If you were Guus Hiddink, what would you do?

GUUS Hiddink faces an uphill task reunifying a fractured dressing room, while managing the demands of a ruthless and ambitious club owner, and not having the luxury of signing players he think would be helpful in reviving Chelsea’s fortunes.

If you were thrown in the hotseat, how would you reverse Chelsea’s slide?

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: I say the first thing would be to show the same ruthlessness that Roman Abramovich has shown to his managers.

Sir Alex Ferguson has not survived the managerial axe for more than two decades by turning the other cheek when undermined by his own players, no matter how good they were.

Question of the Weekend (Apply for the Chelsea post)

Hi all,

The Postman’s Question of the Weekend: IMAGINE yourself as a football manager interested in the Chelsea managerial job and write a humorous and creative cover letter to Roman Abramovich applying for the position.

Does Beckham deserve his place among the greats?

DAVID Beckham’s 45-minute appearance in England’s 2-0 friendly defeat to European champions Spain has moved him on the brink of history, having equalled Bobby Moore’s record 108 caps in an outfield position for the Three Lions.

Does the on-loan AC Milan midfield deserve his place in history?

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: It is a shame how Becks collected his 107th cap – a three-minute cameo against Belarus in the World Cup qualifier, and many may have doubts about his glamorous wife and lifestyle.

And while “Golden Balls” may not have won the World Cup like Sir Bobby Charlton and Moore, Beckham remains one of his generations finest players on the pitch.

Interview with Letter of the Weekend winner Firdaus Jasmin

When and why did you start supporting Newcastle?

I started supporting the Magpies since the 1995-96 season when they signed the legendary French winger David Ginola and the Duke of Tyneside, Sir Les of Ferdinandshire.

This may sound funny, but honestly back then, under the guidance of the Messiah Kevin Keegan, watching Newcastle was like watching Barcelona. All Newcastle fans could proudly held our heads up as having the team that played the beautiful game the way it ought to be played, with abundance of attacking flair and scoring loads of goals. In fact, I would not be surprised if Arsene Wenger based his current Arsenal team from the Newcastle team back then.

Will Hiddink survive the Chelsea cauldron?

(Video by RT)
NEWS has emerged late last night that Russia national coach Guus Hiddink – who is incidentally a close friend of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich – will take over managerial duties at Stamford Bridge for the rest of the season while still managing the Russian national team.

The Dutchman is to international football what Harry Redknapp is to English football – Hiddink has managed to bring out an extra edge to the national teams he managed, bringing Holland to the 1998 World Cup semi-finals, South Korea to 4th place in the 2002 World Cup, and guiding Australia to the 2006 finals for the first time in 32 years.

But as a club manager, his results have been mixed. The 62-year-old seems to perform his best in his native Holland, winning a total of one European Cup, six Eridivisie titles and four Dutch cup titles in his two stints with PSV Eindhoven, but also unremarkably stints with Real Madrid, Real Betis, Valencia and Fenerbahce.

The question is: Can Hiddink bring his international Midas touch to Chelsea?

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: While Chelsea fans may rejoice at the short-term coup (which could very well turn into a long-term deal, given the close friendship Hiddink and Abramovich share), I have my doubts as to whether Tsar Hiddink can survive the demands of the Premiership, as well as that of his close friend.

It’s all Roman’s fault

LUIZ Felipe Scolari’s 224-day reign as Chelsea manager has ended late last night Singapore time, after the London club gave him the boot following a string of poor results in the Premiership.

Ironically, his much-detested predecessor Avram Grant survived longer in the Blues hot seat than the Brazilian, lasting 227 days after taking over from Jose Mourinho in late 2007.

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: Much has been said about Scolari’s management style, language barriers and the transition between managing national teams to clubs.

But I feel that Roman Abramovich is to blame for making Chelsea into an English version of Real Madrid, sans the success.

Question of the Week (Scolari’s Sacking)

Hi all,

THE POSTMAN’S QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Should Chelsea have sacked Luiz Felipe Scolari?

Was Fergie right in putting Giggs on the right?

MOST would gush about the wonderful winning goal Manchester United veteran Ryan Giggs scored against West Ham last night, but if you look hard enough, that is just about the only contribution in the game, save for a defence-splitting pass to Cristiano Ronaldo towards the end of the game.

Which leaves me to the question: Did Fergie get it wrong by putting Giggsy on the right?

Any football fan – including non-United fans – worth their salt would know that the left-footed Giggs is a natural on the left flank, although now he is still effective in the centre of the park. He may switch flanks with Cristiano Ronaldo or Nani from time to time during a match, but it’s the left where Giggs is truly devastating.

Q&A with Letter of the Week winner Er Chian Kong

When did you start supporting Liverpool and why? 

I started supporting Liverpool in August 1994. Back then, there were limited telecast of the English Premier League and I happen to catch the highlights of the Liverpool vs Arsenal in which Robbie Fowler scored a hat trick in 4 minutes.

I was mesmerised by the simplicity of Liverpool’s passing, in which they dominated possession and the players seemed so calm under pressure. In fact, playing their way out of trouble seemed to be Liverpool trademark in those days.

I then began to read up more about Liverpool whenever I could (there was no internet back then) and since then there’s no turning back!

Will financial regulation save English football?

UEFA is planning to revamp rules that could affect the participation of English clubs in European competition, according to an article by TimesOnline.

Europe’s governing body for football, along with the European Club Association, has tabled a proposal limiting club expenditure – in terms of players’ wages and transfers – if they wish to compete in the Champions League or the Europa League (presently the Uefa Cup).

Under the plan, “clubs could spend no more than a certain percentage — yet to be determined, but thought to be between 50 and 70 per cent — of turnover on wages and transfers,” according to the TimesOnline article.

For example, if Manchester United earns $100m a year and the limt is set at 50 per cent, then the Red Devils would only be able to spend $5m in transfers if their annual wage bill comes up to $45m.

This could profoundly affect Premiership clubs, given that they routinely spend more than two-thirds of their turnover on wages and transfers.

THE POSTMAN LIM SAY HENG says: It’s about time someone does something about the state of football in England.

For years, players’ wages and transfer fees have been escalating to absurd levels, and the cost has been passed on to the fans, either through ticket prices, merchandise or television rights.

The move may lessen the attraction of the Premiership to foreign stars such as Robinho and Kaka, but it may just prove to be the move that will save English football.