I love the standard manager musical chairs ritual that ensues most summers. So far 'I'm staying at Swansea' manager Brendan Rodgers has moved to Liverpool (watch your car tyres there, Brendo. Joke. Or not, whatever.) and Lambert of Norwich fame has moved to Aston Villa bab. Chips and gravy.
I like Brendan Rodgers and I think he could really do well at Liverpool if he's given a bit of time and patience which the old scoucers haven't exactly been famous for as of late. Of course, the fans will now be expecting to win the League next season and dare they lose a game or two or fail to meet the crazily high expectations put upon them, it may be off with Rodgers head. He did a very good job with Swansea and got them playing very attractive/ extremely boring (*gasp!*) pass-pass football and even earned his team the name Swansalona (sounds like an Italian ballad about a lonely swan. Ohhh Trevor, for-a he was-a lonaly swan sooo lonaly swan. The atther swans said to-a him, ohh Swansalona.) I honestly think Liverpool have massive potential. Suarez is a class act and if Henderson and Carroll can fully settle into the team, both players can be fantastic and if they manage to stay injury free, they really could push on next season to achieve their biggest challenge - to finish above Everton. Noone said it would be easy.
Down the M6 southbound, there has also been some exciting developments. Bonjour Lambert! It's like the hokey kokey of Scotsmen. Villa had a ridiculously bad season. The hiring of Alex McLeish was a horrible omen of what was to come, and fair play to him, he stuck to what he knows best in his attempt to destroy all Midlands clubs. West Brom seem the next legitimate step. The squad has been so depleated over the years with the sales of Downing (say what you like, he did a job at Villa), Young, Milner and Barry amoungst others who simply have not been replaced. Bent was a fantastic addition to the team but expecting N'Zogbia Insomnia and Hutton to be replacements was never going to work. At times last season Villa were only left with Heskey as a forward option, not that is was a direction they ever tended to go in. A lot has also been placed on the shoulders of the young lads. Many times over the season, on average, Villa fielded the youngest team. There is great talent emerging in the likes of Ciaran Clark, Baker, Herd, Albrighton, Carruthers and Weimann and Lichaj and Ireland have been improving game-by-game but the team has been in disarray. Lambert worked wonders taking Norwich from League One to The Championship to The Prem over consecutive seasons and given a bit of money over the summer, he has a chance to really build a big unit at Villa Park.
Could be the new Martin O'Neill? They certainly look alike. As long as he doesn't walk out 5 days before the start of the season...
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