THERE'S a long-held theory in football that when the action starts, a team is no more than a reflection of its manager.
Not quite sure I go along with that. Because if it was true, we'd have 11 Manchester United players tapping their watches and screaming at the referee for 10 minutes of added time if they found themselves trailing with only a few seconds remaining.
But if that theory does hold water, then I've got some advice for chairman John Wardle and his fellow directors at Manchester City - give Stuart Pearce the manager's job on a permanent basis right now.
Because if the City team out on the pitch is a reflection of Pearce, the rest of the Premiership had better look out. The Blessed Blues are coming to get you.
Did you see "Psycho" on the line at the Valley on Saturday? He must have been more exhausted than any of the players by the end of that match against Charlton Athletic.
And I'll bet they could have heard him in Hyde Park. I wonder if Stu-boy was a drill sergeant in a former life? Either that or he's been taking hair-dryer lessons from you-know-who.
Either way, I wouldn't want to cross him if I was a City player. Talk about a `Pearcing' glare when a player didn't obey a command. He could curdle milk from 20 paces with just one beady stare.
Do you know what? I loved watching Pearce jumping up and down like a deranged banshee on Saturday, because I was seeing a man who cares; a man who is passionate about his job and his team.
Doesn't it make you want to scream watching Sven-Goran Eriksson during England's matches? He just sits there with that blank look on his face. I've seen more expression on a corpse.
Smile
Managers who play at being "Joe Cool" really get on my chest hairs. There's that Portuguese geezer down at Chelsea. He lounges all casual-like against the dug-out wearing the world's worst overcoat smiling his silly smile as though he's watching a couple of curvy girls sunbathing.
If I was a Chelsea player I'd be thinking that if the manager isn't interested, why should I be?
That's never going to happen to a player wearing the blue of Manchester City is it? At least not with Pearce jumping up and down like Zebedee on the touchline.
Is it important to have a manager as agitated as "Psycho" was at the Valley on Saturday? You bet your sweet life it is. And you wouldn't even ask that question if you watched Saturday's game and saw how well the Blues played against Charlton.
Because what Pearce was doing was sending out a message to his players. He was letting them know that he was there, that he was watching their every move and what he expected from every last one of them.
And those players responded in a manner they seemed to have lost in the latter stages of Kevin Keegan's reign.
Kicking every ball, heading every header and expending all that nervous energy does not necessarily make Pearce a good manager. There is a bit more to it than that in building a successful football team.
But any man in any walk of life who is as passionate as Pearce was last Saturday deserves to succeed.
So carry on cavorting, Stuart. Keep heading those headers and making those imaginary tackles. Show the players how much you care and they'll start caring, too. And something tells me that if those players do become a reflection of you out there on the pitch, we City fans might just have a team to be proud of once again.
Do you agree with Hince? Have your say.
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do they pay you to write this journo-dross?
Nice to see Hince getting behind our current manager and suggesting he's the right man for the job. Is he just waiting until Pearce has gone before he brings out another one of his infamous "stab in the back" articles when he rewrites history and claims that he always was a poor manager and we should never have appointed him! Stuart Pearce should remember that with friends like Hince who needs enemies! At least Stuart knows he's safe from criticism while he's still in the job, Hince leaves that until they're well out of reach!
What you have written doesn't make much sense to me:
1. Players aren't allowed to wear watches or any other potentially dangerous ornaments during games, as you know, so they couldn't spend the last ten minutes glaring at them.
2. If Mourinho's attitude on the bench is so negative and uninspiring, how come Chelsea are top of the league?
Too right - another rubbish article.
I'm all for articles which point out SP's desire etc but slagging off others all the time its hardly fitting for a 'journalist'
Wow! what an insight. Slag off the manager whose team are clear at the top of the prem, who won the european cup last year, and say you would prefer Stuart Pearce's antics!!
I hope Pearce is like this because he is new to it. Constantly jumping up and down on the touchline does not work. Look at Mourinho, Wenger, Fergie, Moyes, Benitez etc etc. Do any of them act like Pearce? To be honest I find Pearce's antics a bit embarrassing. The occasional rant from the touchline is great, but to be doing it for 90 minutes non-stop. I think it loses its impact anyway.
I shall be cutting this article out of the paper and putting it in a frame,Hincey having a side swipe at the great Salix a definate first Paul,start sitting at the back at Uniteds press conferences he never forgets a thing!
agree with the other comments, not the best article. However, I await the crowds response to see a manager jumping up and down on the touchline..will this inspire a good atmosphere, something we have so far lacked at Coms.
Thank goodness you're not the manager then Hincey because if we were a reflection of you we would be the biggest load of dross in the four divisions.
Yeah dafy statements form Hince but Pearce has certainly got the right attitude and i'm certain that will help the atmosphere at COMS and if they play like that everyweek then we'll all be making daft statements "Gonna win the league" etc etc
The article to me looks a poor effort to show how many funny remarks he can make. Not really journalist-matherial, especially when refering in the wrong way to other managers and their style in a bit disrespectful way.
On the other hand, I enjoyed seeing SP in front of the dugout. Let the manager be who he is. If SP is one jumping and shouting for 90 minutes, so be it. As long as it affects the team in a possitive way. And why shouldn't it, it affected the fans on sat.
City played too well at Charlton to think he was trying everything that went or was going to end up wrong. Embarresed for SP behaviour? You must be joking.
"If I were a Chelsea player I would be thinking, if the manager isn't interested why should I be?" What are you on about you muppet?? Chelsea already have one trophy in the cabinet this season and it's a fair bet that they'll pick up at least one more before the season finishes. So you, as a player, would not have been interested purely because the manager was not ranting on the touchline. I can't imagine why you failed in your playing career Mr Hince??? I do, however, wonder how you manage to get paid for writing such articles.
The article is a bit of a joke but the one section of it that i do agree with is that we should give pearce the job. i was so happy when i saw a passionate manager on the sidelines it is a breath of fresh air. he is clearly determined to succeed so why not give him that chance. for me he is definatley the man to drive us forward!
Well said Peter, more tosh from Paul Hince. I can't remember the last time he wrote anything worth reading I'm afraid. Ian Dowie has been doing what Pearce did all season and look where Palace are right now! Where are Mourinho's Chelsea? Hmm, ever thought of retirement Mr Hince?
Paul Hince does not deserve to be paid for some of the tripe that he writes on here. Does he actually EVER watch any games? I have seen Mourinho animated on many occasions this season - just because he does not do it every five seconds does not make him a bad Manager. YES, Pearce has had a good start and is hopefully going to prove an inspirational choice in the long term but PLEASE, MUEN, leave out the vitriol. Every time Hince writes his inept opinions, most of us CRINGE. Please put him out to pasture.
I liked the article say what you see write what you think. I think some of these city fans cant cope with a manager who actually is mad for the team and job. I personally hope he succeeds because how many times have city managers cowered in the face of fergie & co.How many times have they stepped out on the pitch beaten before the start mentally. I cant see that happening under Pearce so all the best and good look to him.So Hincey keep writing that so called dross kick back and watch city win and Pearcey perform hopefully.
Malcolm used to do the same before his touchline ban but all the time a wise old owl sat behind him at the front of the directors box taking a cold hard look at events. Jovial Joe was able to make judgements from a distance & I wonder if such a figure would benefit Stu as I don't see how Faz fits into the picture somehow. Until he makes substantial changes on & off the pitch the shadow of KK will remain so I will be interested to know what changes are planned & very much hope they are the right ones. Keep up the passion levels Stu but look out for a wise old Owl.