Whether Pulis will suffer the same premature end as the Northern Irishman, and become the latest victim of the absolute desperation of all Premier League club chairmen to be in receipt of the huge bounty that comes with operating in the top-flight next season, remains to be seen.
Stoke’s rudimentary style coupled with the torpor of their play of late, perhaps makes them the interested bystanders choice to be competing with Charlton Athletic and Middlesbrough from August onwards.
As evidenced by Di Canio’s altering of perceptions at his new club, that state of mind is transient. Proof of the fact doesn’t only rely on the 44 year old’s instant impact.
When Nigel Adkins’ enduringly successful tenure at Southampton was abruptly ended, Nicola Cortese – the Saints’ executive chairman and chief decision maker – was widely rounded upon as having no understanding of his actions – including by this writer.
In actuality, the impact of the hitherto little known Mauricio Pochettino at St Mary’s has been startling. If ever a team play as if having taken a pre-match ‘character pill’ it is Pochettino’s Southampton.
The Argentine’s men approach their task with bravery, zip, and purpose. Their continued presence in the Premier League is a definite boon for its standards of quality and entertainment.
Whether a comparable on-field revolution to those achieved at Sunderland and Southampton would be possible in the Potteries is questionable. Di Canio and Pochettino both possess themselves the treasured virtue of ‘character’ and are blessed with certain motivational skills. They also enjoyed the advantage of tackling their respective fresh challenges armed with a relatively strong set of tools. The sum of Stoke City’s parts might betray them.
Harry Redknapp will empathise with Pulis. The Queens Park Rangers manager – while subtly seeking to absolve himself of any blame for his team’s gradually more inevitable fate – was quick, when the question of the calibre of his squad was put to him, to turn on the resolve of his men after a supine defeat at Everton.
‘You say (they are) talented players – but are they that talented? I don’t know really. You have some experienced players, but what you need is a good group of characters, a good group of people together and you have not got any problems when you have that’.
Redknapp’s assertion, expressed while slightly blinded by an ill-disguised rage, is half-true. Of course, character alone is not enough to produce a winning football team. Nevertheless, if that facet is not ingrained in the personality of a team they are destined to under-perform.
Testament to that fact is provided at the very top of the Premier League. Manchester City’s spluttering defence of their title has been one of the more curious aspects of this campaign. For Roberto Mancini’s side to be sat 15 points shy of the summit which they scaled only 11 months ago is a betrayal of the array of class which exists within their ranks.
Such an underwhelming follow up to last season’s high has been largely due to a discernible lack of spirit under their Italian boss, and a consequent lack of on-pitch urgency manifesting itself on too many occasions. That drive has returned in the past week, and served as a major contributor to seeing off Chelsea in an F.A. Cup semi-final. It had similar effect six days earlier, when City provided a sprinkling of inspiration for Sunderland by winning a local derby on enemy territory.
Manchester United were vanquished on that night, but over the course of this season they will emerge victorious from the war. There is no footballing institute which has the requisite character running through its core to the extent of the club which will imminently land a record 20th English title.
If there are any doubts regarding the value of this mystical but yearned for quality, they can be banished by the manner in which Sir Alex Ferguson’s men have responded to the agony they experienced when missing out on a championship crown during the season’s final seconds one year ago.
Pulis, and Redknapp in more reflective mood, might ruefully contest that the ‘character’ so beloved of many a phone-in reactionary is no use if they have a squad which possesses that feature in spades, but not the football ability to match.
They would be correct. Nevertheless, we are yet to see a team without the necessary desire, application, and will to succeed, rejoicing extensively while waiting for their latest silverware to be dished out.
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