Okay if it was a Mourinho or Guardiola or Ferguson, they wouldn’t be coaching a team battling relegation –albeit Mourinho was in one at the start of the season – but Big Sam has done it again, even with a game to spare. He has kept Sunderland in the Premiership and has kept his record of never being relegated from the top flight intact.
Big Sam caught my attention several years ago when he took Jayjay Okocha to the Premiership –at a time when JayJay’s type of football was deemed a luxury to the Premiership – and made him flourish at Bolton Wanderers.
Big Sam has done it at several clubs but this recent feat at Sunderland tops them all. From Gus Poyet to Dick Advocaat Sunderland always looked like a club in trouble, having personnel problems but when Dick Advocaat announced his resignation in October, few months into his reign at Sunderland, no manager was willing to touch the team, except of course Sam Allardyce.
Kazri, Kone, Defoe, Borini, Kirchkoff, Yedlin, M’Villa, Kaboul, Cattermole, Van Aanholt, Mannone,Lens, Rodwell, O’shea and all the others deserve their place in the Premiership. They worked hard, dug deep, hunted in packs and gave everything they had for their team.
If only my boys at Chelsea showed this kind of fire!
Congratulations to Sam Allardyce and the crew and we wish you all the best for next season.
CITY BARELY SCRAPE THROUGH
As the curtains were drawn on Manuel Pellegrini at Manchester City, he finally came out – after waiting for so long because of the gentleman that he is – to confirm what we have all known since January, the Guardiola effect on the team.
As I repeatedly said in my previous posts, Manchester City were extremely poor this season and they never really looked like doing anything except for the first few weeks of the season when they looked hungry.
Perhaps they came into the season aiming to battle Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool for the EPL, but with the way Chelsea and Liverpool capitulated, they probably found themselves without a goal to aim for and without a goal, people perish.
Manchester City was poor, Chelsea was extremely terrible and Liverpool and United didn’t really fare much better in a very erratic but interesting season.
The question though is, should Guardiola’s announcement have been made the way it was?
Did it affect players like Yaya Toure, Bony and others who may not have felt wanted by the club or the new manager?
The rumours in the dressing room would have definitely disrupted proceedings at the training ground, but that does not excuse the way that City completed the season. I believe if the season had three more games, it would have been lights out for City, shame that United’s early and mid-season form and erratic displays meant they would be the ones to miss out, I truly believe that they have a fantastic squad that can take on all comers next season.
ENRIQUE MAKES IT TWO-PEAT
Congratulations to Luis Enrique, as he masterminded a second La Liga title for Barcelona. Last year was the treble, this year he is going for the double and who can bet against him triumphing with the fantastic football that was a joy to watch.
Enrique is writing his name in the annals of Barca and football history and I admire the way he has handled his players and the press in Spain. Love him or hate him, he gets the job done, so congratulations to Senor Enrique and I hope he adds the Copa Del Rey to the cabinet by the weekend.
8 Laligas, 3 Copa Del Reys , 4 UEFA Champions League, 6 Spanish Super Cups, 3 UEFA Super Cups
And 3 World Clubs Super Cups, yes! It’s Lionel Messi…..
Add a World Cup and 2 European Championship medals back to back and you get, you know who, Andreas Iniesta…..
These two have been exceptional footballers who have graced the turf for a single club with tremendous achievements in the last eleven years.
Add Luis Suarez (first player outside of Ronaldo and Messi to win the Golden Boot in Spain in the last 7 years)
Add Neymar, the fleet footed dependable who is ever ready when Messi and Iniesta have off days (not too many off days though)
Add Rakitic, Alves, Alba, Busquets, Masherano, Pique, the two goalkeepers (Ter Stegen and Bravo) and the whole squad, you know Enrique got the best out of his workforce.
Felicitationes and Gracias to Barca.