"Alex Neil is not one of the best managers in this league"

Sorry avenging canary - but what?! If he isn't one of the best managers in this league, who is?

We know who the best is: the manager of far and away the biggest, richest club and best squad in the division: which stands to reason. His fellow Champions League-winning manager is about to be sacked by an impatient shambles of a club.

Then there's McCarthy, whose record is very good - but he oversees ugly football and slowly drains the energy out of supports. That's been a pattern throughout his career actually. Just as Hughton, the wrong fit, did at Norwich.

Lee Johnson seems up-and-coming. Zenga has a lot of experience but I wouldn't want him at Norwich for a moment. Carvalhal seems to fit Wednesday really well, but their football is pretty agricultural at times; it's too early to tell how good David Wagner might be.

Tell you what I think about Neil. He is us. By which I mean: his level is the same as our current squad's level, ie. mezzanine. Probably too good for this league, not good enough for the Prem. His favoured way of playing is our favoured way of playing - which means we'll probably always be ropey defensively, and will always have goals in us: in the Championship, at least.

He's not outstanding - but he keeps his feet on the ground, and has a large amount of practical common sense. In Scottish parlance, that makes him "canny". Managers will always be second-guessed; but bluntly, if he was that brilliant, he wouldn't be managing us. As it is, he's fine. There really ain't that much to complain about where he's concerned.

Posted By: thebigfeller, Oct 2, 16:48:22