The World's Gone Mad

At first I put it down to the clocks having gone forward over the weekend, but no, it turned out that I wasn't sleep addled and misreading the breaking news I had woken up to - the world it seems really has gone mad.  I mean, this morning was already confusing enough as it was - being the start of the Easter break, it meant that the early morning sounds I woke up to didn't sound right.  The traffic was lighter and there were no juvenile voices gabbling away outside, as the school run wasn't taking place, (my house lies on the route to and from a number of schools, so I get the full effect of the herds of kids on foot and the stream of 'Chelsea Tractors' ferrying others to school every week day morning).  It was all too quiet.  Which I found disconcerting.  But at least it meant that I had no problems in turning over and going back to sleep.  When I finally re-emerged from the embrace of Morpheus, I made my usual perusal of the news  headlines online - and immediately thought that maybe I had overslept so badly that I'd skipped a couple  of days and it was now 1st April.  Scott Mills sacked by the BBC!  I mean, what the actual fuck!  While I'd lost touch with Mills' broadcasting when he moved to the Radio Two Breakfast Show, thanks to the various afternoon and weekend shows he'd done for various BBC Radio stations, for a long time he'd been the background to me driving around in my car, whether for work or for leisure.  He always came across as just about the most inoffensive, yet likeable, DJ on the BBC roster.  (He's also a relatively local boy to me, as he's originally from Eastleigh).  What could he have done that was so terrible it warranted his dismissal and erasure from BBC history, (I'm not joking there - try finding any mention of him on the BBC Radio websites)?  

As ever, it seems that it's that mysterious form of alleged misconduct which occurred over ten years ago and hitherto hadn't been a problem, but which suddenly becomes a sackable offence.  There was a time when you were allowed to make mistakes, have them forgiven and be able to carry on with your life and career without it ever being referred to again, (provided you weren't a repeat offender).  But we live in an age where, when it is expedient for them, employers will dredge up any and every misdemeanour from your prehistory in order to justify dispensing with your services.  Still, I'm sure that in Mills' case the facts will eventually come out and most people will simply shrug and say, 'So what?'.  (Disclaimer:  I could of course be proven completely wrong here, so don't hold me to this prediction).  Anyway, I'd not even got over the shock of the Scott Mills news, when I hit by second gut punch when I read that Spurs were in 'serious negotiations' with Roberto DeZerbi to take over as their manager.  DeZerbi has become a controversial figure for some sections of the Spurs fanbase, primarily because of his support for player Mason Greenwood when the latter joined Marseille (DeZerbi's most recent club).  Greenwood, you might recall, was once accused of rape and domestic violence by his partner, which resulted in his departure from Manchester United.  In the event, charges against him were dropped, (although other evidence has emerged which would seem to support the earlier allegations), and he and his partner are still together.  Now, whether we like it or not, under our system of justice, people are innocent until proven guilty.  So, as these allegations were never proven in court, in fact never got near a court, Greenwood remains innocent.  So, when DeZerbi was asked about him and the allegations, I'm not sure what else he could have said, other than that he could only judge Greenwood as a player and point out that the case had been dropped.  This doesn't make him a 'rape apologist' as some irate Spurs fans have alleged.

Now, that still doesn't mean that I think that he's the right, or even a desirable, manager for Spurs.  I remember when it looked as if the club were going to make a move for Genaro Gattuso to become manager, fan groups brought up various alleged sexist and homophobic statements he had made.  While that didn't endear him to me as a managerial prospect, the fundamental issue with Gattuso was his temperament - I recall that, as a player, he had a physical altercation with then Spurs assistant manager Joe Jordan during a Champions' League match, which alone should have ruled him out of contention for the Spurs job.  Not only that, but his managerial CV was - and remains - an absolute car crash.  What those fans currently opposing DeZerbi's potential appointment don't seem to grasp is that it was most probably the latter factors which led to the Spurs board deciding not to appoint Gattuso, rather than the former allegations.  Similarly, with DeZerbi, the whole emotive allegations of being a 'rape apologist', (which are based on pretty shaky ground) are less likely to sway the board than his temperament and footballing record.  Like Gattuso, DeZerbi also had an altercation with a Spurs manager - while managing Brighton, he verbally berated interim manager Stellini on the touchline,  Whilst not a violent confrontation, the level of anger over a trivial issue - he didn't like something Stellini had allegedly said about Brighton in an Italian newspaper interview - is evidence of an extremely short fuse and should stand as a warning flag.  While his teams do play attacking football, the reality is that his tenures at clubs are generally too short (around 18 months, usually), for his tactics to translate into long-term success or trophies.  Moreover, as these departures often seem to be triggered by his short fused temperament, the Spurs board should surely see that as another red flag.  

Look, at the end of the day, Spurs are currently in pretty dire straits and there are far worse managers than DeZerbi that they could appoint.  But there are so many red flags around him, even discounting the 'rape apologist' stuff, that he does represent a very real risk.  I mean, I sympathise with those fans playing the 'rape apologist' card, if for no other reason that I think that, the dropped charges notwithstanding, Greenwood is a pretty shady character who hasn't covered himself in glory regarding his conduct with women, I just think that their protests would be more effective if they focused on DeZerbi's footballing record, as this is tangible and more likely to sway the Spurs board.  Anyway, I still think that the world has gone mad and that I've overslept and it is realy April Fool's day - perhaps I'll wake up tomorrow to the sound of Scott Mills on Radio 2 and news that Spurs have appointed Ryan mason interim manager...