Skip to main content

Even relatively successful managers are not safe

Managerial turnover is a baked in feature of modern football.   Owners and fans are impatient for success and a few bad results can mean the sack, never mind the cost.  Very often the replacement doesn't do much better with the same set of players.

A new trend is the sacking of relatively successful managers.  'Chopper' Harris saved Gillingham from the driop last season and they were only just outside the play offs when he got the heave ho.  The new owners decided they wanted 'a new dircetion' whatever that means.

Now Wayne Rooney is to replace John Eustace at Birmingham City, agreeing a deal with a salary that is three times the amount Eustace was earning.

Eustace, 43, impressed during his time at the club against a backdrop of financial uncertainty and ownership change. Birmingham are sixth in the Sky Bet Championship after 11 matches this season. However, a statement said he had been dismissed because the board wanted to implement a winning mentality and “culture of ambition” at the club.

It has been a turbulent couple of years for Birmingham. During Eustace’s time in charge the club had two failed takeover bids and faced the threat of points deductions. He saved them from relegation before their new owner, Shelby Companies Limited, led by the American businessman Tom Wagner, took charge in July.

The Blues Trust said they were sorry to see him go and stated that the timing of the change threatened the loss of the momentum and team spirit that Eustace had created.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Wolves get raw deal from FFP

  I used to see a lifelong Wolves fan for lunch once a month.   He was approaching ninety, but still went to games.   Sadly he passed away the other week. As football finance guru Kieran Maguire has noted, Wolves continue to be constrained by financial fair play rules.  Radio 4 this morning described them as this year's 'crisis club' and the pessimists have certainly been piling in. Martin Samuel wrote sympathetically in the Sunday Times yesterday, saying that the Premier League drives talent away with regulatory red tape: 'Why could Al-Hilal sign Neves? Because Wolves needed the money. And why did Wolves need the money? Because the club had to comply with an artificial construct known as financial fair play. So Wolves are going skint, yes? No. There is no suggestion that Wolves are in financial trouble, only that they are failing to meet the rigours of FFP. Wolves’ owners appear to have the money to run the club, and invest in the club, and in fact came up with a pow
Post a Comment
Read more

Gold standard ground boosts Tottenham's income

The gold standard in European football grounds is the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in north London, a £1bn construction project completed in 2019. Its impact on the club’s finances has become increasingly clear as the effects of the pandemic have faded. Previously, the average fan would spend less than £2 inside the ground on a typical match day, but now that figure is about £16, thanks to new facilities including the longest bar in Europe and an on-site microbrewery. Capacity has gone up from 36,000 at the club’s previous home of White Hart Lane to 62,000.  The new stadium — built on land adjacent to White Hart Lane — has opened the door to a broad range of other events that have helped to push commercial income up from €117mn in 2018 to €215mn in 2022. Last year, Tottenham hosted US singer Beyoncé for five nights on her global Renaissance tour, two NFL matches, as well as rugby games and heavyweight boxing bouts.  Money brought in from football has gone up too. Match day income is
Post a Comment
Read more

Charlton takeover approved

The long awaited takeover of Charlton Athletic by SE7 Partners from Thomas Sandgaard has been approved:  https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/se7-partners-obtain-efl-approval-for-charlton-athletic-takeover/ Charlton have had unhappy experiences with owners for over a decade, so how this works out will remain to be seen.  There is certainly potential there, but will it be realised? This interview with Charlie Methven gives detail not available elsewhere:  https://thecharltondossier.com/charlie-methven-on-the-record/
Post a Comment
Read more