Portsmouth flop is expected to take the Southampton job

Tony Adams is Sky Bet’s 8/11 favourite to be named Saints’ boss

Photo Credit: Chris Ison/PA Wire

After months of bad news, things seemed to be looking up for Southampton last week: the club were saved from going instinct and star player Kelvin Davis spurned West Ham’s advances to stay at St Mary’s.

However, any Saints fans who were getting their hopes up about a brighter future will have been disappointed to hear that after much talk of Gordon Strachan - the man who took them to the 2003 FA Cup Final - returning, Tony Adams is Sky Bet’s 8/11 favourite for the job.

Adams spent three-and-a-half months in charge of Portsmouth last season before being sacked and the last man to take charge of Southampton shortly after leaving Pompey - Harry Redknapp - got them relegated and deserted

Posted: July 13th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | 1 Comment

Aston Villa haven’t beaten a top ten team at home all season

Six stats about this weekend’s football

1. Aston Villa have played every team in the top-half at home this season and they have failed to win one of those games. Every other club in the Premier League have beaten at least one of the ten.

2. Spurs have lost just one of nineteen home games under Harry Redknapp and are now the sixth-best performing Premier League team since the weekend he arrived.

3. chickendinner felt Tony Adams was unlucky to get the sack two months ago but Portsmouth are flourishing under Paul Hart, losing just one of ten games under the former Nottingham Forest boss.

4. Lyon’s hopes of an eighth straight Ligue 1 title are in jeopardy after a run of two wins in seven, which leaves them four points off top with six to go.

5. Wolfsburg were languishing in eighth at the end of January before a run of ten straight wins propelled them to the Bundesliga top spot.

6. It’s easy to see why Arsene Wenger regrets not signing Didier Drogba when he had the chance; the striker has scored eight goals in his last seven meetings with Arsenal.

Posted: April 20th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Keane emerges as a contender to take charge of Portsmouth

Former Sunderland boss is priced as low as 4/1 with Bet365

Roy Keane has overtaken Alan Curbishley to become the third favourite to become Portsmouth’s third manager of the season.

Avram Grant and Sven-Goran Eriksson still head the betting but the Irishman has gone from not having much involvement in the market before today to being priced between 4/1 and 5/1 with most bookmakers.

Posted: February 11th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Portsmouth are expected to choose Curbishley or Grant

There are two clear leaders in the races to succeed Tony Adams

(Photo Credit: Chris Ison, PA)

Alan Curbishley and Avram Grant got off on the wrong foot last season when the former West Ham boss said that Manchester United deserved the title more than Chelsea. Now they will lock horns again after being installed as the clear frontrunners to succeed Tony Adams at Portsmouth:

Avram Grant (4/7 with Paddy Power)
Bizarrely, the best job offer a manager who came within a John Terry slip-up of winning the Champions League last season is now offered is at a team locked in a relegation battle after selling two of their star players. However, Grant has made it clear he has unfinished business in England and he has previous with Portsmouth after spending a season there as a technical director before moving to Chelsea.

Alan Curbishley (6/1 with Sky Bet)
In many ways Curbishley seems like the perfect fit at Portsmouth, considering the way he saved West Ham from relegation and solidified their position in the Premier League. But Curbs quit there because George McCartney was sold without his agreement so the sale of Jermain Defoe might not have sat too well with him. Portsmouth might also feel awkward appointing Curbishley now after threatening legal action last week against a newspaper who claimed he was being sounded out about the job while Adams was still in charge.

Posted: February 9th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Five reasons why Tony Adams should feel very hard done by

Portsmouth sack luckless Adams after a home loss to Liverpool

Every Monday, chickendinner reveals five interesting stats about the weekend’s football. However, after the news broke last night that Tony Adams had been sacked by Portsmouth, this week we are instead providing five reasons to sympathise with the former Arsenal captain:

1. Adams was only given sixteen games in charge of Portsmouth this season, which was one game less than former Blackburn boss Paul Ince had.

2. Despite the criticisms of Portsmouth’s defence under Adams, they lost by three goals just twice in his 22 games this season. In comparison, Harry Redknapp lost four of his 13 games by three or more and all three of their heaviest defeats this season came under the stewardship of the Spurs’ boss.

3. Adams lost five of his first twelve Premier League games before being forced to sell Jermain Defoe. That again compares well with his predecessor, who lost seven of his last twelve as manager.

Posted: February 9th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Liverpool are 4/5 to pile more misery on poor Tony Adams

Portsmouth/Liverpool, Sat 5.30pm, Set S1, Free Bets, Best Odds

Even Tottenham fans could be forgiven for feeling some sympathy towards former Arsenal captain Tony Adams as he struggles to adapt to life as a Premier League manager. Portsmouth’s terrible form has left them just one point above the relegation zone and while Liverpool have been ordinary recently, the 4/5 on offer from Bet365 and 888sport on them leaving with three points does look hard to resist:

» Portsmouth haven’t won any of their last eight Premier League games, taking one point from their last available 21.

» Tony Adams’ side have lost three successive home league games - against Newcastle, West Ham and Aston Villa - as well as losing at Fratton Park to Swansea in the FA Cup.

Posted: February 6th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | 1 Comment