Said
Following two outrageous Premier League managerial sackings, this week’s said and done looks at the dreaded vote of confidence. Unable to pick out which owner was more reprehensible, both Mike Ashley and Anuradha Desai, chair of Venkateshwara Hatcheries (or Venky’s for short) the group that own Blackburn, come under the spotlight.
Unsurprisingly both of these owners had administered this fatal kiss of death on their respective managers’ just weeks before the end arrived. Sam Allardyce and Chris Hughton were left to live out their final days awaiting the inevitable dreadful moment to be administered by Ashley and Venky’s. For Hughton the call of imminent doom came on the 27th October through the usual medium – the public backing. Whilst Ashley whilst sharpened his knife a statement released by the club said “Chris is our manager and will remain our manager and it is our intention to re-negotiate his contract at the end of the year.” Hughton would have known then that he would not see out the year. Hughton tried to plead with his viscous masters but it was clear he was a gone man, and spoke more out of desperation knowing his time was all but up. Signing his own execution by hinting at a sense of injustice given all he had done for the club. “We have had our ups and downs this season but the league table says we are doing OK. So I can’t affect anything that is said, it is of course very unfair, but that is the industry we work in.”
In the meantime at Blackburn FC the new owners were wasting no time in ridding themselves of any leftovers from the old outfit as they moved in. “We want results and Sam has taken up the challenge. He deserves a chance,” was the code Mrs Desai used to announce their intentions of disposing of Allardyce on 26th November just days after the arrival of the Indian business group to the club. To clarify their intentions of getting rid of the current Blackburn manager, Desai added “to this end (finishing fifth or sixth in the league), the group have promised manager Allardyce funds to spend in the January transfer window.” Just to make sure all were clear on the treacherous fate that awaited Big Sam.
Done
Sure enough Hughton’s managerial carcass was brutally disposed off on Tyneside on 7th December. The club did not dwell on the matter long just taking long enough to rub salt into the wound with insincere praise by thanking “Chris for his considerable efforts during the club’s transition from Championship to Premier League club.”
Meanwhile Allardyce was taken care off on the 13th of December as the club declared that they “have taken this decision as part of our wider plans and ambitions for the club.”
It has been a grizzly week which has resulted in two more mangers being added to the ever-growing list of Premier League casualties that had just received the kiss of death from the owners. Both victims lasted no longer than six weeks after receiving the backing, as brutal backstabbing football club owners are still at large.
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