15th September 2004: The statement
issued by Jeremy Peace yesterday was carefully worded but it did little
to end speculation from the press. Having said that, it didn't give
them much to say for the rest of the week, which can only be a good
thing in terms of the preparation for Saturday's game.
The statement reinforced the fact that Megson had been given the required
support and that it was now down to him. It seemed to suggest that
Megson's position was not in immediate danger, but stopped short of
granting the manager the board's whole-hearted support. Mind you,
such statements are notoriously unreliable.
The most admirable sentiment expressed by the chairman was the need
for the club to unite. Speculation as to the manager's future is divisive
and unhelpful for the team, the staff and the club as a whole - in
fact, the only people it helps are the media. Unfortunately, JP's
statement did not put an end to it, although it may bring a short
respite.
Saturday's game is all important. Whatever the result, the speculation
will continue, although anything less than a victory will see the
apparent pressure on Megson increase, if not the real pressure. I
believe that the next four games will be decisive, assuming Peace
is indeed considering the manager's position. Megson needs to pick
teams set to win games, which he obviously didn't do at Anfield, and
he needs to show that he can get the best out of the players he has
brought in. I support Megson and I will do for as long as he remains
the manager of West Bromwich Albion. I do not believe that now is
the right time to show him the door, but should we still be winless
after the next four games (which I don't believe we will be), it will
be time to make a change.
Of course, it's all very well to get rid of a manager, should it come
to that, but you have to find someone to do a better job - and not
just someone that JP can get along with. Until the time comes, I will
not speculate on who could fill that role.
Come on Megson, come on Peace, come on Baggies!!
And finally, a few words about the events in Rome this evening.
Firstly, if a fourth official is not capable of refereeing a Champions
League game, he shouldn't be a fourth official. Admittedly, Mr Frisk
(didn't he win the National?) may have felt that the atmosphere was
more intimidating than usual, but even so, the officials should be
capable.
Secondly, UEFA need to come down on Roma like a ton of bricks. The
things that happen in stadia around Europe have gone largely unpunished
for years with only the English feeling the brunt. How you can allow
fireworks into a stadium is beyond me, and the throwing of missiles
from the crowd is a common occurrence in many parts of mainland Europe.
The fact that the missile that hit the referee was thrown from the
VIP area of the stadium is indicative of the situation.
Roma should certainly lose the game, and they should either be thrown
out of the competition or forced to play their remaining home group
games behind closed doors. Of course, the first is likely, the latter
will never happen. Roma will probably escape with a paltry fine because
they're not an English club. Of course, if that happened in an English
stadium, English clubs would be out of Europe as quickly as you could
say "Lennart Johansson".
Prove me wrong, UEFA!
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