The Sports Bookie Blog

Poor Old Jol!

August 25th, 2007

Here’s 3 related items that arrived together in my inbox:

1. FA to investigate Jol sack betting
Coral’s decision to close the market on Tottenham Hotspur’s Martin Jol to be the first Premier League boss fired is to be investigated by the Football Association. An FA spokesperson said it would be looking to see if any of its rules had been broken after the bookmaker received a number of large bets last week.

2. Ferguson blames boardroom ‘hangers-on’ for managerial sackings
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has blamed boardroom ‘hangers-on’ for the high number of managerial casualties in the English game.

Martin Jol arrives at Old Trafford on Sunday with his long-term future as Tottenham manager hanging in the balance after being left in no doubt about the club’s Champions League expectations at a meeting with chairman Daniel Levy.

Ferguson is an admirer of Jol’s work as a coach in Holland and is dismayed that the Dutchman’s position has been called into question so early in the season. But with the Premier League champions yet to register a win this season, the Tottenham manager can expect no favours at Old Trafford. Yet Ferguson has no doubt who he believes is responsible for costing many of his colleagues their jobs.

“It’s just sad that there’s such a knee jerk reaction in football today,” said Ferguson. “I don’t know how many times I have sat here over the years and supported managers under pressure because you know it’s not fair. But it doesn’t change. There’s no evidence that sacking a manager gets you success. I don’t know where the root of it comes from. I know it’s probably happened here from time to time. When I had a bad spell here people were saying I should have retired six years ago, I’m too old and all that nonsense.

“There’s a root to criticism quickly in football today. If you look at the corporate hospitality of football today – you go into some boardrooms and there’s only about four directors but 30 or 40 hangers-on. They (the hangers-on) are the ones who think they know everything and are the ones who are probably laying the seeds of it. When I came here at first they used to call it the second board. They used to meet on Monday in the Grill Room (at Old Trafford) and discuss everything that happened on the Saturday and make their opinions known. That was the way. That happens at football clubs and that maybe is where the seed is sewn. And so when somebody like Martin at a club with Tottenham’s expectations has a bad spell the inevitable happens.”

Ferguson is refusing to press the panic button despite failing to see his side win any of their first three games. United start the weekend seven points adrift of the top of the table after two draws and a defeat, but believes it is only a matter of time before his side is firing on all cylinders again.

“We’ll win the game on Sunday,” said a confident Ferguson.

3. And here’s a CASH BACK SPECIAL on Man U vs Spurs!

After paying out over £30,000 on the England game on Wednesday, UK bookie BetFred are running another cashback offer. Called “JOL TRAFFORD”, they’ll refund all losing correct score, first/last goalscorer and scorecast single bets – if Spurs win! Maximum refund is £100 (or your currency equivalent) per customer. 

 

Entry Filed under: English Football,Sports Betting,Sports News & Results