It’s Monday again which means it’s time for ‘Morning Mix’ – our weekly football column with a bit of music thrown in for good measure.
We look at two talking points from the past week and point you in the direction of some of the best football stories elsewhere on the internet.
We also offer a top tune recommendation to get you in the mood for the next week and what to watch out for over the coming days. Let’s get this show on the road!
Vieira is not cut out to be a manager
Crystal Palace’s decision to sack Patrick Vieira in midweek once again highlighted why top players do not always make the best managers.
The former midfield general had been underwhelming in his previous managerial roles with New York City and Nice, yet Palace still appointed him.
Some people have claimed Vieira was doing a decent job at Selhurst Park, but a quick look at his win percentage disproves that theory.
Vieira joins Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and others who have bagged roles purely because of their reputations as players. The truth is, they’re all lousy managers.
Silva and Mitrovic let Fulham down
Fulham got themselves into a great position in their FA Cup quarter-final tie at Manchester United on Sunday before spectacularly imploding.
Willian’s blatant handball on the goal line not only handed the Red Devils a route back into the game but also sparked ridiculous reactions on and off the pitch.
Fulham manager Marco Silva has plenty of previous form for acting petulantly on the touchline and was rightly dismissed after verbally abusing referee Chris Kavanagh.
Aleksandar Mitrovic’s subsequent protests and push on Kavanagh also earned him a fully-deserved red card. As idiot behaviour goes, this was right up there.
The week that was
Are you looking for the best football stories from the past week? Check these out:
- Multi-club ‘sharks’ pose a danger to football – they should be curbed, not encouraged.
- Inshallah United: ‘If only the Class of 92 had a Nassar Butt instead of Nicky’.
- The 48-team World Cup shouldn’t be on football fans’ ever-growing list of things to worry about.
Today’s top tune
The new releases were a bit underwhelming this week, so we spent part of the weekend heading down a rabbit hole of songs we’d forgotten about.
We gave Ed Cosens a shout-out a couple of months ago and used that as the inspiration to find some hidden classics from his band Reverend and the Makers.
While the video for Auld Reekie Blues is unlikely to win any awards, this tune is hugely underrated. Can’t wait for the band’s new release this week!
What to watch this week
England visit Italy on Thursday for their first 2024 European Championship qualifier with Captain Cautious (Gareth Southgate) still picking the team.
Having landed in a reasonably tricky group, Three Lions fans would be well advised not to start booking flights to Germany just yet.
A final Morning Mix thought
After spending a fair proportion of the last few weeks whining, Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper was at it again after his side’s 2-1 defeat against Newcastle United on Friday.
His incessant moaning has become tiresome. Shut. Up.
