Joining the sack race

Competition for the Premiership’s ‘most stupid dismissal of the year’ award is hotting up.

For a while it seemed like we may have had to be content with Chelsea’s firing of Ray Wilkins as the only legitimate contender. But then Mike Ashley at Newcastle United pulled a rabbit out of the hat with his decision to get rid of Chris Hughton.

For a week, that outrageous sacking seemed like it was going to walk away with the prize. But now Blackburn Rovers have decided to throw their hat in to the ring by getting rid of Sam Allardyce.

I mean, what on earth was that for? Some sort of bizarre punishment for keeping the team up last season and making a reasonably steady start to this one?

It’s quite evident that Blackburn’s new Indian owners have already got ideas above their station despite only having had control of the club for a couple of weeks.

Are they maybe under the illusion that they had just bought Manchester United or Arsenal? Because they sure as hell haven’t realised that Blackburn are currently just a small club fighting to stay in a big league.

Possibly they have let the fact that Blackburn once won the Premier League go to their heads. But the truth is it will take many, many years of development, and many, many millions of pounds before this club are challenging at the top again.

Forgetting for a moment that I think this was a pretty appalling way to treat Big Sam, the other problem with their decision is that it could come back to haunt them in a big way.

He may not be the most glamourous manager ever but one thing you could pretty much guarantee with Allardyce is that he would not get a team relegated.

On that basis alone they should have taken their time and let things be to the end of the season, safe in the knowledge they were very unlikely to go down. That would have been the time to make a move if they still thought it was necessary.

As it is now, there is every chance the new manager, whoever he may be, will find himself embroiled in a relegation battle, and it is one they may conceivable end up losing. Especially if they go for an ego-appointment like Diego Maradona.

There once was a time when managers were fired for all the right reasons. It was a simple formula: lose a lot of games, find yourself towards the bottom of the league, get knocked out of the cups and wake up to find they have changed the locks on your office door.

These days, however, it would appear that you don’t have to be doing badly or losing games to get your marching orders. Now, apparently, you can become unemployed purely on the basis of your employers believing their club is better than it really is.

And, generally speaking, it isn’t.

Rebuilding takes time

I’m getting pretty fed up with hearing Liverpool fans whining about how Roy Hodgson isn’t good enough for their team.

The reality is, at the moment, in its current state, it would be much more accurate to say the team isn’t good enough for Hodgson.

I fully appreciate that results under the new manager have not been up to scratch. There have been one or two moments of promise, but these have been followed by frequent bursts of misery.

Yet to judge him now would be a gross miscarriage of justice. Hodgson is a good manager with a proven track record. He has been in the game long enough to know what’s needed to get a team performing. But he needs time to get it right.

Let’s not forget he inherited a squad that was showing serious signs of decline. And that is not something that can be turned around in four or five months.

Where would Manchester United be today if they had had the same delusions of grandeur and sacked Alex Ferguson after his poor first few months in charge?

You only have to look at what Hodgson achieved at Fulham and, more importantly, look at how they have suffered since he moved to Anfield, to get an idea of what sort of manager he can be.

I fully understand that Liverpool fans are impatient for success. Playing so long without winning a title has become one of those unscratchable itches. But they shouldn’t be under any illusions that any other manager could bring back the glory days any quicker.

The current team, while reasonably strong in some areas, is frighteningly weak in others. And it will take Hodgson – or anybody else – time to address those problems and sort them out. There simply is no quick fix.

Now he has had a chunk of the season to get to know his team properly, Hodgson should be in a position to start proper repair work come the January transfer window.

One area that will definitely need looking at is up front, where it is becoming increasingly obvious that a misfiring Fernando Torres cannot be relied upon to the same extent as in the past. At least for now. And the other area I would look at strengthening is central defence, which is crying out for a new Jamie Carragher-like leader.

I only hope the club’s new owners show more patience than their fans and don’t go pushing any panic buttons. Back Hodgson in the transfer window and then give him until the end of the season before passing judgment.

I may have been hopelessly wrong about Liverpool being my favourites for the title this season. But I am almost certainly not wrong on this: be patient, give Hodgson time, and he will be the best thing to happen to Liverpool for years.

Welsh taking Speed

The way British football associations choose their managers is truly fascinating.

England, for example, have a very simple system which essentially involves finding the most expensive person possible to hire on the basis that if he costs the earth, he must be good. Then you wait until he does really badly, and extend his contract.

Scotland, meanwhile, mostly tend to go for managers who are cheap and cheerful and not hard to get rid of when they fail. Slightly lacking in ambition but not entirely daft.

Wales, we now know, pick managers purely because they are Welsh. Last week they appointed Gary Speed as their new man in charge, replacing the underachieving John Toshack.

At face value it may sound like a good decision. He’s young, patriotic, very experienced as a player and the country’s record cap holder.

However, that is failing to take into account two important points. Firstly, he has only had about four months of managerial experience in his life. And the second point – and this one I think is extra relevant – is that he hasn’t actually been very good at this management lark so far.

In his 17 games in charge of Sheffield United he managed just six wins. And he leaves the club – my club – just a couple of points off the Championship relegation places.

To be honest, I am pretty sure United are more than happy to see him go. Right now they are probably smirking quietly as they stand in line to cash their compensation cheque.

That’s not to say Speed won’t one day make a cracking manager. Having met him a couple of times, I believe he will. I just don’t think now is the time to be giving someone as inexperienced as him the job of running a national team.

To me, managing your country should be an honour you earn by being successful throughout your career. The pinnacle of your managerial life. Not something you earn simply by virtue of your nationality.

Time will tell which theory is right, I suppose.

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com