So, as the 2008/09 football season fades into the past, with just a couple of International games to come, our thoughts turn to summer. Ahead of us are three long, hot months of cricket, with the Twenty20 World Cup and the Ashes to look forward to. But it is not cricket that is dominating the headlines this week. The football transfer market may still be in its infancy, the Gareth Barry move the only major business so far, but the perilous managerial merry-go-round has started spinning. It is time for vacancies to be advertised, loyalties to be questioned and wage packets to be discussed.
The ride began on the last day of the season with Ricky Sbragia stepping down as Sunderland boss citing the need for a ‘big name’ manager at the Stadium of Light. For Sunderland the right man happens to be the fiercely loyal, lifetime Newcastle supporter, Steve Bruce. That ‘wor’ Steve has moved to pastures new is nothing to be surprised about, this is Bruce’s seventh post in a managerial career spanning just 11 years. The highlights of which include a two month spell at Wigan and not much longer at Crystal Palace both in 2001. Bruce has signed a three year contract at Sunderland, it is anybody’s guess what will happen if a larger club comes calling in the mean time.
Predictably, Bruce’s appointment will prompt a whole host of managerial moves. Firstly Wigan must fill their vacancy, with Swansea City’s Roberto Martinez the likely choice if rumours are to be believed. Martinez has just guided Swansea to their best finish since 1993, 8th in the Championship, having constructed an exciting young side. If he does depart, then it is a safe bet that some of his players will follow and The Jacks will have to start again. The fans, new signing Nathan Dyer and the board will never know what might have been achieved, had the Spaniard remained in-situ. Who will take charge next at the Liberty Stadium? Who will be the next club searching for a manager?
North of the border Gordon Strachan’s resignation has sparked an avalanche of speculation over who might be his replacement. Rumours suggest that Burnley’s Owen Coyle and West Bromwich Albion’s Tony Mowbray are among the favourites for the post. However, it seems inconceivable that either of these managers would want to leave their respective clubs for Celtic Park. Yes there is the lure of Champions League football, but is that really enough to warrant leaving good jobs in England? Coyle has just got his Burnley team promoted via the playoffs, and now has the chance to pit his wits against the assorted talents of the Premier League.
Meanwhile, despite suffering relegation, Mowbray still has the unflinching support of board and fans alike at The Hawthorns. Another promotion next season and the Baggies might just be in a position to establish themselves in the top flight. Celtic may be a big club, the attraction sweetened for Mowbray as a former player and Coyle as a lifelong fan. But why swap these current challenges for a two horse race with only 4 meaningful league games a season?
What is certain, is that in the coming months more managers will leave clubs that have offered them there big chances. Brendan Rogers, for example, has left Watford for rivals Reading, just 6 months after being given his first opportunity as a manager. Loyalty has little place in modern football, but for every manager that complains of impatience when sacked in early Autumn, one will happily leave a job half done, if a bigger club comes knocking.
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