Dubai: Andre Villas-Boas and Steve Clarke have no reason to bemoan their respective sackings from Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion this week.
In his first season in charge last year, Villas-Boas led Spurs to their highest Premier League era total of 72 points, which was also the highest points haul by any club to have failed to qualify to the Uefa Champions League.
But you have to move forward. The sale of Gareth Bale to Real Madrid enabled Villas-Boas to go on a summer spending spree, bringing in seven players to the tune of £105 million (Dh628.10 million) — more than any other English Premier club.
That investment certainly didn’t pay off if recent results are anything to go by. Sunday’s 5-0 loss to Liverpool was Tottenham’s heaviest home defeat in 16 years, and their 6-0 loss away to Manchester City last month was their worst league defeat in 17 years.
Spurs are still eighth in the league, five points adrift of the top four, and through to the last 32 of the Europa League and into the quarter-finals of the League Cup against West Ham United on Wednesday. But this was of little consolation to the fans and chairman.
Likewise, Clarke, in his first season in charge, led West Brom to their highest Premier League finish of eighth last season. But he now finds himself out of a job after four consecutive defeats left the club just two points clear of the relegation zone.
Clarke’s case is perhaps a little harsher, especially given that the Baggies beat Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford in September and were unlucky not to get more than a 2-2 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last month.
However, much like Villas-Boas, after the success of Clarke’s first year, he was handed more than £12.5 million to spend on Stephane Sessegnon and Victor Anichebe and expectations were high.
Since they were flying high in third last year, they have played 41 games and only won nine and, in 34 league matches in this calendar year, West Brom have only accrued 31 points.
Football is a fickle business and, while we can look at what both managers have achieved at their respective clubs with some degree of fondness, a coach is both judged on his signings and is only ever as good as his last result.
