You Can’t Teach a New Dog Old Tricks

Tapped Up [21/12]

With Paul Ince lasting just twenty-one games in the Blackburn job before getting the chop last week, its becoming clear that there’s a lot to be said for experience, and a fatter CV when applying for any position within the English Premier League, regardless of what was achieved during a playing career.

41 year old Ince, who only picked up three wins in 17 league matches, was eventually replaced by 54 year old Sam Allardyce, and in Blackburn’s very next game, he masterminded a 3-0 victory over lowly Stoke.

Was there much of a difference between Ince’s starting 11, and the side that Allardyce picked for his first match in charge? Barely. In fact, aside from the arrival of Paul Robinson and Keith Andrews, and the departure of David Bentley, there isn’t a glaringly obvious difference to the playing squad that Mark Hughes created after 4 years at Ewood Park; a side that finished 7th in the Premier league last season, no less.

You didn’t need to sit up all night and dissect every single footballing stat since Ince was employed; the Blackburn chairman John Williams was well aware of it, and it was becoming increasingly apparent to the fans at Ewood during their slide down the table; Ince was nowhere near ready to manage in the Premier League.

As history shows us, you can only wonder what Rovers were expecting from the appointment in the first place.

Ince’s managerial career only started in late October 2006, as he took over a took over a Macclesfield side bereft of ideas, luck, hope, and more importantly, points. After ensuring their league safety the following May, he left, and joined MK Dons a month later, guiding them to a promotion, a League title and League Trophy in his first season. As his 1 year anniversary approached, he left to take over the vacancy at Blackburn, despite many thinking he just wasn’t ready.

Allardyce, his successor in the job, started his managerial career seventeen years ago, and despite a lack of trophies or league wins, is a respected manager amongst his peers, achieving top half finishes and bringing European football to the town; he even once being classed good enough for an England manager interview. He was given plenty of time at Bolton, which saw them achieve a promotion to the top flight, and more importantly, stay there.

With all the stick he’s currently getting, I must come to the defence of Ince; he should never have even been considered for the role in the first place; why hire a rookie only to fire him at the first sign of trouble?

There’s arguments for and against employing people into high pressure positions straight from their playing career. Roy Keane was the last manager prior to Ince’s departure to walk away from the game, but I’m sure if you ask Niall Quinn, he was far from being sacked. Gareth Southgate, who is the youngest manager in the Premier League at 38, didn’t even have the qualifications to manage Middlesbrough after Steve McLaren left, but is still there after 2 years, and doing well. Managers like Chris Coleman, Aidy Boothroyd and Stuart Pearce all managed to deal with high profile jobs despite Chairmen unwilling to give them cash to help them build teams, ultimately resulting in poor form, and their departures.

So one conclusion from this is that despite one or two rare occasions, it’s near impossible to walk into a ‘big’ club with little experience and expect results to come your way. Look at the amount of experience currently managing the ‘Big Four’, and more importantly, where and when they started:

• Arsene Wenger, 1984, AS Nancy.
• Big Phil, 1982, Alagoano.
• Rafa Benitez, 1986, Real Madrid Castilla B, and
• Sir Alex, 1974, East Stirling.

This thought must be worrying for 3 other current Premier League managers; Mark Hughes, Tony Adams and Gianfranco Zola, all under 50, all losing at the weekend, all heading towards the wrong end of the table (despite Pompey still being 10th). Even League One promotion favourites Leeds sacked 43 year old Gary McAllister after just 50 games, 25 of which he won, just because they had lost 5 in a row, and had slipped to 9th.

There are some managers who have gone the murky and unpredictable route of lower leagues management as their first job in a suit; Steve Bruce did wonders for both Birmingham and now Wigan, and wasn’t afraid to start off in lower divisions to get there. The prime example has to be Phil Brown, who had gone through a handful of coaching jobs (starting with Big Sam at Blackpool in the mid nineties), as well as an unsuccessful period at Derby before Hull employed him, and they’re currently placed as the 5th best team in England.

The bottom line is this: Sometimes ex-players need more patience, and time away from the game, and much longer learning their trade before jumping straight into the high life of being a gaffer in the Premier League. After all, players win games and managers lose them.

More importantly, Chairman need to realise that experience is key with regards success. To whom did Spurs and Newcastle turn to when things started to go awry? Experienced managers.

Paul Ince will go on to be a great manager, as will Keane and McAllister; not because they were great players, but because in a few years years time, they will be in another job, better off for their experience, having dusted themselves off and starting afresh elsewhere.

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