After five minutes of Brighton’s game at Goodison Park on Saturday with the score at 0-0, a passionate and extremely vocal Evertonian took the opportunity to run to within five yards of the dugout I was sitting in and vent his anger and frustration by screaming “Get out of my fucking club” directly at Sam Allardyce – the man who, in my opinion, has successfully done the job required and expected of him. The Everton manager has stabilized a huge club that had lost its way to the point where relegation was a distinct possibility based on the performances and results before his arrival in November.
He has utilized his extensive experience and steadied a rocky ship by winning home games with his organized, methodical and pragmatic style of play. Everton are in a mid-table position where only a catastrophe would drag them into a relegation dogfight.
Surely from his perspective he has done a successful job from the position they were in and, in turn, he has convinced the board and the fans, who passionately support this fine club, he is the right man for the job in the long term?
Judging from that Everton fan and reports in the press it seems not. Gaining better results than your predecessor and winning matches regardless of style no longer seems to be enough, and the debate over the future of a manager who has achieved success in his own distinct fashion is not only about the results Allardyce consistently seems to gain but more about the manner in which he gets them. So are we entering an age when style and footballing philosophy are becoming just as important as substance and result when it comes to appraising a manager’s ability?
Look at the analysis of José Mourinho and Manchester United’s win over their rivals Liverpool. In the buildup and aftermath of the game pundits and supporters were not only discussing and dissecting the result but the tactically pragmatic way in which Mourinho sets up his sides to win. Some United fans and former players have stated on numerous occasions during his tenure that winning by the odd goal at a club with United’s attacking philosophy isn’t enough and they demand he sets up his teams to mirror that famous tradition.
We are approaching and reaching a time when managers are not judged solely on results but also when their process, philosophy and style of play have a huge influence on how they are perceived. I think we can all agree Manchester City are raising the bar in terms of not only results but also the style of offensive, high-intensity, expressive football they produce.
Within 18 months of taking charge at City, Pep Guardiola is not only raising the level teams need to perform at in order to compete with them but increasing the expectation we have of managers, to win and play in a way that entertains and justifies the hard-earned money supporters pay for season tickets, TV subscriptions, club merchandise and expensive travel costs.
The fact Guardiola is winning with style is increasing the demands on Mourinho, Allardyce and many other managers in the Premier League. Mourinho and Allardyce have been hugely successful in their careers and I have huge admiration for them, especially in being pragmatic enough to win games by any means necessary. But what Guardiola along with Mauricio Pochettino are showing is that having a clear, defined and, most importantly, offensive playing style makes it possible to win consistently while improving the technical level of the players and entertaining fans at the same time.
I understand the argument that the aim of managing a club is to secure as many victories as possible, with philosophy and method of play a distant second, but with the vast amounts of money Premier League clubs earn, the wage budgets and the cash supporters are forking out, a new question has been posed: is it unreasonable for fans to ask to be entertained and to watch football that places them on the edge of their seats every game?
This is the balance many managers, already under pressure to keep their jobs by just winning games, are having to strike. They are being asked to play in a way that suits the demands of supporters and the ever-increasing media exposure that comes with the Premier League. I believe these added pressures can only raise the technical level. There is more discernment from fans wanting technical, exciting football rather than defence-oriented football focusing on long balls and set pieces.
Fairly or unfairly we are now appraising coaches not only on results but the manner, process and style used to get there, and style is more than ever becoming as important as substance.
(The Guardian)
