Managers Not Given Time to Succeed

Posted by Logan Holmes Jan 12, 2008

Sam Allardyce has been sacked by Newcastle United having being appointed last May. After less than eight months in charge the players, supporters and directors united to replace the manage whose methods and style of play was not to their liking.

Allardyce had a successful style of play at Bolton Wanderers where his players worked hard and battled for their success. It had served him well there, keeping Bolton prominently in the Premier League. It was obvious that he was going to bring this successful format to his new position at St. James' Park. However, he was not given the opportunity to develop his team at Newcastle.

At Tottenham earlier in the season, Martin Jol lost his post because there was the feeling that he couldn't take the club any further than the successive fifth places that he achieved in the Premier League - their best position since 1990.

Bolton Wanderers sacked Sammy Lee in October, Wigan Athletic replaced Chris Hutchings in November and Lawrie Sanchez lost his post in December. All of those appointments had been made last summer.

The two most successful managers in English football are Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. They are also the longest serving managers. Wenger was an immediate success at Arsenal but Ferguson had initial difficulties at Old Trafford but the directors persevered with him and he brought first the FA Cup and then continued success in domestic and European football.

Constant demands for success at whatever level, either trophies or survival, is putting impossible demands on managers - they need to be given time to succeed and the authorities should consider imposing a regulation that clubs should not change managers in mid-season - then directors would have to back their own judgement and their managers.