What makes a good manager? Not just in football, but in general. As someone who used to appraise managers I used to look for: Getting the best out of a team of people; Treating everyone in the team with dignity: Not being frightened to tell someone that they needed to improve, and helping them do so; Being strong enough to give the push to those who didn't improve; Giving clear leadership, while considering the views of others. Achieving set goals is axionatic, but reading about some of the "great" football managers I cringe. Sir Alex's famous temper; Cloughie's sarcasm; Shankly and his dismissal of anyone who disagreed with him ... These three have been great achievers, but Bob Paisley always impressed me more because I could always see the criteria outlined above. Now how does our current manager stand? Interested in the criteria, but also views on great managers past and present.
Something you can't measure is "presence" Energy..... you need bundles of it Enthusiasm.... it rubs off Execution .. the ability to deliver Our Nige does alright in these.
As well as being football savvy and a good man-manager, the best managers have to be very astute in finance and planning too. Juggling it all proves too much for many managers. There's a lot to be said for the director of football model. If the DoF knows his place, it can provide much needed continuity even when managers come and go.
We already have Les Reed. I'm not sure exactly what he does, but I'd imagine it lets Nigel concentrate more on the day to day management of the team.
I am! I have magnificently guided my under 11's team to mid table obscurity. The plan was to mirror Nigel doing that with Saints, but he's gone and ruined that by being brilliant!
