Football’s executives need to learn their own limitations

When it comes to processing poultry, the knowledge of Venkatesh and Balaji Rao is probably unparalleled. Mike Ashley knows a thing or two about selling sportswear but the owners of both Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United clearly have a lot to learn about football.

The shock departures of Sam Allardyce and Chris Hughton demonstrate that football management is one profession in which incompetence is not necessarily a prerequisite for dismissal.

Neither Hughton nor Allardyce were doing a bad job by any normal criteria and both are understandably bemused by the decision to dispense with their services. The League Manager’s Association, which has had a particularly busy few days, was quick to condemn these dismissals and it is difficult to find anyone in the game who will disagree.

Newcastle United captain Kevin Nolan stuck his head above the parapet, risking the wrath of the men who write his pay cheques by coming out in support of Hughton,

“We are all upset that Chris is going. He helped a lot of the lads here with their careers when he was a coach and then as manager. It goes without saying we were shocked by the announcement,” he said.

His Blackburn Rovers counterpart Ryan Nelson also made his feelings about Allardyce’s departure abundantly clear,

“I am devastated for Sam. He had an absolutely fantastic relationship with all of the players. Everyone respected him. He took the club out of the doldrums really. We were in massive trouble with no money. He solidified us and put us into a top-ten position, and again he did it on a shoe-string,”.

Club captains are normally much more circumspect in these circumstances and the fact that Nolan and Nelson chose to make such unambiguous statements demonstrates the depth of ill feeling these dismissals have aroused.

Both managers were guilty of no more than guiding their sides to a mid table position which was roughly in line with supporter’s expectations. The most successful manager in the history of the English game, Sir Alex Ferguson, suffered the ignominy of a couple of mid season finishes in his early years at Manchester United.

This formative period provided the basis from which the former Aberdeen boss built his dynasty at Old Trafford. Had the club been owned by either Ashley or the Venky’s group it is doubtful he would have survived more than a couple of seasons.

Michael Knighton was the original ‘hands on’ club owner. He narrowly missed out on buying Manchester United for £20 million in what would have proved a lucrative investment. The deal eventually fell through but not before the prospective new owner had exposed himself to ridicule by donning a football kit and having a kick about on the Old Trafford pitch.

Knighton’s belief in his footballing credentials survived the Manchester United debacle intact and he subsequently decided to instate himself as manager of Carlisle United, the side he decided to purchase instead. An apprenticeship at Everton and a degree in PE provided scant preparation for the rigours of club management and the team were rapidly relegated.

Wealthy individuals do not tend to purchase football clubs for exclusively financial reasons, although there is clearly money to be made. They are motivated more by glory than greed and this is why Roman Abramovich at Chelsea and the Abu Dhabi Group at Manchester City are willing to dispense large sums of cash ,with little prospect of any eventual return.

Neither Ashley nor the Venky’s Group appear to be in a position to make their presence felt by topping up the transfer kitty, something which in supporter’s eyes is the only practical purpose of a football club owner. Instead they are forced to chop and change managers in search of an elusive quick fix solution.

At least Ashley could offer a credible explanation for Hughton’s dismissal, albeit one most fans found abhorrent. The sportswear magnate wanted a more experienced manager and the concept that someone might be able to gain experience while managing a club was obviously lost on him.

Allardyce’s departure is even more inexplicable. The Venky’s Group issued an unequivocal statement soon after the takeover which outlined their (lack of) ambition for the club. A spokesperson, Anuradha Desai, announced that,

“We don’t expect to be in the top five of the Premier League. We will be happy to be in the top ten to 12.”

At the time of Allardyce’s dismissal Blackburn were only missing out on the top 12 courtesy of an inferior goal difference and three points separated them from seventh placed Sunderland in a congested Premier League mid table.

The problem which many football clubs face is that they are owned and controlled by people whose knowledge of football is fairly limited. Malcolm Glazer has been the subject of intense criticism since taking over at Manchester United but his ownership has actually been astute. The manager has been left to his own devices while the owner has focused his attention on the commercial side of operations.

The debt accumulated during the leveraged buyout is the main point of contention for disillusioned supporters. However Glazer does deserve credit for increasing revenue dramatically and not attempting to interfere with Ferguson’s work. He is an owner who, unlike Knighton, knows his own limitations.

The greatest footballing travesty of the last seven days did not occur at either St James’s Park or Ewood Park but in Southern Asia. The Philippines, under the astute guidance of Simon McMenemy, have been the surprise package of the Suzuki Cup.

McMenemy’s previous claim to fame was having managed Haywards Heath but he has worked wonders to take the team to the semi finals of the tournament where they will face Indonesia. The Philippines defeated reigning champion’s Vietnam in the group stages and also held highly fancied Singapore to a draw.

So unexpected was the success of these footballing minnows that the Philippines did not even have a suitable stadium ready to host the home leg of the semi final. As a result McMenemy’s men will have to play both the home and away legs in Indonesia’s 88,083 capacity Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.

This should have been a source of severe embarrassment to the Philippines Football Federation but an apology to the manager and players was far from forthcoming. Instead President Jose Mari Martinez decided that the eve of the most important football fixture in the country’s history would be an opportune moment to announce his long term vision for the team,

“I am now negotiating to recruit a Brazilian coach, Rick Figuerido, who has about 12 years of World Cup experience with Brazil, Mexico and Jamaica. I can form another national team that’s better than what we’ve got now,” he said.

The dismissals of Allardyce and Hughton and the prospective departure of McMenemy set a worrying precedent. The game is in danger of falling into the hands of egotistical administrators who have never set foot on a football pitch in a professional capacity.

Recent Posts on Sport - Latest analysis on the Sporting world -

• iBet: Chanderpaul to outdo his West Indies team mates
• Empire of Dirt: 'Twenty thousand people came to watch BMXing and that's mega'
• Beware Fabio Capello, Liverpool. Managing England makes you rubbish
• The next couple of months could shape the future of Arsene Wenger's Arsenal
• Top 14: Verdict on the season – part two