Football Food For Thought / Ralph Ellis / 23 March 2009 /

From Benitez's grim expression to Phil Brown's expensive suit and walkie-talkie to Tony Pullis' all-action touchline sideshow, managers all have their own unique way of watching a game, says Ralph Ellis. The important thing though, is what's happening on the pitch.

So what would make Rafa Benitez smile? While all around at Anfield were jumping and punching the air with delight, Liverpool's manager made the average cool cucumber look positively toasted. If you hadn't known, you'd have thought the cameras were cutting away to the wrong bench every time another goal went in during the 5-0 demolition of Aston Villa. Surely that must have been Villa's boss looking so glum?

Modern fans love to see their manager on the sidelines living and breathing the performance. If he's not jumping up and down like a rabid dog they hit the phone-ins to accuse him of lacking passion. But Benitez is proof that it's what the 11 guys on the field are doing which matters, and not the quality of the technical zone sideshow. It's his job to draw the best from the team by being true to himself, not to put on a display for the fans.

And Liverpool certainly are hitting the heights at the moment. With Fernando Torres completely fit again, and Steven Gerrard in his pomp playing just behind him, they are turning back into the force which took the Premier League by storm in the early stages of the season. With 13 goals in three games against such minor opponents as Manchester United, Real Madrid and Aston Villa they've been trimmed to [4.1] to win the Premier League and a tidy [29.66] double on Betfair Multiples to lift the Champions League alongside the premier League title .

Benitez is constantly hammered by the pundits - me included - for his bizarre selections and rotations. His point is always that he's looking in the long term to bring his team to their freshest for the last few weeks of the season, and here we are with the chance for him to show he's got it right. Now maybe that would see a smirk - if not an actual smile - appearing underneath that moustache!

Down at the bottom end of the table Stoke's Tony Pulis will never be accused of lacking passion. Underneath that trademark baseball cap he stalks the technical zone, living and breathing every moment of the game and looking like he's kicking every ball - or every now and then hurling each long throw. And just as being glum works for Benitez, so that style works for him.

Right back on August 25 I recommended laying Stoke for relegation when they were [1.41] to go down and also laying the [2.48] to finish rock bottom. This morning after grinding out a 1-0 win over Middlesbrough, Pulis's team are [3.55] for the drop and [23.0] to end up in 20th place. Pulis has had his players believing from day one in what he was trying to do with them and they trust him - because what you see is what you get. The sideline passion show is honest and real.

Has Hull's Phil Brown now got the same trust from his players? Their season has fallen apart ever since that mauling at Manchester City when he kept his players on the pitch for their half time rollicking so the travelling supporters could see just how much the manager appeared to care. Yesterday's 1-0 defeat at Wigan leaves Hull with only five points in ten games since then and now just four points above the trapdoor. Brown's touchline image is all modern and computer aided, with his walkie-talkie headphones and sharp suit. Does it make his team any more sophisticated? No.

Brown copied the look from his old Bolton boss Sam Allardyce, who spends the first half of games not on the touchline at all but sat high in the stands. From there he gets an overview of the game, calls up the film clips he wants the sports scientist to have ready to show at half time, and doesn't need to impress anybody but his players. The point Blackburn rescued against West Ham in a 1-1 draw was the second time in three games they have recovered from behind behind at half time. Despite sitting just two points from safety they are [6.4] to go down.

Caretaker Chris Hughton increasingly carries the touchline air of somebody who doesn't quite know what's happening in front of him. His first spell holding the reins at Newcastle after Kevin Keegan left was a disaster with four defeats on the spin, and it hasn't been any better since Joe Kinnear's illness forced him to take over again. Taken apart by Arsenal on Saturday night, and stuck in the bottom three, the Toon are now [2.24] to go down.

Final word on managerial body language goes to Sir Alex Ferguson, for years the master of soccer psychology. Two weeks ago he was almost skipping off Craven Cottage with a huge smile after a 4-0 FA Cup romp. On Saturday he stomped across to plug in the famous hairdryer after the 2-0 defeat by Fulham. Red cards for Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney mean they'll be missing - along with Nemanja Vidic - when United meet Villa in their next League game on April 5. Villa, once odds on for a top four finish, are now [6.0] after their Anfield mauling.

United are now [1.39] to retain the title, but then again if Villa can put their show back on the road at Old Trafford, Martin O'Neill really would be showing he's the most expressive touchline manager of them all. And maybe even Rafa would give a little grin.

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