VIEW FROM THE GALLOWGATE
UNLESS something happens in the transfer market between me sending this and it being published, then there’s only one topic worth mentioning, and that’s Eddie Howe’s interview with the media at the training camp in Germany.
Now don’t get me wrong, I like Howe, so in that spirit I’m going to say that his usual media interviews are a bit, well, straight bat.
None of the Mourinho or Fergie teasing, humour or snarky undercurrent. In fact you’re usually none the wiser at the end about issues that concern you than you were at the start of the interview.
This was different, this was as close as he gets to a public ultimatum. On the face of it, a manager saying that for things to work everyone needs to know their parameters isn’t particularly outrageous, but we have to factor in the tone and the circumstances.
It isn’t exactly a state secret that the departed board members took his corner in certain matters, and despite being minority holders their wishes were accepted in the spirit of harmony. In many ways his position is actually strengthened.
The England vacancy isn’t going to be filled in a couple of days, or even weeks, and as long as he remains coy about the job then unless he’s sacked (highly unlikely) his position is strong. Nobody wants a change this close to the start of the new season.
I hope he stays, but at least if he doesn’t his replacement will be drawn from a higher level than we’ve been used to. All sorts of conspiracy lines of possibility are being drawn up.
The appointment of Paul Mitchell, with his close ties to Mauricio Pochettino, at a time when it was 90% certain that Gareth was thankfully jacking it in, is being viewed as the club playing the long game, or at the very least having a Plan B.
Ironically, with the takeover there was going to be a new dawn of accountability, transparency and most thankfully, harmony.
Perversely though, here we are at the start of a new season with the opposite issues than we’re used to experiencing.
We have a manager the majority are delighted with, a board we could only dream of three years ago and a good squad, yet uncertainty still reigns! We won the lottery and hugely upgraded our ageing car, but it’s got an annoying noise in the engine as well.