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A common criticism in England amongst football writers and supporters alike is that not enough English players ply their trade abroad. Sure, there have been fine examples of it happening over the years; David Beckham, Paul Gascoigne, Kevin Keegan, Paul Ince, Steve McManaman and Gary Lineker all spent time abroad in the peak years of their career, but ultimately the number of English players abroad is very small in comparison to the number of Spaniards playing outside of Spain or the number of Frenchmen leaving Ligue 1.

One trend becoming increasingly common however is the trend for young, English managers leaving Britain in order to work abroad. The Premier League may be billed as the “best league in the world” but logically, it makes a lot of sense to seek employment elsewhere. Football management in England is far from a secure job; as soon as things start to go wrong on the field, the solution for most teams is to replace the man in charge. For a young manager this can be completely demoralising. Factor in the financial insecurity and the potential impact being sacked so quickly could have on future employers and it actually seems far from desireable to manage in England. Best league in the world or not.

One man to suffer such managerial woes in England was legendary ex-Arsenal defender Tony Adams. A former England captain and mutliple Premier League title winner, Adams suffered from unsuccessful spells in charge of Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth, leaving him virutally unemployable as a first team manager in his homeland.

Adams, like other notable examples such as Steve McClaren, decided to escape England and seek employment abroad. Although, unlike McClaren, Adams soon found himself rather alienated from the glitz and glamour of the western European game…

Gabala FC isn’t a familiar name to most football fans. A club based in Azerbaijan, a nation more famous for its oilfields than its football fields, Gabala FC formed a little over 15 years ago, in 1995. They play home matches at the Gabala City Stadium, a 2,000 seater stadium in the ancient city of Qabala. The club achieved promotion to the top flight in 2005-06 but have failed to push on from that success.

This is where Tony Adams finds himself. A land far, far away from the multi-million pound television deals, multi-million pound training facilities, multi-million pound stadia and multi-million pound footballers on display in the English Premier League.

The appeal of foreign lands to young managers has been covered but one question remains. What on earth is Tony Adams doing in Azerbaijan?!

Adams once famously stated that he preferred the company of his dogs to any human interaction. So it’s perhaps no surprise that one of the main attractions Gabala FC offered was the chance to retreat away from the limelight.

‘I like the fact the spotlight is off me,’ Adams told reporters during the 2010-11 season. ‘I am free to make mistakes here. The only pressure comes from me.’

The luxury of being allowed to make mistakes isn’t the only luxury Adams has been afforded. Azerbaijan may not be a footballing powerhouse and its league certainly lacks the financial might of the Premier League, but his club are far from cash-strapped. Tale Heydarov, financial backer to the club, is the son of a government minister and Adams has been given financial freedom other managers in the league could only dream of. Plush pitches laid by SIS, the company responsible for solving the problems with the Wembley turf, new training equipment, a partially re-built training ground and proven footballers from Europe. Since taking over, Adams has brought in the likes of Deon Burton, once of Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday and Steve Olfers, once a Champions League regular with Aalborg.

That’s not to say it’s all been plain-sailing for the former England and Arsenal captain. Adams has spoken repeatedly of the bizarre situations he has found himself in since moving to Qabala; personally removing dog excrement from the pitch, cows interrupting training sessions, the list goes on.

Ultimately, Adams will be judged on the club’s performances on the field. In his first season, the club finished 7th in the top division, perhaps not the achievement they had hoped for but a satisfactory finish at first glance. You have to dig a little deeper to see the real impact Adams’ management has had on his side.

In previous seasons, Gabala FC had been on the receiving end of some humiliating defeats. In their first season in the top flight, the side scored 17 goals and conceded 47. Indeed, in 3 of the 4 seasons in the top flight prior to Adams’ arrival the club conceded more than they scored. In Adams’ first season the club conceded just 18 goals and scored 31. During the season the club went on an 11 game unbeaten run, keeping 10 consecutive clean sheets in the process.

Adams may have smashed club records during his first season in charge, but there’s no getting away from the fact that his achievements in Azerbaijan will be seen as irrelevent by most major European clubs. Adams however, doesn’t sound as if he has any intention of moving back to the bright lights of the Premier League any time soon.

‘This is absolute heaven for me,’ he said of his job. ‘The pressure was different for me in England having captained my country. It’s fine to be that person and then go to a great club, like Pep Guardiola with Barcelona, but I haven’t had that. I’m sure people say I’m a rubbish manager, but not here.’

Although he failed to win the league in his first season in charge, Adams is very clear that he never expected to.

‘The highlight of my first season was that I feel I’ve been able to develop, to make mistakes but learn from them and go home without 400 interviews, the fans calling for my resignation and the chairman coming in, saying: ‘What is going on?”

To many, the concept of Tony Adams managing in Azerbaijan is a bit of a joke. Some see it as a clear indication that he failed as a top level football manager before he even reached the age of 45. An ever philisophical Tony Adams sees things very differently.

He recently told a reporter for The Guardian ‘I’ve seen it written that I have gone out on a limb with the move to Gabala but I really don’t see it that way. I think that I’ve actually gone out on a limb if I take a job in England, particularly with the tenures being what they are.’

Strange as it may seem to some, it’s hard to argue. And in ten years time, who’s to say that Tony Adams won’t be managing at the top level in England, having learned his most valuable lessons during his time in Azerbaijan? After all, his former manager Arsene Wenger spent several years managing in Japan before leading a side to Premier League glory.

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The last time I wrote for COS things were a little different, the World Cup was descending upon us, the Premier League season was coming to a close and Dimitar Berbatov’s future was in doubt as a Manchester United player. It was about the speculation surrounding Berbatov’s future that I wrote an article discussing the possibility of him switching to a different role within the team to make more of an impact. While I was right that he’d still be a Manchester United player this season, I was wrong that he’d need to shift positions if he was to find success. But the questions regarding the poor form of a Manchester United forward has reared its head once again, though not with Dimitar Berbatov as it’s subject matter, the man in question is now Wayne Rooney.

Following an utterly miserable world cup, it’s fair to say that Rooney would have been expected to make something of a slow start in contributing to Manchester United’s premier league campaign, and in comparison to his start last season, he certainly has. With only one goal in five league games this season compared to five in five last season, there’s no doubting that he’s in something of a trough at the moment. However, his ‘hangover’ from a poor World Cup as a reason for his poor form has been cast aside recently as revelations regarding his private life come to light. So much are the gravity of these allegations that some have argued these as the cause of his poor World Cup and subsequent lack of impact at Old Trafford.

So, is Rooney’s below-par start to the season a result of his off-field antics, Kevin Keegan certainly thinks so. Keegan will, of course, have been reluctant to direct a dig towards a Manchester United player but couldn’t help wading into the argument all the same. Talking to ESPN, Keegan referred to Rooney’s off-field streams of publicity as “taps”, claiming that Rooney can’t expect to turn “off” the tap of bad publicity while reaping the rewards that flow from the other one. To an extent he has a point, Wayne can’t have the best of both worlds, and this has become strangely reminiscent of the scandal surrounding an American golf superstar. He can’t hide from the publicity, and he will likely draw further criticism before the scandal is put to bed, so surely the only option is that Ferguson makes the most of the bad press? Can’t the negative sniping at Rooney be utilised to fuel a desire in him to prove his critics wrong, to give him the hunger to show the likes of Keegan et al. that he will find goals and that after all, form is only temporary.
It’s also difficult not to notice the rumour mill beginning to churn out stories with Barcelona being mooted as a possible escape route for Rooney if he feels he can’t play in England anymore, frankly it’s a tad premature of both the media to be speculating and clubs to be enquiring on a player who has overcome goal droughts in the past and has stated many a time that he loves the club for which he plays.

There doesn’t need to be a dramatic change to Rooney’s role in the side, if he’s gets the game time he’ll find his form. One change Sir Alex might consider though is a return to the three up front played when Ronaldo was scoring for fun. Were he to be pushed out wide for a few games, particularly while Berbatov is experiencing the best form since he joined United, and Nani scores goals like the exquisite number at Bolton on Sunday, United might find a few more ways of breaking down particularly stubborn defences.

Regardless of the effect the allegations have had on Rooney’s performance, he will still be picked to play for both club and country for exactly the same reason that we saw Tiger Woods selected for the Ryder cup, when he’s on his game, he’s unstoppable. And you can’t afford to leave that quality out of the squad.

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Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney can’t blame the media, says Kevin Keegan
Kevin Keegan says Wayne Rooney cannot blame media intrusion for his loss of form at Manchester United. In his role as an ESPN pundit, Keegan gave a remarkably candid reaction to Sir Alex Ferguson’s insistence that Rooney is struggling to cope with the “exhausting” scrutiny on his private life.

Rooney, troubled by recent revelations that he slept with prostitutes, produced another below-par performance as United failed to secure their first away win of the season at Wanderers.
Former England manager Keegan, who famously clashed with Ferguson in his time as Newcastle manager in the mid-Nineties, said Rooney could not complain about his situation.

Following United’s 2-2 draw at the Reebok, Keegan said: “You can’t have all the contracts and sell your wedding to magazines and things like this and suddenly say, ‘That’s the tap I want to turn on, but we want to turn the other one off.’
“But it’s just one tap and I know from when I played that, if you are advertising boots and all these things, you have to go and make appearances. The one thing I would say is keep your home and your family out of it and just take your endorsements if that’s what you want to do.
“You can’t turn around and say there’s too much paparazzi around or there is too much publicity. One minute you are courting it, the next minute you’re saying ‘I don’t want this’.”
Keegan added: “His performance tells me his confidence is shot. For United to get back to where they should be and winning at places like Bolton, they need to be getting Wayne Rooney firing on all cylinders.United are minus Wayne Rooney at the moment. It’s a different Wayne Rooney this year. It’s not the same. It’s like chalk and cheese.” (Daily Telegraph)

So does Kevin Keegan have a point? Well perhaps he does but I am unsure as to why he has come out and spoken on the issue at this time. It is true that Wayne Rooney has made his own bed, pardon the pun, in his case but many people seem to forget that the 24 year old is coming back from injury and is probably in need of a rest and it is as much those facts as it is media intrusion that is to blame for his very sedate start to the season.

Sir Alex Ferguson may well choose to rest the England man for a week so that he can come back fighting fit and raring to go because at the moment he does look jaded and half the player he can be. It is worth mentioning though that we are only six games into a new season and there is plenty of time for the striker to come good.

I would fully expect him to still notch 20+ goals this season and he is still undeniably the best striker England have.

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Yes, we felt the need to dredge up this emotional, slightly unhinged, clip!

Kevin Keegan could make a sensational return to Newcastle if a Dubai tycoon succeeds with a £100million bid for the troubled club.
And managing director Derek Llambias last night insisted the club could have new owners within the next WEEK.

The latest twist in the Toon saga emerged as Newcastle drew 0-0 with Leeds in front of just 16,000 fans at St James’ Park – and 5,000 of those were supporting the visitors.

It was a far cry from the days when the football-mad Geordies would turn up in their thousands just to welcome a new player.

Such was the ]gloomy air around the eerily-silent ground, club officials even had crowd cheers played through the Tannoy system when the players came out.

But an upbeat Llambias claimed to be dealing with several interested parties, including Sirous Mahjoob who wants to install Keegan – and NOT Alan Shearer – as manager. (The Sun)

Well I guess it was time for a bit of good news for the loyal Toon Army supporters but unfortunately this isn’t the first false dawn of the summer and whilst it’s all well and good that a takeover is within sight as this has happened umpteen times already.

I hope for the clubs sake that they do finally get rid of ‘Obese and Odious’ (Mike Ashley to his remaining friends) because until they do they are doomed to spiral ever downwards.

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Indeed, it appears as though Alan Shearer is closer than ever to making every member of the Toon Army’s dreams come true and becoming the next manager of Newcastle. The BBC pundit is now the bookmaker’s favourite to accept a post that has been offered to him several times already, although it could be that the former striker is waiting for the new ownership to come in, before committing himself to the role. The Daily Mail reports that Nicky Butt and the rest of the players are in the dark about a potential takeover.

‘No-one knows who’s making the decisions at the club at the moment.

‘We’ve got players running out of time on their contracts but no-one can sign a contract, we don’t know whether someone’s buying the club or not.

‘It’s the same with the manager – I’m sure he’s looking to get himself settled down but at the minute nothing’s happening. We’ll have to wait and see what happens.’

Shearer is now 3/1 to become the next Newcastle manager, with the odds drifting on Kinnear after another away defeat on Sunday which keeps the Magpies in the bottom three. Kevin Keegan is making this a three-horse race at the moment, but do the fans want Alan?

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The Guardian reports that the former Manchester City player with a history of being violent is determined to right the many wrongs that have taken place in his life to date. He’s prepared to meet the challenge of being booed at every ground head-on, although that doesn’t mean he’ll be butting any opposition player in the process. Probably.

“The fans who argued I should be sacked have a case,” said the Newcastle United midfielder yesterday. “I deserve every bit of criticism levelled at me. I am the first to acknowledge that I am indefensible.”

Turning teetotal did not bring immediate improvement to Barton’s life. “It was hell,” he conceded. “I knew that I was going to go to jail. When I got back to Newcastle [while on bail] I was getting booed, I was overweight and wasn’t playing particularly well. But since I left prison there has been a weight off my shoulders.”

“I hope I can be a shining beacon for kids who have been in trouble. I have probably made a lot more people unhappy than a normal person. Hopefully young kids who look at squeaky-clean, unbelievable professionals like Michael Owen and David Beckham and can’t relate to them can relate to me.”

A role model eh? Not sure that any parent in their right mind will want their children to be following the example set out by Joey Barton, who is extremely fortunate still to be employed by a Premier League football club. If he wasn’t such a precious commodity, the player would be on the scrapheap by now and it will take more than a few well-chosen words to convince Newcastle supporters that he’s a changed man.

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Instead, Newcastle have had to turn to Joe Kinnear, seemingly one of the few men prepared to take the first-team reigns for an interim period. Sky Sports reports that Shay Given now thinks that the club have reached an all-time low, although amazingly he remains hopeful that he can win some silverware at St James’ Park before his career comes to an end. Nobody would surely begrudge the United number one some glory after season upon season of disappointment.

“I have been there (Newcastle) a long time now and I would class it as my home,” said Given. “I have been there 11 and a half years or something, so it’s a big part of my life.

“At times like this, it’s difficult. Because I’ve been there so long, I feel a little bit how the fans feel. It’s been so frustrating.

“I’ve been through rough times at Newcastle, but this time with the club up for sale and the management up in the air, it just seems like the ultimate turmoil.

“As a player, it is easy to turn around and say, ‘I want to leave, I want to do this or that’.

“But I would love to see Newcastle really turn the corner. Hopefully, this is as low as it’s going to get and we will turn the corner and things will pick up, the club will get sold and the right people will come in to invest in the team.”

It must be encouraging for Newcastle supporters to read Given’s words, who knows where the team might be without one of their most consistent performers every season! It’s very much a case of trying to get enough points on the board to stay up this term, perhaps the ownership situation will be resolved before the end of the campaign so that things can start afresh next term.

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The Guardian report that the recent credit crunch means that prospective buyers are likely to play a game of ‘wait and see’, rather than buy the club and see its market value drop very quickly. The recent global meltdown of the financial markets couldn’t have happened at a worse time as far as Newcastle supporters are concerned, who were hoping that Ashley and the other members of the London Mafia would be out of town quicker than you can say ‘Kevin Keegan’.

Ashley – whose company Sports Direct is now worth £168m compared to £1.7bn in February because of the stockmarket crash – has placed a price of £300m on the club, a figure few are willing to meet in the current climate. “Mike did it [took over the club] for the right reasons and it hasn’t worked out,” said Keith Harris. “It is a major iconic brand and we are attracting interest, but this is a very easy climate for people to find an excuse. Newcastle has been transformed as a football club, they are a big club and I can see them going somewhere, but it requires time and careful attention.” When asked if Ashley would stay on as owner because of a lack of acceptable bids, Harris replied: “I wouldn’t rule anything out.”

Newcastle fans, you must be worried to hear the above news, with Ashley unlikely to continue investing in the club while he’s looking for a prospective buyer? The same article also contains a quote from a Magpies source, stating that the departure of Tony Jimenez does not mean that Kevin Keegan is any likelier to return as manager.

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The Times reports that Tony Jimenez, the former vice president, has left St James’ Park to seek pastures new. He was brought in by Mike Ashley last January, along with Dennis Wise, although it’s unclear as to what he actually did at the club other than to command a hefty salary.

“Newcastle United can today confirm that Tony Jimenez has left the club,” a club statement read. “Tony, who was appointed vice-president (player recruitment) in January, has made the decision in order to pursue other interests.

“Newcastle United thanks Tony for all his hard work and efforts and wishes him every success in the future.”

Along with Wise and technical co-ordinator Jeff Vetere, Jimenez’s role proved controversial, with the trio regularly clashing with Kevin Keegan over which players should be brought into the club. Newcastle fans, are you pleased to see the 57-year-old leave to pursue other interests, or will you reserve your judgement until / unless Dennis Wise and Mike Ashley also clear off, leaving the way clear for a fresh start?

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Setanta report that Sam Allardyce, someone who was unfairly dismissed as manager of the Magpies last January, has spoken out against Ashley, claiming that there was never any long-term plan as far as the United owner was concerned. The ex-Bolton gaffer claims he’s now glad to be out of St James’ Park after sipping from the poisoned chalice for just a handful of months before receiving his marching orders.

“It is going from bad to horrendous now,” Allardyce, who was sacked by the club last year, told Talksport.

“I am glad I am out of it.

“It is crystal clear now what the motives were for Mike Ashley. It is clear he did buy the club in the hope that he could quickly sell [it] on for a vast profit.

“What I did was not in line with him. I was in it for the long term. I was there for the building of a football club.”

Perhaps Fat Sam will be invited back by the new owners to have a second bite of the cherry at St James’ Park, or maybe not if the fans have anything to do with it! Still, it seems as though Allardyce and Keegan failed as managers due to a lack of financial support from the club’s owner, who has been reluctant to dip his hand into the coffers and improve the team in the process. Newcastle fans surely deserve a well-run club when the new owners come in!

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