STAND BY YOUR MAN
Kevin Nolan Notts Cty 2 Lee Johnson Bristol City Ch’p Alex Neil Preston Ch’p Michael Flynn Newport 2 Karl Robinson Charlton 1 Richie Wellens Oldham(above) 1 Garry Monk Middlesbro’ Ch’p Danny Cowley Lincoln 2 Darren Way Yeovil 2 Darrell Clarke Mansfield 1
PAUL JEWELL believes too many young promising British bosses are being lost to the game due to the impatience which stalks boardrooms. It’s why after a fiveyear break – unless you want to count an unfortunate week’s stay alongside Tony Pulis almost two years ago – the man who took Bradford City into the Premier League has accepted an invitation to ride shotgun to 37-year-old Oldham manager Richie Wellens. Jewell, whose football knowledge has also been used by Sky Sports as a pundit, had to delay his arrival as League One Oldham’s assistant manager to fulfil a family and friends’ commitment to enjoy the country music delights of Nashville. But now the jeans and Stetson have been put away to be replaced by a tracksuit and daily commute, starting off at 6.30am across the Yorkshire-Lancashire border. “I wasn’t thinking about coming back into the game,” explained Jewell. “But I remember having a long conversation with the Ipswich chairman when I was managing there about how too many young managers were falling by the wayside. “How they may just get one opportunity, make a few mistakes, quickly discover there’s a lack of patience in the boardroom, and that’s it, they’re gone – out of the game forever. I’m afraid football today is surrounded by shark- SUNDERLAND boss Chris Coleman has challenged on-loan Everton defender Brendan Galloway to prove his worth.
The England Under-21 international was dropped by former boss Simon Grayson after enduring a torrid time with the struggling Black Cats in the first five games this season. But new manager Coleman is prepared to offer infested waters. Young managers need all the help they can get and hopefully I can try to take some of the pressure off Richie so that he can concentrate solely on the football things.”
Wellens, who began his career alongside Wes Brown and John O’Shea at Manchester United before moving around the leagues with spells at Blackpool, Leicester and Oldham, was on a shortlist with Old Trafford legend Paul Scholes and Dutch star Clarence Seedorf when John Sheridan was sacked in September.
An impressive sequence of four wins in five games while placed in temporary control saw off his headline-grabbing rivals.
Jewell, 53, said: “Maybe Paul Scholes wanted a decent training ground and some money to spend. But Richie is hungry to make a success of it. He has a lot of potential like so many others.
“But too often they last two minutes and are never given another chance – they become just another sad statistic of a mad world where common sense is well down the pecking order.
“When he came they were struggling at the bottom of the league. He’s got good results and turned it around but you still need help and someone he can trust.
“The game just envelops you as a manager nowadays at this lower level where you don’t have chief executives, directors of football and big scouting networks.
“There are so many things to do. But with my experience – good, bad or indifferent – then maybe I can relieve him of some of the inevitable pressure.
“Richie is good, he’s young, has fresh ideas, he’s enthusiastic and knows the game, but sadly too many young bosses like him are lost from the game if things start going badly. I’ll be there with advice but ultimately it’s his decision on any issues.” left-back Galloway, 21 (left), a clean slate. He said: “When I first arrived, I knew he’d had a tough time.
“But tough time or not, whether he had played well or not, it’s now that matters and we are going to need all of the players.’’
Galloway got a late call-up to the substitutes’ bench for the 3-1 home defeat by Reading last Saturday after Paddy McNair was injured in the warm-up.
Coleman said: “Paddy got injured and we had to drag Brendan away from the area where he was having a coffee with his family. In the second half he was involved as sub. It’s never great preparation, so fair play to him.”
He was also an 80th-minute substitute in yesterday’s 0-0 draw at leaders Wolves.