Prior to the appointment, there was much speculation about who would become the new manager with many media commentators, bookmakers, pundits and fans deciding that it was two horse race between Moyes and Jose Mourinho.

When Sir Alex announced his successor he said Moyes had “the right attributes, that he was a man of great integrity with a strong work ethic and that he had all the qualities that are expected of a manager of Manchester United”.

Fergie has praised the hard work and integrity of his successor

So yet again a Scottish manager has been appointed to one of the world’s most successful, popular and high profile clubs. So why has that happened? Over the years we seem to have produced a number of high quality managers and coaches including Sir Matt Busby, Jock Stein and Bill Shankly.

Legendary Scottish managers Bill Shankly, Sir Matt Busby and Jock Stein

In recent times George Graham, Walter Smith, Kenny Dalglish, Gordon Strachan and Jim McLean demonstrated that they can get the best out of their players and take on Europe’s elite. At the moment in the Premier League, Moyes is joined by Steve Clarke and Paul Lambert and will shortly be joined by Malky Mackay. One theory is that the quality of our SFA coaching courses run by the SFA at Largs plays a significant part. Many successful Scottish and foreign coaches including Real Madrid’s Jose Mourinho and Andre Villas-Boas of Tottenham have gained formal qualifications there in recent years. However qualifications alone surely aren’t enough.

Some may say that Ferguson and Moyes are driven because of distinctly average playing careers? Perhaps, but the same cannot be said of European Cup/Champions League winners Kenny Dalglish and Paul Lambert. Are Scottish managers appointed because of successful predecessors like Stein, Shankly and Busby? Does background play a part? For the those managers being raised in mining and shipbuilding communities, that appears to have had a profound effect where no doubt the spirit of working as a team in the dangerous conditions of our mines and shipyards was ingrained into the people of the community. Does the Scottish character and identity play a part e.g. by nature are the majority of us are hard workers and are many of us are looking to better ourselves. Does the Scottish accent play a part? Are Moyes and King Kenny’s Glaswegian tones more intimidating to players than that of say Chris Hughton or Alan Pardew. Was Paul Scholes more afraid of the Fergie hairdryer than a quiet talking too from Steve McClaren? Do the chairman and boards of football clubs go for the tried and tested method of employing a Scottish manager as they believe that’s a shortcut to success even if some of the recent appointments haven’t been as successful as they’d hoped eg Steve Kean and Owen Coyle. Above all, all of these managers have talent, experience and personal qualities of focus, discipline and determination which should not be overlooked.

For generations we have produced some of the most successful managers in both Scottish and English football. I for one see this trend continuing with the likes of Allan Johnston, Paul Hartley and Jackie McNamara all making impressive forays into the world of management. For the statisticians amongst you, and if I have got my maths right then Scottish managers have won 19 of the last 26 English Premier League titles (and its predecessor), which I consider to be pretty impressive by anyone’s standards.

Post written by Sean McColm
Twitter: @wypcblog

Would you like to contribute to the MatchDayApp Blog? If so, please take a look at our guest blogger guidelines and get in touch.

That’s not a new phenomenon, and neither is the frenzy amongst fans and tabloids alike as to who will be coming and going from each and every football club in the country. But at Cardiff City, things are done a little differently.

Malky Mackay’s Cardiff City celebrate their Championship title

This season we’ve seen a transfer deadline farce at Loftus Road as West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie was marooned in the stadium car park after a mix-up of communications between clubs, big-name players have handed in transfer requests and in some cases, players had settled on the clubs they will represent next season only halfway through 2012/13 – Wilfried Zaha’s decision to remain at Crystal Palace until the summer may mean he never plays under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, but that blow will have been lessened by that dramatic double at the Amex Stadium in the Play-Off semi-final.

West Brom’s Peter Odemwingie in his car at Loftus Road on transfer deadline day

But during Malky Mackay’s reign, transfer dealings have been conducted in a professional manner: players are moved on when the time is right, and brought in when the squad needs it. Prime example was Fraizer Campbell’s January arrival from Sunderland, a signing that essentially was worth promotion for City as he got all of the club’s goals in February.

Only two weeks removed from the conclusion to the nPower Championship season (in truth, Cardiff’s season was over two weeks earlier as they secured the league title on the road at Turf Moor), a simple search on Twitter under the #CardiffCity hashtag will throw up a concoction of names and speculation as to who will be arriving at Cardiff City Stadium in the coming months. While some of these are obviously humorous throwaway comments (Ryan Giggs coming back to Wales? Not on your nelly), certain names do manage to rise up again and again.

So far this summer, with the Bluebirds now back in the big time of the Premier League, the furore has expectedly stepped up a level, with some fans now seeming to believe the Bluebirds can bring in whichever players they want, with nobody out of reach. The first name that came up following the close to the season was Lille’s former Chelsea striker Salomon Kalou, who has a record of a goal every other game in France. More recently, another Ligue 1 striker in Lyon’s Bafetimbi Gomis has been described as a Malky Mackay target.

But the fans must remember the strength-in-depth City already boasted as they convincingly took the Championship title. With a strike force that includes Nicky Maynard, Fraizer Campbell and Craig Bellamy in terms of proven goalscorers, and Rudy Gestede, Joe Mason and Etien Velikonja the up-and-coming frontmen behind them, the attacking line is probably only in need of one addition this summer, with two at a stretch.

Strength in depth: Strikers Craig Bellamy, Nicky Maynard and Fraizer Campbell

It’s a similar story in midfield. Cardiff saw out the final few games of the season with Peter Whittingham, a playmaker many considered to be the best player in the Football League, sitting on the bench. If that isn’t depth, depth doesn’t exist. Queens Park Rangers present the best recent model for what can happen if you dismantle a title-winning midfield – just two seasons on, Harry Redknapp’s squad is a shadow of that of Neil Warnock.

Malky Mackay has always said that he only brings in players that he feels will improve the squad. A signing must be better than the players already at the club, so there is a key debate to be had as to whether the likes of Crystal Palace’s Jonathan Williams and Nottingham Forest’s Lewis McGugan fit that description. Aron Gunnarsson enjoyed his best season yet as a professional last term, so will require some displacing, while Kim Bo-Kyung and Jordon Mutch both felt like new signings when they came in to close out the season.

Going back to last summer, each of the arrivals at the club (with the exception of Craig Bellamy, who falls into a different bracket) came in to little fanfare. The press rarely got wind of the arrivals until they were presented by the club, and the fans weren’t confident that their side was going to challenge. While that may not be wholly realistic now that the club is in the division touted by some as the best in the world, emulating those signings’ impact will be the target. Local rivals Swansea City have proved that you don’t need the game’s superstars in order to do well in the Premier League, and Malky Mackay will do well to follow that model.

Post written by Oliver Roderick
Twitter: @olrodlegacy

Would you like to contribute to the MatchDayApp Blog? If so, please take a look at our guest blogger guidelines and get in touch.

Player’s such as Gabriel Agbonlahor and Darren Bent have been established Villa players for years, but this year they have been joined by an influx of new, young, talent, and a substantial amount of our first team are English.

Villa have contributed more England internationals than any other club, and a few of these players could be set to join that list, with a few more as future prospects for the England national team. This is a look at which of those players could make the step up to the Three Lions, with three key prospects.

Matthew Lowton

He’s been brilliant this season, and to make the step up two divisions at the age of 22 and make 36 consecutive league appearances is a remarkable achievement. He has been far and away our best, most consistent defender and is good going forward (that goal against Stoke!).

Matthew Lowton scores an incredible long range volley v Stoke City

If you look at the England set-up, Glen Johnson is into his 30′s now and I can’t see any other replacement than Lowton; Kyle Walker isn’t good enough defensively in my opinion. He has a big future ahead of him, here’s hoping it’s at Villa Park.

Gabriel Agbonlahor

Yes, so he’s not exactly a prospect as he’s already been capped but surely we’ll be seeing Gabby back in the England set-up soon? He has helped to lead the young lads through difficult times this year, and his form in recent games has been exceptional.

Gabriel Agbonlahor due for an England recall soon, surely?

He’s scored 6 in 7, and the fact that players like Danny Welbeck get in the England squad ahead of him is a joke. Selection to the England team should be on performances, not which club you play for. I think we were all worried that Gabby wouldn’t turn out to be the player we though he would, but he’s coming good.

Ashley Westwood

I have been really impressed with Westwood this season, in a similar way to Lowton. Coming up from Crewe Alexandra and, after a shaky start, playing consistently in the Premier League is quite some achievement.

Ashley Westwood is showing signs of a bright future

He has achieved pass success rates into the 90% mark a few times this season, and he is so good at just keeping the ball, which a lot of teams can’t do. I don’t think he is quite ready for the England team, as with players like Jack Wilshere, Steve Gerrard and Frank Lampard there is enough quality ahead of him in the England team. However, in the future I think he’ll play for England.

The Rest

I can’t see Joe Bennett getting near the England team, ahead of Leighton Baines and Kieran Gibbs, who are both excellent left backs. Nathan Baker is perhaps an outside shot, if he can take out the stupid mistake from his play, his passion and work rate are excellent. Marc Albrighton and Gary Gardner have not played enough this year due to injury, so I can’t tell. Fabian Delph has looked good, though it’s doubtful he’ll play for England. Darren Bent? Jordan Bowery? I doubt it.

Overall it’s clear to see that there is a commitment at Villa to playing young, English players. Only time will tell whether it pays off this season, with survival still not certain at the time of writing.

Post written by Josh Bassett
Blog: allthingsvilla.co.uk, Twitter: @VillaThings

Would you like to contribute to the MatchDayApp Blog? If so, please take a look at our guest blogger guidelines and get in touch.

I also thought that Sir Alex would leave after building a great foundation of younger players in addition to the great team he has now. Boy was I wrong.

Fergie time: David Moyes is highly regarded by Sir Alex Ferguson

Arguably the greatest manager of all time, has decided to step down. It was a complete shock to me. I predicted he would leave when he won a third Champions League title and really cement his place in the history books. However, even without the third Champions League title, he still received the label of the best manager of all time. In addition, I believe he left at the best possible time.

Guard of Honour: Old Trafford says farewell to Sir Alex v Swansea City

As said before, in Part 1, I touched on Sir Alex leaving after he built a great foundation of younger players in addition to the fantastic team he has now; the thing is, he already has those. First of all, Manchester United’s outstanding squad obviously had a big part to play in a commanding title win this year, and there are plenty of young players ready to emerge. I expected several young midfield players to come in and give the next manager a full team to develop, mature, emerge, and succeed. Although, after reviewing the current team, Manchester United have several midfield players in their prime such as Wayne Rooney, Antonio Valencia, Ashley Young, Michael Carrick and Shinji Kagawa. To me, with the emerging young talent of other positions, it is the perfect fit for the future. You cannot have every position full of youngsters but you need the right balance of experience. You need the correct balance of young and developing, with players in their prime, and experienced leaders. Getting the right balance was exactly what “The Boss” was so good at and he has left the perfect balance for David Moyes.

The Manchester United Story: To Be Continued

Now, a new chapter for Manchester United is unfolding and it will be written by David Moyes. The current Everton manager is one of the most ambitious managers in the Premier League, especially being so close to winning so many times. I’m optimistic and believe this is Moyes’ time to step up to the plate, win, and be successful. I believe he will be successful because of why he was so successful at Everton – his team’s work ethic. With players like Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka, Sylvain Distin, Seamus Coleman, Leon Osman, Steven Pienaar and Marouane Fellaini to name a few, epitomizes Everton and how they are a team that puts everything on the line game after game. The arguably are the hardest working team in the Premier League and the catalyst behind that is David Moyes.

Manchester United is workman-like, winning games when they need to win them, while Everton is industrial, a quintessential English side that might not be the prettiest to watch (although Everton has been pretty to watch this year), but competes and fights to the end. David Moyes will evolve Manchester United by instilling the industrial side to their game. One thing is for sure, David Moyes will win his first trophy, whether it’s a championship or not, due to not only his, but his team’s hard work.

Post written by Steven Scott
Blog: One Touch Soccer, Twitter: @OneTouchSoccer

Would you like to contribute to the MatchDayApp Blog? If so, please take a look at our guest blogger guidelines and get in touch.

I don’t think it would be over doing it to suggest that Everton faced years of mid to low table finishes and possible relegation without him, so for that, thank you David.

But we have to move on and think of who is the best fit for Everton and I feel a decision needs to be made sometime in June. Below are some of the leading candidates (at time of writing) and my take on them and my choice rating out of 5 of whether I would like to see them as the next Everton manager.

Neil Lennon

The bookies favourite. Celtic manager lauded for taking them into the last 16 of the Champions League this year which included a win over Barcelona. He can also deal with a lot of external pressures with everything that has come with him managing Celtic.

The bookies favourite, Celtic manager Neil Lennon

I haven’t seen a great lot of love for Lennon on Twitter from fellow Evertonians so may not be a popular choice. We don’t know how good he really is due to lack of competition in the Scottish domestic league.

My Choice Rating: 2

Roberto Martinez

Another of the early favourites for the post. Respected for the way in which his teams play and keeping Wigan Athletic in the Premier League (and winning the FA Cup) with the resources they have shows he can work well with budgetary constraints.

Roberto Martinez is highly respected for his work at Wigan Athletic

In saying that, there is the worry that he can only maintain a surviving team without the ability to take them to the next level. Everton under Moyes has been radically different to that of Wigan under Martinez and the transition from one to the other may not be smooth. Moyes also built the team on a solid defence. Wigan’s defending on the other hand is almost comical to watch at times.

Is this the reason why Wigan cannot progress and would this impact upon Everton in a similar way?

My Choice Rating: 3

Mark Hughes

Not as mad a choice as you would initially think. It almost seemed like at Manchester City at times and certainly at QPR it was felt money had to be spent regardless of the talent coming in just because they could.

Former QPR boss and Ex-Toffee Mark Hughes

This will definitely not be a problem at Everton and having played at the club he will have some insider knowledge. Still there are better options out there.

My Choice Rating: 1

Alan Stubbs

Currently managing the U21′s with some success and I feel if Steve Round is there to help him settle, could be a wise choice financially and I feel if you get the right people around him, could turn into a great manager and I think would be popular with the fans as he was in his playing days as he knows the club inside out.

Alan Stubbs is currently managing the U21′s

You could have Phil Neville as a coach of the U21′s if he would accept with the prospect of bringing him on as a future manager, similar to Barcelona, encouraging a line of succession. The downside is his lack of experience but again with the right people put around him, this problem can be dealt with.

My Choice Rating: 4

Tony Hibbert

Just because I love him so much, imagine him marauding up the right flank and shouting at the fourth official on the way past about how much injury time has been added.

Long serving Everton cult-hero Tony Hibbert

I’m thinking we also get Duncan Ferguson to look after the security, no horses needed to control things for ‘Big Dunc’.

My Choice Rating: 5

Post written by Tom Derrick
Twitter: @Dodgykneestom

Would you like to contribute to the MatchDayApp Blog? If so, please take a look at our guest blogger guidelines and get in touch.

And maybe even the decade is of course that Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, has retired after almost 27 years in charge.

Fergie Time: On 8th May 2013, Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement

Even as an Arsenal fan, it is a shame to see Ferguson leave. He has been the best manager in England for sometime and he’s right at the top with the best managers of all time. His experience and knowledge of the game have been influential in securing the numerous league titles and cups for Manchester United. His ability to spot a future star and turn them into a world-class player is also something we remember him for. Players such as Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo who have become amazing players with even more amazing talents.

What is most amazing about the reign of Ferguson though is the extent to which it lasted. Most managers in the modern day would be considered successful if they managed to stay 2 or 3 seasons at one club even without winning titles. To be honest though, Ferguson himself didn’t make an immediate impact at Old Trafford.

November 2011: North Stand renamed Sir Alex Ferguson Stand

In his first 4 seasons he finished 11th, 2nd, 11th and 13th. Most managers nowadays would be sacked without question if they finished mid-table after finishing runners up the season before. It also took him 4 seasons to win some silverware in the form of the FA Cup in 1990. The Champions League was also one of Ferguson’s weaker competitions, winning it ‘just’ twice in 27 years. In the last two campaigns United were knocked out early. At the group stage in 2012 and they faired little better this season, being eliminated at the last 16 stage – albeit controversially versus Real Madrid.

But let’s look at the many positives that came from his tremendous career as manager: Between 1992 and 2002 United won 8 league titles and 7 national cups whilst also winning the Champions League in 1999. Most people will agree that 8 league titles in 11 seasons is a pretty spectacular result. Also, in his last seven seasons as manager he won another 5 league titles and finished second in the other two. All in all, 13 league titles in 27 seasons is a world-class record achieved by a world-class manager.

Manchester United: Treble Winners 1999

Ferguson’s ability in the transfer market through the seasons is also commendable. He has made the most out of his transfer money by signing great young prospects whilst also taking risks on some more expensive but proven players. Robin van Persie for instance has been influential in the Red Devils winning their 13th league title. Phil Jones is also looking like a great player in midfield this season after Ferguson received some criticism last season for spending £18 million on the English youngster. Some great players have appeared from United’s youth academy including Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and many others. Ferguson’s ability to pick out these talents from the youth and bring them through into the first team is another reason for his great success at the club.

November 2012 Sir Alex Ferguson statue unveiled at Old Trafford

To sum it up, Sir Alex Ferguson will be greatly missed not just by Manchester United fans but by the whole footballing world. Hopefully, The board will make the right decision when hiring a new manager to take over but one thing is certain. It won’t be easy.

Post written by Elliot Bourdais
Blog: Look into football, Twitter: @LookIntoFoot_

Would you like to contribute to the MatchDayApp Blog? If so, please take a look at our guest blogger guidelines and get in touch.

Granted losses to Gillingham in the Capital One Cup and Nottingham Forest on the opening day couldn’t give Bristol City the perfect start to the season they wanted.

But impressive victories over eventual play-off hopefuls Crystal Palace and future champions Cardiff City gave more than just hope of improving last season’s position of 20th in the Championship.

Sat 25th August 2012: Bristol City 4-2 Cardiff City – Things looked promising!

A 5-3 loss to Blackburn Rovers was even seen as a positive by many including Derek McInnes who was now being viewed as a tactical genius, a man with the ability to make his players score goals at the drop of a hat and even managed to make Martyn Woolford look Championship standard. Cole Skuse even banged the drum for play-off places when I interviewed him in September and on recent form who could blame him?

So things were great, City were picking up points and even though they were losing it was only by a narrow margin. Ultimately though, it was the Robins’ inability to kill games off that proved to be their downfall. Soon narrow losses to Leeds United (2-3), Bolton Wanderers (3-2) and Burnley (3-4) left some doubting whether these players had the bottle to see out a game when the pressure was on.

We were now into November and Bristol City were left to look up at the rest of their rivals as they sat 23rd after 13 games. Not a great place to be. November brought 6 games for City and it was vital that they picked up points to kick on from the relegation zone and calm a few nerves. However four points from a possible 18 was unsurprisingly not good enough and gave the Robins a mountain of a task if they were to achieve their aim of staying in the Championship for a 7th season. By now fans were calling for McInnes’ head but the board stuck with ‘Delboy’ for a little while longer to see if he could yet rekindle that early season magic.

He couldn’t. Although City picked up points against their relegation rivals to give them some breathing space from above, they were still three points away from those outside the drop and the axe finally fell for McInnes after a 4-0 loss to Leicester City leaving the Robins six points from safety.

Derek McInnes was sacked following 4-0 defeat v Leicester City

The question though was could anyone stop Bristol City sliding into League One at such an alarming rate? Step up to the plate Sean O’Driscoll. The former Bournemouth, Doncaster Rovers and Nottingham Forest man saw Bristol City as a challenge that he was more than willing to take.

And things started to pick up. Well it was better than before anyway. The players seemed to have much more fight under O’Driscoll and although the quality still wasn’t nearly enough for what the Championship demands City managed to close the gap on that dreaded dotted line. They even kept their first clean sheet of the season at the end of January against Watford but as we left January and entered February and then March things still were not any better for the Robins.

Meanwhile Wolverhampton Wanderers had dropped significantly down the league and the introduction of a new manager in Dean Saunders had given them a lift in confidence meaning the meeting between both sides on March 16th was crucial in terms of survival in one of the most hotly contested games of the season.

The fixture at Wolves’ Molineux was a must win game, or City would be teetering on the edge for sure. The narrow 2-1 defeat proved to be the telling factor as poor results at Derby County and Burnley meant that safety was out of our reach. The season was finally put to rest against Birmingham City when a 1-0 defeat condemned City to League One football next year.

Bristol City 0-1 Birmingham City: Wade Elliot’s goal confirms relegation

A mass exodus is expected in the summer with the likes of Albert Adomah, Tom Heaton and Steven Davies likely to be approached by a host of clubs but in a manager of Sean O’Driscoll’s stature and the experience he has of lifting teams out of League One many fans are quietly confident that it may not be too long before City are back among the ‘big’ boys of the English second tier.

Post written by Dan White
Twitter: @Dan_White14

Would you like to contribute to the MatchDayApp Blog? If so, please take a look at our guest blogger guidelines and get in touch.

The campaign began, in what went on to be typical Derby style, with a 2-2 draw to Sheffield Wednesday – the Rams were two goals up but unfortunately couldn’t maintain it.

In one word, that seems to be used on many occasions when discussing all things the Rams, the campaign has been frustrating. Despite the seemingly ever-present frustration there’s been some positives that hopefully the club can take forward.

The Rams finished 10th with 61 points, last season they finished 12th with 64 points. Despite the less amount of points it’s fair to say progress has been made again. 3 points isn’t a massive difference, particularly considering under 70 points can snatch a place in the play-offs this time around. This season just 7 points separates Derby from the top 6 and 7 points from the bottom 3. Last year a more distant 11 points were the difference between Derby and a spot in the play-offs. It’s with ease that anybody can find 7 extra points that the Rams could quite easily have achieved. A defeat to Crystal Palace at Pride Park should never have panned out like it did, the two bitterly disappointing draws to Sheffield Wednesday, the robbery at home to Ipswich and the defeat at Huddersfield were all things that shouldn’t have happened – and that’s just to name a few!

Out of the first team picture, it’s been encouraging to hear news of youngsters in the club’s academy excelling. Whilst it may be slightly irrelevant to the club’s league table finish, it’s important that this continues and it consequently does become almost as pivotal as the first team. The likes of Will Hughes and Jeff Hendrick, who even became a full international earlier this year, are certainly reasons for the club to be proud. Hopefully this can attract more of those talents to the club. The FA Youth Cup run, narrowly losing to giants Chelsea in the quarter-finals, will be another cause for optimism.

Back onto the first team stage, the fantastic home form has been something that’ll hopefully lay the ground for further improvement. The home form is that of a top 6 side, the below stats confirm that.

This season #dcfc posted their best home record since 2006-07. The 43 pts collected is only 2 less than in that promotion campaign #dcfcfans

— Steve Nicholson (@SNicholsonDT) May 5, 2013

At home the side have played some very good football and, looking back, few sides have come to Pride Park and dominated proceedings. Defensively they’ve been, on the whole, pretty good. It’s easy to recall chances missed but actually the Rams have scored the second most amount of goals on home soil (43). Derby are quite possibly one of the league’s best footballing sides, some displays have been a pleasure to watch rather than endure like in previous campaigns that are slowly becoming more distant memories.

So it’s been a good season to watch football in Derby, it’s a shame that wasn’t emulated on their travels. A miserable season on the road has gathered 4 wins, 6 draws and 13 defeats, which, let’s face it, is awful. 18 points isn’t a good return and, in addition to that, 2 of the 3 relegated sides have better away records. The second worst away record in the league balanced with the terrific home form can only mean mid-table. It’s not as if the performances away from home have been particularly bad, it’s mostly down to the dreadful finishing that’s followed the club hand-in-hand on the team bus. Nevertheless there has been away matches where the Rams simply didn’t turn up, along with careless defending.

Will Hughes has been a real shining light in the side, playing the majority of the season aged just 17, and has dazzled the Championship, becoming one of the country’s youngest hot properties in the process. His step up from academy football to week-in week-out second tier football has been made easily, looking like a player who’s been playing in the league for a number of years. There was a spell where he was short of his best, and with perhaps his age and the amount of games contributing to that, it was followed by a short spell out of the side through injury. However, his performance against Leeds back in December was sighted as one of his best.

Richard Keogh has been amazingly consistent throughout the campaign and didn’t miss a single minute of action, John Brayford and Craig Bryson have also been up there as Derby’s most reliable performers. Looking at Jamie Ward’s goal record, 12 goals in 26 appearances, is a decent return, particularly for a player who’s been scarred by a troublesome hamstring injury. Surely if he’d have played more matches then he’d have found the net on more occasions and subsequently won the Rams more points. 9 assists also demonstrates his eye for turning provider, which is an attribute, along with his goal record, the club’s most effective player. When fit, is he the man that’ll solve the 20 goals a season striker absence? No. Ward often looks more in place as a winger anyway. A proven goalscorer must be on their way through the entrance door at Park Park, which would hopefully complement Conor Sammon’s game more.

Experience to carry the squad through some situations is another area highlighted as something that needs sorting. It’s in the midfield area that requires experience most. Yes, there are already some quality players in that position but who’s to say they’ll all be definitely here next season? Even if they are, having the experienced player may be more of as a squad player because it’s become evident that better squad depth is another issue. The goalkeeping department is set to face a re-shuffle whilst the defensive area will be an area to look at.

It’s clear that preparations are already in full flow for next season, with players already being reported to be on their way. Foundations have been put down for a more exciting season. Just a few extra bodies and I believe the Rams will be up in with a shout of being in the top 6, there’s no reasons why it shouldn’t be the case – particularly given the encouraging signs we’ve seen this year. Nigel Clough came with a plan of steady building and hopefully we’re just seeing that edge closer to the time when the club are in a position to push on much further. The Rams are seemingly a team on the rise, let’s hope the club, as I’m sure they’ll be doing, take the positives from this season and identify and solve the problems to create a team that can make a more sustained challenge to the top.

Up the Rams!

Post written by Nathan Morley
Blog: derbycountyfan.com, Twitter: @NMtherams

Would you like to contribute to the MatchDayApp Blog? If so, please take a look at our guest blogger guidelines and get in touch.

Records were broken, interior battles were fought, and a legal case highlighted just how perilous the clubs situation currently is.

There was much expectation placed on Blackburn in pre season, emphasised by some big name, big money signings: Jordan Rhodes was brought in for a Championship record fee of £8 million; Danny Murphy and Dickson Etuhu were brought in from Fulham; and Leon Best joined from Newcastle United for £3 million; as was the experienced Nuno Gomes, although the bizarre signings of five other relatively unknown Portuguese players may yet come back to haunt the club (more on that later).

The pressure was also high on manager Steve Kean, who remained in the Ewood dugout despite a shocking managerial record and countless attempts to excuse the inexcusable. The introduction of former Malaysian international Shebby Singh as “Global Advisor” did not help Kean, or Venkys for that matter. Throughout the season Singh courted controversy. If Singh’s comments that Kean would be sacked if he lost three games in a row endeared him to the Rovers fans, his claims that long serving midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen was a “pensioner”, did not. It was not the last time Singh would find himself in the headlines.

My name’s Shebby, you’ll be hearing a lot from me

The season started well for Rovers, a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town was followed up with back to back home victories over Hull and Leicester. Morten Gamst Pedersen celebrated his winner against Leicester with a walking stick, in reference to Singh’s earlier comments. Despite being unbeaten in the League after six games and sitting atop of the table, numerous poor performances and a League Cup exit to League 1 MK Dons had the vast majority of Rovers fans worried. That unbeaten League run ended with a 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough the next time out, it was a defeat many fans had been expecting, and led to numerous calls for Kean to leave, and leave he did. Exactly one week after the Middlesbrough defeat, Kean held his pre match press conference ahead of Rovers’ trip to Charlton, wherein he claimed he had held positive talks with Venkys and that he would be remaining as manager. Something must have changed by that evening, when Kean announced he was resigning from his position, stating that it had become “untenable”. The 27th September has since become a day Blackburn supporters will forever remember.

Thus began the reign of Blackburn’s second manager, Eric Black was Kean’s assistant and the obvious choice to take caretaker charge. Black’s time as manager began well enough; a point at Charlton was commendable given the circumstances. Black managed six games losing only one, at home to Wolves. Black’s final match at home to Watford saw allowed Black to leave on a high, as Jordan Rhodes made up for Colin Kazim Richards penalty miss with a stoppage time winner allowing Black time s caretaker manager to end with the club still 5th in the Championship.

The third man to enter the Blackburn dugout was Henning Berg. The Norwegian defender was at Rovers when the club won the Premier League in 1995 and the League Cup in 2002, but had been out of work since being sacked by Lillestrom in 2011. Believed to have been the choice of Shebby Singh, Berg’s appointment came as a surprise to some, given that the likes of Ian Holloway had been linked to the job. Berg’s first game at the beginning of November was a 2-0 defeat to Crystal Palace who had just appointed their own new manager: Ian Holloway. Berg’s first win was a 4-1 thumping of Peterborough in which Jordan Rhodes scored his first Blackburn hat trick. It would be Berg’s only win as manager, and despite six defeats in his ten game spell Berg did see Blackburn continue their unbeaten run over local rivals Burnley with a 1-1 draw. A Boxing Day defeat at Middlesbrough spelled the end for Berg after just 57 days in charge with Rovers having dropped to 17th in the League. At the same time Berg was relieved of his duties; his backroom staff discovered they had lost their jobs when it was announced on television.

Well that didn’t last long!

Though he didn’t know it at the time of stepping up as caretaker manager, Gary Bowyer would become the hero of Blackburn Rovers’ season. His first stint as caretaker manager lasted just four games during which he remained unbeaten, with 2 wins against Barnsley and Nottingham Forest and a draw at Wolves in the League accompanied by an FA Cup 3rd Round victory over Bristol City. Throughout his time in charge Bowyer repeatedly rejected suggestions he may take the job full time, although he may have expected to be in charge for longer than he was. As 2013 began Shebby Singh announced Rovers would not be appointing a new manager until the end of January, and Bowyer would be in charge until then. Managing Director Derek Shaw however, had other ideas.

On the 11th January 2013, as Gary Bowyer led his Blackburn team to a 1-1 draw at Wolves, the club chose to announce that Blackpool manager Michael Appleton would become the fifth man to take charge of Blackburn this season. Appleton’s debut was disappointing to say the least, a 2-1 defeat at home to Charlton, the atmosphere at Ewood was undoubtedly damaged by the presence of owners Venkys, whose departure after 65 minutes was greeted by a chorus of boos. Appleton’s first League win was at home to Bristol City saw Jordan Rhodes hit both goals in a 2-0 win, and his goal in the following game at home to Ipswich he hit the only goal to become just the fourth Rovers player to score in seven successive games. Appleton had already overseen an FA Cup 4th Round win over Derby which provided the back story to the highlight of Blackburn season. For the 5th Round Blackburn were drawn away to Arsenal in a match that will go down in Rovers history. Jake Kean had long since established himself as Rovers’ first choice goalkeeper earlier in the season and he certainly proved why with a string of top class saves as Rovers defended resiliently at the Emirates, before in the 72nd minute Martin Olsson had Blackburn’s first shot of the game, Wojciech Szczesny could only parry to Colin Kazim Richards, whose mishit shot managed to find its way into the Arsenal net. For the next 18 minutes Rovers withstood attack after attack before the final whistle sent the travelling Rovers fans into hysterics.

Colin Kazim Richards writes his name into Blackburn folklore

Victory at Arsenal would, however, be Appleton’s last as Blackburn manager as the club began a worrying slide towards the dreaded dotted line. At the beginning of March Rovers conceded three at home to struggling Peterborough in just 27 first half minutes, eventually slipping to a 3-2 defeat. Rovers were also knocked out of the FA Cup by Millwall in a replay; strangely Appleton appeared to attempt to employ the same tactics against Millwall as they had against Arsenal, when a more offensive style of play may have seen them reach the hallowed turf of Wembley. Just five days after their FA Cup exit Rovers had to pick themselves up and prepare for the East Lancashire Derby at home to Burnley. Rovers had not won in seven in all competitions since the trip to Arsenal, and went into the match below their local rivals in the table. Rovers began playing the defensive tactics that had become synonymous with Appleton’s time in charge. 10 minutes in and the main event of the first half came when a chicken once again found its way on to the, delaying the match for two minutes. Jason Shackell went on to give Burnley the lead on 32 minutes. Rovers’ response was not what would have been hoped for, Rovers stalwart David Dunn appeared to be carrying the side. In the second half the dismissal Ben Mee gave Rovers an added momentum, but still struggled to find a way past a determined Burnley defence looking for its first derby win in 34 years. It looked as if they were going to get it as well, until David Dunn, the boyhood Rovers fan and tireless performer in the midfield arrived in the area to drive home an equaliser in the 6th minute of stoppage time, sending Ewood Park into mass celebration, as Rovers long unbeaten run against their rivals was extended for another season at least. But that finish was simply the prelude to an even more dramatic string of events at Ewood Park.

Yes, he was on the wing!

Two days after the draw at home to Burnley, Michael Appleton was sacked by Venkys, sending the club into disarray. It emerged that Appleton had been sacked by a letter delivered by Shebby Singh, a man Appleton claimed he had never spoken during his time at Rovers. By now it was clear that Singh and Managing Director Shaw were at loggerheads over the direction of the club, having reportedly not spoken to each other since Appleton’s arrival. As players; fans and media alike expressed their shock at Appleton’s sacking, a slide towards a second successive relegation looked inevitable; only one man could save Blackburn Rovers now.

Gary Bowyer had already stepped in to the frame once before in the season and had worked wonders to get back on track following the departure of Henning Berg, and now it was once again up to him to save Blackburn’s season. The first three games however wielded just one point, as a draw at home to Blackpool was followed up by defeats at Cardiff and Sheffield Wednesday, sending Rovers into the bottom three with just six games remaining. But then, the course of Blackburn’s season turned once again, as Bowyer and Rovers rallied to take three wins from the next four games, a run during which Jordan Rhodes was once again essential to Rovers’ success, scoring in all three wins including one against his former club Huddersfield as Rovers made the push for safety. Rovers then finished the season comfortably with two draws against Crystal Palace and Birmingham, as Gary Bowyer yet again proved his value to Blackburn and staking a claim for the managerial job full time, should he want it, and it’s fair to say Venkys have certainly given him reason not to want to.

Bowyer to the rescue, again

Not long after Appleton had been sacked by letter, a report revealed that during the summer, Shebby Singh’s last minute summer spending spree on the aforementioned “Portugal Five” had cost the club £1 million in fees to one agent, claims Singh has desperately tried to reject. If that wasn’t bad enough, a court case brought against the club to settle Henning Berg’s compensation for his dismissal saw Blackburn’s own legal representative admitting that the club were “out of control and incompetent” on the back of claims that Managing Director Derek Shaw had operated without Venkys permission when he agreed to pay Berg his full season’s wage and later issuing a statement on the club’s website claiming that Shaw himself had Venkys full support.

On and off the pitch then, it’s been a season of disappointment for Blackburn Rovers, but with Gary Bowyer expected to take the job full time following his two fantastic stints as caretaker manager; Jordan Rhodes seemingly committed to the club, and the fan backed Rovers Trust continuously growing in support as it looks to take over control of the club, all the signs point to a more positive outlook in the future of the club as it looks to get back to where it belongs after a season of disappointment on the pitch and embarrassment off it, a season that can really be summed up by two simple statistics: five managers; one chicken.

Post written by Toby Wilding
Twitter: @1tobywilding

Would you like to contribute to the MatchDayApp Blog? If so, please take a look at our guest blogger guidelines and get in touch.

Something Liverpool have been lacking for too long now. I think the majority of supporters can overlook the media’s tacky superlatives simply out of pure joy at it being a positive LFC story.

Suarez and Sturridge have been a joy to behold since January, instantly hitting it off and making us a doubly potent threat. The Press has been so impressed they’ve dug out their old military pun from the 90′s which they so fondly used for Alan Shearer’s strike partnership’s with either Chris Sutton at Blackburn Rovers or later Teddy Sheringham whilst on England duty.

The new ‘SAS’? Daniel Sturridge and Luis Suarez

Suarez has been firing on all cylinders for the majority of the season to date and it has been magnificent to behold. He’s been performing to such a high standard that some fans have convinced themselves he will be heading for the exit door when the transfer window reopens in July. Luis has undoubtedly, single handedly dragged the club into the top half of the league table.

The stats make for incredible reading. Our mercurial number 7 has had more shots on goal than any other player in Europe bar Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo. This trend parallels with the team as a whole; the Reds have had more shots (558) than any other club in the top five European leagues.

Sturridge’s impact has been a complete surprise. We were all aware he has displayed glimpses of a lethal potency in the past, but he has never been consistent. At Manchester City he came through the youth system and was highly rated by all, but he found his first team opportunities limited by the superstar signings of the new Abu Dhabi ownership.

However, he had shown enough to convince Chelsea that £10m would be a bargain buy in the long run. The same story followed Daniel though – superstars on big bucks limiting his playing time. He found himself being increasingly pushed onto the right wing, then onto the bench when a change in formation occurred. Stories started to pop up in the media, cutting Sturridge a frustrated figure, seeking pastures new.

He spent half a season on loan at Bolton Wanderers after signing on at Stamford Bridge. This is where he displayed week in week out, what he is all about. His capability to play on the shoulder of the last defender, his pace, ability to hold the ball up, his positional instinct, his timing, the varying styles of his clinical finishing. Owen Coyle couldn’t have been more full of praise for the boy and was in no doubt he’d make it at the highest level.

In his first month at Anfield, he had shown all his qualities. A long range strike at the Etihad Stadium, a penalty against Swansea City, a poachers tap in at Old Trafford and clinical finishing in the box versus Mansfield Town amongst others.

The two most important moments, for me, in his first month is his finish against United on his EPL debut and his dummy to set up Suarez versus Norwich City. The former is a key moment because it showed just what Daniel can become for us – the out and out striker we haven’t had since Fernando Torres’ second season at L4. The latter is the moment many of us became certain that yes, Suarez and Sturridge can play together.

Daniel Sturridge scores just seven minutes into Liverpool debut v Mansfield

The potential for this partnership seems only limited by the playing time they have together. Sturridge has already picked up three separate knocks since his move in January. While individually they are nothing to be concerned about, collectively they hint at a fragility to Sturridge’s makeup.

These niggling injuries have hampered his progress since the end of February. Many on the terraces were growing frustrated with his time-consuming ‘flicks’ and self indulgent skills, which were holding up play and wastefully surrendering possession. The return of former club Chelsea to Merseyside last weekend seemed to reinvigorate him; after coming on to replace the unusually lethargic and wasteful Philippe Coutinho, he superbly played through captain Steven Gerrard, hit the post from 30 yards and finished off a genuinely world class move for his sixth goal for Liverpool – all within seven minutes of coming on.

Post game interviews naturally revolved around the Luis Suarez/Branislav Ivanovic incident, but Sturridge on another day would have made the headlines for the game-changing effect he had. The SAS partnership will have to wait until October for further progress following today’s news that Suarez has received a 10 game ban, implemented with immediate effect. But we can rest assured that Brendan is close to completing an interchangeable and lethal strike force that on its day is capable of shredding any defence in the league. Many would say we need another major forward talent to ensure we are competitive next year, taking further pressure off 30 goal man Suarez and captain Gerrard, who has again reached double figures. We have to keep in mind Fabio Borini will not have another season so injury-ravaged in his career; he could step up and prove his worth. Add to that Raheem Sterling gaining some excellent experience this year and Brendan Rodgers again delving into the academy, we could begin to look top heavy in the striker department. Either way, it’s better than our difficult position pre-January - with just one recognised forward on the books.

Roll on next season.

Post written by Stuart McKimm
Blog: The Melwood Chat, Facebook: The Melwood Chat, Twitter: @TheMelwoodChat

Would you like to contribute to the MatchDayApp Blog? If so, please take a look at our guest blogger guidelines and get in touch.