The managers who could replace PearceUpdated: May 8th, 2007
So Saturday looks like being judgement day for Pearce, according to Dennis Tueart’s favourite newspaper the Daily Mail. The paper claims:
“City’s triumvirate of chairman John Wardle, major investor David Makin and chief executive Alistair Mackintosh, plus kingmaker Dennis Tueart, will sit in considered judgment on Pearce’s future.”
The Mail doesn’t name potential replacements, but I’m told that the board discussed the appointment of Kenny Jackett as caretaker manager at an emergency meeting a week last Sunday. I understand that shareholder David Makin was driving the meeting and was “very upset” at the direction the club is heading.
Below are profiles of potential replacements for Pearce. Although The Sun claims claims Allardyce and Jewell are top of the board’s wishlist, enough is known about their capabilities for me to add anything further:
Kenny Jackett
Age: 45
Record:
Although there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that Jackett would be an improvement on Pearce, question marks still remain.
After injury ended his playing career as a 28-year-old, Jackett spent three years as a coach at Watford before being appointed manager. The club had finished 16th in the Championship before he took charge and in his first two seasons finished 19th and 7th. But a disasterous third season ended in relegation and Jackett was demoted to assistant under Graham Taylor.
After spending three years as Ian Holloway’s assistant at QPR, Jackett was appointed Swansea boss in April 2004. Swansea were a mid-table team League Two when he took over, but in his first full season they won promotion through the play-offs and only missed out on a second promotion the following year after losing on penalties in the play-off final.
In 2005-06 the League Managers Association placed him 10th in its performance table that ranks managers in all four leagues, and ranked him 20th the previous year.
Jackett’s has also shown himself to be a shrewd operator in the transfer market. At Watford he snapped up striker Kevin Phillips from Baldock Town for £1,000 (Southampton paid £3.25m for him nine years later) and spent £250,000 on goalkeeper Kevin Miller, who was sold to Crystal Palace for £1.55m three years later. He also made a £300,000 profit for Swansea after signing defender Sam Ricketts on a free in May 04 before cashing in on him two years later.
The big question is whether he would want the City job. Jackett has spent more time as an assistant than a manager and his experiences at Swansea might make him think twice before accepting such a high-profile position. Last month Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins told the BBC that Jackett “felt he could not take any more criticism from the fans and the media”.
Billy Davies
Age: 42
Record:
Being in the Premiership spotlight would hold little fear for this outspoken Scot - and with Derby currently in second place in the Championship it probably won’t be long before he’s managing in the top league.
Davies began his management career in 1998 at Motherwell, who had finished 9th in the SPL the previous season. He led them to 7th, 4th and 8th but was sacked after a disappointing start to his fourth season.
According to this interview Davies used his period of unemployment to tour Europe “tapping into the minds of the world’s leading coaches and players”.
Three years later he was appointed manager of Preston, who had just finished 15th in the Championship. In his two seasons there he took them to 5th and 4th - and made a £640,000 profit on transfers.
Last summer he moved to Derby, who had just avoided relegation from the Championship on goal difference. Backed with money from a new board, Derby are now just a point off leaders Birmingham.
Whether he would want to join City is unclear. Last month the Daily Mirror claimed Davies was at loggerheads with managing director Michael Horton (a claim fiercely denied by Davies), and as his contract at Preston allowed him to talk to Premiership clubs it’s likely he has a similar arrangement with Derby.
The Mirror also claims that he turned down the Charlton job last summer “because he did not believe the structure of the club was right”. What he would make of City is anybody’s guess.
Wikipedia; Guardian profile; PFA interview; Soccerbase
Paul Simpson
Age: 40
Record:
A name frequently mentioned on the talkboards, but there’s too many doubts about Simpson for him to be City boss right now.
His managerial career got off to a disasterous start after joining Rochdale as player manager in 2002. The club had finished 5th in League Two the previous season and after leading them to 19th place in his first year Simpson was sacked.
Next he joined Carlisle who had been narrowly avoiding relegation from League Two for several years. Carlisle were relegated in Simpson’s first season, but promotion from the Conference via the play-offs was followed by a first place finish in League Two.
Currently in 7th place in the Championship with Preston, it is unclear how much of that form is down to the work of the previous manager.
BBC profile; PFA interview; Wikipedia; Soccerbase
Tony Mowbray
Age: 43
Record:
A legendary figure as a player at Middlesbrough, Mowbray has made even more fans in his managerial career so far. He took over a Hibernian side that had finished 8th in the SPL and led them to a 3rd and 5th place in his two seasons there. Hibs also reached the later stages of all the domestic cup competitions during his time there, and season ticket sales almost doubled.
Since joining West Brom in October he’s taken them to 5th place in the Championship.
Gary Johnson
Age: 51
Record:
After an unsuccessful start to his managerial career at Cambridge, Johnson took over Yeovil and won the Conference in his second season. After an 8th place finish in League Two, Yeovil won the division the following year.
Last September he took over at Bristol City, who finished 7th in League One the previous season, and has led them to 2nd place.
Two more names with City connections worth mentioning are Willie Donachie and Uwe Rosler. Although Donachie has taken Millwall from the relegation zone to mid table in less than six months the fact he’s spent 22 years as either a first team coach or assistant manager suggests he’s not really cut out for the job.
After hearing him interviewed on TalkSport last July it’s clear that Rosler would love to return to City. Unlucky to be sacked from Norway’s Lillestrom after two successive fourth places and two cup finals, he recently took charge of Viking FK. Rosler told TalkSport his ambition is to manage a top flight club in England, though he admitted he needed a couple more years experience before he could attempt a move to the Premiership.
Aberdeen’s Jimmy Calderwood and Stockport’s Jim Gannon are probably worth a mention, while looking overseas Co Adriaanse and Luiz Felipe Scolari might enter the frame if new investment was found.
The MEN today lists the depressingly familar names of Souness, Hoddle, Gullit and Bryan Robson as possible replacements, so let’s hope that is no more than speculation.
Last, and most certainly least, glass-toilet owner Sven Goran Eriksson is rumoured to be plotting a return to the Premiership. My thoughts on him can be found in this piece I wrote in 2005.