Rovers 1 West Ham 1: Normal service resumed as chicken money forces Allardyce to cluck off back to Madrid

By: Dave | December 19th, 2010

First, let me start with an apology to both regular RoversOffside readers. The posts to this blog have dried up in recent weeks, but before you start drafting letters of complaint, let me transfer the blame to the grotesque half-man, half-walrus that is Mr Sam Allardyce. Since he deigned to become our manager two years ago, we have endured entire matches where four passes have failed to be strung together. The tactics, such as they were, appeared to be to smash the ball into the opposition’s box in the hope that something would happen. The Saviour of Real Madrid has stubbornly refused to change from the 4-5-1 formation that drew so much ire from the Rovers faithful. Even victories produced feelings of disappointment, when they were achieved with so little finesse. As such, sitting down in front of the laptop to relive the horror seemed as tempting as giving the big man his annual gentleman’s wash.

Apologists for The Dudley Dickhead have this week suggested that he has been treated appallingly by the new owners, but let no-one be under any illusion that he would have jumped ship as soon as a better offer came along. Presumably, it was only a matter of time before Real Madrid and Inter Milan triggered the most brutal bidding war of the modern football era, leaving him free to leave ‘The likes of Blackburn’ far behind him. Allardyce’s vast ego would have prevented him from remaining loyal in the face of an offer from a perceived ‘bigger club’, and his £1.5 million pay-off should keep him in KFC Buckets for at least a fortnight.

The only difficulty engendered by the sacking is the minor issue of who we should have as manager. Alarmingly, the chicken farmers appear to favour Steve Kean, the man that very few Rovers fans could have identified from a line-up of mediocre football coaches. That he has no managerial experience and was also part of Allardyce’s apparently unsuitable backroom staff seems to have been ignored. Talk of Maradona, whilst amusing for the rest of the football world, led to cold chills amongst the faithful, although not as much as reports from one bookmaker, who continue to offer an astonishing 34-1 for Paul Ince to reclaim the throne.

Unfortunately, yesterday’s game did little to offer hope to the frozen hoards who struggled through the ice and snow to watch a game devoid of any quality. The primary details were the scoreline and injuries to Roberts and Jones, the latter sounding more serious with every report. It’s too early to decide whether Steve Kean will produce the combination of decent play and solid results that were the hallmark of the Hughes era. Let’s hope that by the time his abilities are exposed as limited, we aren’t too far in the mire.

As for Big Sam, try not to shed too many tears. The reputation of our club has been diminished by his appalling approach to the game, not to mention his ludicrous delusions of grandeur. If you have a life that is so empty, so lonely, that you need to cherish the memory of a man who makes Bernard Manning seem like Vanessa Hudgens, then follow @thebig_sam on Twitter, and see him as others do. For the rest of us, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and not a moment too soon.

Category: Team News Tags: Team News
« Stoke 1 Rovers 0: ‘Give me liberty, or give me death’ – The Tesco Revolution is gathering steam. | Home |
Leave a ReplyIf you have not commented here before, please take a moment to peruse our
Commenting Guidelines. -->

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

Follow Us

           

Russia and Qatar (!) To host World Cups Gary Lineker's World Cup Accident England vs France liveblog! more news...
Search The Offside

 





Related Links

Blackburn Rovers JerseysBlackburn TicketsHotels near Ewood Park
Categories

Bloggers ThoughtsCupDaily UpdateEuropeEwood LatestHighlightsHistoryKit / JerseyLeagueLet's All Laugh At BurnleyLets All Laugh At BoltonMatch LiveblogMatch PreviewMatch ReportMiscPlayersPodcastPollReserves/Youth/LadiesRovers LegendsTeam NewsTransfers


Send Your Tips!

Found a great story, photo or video that's perfect for The Offside?
Email blackburn[at]theoffside[dot]com

Archives

Select Archive Month December 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 December 2009 November 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007

 About The Offside | Advertise on The Offside | Privacy Policy


Top Content: Football Match Tickets | Football Kits for Sale | English Premier League | Italian Serie A | Spanish La Liga | German Bundesliga | French Ligue 1 | Major League Soccer | Europa League Groups | Champions League Groups | Travel to Europe for the Champions League | UEFA Champions League Tickets | FIFA World Rankings

Related information: Betting on Football | Travel to a Football Match | The DA - Football Humor | International Flights | Cheap Hotels Worldwide | Football Bullet

© BootsnAll Travel Network - All rights reserved
EuropeEngland: PremiershipEngland: ChampionshipEngland: League One England: League Two FranceGermanyGreeceHollandItalyPolandPortugalRussiaScotlandSpainTurkeyAfricaEgyptTunisiaAustraliaSouth AmericaArgentinaBrazilColombia North AmericaMexicoMLSNPSLUSLWomen's SoccerCup CompetitionsChampions LeagueEuropa LeagueCopa LibertadoresCopa SudamericanaPlayersDidier DrogbaLionel MessiMesut OzilArjen RobbenCristiano RonaldoLigue 1 ProspectsSoccer Betting  |  World Cup 2010
Plan Your Soccer Travels  |  Soccer TicketsClose X  Home    World    Europe    English Premier League     Blackburn Rovers   StoreTravelScores England: PremiershipEngland: ChampionshipEngland: League OneEngland: League TwoEngland: ConferenceFranceGermanyGreeceHollandItaly PolandPortugalRomaniaRussiaScotlandSpainTurkeyUkraineChampions League  |  Europa LeagueClose X Podcast Powered by podPress (v8.8)

Blatter and blather: More lies and lip service

By Shourin Roy on December 8, 2010 7:58 PM | Comments | TrackBacksShare|

Sepp Blatter is peeved that the English are not too happy with the results. Nor are the Australians, Spaniards, and the Americans.

"There is no systematic corruption in Fifa. That is nonsense. We are financially clean and clear."

The Sunday Times and BBC's Panorama has shown this to be a bald, shining lie. To say this with a straight face is to ignore the mountain of evidence that points to FIFA as a clearing house for backroom deals. The fact that Sepp Blatter has been around for 12 years as FIFA's president is a testimony to the vote buying that goes on which is well documented by Andrew Jennings.

Blatter was the handpicked successor to the ultimate kingpin, João Havelange who ruled world football with an iron hand for 24 years. Havelange was the first president to realize football's potential as a commodity. Under him, FIFA multiplied its profits prodigiously to unknowable extents as their balance sheets were deliberately kept opaque. A clique of favoured big moneyed monopolies were the beneficiaries of the new quid pro quo.

That hoarder mentality cultivated by Havelange and passed onto Blatter in a seamless manner makes these protestations hard to take. If Transparency International had to rate FIFA's corruption it would rate somewhere between Nigeria at 2.4 and Russia at 2.1. That means highly corrupt.

"What can be wrong if we start football in regions where this sport demonstrates a potential which goes far beyond sport?"

An admirable vision. And if football is the global game, then the world's biggest sporting spectacle should reflect the sport's global aspirations. But is this globe trotting truly relying on a carefully thought out plan for the sport laying down roots and transforming that region into a force? Or is this a narrow attempt by Blatter to define his legacy or more expediently a move to curry favour with voting blocs within Asia and Africa instrumental in his re-election.

Blatter's evangelism is the new mantra then countries without a chance should not blow big amounts of cash on expensive and ultimately useless bids.The big chill will be on Western Europe. They need not apply. Does Blatter then consider USA and Australia as having no room to grow? He mentions India and China, whose undoubted potential could facilitate their hosting a future World Cup. If that is the case then the 2026 World Cup bidders may look like nothing in the past.

England has every right to feel indignant that their carefully prepared bid which scored high in all its technical aspects merited just two votes. The rationale for shifting the World Cup is more to do with following the big money with few exceptions. Western Europe is going through a liquidity crunch and a myriad of watchdog organizations ensure 24 hour transparency.

Russia has a legitimate footballing legacy but the World Cp will be financed by its shadow economy where many can expect their palms to be greased. No questions asked. Qatar is a footballing non-entity. Even Iraq has done infinitely more with its cash strapped team. But the small country has made its fortune in oil and gas reserves that will last at least another 100 years. It's ruling family has megalomaniacal aspirations to transform the country into a sporting power and it has the money to do so. They will have a football team ready by 2022 and it will be a group of naturalized Brazilians, Argentinians, and Nigerians.

Categories: Gossip/Trash Talk, Soccer Advertising, Soccer Business, Soccer Culture, Soccer Hall of Fame, Soccer History, Soccer Players, Soccer Politics, Soccer Skills, Soccer Teams - National, World Cup History Tags: Sepp Blatter, World Cup 2018, World Cup 2022 No TrackBacks

TrackBack URL: http://www.soccerblog.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-t.cgi/7821.

Leave a comment Name Email Address URL Remember personal info? Comments Offers

ABOUT SOCCERBLOG.com SoccerBlog.com is a fan-driven site founded by Christian and Shourin. Our goal is to cover the beautiful game and talk about some of the issues that may not be covered elsewhere. Since we aren't any good at playing, we decided to talk about soccer instead!

TICKETS>> GoTickets.com has all of the soccer tickets you're looking for, including Premier League tickets, World Cup tickets and World Cup packages. In the mood for different kind of futbol? We also have the NFL football tickets and Super Bowl packages to satisfy any fan's needs.

Your Ad Here >>
Contact: christian [at] christiansarkar [dot] com Subscribe to this blog's feed Categories Africa Cup of Nations 2010 (24) Champions League 2009-2010 (137) Champions League 2010-2011 (38) Concacaf Gold Cup 2009 (16) Confederations Cup 2009 (61) English Premier League 2010 (477) English Premier League 2011 (147) Euro 2008 (173) Euro 2012 (10) Gossip/Trash Talk (3190) MLS 2011 (26) Soccer Advertising (336) Soccer Books & Magazines (284) Soccer Business (1954) Soccer Coaches & Coaching (3065) Soccer Culture (3357) Soccer Hall of Fame (717) Soccer History (2664) Soccer Humor (607) Soccer Players (4405) Soccer Politics (873) Soccer Site Reviews (33) Soccer Skills (3577) Soccer Teams - Club (3426) Soccer Teams - National (2220) Soccer Videos (1496) Women's Soccer (19) World Cup 2006 (816) World Cup 2010 (880) World Cup History (530) Monthly Archives December 2010 (28) November 2010 (65) October 2010 (74) September 2010 (92) August 2010 (160) July 2010 (240) June 2010 (399) May 2010 (228) April 2010 (208) March 2010 (151) February 2010 (143) January 2010 (76) December 2009 (114) November 2009 (200) October 2009 (155) September 2009 (122) August 2009 (188) July 2009 (179) June 2009 (198) May 2009 (216) April 2009 (165) March 2009 (69) February 2009 (47) January 2009 (52) December 2008 (42) November 2008 (92) October 2008 (119) September 2008 (102) August 2008 (61) July 2008 (76) June 2008 (88) May 2008 (59) April 2008 (46) March 2008 (35) February 2008 (86) January 2008 (58) December 2007 (93) November 2007 (83) October 2007 (49) September 2007 (75) August 2007 (122) July 2007 (132) June 2007 (143) May 2007 (129) April 2007 (87) March 2007 (79) February 2007 (112) January 2007 (119) December 2006 (113) November 2006 (152) October 2006 (120) September 2006 (122) August 2006 (113) July 2006 (213) June 2006 (429) May 2006 (221) April 2006 (240) March 2006 (66) Search About this Entry This page contains a single entry by Shourin Roy published on December 8, 2010 7:58 PM.

Mick McCarthy meets a ghost... was the previous entry in this blog.

Chelsea fall to Marseille is the next entry in this blog.

Find recent content on the main index or look in the archives to find all content.

Site design and management by Christian Sarkar