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"Burn The Witch!": EPL Job Security & Internet Lynch Mobs

Image: football365.com

“Oh,  there's no justice like angry-mob justice” – Seymour Skinner

Ok internet, settle down now. There’s no need to overreact to every result with wildfire and nuclear warheads. Nobody goes through a season undefeated; terrible results have to be expected now and then. Even derby hidings don’t mean the end of the world.

Three of the Premier League’s big four (I’m including Arsenal as the fourth) have new managers this season. All three of them have had some very poor results already. Manuel Pellegrini’s City lost to Cardiff and couldn’t manage a goal at Stoke. Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea 2.0 suffered at the hands of Basel FC in their opening Champions League effort and was edged by Everton. And then there’s David Moyes. His Manchester United side was pummelled and punished by Manchester City in an embarrassing 4-1 loss over the weekend. All three of these men (though Pellegrini has earned himself a pretty big buffer after said derby win) have come under intense scrutiny from the press and from the fans. All three deserve a break.

In the age of new media, everyone has a voice, yet lynch mob mentality is stronger than ever - “Grab your torch and pitchforks!" - It’s all immediate vilification. Patience is dated and context and foresight are too. Let’s all forget about loyalty and join in with the with the opinionated keyboard soldiers. Managers and players need time to settle into a new role, but time doesn’t exist in cyberspace. Moyes lost to City – is his job on the line now? No, it’s not. Cool ya jets, people.

Any new job takes a while to get accustomed to - football management more than most, since you’re not just responsible for yourself but for an entire squad of players, and with the eyes of a passionate fan-base on you at all times. Learning how to get the best out of players, figuring their most effective roles, what tactics work best and against which teams, simply adjusting to a new setting. It all takes time. And early season results are next to irrelevant at this stage anyway. The table doesn’t even matter until at least November. That’s when everything falls into place, when teams have played enough against a bigger range of opponents for the standings to take shape more permanently. Unless you’re a nutjob fascist dictator of a manager, nobody’s job should be in any kind of doubt in September. In fact, I’d argue that for clubs with the resources of these three, the honeymoon period for managers should be at least a full season. At least.

All three of those new managers are expected to win the Premier League this year. Obviously, only one can do so. Each season, more teams are disappointed than triumphant in the end but that’s why winning is so sweet. Coming in second place is not something you should lose your job for (Looking at you, Chelsea!). If any out of Moyes, Mourinho and Pellegrini are sacked before the end of this season then their boards have crumbled under the pressure of a billion ignorant facebookers and meme generators. Show some spine and back your decisions. Unless they finish outside the top 5, or below Liverpool, all three should be back next year.

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If Monty Python or The Simpsons have taught is anything, it’s the idiocy of mob mentality. How do we know she’s a witch? Because she floats! Too many people want instant gratification for nothing. And the internet is all about instant gratification. Live streaming, high speed downloads. The digital world at your fingertips. But we forget just what a contrast this is to the real world where you can’t just have whatever you want whenever you want it. You actually have to invest time and effort for your rewards.

The clear example is Sir Alex Ferguson. He didn’t win his first league title until his fifth season. Yet look how he finished. The board showed faith, and gave him the time and money to build a dynasty. And it was Ferguson who said, in his farewell speech at Old Trafford, that the fan’s job now is to stand by the new manager and give him the same support and confidence that he, himself, was given. Shotgun sackings get you nowhere.

David Moyes is the man copping it the most. He’s lost to Liverpool, drawn with Chelsea and been crushed by City. Beating the top sides was always his biggest hurdle at Everton. (In his defence, he was coaching Everton). But it takes a while to ease into a role of this magnitude; you have to expect some rough transitioning. It seems that the Man Utd board, rightly, have his back. Maybe now we can assess him more objectively. I’m not saying let managers get away with mistakes by any means, but at least give them the chance to learn and improve. Don’t go lighting the torches and sharpening the pitchforks.