History will be kind to me because I intend to write it

PREMIER LEAGUE MANAGER CASUALTIES

1. JOSE MOURINHO (Chelsea) - Date parted company: 20th September

The charismatic Portuguese manager had lost only one Premier League game this season before he left Stamford Bridge amid claims that he had fallen out with owner Roman Abramovich over team selection and transfer policy. He won six trophies in his three years and three months at the club.

2. SAMMY LEE (Bolton) - Date parted company: 17th October

A coach under predecessor Sam Allardyce, Sammy Lee failed to impress in his six months in charge at the Reebok Stadium. In nine league games this season he gained only four points from a possible 27 and his defence conceded 14 goals.

3. MARTIN JOL (Tottenham) - Date parted company: 25th October

Dutchman Martin Jol spent £40m in the summer but could not make his team gel. After 10 Premier League games Jol's team had gained only seven points and shipped 21 goals - Spurs' worst start to a Premier League season.

4. CHRIS HUTCHINGS (Wigan Athletic) - Date sacked: 5th November

Former NO.2 to Paul Jewell, Chris Hutchings lasted only five months at the JJB. In 12 Premier League games under Hutchings Wigan won twice and drew twice while leaking 19 goals.

5. STEVE BRUCE (Birmingham City) - Date parted company: 19th November

Steve Bruce had been in charge of Birmingham for one month shy of six years but - despite gaining promotion to the Premier League last season - was beginning to feel pressure. From 13 games the former Manchester United defender won three and lost eight.

6. BILLY DAVIES (Derby County) - Date parted company: 26th November

Scotsman Billy Davies had propelled Derby to promotion earlier this year but after having only £6m to spend in the summer his team were rooted to the bottom of the Premier League. After 14 games Derby had only won one match and drawn three while conceding 33 goals and scoring a measly five.

7. LAWRIE SANCHEZ (Fulham) - Date sacked: 21st December

After taking over from Chris Coleman last season, the former Northern Irish manager lasted only eight months at Craven Cottage. Thirteen summer signings and £14.5m didn't help Fulham - after 17 Premier League games this season they won only twice under Sanchez and conceded 28 times.

Labels: Billy Davies, Chris Hutchings, football, Jose Mourinho, Lawrie Sanchez, Premier League, Sammy Lee, Steve Bruce

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 7:10 pm | Permalink | Comments

SANCHEZ ON ATTACK AGAINST ‘PHENOMENAL’ FERGUSON


Lawrie Sanchez insists Fulham will go on the offensive against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday, but he has the upmost respect for his opposite man – long-serving manager Sir Alex Ferguson. And he’s looking forward to pitting his wits against one of the best teams in the land.

Ferguson’s side are unbeaten in seven games at home in the league, and have conceded one solitary goal in the process. But the former Northern Ireland coach is planning to go out all guns blazing.

Despite Fulham not winning away in the Premier League this campaign, their manager believes playing for a draw would be pointless. "United have a terrific home record, but if you don't go there with some ambition then you tend to leave with very little,” Sanchez suggested.

"If you sit back against United then you are likely to get what you deserve. You have to go and make a game of it.

“You want to test yourself against the best and United are one of the best in this country - it is a great challenge.

Sanchez called 65-year-old Ferguson’s 21 years at United – during which time he has captured 27 trophies, including nine Premier League titles – “a phenomenal achievement”.

However he questioned whether managers nowadays would be afforded the trust and time needed to build a solid foundation, and bemoaned the fact that already six Premier League managers have been handed their P45s in the first four months of the season.

Sanchez continued: “For Ferguson to spend that amount of time at a top club is a heck of a long time. It is no coincidence that the second longest serving manager in the Premier League is (Arsenal’s manager) Arsene Wenger.

“The rest of us are playing week to week, it doesn’t make for cohesion in team-building. It’s a very difficult time to manage at this moment in time and it’s driven by the money - everybody wants some of the Premier League gold.

“But the average lifespan of a manager is about a year and there’s no stability. Managers want to plan for the longer term and get some time under our belts but there seems increasingly less time to sort that out.”

Labels: football, Fulham, Lawrie Sanchez, Manchester United, Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 1:10 am | Permalink | Comments

SANCHEZ: HEALY IS THE NORTHERN IRISH DAVID BECKHAM

David Healy has been monikered the "David Beckham of Northern Ireland" by his
Fulham manager, Lawrie Sanchez, and at Old Trafford on Monday the forward
hopes to have the opportunity to show his old club what they are missing after
Manchester United allowed the then-trainee to leave six years ago.

The 28-year-old signed for United back in August 1999, four days shy of his
20th birthday, but he featured only once for Sir Alex Ferguson's team - as a
substitute in a League Cup tie against Aston Villa.

Ferguson allowed Healy to join Preston in January 2001, and having scored 43
goals for the club Healy was transferred to Leeds United, before Sanchez spent
£1.5m on securing his services in the summer.

Despite registering four goals for Fulham already, it is on the international
scene that the Killyleagh-born striker has truly shone. Last month (NOV) he
surpassed Davor Suker's scoring record in the European Championship Qualifiers,
which had stood for a dozen years, and now has 33 goals in 66 games for his
country.

Sanchez, who masterminded Northern Ireland's memorable 1-0 victory over
Sven-Goran Eriksson's England in 2005, in which Healy scored the winner, said:
"David Healy is the David Beckham of Northern Ireland.

"When he plays for the national team, percentage wise he's a better striker
than Michael Owen or Alan Shearer, which for a small nation is phenomenal.

"To score 13 goals in a qualifying group that includes Fernando Torres, David
Villa and Zlatan Ibrahimovic is something special.

"You think of the quality of those forwards and David has outscored them
against the same defences and with a lesser team."

Sanchez, whose side face a relegation battle as they have won only two of their
opeining 14 Premier League games, added: "He is a class striker, he's proven
that internationally and he's proven that in the Premier League.

"David's stepped up and he's scored the goals. The Premier League is a tough
league to play in and you can name numerous forwards that have failed.

"He's already scored four, which is a good strike rate. I expect him to get ten
goals this season without a doubt. There aren't too many finishers of his
quality in the league."

Labels: David Healy, football, Fulham, Lawrie Sanchez, Manchester United, Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 7:51 pm | Permalink | Comments

DAVIS RELISHING UNITED CHALLENGE

Steven Davis will relish the opportunity to challenge himself against the best when Fulham play Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday - and hopes to learn from the experience.

The 22-year-old central midfielder has played against United before, for his former club Aston Villa, but he has never won a point against Sir Alex Fergerson's side.

As a child the Northern Irish international, who manager Lawrie Sanchez thinks could develop into "another Frank Lampard", always dreamed of playing at Old Trafford, against the best in the game.

He said: "Growing up as a boy you want to play at stadiums like Old Trafford and against the best players.

"They have world class players, so we know it will be a tough game. United are going to be challenging for the title, but hopefully we will take something from it.

"It's good to come up against players like Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo and challenge yourself.

"You can only learn from these experiences and improve your own game."

The £4m summer-signing continued: "With Villa I never got a good result against United, so it would be good to put that right.

"We are not just going to turn up. I don't see why we can't get a result because we have done well against Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea so far this season.

"We haven't got the points we have wanted, but we have definitely been in those games, and we'll go to Old Trafford with a game plan."

Labels: football, Fulham, Lawrie Sanchez, Manchester United, Premier League, Sir Alex Ferguson, Steven Davis

Posted by Oliver Pickup at 5:17 pm | Permalink | Comments