Magill On Monday - Contributed by Daniel Magill
It wasn't long ago that club managers whose team had reached the Premiership
summit in mid November would say, "It doesn't matter where we are now, it's
where we are come the beginning of May that's important." Well you can forget
about those days now, because it looks like they're well and truly gone. Alex
Ferguson must be laughing. We're not even halfway through the season and all
of Utd's so called rivals are already offering their congratulations to
Fergie on another successful title defence. It's not even as if I can
realistically say that this was the weekend, Utd's rivals gave up, because
it's not. No, that weekend probably came some time last season, if not the
season before. As long as the rest of the Premiership continue to start off,
believing that there's only one team who can win it, then that team will
carry on being the only ones who can win it, and eventually they will be
doing it without even breaking a sweat. In fact, I could be wrong but I don't
think I've seen a droplet so far this season.
Gerrard Houlier, obviously keen to help matters, came out with a classic line
following his sides 2-1 defeat at Newcastle yesterday; "Man Utd are playing
in their own league at the moment," he told us. Well sorry to be the one to
break the news Gerry, but no they are not! And the sooner you, and plenty of
others like you, realise that, the sooner things might start to change! Don't
get me wrong, Utd are a great team, of course they are, but they are not
Gods, they are not invincible, the Champions league should show that. In all
the years they have been dominating domestic matters, they have only been
good enough to win the Champions League once, and even then it has to be
said, there was a huge slice of luck involved.
Of course it's an easy way out for managers like Houllier to say that Utd are
in their own league. How can he ever be expected to beat a team who are in a
league of their own? And in any case, it doesn't really matter who wins the
league does it?
Finishing in the top three, and guaranteeing all the financial rewards that
come with it, is all that really bothers Premiership businesses these days.
What does a trophy matter?
No, the three places up for grabs in the Champions league, and it could be
four this season, is killing the Premiership, and what's more I suspect it's
exactly what advocates of a European Super League want.
Take a look at the Nationwide leagues. Division one teams are only concerned
with getting in to the Premiership, they couldn't care less whether they do
it by finishing first, second, or sixth, as long as they get there. The
Premiership is now the same. It only seems to exist, to provide our best
teams with a route into the Champions league. Who cares if we finish first,
second, or even fourth? As long as we get there.
Oh you can rest assured, Alex will be laughing all the way to the first week
of May!
Magill On Monday - Contributed by Daniel Magill
Having been lucky enough to attend the Manchester derby at the weekend, the
last thing I want to do is defend the actions of the Manchester City
supporters who threw coins onto the pitch during the game. One thing I will
say though is that it made a refreshing change from the towels, which the
vast majority of Utd's opponents have been throwing in this season, before a
ball has even been kicked.
Yes they were beaten, but the spirit, passion and above all belief that City
showed, should serve as a lesson to all of the other Premiership teams who
turn up against Utd with damage limitation the pinnacle of their ambition. I
bet few other top flight managers could understand the obvious disappointment
in Joe Royles face after the game. For them a 0-1 home defeat to Utd would be
something worth shouting about a job well done I dare say?
In truth it is not just Man City who are to be credited for their performance
at the weekend. Everton's performance against Arsenal was another of great
determination and passion, whilst an under pressure Tottenham team had the
nerve to come back from a goal behind against Liverpool and possibly save
their managers job.
Speaking of managers losing their jobs, is there anyone else out there who
wants to tell Bryan Robson that he should resign?
Bryan may not be proving himself the Premierships top manger at the moment,
but it is astonishing to hear the hypocrisy of the games so called experts,
who in one breath criticise Kevin Keegan for giving up and walking out on
teams, whilst in the next they condemn the loyalty and commitment of Gibson
and Robson.
There are not many who would fight on, under the pressure that
Robson has come under, and a word of warning to those Middlesborough
supporters who are over keen to see the back of Robson. If he does go then
King Kev is the favourite to replace him. I know who I'd rather have!
Meanwhile, if there was one place I wouldn't have wanted to be this weekend
it would have been the Brentford dressing room at about 4:45pm on Saturday
afternoon. Apparently Ron Noades tore a strip off his players earlier in the
season when they swapped shirts with Spurs players after a Worthington Cup
defeat. "We can't afford to give shirts away like that," exclaimed a
mystified Noades.
You can only imagine what he said to his players on Saturday after they threw
away a money spinning FA Cup run with a home defeat at the hands of the
mighty Kingstonians!
Club chairman Noades who is currently managing the team because he refuses to
pay out for a manager will no doubt be looking into the possibilities of
human cloning as we speak. Surely he won't be happy until he can play himself
in every position and cut down on the players' wages as well!
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E-mail me with any comments or views: dmabfc@aol.com.
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