Gareth Southgate

Martin O’Neill has done the unthinkable and stepped down as manager of the Villans just days before their first match of the season against West Ham United. It appears as though the Irishman was unhappy at the lack of investment into players that owner Randy Lerner was prepared to make, especially with the money from the proposed sale of James Milner to Manchester City.

The quest has now begun to find a successor to O’Neill, something which will not be easy with the season about to start and the signal quite clear that there will be little money to strengthen a squad that helped Aston Villa reach sixth place in the Premier League.

On Tuesday 10th August, the talk has centred around two men to potentially succeed Martin O’Neill at Villa Park. The first of these is Bob Bradley, the USA coach who has admitted that he’d like to try his hand at club level in Europe. The American is available at 3/1 (bet365) and might have the benefit of sharing the same nationality as Lerner. He also got the best from a limited USA squad during the 2010 World Cup.

The other name on the media shortlist is Sven-Goran Eriksson, with the Swede apparently interested in discussing the position. It appears that the former England coach was close to replacing Roy Hodgson at Fulham and his advisors claim that he’d be open to discussing a move to Birmingham instead. You can back Sven at 8/1 with bet365, while Martin Jol is available at the same price with Boylesports.

The current Ajax manager has already turned down one Premier League club in the form of Fulham, although it could be that a bigger infrastructure and a little money to spend might persuade the Dutchman to once again contemplate a return to England. However, it’s possible that Alan Curbishley is a better fit for the club at odds of 10/1 (bet365), despite the fact that supporters would not consider this to be a very inspired choice.

Jurgen Klinsmann is also fairly short on the bookmaker list (10/1 Ladbrokes), while the same applies to Gareth Southgate (10/1 Paddy Power), someone who graced Villa Park several times as a player and might fancy another stab at club management after a mixed time of things with Middlesbrough.

Slaven Bilic was one of the first names to appear as a potential successor to O’Neill following the latter’s exit from the club, although the Croatian has since drifted to 12/1 (bet365) on the market. Ipswich manager Roy Keane (25/1 Blue Square) catches the eye at a much bigger price, while a number of bookmakers have priced up Villa legend David Platt at odds of 25/1 (Stan James). 

As Roy Hodgeson moved to pastures new, to what should be bigger and better things with Liverpool, Fulham have been left without a manager and the search for Hodgeson’s successor, someone to fill his huge shoes after his three year tenure at the club climaxed with a UEFA Europa League final defeat, has led to many a speculation surrounding the Fulham hot seat. As usual, bookmakers have thrown in an array of managerial profiles for us all to ponder and possibly have a nibble at, but the majority are either the absurd or just plain ridiculous.

The main short-list doesn’t necessarily make the heart skip a beat, with the slimy Sven Goran Eriksson arguably the most high profile name in the running. It wasn’t so long ago that he was claiming to have Liverpool blood running through his veins slap bang in the middle of a supposedly promising World Cup campaign with the Ivory Coast. His credentials took a serious knock mind when Les Elephants didn’t even make it past the group stages of the tournament, although he’s under the impression that the Ivorian Football Federation still values his services – God knows why. He is however out of contract and will continue to flirt with every vacancy that tickles his fancy between now and the start of the domestic season. Despite enjoying a fair amount of success at club level during his early days as manager with IFK Goteborg and Lazio, Eriksson is more fondly remembered for his bedroom antics and isn’t really a coach anyone can really take seriously nowadays, especially after a couple of disappointing stints as England coach as well as the farcical that went on at Notts County.

The Swede is currently the third shortest price with SkyBet and PaddyPower both going 6/1. The general consensus with the Fulham fans is that Eriksson would be a suitable replacement for Hodgeson, while there’s little doubt Eriksson himself would be interested in the Fulham reigns – After all it is a job which would pay reasonably well.

Dave Jones, currently of Cardiff City, is another being linked with the Fulham job and can be found at slim odds of around 5/2 with the likes of WilliamHill and Ladbrokes, which does make you think they may have some inside information as SkyBet go 5/1 on the BlueBirds coach snapping up the Craven Cottage post. Jones guided the Welsh outfit to the Championship play-off final last season only to suffer defeat to Blackpool. He’s been with his current employer since 2005 but has been in the Premiership before with Southampton. However, his spell at St. Mary’s was marred by off-pitch allegations regarding his past and Jones was later sacked by the club. Jones has picked himself up miraculously since then and some would even say he’s maturing into a Premiership manager in the making. If only a Premiership club would take a chance on him. Will Fulham take a gamble on the Caridff manager, whom would find the position extremely difficult to turn down considering Cardiff current financial issues. We reckon he’d snapped Mohammed Al-Fayed’s arm offer, so the 5/1 currently on offer isn’t all bad, although we get the feeling Fulham are after something more classy.

And then along came Martin Jol, of whom SkySports recently revealed that sources inside the club are strongly weighing up whether or not trying to lure Jol to Craven Cottage is a good idea and, more to the point, whether it’s actually plausible. The former Tottenham Hotspur manager recently signed a three-year contract with Dutch giants Ajax and almost brought home the Dutch league title in just his first season but had to settle for the Dutch Cup instead. We’re under the impression that Jol wouldn’t be interested in a move right at this moment despite his self-proclaimed love for the English game and his desire to one day work in England again. He did leave Hamburg after just one season but it’s different when you’re managing in your home country and at a club which isn’t just held in the highest regard all around the world but will entertain Champions League football this season, as well as boasting one of the hottest properties in today’s game in Luis Suarez. So we see enough negatives in this bet to put us off Jol making such a bold move.

We are more than happy to oppose the backers on Betfair, who are willing to accept anything around 1.90 currently, simply because of our gut instinct. We feel it’s too early in his Ajax tenure for him to be throwing in the towel for English football, while he will quickly establish a reputation for club hopping if he continues to leave every club after just one season. Plus, and this is a huge factor in our opinion, he only just missed out on the Dutch league title last season by 1 point, with FC Twente beating Ajax to the finish line despite Jol’s team finishing the campaign with 14 successive victories. That sublime streak will be a big indication for Jol, that Ajax are within touching distance of ending their seven year wait for the Dutch league title and that the Amsterdam based club will be firm favourites to clinch the title this season. Why throw the opportunity to make a little piece of history with the biggest football club in his homeland just to join Fulham, who may just have peaked last season?

We say LAY Jol to the Sun comes down, although I was the same pundit which told you to lay Owen Coyle not to join Bolton Wanderers last season only to see him sprinting out of the Claret’s door within the blink of an eye. I guess the best piece of advice would be to watch this space, and to keep one eye on the SkySports website and channel, as they’re generally first on the scene when it comes to matters such as these.

If you’re looking for something with a side of value, why not try Alan Curbishley. Yeh he may not bring glamour and sophistication to the fore but he’s enjoyed a great deal of success during his time, especially with Charlton Athletic, who felt apart at the seams when he left the club. He’s just the manager to resume business following the huge success of Roy Hodgeson, and if there’s ever a coach to bring some calm and professionalism to the camp, Curbishley is your man. Fulham have already revealed that the former Charlton and West Ham coach has held talks with the club although reports claim they are holding out for a celebrity it would seem. Fulham could be about to pass up on a good thing if they aren’t careful. Alan Curbishley is 22/1 with Bodog but is around 34/1 on Betfair.

Those which should be ignored at all costs: Gianfranco Zola – Way too soon after leaving West Ham United in what was a harsh eye opener for the Italian softie. Slaven Bilic – Constantly linked with a move to the Premiership but his managerial appeal has derailed considerably since spanking England at Wembley on that famous rainy night in London. He’ll also be fuming that Croatia missed the World Cup boat and will be eager to make amends for the upcoming EURO’s.

Value stunner – Gareth Southgate. It’s been nearly two years since Gareth left Middlesbrough to take up the limelight with ITV as a pundit. The sooner we get him off the telly the better we say, and Fulham is right up his street – Not too glamorous as so the expectations aren’t so high but a project nonetheless. We get the feeling Southgate will begin job hunting soon enough and wouldn’t surprise us if he took a serious liken to the Fulham post. Definitely a name to keep one eye out for if you ask me, although we haven’t heard his named mentioned this week and the assumption is that Fulham want to appoint a new manager within the next few days and don’t want the matter to drag on. Currently 66/1 with Bet365!

Is it just me or does the managerial merry-go-round revolve that quickly nowadays that the game appears to be shed experienced head coaches more quickly than the average Christmas tree drops its needles? Championship side QPR are a prime example. The board may be fronted by multi-millionaires but any business acumen they may have acquired in other fields seems to go out of the window where football is concerned. Paul Hart recently became the R’s ninth manager in two years but, significantly, has only signed a contract until the end of the season. Given Rangers‘ predeliction for change, that may yet prove optimistic. There have been some very bizarre decisions taken in boardrooms this season. Steve Gibson, chariman of Middlesbrough and a man with a reputation for his patience with managers, decided to dispense with Gareth Southgate‘s services with his team just a point off the top of the table. Since Southgate‘s departure, Boro have fallen away dramatically and, at the time of writing, now lie in the bottom half of the Championship a full 20 points off the pace – isn’t hindsight a wonderful thing! Then. of course, there’s the strange case of Manchester City. On the same weekend that Manchester United lost 3-0 to Fulham, Liverpool surrendered tamely at bottom club Portsmouth and Chelsea were held to a draw at struggling West Ham, City were putting four past Sunderland at Eastlands. Mark Hughes‘ reward, his P45! City chief executive Gary Cook has already admitted that Roberto Mancini had been offered Hughes‘ job the day before the Welshman was sacked but denies there has been a players’ rebellion in lieu of the decision. That hasn’t, however, put off Skybet pricing up a market on which high-profile star will be first to leave the City Of Manchester Stadium. Robinho, who has hardly endeared himself to City fans of late, is the 11-4 market leader while the oft-outspoken Craig Bellamy is a 9-2 chance with Paddy Power. The Irish firm also make former Inter boss Mancini 1-2 to still be in charge of City this time next year.

Betting Preview Middlesbrough vs Sheffield United

The first game of the new season is a Championship game, Middlesbro’ v Sheff. Utd. (Friday 7th August). These two sides could well be in the shake-up come next May.

I’m not really one for long term predictions but I do have a strong fancy for Middlesbro’ to bounce straight back up to the Premiership.
They’ve lost Stewart Downing but have replaced him with a winger with an eye for goal.Twenty-four year old Mark Yeates began his career in the ‘Spurs youth team. After loan spells at Leicester and Hull City, he most recently played for Colchester for whom he scored twenty goal in seventy games. On the other side of the field is Adam Johnson, well starred in Stewart Pearces’ notebook for this seasons under 21 squad. The backbone of the side is provided by Brad Jones, David Wheater, Robert Huth and Julio Arca. Arca has had the joy of winning promotion with Sunderland in 2005.

Wheater is a no-nonsense Centre-Back who has been noticed by a few of the Prem big boys. Huth’ first English side was Chelsea where his chances were limited due to the large squad.

Brad Jones is a reliable goalkeeper, who could hold his own in bigger/better company. However Gareth Southgate has signed Danny Coyne from Tranmere. Not so much as back-up as to keep Jones on his toes. Coyne has had over four hundred and fifty senior games in his career so far. Having played for Burnley, Leicester and Grimsby. He fully expects to get a chance to lay claim to become first choice   ‘keeper.Another arrival is Leroy Lita from Reading. Brought in almost before Mido had cleared his locker. His Premiership experience should be invaluable.Together with Marvin Emnes and Jeremie Aliadiere, these three will hopefully be the source of the goals that were very noticable by their absence last season. On the reverse side, Tuncay Sanli and Afonse Alves both look destined for new clubs in the not too distant future.

So put these together with a young but vastly able manager, in Gareth Southgate and I think here is a combination for SUCCESS.            Currently Middlesbro’ are best offered @ 7.00 to win the Championship (V.C. Bet) and @ 3.25 to be promoted (ToteSport). As your money will be tied-up for some time, I would suggest SMALL stakes only. Incidentally the "Book" fiigures for the Outright market is 102.8%. For the Promotion Market a whopping 294.2%. Not a lot of value, unfortunately.