The news broke today that Diego Maradona’s stint as the head coach of Argentina has come to a premature close in light of his much-fancied squads’ lacklustre performance at last month’s World Cup, culminating in a 4-0 mauling at the hands of a vital German side.
Maradona’s dismissal after a few patchy months in charge is no real surprise. His appointment was, from the very moment it was announced, controversial and seen by many as a sentimental move to honour their country’s greatest player and inspire the young generation of potential world-beaters to emulate his on-field exploits. The Maradona case is an exceptional one, though. Not only did he have very little management experience to his name (much less success), his off-field behaviour during and since his playing days inspired nothing but contempt from international rivals and compatriots alike. He was not, nor has ever been a role model, and is widely regarded as one of the sport’s most divisive figures.
He was tactically outfoxed on the world’s most public stage by his German counterpart. And in all honesty, he was lucky the team that many felt had the depth to go the whole way didn’t stumble sooner given his strategic deficiencies. He failed to get the best out of the world’s best player, Lionel Messi. Without the diminutive maestro pulling the strings as the heartbeat of a normally fluid Argentine midfield, his team was destined to find itself in cardiac arrest sooner rather than later.
Maradona’s gone – no surprises there. But his rapid dismissal raises another issue that has long bugged me. The turnover of managers in football is nothing short of ludicrous. If you were to look back over our own domestic league and study the teams whose names clutter English silverware, one theme is constant: a stable manager throughout the days of dominance. Which team is the most successful of the last 20 years in English football? Manchester United – no doubt. How many managers did they have over that span? 1. Alex Ferguson. That’s it. No panic firing and hiring when Arsenal rose to the top under Wenger; no histrionics when Mourinho guided Chelsea to two successive titles; no rash decisions from the board when United were thoroughly outclassed and beaten 2-0 by a Barcelona side that looked as if they were bored for 90 minutes in the 2009 Champions’ League final. Solidity and faith are the keys to success. And it isn’t just football that this rule applies to: the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL are well-known for their propensity to stick with one man in charge for huge periods of time, having hired less than ten coaches in their history – a history that has yielded a league-leading 6 Superbowl victories.
Bill Cowher, current Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin’s predecessor, was in charge for 15 seasons. In that time he lost four AFC championship games at home and was still called back the following season. He and the Rooney family – who own the franchise – were finally rewarded when, in his penultimate season, he won the Superbowl before stepping down a year later after failing to repeat. Honourable and just are words that can be used to describe such a method and the Premier League and International football could learn from such an investment.
I’m not a huge fan of Capello, but I am pleased he wasn’t fired. He has experience now – invaluable experience. He has been trashed and humiliated; put on a pedestal that collapsed under the weight of expectation. He has earned his stripes. Now he can go forward with a new generation and hopefully erase the memory of World Cup failure with a few solid wins. Thank God for Wenger, Ferguson and even David bloody Moyes – these guys are their teams and their failures and successes are the result of their actions, not blameable on a duff predecessor. I hope and believe Hodgson will be the future of Liverpool and that he will do well with them if given the decade of power his reputation and temperament deserves and that English football invests time in managers rather than looking for quick-fix solutions to problems that run deeper than the bottom line.
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