NEWCASTLE
Had this segment been written a few days earlier I would have been dismissing Alan Pardew as a dead man walking and laying into Mike Ashley's strategy as owner of Newcastle United football club. The only thing that has changed in that time is a new vote of confidence in Pardew, with a collective groan from the supporters. I think Newcastles current position moving forward inspires differences of opinion more apparent than virtually every other club in this league. Some might say "be careful what you wish for"...others may consider them vastly underachieving, with one eye on relatively recent good league positions and European campaigns, not to mention a couple of cup finals. I would say if this current paralysis is all Ashley's wish then Im perplexed. Where is the club going?...what does the club feel is achievable within the current framework?...when does the mass recruitment of French players, after intial success, now become counter productive? Where does Pardew fit in with all this and is he a strong enough personality to carry this through?. The club desperately needs to invest well this summer, and a solid start is imperative. Even if all this forthcoming, Im not sure Pardew is the one to unite the factions at St.James' park, and indeed would not be surprised if he doesnt make it to the start of next season.
NEXT SEASON:Will tread water
STOKE CITY
This piece will not turn into a critique of Mark Hughes, as so much has been already said and debated on this forum about him. I cant add anything new to that debate other than to say that maybe Stoke and Sparky are a decent match. A reasonable run of results at the end of the season gave the club a slightly generous league position imo but not ridiculously so. From being a dark horse for the drop and in a bit of bother on a couple of occasions, I think Stoke City have been able to deal with the departure of Pulis pretty well, which although for all intents and purposes was a dismissal, he had been there some time and whether you like it or not he had stamped his managerial personality on the club and to change that can leave uncertainty. They do have some decent players, more than capable of mid table safety for the forseeable future. The financial situation at the club is sound, but I dont think we will see any headline grabbing signings. If Hughes can add two or three of the mid echelon quality players similar to those he brought in at City then Stoke fans can have every reason to be encouraged.
NEXT SEASON:Will finish in a similar place, but no flirt with the drop
SOUTHAMPTON
Southampton have had a good season, but at this moment you have to say it could be the limit. Sometimes, even as a fan of another team you look at a club and hope they can build on what they have managed so far. The boardroom upheaval could still be a factor in the clubs immediate future. Pochettino worked very closely with Nicola Cortese, the previous chairman, and while the owner has, at least publicly, played a low key role so far and hasnt seemingly cramped Pochettino, will any cracks appear if, as is rumoured, Lallana and Shaw are subject of major bids this summer?.. it would be hard to convince a businesswoman who may not have a southampton scarf above her bed, and re-inact Mick Channons windmill after a couple of G & Ts, that the best part of 50million quid in the club coffers for players who cost nothing to bring in constitutes anything other than Dragons Den like cunning.
If Southampton re-invested even half that money, they could well push on again and have a real shot at the europa league places...but In this instance Im not sure Pochettino, like Gus Poyet, would be satisfied with the level they are currently at..but just as I mentioned in my review of Newcastle, there is an element of "be careful of what you wish for"..and this applies to football managers and coaches as well as us idealistic fans.
NEXT SEASON:Will challenge for europe...if they re-invest and keep Pochettino
MANCHESTER UNITED
Did anyone think they'd have this bad a season?. I didnt. I thought somehow they would cling on to enough leads and still steal enough points to remain on the cusp of the CL places. The remarkable thing is, it was their home form that collapsed, and any vestige of playing style seemed to fall apart with it.This surprised me, as the United way, tactically, was always quite basic..effective, no doubt, but to what extent was this driven by the previous manager?... after a slow start, and protestations about the fixture list, the aura that had hung around the club vanished pretty quickly and the reality of the situation sank in, despite a cascade of false dawns foisted upon us by their PR machine, usually on the back of wiping the floor with a bottom eight side still guilty of giving them too much respect. Every other team however, saw through it, refreshingly, and the negative book of records was being amended seemingly on a weekly basis at one stage....I could say it was comical but im trying to be objective here. The reality was that David Moyes was out of his depth. Perhaps as a leaving present the old trafford hierachy decided to let Ferguson have the final word on his successor. They would have been better off giving him shares in a racehorse or something. Lets face it, it was always going to be hard, him leaving. Hes won stuff. They expect to win stuff. Many of their fans havent been alive long enough to remember when they didnt, so it was always going to be a season to look on and observe with interest. Glad we stuck around.
NEXT SEASON:Will do better, worse is asking too much, isnt it?
TOTTENHAM
I suppose no matter how frustrated and unhappy Arsenal fans may become with their own clubs failings, they can always temper this vitriol with a quick look over towards what goes on at White Hart Lane, where resides the proverbial one step forward, two steps back club. Even after the summer in which Real Madrid paid way over the odds for Gareth Bale only one team could contrive to make such a hash of spending the windfall. People say "typical City" but at our worst it was a more slow burning, almost operatic, self immolation..this was a firestorm of ineptitude. How average do Arsenal have to be to see spurs steal their thunder?..one wonders if we will ever find out. Tim sherwood certainly wont and it was blindingly obvious he wouldnt get the 18 months that he so bullishly demanded. He was cheap to hire, relatively, and therefore cheap to lead to the ditch where Villas Boas is buried. Im not one for a director of football style arrangement and if its true, as Ive been led to believe, AVB didnt want half of the players that arrived. Did Levy listen to his pals and agents more than his head coach?...If he did he deserves all the criticism he gets from the supporters for squandering a real opportunity to stake a regular claim to European football at the highest level, and not thursday nights wearing mittens in Tromso.
NEXT SEASON:Will be overtaken for sixth if they arent careful
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