From The Ground Up

With Chesterfield set to crown their debut season in the b2net Stadium as League Two champions, Nobes looks at how other clubs did after they move grounds.

John Sheridan' Chesterfield are on course to win the League Two title this season

So serene has Chesterfield's unflagging quest for the League Two title been that it's easy to forget the Derbyshire side and focus instead on the more competitive areas of the basement division.

It's a sign of just how imperious John Sheridan's men have been in a campaign that will surely see them crowned as worthy League Two winners and end their four year spell in the basement division.

Even more impressively, it has been done despite leaving their home of years in Saltergate and having to adjust to the new surroundings of the b2net Stadium.

However, as I reported earlier in the campaign, the move seems to have been the catalyst behind Chesterfield's renaissance for a dream debut season.

Not every club has welcomed a new ground in such a positive manner though. Here's my look on how it worked out for some of the others.


Oxford United 2001/2

The Oxen were relegated to League Two in their last season at the Manor Ground and hopes were high that they'd bounce back at the first attempt.

However, life in their new three-sided Kassam Stadium was difficult - losing their first two games in a campaign where they struggled towards the bottom and changed managers.

United ended the season in 21st - winning as many matches at home as they lost.


Leicester City - 2002/3

Having waved goodbye to Filbert Street by crashing out of the top flight, the financially troubled Foxes moved into the Walkers Stadium hoping for a change in fortunes.

And they got it. With a little help from a very generous CVA arrangement, City bounced back to the Premier League at the first time of asking as runners-up to Portsmouth.

Leicester won 16 games and lost just twice on their own patch as it served as the foundation for an impressive promotion under Micky Adams.

Leicester won promotion in their first season at the Walkers Stadium

Hull City - 2003

Hull made the unusual step of switching from their Boothferry Park home to the KC Stadium midway through an underwhelming 2002/3 season.

However, having got to grips with their new surroundings in the second half of their mid-table campaign, the Tigers made amends in 2003/4.

They finished as runners-up to Doncaster to gain promotion to League One with a record of 16 wins and three defeats at their new home.


Coventry City - 2005/6

The Sky Blues signed off from their Highfield Road ground with a 6-2 win and began life in the Ricoh Arena with a 3-0 victory.

However, while their final year at their old ground saw them flirt with the drop, their inaugural campaign at the Ricoh saw them post their best finish to date during ten years in the Championship.

Micky Adams's side won 12 and lost just four of their home matches that season and ended up in 8th.


Swansea City - 2005/6

Ending their final campaign at the Vetch Field by winning promotion to League One, the Swans set about welcoming in their new Liberty Stadium in the same fashion.

Kenny Jackett's men were amongst the front runners all season, albeit a late dip in form saw them having to settle for a place in the play offs.

No third tier side scored more goals at home that year than the Welsh club, who won 11 and lost just three on their own patch. They went on to be defeated on penalties by Barnsley in the play off final.

It was nearly a second successive promotion for the Swans at their new home

Doncaster Rovers - 2007

Like Hull, Rovers decided to opt for the mid-season switch as they changed grounds from the antiquated Belle Vue to the more modern and plush Keepmoat Stadium.

They ended the 2006/7 season in mid table before winning promotion to the second tier for the first time in half a century 12 months later.

Donny won 14 and lost five in their first full campaign at the Keepmoat, eventually succeeding through the play offs with a Wembley win against Leeds.


Milton Keynes Dons - 2007/8

The forerunners of Chesterfield. The Dons finally vacated the National Hockey Stadium and moved into their own home in 2007.

The new stadium:mk was given a rude awakening when Bury rolled into town and beat the Dons in its first match. Indeed, four other sides won there that year.

However, Paul Ince's men did win 11 on their own patch, and their formidable away record helped propel them to a double of the League Two title and Football League Trophy.


Shrewsbury Town 2007/8

Salop had gone out with a bang at their Gay Meadow home, reaching the play off final at Wembley - where they had lost to Bristol Rovers.

They were confident of building upon that when making the move to the New Meadow, and even opened up their new ground with four successive victories.

However, that bright start soon evaporated and they finished the campaign in a hugely disappointing 18th with nine wins and eight defeats in their new home.

Shrewsbury didn't do as well as expected when moving to the New Meadow

Colchester United - 2008/9

Having punched above their weight in the Championship for two seasons at Layer Road, the Essex outfit began life in their new stadium in League One.

However, a poor start to the season saw it take them seven matches to record a victory at the Weston Homes Community Stadium.

That sluggish opening saw them end the campaign in mid table, with just seven wins and 12 defeats in their new surroundings.


Cardiff City - 2009/10

A disastrous end to the previous season had seen the Bluebirds depart from Ninian Park with a 3-0 loss and agonisingly missing out on the end of season play offs.

They bounced back in fine style though, winning their first two games at their new stadium 4-0 and 3-0.

It was to remain a fortress for them, with 12 wins and five losses in a season which took them to Wembley and a Championship play off final defeat against Blackpool.


Morecambe - 2010/11

Like Chesterfield, the Shrimps also began this season in new surroundings. However, they have found life a lot harder than their League Two rivals.

Finishing 4th in their last season at Christie Park and qualifying for the play offs, they had hoped to continue from where they left off at their new Globe Arena.

To date though they've won six and lost eight at the new stadium and are languishing in 15th. A far cry from last season's home form of 14 wins and three defeats.

Tired Of Hanging Around

With Leeds and Norwich in the Championship, Bournemouth in League One, and League Two Oxford all vying for back-to-back promotions, Nobes looks back on other sides who've done the same in recent years - and what happened next.

Up from League One last year, Leeds and Norwich are fighting for successive promotions

Promotion for one, or both, of Leeds and Norwich at the end of this season would cap an incredible turnaround in fortunes at both Elland and Carrow Roads in the past two years.

The pair both won promotion from League One last term and have continued their momentum this term in challenging at the top end of the Championship. Successive elevations aren't out of the question.

League One Bournemouth, too, are also gunning for successive promotions after their against-all-odds promotion last season. Oxford, after their exile in the Conference, have also returned stronger and are mounting a play off push.

While continued success may sound like a dream scenario though, is there an argument for rising too far too soon? Here's my look at some of the other sides who've won back-to-back promotions and how they fared afterwards.


Watford 1997-1999

Graham Taylor, in his second spell in charge at Vicarage Road, guided the Hornets to the third tier title in 1997/8.

Twelve months later, and they had completed a return to the top flight for the first time in more than a decade - beating Bolton in the play off final.

However, after their quick ascent, they found themselves well short in the Premier League. Watford finished bottom, a full 12 points adrift of safety.

Relegated back down to the Championship, it took them another six years before they returned to the top tier for another single year.


Rotherham United 1999-2001

The Millers made it two promotions on the spin during the first managerial spell of current boss Ronnie Moore.

They finished runners-up in both the basement division and then, to everyone's surprise, in the third tier, too, as they returned to the Championship for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Despite small crowds and limited resources, there they remained for four seasons before tumbling back down the ladder due to financial problems.


Brighton & Hove Albion 2000-2002

Not since the mid-1980s during Oxford's rise up the footballing ladder had a team won successive championships.

That changed at the beginning of the new Millennium when Brighton went from the basement division to the Championship - winning both divisions along the way.

Firstly, Micky Adams took Albion to the 1999/2000 League Two title and then, when he left mid-way through the next campaign to join Leicester, replacement Peter Taylor kept the Seagulls on course for consecutive titles and promotions.

Their sudden rise, allied with cramped facilities at the Withdean, ensured Brighton were instantly relegated - although they did manage to bounce back at the first time of asking under Mark McGhee's stewardship.

Currently top of League One - dreaming of a return to the Championship ready for playing in their brand new ground at Falmer.


Doncaster Rovers 2002-2004

Rovers spent five years in the Conference after falling out of the Football League in 1998.

However, they became the first ever Conference play off winners in 2003.

In unknown waters, people predicted the second team to come up to struggle, but Donny shocked everyone by romping away with the League Two crown.

Dave Penney's side comfortably held their own in the third tier before winning promotion to their current position in the Championship in 2008 under his successor, Sean O'Driscoll.


Hull City 2003-2005

The year Doncaster won the basement division title, many people's favourites had been big spending Hull City.

With the experienced Peter Taylor at the helm, and playing in the brand new KC Stadium, the Tigers had to settle for second spot and promotion though.

Twelve months later, and they had made it successive promotions - as runners-up in League One to Luton. Taylor ensured City stabilised in the second tier before Phil Brown led them into the top flight in 2008 for the first time in their history.

They hung around for a couple of seasons before falling back down last May.


Southend United 2004-2006

After years of mid-table mediocrity in League Two, local lad Steve Tilson engineered a dramatic turnaround in fortunes at Southend.

The Shrimpers were victorious in the 2005 play-off final against Lincoln to gain elevation into League One.

There, they shocked everyone by winning the title - pipping local rivals Colchester to boot - and gain a return to the Championship for the first time in a decade.

They only lasted a year there, and although they went close to returning, off-field financial troubles saw them relegated back down to League Two for this season.


Carlisle United 2004-2006

The masters of avoiding relegation from the Football League finally paid the price for previous close-calls in 2003 when a disastrous start cost the Cumbrians their League Two place.

They bounced back at the first time of asking - Paul Simpson's men beating Stevenage in the play off final.

United then followed in Doncaster's footsteps by winning the League Two title the very next season.

Now firmly consolidated in the third tier of English football - as well as performing their usual JPT heroics.


Peterborough United 2007-2009

Ambitious owner Darragh MacAnthony fuelled back-to-back promotions in the Fens as Posh made it from League Two to the Championship.

Darren Ferguson led the Cambridgeshire side to runners-up positions behind Milton Keynes and then Leicester in successive seasons to return United to the second tier for the first time since 1994.

However, Posh struggled badly last term, culminating in Ferguson getting the boot and three other managers failing to stave off relegation.

Now back in League One and back under Ferguson's control.


Exeter City 2007-2009

The Devon side were the first victims of two-up two-down between the Football League and Conference in 2003.

They remained there for five years, losing out in the 2007 play off final to Morecambe before 12 months later returning to Wembley and beating Cambridge to win promotion.

Paul Tisdale's Grecians then finished as runners-up in League Two behind Brentford as they secured a return to the third tier for the first time in 15 years.

They battled against the drop last term, eventually ensuring survival on the final day to secure another year in League One.


What do we learn from a look in the history books? Certainly for Norwich and Leeds, winning successive promotions into the Premier League is rare. Watford found the step-up too big, but then they are a much smaller club.

They would find it hard, like all promoted sides in the top flight do, but would stand a better chance than most of staying up.

For Bournemouth, clubs of similar stature like Peterborough and Rotherham have found the going tough after their rapid ascent into the Championship. With their financial limitations, the Cherries probably would too.

Oxford have cause to be optimistic though. Plenty of promoted Conference clubs have gone straight through the basement division and none of them have been relegated immediately.

With their resources, they should feel confident that a second successive promotion can be the platform for establishing themselves back in the third tier.

Ideal World

Nobes looks at the managers who refuse to abandon their purist beliefs - and why he hopes they succeed.

Tony Mowbray has taken over at struggling Middlesbrough

There can't have been many more obvious appointments. A local boy done good, a club legend as a player, a proven manager for their division, and an advocate of the beautiful game.

When Middlesbrough parted company with Gordon Strachan, there really was only one choice then - Tony Mowbray. However, it's perhaps the last description which is the most interesting.

Boro were favourites for the Championship title in pre-season, but struggled badly under Strachan - and eventually ending up in the relegation zone.

To salvage them from their plight though, they have put their faith in a manager who, at West Bromwich Albion, was known to be unwilling to compromise his footballing beliefs.

The 46-year-old is a dying breed in management - a purist. For Mowbray it's not just the winning that counts, it's how you take part.

It saw him derided by the national media as he failed to keep the Baggies in the Premier League. Accusations of naivety, incompetence, and inflexibility were directed his way.

How did he expect to keep Albion up when he refused to compromise his beliefs in an open, attacking, passing game?

West Brom were always going to win a lot more admirers than they were points. Their relegation at the end of the 2008/9 campaign was no surprise.

So Boro's turning to Mowbray goes against the conventional wisdom that, in such relegation fights, it's steel, not style, that is required to dig you out of the hole you find yourself in.

Rather they are banking on someone who has the Riverside club in his blood to instill the fight and passion - as well as harnessing the quality present in the squad - required to turn things around.

Certainly Boro do have the quality, coupled with ample time, to get themselves out of trouble and towards the right end of the table.

Even if the top six alludes them this term, too, they can have confidence that a manager who has won this division before will get them competing at the summit next season.

Doing so would be a significant, and I believe much-welcomed, boost to those who claim that football is more than just about results.

After all, if, as so many people claim, footballers are paid so much because they're in the entertainment industry, shouldn't supporters then expect to be entertained at matches?

Mowbray is not alone in his thinking. Indeed, alongside Boro towards the bottom of the Championship are Crystal Palace and Preston - whose respective bosses George Burley and Darren Ferguson are also committed to a certain style of play.

If the managers have their way, their teams won't go down fighting as much as exciting. They play the game the right way, but get the wrong results.

In short, such managers are idealists. They believe in a world where beautiful football can be combined with success. To paraphrase the great Brian Clough - they not only want to win, but win better.

Mark Stimson is in yet another relegation battle as a manager

What about when you're not winning much at all though? It's the scenario currently facing the Football League's bottom side, Barnet.

Perennial battlers against relegation, a summer of upheaval at Underhill after yet another near escape from the drop saw them appoint Mark Stimson as manager.

A new boss, but the same old story. The Bees currently prop up the rest and have the worst goal difference in the basement division.

Barnet fans attach much of the blame to Stimson - a manager who suffered two relegations in his three seasons at Gillingham.

The 42-year-old made his name for the attractive, attacking game he adopted at Grays Athletic. He took the Essex side to consecutive promotions into the Conference Premier, where they were play off semi final losers in 2006.

He also secured back-to-back FA Trophy successes, before taking over at Stevenage and winning the competition with the Hertfordshire outfit for his third successive victory.

However, when the Gills, struggling in League One, came calling in November 2007, the Londoner struggled to make the step up in divisions.

Despite plenty of time, the various players he brought with him from the Non Leagues failed to have the desired impact. Gillingham went down.

Stimson bounced back, taking the Kent outfit back up at the first time of asking, but a disastrous win less away record last term saw them instantly relegated back again - and the boss paid with his job.

It's hard to see why Barnet, a side known for relegation battles, decided to employ someone with a poor track record in them, therefore.

More than that, a huge summer turnover saw Stimson completely rebuild the team - in the skillful, attractive, passing style he favours.

In the rigours and rough-and-tumble of League Two though, the Bees have struggled to convert their attractiveness into effectiveness. Stimson's best intentions are paving the road to the Conference.

That's not to say it can't be done. Few fans can be happier with life at the moment than Doncaster's.

The South Yorkshire side play one of the most attractive brands of football outside the top flight and, thanks to the wily Sean O'Driscoll, continue to punch above their weight in the top half of the Championship.

It is the dream scenario. Rovers need never qualify for the top six and fans at the Keepmoat can still have little cause for complain.

For the good of the game, it is also the kind of scenario which would be most welcome if repeated elsewhere.

While critics may argue that, in such a results driven industry, there is little place for idealists like Mowbray, successful teams playing the right way can only serve as positive inspiration.

Then maybe one day the Ideal World will become the real one.

Big Match Review - Doncaster 1 Nottingham Forest 1

Doncaster Rovers 1-1 Nottingham Forest

Saturday October 2, Keepmoat Stadium, (Att: 10,759)

It was honours even at the Keepmoat Stadium as draw specialists Nottingham Forest had to settle for a point after being pegged back by Doncaster.

In an even encounter, Forest almost made the breakthrough when a Paul Anderson drive from distance came back off a post.

The visitors eventually took the lead just before the half hour mark when Donny failed to clear a corner and Dexter Blackstock had the time and space to crash a shot past Neil Sullivan.

It didn't take long for Rovers to get back on level terms though. Just five minutes later Adam Lockwood stole in at the back post to head home John Oster's inswinging free-kick.

Billy Davies's men responded, and Sullivan was twice tested by shots from Chris Cohen and Lewis McGugan.

Rovers improved after the break, and went close with a James Hayter header and a Martin Woods shot saved by Lee Camp.

Sean O'Driscoll's side then went close to winning it through the same pair, but Hayter's header from a Woods free kick was brilliantly saved by the legs of Camp.

The three points remained elusive, but a point maintained Doncaster's unbeaten home record, and stretched Forest's run without defeat to nine.

Big Match Preview

Doncaster Rovers vs. Nottingham Forest

Saturday October 2, 15:00, Keepmoat Stadium

Two sides level on points in the Championship meet this weekend as Doncaster and Nottingham Forest go head-to-head at the Keepmoat Stadium.

Both teams sit in mid-table, just a win off the top six, and will hope three points on Saturday will take them closer towards those coveted play-off positions.

Rovers will be seeking to return to winning ways after successive defeats in away games at QPR and Coventry in the last week.

Despite controlling the first half against Rangers, the Yorkshire side fell apart late on to lose 3-0, they then conceded another late goal at the Ricoh Arena in midweek in a 2-1 defeat.

Boss Sean O'Driscoll will hope home comforts - Donny are unbeaten at the Keepmoat this term - will see a more profitable return from the weekend's game therefore.

Playing the passing football which has become their hallmark, home wins have been secured against Norwich and Hull, as well as draws against Bristol City and Leeds.

Central for Rovers has been the form of striker Billy Sharp, whose goal in midweek was his third of the campaign. James Coppinger with four, including a hat-trick in their win over Norwich, could also be a key man.

Visitors Forest arrive looking to extend an eight match unbeaten run in the league. Not since an opening day loss at Burnley have they tasted defeat.

Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies is eyeing the top six again

Although victories have been hard to come by - the East Midlands side have won just twice - Billy Davies's side look typically well organised and are expected to feature towards the top again.

Forest were play-off semi final losers to Blackpool in May, something which may partly account for their slow beginning to this term.

Wily boss Davies has been petitioning his board at the City Ground for further additions to a squad he feels is currently lacking. However, Forest still have one of the strongest teams in the division.

Keeper Lee Camp is arguably the best in the Championship and, with the likes of Dexter Blackstock and Robert Earnshaw, the Tricky Trees shouldn't be short of goals this term either.

Captain Paul McKenna is also a key man dictating things in midfield. His second half goal rescued a point for Forest against Sheffield United in midweek.

Forest's only away success this term was a 2-1 win at McKenna's old club Preston. Draws have also been recorded at Hull and Reading.

Both sides like to play the game the right way and this should be a good match to watch. Davies and Forest will not make life easy for Doncaster though.

With Rovers solid at home and Forest difficult to beat, a draw looks almost too predictable an outcome. So predictable, I wonder if Forest might just edge it.

Nobes' Prediction: Doncaster Rovers 0 Nottingham Forest 1

Getting The Breaks

Nobes looks at the managers in the Football League who Premier League clubs should consider if they are looking for a new boss.

Aidy Boothroyd's best hope of a top flight return is with promotion

There was a time when the departure of a top flight boss, as with Aston Villa's Martin O'Neill this week, would have seen movement in the managerial merry-go-round in the lower divisions.

The managerial 'food chain' would come into full flow, with each bigger club seeking to poach their new boss from a smaller team.

Someone who had impressed and was worth being given a shot in a bigger role would be sought.

Now, as in the transfer market, the focus appears to be overseas, with the big clubs looking to foreign, not home grown coaches, to fill their vacant managerial seats.

However, to do that is to overlook the genuine quality in the lower divisions with managers who have proven their ability and could be worth giving a chance to.

Of the 72 managers outside the Premier League, 17 have managed in the top flight before.

In the second tier that includes Steve Coppell, Neil Warnock, George Burley, and Gordon Strachan. All of these managers have just begun projects at ambitious clubs though, so would be unlikely to jump ship now.

Roy Keane at Ipswich has a combustible nature that might put off potential suitors, and there are question marks over the style of play used by Coventry's Aidy Boothroyd.

The most recent to gain Premier League experience was Brian Laws - a surprise appointment by Burnley last season. He endured a miserable run as he oversaw the Clarets's demotion last May though.

Outside the Championship, four bosses in League One have tasted top flight management - Peter Reid, Danny Wilson, Chris Hutchings, and Alan Pardew.

The former is someone whose career is now on a downward spiral and Wilson, once a promising star of the managerial game, has never recovered from a poor time at Sheffield Wednesday.

Hutchings failed at both Bradford and Wigan and is unlikely to ever get another opportunity. Only Pardew has any chance of ever making it back into the top flight.

In League Two, Bradford's Peter Taylor had a miserable spell at Leicester in the early Noughties, and Paul Sturrock lasted just a few months at Southampton.

Micky Adams took Leicester into the top flight in 2003 but they were promptly relegated a year later, and the experienced Graham Turner managed Aston Villa in the top flight during the '80s.

At 62, he's unlikely to want to manage at the top again, but there are young, hungry managers waiting to get their first break - or another - in the Premier League.

Here are some of the managers who top flight clubs could do a lot worse than choosing to fill their vacancy:


Sean O'Driscoll (Doncaster Rovers)

Was believed to be frontrunner for the Burnley job but when the Clarets couldn't agree compensation with current employers Doncaster, they opted for Brian Laws instead.

The softly-spoken 53-year-old has earned a reputation for producing teams who play pure passing football and are easy on the eye.

He has established Doncaster in the second tier and won promotion in the lower leagues with Bournemouth, too.

Used to working on a budget and getting teams to punch above their weight, O'Driscoll is quickly becoming a man in demand.

Likely top flight destination: Born and raised in the Black Country, O'Driscoll is a lifelong Wolverhampton Wanderers fan. If the Molineux job was to become free, he would find it difficult to turn down.

Why he wouldn't be picked: Not a big name, he spent the vast majority of his playing career in the lower divisions. Would he be respected by top players?

Would his purist footballing views also be counted against him when pragmatism is sometimes called for?


Billy Davies (Nottingham Forest)

A fiery Scot who has built a reputation as the best manager outside the top flight over the last few years.

Twice took Preston to the play offs, before being turned down for the vacant top flight job at Charlton.

He was then promoted to the Premier League with Derby in 2007 before being harshly sacked as the Rams struggled in the top flight.

Next turned up at rivals Nottingham Forest who he, again, led into the play offs last season.

A meticulous planner, he has the ability to produce sides pleasing on the eye as well as miserly at the back.


Likely top flight destination: Unlikely to be given a big job, a smaller club in trouble - the likes of Wigan - might be tempted on giving him another break in the top flight.

Why he wouldn't be picked: His torrid time at Derby will put out any potential top flight club. He also a reputation for falling out with his employers.


Dave Jones (Cardiff City)

Jones has twice managed in the top flight. Firstly, he managed to keep Southampton in the top flight before being replaced by Glenn Hoddle when having to fight a court case.

He bounced back to lead Wolves into the Premier League for the first time in their history in 2004.

He was unable to keep the club up and they were relegated in last place after just a season.

Built his reputation in the Football League with Stockport, and in his six years at Cardiff has taken them to the FA Cup final and last year's Championship play off final.


Likely top flight destination: Jones was linked with Fulham this summer and in the past was previously rumoured to, despite his Wolves connections, have attracted the interest of West Brom.

His experience and knowledge of relegation battles would be attractive to such a club.

Why he wouldn't be picked: Hard to say why. Being relegated with a newly promoted club is no disgrace and his record at Cardiff and Southampton demands respect. Is he already, at 53, seen as too old?


Nigel Pearson (Hull City)

Only newly appointed at the KC Stadium, but Pearson's track record suggests a man who doesn't bed down roots at a club and happily moves about frequently.

He enjoyed great success with Leicester over the last two years.

First guiding them to the 2009 League One title before taking them into last season's Championship play offs only to fall at the semi final stage.

Has worked at the likes of Newcastle and West Brom as a coach in the top flight before.


Likely top flight destination: Newcastle's Chris Hughton is the bookies' favourite to be the first manager sacked this season, and Pearson's connections with St James' Park could see him in contention for the role.

Why he wouldn't be picked: Still a relative managerial novice whose only real success has come with a big club in a small pond. It would be a big gamble.


Paul Lambert (Norwich City)

A year ago he was managing Colchester hoping for a top six place in the third tier.

Lambert's stock has been in meteoric rise since taking over at Norwich and storming to the League One title.

The impressive fashion with which the Canaries won the division scoring hatfuls of goals with an attacking brand of football also earned him plaudits.

After a distinguished playing career he started out coaching Livingston in the SPL before making the move to basement tier Wycombe - whom he guided into the League Two play offs in 2008.

Likely top flight destination: Lambert was linked with the Celtic job over the summer - proof that he is in vogue. Any bottom half Premier League team looking for a new manager are sure to consider the Norwich boss if he continues to impress.

Why he wouldn't be picked: Is he really ready? This is his first season in the Championship and he is completely untested in the higher divisions. One for the future, maybe, but not for the present.


Simon Grayson (Leeds United)

With two promotions - both gained by playing attractive football - on his managerial CV already, the 40-year-old is one of the hottest managerial prospects.

He took Blackpool to promotion to the Championship in his first full season before establishing them in the second tier.

When the call came from boyhood club Leeds though, he left the Seasiders and last season took the Elland Road outfit back into the Championship - again in his first full campaign.





Likely top flight destination: Arguably he's most likely to become a top flight manager by taking Leeds there. Refuted interest from ex-club Leicester in the summer to stay at the club he has always supported.

Why he wouldn't be picked: Like Lambert, he is still very young - although he has proven his ability to work within a budget and get results in the Championship.

Whether a club would be willing to pay the hefty compensation Leeds would ask for their man might be a large stumbling block though.


Alan Pardew (Southampton)

Despite currently being in League One, Pardew and the Saints are heavily tipped to be back on the way up to at least the Championship.

Pardew made his name at Reading - taking the Royals into the second tier before leaving for West Ham. He took the East Londoners back into the top flight and subsequently guided them to the 2006 FA Cup final.

He was dismissed a few months later after a poor start to the following campaign and then endured a disappointing reign at Charlton.



Likely top flight destination: Pardew is rebuilding his career on the South Coast and is unlikely to be tapped up or want to leave yet himself.

However, if he can resurrect the fortunes of Southampton then, either with the Saints or at another club, the 49-year-old can still bring his brand of good football to the Premier League.

Why he wouldn't be picked: His time at Charlton has probably laid the seeds of doubt in chairmen's minds. He failed to turn around a sinking ship at The Valley and, although he wasn't fully to blame, it will have put some clubs off.

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.