By Andrew Warshaw
May 22 – No sooner has the English season finished than the merry-go round of managerial departures and sackings has begun – with two in particular illustrating the short-sighted attitude of top-flight chairman.
Both West Ham manager David Moyes and Everton’s Sam Allardyce were drafted in relatively late to try and improve their clubs’ respective fortunes.
They easily succeeded but as a reward have each been forced to give way to someone else. Everton, who were 13th when Allardyce took over, ended up eighth but even that couldn’t save him.
Which begs the question, what do clubs like these feel they can realistically achieve when so many others have fatter budgets and a more impressive track record?
It’s one thing for relegated clubs to dispense with their managers – though this is not always the most clever option either. It’s quite another doing specifically what you are asked to do and then being shown the door.
Moyes is reported to have been fuming after understandably believing he deserved the chance to build on his work at West Ham. The Scot appears to have been the victim of totally unrealistic expectations of the West Ham fanbase who, because of past traditions, think they should be playing open and expensive football, itself by no means a guarantee for success.
As for Allardyce, he was also heavily criticised by the fans for Everton’s style of play during his tenure. A return of 10 wins, six defeats and eight draws hardly represents failure, only for the club to announce that the decision to dispense with his services was part of their “longer-term plan”.
It is understood former Hull City and Watford boss Marco Silva is the man Everton now want. It will be intriguing to see whether whoever takes over can move the perennial under-achievers on to the next level. The same applies at West Ham.
As for the relegated clubs, it was little surprise that Swansea parted company with Carlos Carvalhal and Stoke did likewise with Paul Lambert after they failed the survival test, sometimes through poor judgement, sometimes with precious little luck, almost always through lack of goals. But how refreshing that West Brom have retained Darren Moore for life in the Championship, recognising his talents after he took over as caretaker following the removal of Alan Pardew and very nearly achieved the ultimate miracle.
As for Premier League Manager of the season, tough call. Most have understandably given the allocade to Pep Guardiola after Manchester City’s glorious, record-breaking campaign. But how about these three? Burnley’s Sean Dyche for a remarkable top-seven finish on limited resources; Former England boss Roy Hodgson whose Crystal Palace team had no points and no goals from seven games when he took over yet finished in a highly respectable mid-table position, arguably his finest achievement; Or Huddersfield’s David Wagner who achieved the unimaginable by keeping the Terriers in the top flight for a second season when they were on practically everyone’s list to fail at the first hurdle before a ball had even been kicked.
It all depends, I guess, on what constitutes success.
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