Mourinho’s Notebook – December 19
Knock On Wood…
Folks, we are a week away from something that we thought would never happen again in the modern world of football: Managerial Job Stability.
Assuming nobody gets the sack between now and Christmas, it’ll be the first time that every opening day manager has survived until the festive season since 1995/96! Tony Pulis walked away from Crystal Palace not long before the season began, but for his own reasons and Neil Warnock was in charge by the season’s kick off.
Bear in mind that last season saw 12 managers sacked, and 6 of them were gone by Christmas! Sam Allardyce and Alan Pardew were early favourites to get the flick, Pardew especially after his Newcastle side were the last to register a win, but incredible runs of form has each of their teams ensconced in the top half – with Allardyce’s West Ham currently fourth!
Nigel Pearson at Leicester City must be feeling the pressure as his side lose pace with the rest of the sides as the bottom, though that club just sacked its Director of Football, which supposedly buys him some time. Alan Irvine of West Brom is another in a bit of trouble, while you can never count out the likes of Liverpool’s Brendan Rodgers and Tottenham’s Mauro Pochettino – though the latter’s definitely easing his pressure with some good results.
Oh, and Arsene Wenger, if you ask train-going Arsenal fans.
KEANE MAD! KEANE SMASH!
In the latest ‘Roy Keane Gets Angry’ story, the fallout from his leaving Aston Villa is really ramping up. Apparently Keano knocked on Tom Cleverley’s door furiously for 15 minutes yelling at the probably terrified midfielder and accusing him of leaking things to the press about how unlikeable Villa Keane was. Cleverley didn’t answer the door and Keane left and apparently has since acknowledged that it might not have been TC anyway.
Paul Lambert admitted that he’d spoken to Cleverley and that Keane did indeed show up at his house… though not for a Mexican Showdown and he didn’t bang on the door for 15 minutes. Eh, who ya gonna believe?
The official story is that Keane left to deal with his Ireland Assistant Manager duties, though that’s doubtfully the whole truth. It’s been alleged that his relationship with several of Villa’s better players was pretty tumultuous. At the time of his resignation there were rumours (denied) that he was involved in a bust up with a player. Since he left Villa have won twice, drawn once and lost once.
Oh, Marco
Borussia Dortmund and Germany star Marco Reus has been fined over half a million euros for repeatedly driving without a license. He’s been booked at least 5 times for speeding since 2011 and now it turns out he wasn’t allowed to drive at all. Silly boy.
He’s admitted that he made a dub decision, got trapped by it and now regrets it. His coach, Jurgen Klopp, rightly says that it may have been hard for a superstar footballer to go and sit a driving test given his public image. Still, the law’s the law.
It’s thought to be the highest fine ever given for a driving offence in Germany.