Same old Brits approach can prove costly
The bottom three clubs in the Premier League have two things in common.
One, they all sacked their manager when relegation first threatened and brought in an established, experienced British boss to save them from the drop. Two, it hasn’t worked. West Brom are already preparing for the Championship after appointing Alan Pardew to replace Tony Pulis then getting rid of him last week.
Stoke City put Paul Lambert in charge when they thought that Mark Hughes was going to take them down.
Then Southampton decided, for some reason, that Hughes was the man to rescue them after Mauricio Pellegrino was dismissed.
By next month, the Welshman could join the small, select band of managers who have supervised at least part of two top-flight relegations in the same season.
The default position of most chairmen when their club gets into trouble is to go to the same small pool of out-of-work British bosses, on the assumption that familiarity will bring safety.
Earlier in the season, Everton scooped Sam Allardyce from that pool, West Ham fished out David Moyes and Crystal Palace netted Roy Hodgson.
Big Sam has steered his new club to mid-table mediocrity, but the other two could still go down.
The concept that homegrown is always the way to go when the trapdoor, and a financial cliff edge, looms has been challenged this season.
Of the nine Premier League clubs who have made managerial changes, the three who ignored the usual British route – Leicester, Swansea and Watford – have been paid dividends.
Swansea, in particular, made a risky, left-field appointment when they went for Carlos Carvalhal, who had been dumped by Sheffield Wednesday.
But his enthusiasm has invigorated the club and they look to have a decent survival chance.
The Portuguese is Claudio Ranieri-like with his colourful use of language and unbridled enthusiasm – a stark contrast to the same-old, same-old, dour practicality of the Brits around him.
There is a perception that foreign coaches like him block the progress of younger British managers.
That may be the case with the Big Six, but it’s certainly not true lower down.
By and large, their progress is blocked by old British managers with pretty moderate success rates.
Between them, Allardyce, Moyes, Hodgson, Hughes, Pardew and Lambert have managed close on 4500 matches, and have won nothing of note.
Yet it’s these names that clubs still headhunt when the going gets tough.
Therefore they’re the ones who form the barrier against the progress of younger, home-reared coaches, not Johnny Foreigner.
It would be different if the premise was accurate and they did guarantee an upturn in fortunes.
Clearly, this season has shown that’s not the case.