AVB needs TLC ASAP!

Another day, another manager sacking in English football. Today the bell tolled on Andre Villas Boas stint at Spurs following a 0-5 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool at White Hart Lane yesterday. He had been head coach at the club since July 2012.

I'm not AVB's biggest fan but I think football management has now reached a point of complete absurdity in terms of job security and long-term managerial employment. Admittedly AVB did make some bad decisions in terms of dealing with the media; and his big name signings Lamela, Eriksen, Soldado and Paulinho haven't quite hit the ground running and made their intended impact. But these things take time 17 months is not sufficient time to implement a new system and put your own stamp on a football club which is why I am totally supportive of the 6 year contract Manchester United have given David Moyes. OK, United have had a poor start to this season and Moyes is admirably the first to hold his hand up and take responsibility for this because he and the fans (should) realise that the man to take Sir Alex Ferguson's job was not going to achieve overnight success.

Daniel Levy

Sadly I think long term management has now been consigned to the past with the exception of David Moyes I feel it's very unlikely that managers with the longeivty of Ferguson and Arsene Wenger will never be seen in the Premier League again. Steve Clarke was also sacked this weekend, despite earning West Brom 8th place at the end of last season. There is no loyalty towards managers anymore and chief executives and boards of directors are expecting too much too soon. I agree with what Jamie Redknapp said on Sky Sports News this morning that Daniel Levy is trying to run Tottenham off and on the pitch. Figures like Levy need to stop interfering with what happens on the pitch and stand by their managers through thick and thin. Yes there are going to be some tough times yesterday for Spurs, but surely the best thing to do is to enforce some stability and allow your manager the opportunity to recover and help the club bounce back - not sack him in less than 24 hours!

Tottenham now head into a cup quarter final against West Ham and a tricky trip to St Mary's on the weekend to face Southampton, with a manager yet to be appointed, I can see things only going from bad to worse. Fabio Capello is being hotly touted to succeed AVB but I can't understand why an international manager in charge of a team heading to the World Cup (Russia) would give up such an opportunity to attempt to steer a slowly sinking ship towards a more and more improbable Champions League spot. It just doesn't add up for me. Guus Hiddink and Glenn Hoddle are two other name that have also involved in the speculation.

The draw for the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League also took place today and as a Manchester United and it's fair to say I'm feeling pretty pleased right now! This morning we were drawn against Olympiakos which, with respect to the club, is a very advantageous fixture to United. David Moyes and his team have essentially managed to avoid other "big names" left in the competition and should be able to book their place in the quarter finals quite comfortably. The Greek club definitely shouldn't be underestimated but I'm sure this was music to Moyes' ears after coming under a lot of pressure domestically lately he'll be reassured to know that his team head into the game as favourites and should be expected to feature in the next round. Manchester City on the other hand enjoyed no such luck and were drawn against Spanish giants Barcelona, and extremely difficult fixture that makes the challenge of taking City further in the competition even tougher for Manuel Pellegrini. The players will certainly have to bring their "A-Game" when they face the likes of Messi, Fabregas, Xavi and Iniesta over two legs if not the final in Lisbon in May will become all but a dream. Meanwhile Arsenal will be considered underdogs in their games against holders Bayern Munich, whilst Chelsea old boy Didier Drogba will return to his old club when they play Galatsaray. For the full draw click here.

A Question of Sport: Who are the five Scottish players with Premier League winners' medals?

Answer will be revealed in next post, please post your answers and thoughts on this post in the comments section. Thank you.