Premier league promotion and the not so happy endings… By Gregg Halsey
So with Brian McDermott becoming yet another manager of a promoted side to lose their job I just had to borrow mother's laptop (thanks mum) take it home and write all about loyalty…
It’s a massive word LOYALTY (when you write it with the caps lock on). No seriously, people across the world always use the word LOYALTY when a star player is linked with a move to another club; but is it only players that should be loyal?
So I ask you the question, where is the loyalty to a manager who has just won your team promotion? And I’m not talking about the fans, all fans are different. I’ve had many disagreements with the QPR faithful over a manager I’ll come on to shortly (but I imagine you can guess who) I aim the question towards the chairman and his board…
Now I take it into account that yes a chairman wants his team to get to the top flight, and once the team gets promoted he would like it to stay that way right? But surely if things don’t work out and you went back down the man who got you there first time deserves at least one more shot at getting your team to the ‘Promised Land’ again?
Steve Coppell is a name that springs to mind when it comes to LOYALTY and maybe just maybe John Madejski should have had a word in the ear of the current owners of Reading football club as Steve Coppell kept his job after Reading got relegated and out of respect to the loyalty shown he stepped down when they failed to get promoted back to the Premier League.
Ian Holloway was promoted and relegated from the Premier League with Blackpool, and nearly got them straight back up the following season just to miss out in the playoffs. He has since left to take over at Crystal Palace leaving Blackpool in a decent position and with the blessing of the club’s chairman Karl Oyston.
So why are so many chairman trigger happy?
Neil Warnock left QPR on January 8th last season by ‘mutual consent’ even though he met the agreement of Tony Fernandes of not being in the bottom three at Christmas…
Warnock said: "Obviously I'm very disappointed but, having achieved so much, I leave the club with a great sense of pride. I have enjoyed my time here more than anywhere else and the QPR fans have been brilliant with me – they deserve success. My biggest regret is that the takeover didn't happen earlier, because that would have given me the opportunity to bring in the targets I'd pinpointed all last summer and probably given us a better chance to succeed in the Premier League. The board at QPR are hugely ambitious and I wish them every success for the future. I've been involved in the game a long time and I will be spending the immediate future with my family and friends before deciding my next career move."
I still feel this was a bad choice made by Mr Fernandes and nothing has changed my mind since, Mark Hughes came in and was his usual over optimistic self; hit and miss with no back up plan if it all went pear shaped, something which has left QPR in a worse predicament than was left by Warnock .
And it’s not just the guys in the dog fights down the wrong end of the table either. How about Chris Houghton; put in temporary charge of Newcastle after things went up the creek and Mike Ashley had no paddle. He got them straight back in to the top flight of the Premiership and had them sitting nicely in 12th and was replaced by Alan Pardew, this was quickly forgotten due to Pardew taking Newcastle in to the UEFA cup.
So this season ; Nigel Adkins and Brian McDermott… WHY???
After back to back promotions in charge of the Saints, Adkins’ squad I feel were doing well and were looking like they would stay up ahead of the rest of the fighting dogs as (very much like Warnock) he wouldn’t belittle the players instead would praise them and tell them to enjoy their football. If they go down how will the Saints faithful feel towards their chairman? Their new manager doesn’t even speak English and I think it is beginning to show as they are getting closer to the dog fight!
And finally Brian McDermott the sacking that sparked it all off for me .…
McDermott joined Reading FC in September 2000 as chief scout followed by being under 19’s and the reserve team manager before taking over as caretaker manager of the first team in 2009.
Reading hit a good run of form including a Cup run to the Quarter finals knocking out Premier League sides Liverpool, Burnley and WBA on the way.
Reading appointed Brian McDermott as full time manager on the 27th January 2010 and the club went on to finish 5th and reached the playoff final only to be defeated by former manager Brendan Rodgers and his Swansea side 4-2.
This didn’t put Brian and his Reading squad off; instead it made them hungrier and they won promotion the following season with a superb run of 15 wins in 17 games helping them finish second behind Nigel Adkins Southampton.
So after just over 12 years of hard work and loyalty to Reading Football Club and a win percentage of 45%, Brian McDermott was relieved of his duties…
So players and managers should be loyal? What about the chairman?
Well that’s enough from me; if you want more come follow me on twitter @NA7UR380Y
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