David can buck the trend and thrive in Britain again

SACKED: that brutal word will have haunted David Moyes this week as he reflected on a sour and disappointing end to his year in Spain. He’ll be wondering, too, about its long-term implications. He’s now been sacked twice in 18 months and history shows British managers who have suffered similar fates find it practically impossible to get back to a high level. There is a stigma attached to being sacked that doesn’t seem to apply to foreign bosses. British managers become damaged goods, with no attention given to previous achievements. Look back at the major dismissals in England over the past 25 years and you will see nearly all those men have not been given an opportunity to recover. Graham Taylor excelled with Watford and Aston Villa, but failing with England finished him. Glenn Hoddle was in a similar position after the FA got rid of him. He became unemployable, as did Steve McClaren for a period. David O’Leary, who took Leeds United to the Champions League semifinals, is on the outside looking in after being axed by Villa. Alan Curbishley, who worked wonders at Charlton, is in an advisory role at Fulham. Bruce Rioch, outstanding with Bolton, never got another chance after Arsenal sacked him. Brendan Rodgers was challenging for the Premier League title 18 months ago. This week, he was linked with Championship Fulham. In Europe, the outlook is different. Sackings are viewed almost as being part of the managerial experience. Massimiliano Allegri took Juventus to the Champions League Final after AC Milan severed their links with him; Carlo Ancelotti won the French title with Paris Saint-Germain and led Real Madrid to La Decima following his exit from Chelsea. Bayern Munich sacked Jupp Heynckes before he returned to win the Treble in 2013. Rafa Benitez had some early failures in his career but is now at the Bernabeu. Why are we so quick to dismiss the idea a manager can recover? If I owned a Premier League club, I’d be thinking about the job he did to revive Everton over 11 years rather than nine months at Old Trafford and a year at Real Sociedad. He’d have been perfect for Villa. Maybe he’ll have to change his ways, particularly in pre-season. Everton were notorious for slow starts but finishing strongly. Those sluggish starts are what cost him with United and Sociedad. But I believe he’ll buck this trend and can come back to England and make an impression once again.