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News and Views from the Football League - Sven leaves Notts County
It seems that some things just aren’t meant to be. The love affair between Notts County and Sven Göran Eriksson came to an end last week, perhaps proving to be more of a fling than a happily ever.
Now Sven will find himself work somewhere else in a matter of time, indeed if rumours are to be believed, he may still make the World Cup, with reports suggesting that both Nigeria and North Korea are interested in becoming the Swede’s new employers. Only time will tell of course what Sven’s next step will be, but what now for the Magpies? With all the uncertainty off the pitch, it is a credit to the playing and coaching staff that their ship is still set firmly in the direction of promotion. New owner Ray Trew bought the club from Peter Trembling for just £1, before stating that the short term objectives are merely to bring stability to the club. It is hard to see any County fan arguing that this wouldn’t be necessary. Trew’s aims however, are not merely short term. He has gone on the record to say that he wants to take the Magpies back to Championship level in the next 3 or 4 years, an aim he sees as being well within the realms of possibility.
Most refreshing for the Meadow Lane faithful, there are no more wild promises coming out of the club. Trew as taken a very open and honest approach in setting out his vision of the future. There is the long term goal of climbing back up the football ladder, but he has not completely ruled out administration. Many have arrived at a club with wild promises of near world domination, and there is just a distinct lack of realism in their words. Every football fan wants to hear that their side has ambition, but the last ten years or so in particular have shown what a fragile empire a football club can be, something which must be protected and nurtured into growing, and not just have money thrown at it. There is a long road ahead for County and despite this new dawning, their troubles are far from behind them. The club face a winding up order from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs over an unpaid tax bill and a debt which is still rising. Sven’s decision to leave the club however, will be a very welcome one. The Swede has conducted himself honourably in the matter, choosing not to pursue money which he could have been owed by the club. His work at Meadow Lane has seen him rewarded with a non-active life Presidency role, proving that it was very much an amicable parting of ways.
Of course it is too early to say how successful Trew will be in charge at County, but it is certainly a time for optimism at the club. He has acted swiftly to inject a dose of reality at Meadow Lane, and is making all the right noises so far. Gone are the wild promises, seemingly based on little fact, and back are the thoughts of stabilising, before moving forward. On top of all of this, it should be noted that the club have had a fantastic run in the cup this season and are still well placed for promotion. Regarding matters on the pitch, this writer would suggest that most County fans would have taken what they currently have, had it been offered last summer. Although we are still in February, thoughts will soon be turning to the run in for the season, as clubs look to make that final push in their quests for promotion, or even to avoid the drop. With this in mind, it is imperative that clubs are looking after players and that the players themselves are protecting themselves. Some clubs will play an unthinkable number of games in a season and it is just impossible for any player to compete in every fixture. They need to be given a break to recover. Owing to the harsh winter weather we have suffered this season, many clubs will be looking at two games per week for the foreseeable future, in order to complete the fixture list in time. More games brings fatigue, but also a greater chance of injury.
An example to point to would be that of Matt Fryatt at Leicester City. The Foxes are gunning for promotion in their first season back in the Championship and although many say it is not always best to make such a rapid rise through the divisions, they will of course be doing everything they can in order to make a return to the Premier League. Last week however, Fryatt suffered a broken jaw, which the club say will keep him out of action for up to 8 weeks. The striker is top scorer at the Walkers Stadium this term and although he has not scored recently, his absence will be felt by the Foxes. The loss of such an important player is always felt at a club, no matter what the position and it will be interesting to see how Nigel Pearson’s men adapt to play without him. Of course Leicester are well equipped to continue without Fryatt, but it can be factors like this that can shape a season. At present, they hold a playoff position, but will they still be their without Fryatt’s goals come May?
Another example would be that at Brighton, where striker Nicky Forster has fallen out with boss Gus Poyet and is thus out of contention. Poyet says it is up to Forster to resolve the dispute, but that he won’t be picked until he does so. With Brighton facing a fight for survival in League One, will they avoid relegation without their top marksman? Clearly no one player is bigger than any club, but it will certainly be interesting to see how these clubs and indeed others cope for the rest of the season as the unexpected rears it’s ugly head.
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