Managers, Chairmen and Dictators

[a1canary 0]

Sorry if i should be putting this under the "Megson" posts but they''re more about what his sacking means for Norwich or just gloating in the Baggy''s misfortune. Fair enough but i was quite surprised by the manner of his departure.

The club''s statement included the following:

"This is a crucial period for the club and the board regards the timing and manner of Gary Megson''s announcement as extremely unhelpful, particularly following the team''s disappointing performance at Crystal Palace on Saturday."

I don''t understand this at all. What planet are their board from? The club was rife with speculation and rumours and it was clearly affecting the dressing room. Firstly, when, in any season, is it NOT a crucial period for the club? They could say that any time.

Secondly, GM, for all his gingerness, has done a good job there and as much as he may have been coming to the point where he had taken WBA as far as he could, there''s nothing wrong with deciding to see out his contract and then leave it at that. At least by announcing that it settles the speculation and allows the club to concentrate on the football while they upstairs can start to think about a new manager. What''s unhelpful about that? I thought it was helpful!

And then thirdly they take a passing swipe at the team''s performance against Palace. I don''t see what that has to do with his announcement re the contract. It was just a cheap shot. As far as i''m concerned, as soon as chairmen or board members start commenting on and or getting involved in team affairs that''s the beginning of the end. It''s like hearing your mum (sorry GTG, susie b, city angel...) trying to make a comment on a game (usually one we''ve lost) when she has no conception of football whatsoever. "Oh well, it''s only a game!" Just don''t do it!

No, it''s blatantly obvious that that statement was a very poor attempt at a smoke screen for sacking GM - a very transparent and unsmokey smokescreen, orchestrated by a man (Peace) with no respect, time or patience for his manager. At the end of the day, chairmen and board members are just fans with money and that''s soooo dangerous. It''s like giving the wizard a few mil and putting him in charge of NCFC !! (Only jokin mate!)

And hey presto here we are, back to our favourite topic. Sorry about that, didn''t mean to.  But it did bring a few things home. Firstly that most clubs are never more than one man away from a dictatorship. And secondly that we don''t have a Chairman - and thank god. That''s the way to go. No one man should have so much say in the actions and running of a club. And regardless of how our club is run, we at least have a good relationship between management and board, and we at least don''t have a megalomaniac, or indeed anyone, at the top.

But granted Wizard, it did also bring home the scariness of how little boards know about football (as little and often less than us!) and how totally disconnected they can be from what''s going on on the pitch!

[Karl Pilkington 0]

As soon as he said he wasnt going to stay past this season it was the begining of the end. Teams never do well when the managers not there long term. The only occasion I can think of when they have is Bobby Robson at England.

Alex Ferguson leave man utd, Robson at Newcastle, strachan saints, they played bad when it was announced they would be leaving soon

[Stella Canary 0]

A1 - not sure you''re quite the ticket!!

"At the end of the day, chairmen and board members are just fans with money and that''s soooo dangerous"

Chairman and board members are businessmen - they are running a business football is always secondary.

They had a manager who had lost the confidence of his employees and who were not working to they''re full potential for the man in charge.  If that happens in the city (and I mean the real city - London) then the manager is gone.

He basically said he wanted to leave anyway - in my opinion the Baggies board were spot on to get rid of him now and fix what is broken.  Megson is very sensible - I imagine if he had resigned he wouldn''t get his contract paid out, but by saying he wants to stay (knowing they''d sack him) he gets the rest of his contract paid while he sits on a beach.

[Super Shaun Carey 0]

Megson has played this very well, and I guess other behind the scene have been instrumental in his decision.

Picture the scene, "a Club" are looking for a manager. They are poorer than a church mouse, so cannot afford to pay compensation so they speak to Megson on the quiet. Promise him a little spending budget in compensation for not having to pay a fee to West Brom if he leaves them.

He issues a statement saying he is not going to sign a new contract, West Brom sack him for "lack of commitment", and he comes away from West Brom with a bit of pride, and unlikely to be out of work for long.

He joins his new club.

 

[a1canary 0]

Ok, fans with money who are businessmen. Bid deal. It''s what Simon Jordan is. Having him as chairman is dangerous. Ditto Doug Ellis. Ditto Robert Chase. The list goes on. Just because they''re businessmen it doesn''t necessarily mean they are especially qualified to make the right decisions about running a football club.

In fact, sack that, they mostly can''t make the right decisions. Could i do a better job? Probably not, but here''s one thing - there''s no way i would ever, if chairman of bradford, shef wednesday, binners, derby, etc sign players on long term 20k a week contracts without insisting to them the following: "hey, you know what benito, if we get relegated we''re gonna be a whole lot poorer and you, mr foreign superstar, will either have to move on or take a pay cut." Obviously that would be in legal speak in the contract! If the above clubs and the rest had done that, the bloodbath we witnessed would never have happened. When i found out that chairman - businesmen - up and down the country failed to appreciate this simple financial reality in the fact that, itv digital or no itv digital, total annual tv revenue if relegated would cover ONE or maybe three players wages on the contracts they were on, i kinda lost faith in these "businessmen''s" abilities.

And another thing, football does NOT have to be secondary to the clubs that aren''t plcs.