Time For Some Early Crop Rotation

[Dorset]

Defence of a title wasn’t meant to be like this. Unless, of course, it’s all part of the biggest conspiracy the Premiership has ever been involved in [if so, Liam look away now] and they’re all conniving their way towards a Super-Sky-Six-Way-Tie at the top of the table come April. In a season where every club in title contention has seemingly had a crisis, plus Liverpool too, maybe even t’ree, t’anks to the Yanks coming, going and all the yoyo-ing that’s been going on at Anfield, but, true to form, none can match the now, almost seasonal, shooting-in-the-foot performances we’ve put in over the last few weeks. So let’s not pretend for one moment that we can make head nor tail of it and instead look for a constant theme that runs through every twist and turn…

In truth, nobody has to look that far, because the turmoil everywhere has, in reality, got to be down to one factor only - club ownership in each and every case, whether you’re looking at the Glazer family at Old Trafford and their hands-off approach, or the Abu Dhabi boys at Middle Eastlands with their hands-in-pockets-and-spend-it style. Add to the mix those deep-pocketed pseudo-English old school indulgers supporting Wenger at the Emirates and you’ve got every ownership rival off pat (or ex-pat in the case of Danny Fizman) in what has become a hot potato of Premiership leadership race so far. Make no mistake, if each and every one of them continues to control their club as if painting the overall picture by numbers, the shocks and surprises are bound to follow as sure as Black Dog Days follow the Red Knights.

However, before looking at our own situation more thoroughly and in less stereotypical fashion, here’s an important and very relevant recent quote to conjure with…

“We have a great relationship. They never bother me, they never phone, they never interfere. What more can you ask for?â€

Well, my immediate request would be for that idyllic situation not to come gift-wrapped in £700m pounds worth of heavy duty leverage, but, be that as it may, Sir Alex still clearly prefers his hands-off, debt-on owners over any others at this precise moment in time and, quite honestly, why shouldn’t he when it means he can meander his way to retirement untroubled by the ethereal, if somewhat duplicitous, absentee landlords. Shame though it is, others have to work with more tangible taskmasters and this leads us quite neatly to Stamford Bridge and the acknowledged Daddy of them all, our very own and very visible Roman Abramovich who can never quite escape the ‘East versus West’ press portrayal of him as man on a mission that they singularly mistrust with a vengeance.

Deep in this dudu of grossly unfair and media-mangled comparativeness (at least until recently) Roman’s approach to ownership of the club has been defined by Fleet Street‘s finest as, not so much refreshingly hands-on, but the nasty dictatorship of a Russian interloper, bizarrely wavering between megalomania and indifference and driven by far too much ambition for his and everybody else’s own good - let alone the general [Media] ‘good’ that traditionally only encompasses the likes of ManU, Arsenal and Liverpool. By not breaking into this cosy cartel, Roman will forever be cast in the role of bad guy and he has done little to rectify matters over the Good Old Ray situation. Whilst he may genuinely be unperturbed by the relentless animosity towards him, I doubt it, and for this reason alone I’d urge him to play his one remaining trump card before it’s too late and we are immersed in what is fast becoming a mad scramble amidst Premiership mediocrity.

Not even a Media steeped in Chelsea cynicism can find fault with our young players being given their chance, and by ‘chance’ I mean a full ninety minutes in a game that matters, not a MSK Zilina virtual dead rubber. The fans would not be averse to a few promotions either - who is going to do anything other than cheers the kids to the rafters? Whereas Carlo is seen to be doing his best by naming Josh as a starter tomorrow, he is continually damned when the youngsters are nowhere in sight, damned when some appear only on the bench and damned when some make appearances late in games, but are not started. He is going so far and no further, hamstrung by recent results and undermined by the loss of his second in command.

In such circumstances, my message to Roman is never mind the Champions League mismatches, for better or worse make the ultimate hands-on move and have a quiet word with your coach, giving him the freedom to rotate youth into the team for Newcastle - at least a couple from McEachran, van Aanholt, Bruma, Kakuta and Sala. At the same time, why not persuade him that there is no harm in giving Sturridge a full game either. Pretty soon we will see the return of Essien and Frank, so falling down the table dramatically appears unlikely in the longer term. And you never know, one or two could make a breakthrough in time to reap the benefit of deserved inclusions against Spurs, United and Arsenal, games that are only just around the corner and crying out for the boost such a step-up would give players and supporters alike. Now is the time for hands-on, brakes off, and let the real competition for places begin.

[TheWestwayWonder]

Another well written piece, Dorset. Surprised I am the first to comment, but the news has come fast and thick these days.

On two of your main points I agree. Ferguson may have hands off from the owners, but that must be an uneasy situation behind the scenes. I would like to hear his thoughts when he retires as to what went on behind the scenes with the Glazers. They must know Ferguson has the power to break them by walking away from the club and citing them as the reason, so their non interference must be a matter of pragmatism on their part. Meddling with such a football man, while giving the club such a huge millstone of debt would probably send an increasingly agitated fanbase into overdrive.

Re: Roman and his new "meddling" you are absolutely right. The man has almost no public persona whatsoever. He doesnt give interviews, he isnt pictured watching like a hawk at Cobham, so I dont really get it. The press have magnified a situation which they dont know about (which theory on the dismissal is the hot one right now?) and spelled out that Roman is a dictatorial nightmare. I am sure he can be at times, but if it was his ego coming into play, there is a much simpler way to do it. Do like Moratti and become a visible owner accessable to the press, no handlers or front office people speaking on your behalf. IMO Roman's big mistake is hiring this junta of football men to run this club. They may do alot for our global profile, but I want more of the old school types like Bruce Buck, and yes, Ray Wilkins. If cutting down the wage bill is such a concern, lets start with these all-too-visible (IMO) types who we read about all the time with Chelsea, but who i would be hard pressed to name for other clubs.

As for the point about starting the youth in a meaningful game, yes, lets do it. But only in moderation and only if things go well with Zlina. St. Andrews was a much better performance but a disheatening finish. We need to get the play right and the result right before december. That is alot of pressure for youngsters who have never had a meaningful start. When we get to Arsenal/Spurs/Utd, we will have a fresher Essien back, hopefully Frank back, and if McEachern or Kakuta do well in the next couple of games, Carlo will have an ace up his sleve that these teams are not expecting. Once we get through the wars of Dec, I am sure Carlo will be much more liable to let youth be served.

[Zola]

Good article Dorset!

Keep em coming and keep em nice and easy to read. :)