Manchester United vs Tottenham Hotspur on 30th October was a battle between two beleaguered managers fighting for their job. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had just seen Liverpool put five goals past his side at Old Trafford, the third loss in four games. That 5-0 drubbing followed a 4-2 loss at Leicester City the week before. Meanwhile, it was only Nuno Espirito Santos’ tenth league game in charge but had seen heavy losses previously to Crystal Palace (3-0), Chelsea (3-0) and Arsenal (3-1). He had just come off a 1-0 to West Ham as well. What would give?
They beat Tottenham 3-0, and Nuno lost his job two days later. The London club moved quickly to secure Antonio Conte, who was linked with the United job. The signing of the experienced Italian, coming off a Serie A triumph with Inter Milan, was a decisive step towards rescuing the season and more. Solskjaer failed to build on that win, with another crushing 2-0 loss to local rivals Manchester City. It begs the question: is faith in a manager justified?
United have continued to back a manager who has achieved a lot but has obvious shortcomings. Tottenham failed to back their long-term manager, Mauricio Pochettino, in his first prolonged difficult period at the club in 2019-20, and have now sacked managers in three consecutive seasons (Mourinho and Nuno). The optimal approach probably lies in between blind faith and short-termism.
Both Sheffield clubs have had their own contrasting managerial situations over the past few years. Since Carlos Carvalhal’s departure in December 2017, Wednesday have gone through five managers. Jos Luhukay was in charge just under a year, Steve Bruce had 18 games before he left for Newcastle United, Garry Monk struggled over 58 games, and the short-term appointment of Tony Pulis lasted ten games. Darren Moore was tasked with the rest of last season and taking the club back to the Championship, but they are nine off the top. At what stage should the club stick with Moore or roll the dice over another name>
Sheffield United, meanwhile, enjoyed great success under Chris Wilder for the best part of five years, but that ran its course last season as they slogged their way to relegation. Slaviša Jokanović is the new man in charge of the promotion charge; they are mired in lower mid-table, but the Serb can rightfully point to muddled support in the transfer market in the summer. He should surely be given time to turn things around.
Sometimes, clubs may find it risky to keep faith when the financial costs are just too high. A new manager may well bring a bounce in results. But a culture of regular sackings will never bode well for a club. It can only be justified if results are inadequate despite sufficient backing to the manager to bring in his desired players. The current football culture is to demand change the minute results are poor, but it is up to the clubs to find the right balance. It’s no surprise it’s a difficult job.
