I know it seems to be how things go when getting a club relegated, but Daniel Farke had done a good job and probably if he had stayed would have gotten them back up again.
Recall someone trying to argue that he was a good manager because he got Villa promoted. Has failed everywhere else at this level or higher..
He did average at Brentford. He took over and got them to 9th, and then signed a bunch of players and finished 10th the following season. He then signed a whole heap more players and finished.. in 9th.
Each year he demanded funds with the claim he wanted to push for play offs. He didn't once make the play offs, so he failed. Just because he managed to not relegate them doesn't mean he didn't fail.
According to what I know he did it on a shoestring budget, so any manager in your eye that doesn't reach the playoffs is a failure? Was Nigel Atkin's a failure at City, not in my book, but probably in yours?
He didn't do it on a shoestring budget, they had large funds to work with fuelled by player sales for large fees. I never said that so don't put words in my mouth. I'm saying in his own words each of his full seasons had the target of the play offs, and in each of them he did not make them. He set the targets and he failed to meet them. Was it you I had this discussion with last time? Your view of Smith far exceeds his actual ability. Other than a season where he got Villa promoted off the back of Bruce's squad, and then a hawkeye glitch that kept them in the PL, he really hasn't done enough to merit your opinion of him since leaving Walsall in League One. By contrast Frank's first full season with Brentford saw them 3rd, just a year after Smith left.
The following is taken from his Wikipedia page. Brentford finished the 2017–18 season in ninth-place and were "widely regarded as the Championship's entertainers" after Smith built an attractive passing style of play on a shoestring budget. The fact that he did in other people's eyes well at Brentford got him the Villa job, so IMO he was not a failure, but he is liked by the Brentford fans as he started them on the road to where they are today.
As you read his Wikipedia page I have no doubt you saw the previous sentences from which you extracted that line: "In building for the 2016–17 season Smith signed 18 players, including Romaine Sawyers (free transfer) and Rico Henry (£1.5 million) from previous club Walsall. The "Bees" finished the season in tenth place, and Smith said he wanted to bring in more players in order to push for the play-offs the following season.[57] He signed a new one-year contract extension in February 2018." I'll say again. He targeted the play offs and didn't reach them, despite signing a large number of players in order to try to achieve it. He failed in his ambitions at Brentford. His successor achieved them within 18 months. I'm not quite sure how you've turned this into such a boring back and forth, I don't know how much simpler it is to say. And in a thread where he's been sacked for failing at another club, it's remarkable you think he's so unfairly viewed. Do you think Norwich were wrong to sack him?
Forget it, I was just saying IMO he was not a failure at Brentford, you say he was. Leave it at that.
Fair enough, I also acknowledge my initial post was a bit over the top as he did well at Walsall, but I had focussed on his time in the Championship/PL so agree to disagree.
I was listening to Budgie Call on Radio Norwich the other night...Some joker rang in and suggested Ian Holloway for the hot seat...I immediately thought I had fallen into a parallel universe.
Surely Russell Martin most likely. Would have to be a record of the most managers being poached from incumbent jobs though? Can't remember it happening with so many.
I think the likes of Steve Bruce, Holloway etc have had their day, coaching has moved on. I can't see them getting a meaningful job anymore unless they drop down to lower divisions.
Or someone gets desperate. I think WBA appointed Bruce because they thought by having a squad capable of going up, he'd be able to carry them through, which backfired. Have seen Bruce's name floated for Norwich which would be hilarious because I agree, I think if he really wants to keep managing he'd have to go L1, and I'm not sure he has that motivation.
