Flavour Of The Month

Torquay's appointment of Martin Ling as their new boss has Nobes talking about how quickly a manager's stock can change.

Martin Ling is back in League Two via League One and a spell in the Conference

In a rare expression of humility, new Torquay boss Martin Ling admitted that he still has things to prove to people in the game.

For a man entering a division he's already won promotion out of before, it was a refreshingly honest expression of his own disappointment with an 18 month spell at Conference side Cambridge.

Indeed, it could be argued that in some ways, the 44-year-old is fortunate to have been given the opportunity to succeed Paul Buckle.

His spell at Cambridge was hugely underwhelming, as he failed to hit the heights of play off final appearances his immediate predecessors Jimmy Quinn and Gary Brabin both delivered.

After the way his tenure at Leyton Orient came to a close, coupled with his struggles at the Abbey Stadium, it's entirely plausible that the Londoner could have been waiting much longer for another job.

Now though he has the chance to remind people why he was so highly thought of for the the way his Leyton Orient side played their way out of the basement division in 2006.

In the five years since, he has seen his stock rise to the point where he was being linked with a move to a bigger club in Swindon only to plummet to as low as successive P45s.

It is the nature of the managerial stock where bosses who find themselves the current flavour of the month can soon lose their appeal with a few results going the wrong way.

In many ways it's a sad indictment of the state of today's game, where those both on the inside and outside of football are so quick to rush to judgements - whether positive or negative.

From the striker destined for the top after a good goalscoring run, to the young homegrown manager being tipped as a candidate for the national team job after a couple of promotions.

Then again, on the flip side you have the boss in need of the sack after a sticky spell of form or the player who'll never amount to anything after failing to impress early on.

Such hastiness could have long term negative consequences for the game though. After all, fifty per cent of first time managers never get a second opportunity to prove their worth? How can that be right?

By the same token, countless number of clubs have rushed in to extend a manager's contract after a good spell - only to have to pay out thousands of pounds in compensation when they fire him later on. That's poor business.

Not that it's football's problem, but society's in general. This impulsive way of running clubs - sacking and hiring almost on a whim has helped develop a culture of impatience and a demand for instant results.

Of course, it's true to say that some managers do just prove to be flashes in the pan - over hyped frauds who soon find themselves exposed.

It's easy to forget that, when Aidy Boothroyd took Watford into the Premier League in 2006, the Yorkshireman was being touted for the England manager's job. He's now not even in club management.

Iain Dowie was once a rising star in management, but after enjoying a good spell at Crystal Palace he's flattered to deceive in numerous jobs - particularly at Charlton.

Can Eddie Howe expect to follow Harry Redknapp's path in today's impulsive climate?

Others prove to be managers who struggle to recreate their successful period at one club - where everything seemed to come together - in future posts.

Steve Tilson guided Southend to successive promotions to the Championship and saw his name being linked to the then vacant manager's role at Norwich.

Southend tumbled back down to the basement division though, and he moved on. Now, next season, he'll be managing in the Conference with Lincoln - after failing to keep the Imps in the Football League last season.

It's easy to forget that the likes of Gary Johnson and Paul Simpson were once seen as managers whose career were destined for the top. Both made it as far as the Championship, but have gone backwards ever since.

Johnson is now at fourth tier Northampton, via a short spell at Peterborough, having once been 90 minutes away from the Premier League with Bristol City.

Simpson, in charge of Carlisle when the Cumbrians recorded back-to-back promotions, had Preston in the top six of the Championship for the majority of the 2006/7 season.

His career has nosedived in the following years, and is now out of work after being sacked from jobs in League Two at Shrewsbury and Stockport.

It's an ominous warning to some of the current bright stars of management. Keith Hill has left the comfortable surroundings of Rochdale to test his ability at Championship Barnsley.

Paul Tisdale has remained loyal to Exeter, but his achievements on a budget as well as his brand of passing football has attracted the interest of clubs higher up the football ladder. He will surely move on soon.

Eddie Howe found himself a man in demand by an array of Championship clubs after a remarkable couple of years at Bournemouth. He's now at the helm of Burnley, who will expect a push for the Premier League in the coming season.

Howe may well deliver it, but it's easy to forget that he's only a 33-year-old with just over two years experience in his job. It seems unfair to pick on the genial Clarets boss, but let us use him as an example.

If he was to fail to bring promotion to Turf Moor, what would the verdict be? A young manager promoted too quickly? Or a young manager still learning in his job and whom had shown promise earlier in his career which could still bear fruit?

And here's the crucial point. For those who complain about the fact that the England national team is managed by a foreigner, the reality is that there is a dearth of talented homegrown managers for the job.

That's because too many never get the opportunity to manage in the big time, with their careers snuffed out after a bad turn. They climb so far only to fall back down again.

In all likelihood, it will be the Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp who will take on the job in the near future. It will come almost 30 years after he began, at what is now League Two level, with Bournemouth.

What are the chances that Howe will follow the same course though? Will he be afforded the chance to manage in the Premier League or even England? Or will he, like so many before him, never live up to all the promise and potential?

Or, more accurately, never be given the opportunity to live up to all the promise and potential? That's all any manager - whether they've previously succeeded or failed - can ask for, the chance to prove themselves all over again.

Just ask Martin Ling.

Big Match Review - Leeds 1 Burnley 0

Leeds United 1-0 Burnley

Saturday April 30, Elland Road, (Att: 31,186)

A Ross McCormack goal maintained Leeds United's interest in the end of season play offs as they ended Burnley's own hopes of a top six finish at Elland Road.

The hosts began on the front foot and went close when Billy Paynter's effort from outside the box was just struck wide of the post.

Eddie Howe's men responded though, with Kasper Schmeichel being forced into a fine save from close range when Michael Duff latched onto Chris Iwelumo's flick on from a free kick.

The game was end to end and it was the Yorkshire side who again went close to opening the scoring when a Paynter header brought the best out of Burnley keeper Brian Jensen to deny him.

However, he was powerless to stop McCormack opening his United account on 33 minutes as he latched onto an incisive through ball to sweep the ball past the Clarets custodian.

Simon Grayson's side went in search of a second, and Paynter twice went close in a matter of minutes. First seeing Jensen save a header and then rolling the ball into the side netting from a difficult angle.

The Lancashire outfit were hanging on, and were once more indebted to Jensen in goal for keeping out Andy O'Brien's powerful header from a free kick and a low effort from McCormack.

Burnley almost made United pay for those missed chances too. Schemichel being forced to tip over a Ross Wallace free kick and then the Whites survived a late goalmouth scramble.

The win leaves Leeds three points off the play offs, knowing even a victory in their final game at Champions QPR might not be enough to overtake Nottingham Forest in 6th.

Big Match Preview - Leeds vs. Burnley

Leeds United vs. Burnley

Saturday April 30, 12:45, Elland Road

It's do or die in the race for the Championship play offs this weekend as Leeds United and Burnley go head to head knowing that their chances of a top six finish hang in the balance.

With Nottingham Forest, who currently occupy the final play off spot, facing a Scunthorpe side as good as down, they know that anything less than three points could end their challenge come 5pm.

For United, it's a situation they would have found hard to envisage when, at the beginning of the month, they beat Forest 4-1 to move four points ahead of the East Midlands side.

However, since then Simon Grayson's men have lost three and drawn two of their next five games - a run which has seen them slide down to 9th - to lie three points adrift of the last play off berth.

Having come so close to throwing away automatic promotion from League One last term, it appears that Leeds have once again choked as the season has reached its climax.

However, Grayson will know that victory against Burnley will definitely give his side a chance of reaching the play offs going into their last game of the season at table topping QPR.

He will also draw strength from Leeds's imposing home record - with the Yorkshire side having lost just four times at Elland Road where they remain unbeaten since October.

They will hope that 20-goal striker Luciano Becchio will have returned from an ankle injury in time to play in a Leeds side that are the second highest scorers in the division.

Eddie Howe's Burnley have found form - but has it come too late for the top six?

In their way stand a Burnley team who are still able to bounce back immediately to the Premier League following relegation from the top flight after just a season last May.

The Clarets have been involved in and around the play off race all term, but made the decision to axe boss Brian Laws at the turn of the year and appointed the highly rated Eddie Howe from Bournemouth as his replacement.

The new man engineered an immediate turn around in fortunes, overseeing a run of one defeat in nine to guide the Lancashire outfit onto the fringes of the play offs with games in hand.

However, they then embarked on a seven match winless streak which has only recently been reversed in recent weeks with Burnley claiming ten points from their last four fixtures.

That's left them in 8th, just a couple of points behind Forest. Howe will be well aware that his side will have to do it the hard way though, with Saturday's game at Elland Road being followed by promotion-chasing Cardiff on the final day.

Key men for the Clarets include midfielder Chris Eagles and homegrown striker Jay Rodriguez - both with 14 goals to their name. The experienced Chris Iwelumo is also a threat in the air with his height and physicality.

With both sides knowing that only a win will do, this could well be an open and exciting game with plenty of goals. That's often the way with Leeds anyway, who will see this as their last chance saloon.

However, Burnley need the points too - and will look to avenge their 3-2 home loss to Leeds at Turf Moor earlier in the campaign. In the end though, it may well end in the draw which will do neither of them any good.

Nobes' Prediction: Leeds United 2 Burnley 2

Howe To Lose Friends And Alienate People

After Bournemouth's Eddie Howe leaves to take over at Burnley, Nobes considers the issue of loyalty in football and whether there's a way to overcome the loss of a manager.

Eddie Howe spent two successful years as boss of Bournemouth

It was the kind of dramatic U-Turn more commonly seen on an episode of Top Gear - or at a Lib Dem party conference.

A fall from grace so spectacular he went from Jesus to Judas in a matter of days. From hero to zero in less time than it takes to say: "A consonant please, Rachel."

The rare beacon of loyalty in a game with no morals who simply joined the queue of greedy opportunists only out for themselves and personal glory.

After the Bournemouth beach parties on Tuesday comes the hangover. Eddie Howe has upped sticks to the sticks - and moved to manage Burnley.

Believe it or not, the above sentiments will, more of less, represent the views of some Bournemouth supporters left feeling angry and let down by the man who, in just two years, has taken the club from second bottom of the Football League to third in League One.

Some may feel they are justified to be fuming after Howe's very public declaration of loyalty last Tuesday, informing fans that he had turned down the chance to join Crystal Palace and Charlton to stay on the South Coast.

Then, he spoke of the joy of being around the club and how he felt he couldn't leave the current squad of Cherries players. However, the courting of Dean Court's supremo didn't stop there - and this time nor did he he.

The chance to take over at Burnley, a club financially sound, strengthened by their season in the Premier League last term, and with the resources required to get back to the top level, was just too good for him to turn down.

You can hardly blame him, too. The Clarets were sensible in their approach to the top flight, and are now set-up to compete in and around the Championship's top six.

Indeed, if they are to return, they feel this year is their best chance - having retained the majority of their Premier League squad and still benefiting from parachute payments.

Brian Laws found to the cost of his job that simply competing for a play off place is not good enough at Turf Moor this year, chairman Barry Kilby has made it clear finishing in the top six is the minimum requirement.

After overachieving at Bournemouth in the last couple of seasons, Howe is walking into a club with big expectations and where he will be under pressure to deliver results - and quickly.

However, for a man who guided the Dorset club to safety despite the handicap of a 17-point deduction and then didn't even allow a transfer embargo to prevent him from leading them to promotion last season, it will be the kind of pressure he will relish.

Despite those sizeable achievements though, some Cherries fans, just as Burnley supporters felt last term with the departure of Owen Coyle to Bolton, will feel Howe has betrayed them by leaving.

Some, on hearing the news of his interest in the Burnley job, even declared that he shouldn't have anything to do with their Friday evening game at Colchester. It ended in an emotional 2-1 defeat in Essex - no doubt all Eddie's fault.

The problem is we perceive that, because we're loyal fans, so are others at the club. It is, of course, nonsense.

There is only one loyalty in football - and that is from fans towards their team. Everyone else connected with a football club, whether owner, manager, or players, are simply doing a job. It is their livelihood.

Bournemouth celebrate their against-the-odds promotion under Howe last term

They are not required to show loyalty. After all, would supporters be showing loyalty to their manager if he wasn't achieving results? Of course not. They would be calling for his head.

The recent spate of managerial sackings in the lower leagues, too, illustrates once again that chairmen often show their employees very little loyalty as soon as the team start to lose form.

Why then should a manager, in a job which seems under constant scrutiny and threat, have to show loyalty when they are presented with the opportunity to move to a new job?

And a job is the right word. This is how they make their living. This is how they put food on their family's table, how they can afford to put them through education, or go on holiday over the summer.

This is their profession. This is their career. How many of us, if offered a promotion in our work, a better job, more money, or just a fresh challenge would turn it down? How many of us wouldn't be interested or tempted to take it?

Even if we didn't, you can be sure an other half would be pushing us to take it - reminding us of kids to put through university, or being able to take that dream vacation, or being able to acquire that new 3D TV which won't buy itself.

We would be hypocrites to blame a manager for taking a chance he has rightly earned. As much as we might be disappointed by them leaving, we should wish them well and thank them for their good work.

My own club are in a similar boat - with a managerial team who have done a sterling job in the last couple of years, which has seen them linked with clubs higher up the football ladder.

Of course, it's a sign of how well we're doing, but I would be lying if I said the thought of them leaving, whilst not filling me with anger, is one that's worrying. After all, nobody wants to lose the services of a great manager, it's natural.

The fear is, like the Tower of London's ravens, as soon as the successful manager leaves the whole thing will come crumbling down.

It's understandable. A manager is the most important person at a football club. Get the right one, give him time and backing, and he can build a club up.

However, there's a danger in that scenario - the manager becomes the very heart beat of the club. The team is built in their image, to their preference, they become the embodiment of their manager and aren't the same without him.

Take Sean O'Driscoll, who now is Doncaster Rovers. Both in the way the side plays, and the way the club conduct themselves quietly and with dignity.

Paul Tisdale seems to be interwoven into not only Exeter City - a team that plays his brand of attractive football, but the people of the city of Exeter too - with a spirit and atmosphere unique to the Football League.

Is it any surprise, then, that both bosses have not shown much interest in opportunities to leave their posts? Both are intelligent men who would only depart when the time and club was right.

If, and when, they do leave their respective clubs, fans in South Yorkshire and Devon will be rightly concerned about the future.

What would the future hold for Doncaster without manager Sean O'Driscoll?

After all, how often have we seen clubs struggle when they lose an iconic long term boss? Crewe under Dario Gradi and Hereford with Graham Turner are two perfect examples of clubs who have suffered after long dynasties have ended.

In both cases, they were succeeded by their former assistants - Steve Holland at the Alex and John Trewick with the Bulls.

In the end, Gradi returned to replace Holland and Turner sacked Trewick and temporarily took over until the end of last season.

While the two clubs did struggle on the pitch - they should be put into context. Holland was at a club on a downward spiral, and Trewick's efforts at Hereford were solid compared to this year's campaign.

It would also be fair to say that the fact both Gradi and Turner stuck around in upstairs positions at their respective clubs didn't help. As hard as they tried, they couldn't help but overshadow their successors.

However, despite the succession method not working in those instances, perhaps it could be the way to counter the occurrence of managers leaving clubs and showing a perceived lack of loyalty.

If the loss of one person isn't such a disaster, then fans would surely not be as unhappy when they left?

Of course, it was the foundation of the success Liverpool enjoyed in the '70s and '80s under a string of bosses. Passing on the torch to one manager after another - trained and schooled in the club's ways and principles.

Watford's Malky Mackay is a good example of this. The success enjoyed by Nigel Adkins at Scunthorpe when he was promoted to manager is another. True, it doesn't always work out, but it can.

These days though, managers seem to move in teams, taking their assistant and coaches with them to their new employers - leaving a club in disarray with almost all their staff leaving when a manager departs for pastures new.

It destroys almost all chance of continuity and stability with the heart of a club removed. In the case of Bournemouth, Howe has taken assistant Jason Tindall with him up to Lancashire.

However, perhaps the solution lies in a change in the way football clubs are run. Not only is losing so many staff damaging to one club, it is also expensive for a side to have to hire a whole new set when a new manager comes in.

The former England and Watford boss, Graham Taylor, has suggested that, instead, clubs should employ backroom and coaching staff and hire a manager independently. It's an interesting idea.

After all, in no other walk of business would someone take a whole group of people from his or her previous office into their new one. Only in football do managers travel around in groups with their coaches.

Plus, if part of being a good manager is to man-manage and work with players of different personalities and temperaments, then surely working with existing coaches and other unfamiliar staff can be overcome?

That way, if a successful manager decides to leave his job for another, the shockwaves sent through a club does not have to be as great - with the consolation that the coaching set-up will remain intact with just a new man at the helm.

They often say no one man is bigger than any club. Perhaps it's time to try and ensure that's the case.

Gimme A Break

As Peterborough part company with boss Gary Johnson, Nobes suggests that sometimes taking time out of the game is the best thing for a manager's career.

Gary Johnson's Peterborough had the worst defensive record in League One

Once upon a time, Gary Johnson stood just 90 minutes from completing a meteoric rise from Conference boss to Premier League manager in just five years.

Ultimately, Johnson's Bristol City side ended up losing their 2008 Championship play off final against Hull. After being sacked by League One Peterborough this week, he will be wondering whether he will ever get as close to the top flight again.

Some time to wonder may be exactly what the 55-year-old requires though.

The end of his nine month spell at London Road follows his sacking by City last season after a poor run of results saw the West Country side dip into lower mid table. Now he has two P45s in the space of less than 12 months on his CV.

It was a CV, too, which appeared faultless not so long ago. Having made his name taking Non League Yeovil from the Conference to League One in the space of three seasons, he then moved onto the task of rejuvenating City.

He did just that, leading them to promotion in his first full season before finishing 4th on their return to the Championship and earning that trip to Wembley.

They were achievements built on his philosophy of attractive, attacking, passing football. His teams went out to entertain and, if needs be, to simply outscore their opponents in order to win matches.

When Yeovil were crowned League Two winners in 2005, they actually conceded more goals than Cambridge United, who ended the season bottom of the entire Football League and were relegated.

It comes as little surprise then that his Peterborough side seemed to have the same cavalier attitude in matches this term. Tuesday's evening's 2-1 win over Brentford saw their tally increase to 45, the best in the division.

However, only relegation threatened Walsall have a worse defensive record than the 43 goals United have conceded in 22 games. Fans of the Cambridgeshire side certainly can't complain of not having been entertained this term.

Their side has dished out some hammerings over the past few months, notably beating Oldham 5-2 and Huddersfield 4-2. They also edged a nine goal thriller against Swindon 5-4.

However, they've also been on the wrong end of a few heavy beatings, going down 5-1 to Bournemouth and Charlton, and 4-1 at the hands of Southampton.

Johnson can point quite rightly to the fact that, although his side have been leaking goals, he was actively looking to strengthen his defensive options.

The league table also showed them 7th, just a point outside the play offs with games in hand when he left United - their win over Brentford moving them up to 5th.

Hardly a disaster, particularly for a seasoned campaigner who knows all about constructing a promotion campaign in the lower leagues.

Critics will argue though that, having been relegated last term, this represented Peterborough's best opportunity to bounce back to the Championship and they should be higher.

Darren Ferguson is back at Peterborough - but could he do with a break?

That need for promotion is heightened with other clubs sniffing around their prized attacking assets. One, Aaron McLean, has already departed for more than £1 million to Hull, but with George Boyd and Craig Mackail-Smith still in his arsenal, the side has the firepower for promotion.

Colourful owner, Darragh MacAnthony, who got through four managers last season alone, cited differences on 'policy' for Johnson leaving - believed to centre around the manager's plans for recruitment in the January transfer window.

However, while the Irishman deserves some criticism for the rapid turnover in the London Road dugout, Johnson may well reflect that this sacking was probably avoidable.

That's because, while it's true that staying out of the game too long can be dangerous, so too can throwing yourself back into employment so quickly.

Football may well be a drug that some cannot live without, but less than three weeks separated his departure from Bristol in March and his arrival in the Fens at the beginning of April.

The question is, was getting back into the game so quickly the best thing for someone who had just ended a four-and-a-half-year tenure at Ashton Gate?

Towards the end of his time with the Robins, there were the usual stories circulating that he had lost the support of the dressing room.

Two of Johnson's final home matches had also ended in a humiliating 6-0 loss to Severnside rivals Cardiff and a 5-2 defeat against Doncaster.

It's the kind of defensive fragility which has been the hallmark of his reign at London Road. New club, same problems.

Now, Johnson has not become a bad manager overnight. Far from it. Indeed, neutrals can't help but hope managers with a positive attitude who seek to entertain do well. It's for the good of the game.

However, for the good of Johnson, taking some time away to reflect on his time with Bristol City may have been a wiser choice.

Time away would have allowed him to consider what mistakes he may have made, where things went wrong, looking at ways he could have done things differently and better.

It was striking that Paul Jewell, in his press conference when being unveiled as Ipswich's new manager, spoke about his two years out of the game, saying he had been "re-evaluating mistakes" he had made in the past.

Sometimes jumping right back up on the horse, as Johnson did, is not always the best thing. Sure, it may mean you end up unemployed for a while, but it's not like Championship managers are poorly paid.

Plus, what would be better - taking some time out of the game before getting back in and making a success of your next job? Or immediately taking another job, it not go well, and finding yourself with two sackings in a short space of time?

There is no better example of the benefits of a break than the success of Ian Holloway at Blackpool last term. The 47-year-old spent a year out of management after leaving Leicester in 2008.

Ian Holloway came back a better manager after time out of the game

He returned to the game at Bloomfield Road a changed man - with a new attitude and approach to the game. He had considered why and where he had gone wrong at the Walkers and sought how to avoid it happening again.

He spent time at other clubs watching how they did things - taking particular inspiration from the work of Roberto Martinez when the Spaniard was at Swansea.

He had time to combine media work with watching matches and scouting for players for when he did return. He also had time away to spend with his family, and out of the pressure cooker that is football management.

Holloway came back refreshed, rejuvenated, and re-born. The Seasiders reaped the dividends with promotion to the top flight. Ask their Bristolian boss, and he will speak with positivity about his 12 months in football exile.

Contrast his break with the fortunes of others, including Johnson, though.

Brian Laws was sacked from Championship Sheffield Wednesday last term. However, less than a month later they had, rather fortuitously, found re-employment with Premier League Burnley.

He couldn't keep the Clarets up and then saw his reign brought to an end in December after a below-par beginning to this season.

What did he expect though? Did he really think he had been unfortunate in receiving the sack with Wednesday fighting relegation? Did he also think that his methods were not to blame at all - and sticking to them would work out at Turf Moor?

It's beyond ironic, too, that Posh have opted to replace Johnson with former boss Darren Ferguson. After being sacked by a struggling Peterborough last season, he showed breathtaking naivety in repeating his mistakes when landing the Preston North End job.

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde, dooming one team to relegation by throwing together a group of youngsters playing a kamikaze brand of attacking football can be considered unfortunate. To do it twice is just carelessness.

Is it any surprise to see Preston now looking destined for relegation after Ferguson was given an opportunity to wreak havoc at Deepdale.

Unbelievably, with his managerial career in tatters, he has been given the chance to rebuild it at the place it all began.

Had he actually taken some time away, and looked at where he went wrong at Posh first time around though, the same mistakes may not have been made again at North End.

Ditto with Laws, whose career, after working his way up after so many years in the lower divisions, has now suffered a significant blow.

There comes a time to resist the temptation of launching yourself straight back onto the market and instead take time out for self examination and improvement.

So, when the opportunity arises and the time is right to return, Johnson and co. can ensure both them and their new club can life happily ever after.

Classic Campaigns - League Two 1986/7

Our series reflecting on classic Football League seasons from the past continues.

With Torquay hosting Crewe in League Two this evening, Nobes looks back on when the pair met in the basement division 24 years ago. A final day like no other, for so many reasons.

The Orient Game: 1987 was an emotional year for all Burnley followers

Every dog has its day. So goes the old saying, anyway. For one, it came on May 9 1987 - the final day of an historic season in the basement division of English football.

Twenty four years ago, Torquay United against Crewe Alexandra was both sides' final game of the 1986/7 season - a match that was of vital importance to the home team whose very Football League existence hung in the balance.

The Devon side were one of three clubs who could end the day bottom of the old Fourth Division - or League Two as it is now called - and slide into the Conference.

This, too, was the first season of automatic promotion and relegation between the Football and Non Leagues, with Scarborough, managed by Neil Warnock, ready to take their place in Division Four as the newly crowned Conference winners.

At the other end of the Fourth Division, one of the biggest stories came at Preston North End. One of the most historic clubs in the country had finished second bottom of the entire Football League 12 months previously.

However, after winning a re-election vote, North End bounced back to finish as runners-up and gain promotion to the third tier.

They weren't able to match the form of Champions Northampton though, who blew their opponents out of the water, including winning 20 and losing just one of their home games all season.

Graham Carr's side with the attacking talent of Richard Hill and Trevor Morley were too hot to handle as they racked up 99 points and over 100 goals. The Cobblers and North End were joined by Southend in winning automatic promotion.

At the wrong end of the table, for much of the season it was the the North West duo of Rochdale and Stockport who were battling to avoid becoming the first side to be automatically relegated from the Football League.

However, as the second half of the season progressed others began to plummet into the relegation mix. One of them was Burnley, one of the original 12 members of the League in their second year in the Fourth Division.

Torquay - who had finished bottom in 1986 - were again in contention for the drop, and Lincoln City had nosedived from 7th at the beginning of January to find themselves in a dogfight.

In the penultimate weekend of the campaign, Burnley suffered a 1-0 reverse to Crewe and hit rock bottom. The Clarets were staring down the barrel of a gun.

Things were to get worse, Rochdale won their game in hand in the midweek before the final day to ensure their safety. Then Tranmere were allowed to play their final match on Friday evening - the Wirral club won to keep themselves up.

That left three in the mix - Burnley, Torquay, and Lincoln. The stage was set for a dramatic final day.

Fixtures:

Burnley vs. Orient
Swansea vs. Lincoln
Torquay vs. Crewe

Table:

.....................P...GD....PTS
22. Lincoln.....45....-18....48
23. Torquay....45....-16....47
-----------------------------------
24. Burnley.....45...-22.....46

Burnley knew that only a win against Orient at Turf Moor would do. If they managed it, then Torquay and Lincoln - the only side travelling - would then come into the picture if they failed to win their respective games.

For the Clarets, Champions of England as recently as 1960, they could scarcely believe the position they found themselves in.

Ask a Burnley supporter now, and they will tell you those 90 minutes in May '87 - known simply as 'The Orient Game' - were arguably the biggest in their club's history.

The prospect of losing professional football from the town - combined with the rise of upcoming neighbours Colne Dynamoes - threatened the very existence of the club.

Over 15,000 crammed into Turf Moor - delaying the first half by 15 minutes - to see if Burnley could pull off a great escape.

Goals from Neil Grewcock and Ian Britton either side of the break put the Lancashire outfit 2-0 up. Alan Comfort pulled a goal back for Orient, but the Clarets held on for a 2-1 victory.

The defeat for Orient cost them a place in the play offs - with Aldershot securing the final birth. The Shots would then go on to beat Bolton and Wolves in the end of season lottery to secure promotion.

The three points were enough for Burnley to survive, too. Emotional scenes at Turf Moor ensued after news had reached them from South Wales - Lincoln City had been beaten 2-0.

However, the story of that day was just of Burnley's great escape - but that of another team.

Burnley's win meant Lincoln and Torquay were in trouble, but the Imps would be safe if the Gulls failed to pick up anything against Crewe.

Things had certainly looked good for City at half time. Crewe, under the management of Dario Gradi, were 2-0 up against Torquay, with one of the goals coming from a young midfielder called David Platt. The Gulls were heading down into the Conference.

Then, early in the second period, Jim McNichol pulled a goal back for the hosts from a free kick. Torquay had hope - another goal would save them from relegation.

Into the last ten minutes and, with the Devonians still seeking a second goal, a police dog called Bryn, in attendance at Plainmoor, reacted to a close challenge by McNichol on his handler.

McNichol sustained a nasty thigh injury from the dog's bite - holding play up by four minutes. They were to prove four crucial minutes.

Deep into added time, a mistake in the Alex backline allowed Paul Dobson to smash home an equaliser for Torquay. Just like at Turf Moor, fans invaded the Plainmoor pitch in joy and relief. The Gulls were staying up.

Torquay's Jim McNichol with unlikely hero Bryn - the dog who bit him

Dobson's goal, however, meant Lincoln, who up until that point had not been bottom of the table all season, had been condemned to relegation.

Final table:

.....................P.....GD....PTS
22. Burnley ...46...-21.....49
23. Torquay...46...-16.....48
-----------------------------------
24. Lincoln.....46...-20.....48

The intervention of Bryn had been crucial. Torquay were safe thanks to Devon's most famous dog since the Hound of the Baskervilles.

Almost a quarter of a century on and Gradi and Crewe return to Plainmoor this evening in much less dramatic circumstances.

Despite his lengthy tenure at the helm, you imagine the events of that May day ensure that it is one game the Alex's long serving boss will never forget.

Doctor Lakes - Burnley

He's back. After a summer off, Soccer AM/MW's very own malpractice-suit-in-waiting, Doctor Lakes, has returned.

Throughout the season he'll be donning his stethoscope, and happily poking around with all kinds of implements from his bag in order to monitor the health of Football League clubs.

For his first physical of the new campaign, he paid a house call to Burnley. Relegated from the top flight last season, what health are the Clarets in to make an instant return?


Burnley was once famous for cloth and engineering. The Queen even visited the town the year after the football club had won the old First Division.

Admittedly, she visited to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Burnley's borough status, but still. It was a town on the up. Its football club was fighting fit and ready to go for a few rounds with Sonny Liston.

I'll skip the years in between, because it makes for some pretty dark reading. Let's just say the club was lying in bed being read its last rites and trying not to walk towards the light.

Now, Burnley are trying to bounce back to the Promised Land. They were relegated from the Premier League after a single season. Still, that didn't matter because the fans were delighted to have spent a season in the sun.

Back in the Championship, they're doing quite well. After drawing with QPR, they sit in 8th - just a point outside the play offs. They didn't weaken their squad in the summer too much and only sold a couple of players.

However, these were replaced by more than adequate additions - Chris Iwelumo coming in and Ross Wallace joining from local rivals Preston.

Despite having Brian Laws in charge, the club looks like it can bounce back at the first time of asking.

They are competing against strong opposition though - and that says a lot about the strength of the Championship with 17 of the 24 clubs having played in the top flight since the Premier League rocked up.

So, how have they performed this season? Well, they were given a very tough start at home to Nottingham Forest, then away to Ipswich, at home to Leicester, and away to Swansea.

They picked up seven points though - with defeat to Swansea and a draw with the Tractor Boys.

Brian Laws is charged with taking Burnley back up

What followed the Swans defeat was an evening to remember for Clarets fans however - a game against PNE at Turf Moor. After 80 minutes, Preston were 3-1 up and down to ten men.

What happened in the remaining ten minutes probably says a lot more about the state of Darren Ferguson's North End than it does about Burnley, but Clarets fans couldn't give a toss when they walked away from the game with three points after scoring three times late on.

All of this in front of the television cameras. The Premier League now knew what it was missing.

Since that game, the club has been up and down and looks to be lacking any real consistency. A 3-0 victory followed by a 4-0 defeat - both at home. Laws will need to tighten up his defence if the club is to stand a chance of bouncing back.

It's difficult to judge Burnley at this moment in time. They have looked superb at times, and at other times they have looked abysmal. One minute they're running a marathon, the next they are laid up in bed claiming that Cheryl Cole gave them malaria.

They are in the promotion shake-up - and that's what the fans would have wanted coming into the winter months.

Whether they can push on from here and find themselves in the automatic promotion shake-up is another matter.

Returning from the impenetrable Loftus Road with a point is a sign they should find themselves in the top six at the end of the season though.

Bouncing Back

Sides relegated from the Premier League traditionally find it difficult to bounce back at the first attempt. Nobes looks at the challenges facing this year's trio as they re-enter the Championship.

Burnley boss Brian Laws is hoping to take his club back up this season

You can excuse the fans of Hull, Burnley, and Portsmouth for not being the most optimistic of supporters ahead of the new season. All three clubs face individual challenges on their return to the second tier.

However, a speedy return to life in the Premier League is the common goal shared by the relegated trio. Unfortunately, a look at the statistics, and they will realise the mountain they are attempting to climb.

Indeed, the success, or lack of, shown by sides coming down into the Championship will act as a sobering thought - even more so than a fixture list including the likes of Scunthorpe and Doncaster.

In the last ten seasons, just eight of the thirty teams relegated from the Premier League have bounced back at the first attempt. Half of those promotions were achieved by just two clubs as well - Birmingham and West Brom - who have each managed it twice.

Despite the huge financial advantages Premier League teams hold above their closest challengers, when they find themselves down in the Championship, wealth suddenly doesn't count for all that much.

Even illustrious names such as West Ham and Blackburn failed to escape at the first time of asking from the arduous 46-game campaign presented in the second tier.

Observers will point to last season's success for Newcastle and West Brom - who both secured an immediate return to the top flight for 2010/11. However, this was very much an anomaly when looking at how relegated teams generally perform.

Why is it though that these teams, who generally have greater wealth and bigger, more expensively assembled and more talented squads, seem to flounder when they drop out of the big time?

Certainly it would be fair to say that relegation brings about the exodus of top players a relegated team at any level experiences.

Sometimes it's for financial reasons - needing to clear players off a wage bill that will be stretched with lower gates and less income. Sometimes players wish to leave for their own career - not willing to slum it in the lower leagues.

Whatever the motivation, it can leave the heart of a club ripped out - and in need of being replaced before the new campaign. Not an easy task for any manager, especially when he's unlikely to see much of the money accrued through sales to rebuild his team.

However, with the aid of parachute payments, the loss of key players can be kept down to a minimum - meaning the manager still has the core of a Premier League team to work with.

While still left with players of quality, though, the spotlight then falls on the mentality of the squad - and the man selecting the team.

West Brom's instant promotion is not a common sight for relegated teams

Relegation to a lower division brings with it a huge change in culture. Instead of going to the top clubs and shutting up shop - hoping to steal a point or maybe even nick a win - the onus is now on you.

A relegated club is now the scalp, the side who will be faced with having to break down a stubborn defence who park the bus in front of their goal when they come visit.

Suddenly the emphasis is not on avoiding defeat but actually striving to win games. It requires a completely different tactical and mental approach - one that can often lead to a relegated side getting off to a slow start.

They must also face up to the reality that now as a 'big cheese' in their new division, they will be the team everyone wants to beat and take the scalp of. Sides will work harder and give even more. It is another hurdle which must be overcome.

As is the hubris associated with ex-top flight teams. Winter afternoons on boggy pitches and evening matches at small away grounds in the cold and rain are not a Premier League footballer's idea of fun.

Even Newcastle, runaway winners of last term's Championship, found their players outbattled, outworked, and deservedly beaten at Scunthorpe in a midweek game.

For the Toon Army, it was a rare defeat but, for those whose attitude is consistently wrong, such results can become common place as they get used to life in the Championship.

Indeed, the psychological battle can often be the most difficult. The shedding of the losing mentality acquired in the previous season is the first hurdle to get over. Just like winning, losing football matches can become a habit.

Once that is negotiated, players must be able to deal with the huge expectations on their shoulders. When a club's very future depends on the finances gained by being in the Premier League, the pressure is suddenly even greater.

Time is of the essence. Getting back to the top flight as quickly as possible is all that matters - and the longer you fail to succeed, the harder it becomes.

Which bring us onto this season's three clubs hoping their stay in the Championship is short and sweet.

However, it says a lot for their prospects that some pundits fancy the chances of promoted clubs Norwich and Leeds more than those of Portsmouth, Hull, and Burnley.

The first two face battles off the pitch, as well as on it, as they begin to come to terms with the overspending during their respective Premier League tenures. Balancing the books and making sure the club is stable off the field of play will be just as important as results on it.

New Pompey boss Steve Cotterill has Championship experience with Burnley

It perhaps makes both of their needs to reclaim their Premier League place even more important. Pompey and Hull are also joined in the fact they begin the campaign with new managers.

On the South Coast, Avram Grant's resignation and subsequent departure to West Ham opened the door for Steve Cotterill to make a return to the second tier of English football.

The 46-year-old had been out of the game since leaving Burnley in 2007 before re-surfacing last February to take over at League Two Notts County.

A sensational run at the end of season saw him capture the title at Meadow Lane and capture the attention of clubs up and down the country - one of the reasons for him leaving subsequently Notts.

Now he faces arguably his most difficult managerial challenge at a club who have been shedding players off their inflated wage bill for almost two years.

Portsmouth's financial mismanagement saw the club forced to operate under a transfer embargo last season as they became the first ever top flight club to enter administration on their way to the drop.

Cotterill must now steady the good ship Pompey. The straight-talking Westcountry man has a reputation for making sides organised and difficult to beat.

His no-frills approach is probably exactly what the Fratton Park outfit require at this moment in time. It might not always be pretty, but few sides will work harder than Portsmouth - a fact sure to be appreciated by some of England's most passionate supporters.

During his time at Burnley, he helped tighten up a notoriously leaky backline at Turf Moor and took the Clarets to three respectable mid table finishes. The re-building job at Pompey may require a similar performance this term.

The same can be said on the banks of the Humber. The future always looked bleak for Hull when their two year sojourn facing the country's finest came to an end in May.

Chairman Adam Pearson - no relation to his new manager, Nigel - had been sending out warnings about the club's financial future should relegation be forthcoming after he returned to the club at the start of 2010.

The desperation with which they have appeared to act in attempts to off-load Jimmy Bullard is an indication of the the club's urgency to cut its cloth accordingly after demotion.

In many ways, the signing of Bullard was a microcosm of everything that went wrong at the KC Stadium when the Premier League champagne went to their heads.

Nigel Pearson has taken on the challenge at relegated Hull City

Paying £5 million for a player with such a dubious injury record was folly to say the least. His astronomical wages, too, reflect poorly on former chairman Paul Duffen and ex-boss Phil Brown.

In his 18 months in East Yorkshire, the 31-year-old has made just 15 appearances due to injury. His refusal to lower his wage demands also scuppered a loan move to Celtic - something he should be ashamed of.

Fortunately, in Nigel Pearson, the Tigers have appointed a manager of great standing who has proven his ability in guiding Leicester to the League One title in 2009 then narrowly missing out in the play-offs last season with the Foxes.

If he can get the best out of a squad heavy in industry, if not inspiration, then City - finances permitting - could surprise many this term.

The third of the relegated trio, Burnley, are perhaps the most interesting case going into the 2010/11 season. The Clarets lasted just a single season amongst the big boys before their all too predictable swift return.

They are probably in the strongest position of the three relegated clubs to challenge though. The majority of the squad which won promotion in 2009 has been kept - as have the smart additions they made while in the Premier League.

Chairman Barry Kilby was determined not to 'risk the farm' in his approach to life in the top flight. Relegation only to come back stronger always seemed to be part of the Clarets's master plan.

While financially stable and boasting a good squad, though, the Lancashire club's hopes of challenging appear to rest on whether manager Brian Laws has the ability to make the best use of his resources.

He was a surprise appointment to replace Bolton-bound Owen Coyle in January. He had only just been dismissed by Sheffield Wednesday after a disastrous run saw them slump into the Championship's bottom three.

A few weeks later and he had another relegation fight on his hands - only this time in the top flight. However, Burnley lost 15 of their 18 games under Laws as they lost their battle against the drop.

Most worrying was a squad that Coyle had managed to coax every last drop out of suddenly seemed to have lost something under his successor. Kilby resisted the calls for a quick dismissal - and Laws survived.

Ultimately, not preventing relegation to the Championship is not a sackable offence for Laws. However, if Burnley fail to figure at the right end this season, he is unlikely to be afforded such backing from his Chairman again.

For Messrs Cotterill, Pearson, and Laws, it will be a lot more than just history weighing them down this season.

He fought the Laws and the Laws won

As Doncaster manager Sean O'Driscoll loses out in the race to manage top flight club Burnley, Turls reports on the big impact Donny's quietly spoken boss has had.

When Burnley revealed their 'shortlist' for the man to replace Owen Coyle, the gents at Soccer AM/MW Towers were convinced that this was the big break that Sean O'Driscoll finally deserved.

Having spent a hefty amount of his life at Bournemouth, 23 years, O'Driscoll moved up north to reside in the sunny climes of Doncaster.

After getting the club to function the way he wanted it to, Doncaster now find themselves as a mid-table Championship outfit who play attractive football and are very hard to dislike.

His career has taken time and it hasn't always been exciting for him. He started his playing career at Willenhall and I won't be surprised if it ends with him managing in the top-flight.

So when Burnley came sniffing, we were putting our heads together to come up with a glowing tribute to the man.

However, the job went to Brian Laws, a man who had only recently been sacked by Sheffield Wednesday. Why?

Maybe O'Driscoll isn't high profile enough? He is very mild mannered and rarely delivers shocking quotes that could spark outrage.

He doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve and he isn't a household name but that is just because he is efficient at his job.

Doncaster won't mind that their man has been overlooked by yet another Premiership team. The Vikings faithful are always scared when a team sacks their manager because they have an understandable fear that O'Driscoll will be their target.

Am I upset to see him overlooked again? No. Because it means we get even more time to enjoy his brand of football.


With Brian Laws's appointment as Burnley boss, Nobes looks at other Football League managers who have been appointed into the Premier League.

Sacked by Sheffield Wednesday - but now Brian Laws is in the Premier League

Brian Laws has always been a trend setter. Long after managers began throwing teacups at players in the dressing room, Laws instead chose a plate of chicken wings to exhibit his displeasure at Ivano Bonetti whilst manager of Grimsby.

However, the former Sheffield Wednesday boss will need to buck the trend if he is to be the first of many young English managers being given a break in the top flight without any prior experience.

The Noughties was a decade when even the smaller top flight clubs looked overseas for their manager, often neglecting the young talent coming through the pyramid.

Indeed, in researching this, unless they were promoted from within only by achieving promotion into the division did young managers get their break in the top flight.

Perhaps Premier League clubs were wary of having their fingers burnt after Leicester's experiment with Peter Taylor [left] at the start of the Millennium failed to pay off.

Taylor, who had enjoyed success with Gillingham and the England U21s was seen as a excellent choice to replace the inspirational Martin O'Neill at the Foxes. Here was a young, bright coach being handed a chance at the top table.

However, a good start soon gave way to a post-Christmas slide and a shocking start the next season saw Taylor given the axe. Leicester finished the season relegated, since only returning to the top flight for one season.

Paul Sturrock was another manager who had impressed in the lower leagues. Having taken Plymouth from the depths of the basement division to the brink of the Championship, he caught the attention of top flight Southampton.

However, a few months later, amid rumours of dressing room unrest at the Scot's tactics and long-ball style, Sturrock was given the boot. Southampton were too - relegated from the Premier League at the end of the season.

And it was the risk of the same thing happening to them that was enough for Blackburn to ditch Paul Ince last season as the Lancashire club appeared to be sliding towards the Championship.

The step-up from League Two for the ex-Macclesfield and Milton Keynes manager proved too much and when the going got tough he appeared to lack the experience to turn things around.

Indeed, Laws joins a group of just two others managers with Football League experience managing in the top flight without ever winning promotion to it.

One of the others, Roberto Martinez, is in his first season at Wigan. The Spaniard left Swansea over the summer and has enjoyed a mixed start as he attempts to preserve the Latics' Premier League status.

The other, and by far the most successful, is Everton's David Moyes. Now in his eighth full season on Merseyside, the Scot [left] has proven himself the exception to the rule in appointing from below the Premier League.

Moyes had no top flight experience when he left Preston, but has consistently helped the Toffees punch above their weight, qualify for Europe, and even make the FA Cup final during his tenure at Goodison Park.

He proves that it can be done and, for the sake of other unfashionable managers like Sean O'Driscoll in the Football League, Laws must do too.