So it’s official, Martin Jol will not be leaving the Dutch giants of Ajax to take over at Craven Cottage. Despite Fulham’s courting of the likable Jol, Ajax’s chief executive Rick van den Boog flew back to deal with the situation. Jol had agreed a contract in principle but after discussions, decided to stay in Amsterdam. What did surprise me about the whole situation was just how bad the financial situation has become for a club with the history, stature and standing of Ajax.

Fulham of course now find themselves in a situation of not having a manager with just over 3 weeks until the new Premiership season begins. The success of Roy Hodgson’s tenure has made it an attractive position and the way the team has performed in the last two seasons gives all Fulham fans hope that the good work can continue.

The question now is, who will Fulham turn to. I must admit, I was surprised they went after Jol, not because I don’t rate him, I think he’s a cracking manager who was treated disgustingly by Tottenham Hotspur back in 2007. No one at Tottenham who was involved in that debacle can be proud of how it turned out. Jol, of course, had the last laugh as Juande Ramos’ disastrous reign ended in just under a year with the club rooted to the foot of the Premiership and sinking like a stone.

Going after Jol was a real bolt from the blue so it isn’t easy to point to who the club will turn to now. Their are several high profile candidates currently out of work and most notably Sven Goran-Eriksson has already stated his interest in the post. Despite his desperate love letter to the Liverpool board, it could be replacing the man who got the job he wanted that gives him a way back in to the Premiership. Eriksson was also harshly treated by his previous domestic employers Manchester City, so he would be keen to get back quickly.

Unfortunately, his positions since leaving the City of Manchester Stadium have hardly extended his reputation, with a dreadful spell in charge in Mexico and an underwhelming spell looking after the Ivory Coast. Yet Fulham do have a reputation of being quite left field with managerial appointments. With Kevin Keegan, Jean Tigana, Chris Coleman, Lawrie Sanchez and then Roy Hodgson, none were expected to take the reins but did so with varying levels of success.

Craven Cottage has seen such progress over the last two years under Hodgson that any new manager could have to deal with raised expectations. A highest Premiership finish in 2008-09 was followed by a wonderful run to the final of the Europa League which could not have been anywhere near the expectations of the fans two years ago. A nucleus of a fine footballing side, filled with experienced, talented players has made Fulham more than just another London club.

Following Hodgson is of course going to be a hard act to follow, but the quality of the playing staff, a lovely ground on the banks of the Thames and renewed sense of belief in the stands makes it a very attractive club right now. The new manager will have plenty of tools at his disposal to continue the upward progression of the last two seasons and fans will be disappointed over Jol’s decision to stay in the Netherlands. The club, in choosing to court Jol showed a desire to continue that and the future looks very bright for the Cottagers.

Please leave me your comments below and you can follow me at www.twitter.com/paulbestall

Every once in a while I come across a unique video that I feel would be worth sharing with you, my readers. And here’s one. It’s the 1977 European Super Cup between Liverpool, holders of the European Cup (the precursor to the Champions League) at the time against the holders of the European Cup Winner’s Cup, Hamburg. Nowadays the closest thing to the European Cup Winner’s Cup is the Europa League. The idea behind the Cup Winner’s Cup was to bring together the winners of the domestic cup competitions from each country and then participate in a straight knock-out tournament over two legs (home and away) until the final.

The 1977 European Super Cup is interesting to watch for several different reasons. On a bitterly cold night at Anfield, the game marks the return of former Liverpool legend Kevin Keegan who had only recently joined the German side. The number 7 of Kevin Keegan for Hamburg was on the same pitch as his replacement, number 7 of Liverpool – Kenny Dalglish. It’s also interesting to watch the video to see how the game is produced and presented to the viewer, as well as to recognize how many empty seats there were at Anfield.

Despite a strong start by Hamburg in this game, which was the second leg of the final (both teams drew 1-1 during the first leg in Germany), it was Liverpool who went on to win the match. Based on how he missed a clear-cut chance to score early in the game, it may be surprising to know that Terry McDermott went on to score a hat trick in this game to help Liverpool win 6-0 (and on aggregate, win it 7-1) to lift the 1977 European Super Cup trophy.

While the video is only the furst 10 minutes of the broadcast, what are some of the highlights which stand out for you? Please share them in the comments section below.

While having a drink at a local coffee shop Wednesday evening with Kartik Krishnaiyer, the topic of Graeme Souness came up and what an abysmal football manager he was especially at Newcastle. It got me thinking, though, that just as footballers retire from playing, football managers should be put out to pasture too when they’re obviously inept or past their prime.

So, without further ado, here are the top 7 football managers who have been involved in the English game that should be put out to pasture:

1. Graeme Souness: Souney is a perfect example of someone who is a much better pundit than football manager. With his analysis on RTE, he’s decisive, critical and blunt. As a football manager, he was often making excuses or silly transfer moves such as when he got rid of Deco and replaced him with Mark Pembridge.
2. David O’Leary: Whenever a manager vacancy happens, O’Leary is usually the first name that the press mentions as a possible contender for the job. However, in recent years, he’s been overlooked time and time again. And for good reason. The former Aston Villa manager did superbly at Leeds United, but his record at Villa was less than admirable eventually resulting in a player revolt against then Villa chairman Doug Ellis by his own players in 2006.
3. Tony Adams: The former Arsenal defender is another example of a genius of a football player who was awful as a manager. Even as an assistant manager at Portsmouth, under Harry Redknapp, Adams looked like a glum individual who was slumped on the bench and looking very disinterested. When he became manager of Pompey, his posture improved slightly but his tactics as manager were suspect and he lacked the motivation necessary to boost his players. His final game in charge was against Liverpool where his team were leading but eventually lost 3-2. In 16 games in charge, he only picked up 10 points. To make matters worse, he has now been tipped for the vacant New York Red Bulls manager position.
4. Iain Dowie: After Alan Curbishley left Charlton, Dowie was one of several clueless managers who tried to keep the ship afloat but failed miserably despite the fact that Dowie spent £11.2m on players during the summer of 2006. Under his leadership, Dowie won two Premier League games out of 12 and was sacked by November.
5. Stuart Pearce: Under Stuart Pearce, Manchester City were a joke team that had an awful club record of only scoring 10 league goals at home that entire season. Besides that poor record, Pearce supported Ben Thatcher after his horrific tackle against Pedro Mendes of Portsmouth. Pearce claimed that Thatcher mistimed the tackle, which is ridiculous. Add to that Pearce’s ineptitude as a manager. It’s surprising to think that he’s now the England under-21 manager.
6. Bryan Robson: One of the world’s best midfielders in his time ended up being a relative failure as a football manager. After each stint as a football manager, it became very apparent that he was pretty clueless as a gaffer at clubs such as Middlesbrough, Bradford, West Bromwich Albion and Sheffield United. His only saving grace was the final of the 2004/2005 season when West Brom performed the great escape by beating Portsmouth 2-0 and staying up in the Premier League.
7. Kevin Keegan: As much as I love Big Kev as a footballer and a childhood hero of mine, his days as a quality manager are long gone. He did well at Fulham and Newcastle United, but his track record at Manchester City was awful. As long as he did plenty of money to buy flash players, he was able to do well but his tactics seemed naive and definitely out of touch with reality despite his success at Newcastle United in the early 90s when they almost won the league.

Who’s missing from the list that deserves to be on it? Or which players do you think should not be included above? Click the comments link below and share your feedback.

Much has been made of the demise of Leeds United AFC. We are all familiar with the tale of gross overspending, Ridsdale’s goldfish, and a descent into the third tier of English football. Football supporters have little sympathy for a club that reached the quarterfinals of the Champions League in 2001 and are now playing in League One due to its own negligence. Yet only the Manchester City faithful can truly understand such a fall from grace, as Leeds have plummeted to the depths of the Football League.

However, a temporary shot at redemption has been offered to the Yorkshire giants from an unlikely source: the Carling Cup. Often overlooked as a lesser competition by Premier League outfits, the League Cup presents an opportunity for clubs outside the English topflight to claim a prominent piece of silverware. While the big boys of English football are suffocated by fixture congestion, clubs in the remaining Football League divisions are ready to take advantage of their opportunities. Typically League Cup fixtures don’t become enticing until the fourth round of the competition, but this year the third round presents an array of intriguing match-ups.

Headlining the fixture list is the September 22 contest between Leeds United and Liverpool Football Club. I will be covering this captivating encounter live from Elland Road for EPL Talk, as the two northern sides have not met since 2004. This is a match that is weighted in history and tradition, and for me personally the game is extremely significant. My father is a life-long Leeds supporter, and he has been a season ticket holder at Elland Road for over thirty years. Meanwhile I represent a Scouse contingent of the family that is partial to Liverpool FC, and tensions will be running high in my family on match day.

This fixture was once a marquee match-up in the English First Division, featuring names like Keegan, Bremner, Giles, Dalglish, and Lorimer. Bill Shankly famously managed his last match as Liverpool gaffer against Brian Clough’s controversial Leeds United side in the 1974 Community Shield. While Liverpool claimed a result on penalties, this match is often remembered for the bloody altercation between Kevin Keegan and Billy Bremner. These two clubs were among the most dominant teams on the continent throughout this era, as Leeds captured the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup twice and Liverpool began their assault on the European Cup.

Even as the game moved into the Premier League era, Leeds-Liverpool matches produced an array of memorable moments. Mark Viduka scored a hat trick against the Merseysiders at Elland Road in 2000, while one year later Gerard Houllier suffered a heart attack at Anfield against the Yorkshire club. There was even a certain degree of crossover between the two clubs, as Kop idols Ian Rush and Robbie Fowler both spent time at Elland Road. Even until United’s relegation to the Championship in 2004 these two clubs were often jockeying for Champions League eligibility, with several current Premier League stars (Ferdinand, Keane, Bowyer, etc.) propelling Leeds onward.

Today the mighty Whites can be seen playing the likes of Walsall and Stockport County, but with Elland Road sold out for Tuesday’s match this Carling Cup third round tie will be a high-profile encounter between old foes. Having nearly returned to the Championship during the past two seasons, Leeds appear primed to rise from the ashes this campaign. Currently tied for first place atop League One, Simon Grayson’s side may just be able to take advantage of a harried Liverpool squad. Currently Steven Gerrard and company are competing in the group stage of the UEFA Champions League while simultaneously attempting to get their Premier League campaign back on track.

Leeds United are led Jermaine Beckford, the top scorer in the Football League over the past two seasons. While highly touted winger Fabian Delph departed for Aston Villa in the transfer season, the Whites have had little trouble scoring goals in the early portion of the season. Whatever happens EPL Talk will be there to bring you live coverage of the match, so be sure to check back in following Tuesday’s action.

Whether they want him or not, the Geordie nation are stuck with Mike Ashley as much as he’s stuck with them. Since the Keegan debacle back in September, the hard pressed fans have continued to watch their beloved Magpies struggle along with no real resolution in sight and last weeks news regarding the long term health of current manager Joe Kinnear leaves them in managerial limbo as Chris Hughton and Colin Calderwood take control of team affairs until further notice. Kinnear had his triple heart bypass operation of Friday and is expected to convalesce for at least 2 months, taking us into the middle of April and misses 8 matches at the earliest if he returns at all this season. Mike Ashley is taking a massive risk in allowing the coaching staff to cover for the foreseeable future with Newcastle only 4 points off the relegation places but what can he do?

The win at West Bromwich was a massive result for the club especially after the very fortunate draw at home to Sunderland but January saw them gather 1 point and get dumped out of the FA Cup, so it was the least they required. I’m just concerned that they could get sucked back into the bottom three and be adrift before any decision on Kinnear’s future is made. After his heart attack whilst manager of Wimbledon, on leaving the club he didn’t return to work for 20 months until Luton Town took a chance on him. The chances that he’ll return in 8 weeks after a major operation is, in my opinion, generous at the very least.I hope everything goes as well as it can for Joe Kinnear and his family and he recovers his health as quickly as possible but his health is the key issue here, that alone is the only thing that should matter to Kinnear and Mike Ashley.

Ashley is stuck with a make or break choice, does he leave the door open for Kinnear to return and allow Hughton and Calderwood to deputise or does he get someone in to take over and help out with some experience of the situation Newcastle find themselves in, probably lowering his stock even further. Whilst Hughton had several years as Assistant Manager at Tottenham, Calderwood has spent his entire managerial career in the lower leagues with Northampton and Nottingham Forest before being sacked in December. The likeable Hughton has already had one spell as caretaker manager of Newcastle this season but Calderwoods managerial skills leave me cold, having seen enough of his Nottingham Forest side to think they managed to get promoted last season in spite of his tactical mistakes. Being seen to push Kinnear out of St James’ Park whilst recovering from his operation would leave a sour taste in the mouths of most fans across the country.

Ashley needs his team to win some games and quickly, to try and assure safety as soon as possible but what happens if they lose the next 3 games? It’s not unthinkable seeing they have Everton and Manchester United at home and a trip to the Reebok Stadium in that run before games against Chelsea, Arsenal and Hull City? Can he afford to see Newcastle relegated whilst Kinnear recovers? Of course he can’t, but can he afford to replace Kinnear without generating even more bad publicity? Once again, of course not. For all the loathing Ashley has garnered during his dreadful run as owner, he certainly generates some sympathy for his situation here. Critics will point to the fact that Kinnear shouldn’t have been appointed at all, he hadn’t managed at the top level for nearly a decade and had been out of work since December 2004 and only got the job because of his connections with Dennis Wise. Ashley is stuck between a rock and hard place and is pining his hopes on two men who haven’t managed in a permanent capacity in the Premiership to keep them out of the relegation zone and it’s not a situation I envy in the slightest, for once Mike Ashley deserves some sympathy.

If the decisions that Alan Curbishley and Kevin Keegan took earlier this season to leave their respective Premier League clubs doesn’t serve as good enough evidence to foreign owners that trying to get involved with matters on the pitch is a terrible idea, then the future hopes of some of England’s top-flight teams are in shatters.

When two of the country’s most respected managers walk away from jobs at the clubs they love so much then you know something is wrong. Curbishley and Keegan have such affection for West Ham and Newcastle respectively that just resigning out of the blue was never an option. There had to be something or someone that had caused such shock exists.  And there was.

In both cases the reason for departure was how the club was being run at board level, and more specifically how the board were attempting to run the football side of things. At West Ham Curbishly said publicly towards the end of the summer’s transfer window that no more of the club’s players would be sold, only for Anton Ferdinand to be shipped out against his wishes days after making the statement. It was not his choice to see him go; in fact it had nothing to do with him at all. The decision was made by the executives of the club who sit upstairs mulling over finances and revenue most of the time.

And the circumstances were almost identical at Newcastle, where Keegan left because he discovered that on the final day of the transfer window several of his first-team players were offered for sale by the club’s board. Keegan spent a few days discussing the situation with Newcastle’s hierarchy before coming to the decision to resign with immediate effect. Once again a man who was steering a club in the right direction was forced to leave because stupid board members and executives above him were trying to do jobs they were not supposed to even think about.

Football is not their area of specialism so trying to invade the club’s on-the-pitch matters with their absurd ideas just simply doesn’t work. They employ a manager and coaching staff to work in that field, and to work with the players and pick the team, so with that the job of deciding which players come in and out of the club should rest with them as well. They are the football people, they have played the game professionally and they know what they are doing, so leave it to them. If businessmen from upstairs are signing players and then presenting them to the manager all of a sudden then what are they supposed to do? The individual who is responsible for training the players should have the choice as to which players he is training. This is the manager. It should not be somebody who does not know the ins and outs of Premier League football, like the board members at Upton Park and St James Park.

Yet despite the sufficient evidence provided by managers like Curbishley and Keegan, and many before them,  that interfering with their jobs is almost suicidal, owners will continue to come and buy clubs and attempt to get involved with football matters. Doing this has a track-record of failing miserably, and even Chelsea were victims of this when Roman Abramovich tried to meddle with Jose Mourinho’s job, only for the gifted Portuguese manager to walk out on the Stamford Bridge outfit. They suffered and mourned, and so will many clubs in the future if the current predicament remains. Why rich businessmen from abroad continue to do this is beyond most people that follow the Premier League. It sometimes makes you wonder how they became so wealthy when they come and do such stupid things.

One example, however, of a foreign owner taking charge of a top-flight club in England and proving wonderfully successful is that of the American Randy Lerner at Aston Villa. He has injected money into the club but has not stuck his nose into matters on the pitch. He never talks to the media, and remains out of the spotlight, so much so that people often forget he is such a high-profile figure. Lerner does things so simply but so effectively and that is what makes him such a great owner. He does not seek attention, and he knows that he is never going to be the most important person at the club, like some owners think they are. Randy Lerner should be the role model for wannabe Premier League owners, when currently everybody wants to be the next Roman Abramovich and get stuck into the football side of things.

Things need to chance at the top of the hierarchy if clubs are function properly in the future. Let’s hope there are plenty of Lerners out there, ready to mirror Randy’s masterful running of Aston Villa.

Going through some old boxes last week, I found a handmade poetry book I created in primary school when I was living in Wales. I thought it’d be interesting to share the poems and my pictures no matter how crude and silly they are to help paint a picture of what a ten-year old soccer obsessed boy was thinking in 1980.

Here are the soccer-related poems and drawings (click the images, when open, to zoom in):

• “Soccer” (The Poem)

• “Famous Footballers”

• Kevin Keegan Drawing

• “I Have A Dream”

• “Wales 4-1 England”

• Old Footballer Drawing.

Some of the things that I found interesting about the collection were the names of different companies featured on the advertising boards such as Talbot (cars), Esso (gasoline/petrol), V.G. and Spar (grocery stores), my adoration for my boyhood hero Kevin Keegan, the amount of belief I had in the Welsh national team at that time (thanks to their 4-1 against England), and – even at that age – the level of detail I drew into the football kits of Wales (Adidas) and England (Admiral).

Before I write, I want to thank everyone for the turnout this weekend for the EPL Talk Chat. You honestly have no idea how happy it made me. Anyways enough of the gushing, back to the meat of this post.

Marlon King’s double was enough to see off Newcastle United 2-1.

I have to admit, I’m torn about what direction to take this particular article. Really this should be about how Hull City was able to take advantage of a club in crisis and get a win at St. James’ Park. Instead, I’m more focused on what happened in the stands to start the second half.

As the ‘Cockney Mafia Out’ banner circled the ground to start the second half, I actually got disgusted. Yes everyone in the world knows Newcastle United fans are not happy with Ashley at the helm and they sure as hell aren’t happy with how Kevin Keegan had to leave the club this time around. But to parade around with a sign is just disgraceful to those on the pitch trying their best to get a result for the club that you claim to support. To make this protest even more comical was the fact Ashley or Wise weren’t even there, and it was pretty obvious they weren’t going to be. Yes they didn’t take their venom out on the players, but if you’re focusing your time on taking it out on the board, can’t you argue fans are taking it out on the players by ignoring what they do on the field?

Look, if you want to protest to your club about what is going on there, it’s pretty simple. Don’t buy anymore merchandise. Protest outside the club, don’t show up. If you want to even sing songs of protest to the board, while I’m not thrilled with it, I can even understand that. But to draw attention to yourselves by circling the ground with a banner is about as low as it can go as far as I’m concerned.

What’s even sadder is this game was more or less a side show to the protests on offer at the ground. The game itself though wasn’t that great of a game. Newcastle United had the promising start, but couldn’t take advantage of their three best chances to score inside of half an hour. Then the penalty and I’ve gone back and forth on this one. The way I see it, Peter Halmosi came back into the tackle of Nicky Butt. From my vantage point, it shouldn’t have been a penalty, but I won’t fault Andre Marriner for awarding it. Marlon King did his job from the spot even though Given guessed correctly and Hull had their lead.

The start of the second half was pretty much more of the same for Newcastle. Create chances, but got caught out on one quality counter. Charles N’Zogbia should be taken to task for being caught so far out of position. Marlon King had plenty of space to run in and even with N’Zogbia tracking back, it was too late. King did well to keep composed on the ball and slot home far post.

Xisco I felt had a good game, and got his reward nine minutes from the ninety. It was simply clean up duty as Charles N’Zogbia found space through the traffic to go far post. Myhill dove for it and was simply not able to get up in time as Xisco did well to stay onside and finish.

The ending though has to leave a black eye on the fans who did come out. Danny Guthrie has to know better that you just can’t go in and attack the legs unprovoked. Hell he got away with one hack at Caleb Fagan’s legs, but to blatantly dive in with what appeared to me an intent to injure is a joke.

In the end, Hull City get three points and do the business in the strangest of environments. Newcastle United just have too many issues to deal with right now and while they have enough talent to stay away from true relegation hell, it’s going to be another long season of turmoil for them.

A Few Other Observations:
1) If Geremi is Newcastle United’s best crossing threat, that’s not a good thing.
2) Could Shola Ameobi have had a worse game? At the moment, he doesn’t even look league one standard, even if he is coming off an injury.
3) If Dean Windass doesn’t have a realistic chance weekly to come on, shouldn’t he be smart enough to just step aside and let those who are more able in? It their four matches this season, the only one he’s come on in was during a blowout.

I’ll be back tonight with a review of Stoke City taking on Everton.

If reality TV executives are looking for the next smash hit, they should consider Premier League football.

Consider the real world drama that happened this week alone. There was Fergie picking up Berbatov in his Bentley under the noses of Man City’s executives. In Newcastle, there was the two-day boardroom drama involving Keegan, his lawyers and the Toon executives. At Upton Park, a real-life episode of Eastenders was being played out as Curbishley delivered his words of resignation with a cockney accent.

And then there was the cliffhanger, the point in the show where viewers were on tenterhooks with the bombshell that one of the richest families in the world had purchased the unfashionable Manchester City.Without a doubt, the Premier League has become the most entertaining soap opera there is. There are so many plotlines, characters that we love to hate and secretly admire. And the amazing is that we’ve only just finished gameweek three. We have thirty five more to go.

While the drama off the pitch has generated a sea of emotions — from anger to disbelief and everything in between — the Premier League clubs need to ensure that the focus returns to the place it truly should be, on the pitch. We’ve had three entertaining weekends thus far, but we haven’t seen a classic match that has left us speechless. Let’s hope it happens sooner rather than later.

Literally in the last few minutes, the BBC are reporting that Keegan has resigned due to the football structure of Newcastle United. He feels that his position has been completely undermined by Dennis Wise and Tony Jiminez.

A hastily released statement by Keegan pointedly clarifies that his position has become untenable due to pressure put on him by other people at the club telling him who he could sign and allegedly pick for the team. He wishes Newcastle United all the best in the future but felt that he simply could not carry on any further.  The statement reads “I’ve been working desperately hard to find a way forward with the directors, but sadly that has not proved possible.” “It is my opinion that a manager must have the right to manage and the club should not impose upon any manager any player he does not want.”

It’s hard to feel any sympathy for the board and owners of Newcastle United, they’ve brought this situation entirely upon themselves by creating a situation that was simply unworkable, Quite why Wise and Jiminez are in positions of such power in a Premiership football club is beyond me. Mike Ashley has completely misread the situation and I would expect St James Park to be swamped by hundreds of angry Toon fans as we speak. This is a PR disaster of gigantic proportions and I think Ashley and Co are now facing an open revolt from fans, the only bonus to the situation is that the club do not have a league game until the 13th of September. Anyone with an ounce of football knowledge would know that the one person the club could not afford to lose was Keegan and Ashley would be wise to stay as far away as possible from the ground.

It’s becoming a more commonplace situation when people with no knowledge of the game surround themselves with people who have no feeling for the fans or the club’s history and feel they can make footballing decisions with no experience at all. I saw some postings on various websites in the period between Tuesday and today, blaming bored men who play too much Football Manager and think that it’s easy to run a football club. I think if we’ve learnt anything over the last 72 hours, it clearly isn’t and requires time, patience and understanding unless you have no idea what you are doing. The other crazy thing about this situation is the Geordies hate figure, Dennis Wise is expected to take temporary charge for the next league. Where do they go from here? Chris Waddle doesn’t believe the fans will boycott the team and thinks they’ll forget about keegan if Wise wins three games on the trot, which I honestly cannot see at all.

It’s going to be a long night in Newcastle for the Newcastle board and owner.