My support of Tony Adams has hardly been ‘a secret’ has it, maybe this was even more so with my desperation to ‘show’ Jamie’s Dad that there was life after him, so understandably I am ‘disappointed’ to say the least that he, and of course I guess Johnny Metgod, have been sacked – not that I could quite understand what he actually brought to the table?
Anyway, the announcement as it came through on Sunday night stunned me – yep I know many will say ‘are you really surprised?’ Well I would say I was – maybe not that this happened, as it was, and has been, a distinct possibility for some time, but more that it happened when it did. Another thing, why do these things always happen so late? Sandra’s husband moving on like a thief in the night and now Pompey acting like this so late in the day… As usual I digress, the public backing that Adams received from Peter Storrie as little ago as Friday, was it Friday, when claims were made in a national?
I cannot for the life of me understand why he was publicly backed, and the paper concerned threatened with legal action, only for us to turn around a few days later and sack him… If we were doing this, why not have done it before the transfer window closed. Ok, I think we left it too late, but surely doing this after Fulham would have made more sense?
We have in effect said, ‘we back you Tony but unless you get something against Liverpool you are out of the door!’
Again, I make no secret of my thoughts that we should never go into a game ‘accepting defeat’, but defeat against a title chasing side – yep, title chasing side, is hardly something to be disgraced with. The manor of it was hard to accept, again, but I really do think that despite this defeat ‘a corner had been turned’ and we would have beaten Citeh at the weekend, and he deserved that game bare minimum, defeat and yep I think I would have accepted this more, albeit still have been sad, but nowhere near as disappointed…
A win breads confidence, like defeats suck this from you – snowball effects work both ways, and I genuinely feel we would have seen this starting in a positive light from Saturday, but there you go the decision has been made, I cannot change this nor can anyone else.
No amount of coaching could have prevented a shockingly poor back pass from the half way line, an almost unforgivable fly kick from a player not adverse to making mistakes in recent times yet quick to point the finger of blame, the same player then failed to make amends for his error when he had the chance. And the ‘arm waiving’ and wondering around the box instead of getting back into position to face up and defend a cross from a vastly experienced player deep into injury time – I challenge anyone to explain how Adams can be blamed for much, if any of what went wrong on Saturday. You cannot legislate for these errors you could coach players 24/7 and still not prevent such errors, these were individual with only those individuals to blame. The players let him down and in that instance in a game that had on the face of it been decided was a ‘must win game’, cost him his job…
Takeover talk is rife, there is a thought that maybe, just maybe with more talk of this takeover resurfacing recently this could be going through – which of course means new owners would almost certainly want a new man in place, hence his departure?
I find it hard to believe that a takeover would be pushed through just a week after the transfer window closed and with us in such a ‘precarious position’, and would have thought until our premier league safety was assured this would not go through, so the summer or when this said safety was confirmed seemed more likely?
So taking that into account, when looking at the new man to come in, who is going to take a job knowing that a takeover is being actively sought, so they could be out of a job in no time?
Word I am getting is that this takeover could, as unlikely as I see it being, be very much on the horizon hence why this apparently ‘rushed decision’ has been made – yep I know records speak for themselves so it is not rushed in that case, I just mean rushed when it seemed the corner has been turned. Hence why this has happened, and further word is ‘why’ Sven Goran Eriksson’s name has come into the frame!
Speaking of the Swede, as much as I think that he is a horrible man personally I would welcome his appointment as manager of Pompey now we are actively looking for one. He took a lot of grief when manager of England, from myself included, but his record at club level – and to be fair with England! – is second to none, well few. Eriksson is a man of vast experience, is a name known throughout the world and for me would attract players – money permitting – and keep others. The second half to the season he had with Citeh last season was poor, but for me he was sacked way too soon. I also feel that he would give young talent a chance as he has in the past, he liked to play with a ‘very junk team’ as he would say, of course young not junk! He is under pressure with Mexico, and word is he could be sacked this week regardless, but I am not sure we have the financial muscle to get him.
Another name in the frame in Alan Curbishley, although it is my understanding that he is unable to take on another job until his compensation payout is confirmed with West Ham. So that rules him out? ‘If’ he was an option, although I am not convinced I think he would be my second choice – again he has experience, and most certainly of relegation battles and is another that is willing to give youth a chance – something I feel is essential to our growth in the future. Appointing him though would make a mockery of our ‘counter claims’ last week…
The third name mentioned strongly, and for me the man that I am almost 100% convinced is the man that will get the job is Avram Grant. Experience yep, of relegation battles? Not so sure about that. I am not sure that he is a motivator of men at all – and do we not need this? I can see some merits, but the minuses in my mind far outweigh the pluses, but what do I know… He has been waiting in the wings for months, he may as well have been sitting in Tony’s chair when he was not around, and maybe he was! His connections with the Gaydamak family and the connections with a ‘possible’ group looking to takeover the club make it even more likely – although ‘if’ a takeover goes through in the immediate future I have this sneaky feeling it will not be a consortium with him in mind!
I would hope that neither of the latter two are appointed, as they are names linked time and time again – they have been like vultures circling, and appointing them would be like inviting them onto the carcass, then again if either was the right man – not that I am convinced – then not appointing them would be cutting off your nose to spite your face, and I would only consider this cutting off of my nose to spite my face when it came to Frank’s Uncle!
So, I am gutted, genuinely gutted that Adams has been sacked – as said I really feel a corner had been turned and Citeh would have again seen the real starting point with 3pts picked up. I feel almost 100% certain we will win on Saturday now as this usually always happens with a new man. Many will say survival would not have happened under Adams, for me it would have and he would have developed into a top class manager – as it is he will now do this somewhere else and I fully expect him to come back and haunt us one day.
He may as well have had one of his arms chopped off, as they were so far twisted and tied behind his back he had little or no room to move. Players were sold out of necessity – granted those that went went for top money and both wanted to for differing reasons, but he had no luxuries as Frank Snr’s brother-in-law did, in fact it was his actions to a large degree, coupled with the owners that left him in this situation! His summer budget could well have been limited, but he could then have been judged – as it is the reality probably is that he has always been a ‘short-term’, ‘used’ option and in many ways has been set up as a patsy. I think Adams was treated atrociously by the club. Not many would have come in and worked under the circumstances that he did, we took advantage of this. It did not work now he can carry the can. Whoever comes in will either now be a hero or can blame the previous manager for the squad they inherited. The press have always been anti Pompey, but the way we go about doing things at times leaves us an easy target and we bring a lot of it on ourselves! The boy who cried wolf springs to mind for me…
To be honest my believe in much that comes out of the mouths of seniors figures at the top of the chain at this club being true from now on is going to be very limited – I have tried to give these benefits of the doubt, and whilst some fingers pointed at them have been ludicrous I think that some thoughts have probably been truer than they have led us to believe and their actions very contradictory of their words.
I wish Tony nothing but the best of luck for the future, I desperately wanted him to be successful here but it was not meant to be – for me though he was still, despite a seemingly obvious split on him, one of the most respected Pompey managers in a long time, since, dare I say it, not that I am comparing them as managers, Alan Ball. Not many others have had their name sung as loud and proud for as long as he had in so many games since Bally, or maybe I am wrong? Maybe this was as so many of us were so desperate for him to stick two fingers up at Jamie’s Dad and say life goes on without you, which of course it does.
All this said; when all is said and done I of course support Portsmouth Football Club. Managers and players always have my backing, and some more of my support than others, but these always will come and go, my support of this club, which I love, will not change so I will support whoever comes in – like them or not, but whoever it is lets hope they are the right person! God knows at this stage of the season, in the position we are in we need them to be!
Well, these are my own feelings – maybe I will rethink some in time, but this is how I feel now…
PLAY UP POMPEY!
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