The Controller has a writer friend who is a Portsmouth supporter. Knowing my team, he was asking her to pass on his commiserations earlier in the season. She told him (with considerable understatement) that I was underwhelmed by the manager. He commented "Poor old Avram, from hero to zero in less than a season".
There was clearly a time around Christmas when we'd had the first of our 'save our season' games and the Pornographers and Lord Sugar's suck-up had apparently decided Avram had to go and Martin O'Neill was the answer to avoiding relegation. But it was handled in such a crassly amateur way that he, wisely, decided not to become the new Messiah. I argued at the time that I'd rather Sam Allardyce and a properly prepared defence and remaining in the Premiership to staying with Avram, even with his bolstered defensive coaching capacity in Wally Downes. What has happened to Blackburn since they dispensed with Big Sam in search of more fantasy football shows their loss.
But that never happened and Avram, faute de mieux, is what we have to lead us to the Championship.
While he'll remain a hero for Pompey supporters, the reverse reputational switch seems to have happened for Roy Hodgson. Reviled by 'the best supporters in the land' ((c) every sentimental scouser), he presided over a Liverpool shambles a million miles away from the bright Fulham team he took so much further than the sum of the parts would suggest was possible. And he did it, by all accounts, by organisation, shape, defending, and achieving these by drilling players.
So when West Brom showed more resolve than The Pornographers and from a worse position, they went for Woy. After all, he had saved Fulham from relegation before building his successful team (and around the focal point of West Ham's own Bobby Zamora). And now he's (almost) done it again for West Brom. Class will out, perhaps.
The Liverpool supporters did, at one time, love Gerard Hou -hou -hou lier. But now he's fetched up at Villa to succeed Mr O'Neill following his petulant walk-out on the eve of the season, he's not popular with them at all.
So on Saturday, two unpopular and underachieving managers in charge of two underachieving teams.
But since today is my birthday, I'm hoping for a present of three points despite Avram - and I hope he's not around this time next year. Maybe he could reinvent his reputation at Villa?
At least Mark Noble and Rob Green showed some fight last weekend - shame it was with each other rather than hurting the opposition.
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