The Damned Truth…

I watched The Damned United again last night and couldn’t get something out of my head.

Footballers, managers and celebrities in general are always so afraid to speak their mind to the media. And why would they when it could cost them a major dip in popularity or affect their bulging brand. Cash is king these days and image is everything, but that doesn’t make it right. Or does it?

Even with the power of social media, the moment a person in the public eye Tweets something that is deemed uncouth, the apologists appear in abundance. It was a little different back in the day.

Engrossed in my second viewing of The Damned United, I started to ask the same question over and over again. Would the historic interview on Yorkshire Television between Brian Clough and Don Revie happen in today’s football world? Absolutely not. And then it hit me like a bolt of lightning.

How interesting would that format of interview be today with every Chelsea manager Roman Abramovich has sacked? That’s right. How fascinating would it be to have Ranieri, Mourinho (left by mutual consent means sacked), Grant, Scolari and Ancelotti on a panel going back-and-forth about relationships with players, the owner, transfer dealings and life at the Bridge overall? Could you imagine the skeletons that would come out of the Chelsea closet? Football fans would definitely give hard earned dollars to watch that type of Pay Per View event.

Yes everyone has multi-million and billion dollar brands to protect. But aren’t we all tired of the superficial explanations and excuses from managers, players and executives? Aren’t we all tired of the usual sound bites furnished to the media when something controversial happens professionally or personally for someone in the public eye? There are times when the truth will set you free. Just ask Andy Petite of the New York Yankees who simply admitted to using steroids and was left alone by the media, unlike his hero Roger Clemens who denied, denied, denied and faced perjury charges.

Clough was fearless with the media. He was unlike anything anyone had seen before. And the closest thing I believe we have to him in the modern game is Mourinho. The more I watched the film unfold the more I thought about Mourinho and how at least he has the balls to say what he thinks, regardless of the consequences. Sometimes I understand one needs to massage the truth. But isn’t it best to be as honest as you can be, especially with fans? We will respect you more for it.

I wish more managers and professionals would follow the Clough model to some degree. Sure he could be an arse and unnecessarily controversial. But he was mostly like a teddy bear with a shotgun and when he pulled the trigger at least you weren’t covered in bullshit bullets. Roy Keane would vouch for that. That’s why today’s game needs Mourinho. His character is what makes him The Special One. And like Clough, he just so happens to be an exceptionally talented manager too.

Surely it’s time to let the honest voices sing, or the game will be damned. Don’t we all want the truth? Or was Colonel Jessop right all along? Maybe the masses can’t handle the truth…

Classless in Chelsea…

48343_newsChelsea might be based in one of London’s poshest areas, but some of their players certainly didn’t display any etiquette or class at the end of the Champions League game against Barcelona last night. There’s no question the referee made some horrible decisions. For Chelsea it must have been like a heavyweight title fight having to sustain one bad blow after the other. But if you are a professional footballer being paid six figures a week by a team like Chelsea, you need to behave better than that.

Referee Tom Henning Ovrebo will need a bodyguard next time he’s cruising down the King’s Road. And he better not run into Michael Ballack or Didier Drogba in a dark alley anytime soon. Drogba’s behaviour was disgusting. The world witnessed a foul-mouth attack by a player who has phoned-in his performances this season. When Scolari was manager he practically rolled over and gave-up. Despite his bad relationship with Scolari, he couldn’t even make the effort out on the pitch for his team mates. He let them down. And now he’s crying Blue tears. What a fake. Do you think he’ll play for Chelsea next season? Not likely…

Ballack’s display was no better. Following another controversial penalty decision by the muppet officials, Mr.Germany  chased the referee halfway down the pitch screaming his head off and spitting blood. It was pure venom and a lovely visual for every aspiring young soccer star and fan to see. He has been such a waste of valuable space this season. Chelsea would do well to get rid of this over-pampered, over-paid has been.

You know I’ve never been a big fan of John Terry, but on Wednesday night he won me over. Sure he questioned the referee, but he kept his head. Over the two legs he was a great leader. He was also the only Chelsea player to congratulate Barcelona for their victory. Terry went into their dressing room to shake their hand. Perhaps there is one player that can still walk down the King’s Road with his head held high.

As for the referee. You should be voted the worse referee in the history of the game. You stunk up Stamford Bridge with your obvious bad decisions. You gave football an ugly name last night. You made people think you were on the take. We hope you are not on the take. Perhaps people should be asking Monsieur Platini some serious questions…

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…