Reflecting on some of the ridiculous criticism dished out to Premier League managers so far this season by so-called experts and short-sighted fans, it has never been more obvious that success is more likely for the clubs who stand by their managers.
Even Chelsea – the club famous for changing manager’s more frequently than the ordinary man puts on a new pair of socks – look like benefitting from giving Jose Mourinho another season after ending 2013/2014 empty handed.
A few weeks ago Alan Pardew was top of the hit list after a poor start by Newcastle United. Today he picked up November’s Barclays Manager of the month award. Sam Allardyce, whose tenure at West Ham United looked in danger pre-season, is sitting pretty in the top four.
Louis Van Gaal, has been criticised in recent week’s by United legends Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, the latter of whom predicted Sunday’s match with Liverpool would be like watching two pub teams. Yet victory for the Red Devils will make it six straight wins. Remember the wise words of LVG pre-season when he warned the doubters that it would be at least three months before things improved.
With new signings Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falco, Daley Blind and Luke Shaw all missing Monday night’s priceless 2-1 win at Southampton, it is worth noting that the new United manager is delivering results despite being handicapped by a seemingly endless injury list that currently includes Chris Smalling, Phil Jones and Rafael.
Over at Anfield, Brendan Rodgers is unbelievably under fire just six months after narrowly failing to deliver Liverpool their first Premier League title since 1990. What do the fans expect after losing Luis Suarez to Barcelona and Daniel Sturridge to injury. The truth is Rodgers’ side overachieved last season and deficiencies in their squad have left them hopelessly exposed for a twin campaign at home and in Europe.
Fair enough Rodgers has made mistakes and his summer signings have so far failed to deliver. But what will Liverpool achieve by pressing the panic button and abandoning one of the best young managers in the game?
In the summer many experts were praising the Liverpool boss for snapping up Mario Balotelli for a ‘bargain’ 16 million pounds. It was a gamble by Rodgers that has not yet paid off and the Italian maverick may forever be defined by Mourinho’s assessment that he is quite simply ‘unmanageable.”
Manchester City’s manager Manuel Pellegrini started the week with experts predicting he would soon be out of a job. The defending Premier League champions are now in the last 16 of the Champions League, as well as being just three points behind Chelsea in the title race.
Worst of all is the shocking abuse from so-called Arsenal fans for Arsene Wenger at Stoke last week. Do those fans not realise what the Frenchman achieved on Tuesday when the Gunners breezed into the knockout stages of the Champions League for the 15th successive season.
The truth is that a good manager will always deliver if he is given the time he needs to finish the job. For the sanity of the game let’s end this ridiculous obsession with the mob mentality of hounding managers out after a couple of bad results.
