As Easy As AVB – Pardew’s lesson on managerial manners

Posted on December 13th, 2011 | 15 Comments |

Chelsea manager, Andre Villas Boas.
AVB: "Show a bit more respect" says Pardew.
I’ve always had my doubts about some Chelsea fans, most notably their intellectual ability and capacity for absorbing and understanding larger chunks of information. I mean, I can only speak as I find and the one’s I’ve met at various games haven’t really come across as the brightest buttons in the box.

Lately my fears have been confirmed by the London media, who have even had to dumb down the name of the Chelsea manager for them, as they just can’t cope with, never mind pronounce, his name. So the mightily named Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas who is known in shorthand to the rest of the world as André Villas-Boas has had to be further shortened to simply AVB for the benefit of their poor fans.

Why is this significant?

Well, you may have noticed that there is a war of words going on at the moment between “AVB” and United manager Alan Pardew. If you have read some of the Chelsea fan blogs at the moment you will find the strangest, wierdest logic being applied to anything Alan Pardew has uttered on the subject. So my point is, when reading such blogs, bear in mind they are written by people who need to call their manager “AVB”. By the way, I’ve continued to use “AVB” here so that any Chelsea fans reading this can skip the big words and try to follow the story.

Anyway – to the war of words! Our story begins in the aftermath of the recent home defeat to Chelsea, in which the referee failed to show Chelsea centre-half, David Luiz, a red card for a challenge on Demba Ba early in the game, when Ba was clearly through on goal. At the time, Alan Pardew suggested that had Luiz rightfully been sent off then maybe, just maybe, Steven Taylor would not have had to work quite as hard for the rest of the game and may not have therefore suffered the Achilles injury which will now see him out for the rest of the season.

“AVB” didn’t like this claim at all, in a fit of latin pique he spat out:

“This is the same manager who got a (controversial) penalty at Old Trafford to get a 1-1 making a big scandal out of this. And then it was ‘It got their player (Steven Taylor) injured, because David Luiz wasn’t sent off’ – come on!”

Now I know “AVB” is new to this country and the way we do things here, but if he’s going to spit his dummy out reacting like this to Alan Pardew’s fairly innocuous comments, how on earth is he ever going to survive when he comes up against the media’s darling, “Mr Psychology” Alex Ferguson. “AVB” really has to learn that Managers in this country make statements for a number of reasons, whether that’s to appease their fans, appease their Directors, wind up the opposition or simply put pressure on officials for future reference – to name but a few.

In comparison with “AVB” Pardew has been around the block a few times in english football, and his response is a classic “nail on the head” put down for the Portuguese newcomer.

“Sometimes when you have defeat you have to find certain reasons why you’ve had that defeat, and you voice those concerns,” the United manager helpfully said, then adding:

“When you have a victory it’s nice to be a bit more respectful and honourable in saying ‘Well okay, we won the game but the decisions went in our favour.’ That’s what I did at Man United.

“I said it was a penalty and we accepted it and that was it. I think it would have been more honourable of him (“AVB”) if he accepted Luiz should have got sent off like the referee did (after the game, unfortunately).”

Pardew continued:

“When I looked at my stats of my players, Steven Taylor had put more work and effort into the game than any one he had played this season. That may be a factor in the fact he’s got an injury to his Achilles, maybe it isn’t.

“If they’d had ten men, maybe he might not have needed to work so hard. That was my only point. I’m not saying the sending off was related to his injury but they were pressurising and it was a factor in that. You’d be foolish to ignore that.

“But the guy’s new to the country, he’s new to our press and I think he’s under a bit under pressure. Maybe he could show a bit more respect.”

Eminent logic from the United manager and helpful advice for “AVB” if he cares to listen. If you want a chuckle about this whole episode however, read a Chelsea Blog!

NUFCBlog Author: UTD111 UTD111 has written 59 articles on this blog.

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15 Responses

  1. he better stay away from tiote, speaking on him just have that nervous feeling about him going and it is coming close to January!…maiga deal to go through which does quash some bad vibes but then again he is off to the African nations cup :/

  2. Nonetheless, I balk a bit when Pardew insisted that Luiz not being sent off “changed the game”, as if one of the Chelsea players was supposed to get sent off in the first five minutes in order to give us a fighting chance.

  3. UTD11
    So what’s this a bit of rabble rousing, looks like it is working.
    Want to stir the pot, eh !
    Smacks of the old, “suvern press dont like us paranoia”

  4. It’s a case of the perennial rough with the smooth, that you hope will balance out over the full season.

    I would rather we won games 11 v 11 full game as it it usually a better contest and test.

    ManC had the rough last night losing out to Chelsea although Chelsea looked the better team at the time.

    AVB looks like a guy living on the edge, I reckon if the bad run had of continued he would have had a nervous breakdown at some point in the season.

  5. Haha! Chuck
    Rabble rousing, moi?? LOL!
    To be honest mate – it was more a response to some of the strange views being expressed in Chelsea fan blogs on the same subject.
    Sorry I haven’t been able to respond until now but the power in our part of Northumberland has been off since 1pm and only just come back on :o/

  6. UTD11
    Dont take it personally, just the nature of the beast.
    At least you can write an inteligable piece.
    In which case please continue,even though i may jump all over it.
    What the hell it’s only fun and Workey needs a bit of help, cant do it all.
    Sure i could go to other blogs and sometimes do, but i enjoy the craic here better.

  7. Chuck says:

    December 13, 2011 at 8:34 pm

    ” What the hell it’s only fun and Workey needs a bit of help, cant do it all.
    Sure i could go to other blogs and sometimes do, but i enjoy the craic here better.”

    Aye sorry for the lack of ‘blogs. I suppose I could have put a few quick pieces of drivel up, but I’ve just read through 234 of Steve’s old pieces instead. I’m trying to pick ten of the best ones out as a tribute to him. He really was a bit of a natural when it came to writing.

  8. Chuck
    I’m grateful for the feedback mate – good or bad, I’ll try to get better – but basically what I’m trying to do is put into words things that I reckon United fans might be feeling at any given time. Personally I think this blog is the dog’s bollox mate! An NUFC Blog for NUFC Fans that says it like it is – What more could we want?

  9. ‘AVB’ has come across as lacking some class, pity, i expected more for some reason.

    UTD111,

    good first one mate, fair enough points too, he looks like a rabbit in the headlights atm, we’ll see soon enough if he can make it with the 10’s of millions at his disposal.
    It must be tough!

    ;)

  10. AVB, a would be Morinho clone, as stated by others, without both the charm or savvy.
    Hey! it aint an easy act to follow.
    He will be outta there before long as it,s obviouse he does,nt have what it takes, Roman does’nt suffer fools for long.
    Questin is who will replace him ?
    My personal vote goes to Pardew, ahem !