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Thread | Ipswich are playing Ruskball – and it won’t succeed
at 11:44 5 Feb 2023
Just over three years ago Stockport County was bought by a very wealthy local businessman. After ten years of languishing in non-league (much of it at tier 6) he announced after taking over that the club was capable of playing at a much higher level; that challenging to reach the championship was the aim and that he was in a hurry.
Substantial investment in the stadium, which had been decaying for two decades followed immediately. The entire off-field set up was professionalised with a proper management structure staffed with people of quality. Quality was the watchword on the field too with players of pedigree from higher divisions being signed.
The most radical move they made was to sack the long serving manager. Modern thinking off the field had to be matched with modern thinking on it, it seemed. None of the fans had heard of the new man, Simon Rusk.
He had been plucked from Brighton’s player development set-up where he had an outstanding reputation for bringing young players through. For years this had been a gripe of the supporters — “we don’t see enough of our young lads make it”.
Does any of the what I’ve just written seem familiar to Ipswich fans?
So — premier league style thinking and the promise of youth players coming through. It all seemed wonderful.
Except it wasn’t. A new possession-based style was introduced. We dominated matches, but there were too many draws and by the end of the season Rusk hadn’t improved the club’s league position from when he had taken over and County ended in the play-offs.
They lost timidly to Hartlepool, the team who finished below them. Pools had much lesser resources but were managed by Dave Challinor, a man in his mid-forties who had been successful at this level with Fylde and blended modern style with old school nous about what it takes to get out from this level. Hartlepool went up to league 2.
The next season, things got much worse. Other sides had worked County out. They sat back. More draws but defeats too. County had developed a bad habit of dominating but then lapsing momentarily and giving bad goals away, from stupid back passes and he like. The fans had a name now for the endless backwards and sideways passing with no penetration — “Ruskball”
The owner didn’t mess around. Rusk was removed and replaced with…… Dave Challinor!! The transformation was staggering. Just a few weeks after being incapable of beating struggling Barnet, County smashed league 1 Bolton 5-3 in a cup replay (watch the video on BBC if you can find it — an FA Cup classic).
Challinor proved what the fans knew all along — we had very good players; but they hadn’t been allowed to play how they could. County were a country mile behind Wrexham and Chesterfield at the top when Challinor took over, but they were reeled in and Stockport were promoted with six points to spare.
This season the progress has continued after a period of early adaptation to the new level. County hit the play off places yesterday and a second promotion in two seasons is not unimaginable. Stockport, with new wealthy owners in a hurry have succeeded:
Not just because of the off field professionalisation
Not just because of heavy investment in good players
But because the owners were savvy enough to realise that at lower league level you need a manager who wants to play cultured stuff (County are a joy when they can get it down on the grass), but who knows how to mix it up and hand it out to the sides who don’t want to play.
And because the owners acted quickly enough to make the change before the opportunity to progress was lost.
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Thread | Spence
at 13:09 12 Jan 2019
There is a right back called Spence
Who costs us quite a few pence
When faced with attack
He doesn't get back
Which rips apart our defence |
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Thread | The tale of the three envelopes
at 10:04 24 Oct 2018
The company had appointed a new senior manager. He arrived at the company for his first day brash and full of confidence. When he went to his office he was surprised to find the previous manager there. The latter apologised and explained that he was just finishing off clearing his desk and would soon be gone.
“But while I’m here”, he said “I’d just like to say, I have nothing against you personally. I’m sorry to be going, but as is often the case in companies, top management just decided my time had come. I also upset a few customers as well, which in hindsight wasn’t too clever of me. Anyway, that’s all behind me now”.
He paused and was clearly a little emotional. But he gathered himself and continued. “Anyway, as I said, nothing against you personally, and I remember when I was a young up and comer, I was full of confidence. And that’s good, but you know, I’ve been round the block a few times and learnt stuff along the way, and this is a much bigger job than you’ve done before, so I’m going to give you some advice now I’m leaving”
He saw the new man grimace and sought to reassure him. “No don’t worry — I’m not going to give you a lecture. But when I knew my end was coming I prepared some advice and put it in these three envelopes. You don’t need to open them now, but if things don’t go so well open the first one and you may find the advice helpful. If that doesn’t work, open the next one and so on”. And with that he shook the new man’s hand and left.
The door closed and the new manager picked up the envelopes and tossed them in a drawer. “Won’t need those”, he muttered to himself, “I know what I’m doing and I’ve had a damn sight more recent success than that guy”.
But things didn’t go as well as he thought and initial results from his team weren’t great. His confidence took a bit of a knock. Reluctantly, ahead of a meeting with his boss, he decided to pull out the first envelope and look at it. “Can’t see it will help much, but I’ve nowt to lose”, he thought.
Inside was a small piece of paper. On it were just three words: “Blame Your Predecessor”. So that’s what he did. In the meeting with his boss, he told him “things were worse than I thought when I arrived. You know, I wanted to get some real energy into the team to improve results for customers. But the guys just aren’t up to it. They’re way slower than I expected. And I haven’t got the right sort of staff. That’s why I have had to recruit so many new people, and it will take time for them to bed in.”
His boss said he understood and would give the new man more time. But still results didn’t improve. In fact they got worse. He was summoned to another meeting. His boss said “I know you explained the reasons when we spoke before, but I’m getting concerned about some of the things I see. For instance I’ve always believed in having two people in the customer sales department, but you’ve only got one and it’s not delivering any positive outcomes for customers. Also when I went into the production office I noticed that you’ve moved the accountant in there and it isn’t really a job I’d expect her to be doing. Meantime, you’ve got the health and safety guy running accounts. He doesn’t know his debits from his credits. It’s like he doesn’t know his left from his right”.
But the manager was ready for him. He had opened the second envelope ahead of the meeting. On the piece of paper inside there had been just one word: “Reorganise”.
“Well you see”, he explained to his boss, “it’s not just having the right people and getting them more efficient and energetic. It’s the whole infrastructure that’s holding me back and preventing my people doing a great job. There are a lot of things I’d change about this place if it’s going to really deliver”
The boss was sceptical but decided to give his new man a little more time. The manager set about reorganising all he could, making further changes which were catastrophic. Good people who were still employed started applying for different jobs and people who used to work for the company started to say in public what a shambles it had become.
The manager’s boss phoned him and summoned him for a third time. In a cold sweat and his pulse racing the manager pulled open the drawer and reached for the third envelope. He’d been dismissive of his predecessor but now thought that actually the old guy knew a thing or two and that the advice in those first two envelopes had bought him valuable time.
So now, in his hour of greatest need, this third envelope would surely be his deliverance, he thought. He tore it open and pulled out the piece of paper inside. On it were three words:
“Prepare three envelopes”
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Thread | The Hurst situation – Three observations
at 13:33 21 Oct 2018
Having lurked for years on this board, this is the first time I’ve posted on here, so I hope I add some value with this!
My first observation
It strikes me that the Hurst appointment is a classic example of the “Peter Principle”, namely that people get promoted to their level of incompetence. Good at a job - get promoted to the next level. Good at that — get promoted again, until you’re suddenly out of your depth.
That happens in loads of businesses, so it’s generally hard to spot when it’s going to happen. But was it in this case? I was never vehemently against MM but I agreed that his tenure had run its course, so was looking forward to the appointment of a young “up and coming manager”.
I was genuinely excited by the prospect of Jack Ross. He seemed to play the right kind of football and importantly had played several seasons (admittedly at Falkirk and St Mirren) in the top flight of Scottish football, so had the experience of what it’s like to be in a big league.
Paul Hurst seemed like a good second choice. But then I read comments from Shrewsbury fans that suggested that his style of football wasn’t the “Ipswich way”. Then add in the fact that he had never played in a top division, and in fact only played four seasons at Championship level and it struck me that he would need quite a lot of hands on guidance from senior management to adapt to his new environment and avoid the Peter Principle from striking.
In our most successful periods it seems to me that there was a close and supportive relationship between the chairman and the manager; the Cobbolds and Sir Bobby and Sheepshanks and George Burley.
Robson, even though he had little management experience had the advantages of having played at the very top level for his career so knew his way round division 1, as it then was, and took over a club reasonably on the up, having been promoted the season before.. And Burley, although taking over a club on the way down, had similar playing experience to Robson, plus knowing ITFC like the back of his hand, and had gained some managerial experience at Colchester
Hurst started at something of a disadvantage in comparison with those two. So support from senior management was going to be vital.
That was never likely to happen. Partly because Hurst himself doesn’t seem to be someone who readily seeks advice, but mostly due to…
My second observation
Just because you’re good at one thing doesn’t make you automatically good at another
Marcus Evans has made more money than pretty much all of us on this board can dream of making. So hats off to him for that. But being a successful entrepreneur doesn’t mean everything you touch will turn to gold. Virgin Cola, anyone? Or Virginwear and Virgin cars. All notable Branson failures.
The way you deal with that possibility is to be humble, commit to learning about the business and provide hands on support to the new guy, a la John Cobbold or David Sheepshanks. Failing that you get in people who understand the business to run it for you with you just adding in the drive and entrepreneurial flair. Evans has shown no propensity to do either. Clegg wasn’t a football man and Milne was plucked from the Evans Empire, so not a football man either. So as things stand Hurst will be left to sink or swim. It looks like he’s a drowning man clutching at straws right now.
My third observation
Change will happen in the next two months.
Hurst make get a dose of humility and seek advice and find a way to turn it round and quickly. It can happen. Clued up observers of my posting name may have worked out that my second, adopted, local team is Stockport. In 1996/7 County had a terrible start. The young “up and coming” manager, Dave Jones asked the senior players to help him out with advice. It went on to be the club’s best ever season: promotion, FA Cup 4th round and a league cup semi.
Or, Evans will act and replace Hurst. Whilst his finance people will be telling Evans that the money he has put into ITFC is a sunk cost and irrelevant therefore to decisions going forward, he will nonetheless be looking to maximise the value of what he’s got left. Contrary to what you occasionally see in posts on here, ITFC losses aren’t some sort of crafty tax dodge whereby you make more money than you lose. Profit is always better than loss. That’s why businesses tend to try to make the former and not the latter.
Relegation isn’t a good look finance wise. I think Evans will look to save the pieces and then he’ll look to sell. Originally his plan was probably to get a high profile manager (Keane), get into the premiership quickly and ITFC would be a glittering, helpful star in his events business. Now it must just be an embarrassment. It’s failing and making him look stupid amongst his business acquaintances as he makes mistake after mistake. He WILL sell. And not for a fortune.
When we were buying an apartment in Spain a couple of years back we were constantly told that the owner of the place we were looking at had paid a fortune and now it had been discounted by x% so was cheap. My response was always, just because a fool ploughed a load of money into a property in the midst of a bubble, doesn’t make it cheap at the price you now quote. I’ll pay what it’s worth, thanks.
As soon as he can stabilise it and make it look like a half decent prospect Evans will recoup whatever he can, rather than lose even more. It may get sold relatively cheaply. One of those mega Euromillions roll overs would do it easily and leave a kitty for new players, I reckon. I buy two tickets every week……
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