This week has been an utter farce for international football coverage, with German stations showing both matches live and free-to-air, while English fans at home were being asked to pay an Irish broadcaster or go without. What are the FA playing at? Why is there no “national coverage” clause in their sale?

Still to be publicly sorted out, it very much looks like the sale of James Milner to Aston Villa and the direcotrs attempts to sell Joey Barton & Michael Owen was the last straw for Kevin Keegan; and though he has a past record of walking away from situations, it looks like he was given no choice after a disagreement with the Newcastle United board of directors and imparticular, owner Mike Ashley, Keegan has apparently walked away from the job as he is not been given the respect & authority he requires, especially on transfers in & out of the club.

A similar situation has arisen at West Ham where this week Alan Curbishley resigned over the transfers of Anton Ferdinand & George McCartney to Sunderland.

So, can the so-called “European” style of management work in England, where the manager, more commonly referred to as the “first team coach” be left to manage the first team only and leave the finances, wages, transfers in & out to the director of football & the board? Well, yes it can nad now that football is big business and therefore run like big business, whether you like it or not, it WILL!

But it seems that every Premier League team that has tried to work with this continental approach, has had a fair share of problems with the manager feeling his position is being compromised & his authority undermind.

After managing the club, David Pleat was appointed director of football at Tottenham but it caused friction with the managers he worked with.  More recently, Jose Mourinho’s successful reign at Chelsea was brought to an abrupt end due, in part, to friction with directors that were having influence over transfers.  And now Keegan at Newcastle & Curbishley at West Ham.

The main problem is obvious here.  Each time there has been a conflict it is because the directors of football & others have been brought in without the consent of the manager.  If Keegan had honestly helped select & appoint Dennis Wise as director of football at Newcastle United then I would be amazed.  Ig however, he had appointed someone he trusted & agreed with, like when he brought Terry McDermott & Arthur Cox back to St. James Park as part of his trusted coaching staff then surely there would be no conflict of interest.  The fact that Keegan & Curbishley are thrust in front of the cameras answering the media & fans alike, only to find they are being undermined when it comes to who is going to be sold, then their position as figurehead is quite obviously made untenible.

Furthermore, if they are not in control of the players being added to their squad, how can they build & shape a team?  Can you imagine someone telling Brian Clough or Alex Ferguson who he was going to pick from?

There is big money to be made in the Premier League, and big money attracts wealthy businessmen.  But only a meeting of business & football in the best interests of football will work.

I have no idea who Brian Paddick is, let alone anything he has done to help you decide. I do know that in my youth, and as leader of the GLC (Greater London Council), Ken Livingstone organised many great free music festivals in London in the 1980’s.

But nothing, and I mean nothing, comes close to Boris Johnson as far as I am concerned because of his honest style, and his head on approach to tackling the most difficult situations with such a clear mind.

Vote Boris!