Owen Coyle/Iain Dowie: The similarities are remarkable. Fantastic motivators, yet tactically very naive: Coyle would be a fool to reject a move to Bolton.
What a crazy thing to say, you might ask: he’s got them up, and with more than half of the season gone, they are 14th, which is perfect for them. However, with no wins in 9 Premiership matches, their position is all of a sudden looking very precarious – and at this rate, they will get relegated.
Just 1 point from 10 away games does, in my opinion, ridicule Phil Mcnulty’s article on the BBC, hailing the Scot as somewhat of a tactical genius. OK, so I wouldn’t expect them to win many away, but he never changes things – and sometimes in the top league you do have to tinker a bit. Burnley playing 4-4-2 away to Arsenal just isn’t going to work, something that Coyle seems unaware of.
So why Bolton: well firstly, their current position of 18th does nothing to justify the squad they have. Megson bought very well - he just couldn’t get players playing for him, which was ultimately why he was sacked. Furthermore, with the league so tight at the moment, Bolton are just 5 points away from the top half – with two games in hand on most teams. In short, I think they will comfortably stay up, whereas Burnley with or without Coyle, will be relegated.
Secondly, Phil Gartside – as much of an idiot as he is, generally sticks by his managers. Allardyce did a remarkable job but was given time, Megson was given over 2 years and in the end it was the fans that really did for him, whilst Sammy Lee was just never cut out for management. He can have this season, where they will stay up, and then rebuild in the summer with decent funds. Bolton are far wealthier than Burnley, and the hard facts are that you can’t progress in the Premiership without any money. Say Burnley had stayed up this year: It would have been like Hull City, who haven’t really progressed at all. In fact I would say that Bolton are the most underacheiving team in the top flight at the moment. They should be in the top half, so even if Coyle does a half decent job, they’ll move up the league fairly quickly. In addition to that, the fans are very keen for him to come (being an Ex-player and that), so they will give him far more time than they gave Megson – again to his advantage.
Back to the Dowie anallargy: and here is what I mean. Dowie got us up almost miraculously which was fantastic. The next season, we got relegated, and the season after that we limped to the playoffs before being thrashed by Watford. Burnley might not have Andy Johnson, but the one trick pony of “motivator” that is now associated with Dowie is something that could come back to haunt Coyle if he stays at Burnley. He needs to move on to get a club that has resources to progress. Whether he is truly a fantastic tactition or not, we’re yet to see. However, if he stays at Burnley his career could well never progress, in the same way that the once highly rated Iain Dowie has only ever gone backwards since leaving Palace.
As for lack of loyalty: well I’m sorry Burnley fans, but your club has reached it’s potential. Bolton is a far bigger club at the moment, and in the cut and thrust world of football management, I don’t think anyone can deny a move that he clearly would love. We all want our managers to stay as long as possible (providing they’re doing well) and Burnley fans only have to look at where they got Coyle from in the first place to realise that it is just one massive food chain.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Gannon Sacked for Lack of Loyalty... A Far Cry From Stockport Days
What a christmas present from the Motherwell board to Jim Gannon: sacking him, with their reasoning that he had "refused to sign a new contract". They say that the desicion is not football related, but is it really a coincidence that his firing came after 4 straight defeats? Still, even after this poor run they're on course to better last season's 7th placed finish. The relationship between board and manager seemed strained right from the off however and it's more than possible that John Boyle (Chairman) anticipated him resigning and opted to sack him first in an effort to save face if you like.
Why is this so interesting? Well, not only is this a case of a manager being sacked far too early into his reign by an intefering chairman, but Gannon also showed a huge amount of loyalty last season by staying loyal to Stockport when they started suffering from extreme financial problems. Only when he had actually been made redundant did he leave - despite having many oppurtunities to do so before hand.
Just three months prior to his departure and with Stockport really struggling, he was intervewed for the vacant managerial position at Brighton, who are quite frankly a richer club with more potential, yet he choose to stay loyal to the club he loves.
I think that's the key point: he absolutely adored Stockport, having spent 10 years their as a player, and then 4 as a manager (where he had done a fantastic job and is still held in very hard regard by the County fans). His whole attitude whilst at the club was one that is sorely lacking in a lot of managers who see career progression as their sole of objective - Steve Bruce, yes I do mean you. In fact although Gannon had refused to speak to the media for the latter part of season in protest against the way the club was being run, he did seem genuinely upset at being made redundant. I would assume that rather than being dissapointed for personal reasons (having lost his job), he was far more upset to see the club he loved going downhill. If it was up to him, I'm sure he would have stayed on reduced wages to help the club out.
In a strange way his behaviour at Stockport reminded me of a certain Steve Coppell. Granted he was slightly before my time at Palace, but he certainly seemed to have similar characterisitcs to Gannon in the sense a lot of his motivation for managing the club was that he absolutely loved it. Not once has he managed a "big" club and the reason for that is not his ability - it's because he's always been satisfied at the club he's at, feeling no real need to further himself. Had he resigned after getting Reading to 8th in the Premiership, I'm sure he could have got a bigger and more well payed job, but he didn't because he loved the club.
It is a shame that examples of loyalty from managers are quite rare. I suppose in the cut and thrust business that it is, perhaps certain managers believe they have to leave clubs to further their careers as there won't be any second chance. However, there are some managers that manage teams they love and want to do well not just to make themselves better managers but because they love the club they're at. The more managers there are in the game like that, the better football will become.
Why is this so interesting? Well, not only is this a case of a manager being sacked far too early into his reign by an intefering chairman, but Gannon also showed a huge amount of loyalty last season by staying loyal to Stockport when they started suffering from extreme financial problems. Only when he had actually been made redundant did he leave - despite having many oppurtunities to do so before hand.
Just three months prior to his departure and with Stockport really struggling, he was intervewed for the vacant managerial position at Brighton, who are quite frankly a richer club with more potential, yet he choose to stay loyal to the club he loves.
I think that's the key point: he absolutely adored Stockport, having spent 10 years their as a player, and then 4 as a manager (where he had done a fantastic job and is still held in very hard regard by the County fans). His whole attitude whilst at the club was one that is sorely lacking in a lot of managers who see career progression as their sole of objective - Steve Bruce, yes I do mean you. In fact although Gannon had refused to speak to the media for the latter part of season in protest against the way the club was being run, he did seem genuinely upset at being made redundant. I would assume that rather than being dissapointed for personal reasons (having lost his job), he was far more upset to see the club he loved going downhill. If it was up to him, I'm sure he would have stayed on reduced wages to help the club out.
In a strange way his behaviour at Stockport reminded me of a certain Steve Coppell. Granted he was slightly before my time at Palace, but he certainly seemed to have similar characterisitcs to Gannon in the sense a lot of his motivation for managing the club was that he absolutely loved it. Not once has he managed a "big" club and the reason for that is not his ability - it's because he's always been satisfied at the club he's at, feeling no real need to further himself. Had he resigned after getting Reading to 8th in the Premiership, I'm sure he could have got a bigger and more well payed job, but he didn't because he loved the club.
It is a shame that examples of loyalty from managers are quite rare. I suppose in the cut and thrust business that it is, perhaps certain managers believe they have to leave clubs to further their careers as there won't be any second chance. However, there are some managers that manage teams they love and want to do well not just to make themselves better managers but because they love the club they're at. The more managers there are in the game like that, the better football will become.
Sunday, 27 December 2009
A Day to Remember at Selhurst
Boxing day, arguably the best day in the football calender. With christmas lunches finished, presents opened and carols sung, the attention is turned well and truly back to the game we all love. A home fixture always helps, and Palace got that with a match against Roy Keane's struggling Ipswich town.
What an atmosphere! we love you we love you we love you... the Holmesdale fanatics put the frankly abysmal 1,500 odd travelling tractor boys to shame. I don't think I've ever seen them make so much noise, and hopefully there'll be a few videos to prove it. Why was it so good? Well, having shit away support helped - seriously there were 10 Palace fans singing at one point, and we were louder than Ippo. However, the main reason has to be the sensible behaviour of the stewards/police (i.e. not becoming aggressive as soon as the HF celebrate a goal). I think yesterday showed that a responsible attitude from the security at football matches is needed when dealing with ultra groups and that a bit of leeway can actually make games safer. By that I mean that a high police presence such as Middlesbrough at home tends to cause more problems than a low police presence such as yesterday.
Anyway that's by the by and january comes calling (bye bye Victor). He was the difference yesterday and the Ipswich players were visibly shitting themselves everytime he got the ball. He's destined for great things and I join all Palace fans in wishing him the best of luck at his new club whoever they might be.
On the positive side, Speroni made a mistake yesterday, his first in about a year and a half. But seriously he's shit stay well clear, you can do better.... ah fuck it he deserves a Prem move, but what we love Jules is his whole attitude. Not once has he complained about the money, being left out of the side, our shit football at times. No, he's got on with it, and whatever he chooses to do now, he will forever have the admiration of the selhurst park crowd.
Whatevfer happens in Jan i'm sure the fans will continue to turn out to support the boys. It's not an easy time at SE25, but the more we can keep up yesterday's atmosphere, the more the team will benefit.
What an atmosphere! we love you we love you we love you... the Holmesdale fanatics put the frankly abysmal 1,500 odd travelling tractor boys to shame. I don't think I've ever seen them make so much noise, and hopefully there'll be a few videos to prove it. Why was it so good? Well, having shit away support helped - seriously there were 10 Palace fans singing at one point, and we were louder than Ippo. However, the main reason has to be the sensible behaviour of the stewards/police (i.e. not becoming aggressive as soon as the HF celebrate a goal). I think yesterday showed that a responsible attitude from the security at football matches is needed when dealing with ultra groups and that a bit of leeway can actually make games safer. By that I mean that a high police presence such as Middlesbrough at home tends to cause more problems than a low police presence such as yesterday.
Anyway that's by the by and january comes calling (bye bye Victor). He was the difference yesterday and the Ipswich players were visibly shitting themselves everytime he got the ball. He's destined for great things and I join all Palace fans in wishing him the best of luck at his new club whoever they might be.
On the positive side, Speroni made a mistake yesterday, his first in about a year and a half. But seriously he's shit stay well clear, you can do better.... ah fuck it he deserves a Prem move, but what we love Jules is his whole attitude. Not once has he complained about the money, being left out of the side, our shit football at times. No, he's got on with it, and whatever he chooses to do now, he will forever have the admiration of the selhurst park crowd.
Whatevfer happens in Jan i'm sure the fans will continue to turn out to support the boys. It's not an easy time at SE25, but the more we can keep up yesterday's atmosphere, the more the team will benefit.
Friday, 25 December 2009
Merry Christmas Everyone!
So here it is, Merry Christmas. Shows where my priority's lie when my first thought of the morning was "football tommorow", with it then slowly dawning on me that old JC was celebrating his big day. But I think it's fair to say that the next month or so is an absolutely vital period for every single club in the UK, what with a whole load of fixtures, and the dreaded opening on the transfer window. Fuck me it's not going to be a good January for us Palace fans - especially if the rumours of us going into administration soon are to be believed (and there really is no reason to doubt them).
Victor will go there's no question about that. Inconsistent for the past 2 years, for the past month he's looked like a world beater - and there's no doubt the talent is there. A facebook group entitled "Victor Moses for the England World Cup Squad" may be a little premature, but I don't think anyone would begrudge him a move to the Premierleague. Or even abroad if these ridiculous tabloid reports actually have any credence.
Another man who you would be truly delighted for if he got a big money move would be one of Palace's greatest ever keeper, Julian Speroni. Another Palace blog, powertothepalace, wrote about how his attitude both on and off the pitch is one to admire in this time of players seeking big money moves. Not once has he complained about the (relatively) low wages he's on, not once has he asked to leave the club. In fact, he regularly talks about how much he loves it as SE25, something shown by his interaction with fans before and after matches. Touch wood, I think he'll stay.
As for Stevenage, whom I should be seeing against AFC Wimbledon (weather permitting), well again the rumours are a little worrying. Wilson, Roberts and Odubade to Peterborough is utter bull, but Scotty Laird to Oxford is a realistic proposition. He's the best left back in the league, and if a good enough offer came in, he could be tempted to jump ship to what is undoubtedly a bigger club.
Us Palace fans know a thing or two about losing players, but not since the dark days of before Jordan have things been this bad. Other clubs know that we can't afford to reject any decent offers and therefore will look to take advantage, whilst bringing in new players will be virtually impossible for us.
It is therefore vital that we get as many points as we can on the board before the inevitable mass exodus starts. Whatever other Palace fans may tell you about Warnock's style of play, he's worked a minor miracle at the club if you consider that he hasn't spent a transfer fee in 16 months. If there's one man you would trust to keep the club in the league at this difficult time, it's Warnock, but even with him in charge it's certainly a worrying time
Victor will go there's no question about that. Inconsistent for the past 2 years, for the past month he's looked like a world beater - and there's no doubt the talent is there. A facebook group entitled "Victor Moses for the England World Cup Squad" may be a little premature, but I don't think anyone would begrudge him a move to the Premierleague. Or even abroad if these ridiculous tabloid reports actually have any credence.
Another man who you would be truly delighted for if he got a big money move would be one of Palace's greatest ever keeper, Julian Speroni. Another Palace blog, powertothepalace, wrote about how his attitude both on and off the pitch is one to admire in this time of players seeking big money moves. Not once has he complained about the (relatively) low wages he's on, not once has he asked to leave the club. In fact, he regularly talks about how much he loves it as SE25, something shown by his interaction with fans before and after matches. Touch wood, I think he'll stay.
As for Stevenage, whom I should be seeing against AFC Wimbledon (weather permitting), well again the rumours are a little worrying. Wilson, Roberts and Odubade to Peterborough is utter bull, but Scotty Laird to Oxford is a realistic proposition. He's the best left back in the league, and if a good enough offer came in, he could be tempted to jump ship to what is undoubtedly a bigger club.
Us Palace fans know a thing or two about losing players, but not since the dark days of before Jordan have things been this bad. Other clubs know that we can't afford to reject any decent offers and therefore will look to take advantage, whilst bringing in new players will be virtually impossible for us.
It is therefore vital that we get as many points as we can on the board before the inevitable mass exodus starts. Whatever other Palace fans may tell you about Warnock's style of play, he's worked a minor miracle at the club if you consider that he hasn't spent a transfer fee in 16 months. If there's one man you would trust to keep the club in the league at this difficult time, it's Warnock, but even with him in charge it's certainly a worrying time
Thursday, 24 December 2009
What the F**K!!!
So back from India after a 2 week cricket tour , and I though all the wierd shit was over. As brilliant as it was, being offered an "omlette" (don India accent please) about 50 times on a night-train was pretty fucking annoying, and the fact we got beaten by a team whose best player was a 10 year old in one of the matches was embarrasing to say the least. Then again, he is tipped to be the next Tendaulker. Prithvi Shaw is the name.
Got back to England yesterday knowing nothing about anything football related, expecting the usual shit results for Palace, and the general predictiability of the Premier-league. Alas, how wrong could I be? Granted, we only managed 1 point from 2 games, but talk about a good finish from Victor. What a goal it was, and people are already talking about it as a goal of the season contender - although Maynor Figueroa may have something to say about that. The BBC's description of:
"Maynor Figueroa put Wigan back in front after the break with a quickly taken free-kick from his own half"
doesn't do it half the justice it deserves in what was a fantastic peice of thinking and skill. Beckham-esque if you like!
And then there's Sparky being sacked: Hardly a surprise, although very strange timing - and Mancini coming in: Again very unsurprising and if the rumours are true, Henry could be on his way to Eastlends along with wait for it... Younus Kaboul? Can I blame City for getting rid of Hughes? Not particularly: they've spent a shit load of money and are still struggling to get into the top 6. I'm not saying they should finish top four this season, but they should certainly be doing better than they currently are.
United also lost in hilarious fashion to both Aston Villa and Fulham which brings their title credentials under serious scrutiny. I guess the fact not having any fit defenders didn't help, but a 3 - 0 defeat for United is almost unheard of and will no doubt dent confidence within their ranks. The only down side to their recent slip up is that it was once again Bobby Zamora who was the oppositions tormentor with what has to be was an excellent Performance. If he gets called up the England squad, I'm supporting Germany. Fucking Brighton reject. On a side note, that Hodgson is doing a fooking fantastic job ain't he.
I guess one thing has stayed the same: Liverpool whose shit form has continued. Benitez is surely on his way out soon - with the "we've only got 2 decent players" arguement waring thin. Mascherano, Johnson, Kuyt and others would walk into the vast majority of Premiership sides. It's a non-sensical arguement in my opinion.
There's no two ways about it, we're fucked financially. Really in the shit and January is always the worst month of the year as a Palace fan. Moses will go for sure - possibly to Barcelona according to some rumours out recently, although more likely to someone like Spurs or even Arsenal. Then there's people like Ambrose and Speroni who we really can't afford to let go from a footballing perspective, but can't afford to keep them in a financial sense. Whatever happens, I'm looking forward to February already!
Who said football was boring!!
Got back to England yesterday knowing nothing about anything football related, expecting the usual shit results for Palace, and the general predictiability of the Premier-league. Alas, how wrong could I be? Granted, we only managed 1 point from 2 games, but talk about a good finish from Victor. What a goal it was, and people are already talking about it as a goal of the season contender - although Maynor Figueroa may have something to say about that. The BBC's description of:
"Maynor Figueroa put Wigan back in front after the break with a quickly taken free-kick from his own half"
doesn't do it half the justice it deserves in what was a fantastic peice of thinking and skill. Beckham-esque if you like!
And then there's Sparky being sacked: Hardly a surprise, although very strange timing - and Mancini coming in: Again very unsurprising and if the rumours are true, Henry could be on his way to Eastlends along with wait for it... Younus Kaboul? Can I blame City for getting rid of Hughes? Not particularly: they've spent a shit load of money and are still struggling to get into the top 6. I'm not saying they should finish top four this season, but they should certainly be doing better than they currently are.
United also lost in hilarious fashion to both Aston Villa and Fulham which brings their title credentials under serious scrutiny. I guess the fact not having any fit defenders didn't help, but a 3 - 0 defeat for United is almost unheard of and will no doubt dent confidence within their ranks. The only down side to their recent slip up is that it was once again Bobby Zamora who was the oppositions tormentor with what has to be was an excellent Performance. If he gets called up the England squad, I'm supporting Germany. Fucking Brighton reject. On a side note, that Hodgson is doing a fooking fantastic job ain't he.
I guess one thing has stayed the same: Liverpool whose shit form has continued. Benitez is surely on his way out soon - with the "we've only got 2 decent players" arguement waring thin. Mascherano, Johnson, Kuyt and others would walk into the vast majority of Premiership sides. It's a non-sensical arguement in my opinion.
There's no two ways about it, we're fucked financially. Really in the shit and January is always the worst month of the year as a Palace fan. Moses will go for sure - possibly to Barcelona according to some rumours out recently, although more likely to someone like Spurs or even Arsenal. Then there's people like Ambrose and Speroni who we really can't afford to let go from a footballing perspective, but can't afford to keep them in a financial sense. Whatever happens, I'm looking forward to February already!
Who said football was boring!!
Sunday, 29 November 2009
Losing Interest In The FA Cup
5 minutes before the FA Cup third round draw. The best moment of the season, with all the possibilities open - a match against your nearest rivals, a cash winning tie against a “top four club” or even a non-league team, someone you had never seen at Selhurst Park. Alas, this is Palace – the FA cup isn’t our friend.
We were number 13, unlucky for some, and so it proved. A long way into the draw, and our ball had still not been drawn. There were potential ties against Manchester United, Chelsea and the equally massive Staines Town (or Millwall – who?). Furthermore, the longer the draw went on, the more and more chance we had of IT happening. What’s it you may ask – Palace vs Brighton, not long ago voted the 10th fiercest derby in England. Having not played them in over 3 years this could be the chance in front of a sellout Selhurst crowd to put the arch enemy to the sword once and for all. But no, it just wasn’t to be and an away game to Sheffield Wednesday awaits, with our dire run of cup action continuing.
Last season it was Leicester away followed by Watford away. The season before that was once more Watford away. What shit.
Not since the dark days of Trevor Francis have we managed a cup run and even that was thwarted by Dermot Gallagher, who has since thankfully retired from refereeing. A victory away to Liverpool has to go down as one of the FA Cup shocks of the decade, especially with the eagles down to ten men for much of that match. A fifth round tie against Leeds not so massive anymore United followed, but a goal from Tommy Black was adjudged not to have crossed the line, despite being several yards over it. Fucking refs.
Despite our recent misfortune in the cup, we do have a lot of history. In fact, some would say Palace played in the greatest ever FA Cup game. Super Al (Pardew) got the winner as we stunned Liverpool to win 4 – 3 in the 1990 Cup semi final. This was before my time, but it was also at a time when the FA Cup was regarded as a very important competition with teams not opting to sit it out for a year as United famously did in the 1999/2000. Add in the fact the Liverpool were actually quite good back then and it was a remarkable victory.
The final itself was somewhat of a momentous occasion, with Man United needing a replay to secure victory over the unlucky Eagles. It’s common knowledge that Fergie would have been sacked had he not won that game, and who knows what might have happened to United had Palace won the FA Cup in 1990.
“The magic of the cup” “the best cup competition in the world”, all phrases you hear associated with the FA Cup, but with a tie like Sheffield Wednesday away, it’s difficult to get excited. Once in a blue moon a lesser team will win – take Pompey a couple of years back. However time and time again these manufactured, bought sides get to the semis and the final, as you would expect with the amount of money they’ve spent. Gone are the days when Palace, baring a miracle, can progress into the latter stages of the competition, and unless we get Brighton, Millwall or one of the big boys, I don’t really give a shit anymore. A fix, too right!
We were number 13, unlucky for some, and so it proved. A long way into the draw, and our ball had still not been drawn. There were potential ties against Manchester United, Chelsea and the equally massive Staines Town (or Millwall – who?). Furthermore, the longer the draw went on, the more and more chance we had of IT happening. What’s it you may ask – Palace vs Brighton, not long ago voted the 10th fiercest derby in England. Having not played them in over 3 years this could be the chance in front of a sellout Selhurst crowd to put the arch enemy to the sword once and for all. But no, it just wasn’t to be and an away game to Sheffield Wednesday awaits, with our dire run of cup action continuing.
Last season it was Leicester away followed by Watford away. The season before that was once more Watford away. What shit.
Not since the dark days of Trevor Francis have we managed a cup run and even that was thwarted by Dermot Gallagher, who has since thankfully retired from refereeing. A victory away to Liverpool has to go down as one of the FA Cup shocks of the decade, especially with the eagles down to ten men for much of that match. A fifth round tie against Leeds not so massive anymore United followed, but a goal from Tommy Black was adjudged not to have crossed the line, despite being several yards over it. Fucking refs.
Despite our recent misfortune in the cup, we do have a lot of history. In fact, some would say Palace played in the greatest ever FA Cup game. Super Al (Pardew) got the winner as we stunned Liverpool to win 4 – 3 in the 1990 Cup semi final. This was before my time, but it was also at a time when the FA Cup was regarded as a very important competition with teams not opting to sit it out for a year as United famously did in the 1999/2000. Add in the fact the Liverpool were actually quite good back then and it was a remarkable victory.
The final itself was somewhat of a momentous occasion, with Man United needing a replay to secure victory over the unlucky Eagles. It’s common knowledge that Fergie would have been sacked had he not won that game, and who knows what might have happened to United had Palace won the FA Cup in 1990.
“The magic of the cup” “the best cup competition in the world”, all phrases you hear associated with the FA Cup, but with a tie like Sheffield Wednesday away, it’s difficult to get excited. Once in a blue moon a lesser team will win – take Pompey a couple of years back. However time and time again these manufactured, bought sides get to the semis and the final, as you would expect with the amount of money they’ve spent. Gone are the days when Palace, baring a miracle, can progress into the latter stages of the competition, and unless we get Brighton, Millwall or one of the big boys, I don’t really give a shit anymore. A fix, too right!
Wednesday, 25 November 2009
Managers Discussion
When a manager gets sacked, the next question is an obvious one : who will they get in next? An experienced manager, an “up and coming” young boss, a first timer – an internal appointment perhaps. After just a couple of days even the most controversial of sackings are forgotten, as supporters of that team look on in anticipation as to who will next walk through the doors.
Chairmen are now more ready to pounce than ever, with the lure of rising a division or the dread of dropping one meaning more and more managers are being sacked now than ever before. As of 10th November, 16 football league managers had faced the chop, and that number is rising all the time. I’m not here to slag off the chairmen – in fact let’s praise them, if they have the balls to admit they appointed the wrong man, then good on them.
At Palace, we’re lucky to have such an experienced man in Warnock – our youthful team benefiting enormously from his knowledge of the game, and our mid-table finish last season coupled with the strong start this time around makes Warnock Simon Jordan’s best appointment as chairman. But it hasn’t all been great – and our general downfall has been when we’ve gone for a “name”. Trevor Francis, Peter Taylor, Steve Kember. All great players. All shit managers. Steve will always be remembered for keeping us up in the 00/01 season, and will always be a legend, but his time as permanent manager was just disastrous. No discipline, no commitment just nothing.
After Kember, Jordan opted for a different approach – getting the young, ex-player Iain Dowie in from Oldham. What a great start he had, promotion in his first season, starting from a dreadful position, and everyone thought Jordan had pulled off a masterstroke. Alas, it wasn’t to be. In the end, his tactical naivety came to fruition and his weaknesses were badly exposed in the Premiership. Had we had a more experienced head in charge, I’m convinced we would of stayed up that season – our side certainly didn’t lack quality.
But that’s enough of Palace – if Warnock stayed for the next five seasons I would be absolutely delighted!
Of course, with every type of manager there are always going to be exceptions. The idea of great players making awful managers ala Adams or dare I say it Shearer is one I recognize – but then look at Steve Bruce. As much as I hate the man, he had Palace playing some very very nice stuff in his short spell in charge at SE25. He did learn under Fergie, but his record in the Premiership is still very impressive. Worth a bet to take over from Sir Alex when he finally retires?
Talking about Fergie, and that has to be the strangest sacking of the year, surely? Taking a team from the third tear of English football up to the Championship with successive promotions, Fergie Junior is gone with barely a third of the campaign gone. And what’s more bemusing is that they’ve replaced him with an even less experienced manager in Kettering’s Mark Cooper. Surely with a struggling team, you want an experienced campaigner to drag your team out of the mire? Peterborough do have some good players, with Boyd one of the stand out players in the Championship this season, and money available for new signings. It’s certainly a bold move, but at the same time a very risky one which could cost the posh dear.
Chairmen are not psychic, they try their best to hire managers that will do well for their team, but at the end of the day, a lot of them are business men first and foremost. The idea of appointing a huge name is ultimately too tempting for a lot of them, especially in the lower leagues – something that can and has lead to the downfall of many clubs.
There is no doubt about it, this is the “age of the sack”, with more and more managers being relived of their duties. Some of the sackings may be unfair, but chairmen pump a lot of money into clubs, and demand an instant return. That aside, the key issue is who to appoint next – if only there were 92 Neil Warnocks – it would be so easy!
Chairmen are now more ready to pounce than ever, with the lure of rising a division or the dread of dropping one meaning more and more managers are being sacked now than ever before. As of 10th November, 16 football league managers had faced the chop, and that number is rising all the time. I’m not here to slag off the chairmen – in fact let’s praise them, if they have the balls to admit they appointed the wrong man, then good on them.
At Palace, we’re lucky to have such an experienced man in Warnock – our youthful team benefiting enormously from his knowledge of the game, and our mid-table finish last season coupled with the strong start this time around makes Warnock Simon Jordan’s best appointment as chairman. But it hasn’t all been great – and our general downfall has been when we’ve gone for a “name”. Trevor Francis, Peter Taylor, Steve Kember. All great players. All shit managers. Steve will always be remembered for keeping us up in the 00/01 season, and will always be a legend, but his time as permanent manager was just disastrous. No discipline, no commitment just nothing.
After Kember, Jordan opted for a different approach – getting the young, ex-player Iain Dowie in from Oldham. What a great start he had, promotion in his first season, starting from a dreadful position, and everyone thought Jordan had pulled off a masterstroke. Alas, it wasn’t to be. In the end, his tactical naivety came to fruition and his weaknesses were badly exposed in the Premiership. Had we had a more experienced head in charge, I’m convinced we would of stayed up that season – our side certainly didn’t lack quality.
But that’s enough of Palace – if Warnock stayed for the next five seasons I would be absolutely delighted!
Of course, with every type of manager there are always going to be exceptions. The idea of great players making awful managers ala Adams or dare I say it Shearer is one I recognize – but then look at Steve Bruce. As much as I hate the man, he had Palace playing some very very nice stuff in his short spell in charge at SE25. He did learn under Fergie, but his record in the Premiership is still very impressive. Worth a bet to take over from Sir Alex when he finally retires?
Talking about Fergie, and that has to be the strangest sacking of the year, surely? Taking a team from the third tear of English football up to the Championship with successive promotions, Fergie Junior is gone with barely a third of the campaign gone. And what’s more bemusing is that they’ve replaced him with an even less experienced manager in Kettering’s Mark Cooper. Surely with a struggling team, you want an experienced campaigner to drag your team out of the mire? Peterborough do have some good players, with Boyd one of the stand out players in the Championship this season, and money available for new signings. It’s certainly a bold move, but at the same time a very risky one which could cost the posh dear.
Chairmen are not psychic, they try their best to hire managers that will do well for their team, but at the end of the day, a lot of them are business men first and foremost. The idea of appointing a huge name is ultimately too tempting for a lot of them, especially in the lower leagues – something that can and has lead to the downfall of many clubs.
There is no doubt about it, this is the “age of the sack”, with more and more managers being relived of their duties. Some of the sackings may be unfair, but chairmen pump a lot of money into clubs, and demand an instant return. That aside, the key issue is who to appoint next – if only there were 92 Neil Warnocks – it would be so easy!
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