 A Plea For PatienceWritten by Edmunds5 on Friday, 3rd May 2013 11:33 One of the biggest things I have noticed in recent times and in particular throughout this season is the feeling of inevitability that a manager will lose his job following a run of poor results or just one or two heavy beatings. Long gone are the days of managerial stalwarts such as Sir Alex Ferguson who is in his 27th year as manager of Manchester United. Ironically, even then a Mark Robins FA Cup winner against Palace allegedly saved the Scot from the sack and what he has achieved since has been quite remarkable. There are numerous reasons as to why I believe there are so few long-serving managers around in modern times and I believe that the attitudes of supporters do have an impact. Following Newcastle’s 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Liverpool last Saturday, many Toon fans voiced their views on Radio phone-ins and were calling for Alan Pardew’s head. A relegation scrap they may well be in, but this is a team who were playing Championship football three years ago, and massively overachieved last season as they finished in fifth place in the Premier League. Just where has the loyalty gone? Have the achievements of last year already been forgotten? A little bit of faith wouldn’t go a miss would it? Stoke boss Tony Pulis, who incidentally is the fourth longest-serving manager in all of the four top divisions having been at the helm for just under seven years, is another who has came under scrutiny in recent times. A 3-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa on February 6th meant the Potters had recorded the lowest number of points since the turn of the year which has seen them slide down the table, but what about his effort of getting the club into the Premier League in the first place and then stabilising them as a top flight outfit? Add to this an FA Cup final resulting in European football where they pitted their wits against Valencia, it’s almost unthinkable. Even before the start of 2013 they were tenth and despite an uncompromising style of play, and the idea that their club needs a change, why can’t their form since the New Year just be seen as a dreadful run? Back to back wins and virtual safety and things are looking up again. Kenny Jackett is another under pressure following a string of disappointing results. Jackett has made Millwall an established Championship side and has had to rely on small fees, frees and loan signings this season, some of which have been revelations. I’m thinking Chris Wood and Harry Kane, whose goals really benefited the club. As have the signings of James Henry, Chris Taylor and Danny Shittu. We’re talking about a team who were in the FA Cup semi-final not long ago but unfortunately just came up against a team a level above them in all aspects. Like everything though you have to be balanced, and I know its tough for fans when you have built up such a connection to a club, much more of a connection that most of those being paid vast amounts of money and perform half-heartedly. Fans react with pure emotion and the media is a great way to bring it to the surface, fans will also say they pay hard-earned cash and want to be entertained. However, on the flip side people could say that when you are prepared to pay expensive amounts on teams who flirt around mid-table or relegation then is it realistic to expect decent performances every week? If this was the case your team would be a promotion contender, seeing a lack of effort from a player is unacceptable but you can’t always expect consistency. Fans often talk about how their club lacks ambition and about how they are going sideways but perhaps that is just the reality of the club's situation? Consolidation and stability in footballing terms are perceived as unimaginative and generally negative words when really they should be appreciated, just ask Blackburn and Portsmouth fans what those two words mean to them following a season of upheaval. I understand, however, that as fans we often thrive on ambition, I’m like no other in that respect and I think that it is admirable to be so positive and show such a desire to see your team achieve. After all you only want the best for your club. Many people can take the rough with the smooth but when people have false expectations, start booing when its 0-0 and ring up to slate managers who have done so much for a club you really start to question their beliefs. The reality is teams such as Millwall are punching above their weight in a Championship that contains teams with much more financial muscle, the recent increase in parachute payments only goes to emphasise this fact. I know money isn’t everything and there are some instances where certain clubs have achieved more than those who are stronger financially but it is not easy to achieve promotions on such shoe string budgets. Just look at Watford, overachieved last season finishing in 11th, new owners sign some hot properties they and are challenging for automatic promotion. If I told the majority of Championship fans that they wouldn’t be playing Premier League football within the next five seasons there would be a reaction of strong disappointment. But what If I told them their club would be playing their football in League One or Two and may struggle financially, how would they feel then? How do the words stability and consolidation sound now? The next point I would make regard the influence of owners, who have the power to chop and change managers seemingly as freely as they like regardless of issues such as compensation. The rashness and lack of clear structure makes stability seem almost impossible at times. I also think such sudden changes provoke competition. A struggling club may see another struggling club hire a manager that has an instant impact and lifts them up the table. Our club has been one of these examples and now we have achieved survival against the odds I really hope that we get behind McCarthy even if we have sticky patches next season, because his efforts this campaign should never be forgotten. We’ve seen a similar thing happen with both Nottingham Forest and Barnsley, with the respective appointments of Billy Davies and David Flicroft seeing an upturn in form. These drastic improvements light up the eyes of other clubs owners who then feel they need to make a quick-fire decision. However, not all work out and the change can often be viewed as an unnecessary move littered with panic. Nottingham Forest’s hiring of Alex McLeish an example, Dean Saunders another in question, amongst others. In relation, just recently I saw a headline linking Paul Ince with the Leicester job just weeks after taking over at Blackpool. It is alarming that these headlines are almost not surprising any more and though it didn’t come to fruition, the fact this was even a talking point just underlines the problems. Managers offered a more lucrative salary are also likely to move regardless of the relationship they have with a club, perhaps that’s fair enough from a personal view however it does nothing in terms of continuing positivity at a club. This is why it was refreshing to see Gus Poyet remain at Brighton and reject an offer from Reading. The temptation of trying to save a club looking almost resigned to relegation whilst being offered a bigger salary must have been inviting but instead he chose to stay at a progressive Brighton team who have recently secured a play-off spot. You wouldn’t back against the Seagulls being a Premier League outfit next season, and on the face of it the Uruguayan's decision looks to be quite a shrewd one and shows that loyalty does still exist. My spin on things may be interpreted as negative and overly cautious, but whilst I always encourage great optimism, I also call for an overriding amount of realism and a plea for some patience amongst uncertain times. Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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