Big Sam or Paolo ?

With Paolo Di Canio leaving  Swindon the Sam out  / Paolo in bandwagon starts rolling again.

Big Sam is not best placed with West Ham at the moment. The club are closer than they look to relegation and Big Sam has no contract at the end of the season (at yet).
PDC has jacked from Swindon citing broken promises from their board.

So this leaves the average WHU fan in a stick or twist situation

Lets face facts, Di Canio will manage WHU one day. Sam will leave one day. The question is will their paths cross sooner than everyone thought?

First up, is Sam really leaving? He was brought in to do a job. That job was promotion. That was achieved, probably not how the board wanted it, but achieved anyway. Next job was to keep WHU in the premier league. At time of asking, despite my reservations, this will probably be achieved as well. So, he has done everything asked of him under the terms of his contract. Based on how he is slowly alienating the fans with his team selection and generally over cautious football (after winning them round earlier in the season), he will probably disappear at the end of the season, having done his job. Where he goes is immaterial.

PDC will either do one of two things, disappear back to Italy, after a fantastic interview on the BBC. Or bang on about how WHU are always his first love (with Celtic and Lazio). As lauded as he is at the club, switching a manager halfway through a potentially tricky season is not the way to do things. Especially when that manager has less than 2 years management experience at a lower league club. PDC will want to play different football to BFS, and we cannot do that with our squad. Kevin Nolan is never going to float past Carrick, and make sure his inch perfect pass to Noble completes, as he looks on with admiration at the deft flick of the Canning Town boy, that finds the outside of Carroll’s boot for him to bend it round De Gea.

Whether we like it or not, we are stuck with our squad, and its good and bad points. The only time to change manager is straight after the final whistle of the last match. This gives the incoming manager plenty of time the set his own team up over the summer. With no international competition this summer, the incumbent will get nearly 2 months to piece together a squad capable of playing good football in the Premier League.

So if we assume BFS leaves at the end , does PDC come in? The guy has won a championship and has got over 50 wins in just shy of 100 games. So he knows how to win games at a poor level. We have all seen how he has treated players and fans. The fans at Upton Park will put up with it as long as results go our way. Don’t forget, these fans put up with him asking to be subbed off because he wasn’t getting his own way. That one whole incident for me sullied a respect I had for one of the best players I have seen in their prime at the club. These fans forget that when it gets tough Paolo will walk away if its not good for Paolo. This man was the main man in a team that got relegated with possibly the most talented team we has since ‘86. His active rebellion, caused the like of Cole and Carrick to behave the same, and look how that ended up ! He is a manipulator, plain and simple.
That said he does have the traits a manager needs. A passion, a plan and yes the ability to manipulate.

But will players on top dollar put up with him in their faces, and slagging them off to the press at every opportunity. My opinion is they should, but reality is they won’t for long. These days it’s all in the players hands. Look at Diarra, not playing so he leaves.

David Gold has been priceless (in a good way) , retweeting both side of the comments he has been getting to ensure more column inches for WHU.

My opinion ? Sam goes at the close of this season irrespective. PDC comes in but only if he is thought to be mature enough to handle a top level position.Otherwise , and I stand by this, and have mentioned this before – Gus Poyet.