THE SILLY SEASON..

As a devoted Liverpool fan, the young man in the picture has much to be unhappy about. I thought perhaps he may be grieving at the departure of manager Rafa Benitez, for whom these pages have much regard ever since he had a right go at `Mr. Ferguson.` Then again, he may be miserable at the £351million debt the football club has acquired under the stewardship of its American owners. He may be reflecting on the disappointing season the club has just had or, indeed, the prospect of losing players such as Gerrard and Torres.

But no. None of those things, for he has just heard the announcement from the Ivory Coast camp that Sven Goran Eriksson has finally `come out` and declared himself to be a lifelong Liverpool fan and how much he would like to step in to Benitez`s shoes and manage the club.

Well, it is the silly season. And in terms of the management-go-round, it gets even sillier. A couple of weeks ago, Gillingham and their manager Mark Stimson parted company after the club`s relegation back to League Two. A few weeks earlier, Ian Hendon was shown the door at Barnet football club following a skirmish with relegation. Gillingham persuaded Dover manager Andy Hessenthaler to leave the Crabble ground and return once more to Priestfield for another crack at getting Gillingham back on track. Meanwhile Mark Stimson was soon back in management, this time taking over at Barnet following Ian Hendon`s tenure at Underhill.

And to complete this mad circle, guess who Dover have appointed to manage them following Hessenthaler`s departure? Yes, you`ve guessed it - Ian Hendon. But all three clubs can at least count themselves fortunate - they could, after all, have had Sven Goran Eriksson declaring lifelong support for each of them. Just like Notts County.

I have a feeling the silly season will get a whole lot sillier before the real season begins again.