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Post by cpr on Dec 13, 2010 16:55:19 GMT
Along with his assistant.
;D
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 13, 2010 17:00:44 GMT
Totally out of the blue isn't it?
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Post by blockhead on Dec 13, 2010 17:02:43 GMT
who is next? Ferguson jr Keane Woy?  |
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 13, 2010 17:06:30 GMT
Blackburn Official Site Press release Posted on: Mon 13 Dec 2010 The Venky's Group, owners of Blackburn Rovers Football Club, has today confirmed the departure of manager Sam Allardyce and assistant manager Neil McDonald withimmediate effect. First team coaching duties will be taken on by Steve Kean (currently 1st team coach) for the immediate future. We have taken this decision as part of our wider plans and ambitions for the club. We would like to put on record our thanks to Mr Allardyce for his contribution to Blackburn Rovers Football Club. www.rovers.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10303~2243513,00.html |
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Post by cpr on Dec 13, 2010 17:08:27 GMT
Can't stand the bloke or his style of football. I roared with laughter at him jigging on the touchline as Bolton scored their second. ;D
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Post by Jon Doeman on Dec 13, 2010 17:21:48 GMT
The man to save the Hammers?
Say what you like about him, he knows his onions!
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Post by klr on Dec 13, 2010 17:30:45 GMT
Fat W*nker & a Sycophant to boot "Sir Alex told me......." "I've just been on the phone to Sir Alex" etc etc.
Hopefully now he has lost his job, he can do something useful like losing some weight, instead of being stuck with that fat smug look on his face whilst chewing gum ( like "Sir Alex" ! )
On no, I just forgot, he wont lose some weight, its Christmas!
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Post by blockhead on Dec 13, 2010 17:31:35 GMT
The man to save the Hammers? Say what you like about him, he knows his onions! this makes some sense. |
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 13, 2010 17:33:32 GMT
Unless Warnock to save West Ham...and Allardyce to finish up at QPR!
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Post by cpr on Dec 13, 2010 17:36:08 GMT
The size of Allardyce he knows a lot more than onions.
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Post by cpr on Dec 13, 2010 17:39:39 GMT
Worse than that, Roberts might fancy his chances of staying now!  |
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Post by klr on Dec 13, 2010 17:41:41 GMT
The only onions Fat Sam knows are the ones in his curry.
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Post by cpr on Dec 13, 2010 17:42:40 GMT
Bet he never eats a chicken curry again!!!!
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 13, 2010 19:05:13 GMT
Jason Roberts expresses his "regret!"
Sky Sports - Roberts feels sorry for Sam
Striker would not have wished the sack upon former boss
Blackburn striker Jason Roberts insists he would never have wished for Sam Allardyce to get the sack despite their fractious working relationship.
Allardyce has surprisingly left Ewood Park with immediate effect as part of the 'wider plans and ambitions' of the club's owners, The Venky's Group.
It could be suggested that the former Bolton and Newcastle manager's departure is good news for Roberts after his ex-boss said in November that they do not get on.
But the striker, who has been limited to just eight first-team appearances this season, has been taken aback by Allardyce's dismissal.
Roberts told Sky Sports News: "I just heard it now and couldn't believe it. I don't think anybody saw it coming."
He added: "I'm shocked and disappointed for the manager."
Roberts speculated that Blackburn's direct style of play under Allardyce may have been a factor in the dismissal, saying: "It is polarising the way we play. Some people are turned off by our tactics."
And he said: "Even though we never got on, I would never have wished him to get the sack."
.http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11676_6577068,00.html
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Post by harlowranger on Dec 13, 2010 19:33:59 GMT
Someone say Roberts !  Oh well there goes that then !!!! Chopra and Austin then ! If the chicken farmers have any sense they will get Martin Jol in there this week if they are seriously going to invest ! |
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Post by Lonegunmen on Dec 13, 2010 22:14:20 GMT
Perhaps this frees up Sam for the England job?? Not many fans will watch the dull hoof ball but hey.....
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 14, 2010 7:29:50 GMT
Guardian/Andy Hunter
Sacked Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce 'shocked and disappointed'
• Manager wanted full control of transfer policy
• League Managers Association condemns decisionSam Allardyce was "shocked and disappointed" by his dismissal by Blackburn Rovers' new owners following a row over the club's transfer policy. Four days after he was named as a potential England manager by Fabio Capello, Allardyce (with his assistant, Neil McDonald) was sacked by the Venky's Group. The manager had objected to plans to impose players on him in the January transfer window. The Indian poultry conglomerate acquired the club, for £43m, from The Walker Trust 25 days ago. Its chairperson, Anuradha Desai, told a local newspaper last week that Allardyce "deserved a chance" and that "the group have promised manager Allardyce funds to spend in the January transfer window". Those funds amounted to £5m, a sum Allardyce accepted, having worked without a budget surplus since he replaced Paul Ince two years ago. However, he had misgivings over the sports agency Kentaro's influence on transfer policy. The diluting of his input on transfers is believed to be behind today's events. Kentaro, which advised Venky's in the takeover process, last year agreed a corporate partnership deal with Sport Entertainment and Media Group, headed by the agent Jerome Anderson. Kentaro discussed transfer strategy with Blackburn's new owners before Allardyce did and is reported to have provided a list of potential signings that may have included the Scottish international Kris Boyd and Brazilian Geovanni. Allardyce wanted to retain complete control of transfer policy. With the owners and manager at an impasse, the club's chairman, John Williams, was instructed to dismiss the 56-year-old. A Venky's statement said: "We have taken this decision as part of our wider plans and ambitions for the club." The first‑team coach, Steve Kean, has been placed in charge. Blackburn's next opponents, West Ham United, may move for Allardyce should they choose to replace Avram Grant. The League Managers Association condemned Rovers' decision to sack Allardyce, who was also sacked shortly after Mike Ashley's takeover of Newcastle United, in January 2008. He had enjoyed a more productive spell at Ewood Park than at St James'. Allardyce had been due at Old Trafford for last night's Manchester United game before being hit with the news. "He phoned me at 3.10pm today saying 'can I have a cup of tea tonight?' because he was coming to the game," revealed Alex Ferguson. "Then he phones me at half past four and says 'I've been sacked'. I've never heard of such a stupid decision in all my life, it's absolutely ridiculous. I don't know what they're doing up there, but deary me. " Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the LMA, said: "When new owners take over a club, sadly the manager's position often hangs by a thread. To Sam's great misfortune this has happened twice and on both occasions it has been extremely difficult to understand. It is ironic that one minute Sam can be proposed as the next England manager and the next he finds himself out of work." Allardyce, who led Blackburn to 15thin his first season and a Carling Cup semi-final and 10th‑placed finish in his second, said: "I am very shocked and disappointed to be leaving Blackburn Rovers. I am extremely proud to have managed this club and I enjoyed a fantastic relationship with the players, my staff and the supporters." www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/dec/13/sam-allardyce-sacked-blackburn-rovers-managerGUARDIAN/LOUISE TAYLOR
Row over transfer policy led to Sam Allardyce's Blackburn downfall
Sam Allardyce may have underestimated the Indian woman who now wields the power at Ewood ParkSam Allardyce lasted only three weeks as Blackburn's manager under the new owners, Venky's. Photograph: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto Blackburn Rovers have long been a magnet for strong women. Margaret Thatcher became an honorary vice‑president in 1998; four years ago Condoleezza Rice gave a lecture on liberal democracy at Ewood Park and now Anuradha J Desai is the club's key decision maker. The 48-year-old sari‑wearing chair of Blackburn's new owners, Venky's, Asia's biggest chicken and egg producers, was the first female president of the World Poultry Science Association and ranks as one of India's richest woman. If Sam Allardyce made the mistake of underestimating her, he will now have realised his error after being summarily sacked as Blackburn's manager today. While a dispute over the apparent determination of Venky's to use Kentaro – one of Europe's leading sports rights agencies which has recently branched out into the footballer management business – to recruit players proved a prime catalyst to the parting of the ways, the outgoing manager was already deploying dangerous off‑field tactics. Furious at a newspaper interview Desai gave in which she appeared more than a little sniffy about Allardyce's famously pragmatic approach to winning matches, he made his displeasure abundantly, and perhaps unwisely, clear. Seemingly uninterested in the usual material trappings of success Desai already had precious little in common with the club's status symbol‑obsessed manager and such perceived disloyalty will not have impressed. Even so Kentaro's involvement appears to have been the straw that broke the camel's back. Jerome Anderson, a long-standing football agent and important figure at Kentaro, is seen to be trusted by Venky's rather more than Allardyce. Following Thaksin Shinawatra's takeover at Manchester City, Anderson helped Sven-Goran Eriksson to sign eight foreign players including Elano, Martin Petrov, Vedran Corluka and Geovanni. Allardyce had hoped to recruit household names such as Roque Santa Cruz, John Carew and Robbie Keane. Unfortunately their wages were almost certainly beyond Venky's budget. At first glance Allardyce's sacking appears almost Chris Hughton-esque in its harshness, particularly as he spent nothing last summer and Desai had never watched a football match until this autumn. The game's purist wing fully appreciates the reasoning behind it, though. "We don't just want results, we want entertainment too," said Desai last month. "We should go up in the rankings but playing well is not just about winning." Maybe back home in Pune, India, she had possibly caught sight of Blackburn's 2-1 victory at Hughton's Newcastle United. No one would dispute it was an excellent away victory but Allardyce's use of an ultra-defensive 3-6-1 formation, for all its cleverness on the counterattack, was regarded by many observers as contrary to the spirit of the game. Just ask Arsène Wenger or Rafael Benítez – but perhaps best not to get them started on Big Sam's sometimes extraordinary use of gamesmanship and assorted strong‑arm ploys. Blocking off, pushing and crowding were all par for the course at Allardyce‑choreographed set pieces, with goalkeepers and central defenders targeted. His advocates would point out that he was merely maximising resources. They might also emphasise that a manager who believes he should be in charge of England was responsible for the exciting development of the immensely promising 18-year-old Phil Jones. Unfortunately too many minds persistently rewind to Allardyce's dismal eight months in charge of Newcastle. During that period his squad grew increasingly bored during interminable team meetings about "how to stop" opponents. One brave player once asked: "But what do you want us to do when we're on the ball?" Desai may have made an overnight conversion from hard-core cricket fan to football expert but, as she recently said: "I know how many strikers we need." Note the plural; Allardyce tended to field only one. www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/dec/13/sam-allardyce-sacked-blackburn-rovers
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 14, 2010 7:33:21 GMT
INDEPENDENT
Allardyce ‘shocked’ by sacking after losing fight with new Rovers owners
Stuart Pearce in running to replace Blackburn manager who lost out in power battle over new transfer targets
By Sam Wallace and Ian HerbertSam Allardyce was sacked as Blackburn Rovers manager yesterday after losing his battle over player signings with the representatives of the club's new Indian owners, who refused his request to let him sign, among others, Robbie Keane from Tottenham Hotspur next month. The decision by the Rao family, who bought Blackburn last month, came as a shock to club employees, who were informed by email as the announcement was made public. Allardyce is understood to have believed that the writing had been on the wall for him for some time. Events came to a head in the last week over disagreements on potential transfer targets in the January window. Allardyce put the names of Keane, John Carew of Aston Villa, Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City) Charles N'Zogbia of Wigan and the Espanyol striker Dani Osvaldo to the board but was told that Kentaro, the management company who effectively run Blackburn on the Rao family's behalf, had different ideas. Related articles 'I'm shocked he's gone, I certainly didn't see this coming' Search the news archive for more stories Kentaro is advised by the football agent Jerome Anderson and his company Sports Entertainment and Media Group (SEM), who Kentaro describe as their "corporate partners". They work on behalf of the Rao family, who own the Indian poultry firm Venky's. This month Kentaro told Allardyce that it wanted him to consider Geovanni, the Brazilian striker formerly at Hull City who was available on a free transfer from San Jose Earthquakes, and Kris Boyd of Middlesbrough as potential January signings. Allardyce was opposed to those players coming to Blackburn. Yesterday Allardyce was told of the decision to sack him by John Williams, the club's chairman, who appointed him when the club was still under the ownership of the Walker Family Trust. Williams has always been a supporter of Allardyce and will probably fear that his days at the club are also numbered. Stuart Pearce, the England Under-21s manager, is one surprise name under consideration by Kentaro and SEM to succeed Allardyce. The former Tottenham manager Martin Jol, who left Ajax this month, is also in the running. Steve Kean, Allardyce's first-team coach, who has been placed in temporary charge, is also thought to have a chance of the job and is close to SEM. The former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson, now at Leicester City must also be considered a contender. His move to Manchester City in 2007 was engineered by Anderson. After his dismissal yesterday, Allardyce, who was on a one-year rolling contract, was installed as a favourite to succeed Avram Grant at West Ham, currently bottom of the Premier League. Allardyce's assistant, Neil McDonald, was also dismissed. With Blackburn 13th in the Premier League there was dismay around English football yesterday at the manner in which Allardyce was treated. He rescued the club two years ago from a disastrous start to the 2008-2009 season under Paul Ince and kept them competitive despite very limited resources. Allardyce said in a statement released via the League Managers' Association that he was "shocked and disappointed" by the decision. Later he told Sky Sports that it was "unexpected". "That's the world of football today," Allardyce said. "I'm a little confused in my own mind but the reality will kick in over the next few days. "I have had a fantastic two years and really enjoyed my time at the club. The support of everyone at Blackburn – the fans, the players and the board – was great and I really enjoyed my time there despite the relatively difficult financial circumstances. I knew that when I took the job. I am very disappointed not to be part of it but the club had to be sold." The influence of Kentaro, whose expertise is primarily in television rights, has been felt increasingly around Ewood Park over the last two weeks. Kentaro was behind England's friendly against Argentina in Geneva five years ago and it is also behind the Brazil national team's "world tour" – the corporate name for organising lucrative friendlies for the team all over the world. Ryan Nelsen, the Blackburn captain, said yesterday that "virtually all the players will be devastated" by Allardyce's sacking. "When you look at what he [Allardyce] has done on such limited resources it is incredible," Nelsen said. "The owners will look at the broader picture, but in the world we live in he did incredibly well at getting the best out the team. "We were all happy because the club had to be sold and over the last few seasons the Walker Trust needed to sell. The club was a wee bit dead in the water, which is why he did an incredible job keeping us away from relegation, and we even finished in the top 10. "Sam wasn't given the credit he deserved. Once we were bought out we thought we were moving in a new direction and that Sam might be given financial resources to work with. He wasn't given that chance, which is devastating for the man. "Everyone says that 'this is football', with what happened at Newcastle [with Chris Hughton], but it is a real shame because I know how much energy, time and passion the manager put into Blackburn. To be let go like that must be very disappointing." Blackburn runners and riders Martin Jol Popular 54-year-old Dutchman impressed during his three years at Tottenham and enjoyed a record-breaking season with Ajax before quitting last week. He has said he would welcome a return to England and almost took over at Fulham in July before being linked with the Newcastle United vacancy last week. Steve Kean The 43-year-old was appointed Rovers first-team coach by Allardyce in August 2009. A brief playing career preceded coaching spells with Reading, Fulham, Real Sociedad and Coventry. The Scot was also linked with a role at Chelsea under Luiz Felipe Scolari in June 2008. Stuart Pearce Former England captain has been quietly impressing with his work with the England Under-21s, taking them to the final of the European Championship last summer. Had two average seasons at Manchester City after succeeding Kevin Keegan but could relish a return to the day-to-day involvement of the club scene. Sven Goran Eriksson The former England manager has been out of the Premier League since leaving Man City in 2008, but has turned Leicester's season around since taking over in October. The Swede agreed to take over at Ewood Park in 1997 before reneging on his word, opting to join Lazio instead. * Leading contenders: 7-4 Jol; 11-2 Dave Jones; 6-1 Chris Hughton; 7-1 Alan Curbishley; 8-1 Chris Coleman; 10-1 Phil Brown, Eriksson, Martin O'Neill. 12-1 Alan Shearer. Others: 33-1 Pearce. James Mariner www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/allardyce-lsquoshockedrsquo-by-sacking-after-losing-fight-with-new-rovers-owners-2159622.html
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 14, 2010 7:42:53 GMT
Telegraph Sam Allardyce's sacking sparks outrage among players and staff at Blackburn Rovers Blackburn’s new owners have sparked fury in the dressing room and boardroom at Ewood Park by sacking manager Sam Allardyce following his refusal to have new signings imposed on him during the transfer window. Spitting mad: Sam Allardyce has paid the price for standing up to Blackburn's new owners Photo: REUTERS By Mark Ogden 6:30AM GMT 14 Dec 2010 . Allardyce, who was in charge of Blackburn Rovers for almost two years, was offered a list of players including Middlesbrough forward Kris Boyd and former Manchester City and Hull midfielder Geovanni after urging the club to sanction a January move for Tottenham striker Robbie Keane. But having rejected plans by the Venky’s group, the Indian-based poultry company which secured a controlling interest at Ewood Park last month, to rely on advice from the sports agency Kentaro in relation to transfer targets, Allardyce was sacked by chairman John Williams on the orders of Venky’s. The company’s priority is to appoint an English manager with Premier League experience, but a foreigner with a proven track record here would be considered. RELATED ARTICLES Allardyce's methods fall out of fashion 14 Dec 2010 Sam Allardyce sacked by Blackburn 13 Dec 2010 Premier League's Foreign Legion 26 Oct 2010 Bolton 2 Blackburn 1 12 Dec 2010 Allardyce demands control 08 Dec 2010 Man United 7 Blackburn 1 28 Nov 2010 Former Spurs manager Martin Jol, who resigned as Ajax coach last week, is understood to be the leading candidate, with Stuart Pearce also under consideration. Senior figures at Blackburn are understood to be angry at the failure of the Rao family, Venky’s owners, to inform Allardyce directly. Senior players last night contacted Allardyce to register their fury at his dismissal, with one labelling the decision a “disgrace”. Another, Ryan Nelsen, said: “I didn’t see it coming at all. Sam did an incredible job with limited resources. “I don’t know what the owners felt, but in the world we live in – the real world – he did incredibly well.” Allardyce’s position appeared to be in danger last week when the former Bolton and Newcastle United manager’s concern over the influence of Kentaro on Blackburn’s new owners was revealed in Telegraph Sport. With Kentaro, who advised Venky’s during last month’s takeover of the club, becoming corporate partners with the Sports Entertainment and Media Group in February 2009, Allardyce feared players being recruited over his head. Comments by one leading figure within Venky’s that Allardyce would be expected to produce winning and entertaining football also pointed to trouble ahead. And with Allardyce becoming concerned by the standard of player being proposed by the new owners, his refusal to countenance anything but full control over signings led to his dismissal. Despite the friction with Venky’s, however, Allardyce admits he was stunned to be told of his sacking. “It was obviously a big shock — I didn’t expect it,” he said. “Unfortunately I had to pop in and see the chairman and he delivered the rather shocking news. “It was unexpected but that’s the world of football today. It has still not really been explained to me and I am a bit confused in my own head as to why. Maybe things will clear up in the next day or two but for now I just want to say thank you to everyone at Blackburn. “We were working under difficult circumstances but I knew about them before I took the job. Even so I really enjoyed my time there.” Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the League Managers’ Association, was critical of Allardyce’s dismissal, insisting the decision was “extremely difficult to understand”. Bevan added: “When new owners take over a club, sadly, the manager’s position often hangs by a thread. To Sam’s great misfortune this has now happened twice [also at Newcastle] and, on both occasions, it has been extremely difficult to understand. “It is ironic that one minute Sam can be proposed as the next England manager and the next, he finds himself out of work.” Allardyce has already been linked with a return to management, with speculation rife that he is being eyed by West Ham should they part company with Avram Grant. The future of Rovers chairman Williams is also now in doubt. First-team coach Steve Kean has been placed in temporary charge of the team and his first task is likely to be quell the anger in the dressing room. Jason Roberts, who had a difficult relationship with Allardyce, added: “I don’t think anybody saw it coming. I’m shocked and disappointed.” Contenders for Rovers in cruel month of December... Martin Jol Available after leaving Ajax and has been linked to the club in the past. Might want time off from game. Stuart Pearce Liked by Rovers’ hierarchy and has good coaching credentials. Relatively unproven as manager. Alan Curbishley Desperate to return to football but unlikely to enthuse the fans. Ian Holloway Would require compensation but has made a superb impression with Blackpool in their Premier League debut. www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/blackburn-rovers/8199975/Sam-Allardyces-sacking-sparks-outrage-among-players-and-staff-at-Blackburn-Rovers.html |
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Post by Jon Doeman on Dec 14, 2010 13:11:36 GMT
Interesting comment from Hammer supporting "the moose" on Talksport.
" I'd rather go down with Grant, than stay up with Big Sam!"
I suppose he is the antithesis of the "academy"!
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 15, 2010 7:40:48 GMT
Interesting both the West Ham and the goal of Blackburn - Champions League - WITHOUT real big investment...Nutty GUARDIAN/Stuart James and Andy Hunter Avram Grant on borrowed time as Sam Allardyce catches West Ham's eye • Allardyce being considered for Upton Park post • Rovers manager's sacking prompts Hammers rethink Avram Grant appears to be on borrowed time after it emerged that West Ham United are giving serious consideration to replacing their Israeli manager with Sam Allardyce. Grant said before the weekend that he did not envisage being sacked despite West Ham's precarious position at the foot of the table but the club's owners are alarmed at their predicament and beginning to run out of patience. It is unlikely that a managerial change will be made before Saturday's trip to Blackburn Rovers, with Grant understood to have a few more games to turn things around, although that understanding would almost certainly change if West Ham were to suffer a crushing defeat at Ewood Park. Allardyce's unexpected availability has prompted a rethink at Upton Park and cranked up the pressure on Grant to produce a run of results that has so far proved beyond him this season. The club's owners have been desperate to see Grant succeed after they appointed him as Gianfranco Zola's successor in the summer, but there is an acceptance that the managerial landscape has changed now that Allardyce is out of work following his surprise sacking from Blackburn. Having previously been less than impressed at the list of managers in waiting, West Ham now have the chance to turn to someone with a proven track record in the Premier League to rescue their ailing season. Allardyce's uncompromising approach would make him a highly controversial choice for a club that prides itself on playing freeflowing football, although the imperative of remaining in the Premier League may outweigh any aesthetic concerns. Allardyce's former chairman at Blackburn, John Williams, is expected to remain at the club despite his deep concern at recent events. Williams and the managing director, Tom Finn, held extensive talks with Blackburn's new owners yesterday but, in the interest of short-term stability at Ewood, have decided against resigning from their posts. Sir Alex Ferguson has predicted a bleak future for Blackburn as the club's new owners revealed they sacked Allardyce because he was not the man to take them into the Champions League. Venky's chairwoman, Anuradha Desai, claimed that the first-team coach Steve Kean could remain in charge for "a couple of months" as they consider potential replacements. Allardyce was dismissed on Monday having objected to the prospect of players being imposed on him during the January transfer window. Desai insists a desire for entertaining football was also a contributory factor but, given that the Indian poultry company have allocated a £5m transfer budget for next month, Rovers' new owners have invited accusations of harbouring unrealistic ambitions. "We want good football and Blackburn to be fourth or fifth in the league or even better," said Desai. "We had been talking to Sam in the past few weeks but he did not fit in with our vision for the club's future. We wanted good football, wanted the games to be interesting and of course wanted to win and to have good players. "We needed to do some changes and Sam going is, of course, the main change. This is a major step but it was needed. We thought: Why delay? The fans should trust us and have belief in us because this is in the best interests of the club." Desai confirmed that Venky's wants a British candidate to succeed Allardyce and that it may take "a couple of months before a new manager is put in place". Allardyce harboured misgivings over the influence of the sports agency Kentaro, now associated with Jerome Anderson's Sport Entertainment and Media Group, on transfer policy at the club. Ferguson, a long-time ally, said: "The game has gone mad. Apparently they have taken on an agent to advise them on how to run the club, which players to use and pick. It's unbelievable, very odd, and it tells you everything about the modern game. I don't know how they will possibly replace Sam. I think there are troubled times ahead at Blackburn now." www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/dec/14/avram-grant-sam-allardyce-west-ham |
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 15, 2010 7:49:25 GMT
INDPENDENT Blackburn owners talk chairman out of quitting over Allardyce dismissal Venky's Group prevents long-serving Williams from walking away in protest at sacking of manager they pledged to support By Sam Wallace, Football Correspondent The Indian owners of Blackburn Rovers last night talked the club's long-serving chairman John Williams out of resigning over Sam Allardyce's sacking – their first success in steadying the club after 24 hours of uncertainty. It fell to Williams to deliver the news to Allardyce on Monday that he was no longer wanted and having advised against the move, the Blackburn chairman was thought to see no future for himself under the Rao family's ownership. However after extensive talks, Williams, whose son Simon is the club's commercial director, agreed to stay on. It was Williams who oversaw the sale of Rovers to the Raos, who own the Venky's poultry business, last month in a deal worth around £45m, including the club's debts. It was a financial imperative that the club was sold and Williams – who had also worked as chief executive under the Walker family trust, the previous owners – did obtain pledges from the Rao family that they would not change the manager in the immediate future. Having broken the promise to back Allardyce with funds in the January transfer window, there is unease at the club about what the new owners and their representatives Kentaro have planned next. The managing director Tom Finn was also in meetings yesterday and is also expected to stay. The chairwoman of Venky's Group claimed yesterday that the decision on Allardyce was made as part of a plan to get the team into the Champions League. Anuradha Desai said that she had no desire to sack Williams: "I know that John Williams was very close to Sam but their situations are very different. John is safe." The Swiss-based television rights company Kentaro have been hired by Venky's Group to advise them on the operation of Rovers with their co-founder and chief executive Philippe Huber now regarded by staff at Ewood Park as the key decision-maker – despite not being seen at the club. It is Huber who is thought to be the main line of communication between Kentaro and Desai in India. The role of Kentaro as advisers to Venky's was discussed with the Premier League when the Rao family went through the "owners and directors' test" during their acquisition of the club and the League's board were satisfied with the arrangement. The Premier League have maintained contact with Williams since the takeover of the club and were involved in extensive talks with him. Williams and the bankers Rothschild spoke at length with the Rao family before they went ahead with the takeover. The club's shares were sold for around £23m last month, giving the Venky's Group complete control. Williams has been at the club more than 13 years and pushed hard for the sale as it became obvious that the debts of £20m were threatening to undo the good work of years of prudent financial management. Allardyce requested a meeting with the Rao family and was prepared to fly to India in order to meet them but was never taken up on his offer. The club are getting used to decisions being made in Switzerland at Kentaro's base, then being authorised in India before they are finally relayed to Ewood Park. The Rao family's only personal visit to Ewood Park was made by Venkateshwara Rao and his brother Balaji for the game against Aston Villa on 21 November. However, there was little discussion from those two on the family's plans for the club and neither are regarded as key decision-makers. There has still been no official communication to staff over the club's future since the email on Monday detailing Allardyce's sacking. With Steve Kean in charge for Saturday's game at home to West Ham, Desai said yesterday in an interview with the Lancashire Evening Telegraph that it could be "a couple of months" before the club make a decision on a permanent successor to Allardyce. Allardyce will go on holiday to Dubai from Christmas – at the request of his wife Lynn – although that could change if West Ham's owners decide to bring the curtain down on Avram Grant's ill-starred reign at Upton Park. Desai said: "We want good football and Blackburn to be fourth or fifth in the League or even better. The fans should trust us because this is in the best interests of the club. "We do not mean anything bad for Sam Allardyce but we feel that we need to take the club up in the League and grow. It is not about the Bolton match [which Rovers lost 2-1]. It has been a long time in our minds. It is nothing against Sam but we have a different vision looking forward and we want the club to grow. We had been talking to Sam in the past few weeks but he did not fit in with our vision for the club's future. We wanted good football, wanted the games to be interesting and wanted to win and to have good players." Kentaro's original business was in organising international friendlies, including the England friendly against Argentina in Geneva five years ago but they were unable to come up with a South American opponent for the Football Association for England's friendly in February. Kentaro's expansion over the last two years has also included the recruitment of two executives from the FA. They have hired Jonathan Hill, the FA's former commercial director, and James Elliott, who worked under Hill at the FA. In recent years they have diversified into representing players which has prompted their relationship with Sport Entertainment and Media (SEM) who claim, among others, to represent John Obi Mikel and Kieran Gibbs. The Brazilian midfielder Geovanni, one of the proposed signings offered to Allardyce, was signed by Manchester City during the period they worked closely with SEM in 2007. www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/blackburn-owners-talk-chairman-out-of-quitting-over-allardyce-dismissal-2160467.htmlINDPENDENT Glenn Moore: Turning Rovers into an agent's shop window will be risky business Kentaro has world-wide connections but its involvement at Ewood Park can easily backfire There is nothing new about players being foisted on a manager, even Jose Mourinho has suffered in this way. Either currently, or recently, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham, West Ham and Newcastle are among Premier League clubs where signings have been made at the instigation of an owner, chairman, chief executive or director of football. On the continent the practice is commonplace. The club provides the players, the manager coaches them. A refinement of this looks to be the future at Liverpool. The manager will request a type, such as an attacking right-back, and Damien Comolli, the director of football strategy, will either present him with a shortlist, or simply deliver one. Sometimes it works, on other occasions it does not, as Rafael Benitez made clear when he left Valencia complaining, "I wanted a sofa and they bought me a lampshade." However, what appears to be on the cards at Blackburn is another step entirely. Their buying policy, it is claimed, will be influenced by the client list of a major agent. Related articles Blackburn owners talk chairman out of quitting over Allardyce dismissal Search the news archive for more stories So far the Premier League chiefs profess themselves unconcerned by the close relationship between Kentaro, a Swiss sports rights agency, Sports Entertainment and Media Group (SEM), a players' management agency, and Blackburn's new owners, the Indian poultry magnates Venky's. However, they will be keeping an eye on the situation. It has been suggested Kentaro might use Blackburn as a shop window, much as Kia Joorabchian did in parking Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano at West Ham. The big difference since then is that third-party ownership has been outlawed. Whatever Kentaro's intentions they will have been carefully planned, as the company has quickly spread its influence way beyond the small Swiss town of Wil in which it is based. It began in 2003 when two Swiss, Philipp Grothe and Philippe Huber, decided to pool their experience and contacts in the sports rights market. They soon struck broadcast deals in boxing and football but did not come to attention in England until 2005 when they arranged the friendly against Argentina in Geneva. That launched a new niche industry, staging high-profile friendlies in neutral venues with the bulk of the income realised through TV rights. Kentaro signed agreements with the Argentine and Brazilian FAs to sell their friendlies. London and Doha have become regular venues, England playing Brazil in the latter last year. However, home fans only see Brazil and Argentina play in competitive matches, and the schedules can appear to be against the teams' interests. Before the 2006 World Cup, Brazil's preparation included a match in sub-zero temperatures in Moscow and friendlies against Lucerne and New Zealand. Tickets were sold for training sessions. Before the 2010 World Cup, they played in Zimbabwe, on a poor pitch against weak opposition. Brazil lost in the quarter-finals in both competitions. Kentaro has also sold TV rights for the Football Association (including England and the FA Cup) and several clubs including Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, giving it a strong foothold in the UK. It agreed a "corporate partnership deal" with SEM in February last year – Kentaro already owned a Nordic agency. Its 60 staff include Jonathan Hill, previously commercial director at the FA. Emmanuel Petit, the ex-Arsenal and France midfielder, is a founding shareholder. Kentaro also provides television production, marketing and financial services. In short, Kentaro is a seriously influential and well-connected player in the football business. Quite what it will be doing at Blackburn is less obvious and Rovers fans will hope its influence proves less damaging than potentially similar ventures in Belgium and Brazil. In 2001, Jean-Marc Guillou, founder of the successful ASEC Mimosas academy in Ivory Coast, took over Beveren. He used it as a shop window importing many Ivorians including Yaya Touré and Emmanuel Eboué. The team reached the Belgian Cup final, but of the starting XI 10 were Ivorian. After pressure from Fifa, and within Belgium, Guillou pulled out in 2007. The club were relegated soon after. In 2004, Joorabchian bought the Brazilian club Corinthians through a company called Media Sports Investments. MSI embarked upon a transfer splash, including Tevez for a Brazilian record fee. Corinthians won the title, but most of the players belonged wholly or partly to MSI. When the relationship foundered in 2007 it emerged Corinthians only owned five of their squad. Six months later they were relegated. Strict work-permit rules, and the ban on third-party ownership, means neither of these cases could be exactly replicated in the Premier League, but there is no rule to prevent Rovers exclusively signing SEM clients, or owners dictating transfer policy by phone from India or Switzerland. Former owner Jack Walker can never have imagined such consequences when he decided to put his hometown club back on the football map. www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/glenn-moore-turning-rovers-into-an-agents-shop-window-will-be-risky-business-2160466.html |
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Post by Macmoish on Dec 15, 2010 7:51:57 GMT
Telegraph/Paul Kelso Sam Allardyce sacking puts Premier League on alert over Blackburn Rovers transfer policy The Premier League is monitoring developments at Blackburn Rovers amid concern that the involvement of sports rights agency Kentaro and player agency the SEM Group could potentially breach league rules. The role of Kentaro, a Swiss media rights agency that has contracts with international federations including the Football Association, is understood to be at the heart of Sam Allardyce’s sudden departure from Ewood Park this week. Kentaro acted as adviser to the club’s Indian owners, Venky’s, during the takeover completed last month and now, through its partnership with SEM Group, appears to have taken a central role in transfer policy at the club. Allardyce is understood to have objected to the owners insisting that transfer targets would be identified by Kentaro and SEM after he was presented with a list including Middlesbrough’s Kris Boyd, David Bentley, of Tottenham, and Hull City’s Geovanni. Related Articles Who is interim manager Kean? 14 Dec 2010 Maradona can't make Rovers sexy 14 Dec 2010 Anuradha Desai: profile 14 Dec 2010 Blackburn seek manager for 'top-four' finish 14 Dec 2010 Allardyce: hits and misses 14 Dec 2010 Sam's methods fall out of fashion 14 Dec 2010 All three players are SEM clients, and the recent transfers of Boyd and Geovanni are listed as “transfer highlights” on the company’s website. Coach Steve Kean, also understood to be close to SEM, is likely to be in charge of Blackburn Rovers for the next two months, which will include the January transfer window. Venky’s chairman Anuradha Desai said: “Our thinking is that it will be a British manager, but we are open if it is an outstanding candidate. Right now Steve Kean will take over while we are looking for someone to take over on a permanent basis.” SEM, run by Jerome Anderson, one of the most experienced agents in the English game, played a similar role following Thaksin Shinawatra’s takeover of Manchester City. Anderson acted as a special adviser to the club and oversaw all transfer activity at the start of Sven-Goran Eriksson’s tenure. League rules ban any third-party ownership of clubs or players, and prohibit third parties from exerting “undue influence” over a club’s activities. The league will scrutinise Blackburn’s future transfer dealings and other business to ensure that they fall within the rules. There is nothing in the rules to prevent clubs employing brokers or advisers to guide them, and it is not surprising that Venky’s, an Indian poultry conglomerate with no previous sporting experience, sought guidance in the Blackburn deal. Any evidence that an agency was favouring its clients in the transfer market, or dealing primarily with clubs where it had strong links, would potentially breach rules. There is no suggestion that there has been any breach of the rules, and the presence of respected club chairman John Williams, still at the club last night despite speculation over his position, is offering comfort to the Premier League. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said of Allardyce’s sacking: “It’s incredible. The game has gone mad.” Speaking on the American radio station Sirius XM, he added: “Apparently, they have taken on an agent to advise them on how to run the club, which players to use and pick. It’s unbelievable, very odd, and it tells you everything about the modern game.” Kentaro is understood to have been involved in the takeover from an early stage, and the Premier League was made aware of its role in meetings with the Rao family, owners of Venky’s. The company, founded in 2003 by Swiss media executives Philipp Grothe and Philippe Huber, specialises in marketing media rights for international matches, and has made its name organising high-profile friendly internationals in neutral venues. It first came to prominence in the UK when it organised England’s friendly against Argentina in Geneva in 2005, a game that was to become the template for Kentaro’s operations. That game was the start of an ongoing relationship with the FA, which in 2007 sold Kentaro the exclusive broadcast rights to FA Cup and England internationals in Europe for four years. As part of that contract it rejected offers from terrestrial broadcasters for England’s ‘dead’ World Cup qualifier against Ukraine in 2009 in favour of an internet-only pay-per-view broadcast. Kentaro’s highest-profile contracts are with the Brazilian football federation and Argentine FA, and it was responsible for ensuring that Brazil played the opening match at the new Wembley against England. It also arranged the reciprocal “home” match in which England travelled to Qatar to play Brazil in 2009. Kentaro was also responsible for staging Brazil’s friendly internationals at the Emirates, the game against Ukraine at Pride Park earlier this year, and the Brazil v Argentina game in Qatar last month that formed part of the emirate’s 2022 World Cup campaign. It has also had contracts to market Chelsea friendly games, and with Arsenal to market the pre-season Emirates Cup. While Kentaro’s broadcast and staging work is well known in football, its tie-up with SEM, founded and run by one of the best-known agents in English football, Anderson, is less high-profile. The precise nature of the relationship between the companies is unclear. According to the SEM website, Kentaro is its “partner”, while the Swiss company says they “joined forces” in February 2009 to “further enhance its activity in the player management business”. Neither Kentaro nor SEM would comment on the arrangement on Tuesday, but it is understood that both companies have been looking to get involved closely in club management in recent seasons. Anderson founded Sport Entertainment and Media Group in 1984 and the company’s early success was based on a close relationship with Arsenal. Ian Wright, Dennis Bergkamp, David Seaman, Tony Adams and Thierry Henry were all SEM clients, and Anderson’s relationship with former club vice-chairman David Dein was particularly strong. Dein’s son Darren worked for SEM and is now Cesc Fabregas’s agent. Former world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis was also a client, and the company has more than 150 players on its books, including John Obi Mikel, of Chelsea, and Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs. Neither Venky’s nor Blackburn Rovers would comment on the relationship between the club, its owners and Kentaro and SEM on Tuesday night. Venkatash Rao, one of the club’s owners, said that they may wait several months before replacing Allardyce, and would seek a “younger and more energetic appointment”. “It is a prestigious decision so we have to take some time,” he said. “This is nothing personal against Sam, he’s a very sweet and nice person, but we want a younger and more energetic appointment. We want to improve the club and see it doing well.” Who’s pulling the strings at Ewood Park »VENKY’S Indian poultry conglomerate founded by Dr DV Rao in 1971 and now run by his daughter, Anuradha Desai, and her brothers, Balaji and Venkatash. As well as chicken products the company has diversified into breeding and genetic technologies, disease research and vaccine development. »KENTARO Swiss-based sports rights agency founded in 2003 by Philipp Grothe and Philippe Huber. Close relationship with the Brazilian and Argentine federations, for whom the agency arranges friendlies, and the FA, with whom Kentaro has a four-year deal to market broadcast rights to England internationals and FA Cup games in Europe. »SEM GROUP Leading player agency founded by Jerome Anderson in 1984. Particularly strong links with Arsenal and worked closely with Manchester City during Thanksin Shinawatra’s ownership. Clients include Thierry Henry, Ian Wright, John Obi Mikel, Kieran Gibbs and a string of media clients. www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/blackburn-rovers/8202393/Sam-Allardyce-sacking-puts-Premier-League-on-alert-over-Blackburn-Rovers-transfer-policy.html |
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