Chelsea sack Scolari…

dunn_516x596_22280a-750654Chelsea have sacked Phil Scolari as their manager. After only seven months in the job, the big Brazlian is out and I for one am not surprised. This time, Roman Abramovich has got it right. Managing in the Premier League is very different to being an international manager. The job comes with such intense pressure and the daily grind is tough, tough, tough, even for a coach from Brazil. I laughed when Scolari said in a press conference, “you think this is pressure. No this is not pressure. This is such a small country, there is no pressure. Brazil is pressure.” Really Phil?

I was never enthused when Chelsea announced him as their new manager. They were much better off keeping Avram Grant who was at least building on what Jose Mourinho had done. But the owner chose to go with a big name and supposedly big personality. It failed miserably and towards the end, Scolari lost the owner, the fans and even the dressing room. When players start to complain about training methods and a lack of intensity, you know everything is about to implode. Scolari deserved the sack.

The first signs of trouble were when Liverpool ended their ridiculous run of games unbeaten at Stamford Bridge. Under Mourinho and even Avram Grant, you always had a feeling Chelsea could win a game even if they were a goal down. But that fire and drive was gone. The bravado was no more. He also lost at home to an under-achieving Arsenal team. And to be frank, Manchester United humiliated Chelsea at Old Trafford. He was unable to inspire his team to beat any of the elite four in the Premier League.

How much of Chelsea’s problems this season are related to Steve Clarke going to West Ham? He was a huge influence in the dressing room and on the training pitch. The players trusted him. You can never under estimate the value of an assistant coach built like Clarke. Wouldn’t it be interesting if Chelsea tried to prize Clarke and Zola from West Ham? Anything is possible in today’s game. Zola is unproven as a manager, but he is a Chelsea legend and together with Clarke, they could be the magic ingredient that leads the Blues back to their confident, arrogant ways.

For now, this might be a good thing for Chelsea. Anyone coming in as manager can only have a positive effect. Who’d have thought the morale would be so low under Scolar? The so-called “Mr.Motivator” didn’t turn out to be the Messiah they had all hoped for. And he never looked the part of being Chelsea manager did he? Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and Rafa Benitez always wear a suit when their team is playing. There is the odd occasion you’ll find them in a tracksuit, but that is rare. Jose Mourinho always looked the part as well. I was always taught that if you have been given the responsibility in an important role in your career, you should always look the part. And for a team that can boast to be located in one of London’s poshest areas, their manager didn’t present himself that way. He didn’t seem dressed for success from the beginning, and just like his tactics, Scolari always looked a mess. Down the King’s Road, that’s enough to give anyone the boot…

The Kop has a new hero…

SOCCER Liverpool 5Liverpool have a legend in the making and his name is Fernando Jose Torres. Absent for most of the game against Sunderland today, his power strike in the 83rd minute from a good 25 yards crushed the hearts of the home team. That is what makes Torres a great player. He created something out of absolutely nothing and saved the scousers from an embarrassing start to the season.

On today’s display, you would say Liverpool don’t stand a chance of winning the league. They were slow, unimaginative, uninspiring and gutless. Even Torres was poor by his own standards. But he was determined to re-write the back pages of the Liverpool Echo and every other regional and national rag in the country. Just as every reporter was ready to rip Benitez for his team selection and the poor performance overall, the Euro 2008 champion took matters into his own hands and delivered the killer blow.

What happens if Torres gets a serious injury? Where do Liverpool go from here? I hear you, I hear you…it’s only the first game of the season. We need to give them time to gel and for Keane to feel comfortable in the legendary Liverpool shirt. Agreed. I guess we’ll re-visit the Liverpool situation as the season progresses. That’s when we’ll find out if they are true title contenders.

For now, we’ll just salivate over the new Kop hero. Once upon a time, there was a Liverpool legend who owned the number 9 shirt. His name was Robbie Fowler, aka God. There’s a new number 9 in town now. Finally, the second coming has arrived.