The Eleven Pantomime Villains Of The Season So Far
February 12th, 2025by Josh Bland
In what has been one the of most exciting Football League seasons for a long time, the action has been tempered with a variety of bizarre and outlandish stories and tyrannical owners, incompetent directors, useless managers and idiotic players have come into their own, in what has been a season almost unparalleled in its multitude of strange goings on.
Whilst there have been undoubted heroes, there has also been a selection footballing arch-villains that have hogged the headlines at various points this term. So who are they?
I have put together a list of the most conspicuous and notorious villains and mavericks of the 2025/14 season so far…
Joe Kinnear (The Man Brought in to Sign Players)
We kick things off with every Geordie's favourite verbal punchbag, Joe Kinnear. The decision to bring Kinnear in as "Director of Football" was bizarre enough given his unpopularity with the Newcastle faithful after an awful spell in charge around five years ago. Even more bizarre was the confusing and frankly disruptive way Kinnear entered the club in June, following an embarrassing interview of Talksport (during the course of which Kinnear told a host of flagrant lies about his career achievements).
What tips things over the edge is Kinnear's latent failings in his role. Drafted in to buy players, the ex-Wimbledon boss failed to make a single permanent signing, in his eight months at the club (whilst in the same period selling Newcastle's most valuable asset, Yohan Cabaye to PSG) before he resigned at the start of February this year. An utter idiot, and an utterly idiotic mistake from the Newcastle board.
Chico Flores (The Spanish Cissy)
Chico makes the list off the back of his pathetic reaction to an accidentally flailed arm by West Ham striker Andy Carroll a short while ago. Chico's dramatic reaction was almost Oscar-worthy. As he was flicked on the forehead by Andy Carroll's forearm, Chico collapsed like a sack of spuds clutching his face and adding a few rolls to boot. The result? A red card for the West Ham talisman, and worse a failed appeal. It seems that cheaters do sometimes prosper.
Assem Allam (Emperor of Hull)
In a season where crackpot owners have really come into their own, Hull City (Tigers?) chairman Assem Allam really stands out. Any multi-millionaire business owner who chooses to invest heavily in the Kingston-upon-Hull area deserves some attention, and Allam really does seem to fit the stereotypical mould of "crazy foreign owner". Allam broke the first rule of chairmandom when he defied his clubs fans and traditions by insisting on changing the clubs name to "Hull City Tigers" (cringe), even threatening to leave the club if the FA does not back him on his decision. Admittedly, Allam's saving grace
Related Posts
Player Focus: Exit of One Remy Paves Way for Another at Newcastle- The Albion Rot – Who to blame?
- Wigan Athletic – strategy or catastrophe?
- The Vidic Problem: Usurping the Serb
- Stop scapegoating Özil and accept that the best team won
- Klaas-Jan Huntelaar shows Schalke what they have been missing | Raphael Honigstein