I've Got A Little List

Life is full of lists. Isn't it?

Cristiano Renaldo is on the 'list' for the world player of the year award, along with Kaka and Lionel Messi.

Poor Harry Redknapp, our own MM and co. are of course on a list they would rather not be on.

Knowing that my readers will be of an intellectual bent, (well obviously because you appreciate this blog!), I'm sure you will have spotted the reference in the title to the Gilbert and Sullivan song of the same name.

What's great about the G&S list is that it is a list of people who won't be missed.

So what football personalities might find themselves on such a list?

Morhino? - No he is definitely missed. By many.
Mandaric? - No, I believe he would be missed.
Megson? - Who?
Fryatt? - Well he will definitely be missing, for the next match at least having lost his appeal against a red card.

I'm sure you will have 'lists' of your own.

Me - I'm off to write my Christmas list. Don't want my lover being lost for ideas do I?

I Smell A Rat

So - what to make of it all then.

A major disaster or a storm in a teacup?

The start of major financial difficulties and other troubles for LCFC, or a damp squib that will all be forgotten in a week.

It is hard to know what to make of these arrests.

There are some things that make you think there must be considerable substance to the allegations, including:

• The police are unlikely to make such high profile arrests without good evidence (aren't they?)
• Rumours about corruption in the game are widespread, suggesting this might be the first in a number of similar operations
• The chances of there not being corruption in the game given the high financial stakes seem low

On the other hand, there are some puzzling elements, including:

• Milan presents as a man with integrity (although I recognise I am partisan)
• Harry Redknapp's account of the subject of the questioning is that they are witnesses rather than suspects

And there are some ratty smells about too. For example, what a coincidence that just when Harry Redknapp is well in the frame for the England manager's job, he is arrested. And what an even bigger coincidence that there were a load of tabloid photographers there when the police raided Harry Redknapp's house.

In the world of football speculation is what they do. They'll make this story last - eke it out - as long as they can. If they are guilty then they must follow the course of justice. If innocent they will suffer the damage of tarnish, not to mention the distress.

I'm going to sit and wait and see.

May You Live In Interesting Times

When I originally selected LCFC as my team to support, my lover said "You have picked an interesting team at an interesting time in their history"

How prophetic his words were.

It has been a non-stop roller coaster since the moment I made my choice. The passion of the new owner. The drama with the various managers. The variability of performance ranging from the extremely dire to flashes of complete brilliance (a la Chelsea match for example).

Nothing has quite prepared me for tonight's news that MILAN MANDARIC HAS BEEN ARRESTED however.

It is still breaking news even though the arrests were made in dawn raids this morning. Five men have been arrested in total, including Harry Redknapp. They have all been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting. The allegations relate to the period Mandaric was at Portsmouth.

It is important to remember that at this stage these are arrests. I am not yet aware of anyone being charged. It would therefore be inappropriate for me to comment further on the specifics.

It does make you realise how close the world of football potentially is to the world of crime though. Rumours have been rife for a long time about corruption in the game, leading to the Stephens Enquiry which reported earlier this year of course. Then there were the recent arrests at Luton. Now this.

Brings a whole new meaning to the phrase " May you live in interesting times".

Carry On Scoring

"Mila kuru si planina" was mistakenly sung by Tony Henry, an opera singer who sang Croatia's national anthem at the start of last weeks game against England. Apparently it means "My dear, my penis is a mountain" rather than the intended "You know my dear how we love your mountains". Of course, there is potentially a "double entendre" in the correct version but lets not go there........

Mistaken meanings, saucy innuendo and general naughtiness are of course part of our British heritage. Take for example The Carry On Films.

But has this influenced the beautiful game in any way?

Well it would seem it is possible to put together a squad of at least 17 players with filthy names.

And one wonders what would have happened if a planned Carry On film, Carry On Scoring, had ever seen the light of day. It is probably reasonable to say that the sight of Kevin Keegan running naked down the street high on acid would probably have changed the image of the game for ever.

And who knows what other well hidden connections there are?

For example, what if this was the way the prototypes for facilities at The Walkers were tested?. Or this the way football stars really spent their leisure time?

Not convinced?

Well how come Steve McLaren was heard to say at the end of the match last week "Infamy! Infamy! They've all got it in for me!"?

The Boiler Room Is Smoking

The attrition rate of Premiership managers this season so far is 30% - and its only November!

Kicked into touch to date:

• Mourhino by Chelsea
• Lee by Bolton
• Jol by Tottenham
• Davies by Derby
• Bruce by Birmingham
• Hutchings by Wigan

Looking decidedly wobbly are:

• Sam Allardyce
• Rafa Benitez
• Roy Keane

The rate of turnover in this group is already higher than the 04/05 and 05/06 seasons. Bundle the Steve McLaren sacking in with all the other problems facing English football at the moment, it does feel like a system that is falling apart.

Football is big business of course. And the system has to rise to that. But what of the other things that football is about? The passion and the loyalty. Building for success over time, not going for quick wins in response to pressure, which will inevitably mean the longer term is not properly attended to.

If we were a ship, the klaxon would be sounding. There would be cries of "The boiler room is smoking. It could burst into flames at any moment"

Lets hope we have got the right equipment to put the fire out and repair the damage.

Everybody Wants To Be A Cat

Suddenly everyone wants to be a dad!

There is Capello who believes the problems of the England football team are psychological not technical or physical.

Dads have a special place in football of course. A love of the beautiful game often comes from this source.

Craig Gordon says it was his dad who inspired him to play football. And this man is the son of the inventor of Subuteo. And of course Darren Ferguson owes so much to his famous father.

Parenthood is such a gift. There is nothing in the world like the closeness of of a parent with their child. And I speak as a mother who has just spent a wonderful 24 hours with her beautiful daughter.

My lover has inspired his children too. His daughter is an artist and lives life in her own unique way because of his encouragement to always believe in herself. And his right handed son is a left handed guitarist in a talented band currently touring America. This is their latest release. It was his left-handed dad who taught him to play and love the guitar.

Lucky for those Foxes then that Uncle Ian has arrived. He said yesterday:

"They just need some stability - they need a new dad who is going to calm them down and set some rules out"

Its official then. Dads are cool cats.

Men In Suits

Seems it is not just Steve McLaren who is being held responsible for Wednesday's debacle. Even the government is warning the FA that they need to bring about some fundamental reforms - or else!

This blogger thinks the FA themselves should be sacked. There certainly seems to be considerable evidence that significant change is necessary. As long ago as 2005, a review undertaken by Lord Burns identified a number of major concerns including:

Potential conflicts of interests among FA board members

An unrepresentative council

Lack of confidence in the disciplinary process

Too much power being wielded by the Premier League

Lack of representation for the grassroots game

When you look at the makeup of the Board you can see what he means.

It's always a strange situation when you have a group of people who are the "accountable body". Who are they accountable to? And what power do those they are accountable to have to change anything?

I guess ultimately the FA are accountable to the fans and the commercial investors, which includes the government of course.

There is a real problem though I think when you have organisations who are responsible for recruiting themselves and for assessing their own performance. It is well known for example that so often people and groups recruit in their own image. It is why women and minority groups find it so difficult to reach the top.

Which begs the question, why are there no women on the FA Board? There is a growing women's football movement. You do not necessarily have to have a history within the football world (Brian Barwick the Chair being a case in point) to make a contribution. And maybe just maybe you would get some different perspectives and skills.

Ultimately of course it is about having the right people for the right job and I am not necessarily in favour of quotas or tokenism. But you do have to ask yourself if it is time for a very different approach. Nothing changes if nothing changes.

How different these men in suits seem to our new manager. I heard him interviewed on Talk Sport last night. My impressions were;

• genuine
• passionate
• thoughtful
• open
• kind
• modest
• in-touch
• ambitious
• dedicated
• ordinary (in the nicest sense)
• not simply 'a man in a suit'
  

Having heard him I am not surprised Manadaric chose him. These are all qualities that MM has stated he admires. This is complemented by his performance record, which although he is no Wenger or Ferguson, is respectable.

What touched me most was when he was talking about the team and the state he has found them in. Not judging, not using it as an opportunity to promote himself, but a genuine sense of concern that here were a bunch of young men who had had a difficult time over recent months, experienced instability and change and who just need a combination of TLC and firm guidance and leadership.

As you have guessed I am impressed so far. Ultimately of course it will be the results that count but I'm prepared to invest my belief in him.

Especially after today's 0 2 win against Bristol City.

Olly Olly Olly - Oi Oi Oi!!!!

We Have An Opinion

There are a few lonely places in the world and I suspect that the Steve McLaren Fanclub is one of them at the moment.

A few people are a bit cross with him. And he has now been fired from his job as England manager of course. After just 16 months.

Perhaps we should not be too surprised. After all the FA originally wanted Scolari.

Of course one of the big questions on everyone's lips, is who will replace him. Other contenders last time round included Allardyce, Curbishley and O'Neill. O'Neill has already stated that he does not wish to put himself forward this time though, as has Allardyce.

Needless to say rumours, speculation and suggestions are rife.

Should be Redknapp say some. No way say Portsmouth. If it does turn out to be him I hope he will resist extending his squad to include members of the crowd.

We want Mourinho chant others. Yes please says Georgina Best. I'm sure he would be a popular choice with the fans.

Frank Capello has made it clear he would be interested in the job and is currently the favourite. This could bring a whole new meaning to phrases such as "C'e un capello nella minestra" (there is a hair in the soup).

Scolari, Shearer, Robson, Beckham - all names I have heard in the frame.

But this is football. Which means all fans have to have an opinion on who it should and will be.

So where is GB going to cast her prediction?

For good man management skills, excellent performance record and great attacking football - Harry Redknapp.

I Don't Believe It

OK OK . You won't hear me say it very often so listen hard because I can only bring myself to whisper it.................
I was wrong!

At last our 'precious' new manager has been revealed as Ian Holloway.

The worst thing is I won't get any of this.

Our Ian is a West Country boy - like myself. Except of course I am a girl.

He's had a time of it too, one way or another. He has three deaf children. And his wife fought off cancer when they were first going out together.

Enough of that anyway. I'm off to research the answers to the questions posed by one of my readers in the comments on yesterday's post. They are quite hard for a girl who has only just learned to do football.

I'm going to try my very best though.

Feel as if I have to redeem myself after my uncharacteristic blunder.

Devastation

If you were a football manager, would you leave God on the bench?

So how come it took 45 minutes of football for Steve McLaren to put Golden Balls on the pitch?

And why did Peter Crouch have to play the game of 11 men in the first half?

And for what reason did we put on such a defensive line-up for the first half and then fail to defend?

I was riveted to me seat. I had my hand over my mouth. I was screaming (in the house on my own). I hid my eyes. I was glued to the screen. I had my fingers and toes crossed. I froze in disbelief as Croatia's third goal went in.

OK OK - I get it! I understand what doing football is really about at last.

The drama. The pain. The anticipation. The disappointment.

I'm truly gutted!!