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Hands up anybody who has heard of Paul Tisdale, Chris Wilder, Mark Yates or Russell Slade. Matthew Slater Official . The four Englishmen might sound like members of a boy band but are in fact all in the top five of the longest tenured managers in English football. Ninety-two clubs form the top four tiers of English football and the summer departures of Sir Alex Ferguson from Manchester United, David Moyes from Everton and Tony Pulis from Stoke, all moved these four lower league managers directly behind Arsenals Arsene Wenger in time spent as managers at their current clubs. Wenger has now managed Arsenal for 17 years in the Premier League, over nine years longer than Exeter City boss Tisdale who is second on the list. The gap is staggeringly wider to the next Premier League manager and I will give you time to think who that might be..... Alan Pardew was hired by Newcastle United on December 9, 2010. He hasnt yet reached three years in the job but the Magpies are already ahead of 18 other Premier League clubs in terms of longevity with the man in charge. Six weeks away from his third anniversary in charge, incredibly Pardew ranks eighth out of 92 football managers in England for longevity at his club. Theres a good chance youve been on Twitter longer. Football clubs are hiring and firing football managers at a quicker rate in English football than they ever have before. Just 42 of the 92 managers (45 per cent) have been in their current job for one year or more. On this date two years ago, in 2011, 72 of the current 92 English league clubs (78 per cent) had a different football manager than they currently have. Fifteen of the current 20 Premier League clubs also had a different man in charge (75 per cent) and, even though it seemed just like yesterday, Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool (hired June 1, 2012) is now the 6th longest tenured manager at a Premier League club. These are unprecedented times in English football, but what are we to make of these changes? Why now? And is it good for the game? The pressure has always been on football managers to be successful. Chairman of clubs in the 40s, 60s, 80s, no matter when, were just as passionate as the ones currently in charge, if not more so, with many of them having a real connection with the club from a young age. However, never before have clubs evaluated themselves more than they currently do. Never before have fans had a louder voice than they currently have through social media and never before have managers had to deal with more self-entitled, rich, unmotivated players than they currently do. This was evident this very week after the Premier League lost another manager when Ian Holloway left Crystal Palace by mutual consent. Palace, new to the Premier League after winning the playoff final last season, are yet another clear case that three promoted teams to the top flight each year is one too many. Holloway, a man who openly talks about things like spirit and confidence in attempts to galvanize his team, is clearly a man who believes he can make a difference when the playing field is quite level amongst competitive sides, such as the Championship. He is also a man easy to like. He tells you what he feels and for fans and the media this opens up a rare and fascinating window to the goings-on in the game, many shield us from. Holloway looked like a broken man in the press conference confirming his departure. A positive, candid and funny man, the emotions had drained out of him. He looked ten years older than he looked just a few months ago, lifting the Playoff Trophy at Wembley. "I am very tired, if I am honest. With the changes made, we didnt keep the spirit. Some of the new lads attitude, I am finding very annoying and thats not good. We probably made too many changes." Holloway had had enough and wasnt in the job a year. Footballers can wear managers down quickly as even the greatest will admit. "Four years at one club in enough," declared Pep Guardiola when he announced he was leaving Barcelona in 2012. Author Jonathan Wilson once told the story of the legendary Bela Guttman. "The third year," the great Hungarian coach always said, "is fatal." If a manager stays at a club more than that, he said, his players tend to become bored and/or complacent and opponents start to work out counter-strategies. And this brings us to whether or not it is good for the game. Long runs at football clubs, such as Wengers current one and Ferguson at Manchester United, are, of course, to be admired but they are now in the minority of the minority. What worked for them will not work for many others. Large football clubs with deep pockets and talent to win trophies regularly, in need of guidance from a legacy builder, obsessed with control and a need to be the true ruler of the club, is what kept them together for so long. Most other teams are positioned lower down the totem pole of English football hierarchy where successful managers will leave to move up the pole and where teams are forced to find a way of changing their fortunes much quicker. This is not good for current, former and future managers but it is great news for players, and their agents, who constantly can go in and out of the good books of managers as they move in/on. Crystal Palace, for example, signed 14 new players in June, July and August, all approved by Holloway and who will now play under a new manager who, most likely, will move many on sooner rather than later. The situation is similar at Sunderland, the other Premier League team to make a change this season, with Gus Poyet, in his third week, forced to work with players Di Canio and his recruitment staff wanted. Allowing managers to have a strong say on which players are signed is archaic and leads to these problems and clearly one of the next major changes in the sport is towards the North American model of recruitment, already used often in continental Europe, where a manager is left to simply manage the players his bosses get for him. It will never be only that way, however, and, of course, this way just reduces a managers stranglehold on a club even further, likely straining his patience even more, working with players he didnt necessarily want. Either way, it appears the future is not bright for managers to stay in one place for long. The way English football is looking, it appears Messrs Guttman and Guardiola were, much like their teams. Three years is now becoming a massive achievement. Just ask Alan Pardew in six weeks. If he makes it that far. Jamie Collins Official . Kane returned to score a goal and added an assist, leading the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night. Lavelle Hawkins Official . -- U.S. captain Tom Watson said Monday that Tiger Woods latest back injury "doesnt bode well right now" for Woods playing in the Ryder Cup.NEW ORLEANS - As All-Star festivities wrap up in New Orleans and the focus immediately shifts to Thursdays NBA trade deadline, Masai Ujiri is prepared for a busy week of fielding phone calls. “Ill be right here," he said pointing to his cell phone, "waiting and well see what happens." "I never know what to expect," Ujiri continued, speaking to TSN.ca ahead of Sundays All-Star game. "Sometimes its quiet until the last minute, sometimes its busy. As far as our team, I think the team has played well. They have done well with the platform so [well] keep trying to grow." If the Raptors general manager is feeling any pressure to make a move ahead of the deadline, hes not showing it. Ujiri remains patient, committed to sustainable long-term growth and weary of disrupting the teams newfound chemistry, but he wouldnt rule out pulling the trigger on the right deal, if its out there. Despite his teams recent success, the plan hasnt changed and neither has his composure. "I always said since I came [to Toronto], the players will dictate where we go and the team will dictate where we go," he stated. "Thats kind of how its been. So theyre growing and you want it that way." Following a disappointing 6-12 start to the season, the Raptors have gone 21-12 since trading Rudy Gay to Sacramento on Dec. 9. Whats stood out to Ujiri, coach Dwane Casey, the players and anyone that has watched this team over the last two months is their on-court chemistry. Gays absence has allowed for a more cohesive offence, predicated on ball movement, which has allowed Kyle Lowry and Torontos young players to flourish. All four incoming players have contributed and the defence has improved. Still, not even the Raptors architect could have predicted such a quick turnaround. "We try to study [[but] were not geniuses," Ujiri admitted. Dominique Easley Official. "You have to get lucky sometimes and I think we were lucky. It kind of came together in terms of chemistry." With 30 regular season games to go, the Raptors find themselves at the top of the Atlantic Division, third in the Eastern Conference. Theyre one game ahead of fourth-place Chicago and only 3.5 games separate them from Brooklyn, sitting in the seventh seed. Ujiri wont compromise the organizations future for instant gratification but he knows where they sit in the East and would consider adding another impact player as long as it doesnt derail their long-term flexibility. "I dont want to call out the conference," he said, "I cant do that but its the measuring stick and I think we have to keep that in mind.” Lowry - a subject of trade rumours all season, the final year of his contract - has been a big part of the Raptors success and figures to be just as valuable to a their playoff cause. The question, as it has been for months is: Will he be around for the stretch run? “I hate to comment about any player in that way, but I think we are not good enough so you have to keep it open," he responded. "Thats the honest answer. These guys have done pretty good. I know weve won a couple of games but we havent done anything yet." Translation; there are no untradeable players on the roster, Lowry included. If the right offer comes along Lowry could be moved but the asking price is significant, as it should be. It should go without saying, but Ujiri wont be pressured into selling off Lowry or any of his assets simply to make a mid-season splash. Although previous regimes have fallen into that trap, the Raptors first-year GM will survey the field and go from there. His phone is on. His eyes and ears are open. cheap jerseys cheap jerseys from china ' ' ' |
