31st October 2004: The odds are
that Southampton will be facing a former manager next week, if widespread
reports are to be believed. But the two men in question would receive
very different receptions.
The favourite for the appointment is Glenn Hoddle, an excellent player
who has become a controversial figure in the game. His honest, if
ill-advised, comments about the disabled cost him his job as England
manager, but it was his "treatment" of Southampton when he walked
out on the club to take the job at Spurs that makes him a figure of
hate on the wouth coast.
He may not have handled it well, but I couldn't blame the guy at the
time - Spurs was his dream job. Us Baggies fans had enough reason
to hate Ron Atkinson when he left the club for bigger jobs on two
separate occasions, but he was always welcomed back at the Hawthorns,
for my part at least.
My feelings on Hoddle are mixed. His coaching ability is undoubted
and his likely side-kick, John Gorman, gained huge respect when he
was at the Hawthorns in the early nineties. The question mark remains
Hoddle's man-management skills, although it is a fault that the man
himself has acknowledged (something Mr Megson would never do) and
he believes he has learned from experience.
My personal favourite is the other ex-Saints boss, Gordon Strachan.
Unfortunately, I get the feeling he would prefer the Scotland job
as his reasons for leaving Southampton do not suggest that he would
jump back into a relegation battle. But perhaps he does crave the
day-to-day player contact that comes with club management, and he
may feel that this is still a bit early for him to take the Scotland
job - it's a job he certainly wants to take at some point, but maybe
now is not the right time.
Only he knows that, and it seems that Hoddle is Peace's preferred
man. Of course, the papers may not have got it right, but I wouldn't
complain if either of these candidates were appointed.
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