Tuesday, 9 October 2007
Is the Championship the hardest place to manage?
Norwich joined the sack race yesterday and fired Pards' mate Peter Grant. Without being facetious, is there room on the Addicks bench for another old friend? Don't smirk, Parky could well be a target for Millwall or Norwich?
Anyway my point is that Grant is the 10th managerial casualty this season, still a long way from the 45 to lose their jobs last season, although obviously chairmen get more twitchy as the season progresses. There is a huge turnover of managers in the Championship though, a place where 20-odd teams think they can make the play-off's.
In the fizzies, 9 of the 24 managers have currently held their position for less than 12 months, a bulk of which was actually the summer. Three teams, Palarse, QPR and now Norwich don't have managers at all, and we have just reached the 10-game point of the season. Most clubs don't have money and allow new managers little to spend, but each are looking for the silver bullet, and the play-off's give more hope to more clubs, but also provide a real false dawn for many and their supporters.
Chairmen and owners get particulary edgy when the parachute money starts to run out as fans and boards alike start to pine for the Premiership. Leicester, who have never been out of the top two divisions, are currently on their 7th manager since getting relegated. Coventry are on number 9!
Skirting with relegation has already cost Peter Grant, Peter Taylor and John Gregory their jobs this season proving the Championship is one of the hardest leagues to manage in, particularly in the timeline allowed to be successful. Few teams consider consolidation a success any more, perhaps only Scunthorpe, Blackpool and Colchester and maybe Plymouth and Barnsley, although their good start will have increased expecatations.
Only four of 24 clubs — Watford, Bristol City, Burnley and Cardiff — have had the same man at the helm for more than 2 years, with Burnley's Steve Cotterill the longest in the hotseat since June 2004. Previous incumbent Stan Ternent had the job for 6 years, which says something for the board at Turf Moor.
If only these trigger happy chairmen would look at some of the most succesful clubs in the country in recent decades where very few, if any have had a high turnover of managers. Lets hope that Pards adds weight to that argument. ¶ 21:08
Anyway my point is that Grant is the 10th managerial casualty this season, still a long way from the 45 to lose their jobs last season, although obviously chairmen get more twitchy as the season progresses. There is a huge turnover of managers in the Championship though, a place where 20-odd teams think they can make the play-off's.
In the fizzies, 9 of the 24 managers have currently held their position for less than 12 months, a bulk of which was actually the summer. Three teams, Palarse, QPR and now Norwich don't have managers at all, and we have just reached the 10-game point of the season. Most clubs don't have money and allow new managers little to spend, but each are looking for the silver bullet, and the play-off's give more hope to more clubs, but also provide a real false dawn for many and their supporters.
Chairmen and owners get particulary edgy when the parachute money starts to run out as fans and boards alike start to pine for the Premiership. Leicester, who have never been out of the top two divisions, are currently on their 7th manager since getting relegated. Coventry are on number 9!
Skirting with relegation has already cost Peter Grant, Peter Taylor and John Gregory their jobs this season proving the Championship is one of the hardest leagues to manage in, particularly in the timeline allowed to be successful. Few teams consider consolidation a success any more, perhaps only Scunthorpe, Blackpool and Colchester and maybe Plymouth and Barnsley, although their good start will have increased expecatations.
Only four of 24 clubs — Watford, Bristol City, Burnley and Cardiff — have had the same man at the helm for more than 2 years, with Burnley's Steve Cotterill the longest in the hotseat since June 2004. Previous incumbent Stan Ternent had the job for 6 years, which says something for the board at Turf Moor.
If only these trigger happy chairmen would look at some of the most succesful clubs in the country in recent decades where very few, if any have had a high turnover of managers. Lets hope that Pards adds weight to that argument. ¶ 21:08
