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I have a Phelan! Magic Mike on the brink at Hull as Swansea open managerial floodgates

By on October 3, 2016

The sacking season has officially started in the English Premier League, as Swansea City have dismissed Italian coach Francesco Guidolin to follow the American Dream of Bob Bradley. Guidolin got the first chop of the top flight campaign on his 61st birthday (3rd October 2016) after a 2-1 home defeat to Liverpool on Saturday, with the Swans new American owners bringing in one of their own to lead the Welsh club away from relegation danger. Guidolin leaves his position as head coach, having been appointed in January, with the club in 17th going into the international break and without a league win since the 2016/17 opening day in August. The US owners were clearly not a fan of Fran, so made the change because they can.

Bob gets a new Job!

Bob Bradley is the first American to manage in the Premier League and beat Manchester United legend Ryan Giggs to the Liberty Stadium post. The former USA and Egypt manager joins from French Ligue 2 side Le Havre – which is most famous for being the club Leicester City signed Riyad Mahrez from for a bargain £400,000 (Sam Allardyce knows all about that financial figure!). Bradley may change the style of football Swansea play to get results, as he is not fixated on a passing game. This may mean one or two long balls to Spanish forward Fernando Llorente up top.

Tigers should be wary not to Wreck the Mike!

This international break gives owners the opportunity to chop and change managers before the players return to domestic action in a couple of weeks time. However, I fear it may not just be Swansea changing faces in the dugout if Hull City’s owners do not get on with making Mike Phelan a permanent appointment, rather than just an interim fixture. It is bad enough England have got an interim boss in Gareth Southgate for the rest of the calendar year, let alone Hull not turning Phelan’s deal into a longer contract by now. The Tigers have offered Phelan a permanent role to stay on as the KCOM Stadium manager, but he is yet to accept, as a result of the deal on the table reportedly worth a lot less to what predecessor Steve Bruce was on. It is time for the Assam family owners to pay up, or risk losing Phelan to another club, with a full-time position to stay as manager and a realistic contract is what the ex-Manchester United assistant deserves after the good start to the campaign. The Tigers have seven points on the board, despite starting the season in disarray with a lack of fit players, although they have hit a sticky patch lately after a run of tough fixtures, including a recent 2-0 defeat to Chelsea.

The Owners and Manager need to be NSYNC with the fans!

It seems to me that the Hull City supporters are happy to see Mike Phelan stay on as manager for the rest of the season, despite still seeing the Assam owners as Trolls to the tradition of the Yorkshire club. In light of this, I have written a parody song using the lyrics to Justin Timberlake’s ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling!’:

Can’t Stop Mike Phelan

‘Hull’s got Mike Phelan inside the dugout
He came when Steve Bruce was gone
All through Hull City, when playing at home
We’re flying up the table, with Snodgrass in the penalty zone

Hull got little sunshine in the North
Got that good ball at our feet
The players feel that hot blood in their body when the ball drops,
Fans can’t take their eyes up off it, scoring so phenomenally
Changing Room on lock the way Tigers rock it, so Mike don’t stop

Hull can’t stop Mike Phelan
So just take a chance, chance, chance
Hull can’t stop Mike Phelan
So just take a chance, chance, chance’

By Richard Lewis feat. Justin Timberlake

Homepage photo credit: Roberto Vicario [CC BY-SA 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons

About Richard Lewis

Richard Lewis can relate almost anything to football and quite often does! You may have seen Richard's previous ideas and work in the BBC Match of the Day Magazine, from 2011 to present. He is a Manchester United and England fan, but has gone to see Leyton Orient play with his O's season ticket in the 2013/14 campaign. Aside from football, Richard has written articles on Doctor Who and studies English Language and Linguistics at the University of Westminster. Aspiring sports journalist.