Diego Maradona is not being considered as Sam Allardyce's replacement at Blackburn Rovers, according to a report from The Telegraph released at 10:29 a.m. Eastern. On the other hand, Diego Maradona is being considered for Allardyce's position, per a post on FourFourTwo labeled "one hour ago" at 12:28 p.m. Eastern. All of which is fantastic. Even with coaching rumors, Maradona brings his own special kind of chaos.
Diego Maradona On Blackburn’s Radar, No He’s Not - Assessing Rumors Surrounding Rovers Managerial Position
From Buenos Aires to Napoli to Barcelona and then Lancashire, the gluttonous Argentine paragon redefines international man of mystery. Combining the bombastic charisma of a left-wing dictator and the personal restraint of Charlie Sheen, Maradona is more notoriety than credibility, but for a new ownership group whose fortunes lie in poultry and pharmaceuticals, Don Diego may provide the Football Manager-esque intrigue that makes Premier League investment exciting. Because what are Premier League clubs except fantasy teams for the grotesquely rich (right Mike Ashley)? And if wages are ever a problem with their new coach, Diego might agree to be paid in ... poultry and pharmaceuticals.
But with any rumors, we have to assess the source and reporting. The Telegraph and FourFourTwo can’t be discarded like, say, an outlet that uses 96-point font. But where their stories conflict, one must be wrong. So let’s try to figure it out. Is The Telegraph’s reporting stronger, saying Diego’s not an option? Or should we trust FourFourTwo?
Three tests I like to employ: Credibility, plausibility, and proof. We already talked credibility - these outlets have it.
Plausibility certainly seems to fall toward The Telegraph. After all, it’s Maradona. This has got to be a joke, right, if not necessarily a practical one? He was hired by Argentina because the national team was sinking. There his icon status at least gave the players a rallying point. Does such iconography carry much weight in Lancashire?
Then again: What do we know about Venky’s? All we’ve seen from them is a willingness to fire Sam Allardyce. We don’t have enough information to judge plausibility.
And then there’s the actual reporting. How strong is the language? What kind of detail is being provided? And most importantly, quotes - does either story have quotes?
Yes, both do, each quote attributed to the same person: Venky’s chairwoman Anurahda Desai. Let’s start with The Telegraph’s:
"I can assure you that Maradona is nowhere near to being considered. He is not in our line of thinking," she said.
"He is not being considered, not now and forever for the future. I can assure you there is nothing we are having to do with Maradona."
"This is something that because we have offices everywhere somebody spoke about, but it is not true. There is no connection," Desai added in an interview with BBC Five Live.
Ouch. That’s a pretty strong, clear statement, one that would seem conclusive until you read the quotes from FourFourTwor:
The chairwoman of Venky’s, the Indian-based firm that gained control of Rovers last month, admitted on Tuesday night: “We thought about Maradona as a coach after we took over. Talks were at the initial stage then, but there is no development on that front yet.”
But there in lies our greatest hint: The Telegraph’s quote, poached from the BBC, has Desi speaking in the present tense: “is nowhere” as opposed to “thought about.” True, the FourFourTwo quote uses the term “yet,” but the language is much softer.
The BBC quote seems to be saying we’re not crazy. Sensing supporter apprehension, Desai seems eager to clarify. Yeah, we thought about it, she says to FourFourTwo. That’s where the rumor started! But now, she clarifies to the BBC, there’s no way we’d go in that direction.
Which makes me sad, though I doubt Blackburn supporters feel the same way. With their managerial position thrown into turmoil, relegation can’t be too far from their mind. They’re waiting (with hope) to see how this unfolds. I doubt a hiring of Diego Maradona will do anything to assuage their festering doubts.
But think of the neutral, will ya'? Even if he's dispatched to distant Lancashire, Diego Maradona is the best thing to happen to England tabloid culture since Cheryl left Ashley. Image, pictures of him with one arm around Christopher Samba, the other around Jason Roberts. Rumors of legendary locker room brawls with El Hadji Diouf and Paul Robinson. His attempts to cast David Dunn as the Anglo Maradona. The stares of bewilderment from Gaël Givet and Míchel Salgado.
That’s it. We have to have this. I’ve decided: If Venky’s isn’t going to make this happen, the league needs to get involved. There’s got to be a sense of the greater good, and for ardent followers of the English Premier League, nothing can carry the league into the last months of a title race better than a little Diego.
Blackburn: Give El Diego a try. If you fire him in February, no hard feelings.
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