Premier League 
/ Ralph Ellis / 21 March 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Torres is substituted again. The Spaniard's arrival has created more problems than solutions.
"If you want an example of the way a good boss can transform a club then look at Liverpool. A miserable camp under Roy Hodgson has been transformed into a happy one with Kenny Dalglish at the helm and yesterday’s 2-0 win at Sunderland was more evidence."
A settled and happy camp is often a successful camp. Ralph Ellis looks at which Premier League camps are happy and which are on the verge of mutiny.
I've a friend who manages a huge company and says he's careful to make sure he stays popular with those workers who smoke. The five or ten minute breaks they spend outside the door in the rain or freezing cold might look pretty unpleasant - as is their habit. But it's where most of the office gossip gets started and any bother or rebellion begins.
It's a fact of life that chitter chatter, intrigue, grumbling and complaining happens in every working environment. All the more so in a football club. And it's why, in this age of millionaire players, it's more important than ever to keep the camp happy because any dissent soon rips the place apart.
It's something Fabio Capello will be reminded of this week after restoring John Terry to the England captaincy and leaving Rio Ferdinand - and his mates within the squad - upset in the process. And it's something Terry's club manager Carlo Ancelotti is also having to handle.
He's got a new £50million striker in Fernando Torres who isn't scoring goals, or playing particularly well, but an owner who wants to see his expensive new toy in the team. The look of thunder on the face of Roman Abramovich when Torres was substituted after 70 goalless minutes against Manchester City told that.
Ironically the fact that substitutes Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka then played their part in creating a 2-0 win will only cause more problems for the manager. More pressure on him to drop Torres while the owner wants the Spaniard in the team.
Nobody in the boardroom would dare tell Sir Alex Ferguson which strikers to pick. But he's got similar issues trying to keep three forwards happy when only two can play.
Dimitar Berbatov has started only one League game since early February - even though the 88th minute effort which brought a 1-0 win over Bolton made him first to reach 20 Premier League goals this season. It's also meant the Bulgarian's price for the Golden Boot shortened to [1.87].
Manchester United are now [1.62] for the title, with a 2-2 draw at West Brom meaning Arsenal have slid out to [4.3]. We wait to see how Arsene Wenger reacts to yet another goalkeeping blunder. It's only a short time ago that Jens Lehmann left The Emirates grumbling about the way Wenger treated him, but there was obviously some mutual respect because the German is back. He was meant to be emergency cover but could now step into the title campaign.
If you want an example of the way a good boss can transform a club then look at Liverpool. A miserable camp under Roy Hodgson has been transformed into a happy one with Kenny Dalglish at the helm and yesterday's 2-0 win at Sunderland was more evidence. And here's a thought. If Chelsea, nine points behind Manchester United, are [6.8] for the title then why are Liverpool, eight points adrift of Manchester City, as long as [16.0] to finish in the top four?
Even at clubs that are doing well, it doesn't take much for some moaning to emerge. Spurs might be in the Champions League quarter-finals and looking forward to a tasty tie with Real Madrid, but you should have heard the White Hart Lane faithful grumbling after they had failed to find a goal and had to settle for a 0-0 draw with West Ham. Harry Redknapp must wonder exactly what he has to do to make some Spurs fans happy.
At the bottom end of the table spirit and togetherness is even more important. Wigan might be 20th and [1.42] to go down but they've clearly got unity and Roberto Martinez is getting the best even from the truculent Charles N'Zogbia, as a vital 2-1 win over Birmingham proved.
If Capello wants some lessons on man management he could do worse than talk to Ian Holloway, who has kept his star performer Charlie Adam up to standard - even though the Scot was obviously bitterly disappointed that a January move to Liverpool was blocked. Adam got two more goals in a 2-2 draw at Blackburn which keeps Blackpool in sight of survival.
Compare and contrast to Aston Villa, where Gerard Houllier has lost the respect of many of his senior players. And now the home fans are turning on him too. A 1-0 home defeat by Wolves gave a great contrast in how Mick McCarthy has got limited players all working for him, while Houllier has too many talented ones who've downed tools. Wolves are [3.25] to go down while Villa are overpriced at [8.2].
And having everybody backing the boss - including the fans - is important. It's why Stoke are such a powerful force at home, proved again as they ripped Newcastle apart 4-0. The Potters continue to look value at [2.7] to maintain their current tenth or better.
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