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Saturday, 2 March 2013
Wally's Round Table: The unflappable Tony Pulis
14:07 | 
Posted by
Bappo |
1- Swansea won the Capital One Cup last week-end and have been called 'the best-run club' in the Premier League? In your eyes, which club is the best-run club? And which one is the worst-run in the Prem?
Chaka Demus: I am not all that knowledgeable when it comes to the inner workings
of a football club but if outward appearances of how team and manager
conduct themselves on and off the pitch are anything to go by I think it
is fair to say that Swansea are one of the best-run clubs. I think
Everton also demonstrate a real professionalism and pride in all that
they do as well.
Chelsea are the worst run club and currently have
some of the worst football 'fans' I have ever encountered. According to
the papers this may only be a small portion of the Stamford Bridge
"faithful" (the irony is hilario) but they really are a disgrace. Fair
play to Rafa for having a bit of a rant. He has done well to put up with
their sh*t for 3 months without losing it.
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| Abramovich and Buck: the two main icons of one of the Premier League's worst-run club. |
Cam: Swansea have been very impressive this season but
for me the best run club in the Premier League is Everton. Bill Kenwright,
David Moyes, they play good football, they are consistent, they manage their
squad of players well and they bring quite a few youngsters and British players
through.
Bappo: I'd hate to say the best-run club is Man Utd, so I'm glad they're in mountains of debt. Obviously Arsenal are extremely well run; they might not be winning anything any time soon but they're making huge profits. But I'm going to go for Everton: sensible business model with a great manager at the helm. Damn I sound like an American pundit but it's true: Everton are financially healthy and are competitive. Superb. As for worst-run club, I'm looking with insistence at QPR, Chelsea and Man City, all heading for bankruptcy once their owners tire of pumping ridiculous money into the club. It'll come sooner rather than later for QPR who are heading for the Champo. By the by, when they'll go down and become bankrupt, that'll be the 3rd club out of Redknapp's last four to reach bankruptcy. Just saying.
2- Everton have stumbled a bit recently. Some suggest this might be due to David Moyes still unsigned for next season. Were he to leave, where would you like to see him go? Where do you think he'll actually end up?
Chaka Demus: Difficult to say. I think a lot depends on Everton's FA Cup run. If they
were to win it, I think he will leave. But then again, he might like to
then have the chance to lead his boys in Europe. I think he will end up
managing either Chelsea or, preferably, Man Utd once Fergie throws in
the towel.
Cam: I think Moyesy would one day like to take the reins
at a Champions League club and I hope one day he gets his wish. Who knows where
he will end up though, we’ll just have to wait to see what happens. I think he’ll
probably still be at Everton next season.
Bappo: I'd love for him to go to Arsenal. The man is so sensible he'd fit in perfectly with the ethos of the club (winning, but not at all cost). Moyes loves a project and Arsenal would offer him long-term stability. A match made in heaven in my book. I'd hate for him to go to Man Utd, simply because I dislike them and it's too easy to have another Scot succeed Fergie. That'd just be boring.
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| Will Moyes' loyalty to Kenwright scupper a move to a bigger club? |
3- Stoke City face West Ham at the week-end, and both teams are on a downward slope. Which manager is doing the better job: Tony Pulis or Sam Allardyce?
Chaka Demus: It offends me to say this but I think I will for TP. Whilst most of his
defense should probably be behind bars, Pulis' side does play some
reasonably attractive football at times. West Ham of late have been
classic Allardyce long ball forward and it is just dreadful.
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| TP gets ready for his team talk. Unflappable. |
Cam: I think TP has done the better job because Stoke
have been very consistent over the years and he really has made the Britannia a
fortress. Big Sam’s West Ham have been impressive considering they came up
through the play-offs last season but they have really struggled of late.
Bappo: Talk about two teams I couldn't care less about! They're too boring for me to actually give a damn. Actually, neither of the two managers is doing an outstanding job. They've both spent ridiculous amounts of money when you consider the size of their clubs, and all that for atrocious football and patronising talk (especially from TP. By the way, please lose the hat. You really look like an idiot)! I guess I'll say Allardyce, simply because there are more expectations at West Ham and they've just gone up.
4- Tottenham-Arsenal at White Hart Lane. Gareth Bale has been in sensational form lately, but he unfortunately plays for Wales. If you had to choose 3 players from the Home Nations for your England squad, who would they be?
Chaka Demus: Bonne question, Monsieur. 1. G-dot. 2. Sean Maloney. 3. Ashley Williams.
Cam: Good question definitely Bale at the moment. Giggs
a few years ago would have been great. And Gary Speed (RIP) in his prime.
Bappo: It'd be harder finding 3 Northern Ireland players who grace a Premier League pitch! Obviously Bale comes into the equation and is my first choice. the man has been incredible in the past few weeks. Can I pick Rob Earnshaw and Gary Caldwell, or is that too easy? OK that was obviously a joke. I'll go for Ashley Williams, because he's a beast at the back and is actually better than Gary Cahill (grossly overrated). And, to mix it up, I'll go for James Morrison. Simply because I enjoyed his first album (now THAT was too easy) and the man loves a belter. He's been a very good Premier League player this year. I'm not saying he makes the starting XI, but he's definitely more worthy of a cap than Jonjo Shelvey or Wilfried Zaha.
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| Sadly this is not an England shirt |
5- Man Utd face Norwich at Old Trafford. What are your views on Rio Ferdinand and his international career? Should he still be in the England squad?
Chaka Demus: I am going to base this answer upon the last two England games (vs
Sweden and Brazil). Our centre backs were HOPELESS in both cases. I
think Rio, as well as JT, should still play because they bring out the
best in the younger players and simply would not let such blatant
c*ck-ups occur as did in those two games. Whilst they might not be as
quick or as fit as their younger counterparts, playing at CB is a
position where you need experience and a steady head, which Rio has in
abundance.
Cam: Rio is an excellent footballing centre-back and he
is undoubtedly having a good season but let’s not forget he is injury prone and
his body and he can’t play every game for Man U. So were he to go to the World
Cup he definitely would not be able to play every game and I think Roy’s
entitled to make his decision, leave him out and give some fresher, fitter,
younger players through. Plus with FIFA looking to increase doping controls, it
may be for the best that Rio stays at home...
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| Rio's biggest fear. |
Bappo: I think he should stop whining, and so should the press. Yes he played well in the 1st leg against Real. Yes he can pass a ball relatively well for a centre-back (an English one I mean. All Spanish centre-backs know how to play the ball out of defence. No jokes). He's also meant to be the leader of a Man Utd defence which has leaked an incredible amount of goals this season before the return of Vidic. When you're outplayed by Jonny Evans you don't deserve a place in the England starting XI. Seriously. People who still think Rio is world-class are stuck in 2006. The only reason we mention Rio is because there is a lack of quality centre-backs in England. That doesn't mean he's that great. And the man is something like 34 now. You don't want a broken down 35 year old in Rio (ironically). He's no Maldini.
6- Chelsea-West Brom, and the return of Steve Clarke and Lukaku. Their success contrasts with rumours of a rift between Terry and Benitez. What do you make of those?
Chaka Demus: Terry is an idiot who has always been too big for his boots. Who knows
whether the rumours of that 'rift' were true, and quite frankly who
cares? Just more grief for Rafa to deal with at the Chelsea Circus. I
hope West Brom win!
Cam: Lukaku is a beast who has to come back to Stamford
Bridge next season. Let’s not forget Chelsea paid £20m for him so if Steve
Clarke thinks he can get him on loan again next season, he must be kidding
himself and the Baggies’ fans. As for the situation at Chelsea, unfortunately
it is a mess and I find it interesting that not one player has publically come
out and supported Rafa. Other than his Liverpool roots and public criticism of
Chelsea fans, Rafa’s main problem is that his record as Chelsea manager is poor
and worse than club hero Di Matteo’s when he got the sack. Chelsea need to sort
something out though and make sure they finish in the top four. Having lost to
WBA earlier this season, this is a massive game for Chelsea, especially with
Spurs and Arsenal playing each other on Sunday.
Bappo: Let me set things straight: John Terry is a c**t. And Rafa Benitez is an arrogant, pompous, overrated manager who believes in his own hype (if there is any left). Of course they're going to clash. After all, Terry has been responsible for the sackings of much more established managers. JT is clever in the sense that he has picked on a lame duck. Everybody hates Rafa. Even Torres hates him now I guess. So all Terry is doing is winning fans on his side once more by creating another rift with his manager because he wants to play. Except in Terry's case it is meant to say he 'wants to pull on that sacred Blue shirt and die on the pitch for it, because he loves the club and the fans so much, and he's such a warrior'. Of course, idiotic Chelsea fans (except you Cam) lap it up and keep giving a racist, team-mate-wife-shagger, disruptive captain a second chance. Because he's 'one of them'. That's a sad indictment of Chelsea fans really. Having said that, anything to destabilise Rafa and make him look like the stubborn, cocky s**t that he is is obviously welcome. I don't really know where to stand on this one.
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| Routine times at Chelski |
7- Sunderland-Fulham. Who's the better and/or more underrated: Mark Schwarzer or Simon Mignolet?
Chaka Demus: I think Mignolet is more reliable but Schwarzer is the better
instinctive shot-stopper. However he does make some horrendo mistakes at
times, especially at his near post. Make of that useless answer what
you will!
Cam: Both top keepers. I’m going to go for the veteran
Schwarzer though.
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| Schwarzer's spit has some incredible, weird adhesive nature apparently. |
Bappo: Schwarzer. Not because I'm a Fulham fan or because he was outstanding last week-end against Stoke. No, simply because Schwarzer is an underrated Friedel. He's been superbly consistent for about 20 years in the Prem, he's 74 and people still take him for granted. A superb professional. That's no knock on Mignolet, who's come out of nowhere and seems to be a likeable guy. But Schwarzer has achieved something quite special by staying so long at the top. And he's still thriving.
8- Southampton face QPR, who seem doomed. Which player has been a ray of light for Redknapp's team?
Chaka Demus: Julio Cesar. Incredible. Ironic to pick a goalkeeper given their current
predicament but it just goes to show how poor and uninspiring the rest
of the team have been.
Cam: Good question Bapman. Not many to be honest and if
the rumours of QPR players treating their recent Dubai training camp as a stag
holiday are true, that is disgraceful behaviour. Julio Cesar has at times
looked world class and at times made basic errors. Taarabt has at times looked
great and at times looked disinterested. Diakite has looked good at times but
needs to control his aggression! Remy looks good but needs to stay fit and put
a run of games together. This game really is do or die for QPR I feel.
 |
| Led by a bald Shaun Derry, QPR finally land in Dubai for their training camp |
Bappo: Julio Cesar. He's the only one who's turned up. And please don't mention Wright-Phillips or Taarabt. Second and third, and deserving of a mention, are Shaun Darry and Clint Hill. They're the only real professionals in that group of players.
9- Wigan-Liverpool, or the match between the two managers Liverpool targeted over the summer. Do you think they made the right decision in choosing Rodgers, or would you have preferred to see Martinez at Anfield?
Chaka Demus: I was skeptical at first but after a little time I think Brendan has
done very well. With the signing of Sturridge he has certainly steadied
the ship as well given how erratic and apparently injury-prone Borini
is. I think they made the right choice.
Cam: Rodgers is doing a god job and Liverpool seem happy
with their decision. I am a big fan of Martinez though and would one day like
to see him at a bigger club than Wigan.
Bappo: I kind of wished Martinez had gone. Rodgers has done ok but he believes in his own hype a bit too much and loves the brown-nosing to an obscene level. He's no genius really and I'm getting tired of people saying he has such a distinct philosophy. He doesn't. He's a decent manager but nothing special. Martinez is more likeable, braver and more flexible. And I would have loved to see him try and justify bringing Franco di Santo to the club. It's not like Rodgers has justified bringing Borini (flop!). So yes, I would have preferred Martinez.
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| "Hello! Is this awkward enough?" |
10- Aston Villa-Man City at Villa Park. How much has each manager's reputation suffered this season?
Chaka Demus: Ironically I think Mancini's has suffered more given how 'poorly' his
side has played in comparison to last year. Lambert is between a rock
and a hard place but I think he will be alright.
Cam: A lot. Both of their reputations have nose-dived but that is
football and shows how quickly things can change. Who knows, they may both find
themselves out of a job next season.
Bappo: Massively, especially in Lambert's case. We all knew Mancini was a good manager surrounded by undeserving/ungrateful egomaniacs, so his failure in rousing them out of their year-long sleep is not so surprising. It's poor management but not so awful. And people are quick to forget that he outclassed Fergie last season, so the man knows what he's doing. He's also been right on quite a few points, notably Nasri and Hart's behaviour (or lack of) this season. As for Lambert, his season has been soooo difficult and he's hiding behind his choice. His team is young? He went that way. He's also alienated fans with his rift with Bent (deservedly on the bench in my view) and his team hasn't even played great football. Thank God for Benteke! You know how badly his reputation has been damaged? He's making Alex McLeish look like a decent manager. That's when you know you've had a shocking year.
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| Lambert and Mancini have a classic "your season is worse than mine" confrontation |
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