Swansea

So - they've got someone who'd never managed before at professional level in charge, and everything's hunky-dory there, in a higher division too. How come?

Because they've got the best football management structure in the whole UK, that's why: built up over the last 8 years, and started by someone close to a football revolutionary: Roberto Martinez. We don't have a football revolutionary at Norwich; we have Delia Smith and Neil Adams.

Swansea's structure is so good, their philosophy so consistent, that they've reached the point whereby it barely matters who their manager is. They're the closest thing to a continental club playing in the UK in that sense. From Martinez to Sousa to Rodgers to Laudrup to Monk: the success just goes on and on, and is completely seamless. I'll admit the latter has surprised me - but when a club's structure is THIS good, that's what happens. Monk also has a Spanish assistant; would we do that? No chance.

Instead, we have so little idea what our philosophy actually is that we've gone from Lambert (physical and direct) to Hughton (cagey and passive) to Adams (passing, attacking football, allegedly). Our style changes dramatically whenever we make a managerial change; Swansea's just continues.

The other model club, incidentally? West Brom. No rich benefactor; persevered through three relegations and a play-off final defeat; and slowly but surely, have raised their status bit by bit over the last 15 years. They've had to be run damn, damn well to do that - and not only be patient and long term at times, but act decisively at others.

So they fired Roberto di Matteo despite him taking them up: the right decision. They fired Steve Clarke despite him achieving a high finish with them: the right decision. They got Clarke's replacement completely wrong - but despite them staying up, they did another completely un-Norwich like thing. They realised they'd got it wrong and got rid
pronto.

What is Alan Irvine there? A coach, not a manager; but Irvine has always been a very, very highly rated coach, with tons of experience in professional football, unlike Adams. Their structure is right, and built up over the long term: so they're doing fine. We *think* that's what we're trying to emulate - but we've not even left the starting gate yet, and are years behind the Baggies; light years behind the Swans.

Posted By: thebigfeller, Nov 9, 19:03:31