Preview: Neither here nor there? For the clubs ranked 11th to 15th in the Premier League at the end of the 2008/09 season, to be still in the league next season is an achievement in itself. Wigan, Stoke City, Bolton, Portsmouth and Blackburn are in that position. In the continuing series of a look-back of the 2008/09 Premier League season (first part, second part, third part), clubs which are not quite near the relegation zone are in the spotlight.
A new manager could be in sight at Wigan probably some time this week. And it is someone Wigan chairman and owner Dave Whelan have always got a soft spot for. After all, Whelan's business dealings took him to Spain and the summer of 1995 changed the history of the club forever. Wigan, then playing in the third division...acquired not only one, but three Spainards. Those three Whelan brought to England were eventually nicknamed the 'Three Amigos' and it is Roberto Martinez, who was one of the 'Three Amigos', could be Steve Bruce's successor at the club (Bruce had already became the Sunderland manager, replacing Ricky Sbragia who decided to step down after securing the club's league status on the final day of the season) this week.
While it is almost certain that Roberto Martinez who had spent two-and-a-half successful years at Championship (second division) club Swansea City as manager (it was his first managerial job after his playing career ended) could be heading back to the club where he first experienced English football (Wigan chairman and owner Dave Whelan pointed out days ago that Martinez and his two compatriots helped to revolutionise the football at his club), Wigan had been doing not that bad under Steve Bruce this season. And considering Wigan is in the Premier League since their promotion in 2005. Their record against the 'Big Four' in the Premier League is not something to shout about but, Bruce managed to achieve something his predecessors Paul Jewell and Chris Hutchings did not this season. Wigan managed a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at home. Another match worth mentioning was Wigan's match is their home match against Manchester United. Wigan at one time might looked like they might get something out of the side which eventually went on to retain the Premier League title but, United did what they had always did in sealing a late winner (it was 2-1 to United then).
Rugby is actually more popular than football in the city of Wigan itself. The rivalry between the local rugby team Wigan Warriors and the football team resurfaced in 12 September 2008 where a rugby play-offmatch match involving the local team had to be moved from the JJB Stadium to Widnes due to Wigan (the football team) hosting Sunderland. Rugby fans from the area were not amused. Not only that, the Good Friday of this year also brought some inconvenience when the clash of Wigan Warriors vs St Helens in 2009 also had to be moved to the Thursday before Good Friday due to a Latics game against Arsenal. Rugby and football rivalries aside, the football team itself do attract international support in places like Honduras, Ecuador and Egypt thanks to the permanent or on-loan signings of Maynor Figueroa (and earlier, Wilson Palacios who had since went on to Tottenham Hotspur), Antonio Valencia and Amr Zaki (the Egyptian was once the gem of the season but, Steve Bruce decided not to extend his loan deal when he once returned late from international duty), respectively. And following the signing of Hugo Rodallega, Wigan's South-American support has further increased.
The last time Stoke City was in the top-flight, it was in the 1984/85 season. But over the years, it has seen some famous names playing for the Potters before. The first European footballer of the year in Sir Stanley Matthews, Sir Geoff Hurst (psst, don't mention his name to the Germans because they were convinced one of his three goals did not crossed the line during the 1966 World Cup final...which England did eventually won), Gordon Banks, Peter Shilton were among the stand-out names. This is a football club which is the oldest in the Premier League (the club was founded in 1863), and is said to be second oldest professional football club in the world after Notts County. Like many clubs which are promoted to the Premier League before them, Stoke had also being tipped to struggle in the top-flight. But the club which was promoted this season managed to command a 12th place-finish.
One may say that is quite a good achievement for a newly-promoted side but, Stoke City are not really well-liked from fans of other Premier League sides for the way how they play their football and even Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger (this was after his side played Stoke at their ground at the Britannia Stadium which Stoke won 2-1) was once not amused. But since then, both Wenger and Stoke City manager Tony Pulis had buried the hatchet before both met at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium in the return-leg on the final matchday of the season. Even Stoke's Ireland international Rory Delap's famous throw-ins are now famous. If the opposing player is not careful, the throw-in from Delap may end up as a goal. When those throw-ins were eventually being made to light, whenever any Premier League sides play Stoke City, one of those main pressing points...how to stop those famous Delap throw-ins.
In fact, one of the reasons for Stoke City's league standings at the end of the season...had been their real vocal home support. It is really that defeaning and statistics can prove it. From the Wikipedia page of the club: Research undertaken by Sky+HD during August, September and October of the 2008-09 season, showed that Stoke fans are the loudest in the Premier League, topping the chart with an average of 101.8 decibels. While it might had worked since their last top flight appearance in 1985, whether it will also work in their second season remains to be seen. But then, the vocal home fans is a real breath of fresh air to the Premier League where it has seen other clubs like Arsenal not that being vocal and rally their team on.
Whenever I used to think of Bolton, I think of their former manager Sam Allardyce. Bolton would represent everything Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger does not like. While Allardyce had already since moved on, the football club is still under around. From Allardyce to former assistant Sammy Lee (now working at Liverpool) to now, Gary Megson. Bolton may not have always score plenty of goals in a single match and their football may not be always pleasing to the eyes, they have players like Gary Cahill who had been called up for the England squad for their recent World Cup qualifiers.
But then Bolton did had a match this season which caught my attention. This was when they were at Chelsea. Chelsea already 4-0 up and looking to be cruising to a comfortable win. But, came the almost unthinkable. Bolton hit back with three.
25 October 2008 would change the way how Portsmouth's season went for this season. When it looked like the club would be enjoying good times with Harry Redknapp after the FA Cup win in May, came the news that Redknapp would be heading to become Tottenham Hotspur's new manager after Juande Ramos had been relieved of this duties. Few days later, Redknapp's former assistant in Tony Adams will step up the mantle. In view of the former Arsenal and England captain's past managerial record when he was at Wycombe, questions were inevitably raised on whether he will be able to do it. For the man who had always been a fan of the Dutch school of coaching, he even once had stints in Holland, though on coaching apprentice levels.
It was in Holland, or to be precise when Tony Adams was interning at Feyenoord he met former Dutch international Johnny Metgod. Metgod would always be remembered in English football for his free-kicks during his time at Nottingham Forest. Metgod became one of Adams's back-room staff. Though Tony Adams's stint at Portsmouth was rather short-lived with even Metgod moving on (he is now working with one of his former Nottingham team-mates Nigel Clough at Derby County where the latter is manager of the club where his famous father Brian once managed...and Clough senior was Metgod's manager at Nottingham as well), Pompey did had its memorable moments under Adams...though not in the Premier League itself. It came in the UEFA Cup against AC Milan from 2-0 up to a 2-2 draw. But in the league, the signs were not good and it never helped that as the FA Cup holders, they lost out to Championship side Swansea City (managed by a certain Roberto Martinez) in the fourth round. The news was eventually confirmed on 9 February this year, a day after it was widely reported in the English press that Adams would be relieved of his duties.
Paul Hart became Tony Adams's successor, though he is on a caretaker basis. And he together with assistant Brian Kidd who once worked under when Harry Redknapp was still Portsmouth manager, managed to revive the club's fortunes. Portsmouth's league status was confirmed on 16 May. Though the club were not in action themselves that day, it was Newcastle's defeat by Fulham made Portsmouth mathematically safe with two games remaining.
But off the pitch, questions kept lingering on Portsmouth's financial future. Club owner Alexandre Gaydamak decided to step down from his post to concentrate more on his business matters a long time back and it was just last month on 26 May, the club accepted a bid from United Arab Emirates businessman Dr Sulaiman Al Fahim to buy the club following negotiations led by Portsmouth executive chairman Peter Storrie. Whoever will be the new manager remains to be seen though.
Blackburn may have managed to escape relegation matches before the final matchday but, just imagine what may have happened to the club after one of its more successful managers in recent times in Mark Hughes left for Manchester City before the start of the current season. Names were being thrown around on who to replace Hughes and, among them...former England coach Steve McClaren, Sam Allardyce. McClaren eventually went on to have a successful debut in Dutch football in his first season as FC Twente coach in the Eredivisie (and he is actually quite well-liked in the Dutch footballing circles). Allardyce was being passed on and, it was Paul Ince who had cut his teeth in the lower divisions...landed the job.
The early signs were good for the former England international in Paul Ince but, the club did not managed to perform and were very close to relegation. For a club which once enjoyed its heydays when Jack Walker was the owner of the club and Blackburn once won the league during his tenure, they had to act. Ince was being shown the door and, Sam Allardyce returned to English football once again. His main aim upon his arrival, to save the club from being relegated. He did managed to do so though.
For the man who once cemented his reputation as a manager at Bolton, before the forgettable Newcastle stint, Sam Allardyce managed to rebuild his reputation again with Blackburn. And this is someone who was once in the frame for the England job.
