Managers or Gamblers?

Clearly, when it comes to investing and managing football (soccer), gambling is not the way to go! Leave investing aside and let’s look at the art of managing football teams. It best serves the managers, if they stick to the fundamentals and play the game on technique, skills and with the best available team. When I say best available, not merely the quality or reputation of the player but also physical fitness. But akin to their counterparts on Wall street football managers seem to have fallen to the lure of greed and quick success. Fear or failure drives these managers and they ultimately pay the big prize. Look at 2 big examples in the last 2 days - 2 gambles that fell straight on their faces.

Champions league quarter final Arsenal v Barcelona:
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger chose to play Cesc Fabregas who hadn’t fully recovered for the home leg of the quarter final. Fabregas picked up a yellow card ruling him ineligible for the 2nd leg. To make matters worst he injured his foot again making him unfit for the rest of the season. Agreed that Arsenal were intimidated by the prospect of facing Barcelona, but a fit Fabregas would have given them a great chance of winning the league. Throwing away the chance to win the league was too much of risk-to-reward ratio. If Arsenal fails to win the league, Wenger will rue his gamble big time.

Champions league quarter final Manchester United v Bayern Munich:
Man Utd. Manager Alex Fergusson (I won’t call that moron 'Sir') had his star striker Wayne Rooney injured last week and was supposedly out for 2-4 weeks. Yesterday Fergusson said, he has 'no chance' of playing. When the teams were named there he was Wayne 'No Chance' Rooney leading the united attack. Are united so helpless without Rooney that they can’t beat Bayern by one goal without him?? So, Fergusson took the gamble, united were leading by 2 in first 7 minutes, and Wayne Rooney was hobbling in 10. Subsequently Rooney had to be substituted after 50 minutes and United lost the Quarter final on the away goals rule. Now what’s happened to Wayne Rooney’s ankle? Is it severely injured, is it minor strain, no one knows. Eventually we will find out, and also find how much this gamble will hurt United’s chances of winning the league.