The disturbing trend of sacking managers and coaches, without giving them ample time to prove themselves, has plumbed depressing depths this season with more than a hundred losing their jobs in the English Leagues alone.
The managers — caught between speculative owners, volatile fans, millionaire superstars and a hungry media — struggle to impose their style of play in a very short period.
Moulding a side takes time, patience and effort. It takes longer to re-jig a side of big names compared to starting from scratch with lesser-known players.
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Paul Lambert and Brendan Rodgers deserve special mention here as they built sides with healthy ingredients — passion, team ethic and a will to win — at their former clubs Norwich and Swansea.
They demanded complete devotion from the players and also asked them to play multiple roles. The brand of football they developed has kept these clubs in good stead.
The club owners, without realising this simple fact, have resorted to mindless sackings this season.
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Also, the desperation to stay in the top-flight to gain the increased broadcasting money next season has contributed to the dismissals of Martin O’Neill, Nigel Adkins, Brian McDermott and Mark Hughes.
It looks like the owners are willing to pay a hefty sum to discarded coaches rather than build the team with a talented coach.
Learn from Randy
They should take a leaf out of Aston Villa owner Randy Lerner’s book. Despite a roller-coaster first season, he persisted with Lambert, whose position never came under threat. The Villa board firmly believed that the Scot’s strategy of building a young, improving side will bring long-term success to the club.
The young soldiers delivered when it mattered and the manager’s high principles will be rewarded even more in the future.
For its part, the Football Association could bring in a transfer window for coaches, as suggested by former Manchester United star Paul Ince, to save them from unceremonious and hasty exits.