As the title suggests, Managers these days are just one result away from being sacked. The majority of their time must be spent expecting that phone call from above to tell them to clear their desk as the new, 'fashionable' manager is ready to hand in his notice and wants a bigger desk, and he wants to use the old one for his translator.

Nowadays, these new managers hardly have time to let their translator go before they receive their marching orders themselves as the cut-throat world of the Premier League forces chairmen into quicker decisions every year.

This year we had only just hit September, two and a half weeks into the new season, before we had not one, but two managers hitting the dole queue. Is this right? Is it fair? Is it good management of the business?

First, let's look at the evidence... Of the top four clubs, Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea, three of the managers have been there longer than three years, which has obviously given them all great stability. The most successful, Man Utd, have had Alex Ferguson there for more than 20 years. In the last 16 years, they haven't finished outside the top 5. OK, some people may claim that Man Utd always have 14 players on the field (ref, plus two assistants), but this is never admitted by the refs until after the game when any dodgy penalty is forgiven if you say sorry. What I'm trying to point out is that, Ferguson was rubbish for three years, Man Utd were nearly relegated and his job was saved by a League Cup win, but the chairman stuck by him and let him get on with the job. Now he is reaping the rewards with success after success.

Juande Ramos is a good manager. He may have a dodgy name and a wig that he bought off ebay from Gary Glitter, but his managerial skills should leave no-one in any doubt that he is the one who can lift Spurs to new heights. This is the manager who took Seville to back-to-back UEFA Cup wins in 2006-2007, yet people are calling for his head before the Christmas Turkey.



I'm no Tottenham fan, in fact I hate them. Seeing Tottenham four points adrift at the foot of the league is like Christmas to me. But I know it will not last. OK, their defence is more nervous than a Gulf War Veteran on Guy Fawkes night, Yes, their forward line is weaker than a Gordon Brown smile, but it will only take a sloppy win in the 97th minute against Bolton next Sunday to give the players some belief. Once the team starts playing with belief, you will see the potential that they have. If Tottenham can buy a decent foward in the January transfer window, they will be a force to be reckoned with (No, Not Emile Heskey - see last blog). The midfield is one of the top 3 in the country and if they have a goal-scoring striker to feed, you watch the goals start flooding in.

Give Ramos 3-4 years to prove his worth at Tottenham. Like Benitez at Liverpool, he needs to make the team his own as at the moment he has the old Martin Jol side, minus a forward line. To start calling for the head of a manager who took Seville to back-to-back UEFA Cup wins after only 8 games of the new season is bordering on madness.

If you need any more proof, look at the state of Newcastle United now after getting rid of Sam Allardyce at the same time last year.

Labels: juande ramos, liverpool, manager, manchester united, Newcastle, tottenham