The natives are revolting
IN THE past I’ve used the above headline to highlight the angst felt by, among others, fans of Newcastle, Rangers, and Arsenal (mind you the Gooners are, with very few exceptions, as described above), but now with a heavy heart I have to add Spurs fans to the list.
I honestly can’t recall ever seeing or hearing the vitriol present at Spurs last Saturday. It truly was shocking to witness but under the circumstances totally understandable. Something had to be done and done it was.
Why he had to go
P10 W6 D3 L1 F22 A10 Pts 21, P10 W5 D0 L5 F9 A16 Pts 15 — the first set of 10 games was under “ultra-defensive” Jose Mourinho last season, the second set was under “progressive” Nuno Espirito Santo. And that in a nutshell is why Nuno is now looking for another job.
The other main reason he is looking for another job is because not only did the fans turn on him against United, they also let chairman Daniel Levy have it big time. In that situation the incumbent manager is toast, even though ultimately the buck should stop with Levy who, let’s face it, is highly unlikely to consider his own major role in the club’s recent downfall and sack himself.
Third times the charm?
What do Andre Villas-Boas, Jose Mourinho, and Antonio Conte have in common? Yes, it’s obvious — they’re all ex-Chelsea managers who found themselves at Spurs.
I think AVB did a pretty good job in his one full season, I think the special one, despite getting the best out of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min, was a poor fit at the club, and I think things are about to get very interesting with the arrival of Conte who, unlike Mourinho, is very much a modern manager.
One thing’s for sure, any Spurs players who were slacking under Nuno (probably three or four, if not more) will be in for a rude awakening if they try that under the new regime.
Now all we need is for Daniel Levy to pony up in January while shifting some dead wood and we may yet see a half-decent Spurs side emerge from the Levy/Mourinho/Nuno wreckage.
Better late than never
The Old Firm lost one of its managerial greats two weeks ago as Walter Smith, whose funeral was on Wednesday, joined Jock
Stein, his pal Tommy Burns, and
Jock Wallace up in football heaven.
I met him once when my cousin was coming through at Dundee United, where Smith was number two to Jim Mclean, and in our 15-20 minute conversation he came across as a thoroughly decent and knowledgeable football man.
His biggest gig was obviously with Rangers where he helmed them to 21 titles and cups in two managerial spells at Ibrox.
He also spent a short spell at Old Trafford as number two to Fergie and oversaw a relatively (for Scotland) successful couple of years as Scotland manager.
He also spent a couple of seasons at Everton but having been forced to sell all of the Toffees’ good players he was unjustly sacked by the club.
He later became involved with the carnage that saw old Rangers become new Rangers (had to do it George Offord) but had the good sense to get out of dodge when he realised the situation was untenable. A footballing life well lived, RIP.
Team of the week
Aaron Ramsdale Arsenal, Reece James Chelsea, Tariq Lamptey Brighton, Mark Guehi Palace, Joachim Andersen Palace, Declan Rice West Ham, Conor Gallagher Palace, Emile Smith-Rowe Arsenal, Christiano Ronaldo United, Leandro Trossard Brighton, Wilfried Zaha Palace. Manager: Patrick Vieira Palace.
Player of the week: I was going to give it to Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale for his matchwinning performance at Leicester, but instead I’m plumping for Conor Gallagher, who was mightily impressive as he dominated the Citeh midfield while both scoring and creating in Palace’s fully deserved 2-0 win.
This week’s games
Premier League today 2:30; United vs Citeh. 5pm; Brentford vs Norwich, Chelsea vs Burnley, Palace vs Wolves. 7:30; Brighton vs Newcastle. Tomorrow 4pm; Arsenal vs Watford, Everton vs Spurs, Leeds vs Leicester. 6:30; West Ham vs Liverpool.
Selected Championship today 5pm; Bournemouth vs Swansea, West Brom vs Middlesbrough. Friday 9:45; QPR vs Luton.
Selected Scotland today 5pm; Hearts vs Dundee United. Tomorrow 2pm; Dundee vs Celtic. 5pm; Rangers vs Ross County.
The big match: United vs Citeh. Also worth watching, West Ham vs Liverpool.
He can’t keep doing it, can he? It seems that every time United are on the ropes this season CR7 bails them out. I was sceptical when Ronaldo returned to Old Trafford, but at the moment he’s worth whatever United are paying him. This could be the game that proves the folly of Pep Guardiola not chasing a top class striker in the summer, though this could also be the game where even the United directors will be forced to concede that Ole Gunnar Solksjaer isn’t the answer. Either way it should be a good watch.
Meanwhile the game at the council house should have a few goals in it: David Moyes’ Hammers are on a roll and merit their current fourth place while Liverpool are full of goals up top.
However the Reds’ defence isn’t looking as solid these days, so the Hammers will fancy their chances. It could all come down to who wins the midfield battle, and I have to say if that is the case then I fancy West Ham.
F1
Mexican Grand Prix tomorrow 11pm. A win here for Max Verstappen will give a huge boost to his championship hopes while dealing a major blow to Lewis Hamilton’s record eighth title ambitions with just Brazil, Qatar, Saudi, and Abu Dhabi to come. Verstappen (2017, 2018) and Hamilton (2016, 2019) have each had success in Mexico and the smart money is on Verstappen for tomorrow, especially if Hamilton cops a penalty for another power unit replacement.
Ferrari and McLaren are in
with a chance of a podium finish but quite rightly all eyes will be on Verstappen and Hamilton.
And finally
Last week’s question: Harry Vardon is synonymous with it, but James Laidlay actually invented it, what? The answer, as most golfers should be aware, is the Vardon Grip. As stated, the interlocking method was actually invented by James (actually John) Laidlay. The Scot was actually a very accomplished golfer himself, but it wasn’t until the great Harry Vardon and his contemporary JH Taylor adopted the grip that it became fashionable to the extent that it is estimated that 90 per cent of the world’s golfers use it (including me). This week: what do Premier League clubs Brentford, Watford, Palace, and Brighton have in common?