Managerial Philosophy

I had an idea a few years back that it would have been interesting for Formula One drivers to change cars at the end of every season.

I thought it would have been fun to have seen the reigning World Champion joining the team that finished bottom of the Constructors’ Standings the previous season, and see how they fared.

It seemed unfair to me that the best drivers always seemed to get the best cars – an iniquity that, in some people’s opinions, seems antithetical to the spirit of sport.

The A1 Grand Prix movement took up the idea, and went with it – standardising the cars and letting the drivers compete on what should have been a level playing field.

At least it did for 5 years, after which the tour folded.

Fans, it seems, were not that interested in the concept, despite the fact that in many ways, it was a truer test of sporting ability (ie. that of the driver and not the machinery and the mechanics around him) than Formula One.

I wonder if it wouldn’t be fun to make the same experiment in the world of football.

How about if we took the manager of the team that wins this season’s Barclays Premier League title, and assign him the bottom placed team in the league for the following campaign? We’ll forget about relegation shall we, for the limited purposes of this limited exercise.

The success of that club throughout the season would then be a true test of managerial credentials, and not dependent on, say, the wealthof the club’s owners.

Let’s be honest; wouldn’t we love to see Sir Alex Ferguson managing…Stoke City, or Roberto Mancini at the helm of…oh I don’t know…how about…Wigan?

It’s not going to happen, we all know that, but it could be fun. And while I’m not taking anything away from Mancini, who has played his brand of fantasy football with some panache and considerable success this season, one cannot help but wonder how he would have managed (sic) with meagre resources and on a shoestring budget.

That’s not to say that should Manchester City win the Barclays Premier League title this season, it would not be a great achievement for the 47 year old Italian.

Managing the richest club in the world has its own challenges, the greatest of which is the level of expectation that accompanies being able to buy just about any player on the planet. With that kind of backing, success is not an option, it’s an imperative, and I certainly would not want to be Mancini if, come this season’s end, he hasn’t delivered on the promise of a team whose philosophy he has helped to fashion.

Unfortunately, for Andre Villas-Boas, he will not get the chance to prove what a good manager he either is, or can be – at least not for a while.

Chelsea’s 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich Albion last weekend was the straw that broke the camel’s back as far as owner Roman Abramovich was concerned, and the 34 year is out on his ear, less than a year after being handed one of the most coveted jobs in football.

I wrote in this column a couple of weeks ago that I thought he was possibly too young for a job that makes so many demands on an individual. I also may have suggested that he had too little experience.

Despite Abramovich’s assurances that he would be given time, and would retain his post even if Chelsea came up completely empty-handed this season, he wasn’t.

It seems as though it wasn’t simply the results that tested Abramovich’s tolerance to breaking point, but the manner of some of the defeats. Chelsea couldn’t even lose in style – something that the owner couldn’t countenance.

I think it’s fair to say that no one at Chelsea Football Club comes out of this particular scenario looking very good – from the owner, to the manager, to the backroom staff, to the players.

Clearly Villa-Boas didn’t get the support he needed when he needed it from certain quarters, and I still genuinely believe that he didn’t know quite what he was taking on when he signed on the dotted line. He was billed as “The Special One – Mark II”, and he may have been a little too quick to believe all the hype.

Basically, he needed to achieve instant success in what can only be seen as a transitional period for the team – key members of which are past their best but remain doggedly attached to their positions (sic, again).

It was a thankless task, despite the club’s final official statement on the matter:”The board would like to record our gratitude for his work and express our disappointment that the relationship has ended so early.” Amen.

Catch Andrew Leci and his analysis of the beautiful game on ESPN’s presentation of the Barclay’s Premier League Highlights and visit www.facebook.com/espnstarsports ‘If I Were’ page for a chance to win exclusive prizes.