tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33224607135640891602024-03-07T20:29:18.114-08:00The ChampionshipEwanMcQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13074143857156828523noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3322460713564089160.post-4699591038461463702011-06-22T05:15:00.001-07:002011-06-22T05:15:46.419-07:00The Championship- A hotbed of managerial talent<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 21px;"></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last season’s second tier of English football gripped me as always. There was the usual mountain of goals, thrilling end to end games and many players who simply lit up the league. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;"> <div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However, one of the key elements of any Championship season is the quality of the managers and how they handle the uniqueness of the league. Neil Warnock with Queens Park Rangers, Paul Lambert with <st1:city w:st="on">Norwich</st1:city> and Brendan Rogers with <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Swansea</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">City</st1:placetype></st1:place>, proved themselves as the best of a very good bunch by getting their sides promoted to the Premiership.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This season promises to be no different as 24 managers fight for glory. The standard of managers is just getting better every season, in my opinion.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">West Ham should never have been relegated from the Premiership. The way Avram Grant failed to motivate a squad full of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place> internationals such as Scott Parker, Carlton Cole and Rob Green along with other quality players such as Mark Noble, Robbie Keane and Demba Ba was disgraceful. However, Grant’s replacement has all the attributes to get West Ham promoted straight back up to the Premiership.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The style of football that Sam Allardyce has promoted throughout his managerial career isn’t pretty but it’s extremely effective and I fully expect the usual gritty performances at Upton Park in this upcoming Championship season. Allardyce has already shown his intentions by securing the signing of Kevin Nolan from his previous club Newcastle United, who ironically enough was his former captain at <st1:place w:st="on">Bolton</st1:place>.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">West Ham are still a big club, who can attract big names but the appointment of Allardyce was still a coup. Many managers seem unwilling to touch this club with a bargepole, but Allardyce was different. The two David’s Gold and Sullivan and Karren Brady have appointed a man who transformed Bolton from a Division One club (as it was known then), into a team who consistently finished in the top half of the Premiership and he also led the Wanderers into the Uefa Cup group stages and the Carling Cup Final in 2004, where they lost to Middlesbrough.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After the 2006 World Cup, Allardyce was heavily touted as the next English manager, before losing out to Steve McClaren. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I accept West Ham are probably not a Championship club, but to have a man who was regarded as one of the best English managers around from the period of 2003-2006,shows the power of the Championship.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However two clubs have gazumped West Ham in their managerial appointments. On Monday, sleeping giants <st1:placename w:st="on">Nottingham</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Forest</st1:placetype> appointed former <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place> manager Steve McClaren as the man to guide them back to the big time.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Only days earlier McClaren was on his way for an interview with Aston Villa, who then decided they didn’t want him; I found Villa’s stance utterly baffling. Despite failing as <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region> manager, this is a man who took Middlesbrough of all clubs to a Uefa Cup final, beating teams such as <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Basel</st1:city></st1:place> and Steaua Bucharest along the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He also led them to the 2004 Carling Cup and also a seventh place finish in the league and attracted players such as Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Michael Reiziger to the North East.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place> failure, McClaren took a brave step to reinvent himself and promptly won the Dutch league title with the unfashionable Fc Twente, whom he also led to the Dutch Cup Final.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And let’s not forget McClaren was the man who was by Sir Alex Ferguson’s side at Manchester United as the Old Trafford Club went and won their historic treble in 1999.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">McClaren’s CV rivals just about any manager and despite another blip at <st1:city w:st="on">Wolfsburg</st1:city>, I am delighted <st1:place w:st="on">Forest</st1:place> has given him the chance to prove himself again in English football and the Championship is considerably stronger with his presence. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>McClaren won’t be the only former <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place> manager to be managing in the Championship in the upcoming season. At Leicester Sven Goran Eriksson will also be looking to get back into the Premiership.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Despite agreeing with many football fans and other media commentators that Eriksson would now take a job anywhere, I do find it incredible that a man who has won trophies all around Europe, including league championships in Italy, Portugal and Sweden plus also leading Lazio to the Uefa Cup Winners Cup in 1999 and he also led them, plus Benfica and Goteborg to Uefa Cup Finals, winning with Goteborg in 1982.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">He also led <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place> in three major finals, where on every occasion he was knocked out in the quarter finals, although taking a closer look at each game, he was very unlucky. Against <st1:country-region w:st="on">Brazil</st1:country-region>, David Seaman was inexplicably beaten by Ronaldinho and against <st1:country-region w:st="on">Portugal</st1:country-region> in both Euro 2004 and the World Cup of 2006 <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place> were beaten on penalties.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Sven also had short other spells as manager of both <st1:country-region w:st="on">Mexico</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Ivory Coast</st1:country-region></st1:place>, showing how varied his career has been.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">For someone who has been a manager at 3 world cups, plus won a Serie A title, to be managing in the second tier of English football is simply incredible.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Those three managers probably stand out, but some other impressive managers will also be in the hunt this season. How can I not mention the irreplaceable Ian Holloway at Blackpool, who despite all his brilliant sound-bites, also proved how good a manager he is by leading <st1:place w:st="on">Blackpool</st1:place> to the Premiership and almost keeping them there.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Two sons will be looking to follow in their fathers’ giants shadows as they manage <st1:placename w:st="on">Derby</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">County</st1:placetype> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Peterborough</st1:city></st1:place> respectively. Whilst Nigel Clough at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Derby</st1:city></st1:place> and Darren Ferguson may never match their fathers incredible achievements, they serve as a timely reminder that great mangers including their fathers both started off small.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">At Middlesbrough Tony Mowbray will be determined to build on last season’s strong finish. Despite failing at Celtic, he is still managed to find himself a big club and it was a bit of a coup to convince Mowbray to come back to the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Riverside</st1:city></st1:place> after he was sacked from Parkhead.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Right now, one of the main contenders for promotion <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Birmingham</st1:city></st1:place> lie in limbo regards their manager, with Alex Mcleish having gone to bitter rivals Aston Villa on Friday. However, the quality of names being linked is nothing short of spectacular. Names such as Chris Hughton who got <st1:city w:st="on">Newcastle</st1:city> promoted two seasons ago, Dave Jones who managed <st1:city w:st="on">Cardiff</st1:city> to a FA Cup final and consecutive play-off appearances and Billy Davies, who got <st1:city w:st="on">Derby</st1:city>, promoted and also led <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Nottingham</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Forest</st1:placetype></st1:place> to consecutive play off appearances before being sacked two weeks ago have already been banded about.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The managerial talent in the Championship this season is simply mesmerising and once again, I am predicting another fierce battle, possibly involving former international managers and who have managed in the Premiership.<b style="text-decoration: underline;"><o:p></o:p></b></span></div></span>EwanMcQueenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13074143857156828523noreply@blogger.com0