Sunderland boss Roy Keane has admitted he may have to alter his training regime after witnessing a first-half horror show against Fulham in the 1-1 draw on Saturday.
The Black Cats turned in a spectacularly inept first 45 minutes to belie the manager's assertion that they can make a significant impact in the top flight.
What transpired before the break made a second-half fightback look perhaps a little more impressive than it was, and while Keane was happy to see his players secure a reward for their efforts, he is well aware that, to a certain extent, that simply papered over the cracks.
In the wake of a frenetic finish, during which Kenwyne Jones' 86th-minute equaliser set the scene for substitute Anthony Stokes to almost snatch victory in injury-time, the Irishman revealed he had already started to analyse the reasons for a woeful start.
Keane, who has been hampered by injuries from the off this season, said: "We are asking players to keep pushing their bodies. That is well and good at Christmas or Easter, but so early in the season, it is something I don't like doing. As a manager, I have got to ask myself why we were so flat in the first half. Possibly we are training too hard, possibly we are pushing the players, and sometimes you can leave it out on the training pitch. Credit to our players, they train extremely hard. There is always that intensity, there are always tackles flying about. But then I ask myself why have we got a load of injuries? That is down to me as a manager and we have to look at that because in any game in the Premier League, if you start slow, it's not like a light switch, you cannot just switch it on. You have got to start quickly, and it was a long 45 minutes for us. But I am grateful that we got to half-time."
That the Wearsiders walked off with boos ringing in their ears only 1-0 down was something Fulham boss Lawrie Sanchez was to live to regret after his side dominated the opening 45 minutes.
Simon Davies' 32nd-minute free-kick did the damage, but the visitors should perhaps already have been in front after the normally lethal David Healy latched on to Danny Higginbotham's suicidal pass across goal, but contrived to fire wide of the empty net from 20 yards.
Sunderland's improvement after the restart was marked, although it was not until the 70th minute that they really threatened with keeper Antti Niemi blocking Grant Leadbitter's shot after the midfielder broke through the cover.
The Finn repeated the feat at the death when confronted one-one-one by Stokes, but by then Jones had climbed highest to power home his fourth goal of the season from a Leadbitter cross to level.
Asked what he had said at half-time, Keane replied with a smile: "Not too much. Half-time came at a good time - I'm not sure for the players, but for me and the staff. It was a chance to make a few points to them, and credit to them, they took it on board. It was certainly a game of two halves. They were unrecognisable from the first half."
The result was all the more creditable after full-back Greg Halford's second dismissal of the season on 67 minutes for two bookable offences, a misdemeanour which will land him a two-match ban.
But if Halford was disappointed with his afternoon's work, his mood was more than matched by that of Sanchez, who has now seen his side go nine Barclays Premier League games without a win.
He said: "I see some results going on in the Premier League, I see sixes and sevens and fours and fives and threes. We had one bad half against Portsmouth and were beaten 2-0, and that's our worst game of the season. We have been in every other game against top teams from Arsenal all the way down to the Derbys of this world when we played with 10 men. We can compete, but what we cannot seem to do at this moment in time is gather three points from one game. We have to gather them from three games, which does make it rather difficult. But if we play like that in 90 per cent of our games, barring the last five minutes, we will be okay."
27 October 2007
Billy Davies insists he is not worrying about the impact any boardroom changes at Derby County could have on his job.
The Rams are seeking new investment and reports suggest former Hull City owner Adam Pearson is ready to plunge his money into the club.
It has led to suggestions that Davies' post could be under threat, particularly with Derby second bottom in the Premier League.
But Davies, who led The Rams to promotion in his first season at Pride Park, insists he is not fretting about his future.
"What has happened to Sammy Lee and Martin Jol has surprised me and it has been wrong in my humble opinion," Davies told reporters.
"But I don't think about whether I will get time to do what I want at Derby County. I don't care about that. I work very hard. I spend the money the board gives me and they make other decisions outside that. The board will decide whether they want a certain type of manager. I am not going to sit and worry about that. If and when the board decides it is time for a change and they want someone who is 5ft 7in, and I am only 5ft 6in, then that is their prerogative. I am under no illusions about how football works. People have their expectations. Everyone within the football club knows finishing 17th is our ambition. Anyone who expects better than that is living in fantasy land."
27 October 2007
Who has the loudest fans in the Premier League?
Decibel meter readings taken across home matches for all Premier League teams during August and September, showed that the loudest home crowd was Sunderland.
Average peak volume of the Sunderland crowd at home reaching 129.2 decibels & 150; louder than a rock concert (115 decibels) and almost as loud as an air raid siren/military jet (130 decibels).
As a volume of 110-115 decibels can cause hearing damage after just 15 minutes, football fans are being advised to wear ear protection if they want to hear the referees whistle clearly across their supporting career.
The findings are especially embarrassing for Arsenal and Manchester United, whose grounds dwarf the 49,000-seater Sunderland home ground by 11,000 and 21,000 seats respectively.
Quietest home fans were Fulham who could only muster an average maximum volume of 115.4 decibels at home.
And although not the loudest, Everton fans proved that they have the stamina to keep it up all match. Their chants were the most frequent (one every three minutes on average) and longest (52 seconds each on average) of all teams studied.
The ear-bending research was commissioned by 118118 who are searching for the best and loudest football chants in the country.
NOISE LEAGUE TABLE:
Sunderland
Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester City
Aston Villa
Everton
Chelsea
Middlesbrough
Derby County
Newcastle United
West Ham
Birmingham City
Arsenal
Portsmouth
Blackburn Rovers
Bolton Wanderers
Liverpool
Manchester United
Wigan Athletic
Reading
Fulham
26 October 2007
Tottenham confirmed after Thursday's 2-1 UEFA Cup defeat to Getafe at White Hart Lane that manager Martin Jol and first-team coach Chris Hughton had been sacked.
Development coach Clive Allen and youth team manager Alex Inglethorpe have been placed in caretaker charge, but reports suggest current Sevilla coach Juande Ramos will eventually succeed Jol.
Chairman Daniel Levy told the club's official website: "For me, Martin and Chris' departure is regrettable. Our greatest wish was to see results turn in our favour and for there to be no need for change. We feel honoured that Martin has been manager at our club, having seen us qualify twice for Europe. Chris has been with us since 1977, bar a three-year period, both as player and coach and he has been an excellent ambassador for the club. They have been professional, popular and respected members of the coaching staff and there will always be a warm welcome for them both at the Lane."
Jol added: "I can understand the position of the club in light of the results. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. Tottenham Hotspur is a special club and I want to thank the terrific staff and players. For me the fans were always amazing with their support so I would also like to say thank you - I shall never forget them."
Jol had been under pressure since August and his expensively-assembled side is currently in the Premier League's bottom three after winning only one game so far this season - against Derby County.
Speculation about Jol's future intensified earlier this season when members of the Spurs board allegedly travelled to Seville to speak to Ramos.
Gus Poyet, the former Tottenham and Chelsea midfield player who is currently at Leeds United, is believed to have been approached to become the assistant manager.
Jol replaced Jacques Santini as manager at White Hart Lane in November 2004 and guided the club to successive fifth-placed finishes in the Premier League and to the quarter-finals of last season's UEFA Cup.
25 October 2007
Young defender Lewin Nyatanga is eyeing a return to the Derby first team after enjoying a successful loan spell at Barnsley.
The 19-year-old was allowed to moved out on loan to Oakwell in order to gain some first-team experience, helping the Tykes into the top half of the Championship table.
Nayatanga joined Barnsley in July and has not missed a game for the Yorkshire club, making a big impact and staking a claim for a chance in the Premier League.
The Wales international's spell at Barnsley will expire on January 1, and the young star has admitted that he is keen to head back to Pride Park and battle for a first team place.
Nayatanga admitted to Sheffield Star: "Derby are the club that I was brought up with, they're the club I'm contracted to."
23 October 2007
Cagliari President Massimo Cellino has reacted furiously to suggestions that the Rossoblu should be punished after a homemade bomb hit a player.
A missile struck Cagliari's Antonino D'Agostino as he was saluting the fans following a 1-1 Derby delle Isole draw with Catania.
The object appeared to have been thrown by a home fan and it is possible that Cagliari may now be forced to play behind closed doors.
'The fault doesn't lie with Cagliari, but with everyone,' Cellino bellowed.
'We have spent huge amounts on turnstiles, video cameras and numbered and assigned seats. We have done everything that has been asked and then some imbecile throws a missile. What am I supposed to do, shut the stadium? That would achieve nothing. If the fans need to be punished, we should be the ones to do it.'
D'Agostino suffered concussion and shock, but seems to have avoided any serious injury.
Cagliari are currently nervously awaiting the result of an investigation by the Disciplinary Commission.
22 October 2007
Fulham keeper Kasey Keller is reportedly set for an extended spell on the sidelines after suffering a bicep injury.
The summer signing had fought his way into the team in the last month only to pick up the problem ahead of last weekend's 0-0 draw with Derby.
And American veteran Keller is now tipped to miss at least four months of the campaign as a result.
Keller's absence against the Rams saw a recall for Antti Niemi and he now looks set to keep the number one shirt for the time being.
17 October 2007
Bolton Wanderers have parted company with their manager, Sammy Lee, after a dismal run of results which has seen them slump to second bottom of the Premier League.
Lee, who had been assistant manager, took over the Lancashire side in April, a day after Sam Allardyce announced that he was leaving the club.
His appointment had been intended to ensure stability and continuity at the club, but in addition to results continuing to slide on the pitch, there was also friction with senior players off it.
Clashes with Kevin Nolan, the captain, and Ivan Campo, who were both unhappy to have been left out of the side, came in addition to differences with some of the coaching staff, a number of whom also left the club.
Signs that all was not well came at the end of last week when player-coach Gary Speed announced that he only wanted to continue as a player and relinquished his coaching duties.
Lee paid the price today, as he and Frank McParland, his assistant, parted company 'by mutual consent', according to the club, with Speed and Paul Jewell already in the frame to take over as his replacement.
"This has been a difficult decision for all parties but we have agreed that time is right,' Phil Gartside, the Bolton Wanderers chairman, said.
"Sammy has played an important role in the club's recent history. We wish Sammy and Frank well for the future. Our efforts will now be to look for a replacement manager and to concentrate on the future."
Bolton have won just one of their nine Premier League games to date and are above bottom club Derby County on goal difference. They face a daunting trip to Arsenal, the unbeaten leaders, on Saturday.
12 October 2007
Mick McCarthy has told Wales boss John Toshack to keep out of his team selections.
Toshack is unhappy Wolves striker Freddy Eastwood has only started once since the last Euro 2008 qualifiers against Germany and Slovakia.
McCarthy has gone with Andy Keogh and Stephen Elliott as his first-choice strike pairing in recent weeks.
And the former Republic of Ireland manager says he will do what is best for Wolves, not Wales, when picking his team.
"Good old Tosh," McCarthy told the Daily Express. "I hope Wales play well in their next two games because someone might then ask me what I think. This debate about me not picking Freddy is not worrying me in the slightest. When I had quite a successful spell as an international manager with Ireland, I had an unwritten rule that I would never comment on what league managers did. They pick their team and I pick mine. I never once tried to pick theirs and I used to get really annoyed when they tried to pick mine. These days, as I am getting nearer to 50 than 40, it doesn't really concern me. But I really do find it bizarre. It comes down to what I decide with Wolves. I don't want people to try to start drumming up trouble. I care what the fans think and they want to see a team that is winning. They have to trust me. I will do what I think is the right thing to do with Freddy."
Toshack has also had to watch Robert Earnshaw used only sporadically by Derby since his £3.5million move in the summer.
The Wales chief has attempted to cool the situation with McCarthy, saying: "I must emphasise I was not being critical of any club manager. I was simply making the point that when Freddy Eastwood and Rob Earnshaw went for big money in the summer, it was good news for Wales. But the fact they are not playing does not help us."
11 October 2007
James Milner thinks Newcastle have developed a greater resilience under manager Sam Allardyce.
The Magpies are unbeaten this season and could move into the top four with victory over Derby on Monday, but Milner does not believe they have hit top form yet.
Milner is happy that Newcastle have been able to grind out results, and has challenged his team-mates to remain undefeated for as long as possible.
"We have been a bit disappointed with a couple of games where we thought we could have won, but they are games last season where we might not have got the point at all," said the former Leeds man.
"If we can get this winning habit, if we can get on a roll, we can keep pushing on. It's important to keep this unbeaten run going as long as we can, particularly when we are not winning games and not playing that well. That's what the good teams do - when they are not playing well, they win games or get a point."
Milner feels the new players have helped add more steel to Newcastle, but puts the change in atmosphere down largely to the influence of Allardyce.
He explained: "Too many times last year - even from winning positions - we did not hold on and hopefully the mentality is different now, the set-up is different and I am sure we are moving in the right direction. We have got a better team ethic now, that's a big difference. Everyone is willing to work for each other, everyone is on the same page and desperate to put their neck on the line for each other. As long as we get the three points, no-one cares, they will put their bodies on the line, and that's a great thing to have."
