Mourinho’s Notebook – Sackings, Signings, Savings & Silliness
Nigel Pearson + Leicester City: A Love Story
But not really.
Big Nige has gotten the flick from Leicester City, just a few months after orchestrating a near-impossible survival job in the Premier League.
“The Board of Directors recognises the success Nigel has helped to bring to Leicester City during his two spells in charge of the Club, particularly during the last three and a half years. However, it has become clear to the Club that fundamental differences in perspective exist between us. Regrettably, the Club believes that the working relationship between Nigel and the Board is no longer viable.” – LCFC Statement
From the depths of despair and near-certain relegation, somehow Pearson’s team turned it all around to finish in 14th place. This a year after running away with the Championship in getting promoted. Plus, pre-season is only days away, the players reporting back on Monday (though not All White Chris Wood, who’s been transferred to Leeds).
However for all the relative success, Nigel Pearson has not been an easy employ. It’s a topic that has reared its head in these very passages in the past, we may as well milk it for one last go around.
There was that time he grabbed Crystal Palace’s James McArthur by the throat on the sideline during a game after the pair had tangled.
Then there was that time a few days later when it was seriously reported that Pearson had been sacked only for the club to dramatically announce that the reports were all false.
There was that time he swore violently at a fan, was fined £10,000 and labelled as arrogant by the head of the Leicester City fans union.
Oh, and that time he launched a tirade at a journalist, calling him daft, stupid, and most memorably… an ostrich.
"If you don't know the answer to that question, then I think you are an ostrich. Your head must be in the sand. Is your head in the sand? Are you flexible enough to get your head in the sand? My suspicion would be no."
He also called one other journalist a “prick”.
And then most recently we have the situation where Pearson’s son was one of three players released by the club after being involved in a scandal on tour in June in the chairmen’s home nation of Thailand.
All of this happened in the last year.
The Season Begins, In Antecessum
While most footballers seems to be living it up on holiday in all glorious corners of the earth, some folks aren’t so lucky. West Ham qualified for the Europa League via the back door with a Fair Play loophole. Unfortunately that does mean that they have to start at the very first round of qualifying, which means the season start five weeks earlier than anyone else. Meaning… today.
Yep, West Ham kicked off their season with a 3-0 win at Upton Park (their final campaign at the old stomping ground) against FC Lusitans of Andorra. This is a team whose best players make in a year what the Hammers’ best players make in a day. But not this day, because new manager Slaven Bilic let most of them stay in Ireland where their pre-season camp has begun and instead gave opportunities to depth players.
Bilic flew in for the game, and received a welcome applause before kick off, but left management up to academy director Terry Westley for the game and disappeared to the directors' box for the game. Though he did address the team at halftime.
"Slaven Bilic has shown a lack of respect by not being on the bench. This saddens me that in the country where fair play was invented. Slaven must have thought our team was not important enough." – Lusitans manager Xavi Roura.
The most exciting aspect of an otherwise by-the-numbers game was the debut of young Reece Oxford. He’s a central defender with comparisons to Rio Ferdinand and the current captain of the England Under-17s. Yes, current captain. Oxford was 16 years and 198 days at kickoff, making him the youngest player to ever represent West Ham – breaking a 93 year old record set by William Williams (better known as Billy Williams for obvious reasons).
To actually qualify for the Europa League group stages, West Ham will have to traverse three qualifying rounds and a playoff round, all two-legged ties. It’ll take 22 European games to make the final. But shout out to the Hammers fans, who took advantage of cheaper, off-season ticket prices and managed to sell out Upton Park.
Rainbow Warriors
Spanish club Rayo Vallecano have unveiled their new strips for next season, with a brand new away strip that features the club’s iconic sash across the front now comprised as a rainbow.
"The club has sought this time to take another step in the social work of the recognition of the work of all those unsung heroes who struggle every day in our society." - rayovallecano.es
The rainbow itself is a universal symbol of gay pride and LGBT rights, but one stance wasn’t enough for the Liga club. Each different colour also stands for a societal issue and for every jersey sold, €1 will go towards each charity cause (so, €7 in total).
- Red – Fighting cancer
- Orange – Fighting for those with disabilities
- Yellow – Fighting depression
- Green – Fighting for the environment
- Blue – Fighting child abuse
- Purple – Fighting domestic violence
- Rainbow – Fighting for gay equality
They also unveiled an alternate jersey with a pink sash for breast cancer, for which €5 will be donated per sale.
Lionel Messi, Lifesaver
Plenty of times Barcelona fans have felt that way about the man. A few times Argentinians have though the same. But none like this dude.
Santiago Lopez Menendez, a 28 year old Argentinian engineer, had been working in Nigeria when he was kidnapped by local militants. He was thrown into a van and driven away to some unknown location where they tortured and starved him for three days. The captors seemed to think that Menendez was American but they spoke no English so his protestations went unacknowledged.
That was until he started repeating the name: “Messi, Messi, Messi!”
The message got through and suddenly his treatment improved dramatically. He was fed and left to rest. His employers then paid the ransom and he was released.
Wow.
Don’t Ask For Too Much
We’ve always time for former Gunner Gervinho in Mou’s Notebook. The Ivory Coast international with the distinctive hair is currently playing for Roma in the Serie A, however he had been on the brink of a move to Al-Jazira in the United Arab Emirates… until that deal fell through on account of Gervinho’s ‘excessive demands’.
What demands are deemed too excessive for a club based in Abu Dhabi, a city that CNN called the richest city in the world in 2007? Here goes...
- Gervinho wanted a helicopter at his personal disposal.
- Gervinho wanted a private beach.
- Gervinho wanted accommodation for his family.
- Gervinho wanted regular air tickets for his family to fly back to the Ivory Coast whenever they wanted.
Thus Al-Jazira now want a different winger.
Keano Digs Out Another Story
About the shambles that was the 2002 Ireland World Cup campaign. You know, the one where he famously walked out? Roy Keane, that is, not Imaginary Archer and Gymnast Robbie.
“We got a lecture from the medical team that because of the weather we had to drink these drinks. ‘If you don’t take these drinks, you might die…’ that’s what we were told. And we’re sitting there, obviously jet-lagged, goin’ ‘Oh whatever, we might die’. And then he said: ‘But unfortunately, these drinks haven’t arrived yet’”
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