Comment by Robbie Earle

STEVE Holland won’t be getting any long-service awards for his time at Stoke, but I’m not going to join the queue to condemn him for deciding to jump ship for Chelsea.

His decision to quit his post as academy director will feel like a real kick in the family jewels for City, who were delighted to appoint the former Crewe manager just five months ago.

But I can see why the chance to work at Chelsea was too good to turn down for Holland.

He will have all the resources he could ask for at Chelsea and, had he
turned this job down, would have been wondering whether the chance would come around again.

Maybe there’s not the loyalty in the game there once was, but Holland has the chance to make a name for himself on a bigger stage and complete a remarkable change in his fortunes since he was axed as Crewe manager last
November.

Despite his failings as first-team boss at Crewe, his ability to nurture bring through the likes of Dean Ashton still makes him hot property.

He certainly has the chance to make a difference at Chelsea as because they still lag way behind Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United in terms of producing home-grown players.

Michael Mancienne is on the fringes of the team, but there’s a lot of work to be done if Chelsea’s youth set up is to become as successful as the first team.

Holland should get the chance to implement a four or five-year plan in West London, and will have among pretty much the best facilities in the country to try to do it.

Stoke fans wouldn’t have expected to see more comings and goings among the club’s backroom staff than the actual playing squad this summer, but this will still turn out to be a good week for the club if they can persuade Brian Kidd to become assistant manager.

He fits the bill perfectly as an experienced number two who can help Tony Pulis to build. on last season.

Stoke were linked with Paul Jewell but I wasn’t convinced that was a good move because I felt the former Derby boss would soon be looking to move on and become a manager again.

Kidd, at 60, won’t have those ambitions and could be an excellent foil for Pulis.

He’s not worked with Pulis before, but that’s not a bad thing. You don’t have to have your best mate as assistant manager. It’s more important to have someone who is going to bring fresh ideas and, behind closed doors, be prepared to challenge the manager’s opinions.

Kidd certainly wouldn’t be afraid to do that and, having worked with Manchester United and England, should command instant respect in the dressing room.

Every player I know who has worked for him says he’s a first-class coach. Portsmouth would have loved to keep him on their staff had he not been so so determined to return to the north west.

I am sure Pulis would prefer to be concentrating his efforts on the transfer market, and there is still plenty of business to be done throughout the Premier League before the window shuts in two-and-a-half weeks.

I reckon Habib Beye’s move to Aston Villa from Newcastle for around £2.5m could prove to be one of the best deals of the summer. The right-back, who was also linked with Stoke, was one of the few success stories on Newcastle United’s sinking ship last season.

Michael Owen’s reputation took a battering at St James’s, but he’ll be a hit at Manchester United.

Doubts remain over his fitness, but he won’t be needed to turn out in every game for Manchester United as he would have done had he gone to Everton, Villa or Spurs.

He’ll get miles better service than he had at would have at Newcastle, and will be pushed right up front rather than having to play deep as he did a lot last season.

United haven’t had a penalty box striker since Ruud van Nistelrooy, but Owen should fit the bill perfectly.

He’ll be a better signing than Manchester City’s £25m new boy Emmanuel Adebayor.

He sums up City because he will ’ll have one good, one bad and one average game. They have to be spending their millions on more consistent performers, or they run a serious risk of coming a cropper at Stoke again this season.