Britain’s not got enough talent to go round
GARETH SOUTHGATE was quizzed about his relationship with Premier League managers this week.
“To be honest,” said the England boss, “they come and go pretty quickly.
“It’s important to have a good relationship somewhere but maybe having one with the manager isn’t a priority because the job is so transient.”
Southgate is spot on.
Watford have a revolving-door policy in place at Vicarage Road with no fewer than eight bosses in five years.
Spurs dumped Nuno Espirito Santo after 17 matches – you didn’t need a crystal ball to see that one coming – and have had to break the bank to land Antonio Conte.
It’s taken Newcastle a few weeks to land Eddie Howe – not the first name on the shortlist for the Premier League’s nouveaux riche club – but at least he is deserving of a crack on the big stage.
And therein lies a growing problem. There is a diminishing pool of talent that clubs – particularly in the top flight – are prepared to take a risk on.
Look at the men employed in the Premier League over the past 12 months. Jose Mourinho, Brendan Rodgers, Carlo Ancelotti, Rafael Benitez, David Moyes, Claudio
Ranieri and Conte – all have had at least two clubs, some three. Even the much-maligned Steve Bruce had four top-flight stamps on his Premier League passport.
People used to joke about the same set of firefighters who were brought in every time a club was under threat of losing their topflight status; the Sam Allardyces and Tony Pulises of this world.
But it’s little different these days, unless circumstances dictate that you have to really put on your thinking cap.
Those who can see beyond a big name can reap rewards.
Despite earlier reservations – particularly on this page – Arsenal’s gamble on Mikel Arteta doesn’t look too shabby now, although Manchester United’s experiment with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could still end in tears.
Sean Dyche is now the longestserving boss in the Premier League. He had to earn that tag the hard way at Burnley, too.
Graham Potter was a shrewd appointment at Brighton and Hove Albion – regular readers of this column know that I believe he’s an England boss in waiting.
And Brentford didn’t look past their own coaching room when Thomas Frank was appointed.
Aston Villa’s Dean Smith was a Championship manager when he was appointed to take over from Bruce. Despite a disappointing run
of results recently he surely deserves more time to prove his worth at Villa Park. The sack race doesn’t have to be run every week.
It’s just two years since Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl suffered a 9-0 thumping by Leicester City on his home ground. It would have been easy to reach for the eject button, but the Austrian has delivered since then.
It’s taken Spurs – Nuno was always just an interim – Newcastle and Everton longer than expected to fill their vacancies in the past few months. Why? Because there are fewer big fish to choose from.
But those who look to make a catch from a different pool could end up with a tastier dish.