Time always seems against managers. They can try their best and things just don't go their way. Jol is a good example. The style, flair and players he attracted simply showed that things just didn't go his way this season. Everton might not be the best example, but Sir Alex made good of his chances when he escaped the axe when he started at Manchester.
This time, another big performer is near the edge of the axe. Big Sam belittled by the Newcastle fans, nothing I'll be surprised about. Newcastle has been perennial underachievers, but hasn't the idea struck anyone? They are an attacking team, yes. They are not a defensive team, yes. They let in more goals than they score, yes? For me, I think it is the case for all their problems. Allardyce's success at Bolton is built over years, not minutes, and he started from scratch. Bolton is good in defence and knocking their opponents around. Newcastle is about scoring goals and hoping the opponent don't outscore them. From the Keegan era, that is the definition of Newcastle, so all this talk about axing Allardyce makes Mourinho's departure from Chelsea much more relevant than it is in fact. Of course, whatever happens to Allardyce, Newcastle will be the losing party, since they are not at Real Madrid's standard to change managers every year or two and still kicking Champions League teams around.
But come to think about it. If Allardyce goes, England may gain since they are facing the prospect of having a manager the FA is not confident of controlling. Mourinho is definitely my choice, but why would he want the job. It provides less entertainment for him, seeing only players once every other month, and it has much more pressure. Of all the choices that are there for England, none strike me as a willing party to take the job, not even O'Neill, whose Villa. At Villa, he is on his way to "godhood", like Mourinho at Porto. Well, as a hyperbole. Anyway, from the list of candidates that Sir Bobby gave, I can see a few obvious choices. Capello is one, since he's out of football for a while. Houllier is another since he is good at job hopping. However, Capello would have the same reservations that the other top class managers has about the position, as with Houllier, but Houllier has one other reason not to take it up. During his spell at Liverpool, he has shown the same drawbacks as that of Sven. Winning but not very versatile, so I probably would not think that a World Cup win is ever possible with them, but they are good enough to better most England managers in the past two decades. So, who is the one English FA would go for?
