{"id":11539,"date":"2016-10-14T07:23:03","date_gmt":"2016-10-14T06:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.colossusbets.com\/?p=11539"},"modified":"2019-04-15T16:26:47","modified_gmt":"2019-04-15T15:26:47","slug":"seven-days-seven-points-14oct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colossusbets.com\/blog\/seven-days-seven-points-14oct\/","title":{"rendered":"Seven Days in Seven Points"},"content":{"rendered":"

Does Southgate deserve the England job?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Or should the real question be: does Southgate even want the England job? He\u2019s started his stint as manager relatively well \u2013 a routine victory over Malta and then a probably undeserved point away at Slovakia \u2013 and he\u2019s yet to see his side concede a goal, largely thanks to some Joe Hart heroics. However, many are questioning whether Southgate even wants the role on a permanent basis. He\u2019s never seemed overly enthused by the position before; when Allardyce was named manager this year, I would say Southgate<\/a> was more relieved than anything else. So where do we go from here? We have a temporary manager who doesn\u2019t particularly fancy the job, but very few potential candidates waiting in the wings to sign<\/a> on the FA\u2019s dotted line. England football<\/a> is well and truly in a mess.<\/p>\n

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Phelan finally confirmed as Hull boss<\/strong><\/h2>\n

And hasn\u2019t the club\u2019s hierarchy taken its sweet time confirming this piece of news. If there\u2019s one thing Hull\u2019s players and fans need right now it\u2019s a bit of consistency and stability, and hopefully \u2013 after seven Premier League games without a full-time boss<\/a> in place \u2013 they\u2019re about to step on the long road to achieving those aims. Hull currently sit 15th, sandwiched between fellow new boys Burnley and Boro, and you\u2019d expect them to be there or there about for the remainder of the campaign. If Hull are to stay up \u2013 and it\u2019s a huge ask \u2013 then they need solidity. Hopefully this appointment will deliver just that.<\/p>\n

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Can Bruce take Villa back to the Premier League?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Can former Blues boss Steve Bruce, who appears to have slimmed down dramatically since leaving Hull in the summer, get Villa back to where many football<\/a> fans would suggest they rightly belong? The Midlands side are arguably one of the biggest in the country, but they have shown nothing of their past glories in recent seasons. In fact, they currently look more likely to head down to League<\/a> One than to secure an instant return to the top flight. To my mind Bruce<\/a> is a good choice; he knows how to get things done at this level, and he\u2019s not scared of a challenge. I don\u2019t think he\u2019ll take them up this season<\/a>, but next year I expect them to be a different beast entirely.<\/p>\n

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Does Strachan want out?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

From the way he has been speaking to the press, and given his side\u2019s utterly abject displays in recent weeks, you\u2019d have to say that he doesn\u2019t look like a man who is happy in his job. Following Scotland\u2019s 3-0 defeat to Slovakia earlier this week<\/a> many predicted that he would announce his decision to leave his post; instead, he confirmed he will stay on for the foreseeable future. Strachan only signed a new two-year deal in the summer<\/a>, but his side has now won just three games in the last nine. And two of those were against Gibraltar. If Scotland get hammered by England when they meet in November, I can\u2019t see him remaining in charge for much longer.<\/p>\n

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Is the pressure starting to get to Bilic?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Bilic looks like the kind of man adept at handling pressure, but even the steely Croat appears to be feeling the heat following West Ham\u2019s poor start to the season. His side hasn\u2019t transitioned well to the new stadium, and they currently sit in the relegation zone, having won just one of their opening seven league fixtures<\/a>. However, what Bilic has on his side is an array of talent; if he can get Payet, Antonio, Zaza and Lanzini firing, then I have no doubt they will start to shoot back up the table. However, if those four \u2013 and Payet and Antonio especially \u2013 fail to hit the ground running once domestic fixtures start up again, Bilic could find himself quickly without a job.<\/p>\n

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Is Conte already on the verge of leaving Chelsea?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Well this story came out of nowhere, didn\u2019t it? On Thursday afternoon a number of bookmakers suspended betting on Conte leaving Stamford Bridge<\/a> \u2013 a mere three months after the former Italy manager made the move to London. Chelsea\u2019s league<\/a> form has been somewhat erratic this campaign \u2013 four wins, one draw, two losses \u2013 but it\u2019s still incredibly early to be thinking about binning a manager, especially one as respected and renowned as Conte. Chelsea<\/a> have subsequently come out and denied that there is any truth in the story, but rarely do such rumours come from nowhere. I expect this story to rumble on in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n

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Chelsea Under-18s manager Jody Morris proves you never lose it<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The former Chelsea<\/a> midfielder, who appeared over 100 times for the Londoners, is now working to bring through the next generation of Blues superstars. And, if this touch is anything to go by, they\u2019re being taught by someone who\u2019s still a bit handy with a football<\/a> at his feet.
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