If there’s one thing I am extremely experienced in, having written this column for several years, it is the fine art of eating humble pie.

Thanks in no small way to my staggering inability to predict even the slightest thing correctly when it comes to football, I have consumed enough of this particular delicacy to feed a small army. (No need for the ‘it shows’ comments at the back).

However today, rather than nibbling on yet another slice myself, I am going to be dishing some out. That’s right, supporters of West Ham United and Newcastle United, I’m looking at you.

At the time of writing, those two teams sit fourth and seventh respectively in the top flight. The results of both clubs over the past couple of months have been nothing short of remarkable. And, for the most part, the performances have matched the results.

Yet it wasn’t that long ago that fans in London and Newcastle were calling for the heads of Sam Allardyce and Alan Pardew. Vociferously and venomously.

At Upton Park, the fans were unhappy with a number of things about Allardyce’s management, including the way he forfeited the FA Cup last season and the overall style of play.

And they weren’t shy of letting their feelings show, regularly chanting for him to be sacked as the team went through a prolonged slump. Even though Allardyce turned things around and kept the Hammers up, it was still widely believed supporter unrest would force the club’s owners to replace him.

But they didn’t.

Instead they gave him a clear directive to improve the style of play, a decent budget for players, new coaches and the first 10 games of this season to prove the fans wrong.

And Big Sam has done that in emphatic fashion, to the extent that his team could almost be considered outside contenders for a Champions League slot. It has been a remarkable turnaround.

Meanwhile, further north, Newcastle made a torrid start to the season, not winning for the first seven matches. The fans were up in arms, placards were waved calling for Pardew’s head, and a website – sackpardew.com – was created to campaign for his removal. (The website has not been updated for over a month now… I wonder why?)

But owner Mike Ashley was having none of it. Possibly through incredible foresight, but more likely through financial stubbornness, he decided to stick by Pardew and give him the opportunity to change the club’s fortunes.

And he was handsomely rewarded for his loyalty with a run of six consecutive victories that propelled the team up the table. Last week they even managed to end Chelsea’s unbeaten start to the season with a hard fought 2-1 victory at St James’ Park.

Of course, there is no guarantee either Newcastle or West Ham will keep up their current form all the way to the end of the season. Both teams could be just a few injuries away from another poor run.

But what we have seen here is conclusive proof that chopping and changing managers is not the only way to turn a club around. Sometimes sticking by a manager you believe in can be just as effective as bringing in someone fresh.

The other thing we should have learned is that supporters – while well within their rights to protest, vent their frustrations and express their opinions about the men running their teams – don’t always know best.

Sometimes they are guilty of letting their passion for their club cloud their judgement. Sometimes they may not be aware of the bigger picture or precisely what is going on behind the scenes. Often their desire to see change, while motivated by the right sentiments, is prompted by panic.

It takes a brave owner to go against the grain, defy his customers and stick with an unpopular coach. But there are occasions when it is absolutely the right thing to do.

Hopefully more boardrooms will look at what has happened at West Ham and Newcastle and realise that, once in a while, giving a manager help, guidance, support and patience can be more rewarding than giving him the sack.

And supporters will realised they aren’t always right…

The pub team game

Gary Neville was being a bit harsh when he described today’s clash between Manchester United and Liverpool as a ‘pub game’ but I can see where he is coming from.

Giving a manager help, guidance, support and patience can be more rewarding than giving him the sack

There was a time, not too long ago, when this would have been one of the most eagerly anticipated games on the calendar. This season, from a neutral’s point of view, it has lost much of that glamour.

United, of course, are on the back of a good run of five victories, including last Monday’s 2-1 win at Southampton. But, as I said last week, I am far from convinced they have fully turned the corner.

They were exceedingly lucky to win at St Mary’s, a game in which they only managed three attempts on goal – the lowest by any Premier League team in a game this season.

That they still left with the three points is testament to their rediscovered resolve, but it doesn’t mean they have yet emerged from their transitional phase or are a real force to be reckoned with.

Liverpool, on the other hand, are in a bit of a mess. And that’s putting it nicely.

With every passing game it feels more and more like Brendan Rodgers and the plot are becoming further estranged. His team selection for Tuesday’s must-win game against Basel was mystifying: no strikers on the bench for a match where only a victory would suffice?

This year’s Champions League is now a memory and the danger is that it could now be a while before Liverpool get to taste action in Europe’s top competition again unless Rodgers manages to put his finger on the team’s problems sooner rather than later.

Of course, as much as relegation to the Europa League will have hurt the club’s fans, victory at Old Trafford today would go a long way towards easing the pain. But I just can’t see it happening. The best this disjointed Liverpool team can hope for this afternoon is probably a plucky, backs-to-the-wall draw.

But in reality I think United, with Lady Luck sat alongside Louis van Gaal in the dugout, will probably make it six wins from six…

Meanwhile, for those who like conspiracy theories, I did hear a rather good one last week – Liverpool deliberately failed to qualify for the knock-out phase. Why? Because winning the Europa League, and with it a place in next season’s Champions League, is going to be considerably easier than finishing in the top four.

I’ll leave that thought with you…

Times are changing

It’s a sad reflection on modern football that that Tottenham Hotspur game against Crystal Palace last weekend was Spurs’s first home game on a Saturday at 3pm (English time) since January.

I remember when pretty much all English football was played at the same time on the same day of the weekend. You could set your watch by it. Some people probably did.

Today, thanks to the ever-increasing demands of television and European commitments, we have reached a point where a top club can go almost an entire year without playing a match at the traditional time on the traditional day.

I appreciate that in the greater scheme of things, it’s probably not that big a deal.

But it is still a clear indication of just how low down the list of priorities proper fans are to the people that run football. And by proper fans I mean the ones that turn up week in, week out to watch their team in the flesh.

Who cares if they don’t know whether they are coming or going over a weekend, as long as the marketing beast that is Premier League football is kept well fed.

Maybe I’m just being old-fashioned and maybe modern fans actually prefer this lack of routine.

But I bet you they don’t.

sportscolumnist@timesofmalta.com
Twitter: @maltablade