Why I think it’s time for Mccann to leave Tigers
RUN OF RESULTS SUGGEST CITY ARE HEADING FOR LEAGUE ONE
For the first time in 20 years, I think the time has come for me to call on a Hull City manager to leave the club. Grant Mccann’s tenure should be brought to an end if the Allam family have any hope of keeping City in the Championship this season, as relegation looks a formality based on what we’ve seen so far.
Results have been poor since promotion and while there have been mitigating factors making his job difficult, ultimately the league table does not lie after 14 games, and right now, it’s hard to make a case for anything changing the current course.
I don’t say this lightly, either, because Mccann deserved another crack at the Championship given the manner in which he got the club promoted last season, but it’s plain to see the mistakes of 2019-20 are being repeated again.
One big concern for me has come in the last three matches since beating Middlesbrough before the international break.
For that game, Mccann opted to change his formation and play with a three at the back.
Yes, it wasn’t their best performance of the season and he’s right when he says his team have played better and lost, but it was a gritty, well-earned result - it was three points.
Di’shon Bernard clearly spoke against the grain when he let slip the players felt more secure in that 3-5-2 variation, so to go against that and revert to his preferred 4-3-3 formation at Huddersfield was odd to say the least. Since Boro, three more defeats have followed.
Then to come out and openly criticise the players after Saturday’s defeat at Luton suggests things are not entirely rosy in the dressing room.
I’m not going to say he’s lost the dressing room because that’s an easy accusation to throw about, but there’s clearly some disagreement within it, based on comments made by players in the last couple of weeks and then him at the weekend.
When you lose the fans like Mccann has done in the past couple of weeks - and I mean voicing their displeasure at games, it becomes a really lonely place for a manager.
You only had to listen to Steve Bruce’s interviews about the criticism he took at Newcastle - they are only human beings trying to do their best and sometimes I think we can forget that. Mccann is no different, he’s giving what he can for City and unfortunately, it just isn’t working out and he needs to walk.
Bruce’s hands have been tied to a degree, much like Mccann, but the difference is that Bruce would talk about things, Mccann is now hiding away and refusing to speak to sections of the media which only further isolates him and creates ill-feeling from supporters.
It then becomes a laughing stock among the fans and wider community, and the players start to feel it - it becomes an added burden they could do without.
I’ve been in dressing rooms before when that’s happening, I’ve seen managers in tears before saying ‘I can’t do it anymore, my family are involved, I just can’t do it’ - I had that when I was at Burnley.
You do feel for them on a human level, but then you look at them and think they’re not helping themselves with the decisions you’re making.
It’s easy to get clouded by the situation, too, and you can start making poor decisions.
When you change something and get a positive result like he did against Boro that should have been the time to stick with it and see if that was the spark to kick-start the season.
Unfortunately for him and City, he went back to his Plan A which clearly doesn’t work, and to say it does is even more baffling.
To say like he did last week that he believed in his plan which he felt was working, for me, was another big red flag.
It clearly isn’t working because the team are losing every week, conceding the same goals and not scoring at the other end, so if that’s it working, I’d dread to think how bad things will be should he admit to it not working.
When you get a sniff of a victory, stick with the formula that worked for two or three games and see where it takes you, when you’re in the form City are, to bury your head in the sand and carry on hoping your system works is madness, it just doesn’t make any sense.
It’s no admission of failure to change something, to try something different, in fact, it shows a strength of character to go a different way, and you can earn yourself more respect by doing it.
When you see clubs dispensing with their managers, the Allams must surely sit up and take notice and wonder if they’re going to have a decision to make.
I’ve always thought Mccann’s job is the safest in football, but now I’m genuinely starting to wonder if they may pull the trigger because if they hope to sell it soon, they’ll need to move quickly while it’s still in the Championship.
Realistically, I think the next three games are crucial for him and City - if he can pull out a couple of wins it’ll buy him some more time, though even if that were to happen, I don’t believe he’s capable of turning things around completely, and that for me, is why a change must be made if City are to avoid an instant return to League One.