That awkward moment when… You sit in the managers chair but your derrière doesn’t fit. By Gregg Halsey
So in the space of a day, a manager who has proven himself for six different clubs, winning four league titles (three in Scotland – Celtic, one in England - Wycombe), three Scottish Cups, three League Cups (one in Scotland – Celtic, two in England – Leicester), two FA Trophies and two Playoffs and has a win percentage of over 40% at four of those clubs, has been dismissed eight games from the end of a season and replaced with a fiery tempered Italian who has proven himself by winning League Two championship in his first season of management before quitting Swindon due to off field issues with a win percentage of 56%.
But is it a step too far for Paolo Di Canio? Is it a bad decision on behalf of Sunderland? What other clubs have taken on managers from lower divisions that have bitten them in the backside? And what other appointments have clubs made which seemed good at the time?
Well let me take you on a journey of different managers, different teams, and see where it may have gone wrong…
Now the first person who springs to mind when a new young manager breaks in to the scene is Paul Ince - the man who took his first managerial role with Macclesfield Town and steered them to survival in League Two.
He was then appointed as the manager of Milton Keynes Dons and won himself the Football League Trophy and the League Two title in his first season as well as a 60% win record.
In the close season, his accomplishments earned him a crack at the big time with Premiership outfit Blackburn Rovers; sadly he lasted just six months before being given the boot with the fans turning on him after a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Manchester United.
Was Ince given enough time? Were Ince’s previous accomplishments flukes?
Well after Blackburn Ince went back to the MK Dons and left a year before his contract was up through his own choice as he didn’t want to tarnish his record, leaving with a 41% win record.
He then took the reins at Notts County but left after a few months with a credible 34% win record but on the back of a record nine defeats in a row!
Ince currently manages Blackpool in the Championship his first job in just shy of two years.
Peter Taylor was a nice, short but sweet managerial disaster jump from leading Gillingham to League One via the play offs to being given the Leicester City hot seat where he was dismissed just over a year later ; after such a bright start followed by a nine out of ten game losing streak ended them in a respectable 13th position but a poor start to the following season was enough to end Taylor’s’ rein.
Lawrie Sanchez was a bit of a shocking read if I’m honest as I thought he had a better track record than the one I stumbled across.
With all the jobs he was linked with while at Wycombe Wanderers I expected his win percentage would be higher than 34%, but then I guess it could be purely based on that ‘cup run’ they had!
He, however didn’t leave and was sacked in 2003-04 season after a poor start.
He took over as the manager of his national side and had a fairly good record with Northern Ireland (considering what he has at his disposal) again a 34% win record.
And then came the BIG move; Fulham where he lasted a whole eight months and ten days and was dismissed after preventing relegation at the end of one season and falling in to the bottom three the following!
Paul Sturrock a ‘hero’ in Plymouth; with a win percentage of nearly 48% over four years winning two league titles and restoring the faith in a club that, prior to his arrival, had fallen to the lowest depths of the club history.
Which then lead to his big move to the Premier League as the successor to Gordon Strachan at Southampton – sadly it lasted a total of thirteen matches across six months before leaving by mutual consent and a tarnished managerial career.
Which then leads me on to the next section and the number twos (oh look, toilet humour without meaning to!)
Because sometimes clubs feel the man who has assisted the man on the way out could possibly be the right person to turn to…
Steve Wigley a member of Gordon Strachan’s backroom staff and his replacement for two games before Mr Sturrock and then took over for fourteen games after Sturrock before he decided he would like to go back to the youth team…
Steve Kean was another to step up the big time after Sam Allardyce was removed as manager of Blackburn Rovers.
Mr Kean wasn’t well liked by the fans, but was backed by the board ,even given a better contract with the team bottom of the Premier League; and they were eventually relegated to the Championship and a few months down the line Steve Kean stood down with the club third: leaving as the second worst manager in Blackburn’s history since 1992 with a win percentage of just 29%!
Blackburn Rovers however haven’t exactly done much better since Kean leaving – Henning Berg (fifty seven days – ten matches) and Michael Appleton (sixty seven days – fifteen matches) have both come and gone!
So sticking with Blackburn and a high profile number two taking charge – Brian Kidd, Sir Alex Ferguson’s number two for many years, picking up a few medals in his time.
In 1998 Brian Kidd took the reins as a Premiership manager with Blackburn Rovers, and had a promising start picking up a Manager of the Month accolade and spending £20million on new faces, Blackburn still went down just four years after being Premier League champions under Kenny Dalglish.
Chris Hutchings is my favourite of the assistants who get given a chance; as clubs don’t seem to learn from their mistakes with this man… Always Paul Jewell’s right hand man and always jumps in to the hot seat when Paul moves on…
Bradford (P21 W7 D4 L10) and Wigan (P13 W2 D2 L9) both Premier League teams allowed Hutchings to take over their reins – both also sacked Hutchings after realising he couldn’t cut it. He has since had two other jobs assisting Paul Jewell, however Derby and Ipswich both only allowed him one game before hiring someone else!
Sammy Lee, Les Reed, Paul Hart, and recently Terry Conner are all names of number twos who have taken over a club and failed.
Now I’ve given you a look at some of the negatives that have come from hiring from lower leagues or assistant managers who all try to take step to far too early; what’s the saying, don’t run before you can walk?
I’m not saying Di Canio will fail, he could well go on and show the world how good a manager he can be. I just don’t believe Martin O’Neill should have been sacked this close to the end of a season. A man of his reputation deserved a little more class in regards to being replaced so quickly, meaning a deal was being done behind his back!
Well that’s another rant off my chest; hope you enjoyed it.
I’ll be rambling again soon enough…
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