And Now The End is Near…
May 12, 2009 | Written by : Nick Webb
Aside from the dull and obvious choices for Premiership Manager of the Year such as Sir Alex Ferguson or David Moyes, I’d like to present these three charmers (well one charmer and two cantakerous middled aged men) as better candidates.
Tony Pulis : Stoke City
Unlike pretty much everyone connected with football, Pulis himself was bullish about Stoke City’s chances in the Premier League right from the off.
He took every opportunity to remind pundits, TV commentators and - presumably - passers-by in the street, that he had never been relegated as a manger and he didn’t intend to start now.
And, guess what, he was right. Pulis has kept his team in the division with two matches to spare.
And he’s done it without spending money the club hasn’t got to bring in players the club doesn’t need. He’s brought in the right players for the job and, when it became obvious something more was needed, turned to James Beattie to provide it.
Pulis found a system that could bully more talented sides into submission and used it to full effect. I always love hearing Benitez and Wenger whinge about opposition sides ‘not playing football the right way’, so extra points to Stoke and Tony Pulis for that.
Gary Megson : Bolton Wanderers
Interviewed on Match of the Day after Bolton’s last Premiership outing, Megson made a very telling point to his interviewer. He pointed out that, this season, Bolton Wanderers had “made a profit”.
This confirms my own suspicion and the suspicion of many Bolton fans that when Megson was brought in to replace Sammy Lee, his remit was not only to keep Bolton in the Premier League but to cut costs and start making the club some money.
The fact that he’s done this, bought some extremely good players - Gary Cahill and Matt Taylor spring to mind - and kept the club in lower-mid table is a testament to his abilities as a manager.
And, no, I don’t care that Bolton fans don’t like him.
Roy Hodgson, Fulham FC
Roy Hodgson is one of football’s most experienced managers and he has a huge amount of respect from within the footballing industry.
So, it was fantastic to see him back in English football last season with Fulham and even better to see his philosophy of good passing football keep Fulham in the league.
To my mind, Fulham’s success so far this season hasn’t been that much of a surprise. Hodgson has always been a great coach, so developing a team out of a squad of players that weren’t necessarily all his own choices was, for me, a given.
Plus, he’s bought well. Brede Hangeland and Mark Schwarzer were particularly impressive purchases and while he hasn’t exactly fired on all cylinders, Andy Johnson has done the job he has been asked to do pretty well.
Better yet, Hodgson has got the best from good, but underperforming, players who were already at the club. Danny Murphy, Simon Davies and Clint Dempsey have all been very convincing for Fulham this season.
So, if you had to pick a Premiership manager of the season who isn’t Scottish, Roy Hodgson is definitely the number one pick.
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