If Grant jumps ship to rejoin Chelsea, there's clearly only one man to replace him: O'Neill had his chance and blew it so Paolo Di Canio is now the only possible candidate.
How could West Ham look elsewhere based on the experience of West Brom, Wigan and, er, well ourselves?
Take the Baggies. Look what a brilliant job Di Matteo did in his first season - in the Championship. And look at the fabulous results they achieved over the first couple of months of this season. Remember that glorious victory at the Emirates? Under Di Matteo, West Brom were sitting in a Champions League place half a dozen or so games into the season! True, it went wrong subsequently. True when the results started to go against his side, Roberto was found wanting, and true, when he was replaced by that old sage Woy Hodgson, results picked up immedaitely and dramatically, but that is nit picking. For a season and a third, the inexperienced Italian was a fantastic success.
And look too at Roberto Martinez. What a fantastic job the young ex Swansea manager is doing at Wigan. It's true that Wigan are currently bottom of the table but they are not cut adrift are they? They still have a chance of staying up don't they? Yes they struggled last season and yes they have struggled this but why dwell on minute details like that? Martinez is dapper, European, an ex player of the club, passionate and has a great smile. In fact, if only the results were better, he would be the new Jose!
And how can we forget Zola? Another young manager, an ex team mate of Di Matteo indeed, a true great of the game. Can anybody forget our first season under Gianfranco? Taking over a team sitting in fifth place in the Prem, he guided us to an excellent 9th place finish at the end of his first season in charge, a drop of just 5 places from where we were when Curbishley flounced off. And what a second season! We exited the cups at Watford and Middlesborough (after a home draw) it's true but we battled our way heroically to 35 points - a whole 5 points clear of relegation. True that was 7 points less than Roeder - another rookie manager in his second season - achieved in the year we went down, but who cares? 35 points is 35 points in anybody's book, and credit for that is due to Zola!
So let's ignore Paolo's politics and his support for Mussolini and Fascism, and let's base our decision on the evidence of what happens when you appoint a manager with little or no management experience. Sullivan and Gold would be mad to look anywhere other than Paolo, wouldn't they?
I'm with you HF ,DI CANIO would be a bad choice.A good bloke to have in the dressing room though ,as I would imagine he would be a great motivator,maybe GRANTS no.2 ...WATCH THIS SPACE.
ReplyDeleteHF, I know it's a favourite topic of yours, so I'm surprised you've not commented on Sir Alec's most recent selective memory/vision statement regarding ref's decisions. "about the first break we've got in 7 years" was his blinkered view of the non-penalty decision against Chelski last night. 7 years!! What about 7 days!! Undoubtedly a great manager, but an even greater prat at times!
ReplyDeleteLOL I was fuming when I heard him mate, but he was talking about at Chelsea to be fair, you missed out the word "here". But that reiterated his criticism of Referee Atkinson one game into his ban if you think about it!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't let him in the dressing room mate. He was always a selfish and divisive figure.
i would still have him in the backroom staff as astrikers coach and then eventually i hope he becomes our manager one day
ReplyDeleteNo thanks Paolo, not yet.
ReplyDeleteI bet Martinez and Di Matteo would have loved to have Grant's squads HF!
That's partly the point Stani. Top players only agree to sign for top managers. ; }
ReplyDeleteA man that declares his beliefs is far less dangerous than one that hides his beneath a coat of deceit Paulo was one the greatest players I have had the pleasure of seeing in a West Ham shirt He achieved record top scores in his coaching badges so has the potential to be a top top coach my only worry would be that so few really great players have made good managers
ReplyDeleteHahahaaa! Grant's a top manager? And which of our top players signed because of him rather than because we're West Ham United!? You're basically saying that if Grant was at Wigan, Robbie Keane would have gone there! Heeehahahaa
ReplyDeleteThey are talking about a different Di Canio not Paulo becoming manger !
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