Cowell: Is anyone really that surprised?

 

It’s Sunday night. I’m out of the flat at a gig in town, watching the excellent Seth Lakeman play a variety of instruments, showcasing his unquestionable talent to the 400 people who have travelled from all over to see a naturally born musician and entertainer. Elsewhere, the nation is in uproar at a 50 year old deciding to send a competition to ‘deadlock’ – whatever that means…  Yes, you guessed it, X-Factor fever has sent the communications network into meltdown. “Lucie out, John & Edward stay. Complete disgrace” reads a message on my phone from Alex. Dear Alex, bless her, clearly a message she’s sent to absolutely everyone in her contacts book, including, probably, her local Chinese restaurant. I log into Facebook to check for messages and, by the swarm of status updates, anyone would have thought that Mount Etna had erupted again. All about X-Factor and the controversial decision made by Simon Cowell.

Unless you’ve been hiding out in deepest darkest Amazonia, you would have heard that the ghastly Grimes twins have survived to fight another day in the ridiculous ‘singing’ competition that forms the backbone of ITV’s Saturday night ‘entertainment’ schedule. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if, even if you had fled to the rainforest to escape the torturous ‘talent’ show, a native tribesman darted through the hazardous terrain, tapped you on the shoulder and said “They’ve survived deadlock” – the popularity of the monster that Cowell has created knows no bounds.

Why on earth is anyone surprised at this decision? A show owned by Simon Cowell’s production company, with Simon Cowell making the important decision that gets Simon Cowell in the papers for the next three years and the general British public (bless them) talking non-stop about Simon Cowell. I think you get my drift. Since the X-Factor shot onto our screens in 2004, the whole show has revolved around the music mogul whipping the crowd into a frenzy with his controversial comments and bickering with the other judges. Reports this week suggesting that Cowell had consulted the show’s producer before opting to go with the viewer’s vote did not surprise me in the slightest. He knows exactly what he’s doing and shock decisions will only serve to feed the PR machine even more and increase votes, viewing figures and, above all, Cowell’s profile.

For the record, believe it or not, I am not criticising Simon Cowell. He is a splendidly charismatic bloke who’s worked hard to achieve success in both the UK and the US. His tough, ruthless nature has enabled him to force his way to the very top and he seems to have well and truly struck the populist chord that is needed to create televisual feasts such as the X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent.  Fair play to him. What I won’t acknowledge though, is the argument that X Factor is a good platform for young singers striving to make a breakthrough. It is merely a soap opera with Cowell writing all the scripts. So when people jumped off their couches and wept at Lucie’s exit on Sunday (and I sadly believe that some did), outraged that two talentless jesters from Ireland had progressed in a glorified karaoke competition, it was the time to realise that they had been ‘Cowelled’ – sucked into the web of drama and debate that he desperately encourages. Forget Alexandra Burke, Leon Jackson, Leona Lewis, Shayne Ward and Steve Brookstein (although I think most have in Steve’s case), Simon Cowell is the true star of the show.

Another setback for young English managers

 

Well… another week and another manager dismissed. Steve Gibson pulled the trigger and fired Gareth Southgate in the early hours of Wednesday morning, this despite the Smoggies bouncing back from three successive defeats to record a credible 2-0 win over Nigel Clough’s Derby County. For some, this may not have come as much of a surprise, after all, Southgate was the man who oversaw Boro’s relegation from the Premiership where his young guns went out with a whimper, failing to show any of the fight and guile that characterised Southgate as a player. However, when hearing the news I felt a degree of sympathy for Mr Southgate.

Let’s start by looking at Middlesbrough’s position in the table. Putting the three, admittedly concerning, previous defeats aside, Tuesday night’s victory saw Boro move to within a point of the two teams tied on 24 points at the top of the table, West Brom and Boro’s north east rivals Newcastle United.  In a division as unpredictable as Russell Brand’s sex life, the simple fact is that anyone can beat anyone. Newcastle United, widely tipped to take the division by storm have struggled to pull away from the pack, stumbling to two successive away defeats against Nottingham Forest and renound world beaters Scunthorpe United. West Brom, embracing the continental flair of Roberto Di Matteo and cockney charms of Eddie Newton, have also found it difficult to fully stamp their authority on a division that they are expected to win at a canter. Comparing the situations at St.James’ Park with those at the Riverside makes the decision to sack Southgate seem even more ludicrous. Chris Hughton, who by the admissions of José Enrique and Kevin Nolan, is more suited to a coach than his current position of manager, has been offered a contract to remain at the helm. Admittedly, Middlesbrough have a clear, solid boardroom structure with the effervescent Steve Gibson providing both the capital and emotional understanding that is essential to running a football club, while Newcastle have a cockney chump who prefers swilling lager on the Quayside and treating the club a Russian roulette table than providing stability and, more importantly, sustainability.

I think that it’s just a huge shame that young, English managers are not getting the time that they deserve. Southgate is bright, articulate and a gentleman – a fine example to younger professionals and those looking to break into management. Let’s not forget that the wonderful Sir Bobby Robson had an extremely tough time in his first two seasons at Ipswich Town, fans were frequently calling for his head but the chairman John Cobbold stood firm, insisting that the “manager’s name was not written on a chalkboard” and that he would back him to the hilt. I thought that Steve Gibson was of the same mould, a rarity in today’s game, but sadly I have been proved wrong. One can only hope that Southgate gets another chance to prove his managerial credentials in the near future.