Football Management – you’ve got all the answers...right?

Jose Mourinho has cut a rather forlorn figure recently. The guy almost universally acknowledged as the best in the business when it comes to winning trophies landed at one of the biggest clubs in the world with pretty much a blank cheque book earlier this year – easy right? Wrong, or so it seems based on his admission it will take a little longer to return the good times and the Premiership trophy back to Manchester United.  And why did he go back to Chelsea, pretty much pick up where he left off by re-establishing them as the best side in the country, and then, almost inexplicably, turn them into a team that looked completely lost nearer the relegation zone than the Champions’ League places?

But Pep Guardiola, with his glittering array of silverware on the mantelpiece and his revolutionary coaching aura, wouldn’t have the same problems given his limitless budget and outstanding credentials would he? Surely this was a recipe for guaranteed success? 

Ok, but Mauricio Pochettino would find it almost easy this year? Not as decorated as Jose or Pep admittedly but after producing such an outstanding season with Tottenham’s young guns last year, surely this year would yield progress as his youngsters continue to flourish under his Marcelo Bielsa inspired methods. Yeah – that’s not looking quite as likely as we thought either.

It’s early days and one of these three outstanding managers may go on to win the league or at least a trophy this year. The Premiership, though perhaps not comparing favourably with La Liga these days, is an unforgiving league. In fact it’s the most unforgiving league in the world – scrutinised to within an inch of its life by millions every day.

I come across a lot of young coaches who dream of sitting in the hot seat at Old Trafford, The Etihad or White Hart Lane. I often wander if they really know what they would be letting themselves in for, how tough the roles are but more importantly what the job really entails.

Coaching is a hugely important part of football, but it is not football management. It is one part of football management. Most great managers are great coaches too, but they have to be great at an awful lot more. They have to manage factors the average armchair fan, the average player, the average journalist....and anyone else who voices an opinion on their team’s performance, just don’t appreciate fully. It ain’t just picking a team, setting the shape on the tactics board and managing from the sideline.

There are so many factors that contribute to success on the pitch, and it’s my belief that those factors are never the same – every club, every situation is different. Importantly, some of those factors are out of the control of the Manager – though how they react to such matters may well define their success.

There are examples throughout the game that demonstrate how crazy the world of management is – predicting who will be successful, why and then figuring out what background prepares you for management best is tough!

18 months ago Darren Kelly was a highly rated youth development coach at Sunderland and had fantastic prospects in the game at the elite level. He was then successful in his application to become manager of League One Oldham Athletic. Some may have seen him as a big risk, others felt the club had chosen a bright young prospect. Sadly he was sacked after a handful of games after a run of poor results but little time to get to work. He was subsequently appointed Manager at Halifax, at the time struggling in the Conference National. Sadly, he suffered a similar fate there after failing to turn results around.

After a few months out, Kelly was then appointed Manager at Hyde – a team struggling on the back of three successive relegations. Hyde are currently sat just above the relegation zone in the 8^th tier of English football. It’s fair to say he would probably like to be higher up that league table.

This is a guy who is highly qualified, had a modest playing career but still one many would be proud of and is highly thought of by many of his fellow coaches. A decent guy who has had outstanding influence on a lot of young, elite players and a forward thinking coach. He’s a tough bloke too and one with enormous self belief – I think he has the credentials to be a manager at a higher level once more but for now he finds himself with a big job in the Evo Stik First Division North. He has inherited some difficult positions where a losing culture, off the field politics and financial limitations (in comparison to clubs around him) have all played their part. But that’s all part of it and Kelly undoubtedly knew at least some of that before agreeing to take the jobs.

At the same level, Goole AFC have recently appointed two of the youngest managers anywhere. Derry Robson and Dave Taylor are just 22 and 23 respectively. Neither have any real coaching experience but both are established players at the club and have seen managers come and go over recent seasons. Their appointment raised a few eyebrows, mine included. They are excellent characters but I’ll admit I had some reservations. After taking over with just 13 points from 19 games and deep in relegation trouble, they have started with two wins and a draw. Sustaining the success with such limited coaching/management experience, particularly whilst still playing themselves by the way, would be an impressive feat but who’s to say they can’t?

Now I’m not suggesting that means they are guaranteed prolonged success as a result but it has definitely been an encouraging start. They will no doubt have to deal with ups and downs along the way as all managers do but the fact they sit 2 points away from Darren Kelly’s Hyde means I couldn’t help but draw comparisons between the characters in the respective hot seats – there are some stark contrast between them and their backgrounds.

One step further down the pyramid, you’ll see Curtis Woodhouse enjoying a fantastic start to life in his new role at Bridlington Town in the Northern Counties East League. The former England U21 and Premiership footballer turned British Lightweight Boxing Champion won his first 12 games in charge and has them challenging for promotion. Whilst only the 9^th tier of English football, the NCEL is a tough league and at any level of football winning 12 on the bounce takes some doing! He has some experience with other non league clubs in the area and has recently taken his UEFA B licence but if you read any of his views on football, you’ll see he is certainly sceptical of many modern tacticians’ complex methods, to put it mildly. Woodhouse clearly knows how to set a team up and improve players/units. His background in elite sport helps as does his acquired knowledge but it doesn’t guarantee he can communicate and take people with him. The fact he seems to be able to do that says more about his character than his background for me. If he goes on to a glittering career – and you’d be daft to bet against a guy who switched to boxing from pro football and won a Lonsdale Belt without ever having had an amateur fight - some will point to his playing experience in the game and a more established feel to Woodhouse’s credentials.

At the other end of the scale, Ian Cathro’s appointment at Hearts is big news for the coaching community. Whether it’s because he’s an inspiration to a new breed of coaches or a frustration to the old guard because he’s “just another laptop coach”, the world will be watching a guy who has outstanding pedigree as a coach but no experience as a manager.

I have no opinion on Cathro – he’s as entitled to be successful as the next applicant for the role for me. Nor do I have an opinion on whether he’ll be successful as a manager because there are about 20 different pieces of information I need to know at the very least. Financial details, current staff contracts, training environment, club management culture, local media relations, personal/emotional factors relating to Cathro – all that and more need to be considered to have even the remotest idea.

Finally, there are two guys with an incredibly successful background in part time, non league football who back in June packed in teaching jobs to go full time and follow their dream. Danny Cowley took over at Lincoln City with his brother and assistant manager Nicky after going as far as you can in part time football. They immediately set to work on creating their next successful project in the game and 6 months later sit 2^nd in the conference and with a plum tie away at Ipswich Town in the 3^rd round of the FA Cup. The people of Lincoln believe their new management team will deliver a return to the football league and it’s easy to see why.

There will be a lot more spoken about the Cowleys I’m quite certain but their method is one that’s years in the making. Not just years in football, but years as teachers, mentors and developers. Their career path and credentials vary greatly from all of their counterparts but I wouldn’t bet against them being a big success – keep your mince pies peeled for them!

We all judge managers. Maybe by a team’s league position and results, or the way they play, or maybe the way the media speak about a team. Of course the results are the most important thing but some results don’t tell the whole story.

Some managers find the club and the job that suits them, some don’t. Some clubs will realise that appointing a teacher instead of a 500 league game veteran is the right move. Sometimes success comes from going back to basics, and sometimes it comes from rewriting the way things are done completely. Consistent traits are a good thing in my book but sometimes a club needs fireworks and quickly so a long term view isn’t possible.

One size does not fit all when it comes to football management.