The Old Boys Club
So luckily for all of us, especially Stoke fans, Mark Hughes was finally given the heave-ho at the weekend after his truly awful side were knocked out of the F.A Cup by Coventry City. Let’s be perfectly honest here, this hasn’t come a second too soon. Stoke have been absolutely shite all season and it’s been a chore to watch them. In fact, any Mark Hughes side is a chore to watch. I’ve never been a big fan of Stoke or Hughes, so you can imagine y absolute horror and disdain when he was chosen to fill the throne in hell abdicated by another footballing satanist, Tony Pulis. I’m sure there people out there who love a bit of Sparky Plugg though and they shouldn’t fear, as Hughes is part of the Premier League’s Old Boys Club. This is like a Bullingden for Premier League managers – you walk out of a job, you have a name as a Premier League manager though for having “been there and done it” (whatever “it” is exactly, I’m not sure. I imagine “it” is consistently taking mid-table teams to lower mid-table finishes season on season), you go into another similarly mediocre job. I’m sure Hughes will be in charge of West Ham/West Brom/Newcastle/insert team name here before too long.
Little Men
Mourinho’s at it again then, causing murder where there really oughtn’t be any. The man is a knobhead and his games are becoming tiresome. Jose Mourinho is now 54 years old, he’s won everything there is to win in club football and virtually has nothing to prove. What is he doing get involved in childish arguments with other Premier League managers? The bad blood has been there between Mourinho and Antonio Conte for a year or two now, but this latest spat literally came out of nowhere. But this is Mourinho all over though, isn’t it? His side are not doing too well on the pitch so he makes waves off it. That way, nobody is talking about his side’s inability to comfortably beat lesser opposition or their defensive incapabilities, or Mourinho failing to be anywhere near winning the league with a side containing two £90 million players. No, instead the whole country is talking about Mourinho’s low blow regarding Antonio Conte’s history of match fixing. Well done Mourinho, you fucking genius. Maybe if you had engaged your brain in the summer buying better players instead of blowing £90 million on a donkey, you wouldn’t have to resort to such depths and your own fans wouldn’t despise you. Tit.
Van the Man
I’ve banged on enough on here about how Virgil van Dijk isn’t the man Liverpool need. I’ve moaned on Talk from the Top Flight (out every Wednesday on all good podcasting outlets) about how £75 million is a waste of money for a man who is no better than Dejan Lovren at defending. I am here to tell you all now that I was wrong. I know, shock horror, football writer admits to being wrong. I still think that he isn’t the answer and time will prove me right regarding his football ability. Where I am wrong is on my latter statement – Virgil van Dijk is NOT a waste of money. In fact, that goal on Friday night at the Kop end against the blue shite was worth every penny of that £75 million. They get back into it, they think they’re getting a replay, some of them even think they may just sneak a winner. Then up pops Virgil with his big, beautiful, afro ponytail to knock The Ev out the cup. Dream debut, is right Virgil.