Championship managerial changes are afoot

The chairmen are getting jittery again at some clubs. While Southampton in the Premiership will grab the headlines in their search for a new manager, there are others now in the Championship that are looking to make a change starting with Leeds Utd. The Yorkshire club will be looking for something different having seen Brian McDermott fail to get any consistency with all the problems at Leeds going on in the background. Forest have already opted for Stuart Pearce. Blackpool are looking for an inspirational manager, while Charlton have also made another change at the top with Bob Peeters from Waasland-Beveren, a Belgium side, coming in for Jose Riga. For AFCB though it is stability that we need and Eddie Howe remains the perfect fit.

New challenges for Eddie at AFCB should hold his interest.

I am looking forward to seeing what Eddie can do with some money behind him. I believe that is a challenge that Eddie is enjoying as he has not had such a transfer kitty before and while it is far from the biggest in the Championship, it is something that the Cherries have not been able to even dream about in past years. While Eddie Howe can see that there is more growth to come at Bournemouth he will hopefully remain in place, even if other clubs would like him to join them.

Each time there is a managerial vacancy though Eddie Howe's name tends to pop up which is a little disconcerting. As a bright, young manager though it should not be surprising that he is automatically connected to such vacant positions. But there is much to keep Eddie at the Cherries and he has plenty of time to ponder further moves down the line once he has built up his stock. That elusive title is something I believe drives him having missed out on the League Two and One titles and he is building a team that should aim be competitive even though they are fighting against massive parachute payments that some of the clubs will have.
 

Cherry Chimes talks to the Tilehurst End Blog

AFCB V Reading
Match Preview
Blogger Interview - The Tilehurst End

Cherry Chimes had the opportunity to quiz the The Tilehurst End about the Royals push for the play-offs and the thoughts of the blog's editor Dan Wimbush on his teams run-in.

CC: We are right at the business end of the season and Reading are in with a play-off shout, but do you think the team secure a top six place and what do you think about the run in of fixtures you have left - some games must stick out as very hard ones?

TTE: Well it's a mixed picture really but in my mind this game is going to be the hardest of our remaining six! After our trip to the South Coast we've got a home games with already promoted Leicester, and a probably promoted Burnley as well as games against teams with probably nothing to play for in Donny, Middlesbrough and hopefully Wigan. As an eternal pessimist I can still seeing us mess it all up but we're in a fantastic position to make the promotion lottery.

CC: Was the Barnsley game just a bad day at the office or do you think it's the pressure building up?

TTE: It was a horrendous day at the office but sadly was just one of a string of woeful home performances that have seen us win just two games in eleven. We really struggle against teams that sit back, which is why our home form is so bad but our away form has been so excellent. We really do have the ability to beat any team on our day and the more open the game the better!

CC: Would you say the majority of Reading fans are pleased with Nigel Adkins?

TTE: I think most fans sympathise with him at this stage because he was clearly sold a vision of the club that's very different to the reality. He set about trying to rebuild the side but the sudden departure of our owner left him with no funds and having to work with Brian McDermott's side who were used to playing a much different brand of football. Throw in a ridiculous injury list and keeping us in the top six has to be seen as a very good effort. Sure he's made the odd baffling decision but he's done well overall.

CC: If Reading get promoted what does Adkins need to do to make the team a stronger outfit at the top level?

TTE: A lot to say the least. The squad is largely made up of players who looked out of their depth last season in the top flight and few have taken significant steps forward. We'd need large scale investment across the pitch to be competitive but the likes of Crystal Palace show that with the right moves you can do it.

CC: Who would you say is the player that is your biggest goal threat at the moment?

TTE: Goal scoring hasn't exactly come easily in recent weeks, with Adam Le Fondre without a goal since January and Pavel Pogrebnyak also struggling in open play. Our midfielders are all chipping in with the odd goal which is nice and I suppose the real positive is that while no one player looks an outstanding threat, you can see just about any of the 10 outfield players scoring.

CC:  Royston Drenthe looked a great player when he came on against the Cherries at the Madejski. He seems to be getting more games for you now but it is surprising to see he only has two goals this season. How is he doing?

TTE: Drenthe had a fantastic August but an injury against Leeds in mid-September coupled with some undisclosed personal problems looked as if they'd see the Dutch winger out of the club with a whimper and without finding the net. Thankfully those issues seem to be behind him now and while he's still not dominating games the way many of us had hoped, he's become a lot more effective, especially away from home.

CC: You battered AFCB for the first 20 minutes or more at the Madejski but got caught with two quick breakaway goals, so what kind of game do you expect at Dean Court?

TTE: That game was typical of most of our home games this season, where we failed to make early pressure count before capitulating to sloppy defeats. We've one just once all season from going behind but likewise haven't lost when we've taken a lead. With that in mind the first goal is going to be absolutely crucial on Tuesday night and if we get it I think we'll have enough to hold on but if we go behind it could get ugly fast for the Royals.

CC: What do you think about your away form this season?

TTE: You can't be unhappy with a campaign that's seen 10 away wins including wins at QPR and Derby. We've not lost away since January and we've played some of our best football on the road this season, if only we could translate that to results at the Madejski Stadium!

CC:  Will it be easy to pick Reading's best player of the season?

TTE: Not really because no one player has had a consistently good season, as lots of players have played well in patches or have been steady but not spectacular. Young full-back Jordan Obita is winning plenty of hearts after his conversion to left-back while goal keeper Alex McCarthy has been outstanding at times. Adam Le Fondre was awesome in January while his strike partner Pavel Pogrebnyak has plugged away all season long and has earned the respect of Reading fans after a difficult first season at the club.

CC:  Are you surprised that Burnley and Leicester are so far ahead of the other teams in the league?

TTE: Yes and no, I don't think either have been amazing to watch but both have just had the consistency to get results where as the rest of us just seem to slip up far too often. There's not much difference between the top eight in terms of ability and potential but the fantastic team spirit at Turf Moor and the ruthless consistency at the King Power look to have seen both of them back to the Premier League.

CC: I had better ask what you think the score will be tonight?

TTE: I'm going for a very nervy and edgy 1-1, I think Bournemouth will come at Reading full steam and we might just catch you on the break. From there it's a big defensive effort from Reading but we can't quite hang on.

CC: Thank you for giving some detailed answers Dan. I know this is a difficult game for both teams and will be one of the crunch fixtures this Tuesday that could define so much of the season, not only for our two clubs but for others as well. It is an eagerly anticipated game by fans of the Cherries and imagine it is equally so among Reading's fans. In many ways I think the match at the Madejski was key in Bournemouth's season and it helped give our side belief. It is fitting that this big match at Dean Court will be an evening fixture and I hope it is a good atmosphere with many travelling fans expected despite it being a mid-week game.

For more news and thoughts on how The Royals are shaping up for this fixture please have a read of the recent reports on The Tilehurst End. Cherry Chimes has also written some answers for The Tilehurst End blog so you could well see some more of my thoughts about tonight's match up on this site at some point later today.

You'll also see that we have put a short snap poll up in the right hand panel to see who just may be the Bournemouth player who is likely to walk off with all the player of the season trophies this year. I've narrowed it down a bit but if your favourite isn't there click the other box!

Cherry Chimes talks to the Scratching Shed: LUFC, Cellino and McDermott

Match Preview

AFCB v Leeds Utd

Blogger Interview - The Scratching Shed

Cherry Chimes is really looking forward to the fixture against Leeds Utd. So to get some views from a passionate Yorkshire blogger ahead of the game I got back in contact with David Wilkinson at The Scrathching Shed who has a few words to say about all the goings on at Leeds Utd. So where shall we start?

CC: Do you think Brian McDermott is fighting a noble but losing battle at the club or do you hope and believe fan pressure will save him his job?

TSS: McDermott is such a nice guy that I think he'll always have a fiercely loyal group of supporters behind him, of which I was probably one at some stage. However, we've won 3 games in the last 17, 2 of which came against poor relegation sides (Yeovil and Millwall), both of which we were lucky to win and the other a 5-1 win over Huddersfield while he was sacked.

I have every sympathy for the situation McDermott has been put in, but I don't see how any of it stops him from getting eleven men to kick a ball around with some degree of competency? That the same eleven men won 5-1 against Huddersfield after he was sacked is alarming, it's as if he can't motivate them to perform that way for some reason. He started off really well, but since the takeover chaos its gone so far downhill I don't know if he can recover.

I'd love to throw my support behind McDermott because I do believe that at a calm and stable club where he can concentrate on coaching, he'll do very well. But Leeds United never has and never will be that club, there's always some sort of chaos surrounding us and the manager has to be able to be able to deal with that. Instead he's allowed it to become an acceptable excuse for the same eleven men who started the season fairly well to perform terribly. That's bad management no matter how you try to justify it.

CC: What do you think of the whole Cellino fiasco and who is mostly to blame?

TSS: I was always on the fence with Cellino to be honest with you. We need the cash and he seems to have plenty of it so I was willing to give him a chance, but he's also rather erratic and seems to interfere with first team affairs more than any owner should.

That said, I sympathise with what he's had to go through in trying to purchase this club. I don't believe he'd have faced the same level of scrutiny from The Football League if it wasn't for the media attention, his whole life has been dissected in public and he's been subjected to a character assassination for accountancy practices he genuinely seemed to believe were legal. Compared to the stuff Ken Bates pulled, it all seems rather insignificant.

Still, the rules are the rules and The Football League have properly enforced their Owners' & Directors' test for the first time ever. The length of time it took to make this decision was ridiculous and I'll be very annoyed if the same thorough vetting isn't applied to all future takeovers, but I can't argue with the decision itself.

Who's to blame for the fiasco then? That'd be the current owners, it all begins and ends with them no matter how you look at it. Even McDermott's sacking which led to the media outrage is on them, because they led Cellino to believe he already owned the club. And this is the second time they've failed to sell the club in 3 months. Utterly incompetent.

CC: We hear today that Cellino's takeover has been blocked so is there any other potential owners lined up that you know of?

TSS: The only other option we're aware of is a consortium led by Mike Farnan going by the name of Together Leeds. They tried to buy the club before Cellino, but he came in with another offer which far exceeded the one they'd made and were shut out by the club thereafter.

CC: How come Ross McCormack scores so many goals?

TSS: I taught him everything he knows. CC: Ha, ha brilliant answer :-)

TSS: No seriously, he's always been a quality player but too often wasted by previous managers at Leeds who've had him playing out-wide due to a long-running lack of options.

He's just a quality player, his form this season doesn't surprise me at all.

CC: How do you think Matt Smith is coming along?

TSS: I've been one of his biggest critics, but he's slowly winning me over and you can't really argue with his goal return considering the amount of pitch time he's had. Overall, I think he's been worth the punt.

CC: Has ex-Bournemouth captain Jason Pearce had a good season apart from the own goal against Burnley?

TSS: He's been the best of a bad bunch in Leeds' truly horrific defence, which isn't helped by the poor state of the midfield in front of them.

CC: What do you think was behind the heavy home defeats against Bolton and Reading?

TSS: A totally demotivated playing squad, none of them looked like they wanted to be there, and for me, that comes back to the manager. How hard is to psych eleven players up for a match at Elland Road? They look like strangers thrown into the lion's den without a plan of action, I've never seen a Leeds United side look so afraid on home soil.

CC: What are your hopes for the remainder of the season - mid table is not really good enough for Leeds United is it?

TSS: I just hope it goes by quickly, we're simply here to make the numbers up at this stage.

CC: Are you disappointed that you can't play Bournemouth on a Saturday rather than a mid-week night?

TSS: The local authorities in Bournemouth aren't big fans of Leeds United so it's probably just as well. If this was a weekend fixture, we'd be policed like terror suspects and the whole atmosphere would become hostile as a result. Not that it matters much to me, I've given up on this season and booked to fly to Barcelona tomorrow.

CC: I guess it is never easy to be a Leeds fan as it is a club that has the history to be up there with the greatest clubs in England and yet it is still plagued by problems off the pitch and if someone can just get it right there they will be rivalling the very best teams in the land. But there is no simple fix it seems. Even when Leeds have a bad season though they are still a mid-table team in the Championship so perhaps they are not so far away from getting some of the right pieces to the puzzle in place. 

If the Leeds players are not up for the end of season scramble for more points though they may come unstuck against a Bournemouth team that is looking to finish as high as it can this season. Whatever the outcome I am sure it will be a keenly fought game as it was at Elland Road. Thanks again David for some honest opinions and I hope Barcelona has a bit more sunshine than at Leeds Utd. For more of David's writing, including the latest on Massimo Cellino's rejected takeover of Leeds Utd, please visit  The Scrathing Shed website.     

Leeds can't score and AFCB need a plumber to plug the leaking goals (plus The Scratching Shed interview)

I suspect that Leeds Utd will be an extremely difficult game for the Cherries but one that they should look forward to. Leeds have been losing out by just the single goal in many matches this season but they have been getting points against lower half teams and their recent defeats have been to top sides like Burnley, QPR and Reading.

At the weekend they were well beaten by a rejuvenated Millwall side who AFCB will be playing next weekend. While the score was 2:0 to the home side both teams could have scored quite a few more on the day. That gets me a bit worried if it could be a goal fest when the Cherries turn up to play. We are like needing a plumber at the moment as AFCB are leaking goals and all we need is a Leeds side who are frustrated by their lack of success so far this season.

Jason Pearce has been having a good run in the team and he will be as dogged as any one to stop his former club from getting any breaks when the sides clash at Elland Road. Up front they has some enviable talent in Luke Varney and Matt Smith, while Ross McCormack is the leading scorer and has been the attention of several Premiership clubs.

Leeds also have the perennial bad boy in El Hadji Diouf who used to be at Liverpool, Blackburn and Bolton. He seems to be out of the team at the moment or out of favour with McDermott and I am pretty pleased about that. The Senegalese player has been in the press for all the wrong reasons over the years. but I am one that know that he can play a bit and he is an excellent attacking midfielder to call upon.

Put all this together with the tactical and managerial skills of Brian McDermott and you can see why Leeds Utd are many people's tip to be among the mix for promotion this season. It many not be quite the glory days for Leeds Utd but they are far from being one of the has-beens in the Championship. All they need is a spark to rekindle their Premiership ambitions and AFCB will have to call upon all their abilities to get a result on Tuesday night.

Safe trip for all those travelling up for the game - it should be a cracker! 

Leeds Utd last time out:
Kenny, Peltier, Pearce, Warnock, Wotton, Murphy, Austin, Tonge, Mowatt, Varney and McCormack. 

We have also been in contact with the Leeds Blog called The Scratching Shed and David Wilkinson kindly spent a few long hours into the night on answering Cherry Chimes questions. The answers are all there for you to read now on Rival Lines.

Just to whet your appetite, he tells us that one team have already been made to look as good as Barcelona by his team this season - now who might that be?

Young Championship managers: is Howe the best?

No doubt there will be a few more managerial changes in the Championship before next season gets going. Poor old Gus Poyet surely will move on having been put out on gardening leave for what seems like an eternity at Brighton & Hove Albion. I cannot see how both sides can really kiss and make up after such a difficult period. Millwall have also to decide on who will fill their managerial hot seat, but we should find out on Friday.

Looking at the division though there are no manager names that impress me as much as the playing style that our own Eddie Howe conjures up for us every week. Sure, there are some famous names like Gianfranco Zola, Paul Ince and Gus Poyet, but I don't see many masterminds in the Championship who have not failed somewhere along the line. Harry Redknapp is certainly the most experienced and Eddie going toe-to-toe with him will be intriguing. In that bracket I'd also put Tony Mowbray and Mick McCarthy who might also give Eddie a difficult game.

If I had to pick another aspiring young manager that I feel is going to set us problems it is probably Dougie Freedman at Bolton Wanderers. He has started to turn that club around and they have the fan base and experience to be right at the top of the league. Having already learnt a lot at Crystal Palace, Freedman is proving to be a manager with real qualities.

I do wonder how Brian McDermott will get on at Leeds Utd. While I think McDermott is a worthy opponent for Howe to be up against I expect Leeds fans to give him little room for mistakes before he comes under pressure. Eddie will also get to take on a Nigel Adkins team again in Reading.

At least Eddie Howe knows that the fans and the board are all behind him. I do expect our chairman and board to give Eddie all the time he needs to find answers to any problems that arise. We can't expect a dream season every year, but we can back our manager to do his best and try and make sure that our stay in the Championship is not a brief romance.

Which manager do you think will give Eddie Howe the most problems next season?