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      Tony Adams: Arsenal might be eight points ahead in Premier League title race.. but it’s STILL Man City’s to lose

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      IF Manchester City were eight points clear with ten games to go, there would not even be a question about the title race already being over.But because it’s Arsenal in that position, I still don’t think they’re favourites to be champions.
      Arsenal could find it harder and harder the closer they get to the finishing lineCredit: EPA
      Erling Haaland and Co will be desperate to close the gap for champs Man CityCredit: Rex
      Speaking from personal experience, I know just how difficult it is to get over that finishing line for the first time.
      Arsenal are going to get tighter and tighter with every game they play.
      In our last ten games of the season we were scrapping at home against teams who had absolutely nothing to play for.
      We lost 2-1 at home to Derby and Dean Saunders scored twice. I was ready to rip his head off.

      I was screaming ‘Jesus Christ, why are you trying so hard? Do you want Liverpool to win the title again?’
      He told me he was  trying to win the Golden Boot and I said ‘well just stop it’.
      But that’s how it’s going to be for Arsenal over the next two months because every game is going to feel like a cup final.
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      City might have as many as 18 more games to play but Pep Guardiola has so much talent at his disposal that he can pick one team in the league and another for the cup competitions.
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      They’ve won the title before and because they’re coming from behind they will be able to play with much more freedom than Arsenal.
      Speaking from personal experience, I know just how difficult it is to get over that finishing line for the first time.Tony Adams
      It’s going to be so tight and right now I’m experiencing a proper Fever Pitch moment because I’m watching every game from the edge of my seat like a proper fan.
      Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise that Arsenal have been knocked out of the Europa League because it was never going to be their priority once they hit the top of the league.
      We all saw what happened in that competition when they rested some of their top boys and they’re definitely not going to win the league with their back-up players.
      Even with their best players available, they might not do it.
      I might be the only person saying this but I still think it’s  City’s title to lose. More

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      Once the home of Carlos Tevez, Oscar and even Gazza, China’s football revolution has come to a grinding halt

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      THERE’S a China crisis in football.Harsh Covid restrictions and the country’s dawdling economy have seriously delayed president Xi Jinping’s planned revolution in the game.
      Carlos Tevez spent a year playing in China for Shanghai ShenhuaCredit: AFP or licensors
      Oscar left Chelsea for China in 2017Credit: AFP
      This was for on-the-slide foreign players to receive spectacular rewards in heavily-funded teams to go with thousands of pitches to encourage the proletariat.
      The fixation washed over league football here, too.
      Because at one time, Aston Villa, Wolves, Birmingham City and West Brom all had multi-millionaire Chinese owners.
      Villa were glad to get rid of theirs in 2019, Blues have been trying to for years.
      Read More in Football
      Albion fans hate theirs, which leaves Wolves who have generally been well-treated by Fosun Group, whose interests vary from Covid vaccinations to Thomas Cook.
      Professional football in the Middle East oil states is attracting mercenaries who previously would have turned to the Chinese Super League to help fill their bank accounts.
      Paul Gascoigne in 2003 was a rarity.
      He wanted somewhere to play.
      Most read in Football
      Elsewhere, the draw of the yuan since 2004 was staggeringly high.
      Oscar, the Brazilian formerly of Chelsea, and Carlos Tevez, briefly of West Ham, are two who paved their retirement with gold.
      Oscar earned £550,000 a week while Tevez pocketed a ‘mere’ £400,000 a week.
      Hundreds and hundreds of others from around the world joined the gold rush — no fewer than 232 from Brazil.
      Then along came Covid…
      In the country from which the pandemic was unleashed, its government reacted with a rigid lockdown for nearly three years.
      Major clubs have closed and a cap of £3million a year was imposed on all earnings.
      Although the Chinese Super League draws big crowds in the immensely populated cities, and most of its 16 clubs still feature foreigners, the standard is not particularly high.
      And football lovers get their biggest kicks from Premier League viewing.
      Their national team has qualified for the World Cup finals once in 40 years.
      But Xi believes in sport as a binding communal activity — as any good Communist might.
      And after goalless failure in 2002, his reaction was to create fresh pitches on a breathtaking scale of 600 times the 82 on Hackney Marshes.
      Such political orders seldom work out and, sure enough, only about 3,000 have so far been laid.
      And despite pictures showing lots of boys training in military fashion, plus a population of 1.4billion, China has not produced an international star.
      Plainly, the production line is not functioning well and even more slowly since the Chinese claim to have invented football.
      As hands and feet were used, it was more like rugby than football.
      Finally, in the Middle Ages it was banned under the Ming (no relation to Tyrone) dynasty.
      Xi is a fan of physical exercise for the masses.
      An official state goal is for China to be the best team in Asia by 2030 and World Cup winners by 2050 — both of which are just about conceivable but not until attitudes change.
      European coaches there say parents want their children to be, say, accountants or nuclear scientists and are suspicious of ball-kicking tempting them away from study.
      Which explains why, crucially, about as many people as on Sunday mornings on Hackney Marshes actually play the game in their spare time.
      Meanwhile, the kids they want to attract to play the game are among ultra-millions watching the Premier League on TV.
      Read More on The Sun
      Gazza was a rare Brit to try China and not because he wanted to study nuclear fusion.
      He stayed for two months and then legged it home. More

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      Troy Deeney: It’s silly Ivan Toney was snubbed for England’s World Cup charge and Southgate’s right to pick him now

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      GARETH SOUTHGATE was right to select Ivan Toney.Not everyone will agree with that.
      Brentford striker Ivan Toney has been called up for England but was in just as good form ahead of the World CupCredit: Getty
      It is more a reflection of the world that people are saying he shouldn’t be in it because he’s got things hanging over his head — we all have things hanging over our heads at some point in life.
      We should also be asking why this FA process has taken so long?
      Why is Ivan still having to wait for a hearing date? It is leaving him in the lurch.
      Based on his form, there is no reason why he shouldn’t be picked — and there was no reason for him not to be picked last season.
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      The main question for me still is: why wasn’t he picked for the World Cup and yet he is picked for this squad?
      He was in exactly the same form, so is he going to get game time this time or are they going to completely ignore him again?
      It is easy to pick and play someone when there is no pressure, as opposed to a major tournament when you need to win.
      There is no point picking these players and then in pressurised moments just revert back to what you already know. I hope this is a sign there will be a change in approach.
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      Ivan managed not being picked for Qatar really well, he carried on scoring and everyone else is doing the talking for him now.
      Before a World Cup, it is all about picking your best squad but what did Holland do in the quarter-finals against Argentina in Qatar?
      They were 2-0 down and just decided to launch the ball into the box for a big boy like Wout Weghorst. When can we do that?
      The goal that knocked us out against France was a ball into the box and a header from Olivier Giroud as a targetman. We didn’t have that option.
      Harry Kane is decent with his head but in any major tournament you will never substitute him, so you need a back-up option to chuck in alongside him for when things go wrong and we need a goal.
      The main question for me still is: why wasn’t he picked for the World Cup and yet he is picked for this squad?Deeney on Toney
      That is what Ivan will bring.
      You can’t just have people who run in behind.
      That’s why Jamie Vardy wasn’t always a great option at international level.
      When your biggest threat is to run in behind, most teams would just drop off.
      And if that game against France went to penalties, you have one of the best, if not the best, penalty taker in Europe right now.
      All of that just makes it strange and a bit silly that he has not been given a chance.
      Trent Alexander-Arnold deserves to be in the Three Lions’ squad as cliched fears over his defending are getting tiredCredit: AP
      In his time as England’s first-choice striker and captain, Kane will not have had someone behind him who is as hungry to prove himself and as confident to take his place as Ivan.
      He will have the mindset, ‘I can score just as well as you can’.
      Kane has earned the right to be the man but you need to have that mentality of wanting to take someone’s position.
      But bigger than that for Ivan, it is just about getting regular call-ups to show he can do it all the time.
      Until he starts and scores for England, he is going to have to keep proving himself time and time again — and prove to Gareth he doesn’t need to play Marcus Rashford down the middle in Kane’s absence.
      And Ivan needs to do that sooner rather than later, because if that betting ban kicks in, he may not get back into the squad straight away.
      Who knows what he will come back like after a period out of the game.
      Everyone wants players picked based on how they are playing for their clubs. But someone like Maguire or Jordan Pickford have never let Gareth down. So, as a manager, why would you suddenly change that?
      I am not surprised that Trent Alexander-Arnold was not picked but I fear his lack of form and defensive issues are just becoming a narrative more than reality.
      Because he is good going forward and is going through a bad time, that scrutiny has risen.
      The narrative is he can’t defend at all and I question that.
      Is he a great defender? No, but I don’t think there are many about.Kieran Trippier, Reece James, Ben Chilwell, Harry Maguire, Eric Dier are not ‘great’ defenders but you don’t hear anything about them.
      If you offered Trent to Arsenal or Manchester City, you think they would turn you down?
      When you look at the squads, it is a difficult one.
      How everyone wants it is players are picked based on how they are playing for their clubs.
      But someone like Maguire or Jordan Pickford have never let Gareth down.
      Read More on The Sun
      So, as a manager, why would you suddenly change that?
      If you bring in new guys based on how they are doing and they fall short, ultimately, your job will be on the line. More

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      Barcelona face bleak future amid ‘ref bribe’ scandal.. but the weird and wonderful club will never be shown red card

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      OFF the field Barcelona are a mess but none of their previous scandals equal the new allegations of bribing a referee.The city’s prosecutor alleges that between 2001-2018, two club presidents bribed the vice president of the Technical Committee of Referees (CTA), Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, with £6million.
      Barcelona have been alleged to have bribed a refereeCredit: Getty
      Their defence is that they asked Negreira in his words “to ensure neutral refereeing”.
      An odd objective to request and it seems to suggest some referees were not neutral which is, by definition, the only reason they exist.
      The allegation against former Barcelona club presidents Sandro Rosell and Josep Maria Bartomeu is quite different.
      The charge is that they wanted Negreira “to carry out actions aimed at favouring Barca in the decision-making of the referees in the matches played by the club and thus in the results of the competitions”.
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      It will be a sensational, long lasting and costly investigation.
      If guilty the club faces a bleak future.
      Heavy fines, lost points, relegation are all possible, although not, I think, closure.
      That would be too much dynamite.
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      As Barca is the very heart of Catalan culture, enforced closure would all but start a war and might even re-charge demands for separation from Spain.
      And arch-rivals Real Madrid have lit a fuse or two.
      President Florentino Perez supports the investigation but as he has form with pressuring a referee, that’s rather like the pot calling the kettle black.
      Both Barca and Real still favour a European Super League and the result of this wrangle could be the end of this obnoxious scheme.
      Bribing refs strikes at the very heart of football.
      Nothing compares with the damage it would cause.
      In the Premier League cries of “you’re a cheat ref” are the crow-like squawks of frustrated fans.
      Referees may make wrong decisions and sometimes appear to be half blind, but instances of corruption in our league are just fiction.
      Which leaves me with two questions: Why on earth would two men running a club worth £5billion try so pathetically, not to mention expensively, to bribe a senior refereeing official who went on to acknowledge payment in his business accounts?
      Why should a club featuring several of the all-time giants of football, Lionel Messi, Xavi, Carles Puyol and half-a-dozen others, even think of risking their future by paying such a dubious source?
      The players are affronted at the idea of needing outside help.
      As former defender Gerard Pique put it “Barca have not bought referees, I would put my hands in the fire on it.
      “If you want to buy a referee, you do it on the ‘black market’, not by declaring invoices and leaving evidence of payments…
      “You go with dirty money and that’s it, things are simpler than going to the vice president of the CTA and paying him. It doesn’t make sense.”
      Since 2001, Barca have won the Champions League four times, the Copa del Rey seven, LaLiga ten, which almost certainly will be 11 soon.
      And now they have debts of £1.3bn and lost Messi to PSG while, according to Bayern Munich head coach Julian Nagelsmann: “Barcelona are the only club that has no money — but then buy every player they want.”
      They have been fined three times, so far, for breaching LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play rules.
      Read More on The Sun
      A weird and wonderful club.
      But they’ll never be shown the red card. More

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      Gary Lineker and Marcus Rashford show footballers are a better opposition to the government than the actual Opposition

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      FOOTBALLERS, eh? What a bunch of loony-left woke snowflakes.Well, not really, no.
      Gary Lineker has been a vocal critic of the governmentCredit: EPA
      During Gary Lineker’s playing days, the overwhelming majority of professional footballers voted Conservative.
      And even now, here are a group of self-made men, many of them who grew up in deprived areas, who have fought their way up in a cut-throat industry, an absolute meritocracy, and become multi-millionaires through their own talent and willpower.
      What could be more Thatcherite than that?
      And in an export market damaged by Brexit, the Premier League — “the greed is good” league — is perhaps Britain’s most successful global business model.
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      It’s hardly a breeding ground for dangerous leftist militants.
      But as the Gary Lineker affair has underlined, footballers past and present are increasingly able to oppose Government policy more stridently and successfully than the actual Opposition in Westminster.
      Before Lineker’s suspension from Match of the Day and the remarkable near-blackout of BBC Sport, we had Marcus Rashford campaigning against child poverty and the determination of footballers to “take the knee” in support of racial equality.
      These are extraordinary times because, until recently, the stereotype of footballers as monosyllabic morons was a staple of comedy sketch shows. They were widely portrayed, unfairly, as a bunch of thickos.
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      But in the social media age, footballers have found their voices — and many are intelligent, socially conscious, opinionated and extremely good at delivering messages.
      Premier League dressing rooms are some of the most racially diverse and cosmopolitan workplaces in the country.
      And the league itself is a success story for multiculturalism and internationalism, in an age when England has become insular and isolationist after Brexit.
      When footballers feel strongly about uniting to oppose, for example, racism, they do so from a position of knowledge.
      Likewise, Rashford experienced child poverty first-hand.
      Tory MPs enjoy kicking footballers and ex-pros in the media but it is not a popular strategy.
      After Rashford’s miss in the Euros final penalty shoot-out against Italy in 2021, Dover MP Natalie Elphicke claimed the Manchester United forward “should have spent more time perfecting his game and less time playing politics”.
      During that same tournament, several Tory MPs criticised the England team for taking the knee.
      And the opposition to that gesture centred around the Black Lives Matter organisation being “Marxist”
      Again, the idea of Premier League footballers, some of the nation’s highest earners, following the Communist Manifesto is laughable.
      You’d do well to find any coming out for post-match interviews and declaring: “At the end of the day, the proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains, Clive.”
      And Lineker himself is fighting the HMRC over a £4.9million tax demand — as part of a wrangle over his employment status.
      Marcus Rashford forced a government U-turn regarding child povertyCredit: Getty
      That debate over whether Lineker should be regarded as a BBC employee or a freelancer came up again after his “Nazi” tweet last week.
      Did he have to abide by the BBC’s vague impartiality guidelines, or was he free to speak his mind?
      When peace broke out, and Lineker’s return to Match of the Day was confirmed for next weekend, the unapologetic former England striker repeated his support for refugees.
      The whole fiasco has been a PR disaster for the BBC hierarchy.
      Thankfully it is now over and the public will be able to watch a proper BBC Match of the Day next weekend, including live coverage of two FA Cup quarter-finals.
      There are many football fans who cannot afford subscription TV and they have been let down badly by the Beeb’s ham-fisted approach to Lineker.
      But with the solidarity of his colleagues, Lineker has “won” his argument with the BBC.
      Just as Rashford forced government U-turns on child hunger and ended up being awarded an MBE.
      Neither Lineker or Rashford has ever come out as Labour Party supporters and it’s very possible they might vote for somebody else.
      But while Keir Starmer is too scared to speak freely about immigration or Brexit for the fear of losing votes, footballers have become the outspoken voices of reason in a fractured and angry nation.
      Maybe they should form a party of their own and stand at the next election. They’d probably win it.
      BOYLE IN THE BAG
      AFTER Chelsea beat Borussia Dortmund, I sat next to an elderly Scottish gentleman on the District Line, who was chatting to a couple of match-going tourists from America.
      They asked the man sitting next to me whether he’d been to the States and he certainly had.
      His name was John Boyle who, as well as winning a European trophy with Chelsea, had captained and then managed Tampa Bay Rowdies in the 1970s in the North American Soccer League.
      I asked him whether he’d played against Pele and it turns out Boyle had marked the great man, who was “still a fit lad in his mid-30s” when playing for New York Cosmos.
      Boyle sounded totally enthused by Chelsea’s performance against Dortmund.
      And coming from a man who marked Pele, that’s probably a more ringing endorsement than Blues boss Graham Potter might have imagined receiving a week or two ago.
      SOUL FAR AWAY
      ENGLAND’S record 53-10 defeat by France at Twickenham — after head coach Steve Borthwick had benched skipper Owen Farrell — was the equivalent of England’s footballers losing 7-1  to Germany in a  competitive match at Wembley after Gareth Southgate had dropped Harry Kane.
      But while there was isolating booing at the final whistle, the response of the 81,000 crowd was generally one of mild indifference.
      The Twickenham crowd, dominated by corporate day-trippers, will get behind England if they’re winning but it doesn’t actually seem to matter to them if their team loses.
      And that makes the whole experience feel pretty soulless.
      HORSING AROUND
      ANYONE keen on cutting public expenditure might ask why so many mounted police were deployed to the “posh derby” between Fulham and Arsenal.
      It is the least menacing fixture in the Premier League.
      And the Met’s horses were getting so much friendly attention, Craven Cottage felt like a petting zoo.
      BRAIN GAME
      ANTONIO CONTE claimed Spurs were “too soft” in their Champions League exit against AC Milan.
      Read More on The Sun
      But wasn’t his defensive general Cristian Romero sent off for two reckless challenges — the second of which scuppered an attempted late rally?
      Tottenham were too soft? Too brainless, more like. More

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      F1 returns to Saudi Arabia with ‘iron shield’ around Jeddah track to keep nervous drivers safe after 2022 missile strike

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      FORMULA ONE returns to Saudi Arabia this week.It was the scene of one of its most difficult political struggles in decades – but there is unlikely to be a repeat this time around.
      Last year a missile strike hit a fuel depot located near the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix trackCredit: Splash
      Security has been beefed up after a Yemini terrorst group took responsibility for the attackCredit: The Mega Agency
      The issue was not with F1 or the rulers of the Kingdom and their controversial regime but in fact the drivers, who you may remember had threatened to strike on the eve of last year’s GP.
      It followed a missile strike on a nearby fuel depot that sent black smoke into the skies near the Jeddah Corniche Circuit and subsequently clouded the race’s future on the F1 schedule.
      After over four hours of talks, the drivers were persuaded to race after being assured of their safety, but the security – plus Saudi’s questionable human rights record – had unified the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association like never before.
      They left Jeddah last March seeking further discussions with F1 but that is where the trail went cold – only it didn’t.
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      The organisers of the Saudi GP have since made considerable efforts to speak to the drivers to address the issues they had raised.
      Away from the cameras, there were meetings in Austria, plus a follow up discussion in Singapore. In fact, the dialogue still continues.
      Of course, the situation is different this time around. There is a truce between the Saudis and Yemen, whose Houthis group had claimed responsibility for the drone attack on the fuel depot.
      Last month, Saudi Arabia transferred $1billion into the central bank of Yemen’s internationally recognised government in a bid to bolster the country’s ailing economy.
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      But that has not stopped organisers from upping security for this weekend’s race. As you would expect from any event, security has been upscaled.
      There will be an increased visible presence – more guards, security sweeps and CCTV.
      And then there are the measures that aren’t visible. The embarrassment of last year’s attack is likely to see the full focus of the county’s “iron shield” protection system drawn to Jeddah.
      That’s the anti-missile defence system responsible for shooting down unmanned drones, which are used in attacks or to cause significant disruption.
      Then there are the social issues that have been raised. They too are likely to be addressed.
      I expect to see boys and girls on the grid. Like in previous races, the grandstands will not be segregated.
      Schoolchildren have all been given the day off school in the hope they attend or watch the race.
      From my understanding, their decision to meet with the drivers – plus their explanations – have been well received.
      Whether you like it or not, the Saudis are serious about their involvement in F1 and the race will be remaining on the calendar for some time.
      Ron way or another
      Cristiano Ronaldo attended Jake Paul vs Tommy Fury in Saudi Arabia and could be at the Grand Prix nextCredit: AP
      I AM not too sure if Cristiano Ronaldo is an F1 fan or not.
      But I have been told that he is likely to be at the Saudi GP this Sunday.
      Ronaldo, who plays for Saudi side Al Nassr, is likely to be requested to attend with one paddock source saying it is within his £170million-a-year contract to attend.
      Hungarian GP future
      COULD the Hungarian F1 GP find a new home in the future?
      A new FIA Grade One track is being built near Lake Balaton, a one-hour drive from Budapest.
      The Hungaroring has held the F1 GP since 1986.
      Brazil welcomes Formula E
      FORMULA E is gearing up for its first race in Brazil, with the race set in Sao Paulo around the wonderfully-named Sambadrome.
      A crowd of 35,000 is expected as the all-electric series returns to South America on March 25.
      Vill yer boots
      VILLA PARK will host the opening round of this year’s World Supercross Championship on July 1.
      Aston Villa’s pitch will be turned into a “dirt bike battlefield” with jumps and bumps.
      Last year, 35,000 watched the event, which was held at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium and bosses are hoping for similar figures in Birmingham.
      Read More on The Sun
      Ready to rumble
      THIS year’s MotoGP championship is shaping up to be a close-fought contest if pre-season testing is anything to go by.
      Incredibly, 12 riders broke the track record of the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve with reigning Champion Francesco Bagnaia setting the pace. More

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      Watford chief Gino Pozzo must realise the SIXTEEN managers he has gone through are NOT the problem… HE IS

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      HAS it ever occurred to Gino Pozzo that the problem at Watford has not been the SIXTEEN managers he has gone through — but the man who keeps hiring and firing them?The Italian is a hands-on owner who cares passionately about the Hornets and desperate for them to be successful. That I don’t doubt.
      Chris Wilder is the latest manager to step into the Watford dug-outCredit: PA
      Gino Pozzo has gone through 16 managers at Watford
      But how on earth can you build a long-term stable club that anyone can take seriously by having a revolving door that rotates so fast you need a lay-down and some Paracetamol to stop your head spinning?
      I reckon when Pozzo re-hired Quique Sanchez Flores in 2019 it was only because he was so dizzy he forgot he had sacked him three years earlier. 
      It’s so difficult to keep up with what’s going on at Vicarage Road with the constant chopping and changing. I wonder if Pozzo can even name all 16 of them.
      For the second season in a row, they’re on to their third manager in Chris Wilder — and don’t rule out a fourth because there is still time.

      Wilder has signed a contract only until the end of the season — and I’m struggling to remember, Roy Hodgson aside, the last time a manager at that club successfully saw out at least his first contract term. That would be a good pub-quiz question.
      But If he can see out the season, Wilder could even put that on his CV: saw through a contract at Vicarage Road. That would be some achievement.
      The latest Watford boss has missed a trick by agreeing a short-term deal because the one thing all managers there can look forward to is a pay-off when they inevitably get sacked.
      Pozzo switches coaches because he believes in the so-called “new-manager bounce” which can get the team an upturn in results.
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      And he can point to the fact he successfully kept the Hornets in the Premier League for five years and that the club have been there for six out of the last seven.
      But you can only get away with that sort of model for so long, eventually it catches up with you. 
      And I fear if Watford do not win promotion this season and are not careful, they could end up going into decline. 
      It was refreshing when the Hornets appointed Rob Edwards at the start of the season, giving a bright young British manager a chance. Edwards is an extremely well-rated coach and excellent man-manager.
      But to sack him after 10 league games — of which he lost twice — was bonkers.
      He had just taken over a team that had been relegated, had a culture of losing and were in a period of transition. 
      Incidentally, in his brief time as boss, he beat all of the current top three clubs in Burnley, Sheffield United and Middlesbrough.
      Had they given him time, they might be in a better position. But, even if they were not, you can let him build a team and culture at the club that will stand them in good stead for the long-term — rather than the constant quick-fixes that Pozzo seeks.
      Chris Wilder lost his first game in charge of Watford at QPR
      Rob Edwards was sacked after just 10 league games and is doing a grand job at Watford’s bitter rivals Luton
      And look at the job he is now doing at their bitter rivals Luton.
      While the Hornets are struggling to even stay in the hunt for the play-offs, the Hatters’ 1-0 win at Sheffield United consolidated their position in the top-six.
      How ironic would it be if Edwards ends up taking Luton up in the very season Watford axed him 
      Quite frankly, I don’t think the current Watford team are going to get promoted. I have not seen anything since Edwards was axed — apart from the 4-0 win against Luton in October perhaps — that suggests they are going to be a force to reckon with.
      Slaven Bilic’s stint in time was blighted by injuries. At one point he had FIFTEEN players out. I’m not quite sure what Pozzo expected the Croatian boss to achieve with that sort of casualty list? Did he think they would storm to the Championship title or something?
      On paper, there is no doubt they have the best technical group in the Championship.
      Players like Joao Pedro, Ismaila Sarr, Ken Sema and Hamza Choudhury can all be class acts.
      But for me the squad has been lacking the steel in the team that you need.
      In the Championship, you always have to win the physical battle first: win the headers and tackles, pick up those second balls, and do the dirty side of the game. You get that right and then you can let the quality attacking players do their work.
      Joao Pedro is one of the many great technical players at Watford
      Yet even their attacking prowess is under question now. Their 1-0 loss at struggling QPR on Saturday means they have not scored a goal for 282 minutes. That is a worrying stat at the best of times, never mind when you’re chasing promotion to the Premier League.
      Pozzo’s passion is his enemy. He needs to be calmer when the going gets tough and build a club that has a clear identity. When you go through so many managers, it is impossible to have that.
      The fans’ resentment towards Pozzo has grown deeper and deeper  — and once you lose the supporters you are on a hiding to nothing.
      Although he is the owner, ultimately the club belongs to the Watford fans.
      No team in the Premier League or EFL have gone through as many permanently-appointed managers than the Hornets in the past decade.
      Read More on The Sun
      I was wondering the other day if any other professional football club in the world has?
      Now that sounds like another good pub-quiz question. More

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      Harry Redknapp: Eddie Howe suffered heartbreak under me as a player but he is more than making up for it as a boss

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      WHEN I got the job at Portsmouth in 2002, there was one man I wanted as my first signing — Eddie Howe.At 5ft 10in he wasn’t the biggest centre-half, but he was so knowledgeable about the game, he read it so well, I had no doubts he’d do a great job.
      Harry Redknapp knew Eddie Howe would make a good bossCredit: Rex Features
      Howe played for Portsmouth under Redknapp, until injury wrecked his careerCredit: Action Images – Reuters
      Sadly, he didn’t get the chance to prove it.
      He injured his knee early on, which kept him out for months, and did the same again in the opening game of the next season.
      Eddie never fully recovered and eventually had to retire. But if his playing days ended sadly, he is more than making up for it as a manager.
      And, right now, I reckon he has got the best job in the country at Newcastle — and I include the likes of Manchester City, Man United and Liverpool.
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      In my mind, St James’ Park is the best place to be bar none. Mega money, a huge financial investment, and the most passionate fans in the game… and thousands of them.
      So much so that if Gareth Southgate called it a day tomorrow, Eddie would be on a shortlist of one to replace him as England boss.
      But, you know what, even if that happened — and of course it’s not about to — I’m not so sure that Eddie would actually want it. And why would he?
      Sir Bobby Robson will always be an absolute legend to those mad, passionate Geordies, but I can see a time when Eddie is just as big a hero.
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      That’s how highly I rate the job that he’s doing.
      He’s building something really special now at Newcastle and doing it his way, the right way, for all he has huge amounts of dough to spend.
      When Howe was appointed last year, his first task was keeping them up, which he managed with something to spare.
      Then it was all about turning them into regular top-four challengers.
      But as passionate as those Geordie fans are, I’m not sure too many expected it to be as soon as this season. Yet the icing on the cake so far is reaching their first Wembley final in 24 years.
      Sir Bobby Robson will always be an absolute legend to those mad, passionate Geordies, but I can see a time when Eddie is just as big a hero.Harry Redknapp
      And the place will be like a ghost town today when they play Manchester United.
      United are going so well at the minute that it’s a big ask — and having to do it with your third-choice goalkeeper makes life even tougher.
      That doesn’t mean I see it as a lost cause by any means.
      The two teams are so evenly matched, I’ve no doubt Newcastle CAN win, for sure. The key man could be Allan Saint-Maximin, who has such natural ability that there are times when he is almost unstoppable.
      The heart says Newcastle but if I had to put my house on it, the head edges towards United — especially if Marcus Rashford is fit.
      But if those Geordies are disappointed today, there are plenty of good times ahead under Eddie.
      Howe has thrived as boss of NewcastleCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      Redknapp and Howe go back a long wayCredit: Griffiths Photographers
      For me, he is the perfect package and destined to become a cult hero.
      He knows the game, he’s so knowledgeable and fits the bill in every respect.  There just isn’t a box he doesn’t tick.
      Oh, and don’t let that quiet image fool you into thinking he hasn’t got a ruthless streak.
      He’s no soft touch, as he’s shown in sending Ryan Fraser to train with the youth team.
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      Whatever happens against United, it’s only a matter of time before we’ve stopped talking about them not winning a trophy since the 1969 Fairs Cup.
      And I’m certain Eddie will be with them every step of the way — regardless of anything else that’s dangled in front of him. More