A few weeks ago, Paul Merson courted scorn from this website, along with many others, for his utterly ludicrous tirade against Hull's new manager, Marco Silva. Merse decried "why's it always got to be a foreign manager" upon the arrival of Silva, who is Hull's first non-British manager since October 2002.
Merson's comments earned Silva a huge groundswell of support from football fans who would otherwise by apathetic toward his success, and there has been much glee derived from Silva's superb start to life in the Premier League, which has included a win at home to Liverpool and a draw at Old Trafford.
Merse was, of course, talking drivel, and now it has emerged that he isn't exactly sticking by it.
The callous sacking of Claudio Ranieri was up for discussion on Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday this afternoon, as the panelists bemoaned a Premier League ruined by money. (Wherever could that money have come from?)
Amid a passionate defence of Ranieri, the panelists began pondering the identity of his successor. If you listen to the clip below, you may hear the screech of Merson's tyres as he yanked the handbrake and performed a swift 180. Yep, he tipped Marco 'Why's It Always Got To Be A Foreign Manager' Silva as Ranieri's successor. He did, at least, have the decency to do so with the hint of a smile on his face.
Paul Merson on Marco Silva
In fairness to Merson, his impassioned defence of Ranieri was superb, as he poured contempt on the club's "average" players, and their extremely loud silence in the wake of Ranieri's sacking.
The post-Ranieri era begins at home to Liverpool on Monday night, where Leicester will be managed by Craig Shakespeare. A fitting name, given the dramatic betrayal we have seen.
