Four years ago, West Ham’s fans and players were licking their wounds after coming so close to winning the clubs first piece of major silverware since 1980′s F.A. Cup win. Cruelly denied by Liverpool, firstly with Steven Gerrard’s incredible last minute equaliser which took the game to extra time and then penalties, it was tough to take. Overall though, the 2005-2006 season had been an impressive return to the top flight for the Hammers with 9th place achieved. Under Alan Pardew, the club had cemented a mid table position and things looked positive.

Today,  the club is saddled with debts of over £100 million, a playing squad that needs a major overhaul and is searching for its 4th permanent manager since returning to the Premiership in 2005. The club flirted with relegation all season as injuries to key players, a lack of goals from a hastily assembled strike force and a trawling of the loan market to bolster a thread bare squad. Gianfranco Zola paid the price for a season of nervous worry as the good work of last season unraveled before the Upton Park faithful

It strikes me as odd that a club that had a reputation as being so patient with managers has suddenly started going through them with gusto. When Harry Redknapp took over in 1994, he was actually West Ham’s 8th full time manager. In fact up to 1989, when Hammers legend John Lyall was sacked, the shortest period a manager had been in charge of the Hammers was an incredible 11 years, when Ted Fenton held the role from 1950 to 1961. The managers job was a byword for stability at Upton Park but it certainly isn’t the case now.

With those two wall flowers, David Gold and David Sullivan riding to the rescue in February, the club at least has two people in charge who know about football. No more biscuit millionaires from Iceland almost destroying the club, now regardless of how you feel towards them, the two Davids do know about running a football club.  They may not make popular decisions, but they saved Birmingham City. They’ve also announced a ten point vision to drag the club back on an even footing which makes interesting reading.

Most of it would seem to be common sense but any West Ham fan would do well to discuss Sullivan and Gold with Birmingham City fans. Many of the points mentioned in the new vision for West Ham were rolled out in various guises during their 17 year tenure at the Blues and regardless of the fact they left the club in a far healthier situation than the one they found it in, they are not loved at St. Andrews. I did notice that two weeks ago, David Gold said no player was unsellable, but in the new vision, they don’t want to be a selling club? Well which is it gents?

The signing hungry players also echoes the same statement made by David Sullivan in 2004  who stated word for word what is now masquerading as point 2. Are we beginning to see a pattern yet? As is the point about reconnecting with the local fan base, which is fine, until you begin to raise the prices to the points were the local fan base can’t afford to go anymore and I’m sure they often went on about leaving St Andrews numerous times throughout the nineties too.

Suffice to say West Ham are in a financial situation that means they have no option to listen to offers for players. If any offer comes in, it’s highly likely that the club will sell most of their assets. It’s a sad state of affairs, but with the playing squad they have, regardless of who comes in as manager, it’s going to be another long season.

The team needs fresh blood and a removal of the high earning injury prone failures that came in during the Icelandic years. It could take two or three years before real progress is being seen on the pitch. The nucleus of the young players breaking through need protecting rather than thrown to the lions of a relegation battle.

Despite Gold and Sullivan’s obsession with publicity, they do have a good record when it comes to supporting managers. Despite the very public and rather distasteful undermining of Gianfranco Zola, their record at Birmingham showed should the right man be available, they will support him until it becomes an untenable situation. The right man just needs to get used to seeing the owners in the press every other day.

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Love or hate West Ham United’s performances on the pitch this season, you have to admire Gianfranco Zola. He’s always been the perfect gentleman both on the pitch — where he graced the Stamford Bridge pitch — and off the pitch, where he dealt with the pressure well at Upton Park

And now Tuesday, when Sky Sports reporters descended on his house to interview the Italian legend, Zola didn’t scowl at the media but instead served them coffee on a tray. Watch the video above.

Hat tip: Dirty Tackle

Gianfranco Zola was sacked as manager of West Ham United this morning. While this hardly comes as surprising news for followers of the club and the Premier League, it’s still quite a shame for a professional who showed so much promise yet for a team that played so poorly during the 2009-10 season.

Now that Zola has been shown the door, who do you think should replace him? Vote in the poll below and share your opinion in the comments section.

The pleasures of playing football are easy enough to understand. It’s a great sport and if you’re any good you get a shed load of cash, the sexual attentions of fake blonde women, and a mock Tudor house full of 132″ plasma TVs.

There’s nothing not to like about being a footballer. It’s a part-time job which you might do little more than around twenty hours a week.

But being a manager is an entirely different gig. It occupies their every waking hour. While many say it’s the best job in football after being a player, I’m not sure that Zola and Tony Mowbray would say that this week. The pressure it puts on them at times seems unbearable.

Mowbray, a tough, hard-boiled Teessider visibly aged by 10 years in the last 9 months managing Celtic. After the midweek thumping by St Mirren he looked more like someone suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder than a man who had just lost a mere football game. Admittedly it was Celtic’s worst result for 30 years and it ended any remote hopes of the Parkhead club might have harboured about catching Rangers but hey, its only football lads. No-one died. You’d not have guessed that from Mowbray’s demeanour though. Yet he had been a successful manager in Scotland before at Hibernian, this wasn’t unknown territory to him. He knew the league and how massive the Celtic job is but that knowledge did nothing to ease the visible strain on him. Fortunately, with features like a quarry, Mogga has never relied on his chiselled good looks in life but seeing his haggard face would make anyone question why anyone would want to do such a job if this is what it reduces a strong man to.

Down in London, Franco Zola has gone from the beatific, smiling chap to a man who looks weighed down by the burden of the task at West Ham. With head in hands and grey hair suddenly very visible, during the Stoke game he looked more like a man who had witnessed some terrible disaster rather than just a football team losing by the odd goal. Where is the pleasure in that?

Wenger this season has looked like a man in physical pain, rocking to and fro on the bench, clutching himself, his large padded coat looking more and more like a straitjacket.

As a manager you often get little credit when the side wins but all of the blame when they lose. If you blow your own trumpet, Mourinho style, you’re accused of being arrogant and insufferable, if you don’t you’re accused of being too nice. If you don’t show emotion, Sven-style, you’ll be accused of not caring, if you are emotional, Keegan style, you’ll be accused of being blinkered by emotions.

You’re likely only to be in the job for an average of four seasons and yet are supposed to care about the club as though you’d stood on the terraces for 50 years. If it looks like you don’t care 100% you’ll suffer the wrath of blinkered judgemental fans who seem unable to believe that the employees of a football club do not care as much about it as the supporters do. Some fans have exaggerated distorted expectations for their clubs and are ridiculously impatient for success. So as a manager you end up being judged against a standard you know is completely inappropriate.

If you’re a realist and tell the fans the truth that it’s very unlikely you’ll win anything – they’ll accuse you of not having ambition. If you say you are going to win something, you’ll be ridiculed as deluded as soon as you fail.

To add insult to injury, unless you’re a top dog, you’ll probably get paid worse than some of the more rubbish players you have to manage. Even if you do well, a bad start the following season can see you out of the door. Such capital that you build up at a club is soon dissipated by a few poor results. The board knows it can’t sack the players so it’s easier to sack you instead. The only comfort is that one you’re out of a job, due to the high turnover; you’re likely to benefit from someone else’s sacking soon enough.

Even a manager of Wenger’s achievements has had calls for his head this season and is clearly showing major stress this season, squatting on the touchline with head in hands. It looks like torture. Who looks at that and thinks to themselves, you know what, I fancy doing that. Do new managers think it won’t happen to them?

Even having been successful and being really good at your job doesn’t insure you against a barrage of insults and criticism, often from stupid fans who know sod all about football but nonetheless think they know more than a manager who has won titles, cups and major trophies. These find their way onto phone-ins and witter on about players and managers not having passion. Passion is everything for these people though they don’t really mean passion, they mean running around a lot and maybe shouting a bit too. That shows you care apparently.

If you’re Rafa, Ancelloti, Mancini et al, it must be galling to get a slagging from people as though you have achieved nothing in the game and are some clueless idiot who is deliberately messing things up. You must feel like lashing out – telling the dumb as fans to come and have a go if they think it’s so bloody easy.

The only exception to this is the extraordinary Alex Ferguson. He’s 68. Sixty eight. Think about that. The oldest living Glaswegian, Fergie looks 10 years younger, seems full of vitality and energy and doesn’t just cope with the pressure but seems to thrive on it. Clearly being the most successful manager in the history of football tends to relieve you of a lot of the stress of having to prove yourself, but Ferguson actually seems to love being under pressure; he seems to enjoy it. It’s keeping him young. But he is a rare exception.

Who would be a manager? A masochist it would seem.

For those not emotionally invested, the sale of a prominent Premier League club is chum in the water.  We want easily caricatured nutballs in charge, huge transfer budgets, grandiose schemes destined to fail and decimations of the club’s staff.  We want entertainment.

Given that context and the club’s unique penchant for disaster, West Ham’s sale was abominable, substandard and lamentable.  Given one word, it was boring.  Profoundly boring.

CB Holding, the original Icelandic creditors of Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, took control of West Ham to keep it from going bankrupt and protect it’s investment.  The ownership stays Icelandic.  The only difference is the Straumur Burdaras bank rather than Landsbanki.

West Ham’s financial situation was perilous.  There was the bank crisis, debt and the Tevez settlement.  They easily could have entered into administration.  There would have been furor over a points deduction, possibly one that could have effected the relegation battle next year.  The club would have been offloading players, possibly replacing Zola with a manager who would accept it.  It would have been messy.  It would have been exciting.

Instead, the new Hammers’ ownership wants to protect and enhance its investment.  There will be no sales of the clubs best players, though sensible sales such as Dean Ashton and Matthew Upson are possible.

The reasonably successful managerial partnership of Zola and Clarke will remain intact.  The club will even have a sensible transfer budget, all with a sound financial backing.

CB Holding’s takeover is great for West Ham and their supporters.  It’s great for the Premier League, who benefit from a large, successfully run club in London.  It’s awful for those who have to write about it.

West Ham's 'Sculpture Of Champions' on Barking Road.

When Gianfranco Zola got back on the team bus from Goodison Park yesterday he could be forgiven for thinking “Only one more week and we can get this club sorted out”.

Gianfranco Zola is a legend of English football – particularly at West Ham’s city rivals Chelsea. A connection that may have initially made some hammers fans reception of the Italian a tad lukewarm when he first sat in the hot-seat at the Boleyn. I think we will struggle to find a Hammer who doesn’t hold him in some form of adulation now though. Zola has started to develop a good footballing side with a bit of flair that makes their play easy on the eye. The Irons are now destined for a respectable top ten finish, nothing to shout about you may feel when you look at it on paper. However it is the circumstances in which Zola has performed that make this stick out.

The Hammers recent history off the pitch has been well documented. The Tevez affair has been an absolute shambles from start to finish – on both sides of the argument. Not only has it cost the club time and money it helped in creating an air of uncertainty in the corridors around Upton Park. In the same season the Hammers procured the services of Tevez and Mascherano, the club were taken over by an Icelandic consortium fronted by businessman Eggert Magnusson.

The Icelander’s first few months in charge were met with excitement and expectations from the fans. Magnusson has made his money with a biscuit and bread manufacturer in his home country which led to the chants of “If you make a lot of money selling biscuits by our club”. By a quirk of fate, ‘Eggert’s’ face does humorously resemble an egg. Magnusson was the front of a consortium backed by fellow countryman Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson, who is now the club’s Chairman after Magnusson’s departure in December 2007.

During the proceedings of the Tevez affair it ‘emerged’ that West Ham were deep in the mire of the credit crunch. In a season where the clubs shirt sponsors XL Holidays went bust and were thus removed from the teams shirts – Gudmundsson’s financial solidarity was being thrown into doubt. Gudmundsson was a majority shareholder of Iceland’s Landsbanki which was seized by the nations government. In the wake of the banks demise the Icelandic government are to investigate the actions of Gudmundsson. What will not make pleasant reading for Hammers fans is that the man in question was allegedly given a suspended prison sentence in the early 90′s for bookkeeping offences, after originally being indicted in 1985 for on charges of fraud and embezzlement.

With the situation off the pitch being as turbulent as a 12 hour flight through a storm it is no wonder that Zola’s performances have been praised. What awaits West Ham this summer is yet more instability. Rumours of the club being taken over by Icelandic government appointed officials as well as rumours of new foreign owners set to purchase the club in June. West Ham’s supporters deserve better than picking up the paper in the morning to see the rumour mill in full-flow regarding their club.

West Ham United F.C have been and continue to be synonymous with the development of homegrown players in the English game. Current England internationals Joe Cole, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Micheal Carrick and Glen Johnson all came through the ranks of West Ham at sometime or another. To see the club in the state that it is saddening for the game. The Irons DESPERATELY need some stability off the pitch to ensure they retain the services of management duo Gianfranco Zola and Steve Clarke, who have done magnificent jobs.

With club still producing homegrown talent such as Freddie Sears, Mark Noble and Jack Collison it is not all doom and gloom in the borough of Newham. If and when the club can sort out it’s troubles and back the management duo with some decent  transfer funds then maybe the sun will shine on the statues in Barking Road again.  However if the last two years are anything to go by it could be another few months of uncertainty for all concerned with the East London club.

So the big story that will be blown out of proportion from United’s 2-1 victory over Newcastle is the war of words at halftime between Cristiano Ronaldo and Stephen Taylor. Nothing too serious, Ronaldo calling Taylor a rubbish footballer and Taylor in grand reply going ‘well you are ugly’ like some high school girl would say to another in the middle of a junior high spat. Why this is a story I’ll never know.

So the League Managers’ Association and the Professional Footballers’ Association have got together to come up with some recommendations about referees. I have to say some of the recommendations aren’t all bad. The main ones include setting up a way of formalizing complaints and feedback between club and ref, and having the top two divisions use licensed referees with video analysis after every game. You can read the rest of the things recommended here.

Harry Redknapp is telling his Spurs players to lay off the booze, even if they stay in the top flight. I wonder if that comes with random BAC checks?

Who would have thought it would be James Beattie heading Stoke City’s fight for survival?

Fulham are opening up contract talks with Brede Hangleand to make sure he stays a Cottager. Good idea.

Here’s the latest red top Manchester City fodder. Spending 100 million quid to sign Messi in the summer. Remember the source on this one folks.

Thank you Jose Mourinho for stating the bloody obvious when you say Manchester United will win the title.

West Ham will be without the services of Valon Behrami for the rest of the season.

And finally, Gianfranco Zola and Steve Bruce have two totally different observations about the refereeing of Stuart Attwell. One backs him, the other says he’s not ready. I’ll let you figure out which one said what.

His owner is trying to sell the club after the global economic recession virtually wiped out his fortune in Iceland. His club is embroiled in a massive lawsuit with a £25 million fine sitting over it’s head. His better players were sold off at an alarming rate, with no possibility of new players coming in. One player in particular staged a walkout the minute he heard there was a possibility of him leaving his club. He was told through the media that one of the biggest clubs in the world had very little interest in hiring him to manage their team. He’s comfortable for the moment, but the relegation zone is still only a rough patch away.

Clearly, Gianfranco Zola is the luckiest man in football.

The most obvious aspect of Zola’s good fortune is pretty straightforward. Since he dropped into a no-win situation, there’s relatively little pressure to succeed. With the tumultuous start to the season, subsequent departure of Alan Curbishley, and a fan base that doesn’t need a dictionary to familiarize themselves with the word “relegation,” nobody would have blamed Gianfranco Zola if keeping West Ham in the Premiership proved a bridge too far. As it stands, Zola’s record as manager is not spectacular, grabbing only 27 of a possible 63 points. When your more recent results include sneaking points off Liverpool Chelsea and Arsenal, and giving Manchester United a run for their money, however, supporters laud you for implementing a system that’s falling into place and players responding to your tactics. Reporters, supporters and pundits are even willing to overlook points dropped to other struggling clubs like West Brom, Spurs, Newcastle United and Portsmouth. Not many managers get that kind of praise based on a 43% points return.

But hey, we’ve come to praise Zola, not to bury him. His situation is a difficult one and he’s done well, taking points in 8 of the last 11 Premiership matches. But what’s more important than results for Zola is the security he’s been afforded in the West Ham hot seat.

Looking at other premiership managers of a similar age and experience, it’s clear that West Ham’s tough spot has helped Zola while others, namely Paul Ince, and Roy Keane, and have fallen.

Like Zola, Paul Ince had zero top flight experience. Unfortunately for the self-styled “Guv’nor,” he came in on the heels of his former Manchester United teammate, Mark Hughes, who kept Rovers punching above their weight during his tenure. Despite success at MK Dons, word leaked out that Ince’s training methods were, to put it mildly, unsophisticated. It appears that Incey relied a fair amount on his star power to get things done in the lower divisions, but when he tried those tactics on players who comfortably make more money than he did as a player, the bluster of self-promotion didn’t dazzle the troops into action.

Unlike the self-promoting Ince, whose attitude earned him a one-way ticket out of Manchester United, Zola is known throughout the game as the consummate gentleman whose respect for others earns him respect in return. This humility also allowed Zola to put ego aside and sign Steve Clarke, the former long-standing Chelsea number 2. Clarke’s training and tactical experience help cover up Zola’s shortcomings and allow him to focus his energies in areas of confidence.

Zola definitely has qualities that have contributed to his somewhat encouraging start, but it would be naïve to ignore the part his surroundings played in his positive publicity. There are still top flight managers who use regressive training methods (see: Megson, Gary) and an even longer list of Managers who are not on the top of any conceivable “nice guy” list (see: every manager who ever won the Premiership). Without a history expectation (See: Phil, Big) or even raised expectations, Zola has the wiggle room to make mistakes without having to look over his shoulder after every misstep. He can make mistakes and, because of the financial situation of both he club and owner, can live to err another day.

Roy Keane is a Zola contemporary who not only succeeded in keeping a club in the top flight, he managed to drag Sunderland from the foot of the table to win the Championship and promotion status that goes with it. His early start exceeded every expectation. Unfortunately, it also sealed his fate. Having only hung up his boots the year before, Keano had no experience managing players. As a man who expects nothing less than the best out of himself and anyone around him, stories in the wake of Keano’s departure from Sunderland indicate that the club needed a better buffer between taskmaster manager and players.

Even more significantly, however, Keane had a meager scouting network in place to help him suss out talent. In the Championship, it wasn’t a big problem. His three main sources of players, the Scottish Premier League, the Irish national setup, and Manchester United castoffs and loanees, were more than enough to succeed in England’s second tier. Unfortunately, you don’t see a lot of Scottish Premier League players making the jump to the English Premiership these days, and Keano wasted millions of pounds on players who were either not up to Premiership standard, like Russel Anderson and Anthony Stokes, or simply not worth the money, like Craig Gordon. Keano famously said he could tell that a player wasn’t up to standard after seeing him for five minutes on the training pitch. Sadly, he had already spent the cash to get them on that training pitch, and sales of footballers don’t come with a return policy.

Let’s be honest; there’s absolutely no reason to believe that Gianfranco Zola’s football Rolodex would be any more thorough than those of Keane’s or Ince’s, considering the three are contemporaries and the former Manchester United teammates have actually played the managerial game longer than the diminutive Chelsea icon. Therefore, lacking the proverbial pot or window, Zola never had to worry about exposing his limited scouting network to any scrutiny. Instead, he has time to try to build one up before spending any of West Ham’s minute transfer fund.

On the surface, managers like Ince and Keane appeared to be in vastly superior situations than Gianfranco Zola’s; quality players and an enthusiasm brought on by success at Ewood Park, and an administrative team that bought every player you asked for at the Stadium of Light. As it turns out, there’s a reverse to holding down a job where the business infrastructure allows you to get the job done; if the job doesn’t get done, there’s only one place to point the finger.

For some people, adversity is an excuse to fall apart. For others, it’s an opportunity to try without fear. While former Derby County manager Paul Jewell cracked jokes at his club’s and his own expense all the way to the precipice of footballing oblivion, a character like Gianfranco Zola obviously realised the tight situation at West Ham allowed him the advantage of beling allowed to grow into the job. He’s free to try new and different things, and since failure is expected, there’s no need to fret about the odd stumble and fall. Becasue he didn’t have a chance to do much of anything in the transfer market, Zola can take more time and build up a strong scouting network so he’s ready to move decisively when the opportunity finally presents itself. Due to the fact the club and the owner can’t afford to pay him not to do the manage the club, Zola realises that he enjoys a preverse form of job security and can eschew stop gap measures for long term stability and success. Instead of adopting a fatalistic stance, Zola realises that being in the wrong place at the wrong time has never been such a fortunate opportunity.

The English Premier League provides the biggest stage in the world for players, managers, and coaches alike to showcase their various skills and talents.  Audiences in the millions around the world watch teams and players, as fans tune into whatever TV or Internet coverage is available on a daily basis.  An EPL managerial position is one of the most sought after jobs in football.

The successful veteran managers are well known and leaders like Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have become iconic symbols of their respective clubs.  In addition, other EPL battle hardened leaders with several years in the English top flight to add to their CVs include coaches such as Rafa Benitez, Martin O’Neill, Harry Redknapp, Mark Hughes, and Steve Bruce.

With the astronomically high stakes and the pressure cooker that is the managerial hot seat of an EPL team, we’re going to take a look at the newcomers – the EPL “rookie” managers.  Seven of the 20 teams are coached by managers in their first year of leading an English club in the top flight.  For the most part, they are certainly not cutting their teeth in their first managerial assignment but to qualify for the list they must be in their first year as an EPL manager.  Club expectations vary quite dramatically in this group, from survival to Champions League glory, but it’s interesting to review how the new leaders are faring and what we might expect as the season progresses. 

Blackburn Rovers:  Paul Ince

Previous Managerial Positions:  Macclesfield Town (2006); MK Dons (2007)

Appointment Background:  After Mark Hughes was recruited to lead the renovation at Manchester City, Ince became somewhat of a surprise candidate to take over at Ewood Park.  Blackburn have enjoyed an extensive run in the Premier league and in recent seasons have challenged for a European qualifying spot, developing into a solid Premiership outfit under the guidance of Hughes.  Ince took a huge step up from the lower leagues and despite success in 2007 with the MK Dons, he has to quickly come to terms with learning the managerial trade at the highest level.

Expectations:  Sustain Blackburn’s status as a top 10 team and continue to push for Euro qualification.

Progress:  Right now not good.  Rovers had some early success bagging a first win under Ince over Everton on the opening day of the season.  Since then form has dipped and Blackburn sit second from bottom in the league with just 10 more points acquired since that initial victory.

Looking Forward:  Attendances seem down – at least the games I’ve seen and there doesn’t appear to be much optimism.  The squad is probably too good to be sucked into a relegation battle but it’s already been brought up enough to make Ince address the relegation issue with the media.  Ince will need to get this team to at least mid-table if he hopes to make this a long-term assignment.

Chelsea:  Phil Scolari

Previous Managerial Positions:  Numerous clubs in the Middle East, Brazil, and Asia in early career managing 15 teams in 15 years from 1982-1997, including the Kuwait national team in 1991; Palmeiros (1997); Cruzeiro (2000); Brazil (2001); Portugal (2003)

Appointment Background:  Avram Grant was never considered the replacement for Jose Mourinho and, despite a decent 2007 season in which Chelsea finished second in both the EPL and the Champions League, the search for his successor was on well before John Terry hit the post.  Big Phil was named Chelsea boss during Euro 2008.

Expectations:  Win just about everything with an exciting and attacking brand of football.

Progress:  As expected, Solari has adjusted to life in the Stamford Bridge cauldron with ease.  He is popular with the fans and press alike, and appears to have a genuine rapport with the players.  Chelsea are playing with attacking flair and style, leading the way at the top of the league.  Despite a setback in their last European Champions League match, they are in good shape to progress.

Looking Forward:  They will win something this year or at least come very close.  They are a solid team and even if Roman does not break out the cash again in January, Phil has more than he needs to work with to be successful.  Chances are he will be around for a long while as Chelsea campaign for silverware on all fronts.

Hull City:  Phil Brown

Previous Managerial Positions:  Derby (2005)

Appointment Background:  Took over in December, 2006 with Hull 22nd in the Championship.  Successfully fought off relegation and subsequently, the following season, led the Tigers to top-flight football for the first time in their history.

Expectations:  Avoid Relegation.

Progress:  The amount of material already generated on the accomplishments of Hull City and Phil Brown since starting their inaugural season speaks volumes. They are everybody’s favorite ‘other’ team (except for maybe Grimsby fans).  They have already collected over half of the 40 points usually deemed necessary to survive and have recorded some impressive wins notably at the Emirates and White Hart Lane.  It’s not all been rosy but they are the ‘feel-good’ story of the season so far.

Looking Forward:  They probably will not be able to maintain their initial early form but a solid mid-table position is more than reachable for Brown’s team.  Even if they do fall from grace, Phil Brown has established himself as a top tier managerial candidate for a few years.

Portsmouth:  Tony Adams

Previous Managerial Positions:  Wycombe (2003)

Appointment Background:  Harry wanted to go to Spurs-Spurs paid Portsmouth 5 mil-Big Tone was promoted.

Expectations:  Tough to gauge so it would be good to hear from some Pompey fans.  Portsmouth have been continuously improving over the past couple of seasons and enter the 08-09 season as FA Cup holders.  At the very least Adams will need to maintain a consistent and capable Premiership team.

Progress:  Too early to tell although Adams has been on the coaching stuff during the renaissance at Fratton Park and can be credited to contributing to their recent success.

Looking Forward:  If Adams can keep the squad around mid-table or better he should be fine for another year or two.  January could be a key month in terms of either building or dismantling the team, especially if ‘Arry comes calling with his checkbook.

Stoke City:  Tony Pulis

Previous Managerial Positions:  Bournemouth (1992); Gillingham (1995); Bristol City (1999); Portsmouth (2000); Stoke (2002); Plymouth (2005)

Appointment Background:  Returned to Stoke for his second stint after new ownership at the Britannia Stadium in 2006.  Achieved promotion in his second season back at the club to give the Potters their first top flight football in 23 years.

Expectations:  Avoid relegation.

Progress:  City are hovering around the relegation zone in a tightly packed mid to lower table clutch of clubs.  Stoke are playing a very direct style of football that has seem them record decent wins against Villa, Spurs, and Arsenal in addition to earning a very respectable draw at Anfield.  If they can avoid a spiral of successive defeats, they have a good shot at securing a second EPL season.

Looking Forward:  Fans seem happy and the players seem happy.  Unless the team go into a big slide Pulis is probably safe in his job.  Continued dedication and consistency could garner him a second season in the Premier League.

West Bromich Albion:  Tony Mowbray

Previous Managerial Positions:  Ipswich (Caretaker 2002), Hibernian (2004)

Appointment Background:  Replaced Bryan Robson in 2006 after West Brom had been relegated.  Achieved promotion back to the Premiership at the second attempt and guided the team to the FA Cup Semi-Final last season.

Expectations:  Avoid relegation

Progress:  Early returns were promising for WBA as they secured their best ever start to a Premier League campaign.  Form has since plummeted and the Baggies have just 1 point from their past 7 games while being outscored 17-3, and they currently sit at the foot of the table.

Looking forward:  If there is a bright spot, it is that the Premier is so tight this year.  A couple of wins on the trot can see any bottom club climb to mid-table.  Nevertheless, the current run of results is alarming and Mowbray will need to turn it around quickly if he wants a second Premier term to establish his top-flight managerial credentials.

West Ham United:  Gianfranco Zola

Previous Managerial Positions:  None (assistant coach for Italy U-21s in 2006)

Appointment Background:  An early season replacement for Alan Curbishly, who despite a decent record with the Hammers, fell out with ownership over transfer funds and seemed to be distanced from fans with high expectations.  The only manager with no prior experience.

Expectations:  Secure top half finish and develop a team capable of qualifying for Europe and challenging for domestic cups.

Progress:  Zola has had a bit more time than Tony Adams and it is probably still too early to see how the team will respond to the former Chelsea playmaker.  The Hammers secured their first victory in 8 games at Sunderland this past weekend, with their previous EPL victory coming in Zola’s second game in charge against Fulham on Sep. 27th.  Form does not appear to be very consistent and he still hasn’t been able to get them to fix that dodgy patch on the front of their shirts!

Looking Forward:  His current West Ham team look more like Championship material than the top 6-10 that their fans expect.  It could be a case of a champagne taste on a beer budget at Upton Park with the financial situation not likely to aid Zola in strengthening his squad.  His induction into football management could end up in disaster unless the performances improve quickly.  Zola, however, is a class act and undoubtedly a popular figure in Premiership football. Regardless of how his first term concludes, I think we are likely to see Gianfranco around top-flight English football for a while.

How do you think the managers new to the Premier League are performing?  Are you a fan of any of the seven teams discussed and if so what is the general feeling?  Of the seven coaches who has impressed you the most?

Cheers!