A Funny Old Game...
Football, that is. Only a few weeks ago Juande Ramos was being sacked as Spurs' head coach after presiding over the club's worst start to a season since 1723 (or 1910, depending upon which newspaper you were reading), which had seen them secure only two points from eight league matches. Today he was appointed manager of Real Madrid, Spain's biggest club and one of the biggest clubs in the world. I can't think of many other professions where ignominious failure followed by dismissal would be seen as a recommendation for a similar post at an even bigger employer,where the stakes are even higher. But the role of manager seems to be viewed rather differently in La Liga, where many clubs seem to get through them at a fantastic rate. The Director of Football is king there, with the coach (rather than manager) seen simply as another employee. A stark contrast with the Premier League, where having the right manager is seen as vital to a club's success.
But back to the point - why do Real Madrid think Ramos can succeed there after failing at Spurs (barring the League Cup victory, which was achieved with what was essentially his predecessor Martin Jol's team)? Well, for one thing, he shouldn't have the linguistic difficulties he had in North London. Moreover, his approach and methods might be less of a culture shock to La Liga players than they seemed to be at Spurs. Ultimately, though, it has to be asked why any manager who has failed at one club is thought to be suitable for employment at another? As I said before, in any other walk of life such public failure would spell the death knell for any career. At the very least, you'd be expected to start all over again and work your way back up. But do failed Premiership managers go back to basics and seek jobs lower down the league? No, they usually end up managing another Premiership club. At the very least, they get a job in the Championship. Of course, this is a tacit admission on the part of club owners that the factors influencing a club's relative success or failure frequently lie outside of a manager's control - injuries, the sale of key players to raise funds, for instance. Like I said, it's a funny old game...
But back to the point - why do Real Madrid think Ramos can succeed there after failing at Spurs (barring the League Cup victory, which was achieved with what was essentially his predecessor Martin Jol's team)? Well, for one thing, he shouldn't have the linguistic difficulties he had in North London. Moreover, his approach and methods might be less of a culture shock to La Liga players than they seemed to be at Spurs. Ultimately, though, it has to be asked why any manager who has failed at one club is thought to be suitable for employment at another? As I said before, in any other walk of life such public failure would spell the death knell for any career. At the very least, you'd be expected to start all over again and work your way back up. But do failed Premiership managers go back to basics and seek jobs lower down the league? No, they usually end up managing another Premiership club. At the very least, they get a job in the Championship. Of course, this is a tacit admission on the part of club owners that the factors influencing a club's relative success or failure frequently lie outside of a manager's control - injuries, the sale of key players to raise funds, for instance. Like I said, it's a funny old game...
posted by Doc Sleaze at
8:05 pm
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