MERRY-GO-ROUND
SAM COX SAYS SOME FAMILIAR FACES COULD BE ABOUT TO REAPPEAR…
Bosses at the ready...
IT’S that time again in the season where under-performing clubs start desperately looking to turn their seasons around. Out of work managers lick their lips at the prospect of getting back into football and the pressure on those in jobs increases.
The managerial merry-go-round gets into full swing as clubs seem to turn to the same old faces as they fear taking a risk on relatively inexperienced individuals.
In the past ten years, Sam Allardyce, Alan Pardew, Mark Hughes (now Southampton), Tony Pulis (Middlesbrough) and Steve Bruce have worked at a combined 25 clubs.
These usual suspects regularly pop up to serve the same purpose of steadying a rocky ship. Although the football they bring may not be pretty, it is often effective to get the desired job done.
Either side of his short Eng- land tenure, Allardyce was appointed manager of Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Everton with each club languishing near the bottom of the table.
When ‘Big Sam’ arrived at Goodison Park in late November last year, the Toffees sat in 16th place prior to their league match against West Ham. Victory against the Hammers in David Unsworth’s last game as caretaker-manager lifted them up to 13th, five points clear of the drop.
Despite guiding Everton to an eighthplaced finish, 15 points clear of the drop, Allardyce was sacked after the fans grew frustrated with the style of football they were being served up each week.
Although these managers seem to be quick fixes for clubs, it doesn’t mean that they haven’t tried to build stable careers. Prior to last season’s struggles, Hughes recorded three consecutive ninth-placed finishes and a 13th place with Stoke.
However, as the Potters looked to maintain their Premier League status, they felt they had no option but to sack the Welshman.
It came after an embarrassing defeat to League Two Coventry in the FA Cup, with the club sitting in 18th position in the league at the time.
Hughes, though, had the last laugh as he went on to keep Southampton in the top flight, while Stoke went down.
In 2009, Alan Pardew was tasked with taking Southampton back up the divisions when he was appointed Saints boss following the club’s relegation to League One.
Had the club not been deducted ten points prior to the season, Southampton would have comfortably sat in a play-off place come the end of the season.
A successful first season in charge for Pardew was capped off with a Johnstone’s Paint Trophy triumph in March 2010.
Despite a promising first campaign, Pardew was denied a full second season at Southampton as the, then, ruthless chairman Nicola Cortese sacked the English-
man after a 4-0 victory away to Bristol Rovers.
Football has entered an era of ‘hire and fire’. The longevity of the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger is well and truly over.
Managers are finding it increasingly hard to build long working relationships at clubs.
Recently, some clubs have began to buck the trend. They’re turning to former world-class footballers looking to break into the managerial scene.
Derby County appointed Frank Lampard, Rangers went for Steven Gerrard and AS Monaco gave Thierry Henry the nod.
Lampard and Gerrard have both started relatively well at their respective clubs, while Henry is just getting started.
At the time of writing, Derby are sitting one point and two places outside of the Championship play-off places whilst Rangers qualified for the Europa League group stages for the first time in six years under Gerrard’s guidance.
Young and progressive managers are also starting to find a few more openings.
Luton Town appointed Nathan Jones in January 2016 with the club looking to avoid relegation to the National League. After recording 11 wins in the remaining 21 fixtures, the Hatters finished in 11th place.
Since then the club have gone from strength to strength under Jones, 45, whilst playing an attractive style of football.
Luton scored 94 goals last season, more than any other League Two side, as they achieved promotion to the third tier. Aston Villa have recently rewarded Dean Smith for his impressive work at Walsall and Brentford by handing him the vacant manager’s job after Steve Bruce’s
dismissal.
The 47-year-old’s impressive man-management and coaching qualities allowed Brentford to continue playing an attacking, attractive style of football.
In the Championship this season, Smith’s Bees averaged 14.6 shots a game whilst averaging a 79.1 per cent pass completion rate. Brentford also averaged 7.6 dribbles and 11.1 interceptions per game under the Englishman.
In the coming weeks and months, there’s no doubt football clubs will be chopping and changing their managers in acts of desperation and panic.
The financial risk of missing out on promotion or being relegated looms too large and clubs believe their hands are forced.
Time will tell if the same old faces are back in football by the end of the season. By hiring these characters for a short-term boost, clubs believe they can appease disgruntled fans – for a brief period at least…