Giving your child a Ferrari

[Tumbleweed 106]

"You don''t win anything with kids" so said Hansen either in those terms or something similar.

Our squad does contain, I believe, some very good players. In fact you could argue one of the best ever, on paper. And while this NCFC squad is not the footballing equivalent of a Ferrari, that is more like a Champs Lge team, we could be a BMW or a Merc- in footballing terms.

So we''ve gone out and IMO assembled a decent squad, it should be a finely tuned footballing machine. Well oiled, run in and capable of doing exactly what it needs to do, probably more, with some TLC.

But would you give the keys of your shiny new BMW to your teenage son? Sure he shows signs of maturity and never crashed when on a P plate. But wouldn''t he be better off learning his motorcraft in something a little less demanding and expensive before he is let loose?

So back to Hansen. We send our kids out to get experience. Sometimes they come back, and may even get a first team berth from time to time. But it is seen as far too risky to let them play a major part or start regularly.

So why, when we feel it is too risky to let inexperienced players play in the PL, is there not the same level of concern over the manager? I am not saying it is right or wrong, just that the decision-making and criteria seem different. Too risky on the pitch, not too risky off the pitch.

Just seems a bit strange to me. So while the current form is of concern and many have commented on what is going right, and wrong, can anything else really be expected? Nathan Redmond gets dropped and sometimes seen as young and callow and not the finished article. We can''t do the same with a manager.

Can we loan young Alex to Rotherham, or Coventry so he can come back the finished article..............??! OK, not a sensible option but AN is surely the epitome of Hansen''s philosophical statement. So if he is to succeed it will take a long time, and there will be crashes along the way and damage to our paintwork. We must have signed up for such a bumpy ride. And we got it. Question is, just when do you take back those keys?

[TCCANARY 263]

You do know that Hansen was wrong and those ''kids'' won the title?

[lappinitup 629]

Alan Hansen, on August 19, 1995 announced on Match of the Day that

"You''ll never win anything with kids" after a young Manchester United

side lost the season opener to Aston Villa 3-1. However, we now all know

that Fergie''s team of youngsters including David Beckham, the Neville

brothers, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt were able to wrestle the title

back from Blackburn Rovers, and also win the FA Cup, securing the first

of what was to be two consecutive double-winning seasons, a feat never

before seen in English football.Hansen''s statement was to

famously inspire a t-shirt slogan that became popular with the Old

Trafford faithful. At the time Hansen tried to qualify his rash

prediciton by claiming that the great Bill Shankly had said it back in

the 1970′s, but he has since admitted this to be the biggest blunder of

his media career.

[Well b back 3,186]

OP - So why, when we feel it is too risky to let inexperienced players play in the PL, is there not the same level of concern over the manager?

Because when he was appointed he was given no chance of getting us into the premiership. We are only a premiership club and not a championship club because Neill was appointed.

Can''t have it both ways lol

[westcoastcanary 0]

Some kids give their dads a Ferrari.

[Tumbleweed 106]

But the point is that NCFC seem to follow the Hansen mantra- rightly or wrongly. We send our kids out as we don''t seem to trust them. That is a frustration to many. Yet we seem prepared to have a different and riskier attitude to the manager. Arguably we should have less risk tolerance with the managerial appointment than flinging in say a Murphy or a Toffolo..............

[lappinitup 629]

Brian Clough was just thirty six when he won the League Championship for Derby. Cloughie was an exceptional talent and who is to say Alex won''t be?

[Chip20 69]

Are you suggesting that five minutes after the Alex''s clothes dried from the Wembley Champagne the Club should have handed him his P45 with a note thanking him for his service but stating politely but firmly that he is clearly only qualified to compete in the 2nd tier? Was he not entitled to have his own shot at the big time, having earned the position there?

[im spartacus canary 0]

[quote user="lappinitup"]Brian Clough was just thirty six when he won the League Championship for Derby. Cloughie was an exceptional talent and who is to say Alex won''t be?[/quote]

Good call Lapps

[Mello Yello 2,277]

The club has its own Ferrari.......''Hey Joe!''......He may even be red and left hand drive, and keeping in line with the owners.... ;~)

[daly 500]

Who wants a Ferrari when you can have a Skoda

[Well b back 3,186]

[quote user="Tumbleweed"]But the point is that NCFC seem to follow the Hansen mantra- rightly or wrongly. We send our kids out as we don''t seem to trust them. That is a frustration to many. Yet we seem prepared to have a different and riskier attitude to the manager. Arguably we should have less risk tolerance with the managerial appointment than flinging in say a Murphy or a Toffolo..............[/quote]

lol

Sorry but our kids you cannot compare to Rooney and Berkley - sorry

[Tumbleweed 106]

No chip I''m not suggesting that even though I believe Watford have done something similar. I''m making a different point.

Very clever lapps to find a successful younger manager. One can find exceptions to justify just about anything. How about Wayne Rooney playing for England at 17. Does that mean all players can play for England at such an age? My point is about risk which is about probability and that when you make such a decision you have to accept the bumps if it doesn''t go right.

[Yellowbeagle 0]

A Lolo Ferrari?

[Budapest Canary 152]

Hertha Berlin''s manager, Pal Dardai, was coaching U15s about a year ago, before he got the Hertha job last February (a few weeks after AN), while he was still working for his pro licence (like AN). He saved Hertha from relegation last season, now they are sitting 3rd in the Bundesliga. It''s not impossible.

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="Tumbleweed"]Very clever lapps to find a successful younger manager. One can find exceptions to justify just about anything.[/quote]My point was that Derby saw something special about Clough which is why they gave him his chance AND stuck with him, even though his first year wasn''t anything to write home about. In fact, Derby finished one place lower than they had in the previous season. Clough was only 32 when he joined them. Clough was truly exceptional but Neil to has shown exceptional talents in his short career too - getting Hamilton to the SPL via the play-offs, then heading the SPL beating Celtic on the way - Getting us promoted at the scum''s expense and then that wonderful Wembley final. Of course it''s been tougher this season and we knew it would be but we''ve still had unexpected results against the bigger teams. I think Alex Neil has enough about him to turn it round and go on to be very successful for us. Another Cloughie? Who can say? But we certainly won''t know if we turf him out after his first bad spell.....

July 1967 - Brian Clough breezes into the

Baseball Ground with sidekick Peter Taylor, having revitalised

Hartlepool United. The previous season Derby had finished 17th in the

old Second Division.

May 1968 - an inauspicious start to Clough''s reign sees Derby in 18th place at the end of his first season.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1108837/Brian-Clough-The-Derby-years.html

[kick it off 1,948]

[quote user="lappinitup"]Brian Clough was just thirty six when he won the League Championship for Derby. Cloughie was an exceptional talent and who is to say Alex won''t be?[/quote]

His treatment of our Justin was disgusting though, with his disgraceful homophobia. Ruined his career. Fashanu could have been something really special if it wasn''t for Clough.

Talented yes, but an absolute c-unit. I hope AN has more about him than that bigoted twunt.

[Syteanric 1]

Technically Hansen was right.

Schmeichel, Mclair, Hughes, Cantona, Sharpe, Ince, Bruce, Irwin, Pallister were regulars...

Butt, Giggs, Beckham and scholes played a part.

If Eric Cantona hadn''t left in 1998 how different Beckhams career would have been?

[Budapest Canary 152]

In the meantime, in Hoffenheim...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3291863/Hoffenheim-make-shock-appointment-Julian-Nagelsmann-28-manager-season.html

[Tumbleweed 106]

It''s interesting to debate whether Clough would have survived now, Lapps, after such a start. The dynamics are so different. What I think we are all terrified of is falling out of the Pl again just as the money goes through the roof and undoing the work of last season. The fallow years between 95 and 04 seemed interminable. Makes us a bit jittery. But I still don''t quite understand how the confident swagger we had early on this season seems to have largely gone.

[Katie Borkins 1]

I bought my eldest an Audi TT for his 30th birthday and he didn''t complain.

[......and Smith must score. 1,332]

[quote user="kick it off"][quote user="lappinitup"]Brian Clough was just thirty six when he won the League Championship for Derby. Cloughie was an exceptional talent and who is to say Alex won''t be?[/quote]

His treatment of our Justin was disgusting though, with his disgraceful homophobia. Ruined his career. Fashanu could have been something really special if it wasn''t for Clough.

Talented yes, but an absolute c-unit. I hope AN has more about him than that bigoted twunt.

[/quote]Couldn''t agree more.Clough was a nasty piece of work and was surprised they made doorways big enough to get his head through back in the day.

[......and Smith must score. 1,332]

[quote user="kick it off"][quote user="lappinitup"]Brian Clough was just thirty six when he won the League Championship for Derby. Cloughie was an exceptional talent and who is to say Alex won''t be?[/quote]

His treatment of our Justin was disgusting though, with his disgraceful homophobia. Ruined his career. Fashanu could have been something really special if it wasn''t for Clough.

Talented yes, but an absolute c-unit. I hope AN has more about him than that bigoted twunt.

[/quote]Couldn''t agree more.Clough was a nasty piece of work and was surprised they made doorways big enough to get his head through back in the day.