And with that, Chris Wilder on Wednesday joined the list of the unemployed.
Anyone who saw him lay into Daniel Farke and the Norwich coach driver in a post-match press conference back in September 2017, can only imagine the amount of teeth grinding required to put out a resignation statement. And can you blame him? Sheffield United finished third in the Championship then lost to Sunderland in the play-off final, courtesy of a stoppage-time goal.
Less than an hour after the Blades announced Wilder’s exit, they told the world they had appointed Ruben Selles as head coach. Selles’ most recent job had been pulling Hull out of the bottom three and into survival by the skin of their teeth– and then getting sacked.
If you’re Wilder you’re probably wondering what’s going on.
This is the world that new Norwich head coach Liam Manning is in. A world where only binary success counts, where close shaves are a failure and where, in some cases, logic goes out of the window.
Manning is the fourth manager of the post Daniel Farke era – and whatever you think, that’s relevant given he was the last head coach to bring tangible success to Carrow Road. Dean Smith was the wrong fit, David Wagner somehow got a poor City side into the play-offs but was never really, truthfully going to take City anywhere, and Johannes Hoff Thorup, despite outwardly talking a good game, just couldn’t deliver the goods.
All of them were victims of the ‘no time like the present’ attitude – translated that means, ‘if you don’t do it quickly you’re out’.
Football has got its knickers into such a twist over finances that clubs can’t decide how to appoint as head coach/manager.
The trouble with appointing a Championship manager is that you need one who can get you out of the Championship and (capital letters, italicised and set in flashing lights) stay in the Premier League.
Farke is a good example. Wilder too. And Russell Martin. Of course if you don’t get the first bit right you won’t get a chance at the second bit – and, increasingly that means the dole queue.
Farke (again), Scott Parker and Regis Le Bris – in charge at promoted Leeds, Burnley and Sunderland respectively – are already on thin ice before a Premier League ball is kicked in anger. We all know the financial disadvantage that faces them on day one, but owners and empathy are not happy bedfellows.
Of the three relegated clubs, Southampton sacked Martin in December and his successor, Ivan Juric, as soon as relegation was confirmed with seven games still to play. Leicester sacked Steve Cooper mid-season and are now keeping Ruud van Nistelrooy hanging on, although his fate is certain. Ipswich haven’t sacked Kieran McKenna because they think he can get them up again – cynics might say that the mid-season publicity linking him with other jobs suggests a wait for a nice compensation package. Blasted cynics…
So are we entering a new realm here? Players are upgraded on promotion - will we have this with managers? The thought of it is a little unsavoury and it’s not in the spirit of the game, but such is the leap that is the difference between the top divisions.
Failure is less and less of an option for clubs with genuine aspirations of success. Michael Carrick was considered one of the best young coaches in the country – until Middlesbrough had a wobble. Now he’s one of the best out-of-work young coaches in the country.
Liam Manning did very well last season at Bristol City who, with due respect, probably over-performed. That was down to him.
At Norwich, there is no room for over-performing: there is an expectation that they will achieve success.
Dean Smith lasted just over a year, David Wagner 17 months, Johannes Hoff Thorup less than a year.
Manning has to break that short-term cycle and the only way to do that is to achieve success which, in Norwich’s case, is promotion. Binary. Simple. Black and white.
No pressure then…
**The 2024-25 casualty list…**
Ryan Lowe (Preston) – left August 12. Two years, 249 days in charge
Steven Schumacher (Stoke) – September 16/272 days
Erol Bulut (Cardiff) – September 22/one year, 111 days
Mark Robins (Coventry – November 7/seven years, 246 days
Tim Walter (Hull) – November 27/180 days
Neil Harris (Millwall) – December 10/293 days
Des Buckingham (Oxford) – December 15/one year, 29 days
Narcis Pelach (Stoke) – December 27/100 days
Wayne Rooney (Plymouth) – December 31/220 days
Rob Edwards (Luton) – January 9/two years, 53 days
Paul Warne (Derby) – February 7/two years, 138 days
Luke Williams (Swansea) – February 17/one year, 43 days
Omer Riza (Cardiff) – April 19/209 days
Tony Mowbray (West Brom) – April 21/93 days
Johannes Hoff Thorup (Norwich) – April 22/327 days
Tom Cleverley (Watford) – May 6/one year, 12 days
Ruben Selles (Hull) – May 15/160 days
Michael Carrick (Middlesbrough) – June 4/two years,223 days
Chris Wilder (Sheffield United) – June 18/561 days