Doing a Jiggins

Much of the press attention this week seems to have focused on managerial manoeuvrings and seldom has the appointment of a new club boss come under such anal levels of scrutiny as has been the case with Carlo Ancelotti's arrival at Chelsea. Considering the entire western world has known for months that he would be Hiddink's replacement, The Sun in particular, have gone to great lengths to keep the story running well beyond its natural life-span. This week we've been treated to the investigative brilliance of Paul Jiggins, who somehow managed to blag a trip from his employers to Ancelotti's home town of Reggiolo. From here he has treated us to numerous inconsequential insights into young Carlo's life including an interview with his father and a trawl through childhood photo albums. I bet Carlo's delighted.

Fill your boots here:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2467345/On-yer-bike-Carlo.html

Since when did we get so intimate with our domestic league managers? Did I miss the 8-page 'Roy Hodgson - the teenage years' pull-out? Did I forget to pick up my free 'At home with the Megsons' colour supplement? Or is the Sun just flying the flag for the 'big-four' and can't be bothered with anyone else? One wonders what sort of treatment the Premier League's other newest manager, Roberto Martinez, will get. Will The Sun get someone to 'do a Jiggins' in Catalonia or does the fact that he's only managing Wigan mean that it's not worth the effort?

Anyway, for me the biggest management story of the week was that of the sacking of Tranmere boss Ronnie Moore. He was given his P45 for failing to take Tranmere into the play-offs, despite being just two minutes away from doing exactly that before his team were edged into seventh place by conceding a late goal to rivals Scunthorpe in the final game of the season. Moore was also blamed for declining attendances at the Wirral club, despite the fact that attendances have been steadily falling year on year since Tranmere's relegation from the second tier of English football.

This seems harsh on Moore who has worked hard to build a squad worthy of promotion from an increasingly competitive league, all on a tight budget. Cut-throat chairmen like Tranmere's Peter Johnson seem trigger happy when they axe managers who have the backing of the fans and players. Johnson must now appoint a new boss to take charge of an ambitious team who will need to do battle with the likes of Charlton, Norwich, Leeds, Millwall and the MK Dons. Moore meanwhile can leave with his reputation intact and will hopefully find his way back into the game sooner rather than later. Carlo - watch your back.