For most, the return of the English football season signifies a welcomed release from the tedium of tennis, cricket and poking a hoop down a dusty road with a stick. It’s a sport that embodies an emotional attachment between its participants and spectators like no other and its elite institutions reconvene this weekend to introduce another 9 months of joy, heartache and unrivalled entertainment.
Keeping us as updated as physically possible will be the Soccer Saturday cast, conducted by the familiar childish fervour of Jeff Stelling combined with the experienced banter of his regular studio panel. The committed audience, whose numbers surpass one million, will naturally be anticipating perhaps the show’s most popular feature; Chris Kamara’s propensity for comical misadventure and unrelenting tendency to formulate unusual aphorisms. The former Bradford City manager featured in more than 700 games for nine different clubs during his playing days, but is currently found barking the latest scores from around Football League grounds on a Saturday afternoon. His annual reappearance on our screens is always met with jubilant ardour, and on Thursday, I sat down with Chris after he MC’d an event hosted by The Sun, bringing together Terry Venables and Sam Allardyce along with Sun journalists Shaun Custis and Paul Jiggins to discuss their thoughts on the forthcoming Premier League campaign.
Sam Allardyce has had an unfortunate start to his latest managerial project at West Ham in the Championship. Is it fair to say that things could have turned out differently had the public perception of his abilities reflected his impressive achievements? Out of all the English coaches produced in the past twenty years he has perhaps been the most forward-thinking, technology-embracing manager, yet the consensus opinion of him is as a one-dimensional coach. Many are tipping Harry Redknapp to become the next England manager, yet if anything he is far more one-dimensional that Allardyce, who could perhaps have missed out unfairly on the job when Steve McLaren was appointed.
There is a difference between the two of them. Harry is a players’ manager. Harry is very likeable and senior players respect him and respond to him. That’s not to say that they don’t respond to Sam but that they respond in a different way. Sam is very embracing of technology and looking to the future, whereas Harry is a very old school manager. He gives players the respect and time of day and talks to the player to make sure he’s 100% fit.
To be fair to Sam he doesn’t worry about the media. I’ve known him for a long time. I’ve known him from my playing days. The first ever goal I scored in my second ever game in football ‘Big Sam’ was marking me for Bolton against Portsmouth in 1975 – that feels like such a long time ago! So me and Sam know each other really well. When I was Bradford manager and he was Blackpool manager we beat them in the semi-final of the play-offs to get to the Championship. My first phone-call was to Sam the next day and he was so gracious, and he told me on the phone that he’d just been sacked.
I know him inside out and I know he doesn’t worry about things like that.
In a round about way Steve McLaren getting the England job affected Middlesbrough more, and Sam would’ve probably taken the England job at the time. So football would’ve been different for all sorts of reasons at the time.
The Premier League welcomes three new faces in the form of Norwich, QPR and Swansea this season. Out of the three, which club has prepared best for the forthcoming season, spent well in the transfer market and is best placed to avoid relegation?
It’s hard to tell. Obviously QPR have paid wages but they haven’t paid transfer fees. Neil Warnock had been expected to go out and spend loads and loads of money, but none of that has come to fruition. But Jay Bothroyd, Kieron Dyer and Danny Gabbidon are all players who are capable of playing the next level up.
Paul Lambert, when he got promotion from League 1 to the Championship, didn’t want to upset the apple cart within the football club and the spirit by going out and signing established players, he wanted to go out and buy young and hungry players, players who wouldn’t cost the club a fortune and they got promotion to the next level. He has done exactly the same as that again. The two lads that he has signed [Kyle Naughton and James Vaughan], would any other Premier League manager have signed them? Probably the answer is no. But Paul knows what’s best for his team. So once again, difficult to call.
And Swansea City, they’ve had a certain way of playing under Brendan Rogers. They’ve bought Danny Graham and Leroy Lita. Players who don’t have a proven track record in the Premier League, not that Danny Graham has had a chance to play in the Premier League having been at Carlisle and Watford and now he is just progressing his career. Leroy Lita has done the rounds, he’s been here there and everywhere. His last season in the top flight was with Reading and it didn’t really work out for him.
So it’s hard to tell, its hard to say, it’s a difficult one. Probably in the best position you’d have to say Neil Warnock.
What are your overall predictions for the Premier League this season?
What I always do is wait until half-a-dozen games have been played and then put a bet on. Last season I waited until about 6 games had been played and obviously went for Chelsea because I couldn’t see in any way in the world that they wouldn’t win it. They shot themselves in the foot when they sacked Ray Wilkins which clearly destabilised the club and that allowed Manchester United to come in. But because of that destabilisation, will they ever return to that former glory? I’m not so sure.
Manchester City if they buy well between now and the end of August, I know they’ve already spent £56million, but they are capable of spending another £56million and actually make the signings that could do it [win the league].
But in all reality it is hard to think beyond United.
What are your thoughts on the Championship this season? Who’s got the best chances of going up and which clubs are set for disappointment?
Well I don’t do ‘downs’ because the last thing I want on the first day of the season is to listen to some smart-arse pundit giving his predictions on who’s going down.
I think every fan will believe their team has a chance to go up. Watford have been there under Aidy Boothroyd which was incredible. Blackpool did it – incredible, Swansea did it – incredible. You know, you have to have that dream, that belief that it could happen, with that little bit of luck that drives teams on to win football matches. You just never know. You might have picked QPR out of the three teams that were promoted last season, only because of the start that they had. But if they hadn’t won however many games at the start, you wouldn’t have even been thinking about them in the first place.
So the thing is you never know in that division, you really don’t. That’s the reason why everybody now thinks they have a chance.
Follow Josh Sheridan on Twitter – @football_sheri
