Three Is A Magic Number?

As Bristol Rovers appoint Stuart Campbell as their third manager of the season, Nobes looks at how other sides who went through as many bosses during a campaign fared.

Dave Penney has been shown the exit by Bristol Rovers after two months

When Dave Penney reflects on his managerial career, it will include a tale of two Rovers. At the first, Doncaster, he established his reputation as a promising young coach.

He led Donny back into the Football League in 2003 before taking them to the League Two title a year later. He then consolidated the Yorkshire side in the third tier.

At Bristol Rovers, however, he hardly had time to get his feet under the desk. The 46-year-old took charge of just 13 matches at the Memorial Stadium as he struggled to turn around the League One outfit's fortunes.

Just two wins and nine defeats - conceding 28 goals along the way - later and the Gas had shown him the door, handing senior player Stuart Campbell the job until the end of the term.

He began his reign with a 1-0 win at Tranmere in midweek, taking the West Country outfit to within a couple of points of safety.

Not that having three different managers during the campaign is an ideal scenario. It paints a picture of instability and panic, pinning blame on one man rather than looking at collective responsibility.

Rovers are banking on their latest switch making the difference though, but what do the history books tell us about sides going through three different bosses in just one season?


Exeter City 2002/3

He now drives a milk tanker around Devon but, at the start of the 2002/3 season, John Cornforth [pictured] was in charge at Exeter.

As boss at St James Park though, he failed to deliver, and was removed from his position at the start of October.

The Grecians, just three points above the drop zone, turned to rookie Neil McNab.

However, the Scot managed just three wins from 20 games and with City rock bottom at the beginning of March he was axed.

Former Preston boss Gary Peters was drafted in for the last 13 games to try and save the Grecians.

Result: Despite collecting 20 points under Peters, City ended up 23rd, just a single point off safety, and were relegated to the Conference.



Northampton Town 2002/3

Cobblers had only narrowly avoided the drop the previous year - when they had turned to Kevan Broadhurst to replace Kevin Wilson.

However, the boot was on the other foot a season later, when Broadhurst was given the push and in came former England international Terry Fenwick [pictured].

His reign lasted just seven games though - five losses and two draws - dumping Town to a point off the bottom of League One.

Chief Scout Martin Wilkinson then assumed control for the last 13 matches of the season.

Result: Wilkinson hardly fared any better. Cobblers finished bottom of the division, a full 11 points from safety.



Macclesfield Town 2003/4

Macc began the season under the stewardship of David Moss, but after a third of the campaign found themselves only out of the drop zone on goal difference.

In came club legend and assistant boss John Askey into the top job.

However, he struggled to lift the Cheshire side out of relegation danger.

With seven games of the season remaining, and the Silkmen three points adrift of safety, he was moved back down to assist veteran manager Brian Horton [pictured].

Result: Collecting 13 points from 21, the experienced hand of Horton ensured Macc beat the drop comfortably in the end.



Millwall 2005/6

The Lions had already got through one manager before pre season had even ended.

Steve Claridge was swiftly removed after 36 days over concerns about his managerial style and the club's prospects for the season.

Ex-Wolves boss Colin Lee was drafted in, but Millwall struggled towards the bottom.

When he left just before Christmas the club were bottom of the Championship and five points from safety.

His assistant, and former Lions player, David Tuttle [pictured] then took over the reins with more than half the season to keep them up.

Result: That worrying pre-season proved correct, with Millwall finishing the season second bottom, and relegated with two games of the season still to play.



Torquay United 2006/7

Only a late great escape had saved the Gulls from relegation to the Conference in the previous campaign.

It had been engineered by Ian Atkins, who led the side into the new season.

However, a bright start soon evaporated and he was given the boot by new owner Chris Roberts with United just outside the bottom two.

Roberts hired former Czech Republic international Lubos Kubik to take over, but his disastrous reign saw the Devonians collect just a single win from 12 matches.

By the time Keith Curle [pictured] took over in February, Torquay were rock bottom and five shy of safety.

Result: Curle guided the side to two wins from 15 as they crashed to a dismal relegation to the Conference.



Leicester City 2007/8

Milan Mandaric hailed the summer appointment of Martin Allen [pictured] at the Foxes - then parted company with him after just three games.

Next up was Gary Megson, but it was roles reversed when Megson walked out on the club after just 40 days to join Bolton.

Mandaric then turned to Plymouth's Ian Holloway to bring some much needed stability.

With more than 30 games of the campaign remaining he was charged with guiding the club up the league table.

Result: Only he didn't. The goal-shy Foxes were permanently staving off the drop until, on the final day, slipping into the bottom three and being relegated.



Bournemouth 2008/9

A ten point deduction had resulted in Kevin Bond's men being relegated to League Two in 2008.

They then had the daunting prospect of beginning the season on minus 18 points.

Failure to win in their first four games saw him axed and ex-Cherries striker Jimmy Quinn being brought in to win their fight against the drop.

By the end of 2008, although back in positive numbers, they still sat seven points adrift of third bottom with half of the season remaining.

Popular former player and Quinn's assistant Eddie Howe [pictured] was thrown into a baptism of fire to keep the Dorset side up.

Result: The rest is history. The 29-year-old rookie garnered 39 points in the second half of the campaign as Bournemouth comfortably stayed up in the end.



Queens Park Rangers 2009/10

The revolving door was in full spin at Loftus Road as Rangers kept up their extraordinary managerial turnover last term.

Jim Magilton [pictured] began the campaign, with the Rs picking up after a slow start to be in contention for the play offs.

An alleged dressing room bust up saw Magilton leave and Paul Hart in as his replacement.

Hart's reign lasted just four matches though before he resigned.

Caretaker Mick Harford presided over Rangers slumping into the bottom five and were just three points above the drop zone when Neil Warnock was appointed.

Result: The outspoken Yorkshireman quickly turned things around in West London, and QPR ended up in 13th - well clear of any relegation danger.



Peterborough United 2009/10

Posh had just won back-to-back promotions into the Championship under Darren Ferguson's management.

A poor start that saw them bottom after 16 games led to the Scot being fired.

He was followed by Kettering boss Mark Cooper, [pictured] plucked from the Non Leagues.

His nightmare tenure only produced one win from 12, and he was given the push in January.

Jim Gannon was the next in the hot seat but, despite a relatively productive spell, he turned down the chance to stay on at London Road.

Result: Gannon's final game saw Peterborough condemned to relegation and Gary Johnson took over for the last four matches of the season.



Notts County 2009/10

Big-spending County were everyone's tips for the League Two title last term.

An inconsistent start saw the club's ambitious owners axe Ian McParland with the club only in the play offs.

They brought in Swede Hans Backe, [pictured] a close friend of Director of Football Sven-Goran Eriksson.

However, after a similarly erratic tenure, he was gone by the time the club's ownership fell through and a new regime turned to Steve Cotterill.

Result: Cotterill picked up the pieces, got the best squad in the division to play to their maximum, and an incredible late run took them to the predicted title.


Sheffield United 2010/11

Like Rovers, United are onto their third manager of the campaign.

The early sacking of Kevin Blackwell [pictured] was then followed by a four-month spell at the helm by Gary Speed.

When he quit for Wales though, they turned to Port Vale boss and proud Sheffielder Micky Adams.

He has struggled to turn around the club's fortunes though, and they currently look likely to be relegated to League One.

The Gas will hope to not suffer a similar fate.

Big Match Preview - Swindon vs. Dagenham

Swindon Town vs. Dagenham & Redbridge

Saturday March 12, 15:00, County Ground

Two teams desperately scrapping for survival in League One meet in a crucial six-pointer this weekend as Dagenham & Redbridge make the trip to face Swindon Town.

Just three points currently separate the two sides with Swindon propping up the rest of the division and the Daggers just outside the bottom four on goal difference alone.

The East Londoners, in their first ever year at this level, have found the step up a struggle, but a recent revival has given them a great chance of beating the drop.

Four wins and two draws from their last eight matches have lifted John Still's men from rock bottom to 20th though.

With Dagenham still holding at least three games in hand over the teams below them, then they have the opportunity to put further distance between themselves and the danger zone.

On the road this term they've recorded four victories - at Yeovil, Carlisle, Hartlepool and secured a 2-0 win in last weekend's crucial fixture against fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers.

However, with nine losses from their 16 away games, Still be aware that just a slight improvement on the road could be the difference between maintaining their place in the third tier and losing it.

Outstanding performers for the Daggers this season include Frenchman Romain Vincelot, their top scorer with ten. Midfielder Danny Green has also chipped in with half a dozen strikes.

New Swindon boss Paul Hart is once again fighting against relegation

Their opponents this weekend have drafted in an experienced football firefighter to aid their own battle against relegation.

After Danny Wilson's resignation, Town have turned to Paul Hart - who successfully kept Crystal Palace in the Championship last term - to help them beat the drop.

It's been a nightmare campaign for the Wiltshire outfit, who have fallen spectacularly after appearing in the League One play off final at Wembley last May.

Hart's first game saw them held to a 0-0 stalemate against relegation rivals Walsall before their midweek loss to another struggler, Plymouth, dumped the Robins to the very bottom.

With a woeful away record, their form at the County Ground looks like it will make or break their survival hopes, so Hart will be desperate to add to their five wins - over Southampton, Huddersfield, Bristol Rovers, Colchester, and Sheffield Wednesday.

After the sale of top scorer Charlie Austin to Burnley, the burden of scoring the goals to keep Town up has fallen on new transfer window signing Elliott Benyon as well as on-loan Leeds striker Mike Grella.

Swindon are badly struggling to find the back of the net though, and they will find themselves in for a tough battle against a typically competitive Dagenham side fighting for their lives.

Much will depend on how the home side react to hitting bottom spot after Tuesday night, and all the prior evidence points to badly. The Daggers revival may well continue.

Nobes' Prediction: Swindon Town 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 1

Let's Get Physical

Continuing to impress on their Football League debut, Nobes says it's time unpopular Stevenage boss Graham Westley earned some praise.

Graham Westley is in his second stint as boss of League new boys Stevenage

Graham Westley once remarked that his motto in football was that, "Attitude is more important than ability." It may as well be that "nice guys finish last" though.

The Stevenage boss won few friends during his time managing in the Non Leagues. Indeed, rival Conference fans were probably just as glad to see the back of him as he was them.

The 43-year-old made a name for himself by guiding Farnborough Town - a club where he was both manager and majority shareholder - through to the FA Cup fourth round in 2003.

They drew Arsenal at home, flipped the tie to Highbury, and pocketed £500,000. Or at least Westley did. A few days later he quit the club to join Stevenage, taking with him his assistant, goalkeeping coach, and seven players.

There can rarely have been a more bitter divorce, let alone such a one-sided one when dividing the assets. To make matters worse, a few years later, Farnborough then went out of business.

His first spell at Broadhall Way was then characterised by a physical, direct style of play which carried Boro through to the 2005 play off final. A 1-0 defeat to Carlisle ended their promotion hopes though, and he left the club a year later.

However a couple of years on and, via a short spell at Kettering and a mysterious exit from his job at Rushden, he returned to Hertfordshire to "finish the job he started."

Chairman Phil Wallace's move threatened to alienate supporters unhappy with the return of a man whose style of play they hadn't appreciated and whose comments in the press smacked of arrogance and aloofness.

Football fans are nothing if not fickle though, and three years later Westley has won around the doubters who dismissed his claims that he was a changed man.

On his return he told fans he had learnt from what they had said first time around, and admitted to having made mistakes in the past.

He's even ready to admit his own arrogance, although he argues his controversial remarks are for the good of the club he manages and done for the right reasons.

True, he's still partial to the odd post-match rant, notably earlier this season blaming a home draw against Crewe on the fact that, after their opponents had to borrow Boro's own away kit, they had been forced to "play against their own badge."

Then again, this was the man who, at Farnborough, changed the club's playing kit from yellow to red and white, suggesting that yellow had never been the colour of any successful team.

Stevenage were runaway winners of the Conference Premier title last season

Poor excuses and an ignorance of Brazil apart though, Westley does appear to have grown from his first spell at Stevenage - and the Football League newboys are benefiting from it.

They romped home to the Conference title last season - outmanoeuvring more fancied and wealthier opponents Oxford and Luton in the process. Boro were also FA Trophy winners under his stewardship in 2009.

Their transition into League Two has also been smooth. Although a place in the end of season play offs may just be beyond their reach, finishing in the top half would be a respectable achievement for the Hertfordshire outfit.

When you consider, too, that not since Yeovil in 2004 have the Conference Champions actually finished in the top half of the basement division on their debut, it shows how difficult other sides have found it when initially moving into the League.

They also boast the best defensive record in the division - with just 32 goals conceded in their 34 matches. It's testament to the manager's belief in how strength, physicality, and organisation is at the heart of any success.

Perhaps it's no surprise that they haven't struggled when making the step up to face "the big boys" then.

Although that didn't prevent Westley being riled by comments from Chesterfield boss John Sheridan earlier in the campaign comparing Stevenage to "the English body-building team."

It's true that the Boro side isn't exactly lacking in height and physical presence, but this isn't a team who overstep the mark in how they play. Firm but fair is the name of the game. Yes, they're direct also, but they can play a bit too.

Their beating of Premier League Newcastle United in the FA Cup Third Round - another date with destiny for a club who thrive in avenging history - was another fine achievement in an impressive debut season.

Westley ensured that his charges didn't get too carried away with their Cup odyssey however, winning both of their home matches between the Newcastle upset and their eventual exit at the hands of Reading.

Not that he's one for lowering expectations, having gone on record as saying he could "operate successfully" at League One level.

No wonder then, before an FA Cup tie against Boro last season, that Port Vale captain Tommy Fraser described them as being, "Cocky from the manager down."

However, after their start to life in the Football League, Westley can have much to be proud about. Just don't expect too many people to be congratulating him.