commented that he and his co-owners, Bernie Ecclestone and Lakshmi Mittal, “want to have some fun”. This may have sounded harmless to him but it may yet prove to be a chilling prophecy. |
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New journeys for the journeymen |
 Thursday 8 May ~
It was reported this morning that Fredrik Ljungberg has been offered £3 million by West Ham to leave Upton Park after only one season. This compensation package, less than Ljungberg's annual salary of £3.9m, comes after he has scored only twice in 25 appearances, in a season disrupted by injury. It is also thought that the club may offer similar deals to other high earners, namely Lucas Neill and Luis Boa-Morte. With both the club and the individual involved, this story is a perfect example of a wider Premier League trend, one that benefits no one but the mid-ranking, under-achieving yet very generously remunerated Premier League player. |
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Target practice for Capello |
 Wednesday 7 May ~
Given that football has become part of the global corporate world, it was inevitable that it should be infected with business speak. Club chairmen say “going forward” when they mean “in the future” and talk loftily of “plans” and “targets”. At least half the owners of Premier League clubs demand nothing less than a place in the top four but have neglected to spell out what they will do if their club fall drastically short. Football administrators are not immune to this either, as was made clear yesterday as the FA revealed their expectations for Fabio Capello. |
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Inappropriate Championship Manager (2) ~ V HULL CITY, 1-5 (h)
Disappointing. Very disappointing. Gutted is the word I'd use, in fact. The first 20 minutes we gave them a footballing lesson in every department but once they'd got those quick three goals under their belts we lost our way in the game. But you know, let's put this in perspective. You see photos of those young kids done in by paedophiles in their football shirts and it saddens you really. You think – why does it always have to be the likes of Manchester United? The next time a case like this comes up, you just hope the kids in question are going to be wearing, I don't know, Brentford shirts, or Mansfield shirts. Or maybe even this club. Because that's what we need if we're to turn things around. We need that encouragement, that sign that a grass roots level, that our kids, especially the ill-fated ones, because at the end of the day they're the ones that get the high profile, are supporting their local team and not, you know, gloryhunting. |
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