Jose Mourinho’s impending move to Chelsea has been pretty much the worst kept secret in football over the last few weeks, and now even the Premier League themselves are getting in on the act.
On Sunday morning a story appeared on their website, premierleague.com, announcing the return of the Portuguese manager to Stamford Bridge. The story was given a date of Monday 3rd June, so released a day early, and had ‘XX’ where the number of years Mourinho is given in his contract would be placed. read more »
It is almost impossible to believe that come June 1, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will be the fifth longest serving manager currently working in the Premier League!
Rodgers will have been in the Anfield hot seat for one year but given the nature of the modern Premier League, he has overtaken 15 rivals in the space of 12 months. It has clearly been another crazy season on the Premier League managerial merry-go-round, with a number of gaffers left out-of-work with the stakes of success or the price of failure in the top flight at an all-time high.
One or two clubs in particular have hit the headlines this season when it comes to managerial movements with Chelsea being chief among them. read more »
1. This wasn’t a round of Premier League fixtures: it was the world’s best attended leaving do. Sir Alex Ferguson, David Moyes, Paul Scholes, Jamie Carragher, Michael Owen, Steve Harper, Rafa Benitez and Mark Halsey were all saying goodbye.
2. Fergie won’t be forgetting his final game in management for a while. Manchester United’s draw with West Brom – SAF’s first ever 5-5 – was a timely reminder that you’ve never seen it all in football.
3. Richard Scudamore will be cursing the Premier League fixture computer for pairing Arsenal and Tottenham with Newcastle and Sunderland on the final day. The Champions League qualification denouement had about as many twists and turns as a Roman road. read more »
With the dust about to settle on another Premier League season, OTP looks at the top-flight teams’ dodgiest transfer investments.
1. Chris Samba (QPR)
QPR’s super-heavyweight defender tops our list after his arrival in January. Brought in to bolster the R’s brittle defence, he succeeded only in adding an extra dimension of calamity. The Loftus Road faithful should have known trouble was afoot when, amid controversy about his transfer fee and wages, Samba began making excuses about his match fitness. read more »
1. Old Trafford gave a great goodbye to Sir Alex Ferguson. Prawn sandwiches were pushed aside to create some serious atmosphere.
2. Quitting works. Both Manchester United and Everton got good home wins to say goodbye to departing managers.
3. It was a bittersweet weekend for Wigan. They upset the odds to win the FA Cup, but nobody was in the mood to do them any favours in the Premier League yesterday. read more »
