YET MORE MISERY FOR MOURINHO IN MANCHESTER
BY hiring Alex Neil in January 2015, Norwich City took a punt on young managerial talent unknown in England providing a push to promotion. They were, effectively, also asking for a 34-year-old to commit the inevitable, inexperienced mistakes in the Premier League the following season — and keep them up.
It wasn’t a surprise that Neil called a few things wrong but it was unusual for a boss to be quite so blunt about it and commonly take responsibility for the setbacks to befall his team. After all, isn’t that what referees are there for on a Saturday night?
Following the relegation in May, Neil publicly accepted the brunt of the blame because his decision-making had contributed to Norwich going straight back to the Championship 12 months after Wembley play-off glory.
Yet those admissions did not prompt the club to lose any faith. Norwich retained Neil’s services — an example set with great success by Burnley and Hull City standing by Sean Dyche and Steve Bruce a year earlier.
Firmly in the promotion frame again — despite a chastening 5-0 reverse at Brighton yesterday — there are signs this loyalty card could have positive payback for the Canaries.
The only significant close-season upheaval was Gary Holt’s departure from the coaching staff and the employment of Alan Irvine to aid Neil and Frankie McAvoy. Most recently, Irvine was assistant to Paul Lambert at Blackburn.
The 58-year-old, veteran of Championship campaigns in charge of Preston and Sheffield Wednesday, had only encountered Neil when the then Hamilton boss listened to his presentations at the SFA’s Pro Licence course.
Irvine is keen to stress that lecture was the first and last time Neil, in only his second full season in English football, was ever obliged to heed his words. Irvine is happy to be helper to one of the brightest young bosses in the business.
Irvine said: ‘Alex is a learner. Someone who thinks long and hard and reflects on games and decisions made. He doesn’t blame other people, he looks at himself first. As long as it doesn’t consume you then it’s a good way to approach things. ‘I remember his interview at the end of the season where he came out and said: “I’ve made mistakes”, which I thought was extremely honest and humble of him. I don’t know what mistakes Alex made but full marks to him. He shouldered a lot of the blame when maybe it wasn’t down to him. It was always going to be a very big ask for Norwich to stay in the Premier League.’ When asked if he fitted the bill of a mentor figure for the younger man, Irvine said: ‘Crikey, I couldn’t say that. Alex was looking to bring experience in that could help him. Alex is obviously a hard-working, very diligent and thorough coach and manager. For he does coach. Some managers only manage. ‘He has real attention to detail. He’s very forward-thinking, ambitious and a talented young manager. I was impressed with Alex in our conversation. He sold it to me. It was clear the way he wanted to work was very similar to the way that I work.’ With every game, Norwich are convincing as candidates to challenge Rafa Benitez and Newcastle for the title and granting Irvine a return to the Premier League. Seven months and 22 games with West Brom was his all too brief taste of the top flight as a boss in 2014/15. ‘I see it as a genuine chance of getting promotion, albeit we all know how tough the Championship is,’ said Irvine, who puts Scotland stars Steven Naismith, Russell Martin and Steven Whittaker through their daily paces. ‘Working again in the top flight is the big attraction. I’ve moved a long way from home. I wouldn’t have done that if I didn’t think it was a possibility. The big appeal here is the quality of the squad. ‘Alex said I’d be coaching every day. And I have been. That, on top of the fact the club weren’t going to sell all their best players, was really important. I would hate to predict scores in the Championship but we’d expect to be competing near the top.’
‘ALEX IS A LEARNER. HE THINKS LONG AND HARD ON DECISIONS’