Top Premiership Manager Sacked…
…and who are you going to call..?
You’re the chairman of a top premiership club. Season after season you fight for all four trophies on offer; the Premier League title, the Carling Cup, the FA Cup, the Champions League. Its now mid-season and its congested at the top with 5 teams separated by 9 points. Of late, your club has been going through the worst spell under your tenure, losing games to premiership rivals, tying mid-table teams at home and being knocked out of the Carling Cup. Every title winning side must demonstrate a near perfect consistency against teams in contention and below. For your club, this season, that consistency has rarely been achieved. Premier League title aspirations are starting to slip away. Fans are beginning to doubt the manager’s tactics and rumors of player disputes within the dressing room have surfaced in the media. Its time to act…sack the manager.
You’ve made an important decision about the present and now its time to build a successful future. First step, find a new manager. Level of experience, success rate, football ethos, man management skills, tactical nuance, what are the most important factors to consider when hiring a managerial saviour..? In search of a new leader, you pick up the phone in your office. Flicking through your rolodex you come across the following list of candidates. Who are you going to call..?
Frank Rijkaard
Age: 46 (Netherlands)
Club: Unemployed
Price: $$
In 5 seasons as manager of Barcelona, Rijkaard won La Liga twice, the Spanish Super Cup twice and the Champions League in 2006. Although a defender during his successfully playing career with AC Milan and Holland, his teams play attacking, stylish football. Pensive and subdued on the sidelines, he rarely courts controversy in the press. Following a series of poor results that culminated in a 4-1 loss to arch rivals Real Madrid in May 2008, Barca club president Joan Laporta announced Rijkaard would be leaving at the end of the season. After half a season out of the game, Rijkaard is interested in a return to high-level management.
Roberto Mancini
Age: 44 (Italy)
Club: Unemployed
Price: $$
Mancini started his managerial career as assistant manager at Lazio in 2000. He went on to coach Fiorentina, Lazio for a second time and then Inter Milan. It was at Inter where Mancini enjoyed the majority of his managerial success winning two Coppa Italia titles, the Supercoppa Italiana twice and three Italian Scudetto titles. The first Scudetto awarded following the Calciopoli scandal that stripped Juventus of the title. Following a poor Champions League result to Liverpool on March 11, 2008 Mancini announced his intention to step down at the end of the season. On March 12, Mancini retracted his comments from the previous night offering renewed commitment to the cause. Massimo Moratti sacked Mancini on May 29, 2008 citing poor European results and Mancini’s unprofessional behavior following the match against Liverpool. Mancini was linked with both the Manchester City and Chelsea hot seats prior to Mark Hughes and Luis Felipe Scloari taking charge.
Didier Deschamps
Age: 40 (France)
Club: Unemployed
Price: $$
Captain of the 1998 French World Cup winning side, Deschamps started his managerial career at AS Monaco winning a French League Cup. After four seasons in charge he moved to one of his former clubs Juventus, whose manager Fabio Capello had recently resigned following relegation to Serie B due to the match fixing scandal. In his first and only season in charge, Deschamps managed Juventus to Serie B champions and automatic promotion to Serie A. In May 2007, Deschamps resigned as manager of Juventus. Recent reports link Deschamps with the hot seat at Galatasaray and as possible successor to Raymond Domenech, head of the French national team.
Roy Keane
Age: 37 (Republic of Ireland)
Club: Unemployed
Price: $
Keane moved into management following a final playing spell at Celtic in Scotland. Having been ear marked as a potential successor to Gordon Strachan at Celtic and Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, it was rather surprising when, in August 2006, Keane was confirmed as head of struggling Championship side Sunderland. When Keane took over the reigns, Sunderland were second bottom of the Championship destined for relegation to the First Division. Under Keane, Sunderland’s fortunes changed dramatically. They played a fierce, powerful style of football with a never say die attitude, very much in the mould of their manager. On April 29, 2007 Sunderland won promotion to the Premiership capping a remarkable season. Sunderland’s first season in the top flight under Keane was relatively successful, avoiding relegation and finishing mid-table. After spending big money in the transfer market on Anton Ferdinand, Djibril Cisse, El Hadji Diouf and others, Sunderland’s 2008/2009 started poorly and relegation soon threatened. Keane resigned from his post in early December 2008 following a string of horrendous results. Keane is considered a strict disciplinarian. His strong personality and winning mentality often alienates support staff and causes conflicts with his playing staff.
Bernhard Schuster
Age: 49 (Germany)
Club: Unemployed
Price: $$$
Following two successful seasons at Getafe, managing the small, Madrid based side to a 7th place finish in La Liga and qualification to the UEFA Cup, Schuster joined Real Madrid in July 2007. Schuster introduced fast paced, attacking football to the Real side. In May 2008 Real Madrid were confirmed as winners of La Liga, winning the trophy with 85 points, the most points total by any title winning side in the history of La Liga. Following a poor start to the 2008/2009 season and some rather strange outbursts in the press regarding Real’s inability to win the title, Madrid fans started to turn on their manager. After Real Madrid lost 4-3 to Sevilla in December 2008, Schuster was sacked.
Guus Hiddink
Age: 62 (Netherlands)
Club: Russia
Price: $$$
The wily, old master of football management, Hiddink is currently in charge of the Russian national team. His resume includes spells at De Graafschap, PSV Eindhoven, Fenerbahce, Valencia, Holland, Real Madrid, Real Betis, South Korea, Australia. His most impressive achievements include losing to Brazil with Holland in the 1998 World Cup Semi-Final, losing to Germany with South Korea in the 2002 World Cup Semi-Final, and losing to Spain with Russia in the 2008 European Championships. His club achievements are limited to winning several Dutch Eredivisie titles with PSV. In 2007, Dutch courts ordered that Hiddink be fined and given a six-month suspended jail sentence for tax fraud.
Luciano Spalletti
Age: 49 (Italy)
Club: Roma
Price: $$
Spalletti has been manager of Roma since 2005. At the end of 2006 he was named Serie A ’coach of the season’ guiding Roma to a 5th place finish. A strong Champions League run that season culminated in a quaterfinal exit to Manchester United. The 2007/08 season brought Coppa Italia triumph to Roma and a 2nd place Serie A finish. This season’s slow start has hampered Roma’s assault in the league. Topping a tough Champions League group including Chelsea and Bordeaux has seen Roma re-gain of late some of the flowing, attacking form from the previous season. Spalletti favors a 4-2-3-1 formation with talisman Totti playing in the center as part of a three man attacking midfield.
Jose Mourinho
Age: 45 (Portugal)
Club: Inter Milan
Price: $$$
The self proclaimed ‘Special One’. Mourinho shot to fame during the 2003/04 season when his underdog side FC Porto won the Champions League. The following season Mourinho joined Chelsea as part of the Roman Revolution. In his first season in charge he brought the league title back to West London for the first time in 50 years. In his three seasons at Chelsea, the Blues won the Premier League title twice, the Carling Cup twice, the FA Cup once and the Community Shield once. Mourinho left Chelsea by ‘mutual consent’ in November 2007 following poor results at home to Blackburn and Rosenborg and away to Aston Villa. His trophy-laden time in English football is characterized by arguments with fellow managers, attacks on referees and outbursts in the press. Mourinho took over at Inter Milan in June 2008. Inter currently sit top of the Serie A league table and are through to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Mourinho’s teams play quick, counter attacking football. Solid at the back and skilled in midfield, wingers provide for a lone front man to turn and shoot or hold up for the rest to follow. Mourinho is rumored to be interesting the owners at Manchester City.
Outsiders: Marco Van Basten, Jurgen Klinsmann, Avram Grant, Roberto Donadoni, Carlo Ancelotti, Michael Laudrup, Sven Goran Eriksson, Ruud Gullit…
As club chairman, you regularly get advice – some of it unprintable – as to changes to be made at the club. What would you suggest to do with the manager situation?
2 Responses to “Top Premiership Manager Sacked…”
Very interesting, quite appropriate too considering the situations that both Arsene Wenger and Luis Felipe Scolari find themselves in at present. Its tough to find a top top manager. Many of them are already taken and you have to wonder about the ones that are available (as noted in the article). I would personally go for Rijkaard. He has an excellent track record, domestically and abroad, he avoids media controversy and, apart from the odd occassion with Ronaldinho, seems to keep his troops in order.
I’d ask someone to get me a new rolodex.
Shouldn’t there be more british managers in consideration? Martin O’Neil? Tony Mowbray? Aidy Boothroyd?