Every boss would like to be in work aged 73!
I hate it when the transfer window shuts. I’d rather it was smashed altogether. But as long as it exists, I reckon it should apply to managers too. It’s only fair. After all, gaffers have far less job security than players. If a manager is trying to build a team and the window closes before he gets all his targets, he could end up paying with his job. So why shouldn’t he be given the protection of knowing his club can’t chuck him on the scrapheap until the transfer window opens again? For me, that’s only fair. And when you consider that clubs often give their own managers major headaches during the window, it starts to look like a no-brainer. Just ask Brendan Rodgers. It seems pretty clear that Brendan isn’t too pleased with Celtic’s failure to get a deal sorted for John McGinn this summer. They were in pole position to land the Hibs’ man and they knew how much the Easter Road club were looking for. For Aston Villa to swoop in just before the English transfer window closed was embarrassing for the Hoops’ hierarchy. It has also annoyed the manager. Given the success Brendan has had at Parkhead over the last few years, that’s not something I think the club’s powers-that-be should be trying to do. Thankfully for Celtic fans, Rodgers is in absolutely no danger of being punted out the door, whatever happens this season. The truth is, his job is about as safe as a football manager’s possibly can be. Steven Gerrard is still getting his feet under the table at Rangers, so he’s also in a strong position on the other side of the Glasgow. The Ibrox side’s results and performances have been decent – and certainly an improvement on last season. It seems fair to say Stevie-G’s position is completely secure, too. In England, Roy Hodgson is in the same boat as the Old Firm gaffers after signing a new deal at Crystal Palace on Friday – the day after the transfer window closed. Incredibly, his contract now takes him through to his 73rd birthday. What a relief for Roy. Pretty much every other top-flight manager on both sides of the border would love to be in his position. As it stands, most of them – bar the ones I’ve already mentioned, along with the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Unai Emery and Maurizio Sarri – will be privately concerned about being out of a job come October. That’s how uncertain their lives are. If it starts going wrong on the park, they only have a few weeks to fix it. And they can’t do it by splashing the cash. Gaffers are only ever two or three bad results away from being handed their P45. That seems out of order to me. From now until January, managers are effectively doing their jobs with one hand tied behind their back. Yet somehow their clubs are entitled to punt them out the door and replace them on a whim? That’s not right. As I said earlier, I’ve always hated the concept of the transfer window. I think clubs – and their managers – should be free to buy and sell throughout the season. I reckon players would be all for it, too. Unfortunately, I can’t see the window being done away with anytime soon. But if we must put up with it, something should be done to ensure managers aren’t left on the outside looking in.
Most managers will be privately concerned about being out of a job come October