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Short-list for Pompey
Written by Sawyer | 21st November 2005 | 0 Comment(s)
Portsmouth boss Alain Perrin would appear to be under further pressure following the club’s reverse at Anfield. Chairman Milan Mandaric is refusing to produce a knee-jerk reaction at present, but must be increasingly concerned with regard to Pompey’s League position.
It would appear that there would be three candidates for the job should Mandaric decide that Perrin’s services are no longer required. Neil Warnock, Sir Bobby Robson and former Hearts boss George Burley seem the front-runners, and now considering recent developments you could probably include Roy Keane as Player/Manager.
The later choice is probably unlikely, but the former Manchester United captain is being linked with just about any club on the planet at the moment so we’ll include him for the hell of it.
In truth Sir Bobby Robson probably has age against him. Whereas his natural enthusiasm and love for Newcastle may have been his driving force in that role, one wonders whether Pompey’s long term future would benefit from employing the former England Manager.
Warnock has Sheffield United riding high and on-course for Premiership football, so he may be unlikely to relinquish a job that he will see as unfinished. This of course would leave George Burley as the most foreseeable candidate.
A return to the Premiership where he enjoyed amazing success with Ipswich, before enduring the following season’s failure would give the Scot a challenging platform to once again prove his ability. His short time involvement at Hearts will have certainly lifted his confidence, which followed his spell at Derby County, where he left the club in a more stable position than when he arrived.
Mandaric may even ponder his original mistake of allowing Harry Redknapp to leave, but any move to bring him back would certainly cause some controversy on the South Coast.
It would appear that it is probably a matter of getting the timing right as far as Mandaric is concerned. Portsmouth’s next three fixtures will see them take on Chelsea at Fratton Park, where they have yet to record victory this season, and then two daunting trips to Man United and Tottenham.
These are all fixtures that even the most ardent of Pompey fans won’t exactly be expecting a nine point haul from, so maybe Mandaric will not weald the axe until their completion. West Brom at home would be the next encounter, and that could be the game to either extend Perrin’s stay beyond Christmas or be the first for his successor.
The recent victory at Sunderland is probably the reason Perrin still remains in charge, but as Spurs found last season with Jacques Santini, being French doesn’t necessarily mean that the manager will be brilliant.
Marseille were a team on the slide under his tenure, although a certain amount of success was attained along the way. However, consistency in the League wasn’t really part of this, and their main achievements remained in the Cup competitions.
Of course Mandaric may discover that no-one wants to accept the challenge his club has to offer, which would leave Perrin to continue.
Whoever is in charge when Portsmouth take on West Brom will know that this fixture could turn out to be the most important of the season?
Nevertheless, with all three fixtures leading up to this match live for the TV viewing public, everyone will have the opportunity to discover just how good (or bad) Pompey are playing.
As yet, this season has progressed without a Premiership manager being relieved of his duties. Even Tottenham has managed to keep hold of someone for a whole year!!
Nevertheless, it is beginning to look increasingly likely that Alain Perrin may be enjoying his Christmas Turkey with garlic stuffing, and time to ponder over the next step of his career.
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