Stating the obvious
For anyone interested in following corruption and deceit in world sport, this latest piece by Paul Hayward on the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is a must-read – see here – DAILY [...]
Football
The Tanner Report
So it’s Kit. No surprise here. I have often said that Chris Hughton would be better suited to achieve promotion but Kit has brought stability to the team and deserves a longer crack at the job. Everyone agrees he is a nice guy and part of a tradition going back well before my first game in [...]
The Tanner Report
After 45 minutes, with Fulham two up, Kit Symons must have felt that the job was his permanently but Derby went on to score 5 goals in 21 minutes and his grip on the position was loosened. I hear that the decision will not be rushed. That way the pressure on Kit to win remains whilst the new owner [...]
Albion assessed
Brighton is a hilly place but our football and indeed the whole club is flat. I largely blame Sami Hyppia for this. Whilst it is true we have sold our best players you expect a manager to build a team which he has failed to do – notably in the striker department. We have now gone 9 games [...]
The Tanner report
Although I still have reservations whether Kit Symons is the best-qualified candidate to achieve promotion he has certainly turned things round and will surely go from temporary to permanent manager. The two questions are the length of his contract and the necessity of a football director. Not only [...]
A masterclass
The word masterclass has become something of a cliché but there is no other to describe the 7-1 demolition by Bayern Munich of Roma in the Olimpico last night. Roma are a very good side and will probably qualify over Manchester City in the group. They were unbeaten at home this season and second [...]
Brighton in dreck
Brighton have not won for 8 games and Sami Hyppia is coming under pressure. His defenders say that in the past 2 seasons the Seagulls have moved on their three best players – Bridcutt, Upson and Ulloa – so he has less resources than Poyet and Garcia. However his buys have been [...]
Fiorentina file
I am a big fan of Vincenzo Montella but his team selection and tactics were incomprehensible against Lazio. He made 5 big mistakes: 1) he dropped Borja Valero, our most effective midfielder 2) he played Fernamdez not Aquilani as “mezzo punto” (behind the striker) 3) he played a diamond [...]
The Tanner Report
Fulham ground out a slightly undeserved 3 points against Norwich which, whilst certainly not harmimg Kit Symons’ prospects of permanent management, was probably not convincing enough to secure it now. We now have two tough ganes in 6 days at Rotherham away (the archetypal wet and cold [...]
The Tanner Report: Kit or not?
Saturday’s game against Norwich will be crucial for the appointment or not of Kit Symons. Should we beat high flying Norwich the the job is surely his; if we lose the deliberations will continue, but what happens if it’s a draw? The momentum is with Kit, very much the popular choice. [...]