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.

Crossing Enemy Lines

With Sheffield United's appointment as manager of former Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Wilson, Nobes looks at others who've tried to cross similar divides.

Sheffield United's appointment of Danny Wilson is a controversial choice

A manager whose teams have a reputation for playing good football and with experience of getting sides to challenge at the top end of League One.

It's a fair to suggest that it was the kind of boss Sheffield United, having been relegated from the Championship and then decided to replace Micky Adams as manager, were on the look out for.

Their eventual choice, Danny Wilson, meets the above demands, so does it matter then that formerly in his career he both played for and managed United's bitter Steel city rivals Wednesday?

For many United fans, the answer is undoubtedly yes, with an added criterion for the hunt for a new boss excluding anybody with connections to the Hillsborough club.

They and others will also point to a chequered managerial career for the Northern Irishman, from the highs of Barnsley and Hartlepool to the lows of Milton Keynes and Wednesday.

Add in his mixed fortunes at Swindon and Bristol City and it's hard to know what to think of chairman Kevin McCabe's decision to hand Wilson the task of restoring the Blades to the second tier.

In some ways, having struggled under a lifelong Blades fan in Adams, the appointment of Wilson fits the pattern of clubs choosing a polar opposite to a previously unsuccessful manager.

Even though Adams assumed control with United embroiled in a relegation dogfight though, the need for immediate results is probably even greater for his successor in August.

A poor start and those questioning his passion for, and commitment to, the Bramall Lane club will soon become even more vocal. Wilson's tenure could turn out to be a short lived and very unsuccessful experiment.

He's not the first manager to try his hand at the rivals of a former club though. Here's how some others fared when they crossed enemy lines:


Harry Redknapp - Portsmouth, Southampton

Arguably the biggest Judas act of all time came from Harry Redknapp when both of these Championship sides were still in the Premier League.

Having guided Pompey into the big time in 2003, Redknapp helped stabilise them in the top flight before resigning - unhappy at interference from club owner Milan Mandaric.

He then had the audacity to turn up at bitter Hamsphire rivals Southampton and try and engineer their escape from the drop - maybe even at his former club's expense.

Ultimately he failed to keep them up, but almost a year later returned to Fratton Park to save Portsmouth from joining Saints in the second tier.

That helped convince the doubters who hadn't wanted his return. Leading them to FA Cup glory in 2008 didn't hurt either.



Billy Davies - Derby County, Nottingham Forest

The outspoken Scot took Derby to promotion to the Premier League in 2007 in just his first year at Pride Park.

However, a slow start the next season saw the Rams rooted to the bottom, and he was relieved of his duties.

He returned to the game at County's local rivals Nottingham Forest, following in the illustrious footsteps of Brian Clough, who'd also managed both East Midlands sides.

He saved the City Ground outfit from relegation in 2009 and then took them to the play offs the following season.

They lost out to Blackpool and again were play off losers to Swansea last term before he was replaced by Steve McClaren.



Tony Pulis - Bristol Rovers, Bristol City

Pulis spent the majority of his playing career with Bristol Rovers, with two stints totalling eight years with the Gas.

His appointment as City boss in 1999 was met with hostility by many Robins fans therefore.

Results were patchy, particularly at home where City struggled to win, and fans also become unhappy with the football on display.

The Welshman lasted around six months at Ashton Gate, with fans relieved to see him leaving to take over at Portsmouth.



Peter Jackson - Bradford City, Huddersfield Town

It's hard to know exactly where the loyalties of Jackson lie in West Yorkshire.

Bradford-born, he began his career with the Bantams and captained them to the Third Division title in the '80s.

He also played for Huddersfield during his playing days though, and then took over as manager in 1997 - helping them avoid relegation before stabilising them in the top half of the second tier.

Fans were outraged at his dismissal in 1999 and he was present at the Galpharm Stadium to witness his old club relegated from the Championship in 2001.

He returned as manager with the Terriers in the basement division and took them to promotion back up to League One in 2004 before almost helping them return to the Championship via the play offs in 2006.

He was sacked again a while later and, with a spell at Lincoln in-between, is now back in management at Bradford - whom he guided to League Two safety last term.



Steve Coppell - Crystal Palace, Brighton & Hove Albion

Coppell had four spells at Crystal Palace including, in his first nine years, taking them to the final of the FA Cup in 1990 and guiding them to third in the top flight - Palace's highest ever finish.

The Selhurst Park favourite later spent a year as boss at rivals Brighton & Hove Albion between 2002 and 2003.

He was unable to help them win their fight against relegation from the Championship - including suffering a 5-0 loss at Palace along the way.

The fact Coppell received a warm welcome from Eagles fans though demonstrated how he had managed to retain their affection.

He left Brighton for Reading in 2003, with the Seagulls top of the third tier and making a strong bid to return to the Championship at the first time of asking.



Micky Adams - Leicester City, Coventry City

Adams was at Leicester when the Foxes crashed out of the top flight in 2002, but 12 months later he had overcome the club's financial issues to guide them back up at the first time of asking.

They came close to surviving the drop the next season, but ultimately a succession of late goals helped consign them to an immediate return to the second tier.

A poor start to the next campaign saw him resign from the Foxes - only to turn up a few months later at local rivals Coventry - albeit a side he'd represented as a player.

He kept the Sky Blues in the Championship and an 8th place finish the next season is still their best in a decade at that level. A sticky spell the next season saw him relieved of his duties though.



Kevin Dillon - Reading, Aldershot Town

For fans of the original Aldershot, their rivalry with Reading was a cornerstone of the club's existence.

So when former Kevin Dillon - a former assistant at the Royals during their Premier League era - was appointed as manager of phoenix club Aldershot Town they were less than impressed.

Despite leading them to the play offs in his first year, the Geordie's Berkshire connections - as well as an unhappiness over the playing style - always saw him fail to win around some Shots supporters.

It was no surprise then, when results failed to come last season, that he departed the Recreation Ground.



Gary Johnson - Peterborough United, Northampton Town

Although not one of English football's biggest rivalries, these two are old sparring partners from Non League days - as well as a grudge evolving from the fact Peterborough was formerly based in Northamptonshire.

Despite that though, and the fact that Gary Johnson spent a few months in charge at Posh, his appointment as Northampton manager earlier this year was warmly greeted.

Maybe it was because he spent so little time at London Road, or the fact he came with a reputation for playing good football and having succeeded in the lower divisions with Yeovil and Bristol City.

Either way, Johnson was regarded as a coup for the Cobblers and his time at Peterborough hasn't really counted against him.

It Takes An Einstein

With Keith Hill taking the reins at Championship side Barnsley, Nobes looks at the prospects for the Yorkshire club and their new boss.

Keith Hill left Rochdale to succeed Mark Robins as manager at Oakwell

The departure of Mark Robins from his post at Barnsley has been one of the more surprising managerial changes of the close season.

After all, the 41-year-old had just guided the Reds to 17th in the Championship standings - their highest position in five years since their return to the second tier.

It was a campaign bereft of the usual battle against the drop, with the Reds ending up 14 points clear of the relegation zone and also collecting their most points at that level since 2000.

They also remained undefeated in derby games against local rivals Sheffield United and Doncaster to finish as the highest placed club in South Yorkshire.

The sale to Wolves of winger Adam Hammill, a played signed by Simon Davey but from whom Robins managed to coax consistent performances as well as goals, helped bring the club half a million pounds.

However, a disagreement between the manager and owner Patrick Cryne - believed to centre around the playing budget - saw Robins put on gardening leave and given a year's notice of his contract. Eventually the manager resigned.

In Robins' defence, he can look back on pride at his 20-month spell at Oakwell and could perhaps feel aggrieved he wasn't given greater resources to further improve the team.

Critics will point to how the football on display could often lack the zest demanded from the terraces - illustrated by declining attendances - but he oversaw a definite progression from the days of battling the drop under Davey.

It's hard not to see how his career prospects wouldn't have been enhanced by his time at the club, and Robins is sure to secure another Football League position in the future.

For the club he leaves behind though, the future direction remains unclear - even with a protracted and sometimes messy search for Robins' successor having come to a close with the appointment of Keith Hill.

The 42-year-old Lancastrian has earned his chance in the Championship after orchestrating a remarkable turnaround in fortunes on the other side of the Pennines at Rochdale.

So often the butt of jokes for their prolonged stay in England's basement division, Dale were fighting the drop to the Conference when Hill took over as manager in 2006.

The transformation in results, as well as playing style, was dramatic. Along with assistant Dave Flitcroft, he presided over a surge up the League Two table brought about with a vibrant and attractive attacking style.

That progress was continued with two appearances in the play offs before, finally, Rochdale ended their long wait for promotion in 2009. Hill had written his name into the club's history books.

Not content at that, Dale defied a summer of upheaval in the transfer market and set about taking League One by surprise. They ended up finishing 9th, just three points off the play offs and equalling the club's best ever League placing.

Hill had once again marked himself out as a rising managerial star, qualities that have attracted Barnsley enough to give him his chance in the Championship - in the hope he can deliver something similar at Oakwell.

No-nonsense and straight-talking, there's something traditionally northern about Hill. During his side's chase against Notts County for the League Two title in 2009, he blasted that, if Dale couldn't catch up with their big-spending rivals, the taxman one day would.

That honesty and determination will go down well with Reds fans as he sets about proving that, while following in Steve Parkin's footsteps in swapping Dale for Barnsley, he won't endure the same fate of relegation that Parkin did in 2002.

Mark Robins made steady progress during his two seasons at Barnsley

His approach to playing the game the right way and to attack should certainly provide comfort to fans who famously serenaded Danny Wilson's promotion team of 1997 with the praise that it was "just like watching Brazil."

The board too, in their search for Robins' successor, also recognised that under the former Rotherham boss the football had become "staid" and "defensive." They're unlikely to see something similar under Hill's tutelage.

The hope is that he will deliver both the excitement and results which the Oakwell hierarchy are in search for, in their attempt to escape, what they themselves, have branded a "rut."

They have simply concluded that something different is required: a different approach, a different kind of manager, a different kind of product.

Indeed, in a refreshingly candid communication with fans via Barnsley's official website, the club even drew on the inspiration of Albert Einstein, citing his definition of insanity - doing the same thing over again and expecting a different outcome - as being part of their thinking.

While it would therefore be wrong to suggest they're insane, the appointment of Hill still represents something of a risk - as admittedly does the hiring of any new manager.

He is an unknown quantity in the Championship and will have to adjust to a new club and new playing level at the same time. Delivering attractive football and Championship results also proved the undoing of Andy Ritchie at Oakwell in 2006.

Hill has experience of adjusting to a new level with Rochdale 12 months ago, however. His subtle change in tactics to a 4-1-4-1 formation that brought the best out of captain and midfield general Gary Jones also demonstrates a shrewd mind.

His capturing of young defender Craig Dawson from Non League Radcliffe Borough is also typical of his promoting of youth and eye for a bargain. Dawson is now in the Premier League at West Bromwich Albion.

The nurturing of talent like Will Buckley, Glenn Murray, and David Perkins during his time at Dale also helped bring in valuable money to the Spotland coffers. They are qualities that should come in use as he works with modest second tier resources in South Yorkshire.

It's hardly surprising either that two of his first signings have been to capture Chesterfield's leading scorer from League Two last year in Craig Davies along with a reunion with Perkins from Colchester.

It's the kind of financial prudence and emphasis on youth that, for a club looking to cut debt and manage its budget more effectively - particularly with a drop in TV revenue from next season - badly needs.

Naturally, such talk begins to raise doubts over the club's standing in an increasingly competitive second tier.

The example of Preston - another club who looked to cut costs with the gamble of a young manager in Darren Ferguson - should serve as a warning. North End will be lining up in League One from August thanks to Ferguson's mismanagement.

No club has spent more years at Championship level than Barnsley, but history is no guarantee of a club's future standing on the English football ladder.

There will be fans too, who rightly point to the success of Burnley and Blackpool - two sides of comparative stature to the Reds - in reaching the Premier League in recent years and ask "if them, why not us?"

In the case of those two Lancashire sides, both defied the financial odds to secure elevation via the play offs - largely thanks to exceptional management from Owen Coyle and Ian Holloway respectively.

Barnsley will be hoping their bold decision to break free of their malaise under Hill has similarly positive consequences. Not that you'd need Einstein to realise that.