The problem with Grant is not inexperience

My boys

It has been said by many people that what we should have done 12 months ago - oh what a lovely thing hindsight is - was appoint a seasoned, experienced manager. As 'Stanley' on Mr Waghorn's site says today:
"When we needed an experienced hand on the tiller to put the ship back on course for the Treasure Island called the Prem' we appointed a rookie destined to learn on the job and sail the good ship Carrow straight at the rooks."

I would have a bit more sympathy for this point of view if somebody could point out who this person was we should have appointed back in October last year. If my memory serves me correctly, the other favourites for the job were Mark Bowen, Ian Crook, Martin Hunter, Andy Tilson and Dave Penney. None of these are particularly experienced managers.

I don't think it is necessarily experience that is the issue here. How much managerial experience did Roy Keane have before taking over at Sunderland at a similar time last year? Every manager has to start somewhere. Some simply equip themselves better than others.

What I feel it ultimately comes down to, in my humble opinion, is personality. Grant is a rabble rousing, finger-poiting bravehart who wears his hearts, lungs and guts on his sleeve. He is someone I admire greatly for those passionate qualities. Trouble is, he clearly can't get the best out of the intricate and varied personalities and egos of a modern football squad. He has now admitted as much. Now, is that due to a lack of experience? Or could it just be that someone of Grant's personality will never be suited to the role of management?

I think - and hope - it is the latter. The reason I say this is because I would hate our search for a successor to be confined to a veteran boss because it was deemed the Grant experiene failed due to him being a rookie.

Montague H Withnail

Posted By: Uncle Monty, Oct 9, 17:59:40