Neil Warnock joins QPR from Crystal Palace

Warnock's way out to be respected not criticised

Neil Warnock‘s departure as Crystal Palace manager on Monday night confirmed many Eagles fans fears as the Yorkshire man joined Queens Park Rangers.

The switch to the west London rivals ended speculation over Warnock’s future who has set his sights at being a Premier League manager once again.

The 61-year-old has claimed to only have a couple years of management left in him and sees QPR as being a club more capable of giving him his dream of becoming a top-flight manager again rather than Palace.

And I have to admit I agree with him. They are clearly more financially stable and appear to have a better set up in terms of looking ahead to the future while the Eagles are currently concentrating on finding a buyer, a new manager and escaping relegation.

While QPR are just one place above Palace many will question Warnock’s decision but I feel he has made the right one – for Neil Warnock.

Is it a selfish decision, well yes, but it had to be. His position as manager of Crystal Palace could not be guaranteed if a new buyer was found and the temptation of managing at Loftus Road was simply too good to resist.

I doubt that many fans will blame Warnock’s choice especially after it was made clear that he wasn’t just going to walk out on the Selhurst Park club. Warnock was keen to make sure Palace received compensation for his move, he said: “”There is no way I am going to walk out. If they can agree compensation then that's different.”

After agreeing a compensation deal the following breaking news was inevitable. As an Eagles fan who Warnock took some time to win round I am now convinced he is a descent manager and one that is sure to become QPR’s longest serving manager in recent seasons.

But I fear some fans will, wrongly, envy Warnock and blame him for walking out when the club needs him the most. But with an online poll on a dedicated fans website voting 45 per cent in favour of not blaming him while just over 10 per cent will boo him when he returns to south east London as QPR boss on the 10th April as they ‘passionately dislike him’.

There is no doubt we need a manager like Neil Warnock the most now as we battle for survival but his exit is not the same as Steve Bruce or Ian Dowie who left under bad terms with the Palace faithful.

I feel Warnock’s move is more similar to that of former Palace striker Andy Johnson who simply had to leave for the benefit of his own career. But only time will truly tell if his choice is the right one.

Warnock set to leave Crystal Palace for rivals QPR

Warnock the right man, but not the only man

Growing speculation over Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock moving to Queens Park Rangers will worry many Palace fans who believe he is the right man to lift them out of their current turmoil.

While the Eagles are enjoying an exciting and money rewarding cup run their league form appears to be struggling as they dropped into the bottom three after a one nil home defeat to Coventry managed by former Palace player Chris Coleman.

Warnock has admitted that he is concerned over his future with Palace who are set to receive £1.5 million in compensation if the switch goes ahead.

However despite the compensation, which will be a welcomed acquisition for the Selhurst Park outfit, many will fear for the club’s future if Warnock leaves for their West London rivals.

There is no doubt that Warnock is the right man for the job with his passion and desire to win that shines through in Palace’s performances, but he is not the only man.

Ian Wright, who scored twice for Crystal Palace in their 3-3 FA Cup final against Manchester United in 1990, recently claimed that Warnock was not the right man for the job insisting: “They need a young manager with new ideas,” hinting at a possible move for himself.

“If I can be part of that, then it's something I'd have to consider,” he added. While Wright may not be the ideal candidate if a candidate at all to replace Warnock there are many other former Palace aces that could take and crucially want to take the job.

One ideal candidate and only person I feel that can replace Warnock is ex-Palace manager Steve Coppell. The former Reading boss has a soft spot for the south London club, as does the Palace faithful for him, after having four spells as manager.

In many cases the ideal scenario is often the most unlikely but it may not seem too distant especially after the departure of Simon Jordan who Coppell famously had numerous ‘personality clashes’ with.

When questioned by ITV’s Steve Rider before Palace’s dramatic home game with Villa Coppell didn’t deny that he might possibly, one day, play a part in their future.

Ian Wright also confirmed that he thought Coppell was thinking of getting involved again along with former owner Ron Noades.

But Coppell may not be the only man eager to take the job on with Gareth Southgate left jobless after being sacked as the Middlesbrough manager in October 2009.

The former Palace player will be eager to prove himself after a poor record at the Riverside but may pose something of a risk if appointed as Warnock’s successor. Southgate is a man that to me comes across as too nice in an end of season battle that will be fought hard to the very end.

With every vacant managers job there is always one rumoured possibility that shocks fans and could it be too daft to suggest a return for Steve Kember. The Palace legend performed a miracle by rescuing the Eagles from relegation in 2001 but left on bad terms under Jordan who promised Kember a ‘job for life’.

The manager’s job at Selhurst Park is not a very appealing one for experienced managers at the top of the English game and relying on the love of the club may prove crucial in attracting a manager that can lift us out of relegation and look ahead to a bright future.

If Warnock is be confirmed as QPR boss later this week – leaving many Palace fans, including me, devastated - there will be no better way to leave than to mastermind a shock win over Aston Villa in the fifth round replay at Villa Park on Wednesday.

FA Cup provides sanctitude for cash-strapped clubs

Year-on-year the FA Cup provides us with great memories and occasions but this year’s competition has one more reason to be loved in a valentines weekend fifth round that was crucial for financially stricken clubs.

England’s most lucrative cup competition is renowned for ‘David v Goliath’ clashes and money-spinning ties between non-league sides and league opponents with the financial reward a great incentive for teams. This year’s cup, which so far is remembered for Northwich Victoria’s famous victory over Charlton Athletic in the first round and Leeds United’s win against Premier League Champions Manchester United in the third round, involves no non-league sides anymore but still has teams chomping at the bit to progress to the next round for the financial reward.

Cash-strapped clubs Portsmouth, Crystal Palace, Cardiff City and Notts County were all in action in this weekend’s fifth round. Cardiff and Notts County suffered heavy defeats away at Premier League opposition but still earned financial reward through game receipts. However the big earners, for a change, in this weekend’s action were heavy debt rollers Portsmouth, who beat Southampton, and Crystal Palace, who drew with Carling Cup finalists Aston Villa.

Ahead of Portsmouth’s 17-mile short trip to south-coast rivals Southampton on Saturday there was speculation in the morning papers that it could well have been their last game. The 2008 Cup winners have until Friday to prove they can service debts of up to £60million.

Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Saints did not only provide Pompey fans with derby day bragging rights but was a great lift to the fight against the financial problems facing the club. The club are set to receive around £500,000 including TV revenue, prize money and gate receipts. Had they lost that game it could have been the final nail in the coffin but the FA Cup, which for some clubs is becoming less of a concern and overshadowed by league ambitions, could turn the fortunes of Portsmouth football club around.

Albeit half a million pounds is a long way off their totalling debt - an FA Cup run could be the answer to many Pompey’s fans prayers with a quarter-final home draw against Birmingham City in a round that see’s two of the competitions favourites meet each other. Chelsea face Manchester City if they can overcome Stoke City at the Britannia in a reply of the 1-1 draw at Eastlands on Saturday and many Portsmouth fans may be beginning to believe they can achieve something in this year’s Cup.

Am I suggesting they can win it, well not entirely but, with manager Avram Grant firmly behind the side and showing passion previously never shown during his tenure at Chelsea - a cup run with progression through to the semi-finals worth £360,000 it could prove crucial to Pompey’s survival.

Meanwhile Crystal Palace, who were on the verge of producing one of shocks of the fifth round against Aston Villa before a late headed equaliser by Stiliyan Petrov, achieved what administrator Brendan Guilfoyle would describe as the perfect result.

However manager Neil Warnock may disagree after the Palace manager was disgusted with the award of the corner which led to Petrov’s header. The chance to go back up to the Midlands in the FA Cup, this time to face Aston Villa as opposed to previous cup opponents Wolves, will land more finances for the club in a game that is surely destined to be screened live after today’s epic encounter – generating further television money.

Palace are set to cash in on a 20,000 attendance that enjoyed a game played in great spirit, bar an Ashley Young dive early on, and what appeared a terrific atmosphere at Selhurst Park. With television rights worth £247,000 for the game and a replay, if won, set to earn £180,000 the FA Cup will provide the south London club with much needed cash.

And if Palace do perform the unlikely and beat Villa in ten days time Warnock may not feel too heavily aggrieved with Kevin Friend’s decision to award a corner after the ball clearly rebounded behind off Nathan Delfouneso's head. The reward for beating Villa will be a trip to either Reading or West Brom in the quarter final and is it too ridiculous to suggest Crystal Palace in the semi-finals – which between now and then would see them earn £560,000 just in prize money.

The Eagles are soaring since they were plunged into administration less than three weeks ago and the news which devastated everyone involved with the club has seemed to galvanise them.
But the impressive way Palace have managed themselves, or should I say been managed by Neil Warnock, has attracted interest elsewhere and reports before kick-off that Queens Park Rangers have taken a keen interest in Warnock will worry many fans who believe he is key to escaping the financial woe currently surrounding the club.

Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili dies in Vancouver

Competitors worst fears were confirmed earlier today when Georgian’s Olympian Nodar Kumaritashvili died in his last training session in the luge. The devastating news is set to cast a heavy shadow over the Winter Olympics opening ceremony and the remainder of the Games in Vancouver, Canada.

Kumaritashvili’s fatal crash happened during his sixth and final training session when his sled hit the inside of the last turn sending his body into the air and over a concrete wall while his sled continued down the ice.

The 21-year-old smashed head first into a metal pole after he was thrown off his sled, which was travelling at an estimated 90mph, and was later pronounced dead after immediate resuscitation attempts and doctors efforts at a local hospital had failed.

The dangers of luge are widely renown and those that take part know the risks involved but the dangers were further increased at this year’s Winter Olympics. Speeds at Whistler Sliding Centre, the venue for this year’s luge competition, have been worryingly high since the track opened last year with one luger hitting a top speed of 95.65 mph and now Kumaritashvili’s speed of an estimated 90mph are both faster than the recorded World Record speed of 86.6 mph held by US slider Tony Benshoof in 2001.

Competitors raised concerns over the safety of the track and last night Australian luger Hannah Campbell Pegg voiced her own worries to reporters after her practice session.

She said: “I think they are pushing it a little too much. To what extent are we just little lemmings that they just throw down a track and we’re crash-test dummies? I mean - this is our lives.”

As I nervously watched the crash on huffingtonpost.com I had to re-watch the incident three times because of the sheer speed that Kumaritashvili’s sled was going at. And as the opening ceremony gets under way tonight there will be many angry people in Vancouver that will be calling on the luge competition to be scrapped – not only because of the death but because of the how dangerous the track is.

The one big annoyance for me if the luge is to be cancelled is that it takes such a dramatic and tragic experience to happen for a decision to be made. The concerns and issues had been previously raised by experts involved yet it is left to having to be proven and when it involves a sport as dangerous as the luge the proof – which needs to be big in order to have an impact and spark a decision change by those at the top – will inevitable result in a death.

Crystal Palace go into adminstration

The news of Crystal Palace entering administration may not have come as a major shock for Palace fans but there is no doubt that upon hearing the announcement their heart, like mine, would have sank.

The Eagles have been unable to pay players their wages on four occasions this season and have also been handed two transfer embargos. The first came towards the end of the summer transfer window last August for unpaid wages and bonuses to ex-players while the second was handed to the south east London club at the end of September for transfer fees owed to Ipswich for striker Alan Lee.

Cash-strapped Palace were also reported to the Football League last week by rivals Charlton Athletic who were ‘furious’ they had not received £100,000 has part of the transfer for defender Paddy McCarthy in 2008 – sending the Addicks into financial difficulty themselves – something many Palace fans wouldn’t have felt too ashamed of.

Chairman Simon Jordan complained that the poor attendances at Selhurst Park was also contributing to the club’s economic demise and compared the crowd numbers to the likes of League One sides Norwich City and Charlton Athletic.

He said: “People need to look at the reality. Charlton, Norwich, Leeds, Leicester and Southampton have all been relegated in recent seasons with enormous attendances – if we’d had as many fans coming as Norwich did last season we’d probably get an extra £5million or £6m a season.”

So while the news of administration was somewhat expected the impact it may have – if not sorted soon - could be huge. The main danger surrounding the club at the minute is the potential deduction of 10 points which will send the cash-strapped club currently sitting just two points away from the plays offs to hanging scarcely above the relegation zone in 20th position.

Another threat is the possibility of losing players especially highly rated youngster Victor Moses who looks destined to leave. With a host of top English and foreign clubs queuing up to sign the England under-19 International, who picked up the December Championship player of the month award, it now seems that the teenager may be snatched from the grasp of Palace at a knock off price.

The club snubbed Manchester City’s £2million bid for Moses on Friday and having previously valued the player at £5million the Eagles could now find themselves being forced into significantly lowering his price tag. If former Palace midfielder Ben Watson was judged to be worth £2million by Wigan, a club reportedly interested in Moses, this time last year then the departure of the Nigerian born winger for less than £2million would be considered more as a crime than a eligible transfer.

One thing is for certain with whoever ends up with Moses, who signed his professional contract for Palace in 2008 after playing his way up through the youth academy, is that they are sure to have bagged themselves a great bargain that even David Dickinson would be proud of.

But Eagles’ fans needn’t despair too much as the 10 point deduction – although looking inevitable - is not completely confirmed after the club and the administrators have yet to fully inform the Football League.

The club was saved from administration back in 2000 by Simon Jordan but this time the Chairman and lifelong fan, who declared he wanted to sell the club in 2008, was unable to rescue the Selhurst Park outfit. Although earlier this year on January 4 he reportedly hauled the club from the brink of administration after securing a new agreement with London based firm Agilo who they owed £4.5million.

Jordan said: “It is not true that we are on the verge of administration. I am close to signing a new agreement with Agilo so we are not going into administration tomorrow (January 5)”.

But with the club set to go to court tomorrow (January 27) with a tax bill over £1.2million the signs looked ominous for Palace fans. And the news announced today saddened many and sent the message boards into overload with not just Palace fans contributing but football fans across the country offering their condolences.

Finishing on a positive note there is one fan, as I’m sure there are many more, in the form of holmesdale.net editor Gordon Law who took a positive approach to the news and announced a statement that many fans wil hope to turn out true.

He said: “You’re always going to have more chance of a buyer coming along and picking up the club for a knockdown price while it’s in administration than in normal circumstances where there are significant debts.

“In some ways it might be a good thing as the debts will be gone and we might get someone who will be able to take us forward. Precedent is a good thing and there are plenty of clubs who have come through this stronger.”

Mohareb in FIFA agreement over video technology

Lancashire’s Referee Development officer Dean Mohareb has backed FIFA’s recent decision not to include video technology or additional referees in the 2010 World Cup.

Mohareb, also officiating as an assistant referee in the Football League, agrees with FIFA that it is ‘too soon’ to bring in changes for the World Cup, he said: “To be fair to FIFA the experiment with the additional referees has been a pilot scheme so they have to wait for the results of the scheme until they can bring it into law and the next time they can make law changes is after the World Cup.”

FIFA were put under severe pressure from the Irish Football Association (IFA) and the media following the Republic of Ireland’s controversial exit form the qualifying stages for next summer’s World Cup courtesy of a Thierry Henry handball.

While the decision to rule out the option of using instant video replays wouldn’t have come as a major shock to most people the idea of introducing extra officials behind the goal-line, which is already being tested in the Europa League this season, is one many thought FIFA would consider introducing.

Although Mohareb agrees with FIFA’s decision to not include video replays in the South Africa World Cup he does believe that the technology or extra officials would be a helpful addition to referees and assistant alike.

He said: “From a referee’s point of view any assistance that we can have on decisions that are factual like is the ball over the line would be helpful, whether that’s video or the additional assistants it would be helpful if that is brought in.”

UEFA President Michel Platini was behind the plan to employ extra officials behind the goals and the approach is something that Mohareb believes that if extra officials were officiating in the game between Republic of Ireland and France then Henry would have been spotted handling the ball.

He said: “It (The handball) was one of them situations where I think only the official behind the goal would have picked up. The decision was wrong due to poor position rather than anything else.”

The incident involving French captain Henry sparked huge controversy throughout the footballing world and with FIFA declining the IFA’s appeal for the game to be replayed the ongoing debate about whether or not video replays should be introduced into football was once again refuelled.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter is opposed to the idea of video technology becoming a part of football because he believes it will broaden the gap further between the elite and amateur level. The stance taken by Mr Blatter is one that Moherab completely agrees with, he added: “It would certainly be made bigger in terms of finance. Football is a worldwide game so in some countries funding such equipment is going to be difficult so the gap would increase financially definitely.”

With the attention on FIFA it gave the referee in question, Mr Martin Hansson, time to reflect on his decision and recover from a tirade of abuse from football fans who heavily criticised him for not noticing the handball. At one point the Swedish referee even considered quitting the game altogether.

But Moherab believes there was nothing the Swedish referee could have done.
Most of the criticism from the media came from his homeland Sweden where in one newspaper, Aftonbladet, their article said: “There are millions of Irishmen around the world. We guarantee they all feel pretty bad today. But I sincerely hope there are three Swedes that feel even worse. They are Martin Hansson and (referee's assistants) Stefan Wittberg and Fredrik Nilsson."

They concluded by adding: "There will be no World Cup for Ireland and I assume that Team Hansson has also forfeited its right to continue to take charge of major international matches. Anything else would be a further insult to the Irish nation."

However Mr Hansson has since decided to stay in refereeing after seeing a graphic produced by English newspaper The Times. The graphic showed that Hansson, who was standing on the edge of the 18-yard box, had his view blocked by three players. The assistant was on the other side of the pitch to Henry and had his line of sight obscured by Shay Given, the Ireland goalkeeper.

Moherab backs Hansson decision to stay in the game and also feels the Handball decision was impossible for him to make, he said: “If you look at the pro-zone traces of the actual clip the assistant has players in between him and Henry and the ref was very square on and didn’t have a good view. Unfortunately the official has got the big decision wrong but it was down to poor position rather than anything else.”

He added: “I thought the referee had an excellent game up to that point game and unfortunately we are in a game as referees where we get judged on the big decisions and he got the big decision wrong so obviously the assessment of the referee will reflect that but it’s really unfortunate because up to that incident he had a really good game.”

Blatter further angered the IFA further by announcing and laughing at their proposal to include the Republic of Ireland as the 33rd team in the 2010 World Cup which is only meant to have 32.

The IFA has hit out at the FIFA President for making their claims public, a statement said: "The Football Association of Ireland acknowledges that the suggestion of an additional place at the World Cup is not a possibility and requested yesterday that it will not be raised at today's FIFA executive committee meeting."

(Below) Is a timeline I created using dipity: it represents some of the major decisions of the years which video technology could have helped.

Refereeing Decisions that Video Technology could have aided on Dipity.

England's 2010 World Cup Draw

Fab Fix for Cautious Capello

I can imagine Fabio Capello will have secretely drawn a huge sigh of relief last night after Slovenia were the last team to be drawn in a dream group fix up for England. But no game against a team playing in the World Cup is an easy one and you can guarantee that Slovenia and Algeria will relish the chance to play England on the World stage. USA will pose somewhat of a different threat and even David Beckham raised a smile when his domestic league nation were drawn out of the hat in a match that many England fans hope will be the Group C highlight game.

Capello said: “We played against Slovenia at home in September and I well remember suffering in the second half. And I saw the USA’s game against Spain in the Confederations Cup, so that will not be an easy game.

"As for Algeria, they played very well against Egypt in their play-off. Psychologically, it will not be easy. We respect all the teams but we have to win., ” he added.

USA, ranked somehow 14th in the World, have the likes of Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan and of course goalkeeper Tim Howard. The number one position occupied by the Americans is something that Fabio Capello will envy, with more than capable back up replacement Marcus Hahnemann on hand if Howard fails to deliver or gets injured.

Avoiding the likes of Portugal, Ivory Coast and Republic of Ireland… sorry… France was key for England but if the form on paper goes as predicted then the Three Lions are set to face the runner up of Group D, providing they of course top their own group, either Germany or Ghana which admittedly comes as a slight concern.

Germany while not as dominant as they were a few years back still have a team that rise to the big occasion where as England on the other hand seem to crumble. Ghana pose a whole different danger entirely and with the African Nations Cup approaching there will many England fans watching with a keen and nervous interest.

Yes, avoiding Spain and Brazil till not late on in the finals is great but as a team 5/1 to go all the way (Ladbrokes) I feel England may fall at the second hurdle and would encourage many England fans, as I’m sure they already are, to be cautious.

There is no question that Capello has got the England side playing and working much better than his wolly predecessor but the test will truly come in the World Cup. Also don’t forget to be on the lookout at the end of the league season with perhaps one or two hefty challenges being not too uncommon and Beckham’s loan move to Milan could prove a blessing in disguise after all who knows what ‘pals’ Landon Donovan and friends had in store.