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Every manager has to start his career somewhere. If no club ever gave a rookie a chance, then every Premiership team would be bossed by a geriatric pensioner and every post match interview would involve a cup of tea and a nap.
But when is the right time to put your trust in an unknown quantity?
Traditionally, there have been players who have been labelled as ‘management material’. You need look no further than Tyneside so see that even in times of need, the board of directors may not necessarily employ the man with the most coaching badges or trophies in the attic. Alan Shearer has been labelled as the man to save Newcastle simply because he loves the club. It was presumed that his affinity with the fans and the city would be enough to inspire the Geordies to Premiership survival. The jury is for now, still out.
Shearer isn’t the only novice in the Premiership. Gianfranco Zola, who has been a terrific success at West Ham, probably got the job purely because of his standing as a Premiership legend. Three years back, Roy Keane got a crack of the whip at Sunderland on the basis of his fierce will to win as a player and his sheer ambition. Neither had a track record as a manager.
Sometimes you have to take these gambles, in the hope that you can unearth a gem. New managers with new ideas and fresh enthusiasm can galvanise a club and turn their fortunes around. Or they can be a complete flop like former Charlton manager Les Reed. Remember him? No, I’m not surprised.
So this brings me to Burton Albion. Nigel Clough’s departure for Derby in January threatened to completely derail what had looked like a romp to the Blue Square Premier title for the Brewers, but they eventually held off the challenge of Cambridge to secure promotion to League Two.
With Roy McFarland stepping down from his caretaker role, Albion Chairman Ben Robinson was left with the task of finding a man to keep Burton up in their first ever season of league football. The man he settled on was Paul Peschisolido.
‘Pesch’ is no stranger to fans of English football, having played more than 500 games for ten different clubs, but he is certainly a stranger to management, with only 4 months as assistant at St Patrick’s Athletic on his C.V.
For me, this represents a massive gamble. With Burton stepping into the football league for the first time, surely this was the time to appoint an experienced head with the know-how and contacts to wheel and deal his way to survival in 2009/2010? It’s not as if Albion would have struggled to entice decent managers to the Pirelli Stadium either. Burton is a very well run club – just ask Nigel Clough. Despite his ever-growing reputation, the Derby manager remained at Burton for over ten years, slowly crafting a side that was capable of promotion. He had his bad times, but the board showed faith in him.
With a tidy new stadium and excellent facilities, it is hard to see why Robinson wasn’t able to attract a big name manager in a similar vein to Wycombe’s ambitious appointment of Peter Taylor last year.
However, the Pesch it is, and it will be interesting to see how the former Canadian international gets on. I’m sure he will milk his contacts at Birmingham City (he is married to City Managing Director Karen Brady) for a few loan signings, but otherwise it could be tough going for the rookie. He inherits a team that despite winning promotion last season, finished the campaign in poor form, collecting just 27 from a possible 57 points after Clough’s departure for Derby on 5th January.
A lack of contacts may undermine Pesch’s chances of success, but he does share one common trait with most successful first-time managers – personality. Peschisolido was adored by the supporters of the teams he played for and it was easy to see why. His work-rate and attitude made him a real pest for opposition defenders, and much like fellow ageing striker Paul Dickov, he does appear to have ‘management material’ tattooed across his forehead.
Peschisolido will probably possess the drive and application to become a decent football league manager. However, his appointment certainly carries an enormous risk for Burton, and they can only hope they’ve unearthed another Nigel Clough.
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1. i_made_this, exeter?
wrote...
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I saw the Paul Dickov reference coming a mile off. LEGEND
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