Bent buy backs Houllier, belittles O'Neill

Five months after Martin O'Neill quit Aston Villa on the eve of the season, jilted ex-boss Randy Lerner's issued him with an almighty £18m swipe by signing Darren Bent.

Inspector Clueless: but Houll have the last laugh?

Villa's owner has shown just what he thinks of O'Neill sensationally walking out five days to the start of the campaign. Whether witting or unwitting, Randy's demonstrated how he takes no prisoners in business.

While backing Gerard Houllier to the hilt this transfer window, O'Neill, known to be a fan of Bent, quit alleging a lack of funds.

Some in the media suggest the Villa board have made a huge financial plunge against their instincts. Staring an unexpected relegation battle in the face, they see Bent's arrival as an act of desperation.

I don't see it like that. Randy and Chief Executive Paul Faulkner get top marks for the additions they've made to the squad this transfer window.

Villa's frantic but crafty dealings show how fractious and dysfunctional the relationship between boardroom and manager's office had become - and sheds light on the near malicious departure date O'Neill elected to make. He left scant chance for Villa to sign anyone after his departure. The team dropped like a stone.

Though Houllier's first four months have been hair-raising for Villa's faithful, The Frenchman's been brave enough to blood youngsters by the half-dozen - adding to the squad very successfully in the window.



Bent: Darren's a model

Marc Albrighton, Ciaran Clark, Barry Bannan and Chris Herd are forging first-team berths as Houllier assembles a squad of depth and experience. That's a first at Villa for over a decade.

Kyle Walker's been very impressive since his loan arrival from Tottenham, while Lyon's Jean Il Makoun is a player of Chelsea or Manchester United calibre.

Now Darren Bent's arrived from Sunderland in a sensational record breaking £18m transfer, rising to £24m.

Thoughts of going down are eradicated in an instant. The season's not over until May and Villa have one of English football's proven goal poachers to call on. The prospect of partnerships with Ashley Young, Gabriel Agbonlahor - even Emile Heskey, set Holte Enders drooling.

Avram Grant: West Ham history sooner or later

So as Avram Grant's issued a stay of execution at West Ham, just how can mute O'Neill feel? Silenced by the terms of his severance at Villa, he can't even comment on the fact that Mr. Lerner had huge reserves all along.

Tainted O'Neill is outed as a man that football's ruling class can't work with, while life carries on as normal at Villa Park.

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Avram Grant, football's most celebrated loser is a Lion Zion Iron!

Handball!

You've got to love Avram Grant. He's a heady cocktail of the dour and doleful. He's lost every big game he's ever been charged with winning. Throw in a sex scandal too and you'd have thought he'd be jeered and ridiculed at every away ground on which he prowls the touchline.

I mean here's man who's been a loser in the finals of the Champions League, the FA Cup and Carling Cup and a Premier League runner-up.

But no. He's celebrated, nay feted!

As his West Ham career falters into gear, Soccermongery reckons he could've bagged an even bigger job on the continent such is his international standing and respect. Losing the Cup Final and finishing rock-bottom with Pompey apparently earned him the right!

So what's his appeal and why after Portsmouth's dog of a season has his stock never been higher?

Well, I'll tell you why. Grant joined Pompey too late. They were already doomed. He had to make do and mend with the squad he inherited. The wave of changes in ownership, financial misgivings and breaches of rules were too strong for the team to counter.

Yet Grant's Portsmouth played with commitment, organisation and vigour - and they won their fair share of matches, even though they crashed and burned in the league.

The FA Cup run showed their spirit proving that you took Grant's team lightly and you'd get beaten. Even in the league, they had their days in the sun. Just ask Wigan, Wolves, Birmingham and Spurs. Memorable wins for Pompey in both competitions.

Grant's rallying call to the Fratton Park faithful about not crushing their spirit even if everything else was taken away, is the stuff of the siege mentality all the big managers specialise in doling out to their players and the press.

I don't know either, mate!

Avram's got a big future - and if he can galvanize the Hammers into playing more spirited football than Gianfranco Zola did, there'll be a good few offers from some interesting leagues for the Israeli to ponder.

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SOCCERMONGERY EXCLUSIVE! Avram Grant's shoe collection!

We've a first picture of Avram Grant's shoe collection! These brothel creepers are de rigeur on the south coast, according to Soccermongery's Fashion Correspondent!

There's little doubt Portsmouth have improved since Avram Grant replaced Paul Hart as manager, but the truth is they're too far adrift for anyone to save them from relegation - let alone Grant.

Pompey slipped to yet another Premier League defeat, 1-nil at Fulham despite playing the better football. But they failed to take their chances and even though Jonathan Greening's Fulham winner had a hint of offside, if ye dunnae score, ye dunnae win!

Avram's Portsmouth put in a good shift. They've a good work ethic, but lack that essential quality to turn their chances into regular points.

Despite languishing at the bottom of the table, Portsmouth still attract headlines beyond the pitch. Hong Kong businessman Balram Chainrai's become the club's fourth owner of the season and the Pompey boss himself was outed as the Premier League boss caught in a brothel.

There's a case for Grant to be sacked for this indiscretion alone, quite aside from Portsmouth's perilous position.

Grant managed a Chelsea team which featured John Terry, Wayne Bridge, Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba, so it's fair to deduce that with leadership comes responsibility: how can Grant control his players when he's upto the same sort of tricks?

I mean, could you imagine the same sort of scandal at Arsenal and Manchester United as seen at Chelsea? Fergie and Wenger just wouldn't have it.

But Grant's Fratton Park reign is doubly-compromised by allegations of his private life - and the lateness of his appointment into a season in which Pompey have been plunged into utter chaos. Grant's task is hopeless - but despite everything, Portsmouth are better off with him than without him.

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It's Chelsea's Financial Statement (EBIT-DOH!!)

Fresh from Chelsea's Media Department, here's a very professionally delivered statement of the financial state of play at Stamford Bridge.

Proof indeed that whichever way you look at it, you can't polish a turd! They paid out £23million in compensation to Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant and a few staff. Chelsea's future is ONLY about the commitment of Roman Abramovich. Good luck Blues!

Chelsea reduce losses again as shareholder ‘debt’ is halved:

Chelsea FC plc today (Friday, February 13 2009) announced record group turnover and reduced losses for a third successive season.

The group results for the financial year end June 30, 2008 also revealed that half of the interest free loans from Chelsea Ltd, whose ultimate controlling party is Roman Abramovich, have been converted into equity demonstrating a continued and strengthened commitment from the shareholder to the football club.

The results followed another year of relative success on the field with football and media revenues all showing large rises on the previous financial year.

The main figures were:

- group turnover up 11.9% to £213.1m from £190.5m (2006/7)
- football activities up 14.8% to £189.8m from £165.3m
- of this media revenues are up 30.4% to £77.6m from £59.6m
- Shareholder loans have been reduced to £339.8m while shareholder capital/equity has increased to £369.9m
- losses reduced by 43% before exceptional items to £42.6m from £74.8m
- losses reduced by 12.2% after exceptional items to £65.7m
- wages and salaries as percentage of turnover before exceptional items 70.6%
- gross turnover of £248m (includes adidas and other merchandise and Chelsea Digital Media not consolidated in group results)

Chelsea Chairman Bruce Buck said: “Following the conversion of half of the interest free loans into equity there should now be no doubt as to the owner’s commitment to the club and the stability of the company’s funding structure.

“We have always believed that this ‘debt’, now reduced by 50%, has been misrepresented. Chelsea has no external debt and makes no punitive interest payments to external funders.”

The results include exceptional items of £23.1m related to compensation payments to two first team managers and five coaching staff.

These are treated under wages and salaries for accounting purposes only. Wages before exceptionals were £148.5m (£132.8m 2006/7) and after exceptionals £171.6m

Chelsea has also conducted independent research by TNS (October 2008) that indicates the club has 110 million “core” fans globally an increase of 20 million on the previous research.

Chelsea Chief Executive Peter Kenyon said: “There is no doubt that the positive upward trends of turnover and the continued reduction in losses shows that Chelsea is building a strong business base to build on in what will be challenging times. This is even more evident given that the results were adversely affected by the exceptional items.

“We have set ourselves ambitious targets to be EBITDA neutral on June 30 2010 and to require zero cash funding from the owner at the beginning of the financial year 2009/2010.

“We have consistently advocated the aim of self-sufficiency which has always been supported by the owner. We are hopeful of being close to these targets in the timeframes we have set given the underlying strengths of the business.

“Success on the field is a key part of this. But in line with our long stated business aims any squad restructuring in the summer will be funded predominantly by sales as we have consistently reduced our net transfer spend over the last five years and will attempt to continue this trend.

“This is the fifth set of financial accounts since the takeover and Chelsea has made huge progress during that period as a football club and a business.

“In that time we have had significant on field success, our turnover has increased by 96% which ranks us 5th in the world and our fan base has increased hugely. That gives us great confidence for the next 5 years.”

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Also on Soccermongery: Heat on Scolari sees him leave the Chelsea kitchen

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Scolari made Grant's time at Chelsea look good

There's no patience at Stamford Bridge even for a World Cup winning boss. Luiz Felipe Scolari is gone and Chelsea will have their third manager inside a year-and-a-half. But Big Phil was always a riskier appointment than his CV suggested.

Chelsea were intoxicated by Scolari's status. Roman Abramovich was bedazzled by the man who said no to the FA, who put England to the sword in three consecutive tournaments and who won the World Cup.

But for years, he was accustomed only to the comparatively part-time tasks of international management with Brazil and Portugal. Suddenly at a senior age, thrust into the day-to-day stresses of a domestic club in the toughest league in the world, Scolari couldn't handle it.

You can see the toll Chelsea took on Big Phil. On the left, a picture of him with Portugal - and on the right, in the Chelsea cauldron.

He suffered with kidney stones, speaking English like a Mind Your Language student, he got Ray Wilkins to face the media spotlight when it intensified and Chelsea slithered from odds-on title favourites to the ignominy of battling for the final Champions League place.

So who next at the Bridge? And how short-sighted does Jose Mourinho's dismissal as manager look now?

The fact is that only someone like Mourinho will do for Chelsea. Young, thrusting, dynamic, energetic and with medals in his pocket at another top European side.

Perhaps not this time, but Gianfranco Zola of West Ham is a man who must manage Chelsea one day. Already establishing his credentials in double quick time at Upton Park, his master stroke was appointing Steve Clarke as Hammers coach; the only man who has a bigger reputation at Chelsea than the wee Sardinian does.

Clarke is widely acknowledged as the mastermind behind organising Chelsea from back-to-front and many will point to the Blues demise and Hammers ascendancy being exactly measured by his move across town.

As they say in politics, Zola and Clarke are the dream ticket, but perhaps the timing isn't right for either Chelsea or the Hammers duo.

Perhaps Guus Hiddink is the man with the all-round experience to steer the Blue ship, although like Scolari, is he ready for the gear change from international to club football?

It's ironic that Avram Grant could well be on his way back to the Premier League with Portsmouth on the day the Chelsea job became available again.

Also on Soccermongery: Cock-up Charlton had Hodgson in their sights.

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