Last week one of the big news stories coming out of Madrid was the sacking of Benitez from Real Madrid.
Again the team full of Galacticos had disposed of a manager who is one of the best in the game. He was replaced with Zinedine Zidane, the ex-player who enjoyed many years at Madrid, both as a player and a coach. Though he has no experience coaching at the top level, he had been involved within the framework of Madrid for many years, being the coach for the B team, Castilla, as well as being Carlo Ancelloti’s assistant during his successful yet short tenure at the Bernabeu.
Yet, is the role of the ‘Supermanager’ over and, should teams be looking to promote their own from within, ex-players who know the system well?
With the success of Pep Guardiola at Barcelona, teams have taken note and tried to look at their own systems in an attempt to create a similar, successful set up.
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Guardiola made his way up through the ranks, being a player, then managing at Barca B, until taking the reigns of one of the most entertaining clubs in the world, replacing Frank Rijkaard in 2008. What followed was the emergence of a certain Lionel Messi, several Champions League trophies and countless other league and domestic honours.
What it did was illustrate the benefits of promoting within, allowing a manager with experience in day to day handling of the club to take the reigns, and make him a role model to look up to. In the end it got him the Bayern Munich job, and now he’s one of the most wanted managers in the world with several clubs reportedly eager to be his next project once he leaves Bayern this summer. So just how successful can it be for clubs to promote within? And what to do they get?
With a home grown manager, you’re getting someone who knows everybody, from the tea lady to the chairman. They know the club inside out, the style the fans want and how to embrace the players. For lower league clubs, it is an option most chose, due to the finances being tight and needing a manager who can provide a quick fix.
Gareth Ainsworth at Wycombe has to be a great example of this.Being handed the managers job in 2013, he has stabilised the club, and developed the side in to promotion candidates, as well as most recently pulling off a draw against Aston Villa in the FA Cup. Other clubs have done the same, and in England it is not so unpopular.
Many forget that Roberto Martinez was a fan favourite at Swansea, and in 2007 took the mangers role and guided the club to League One. In 2014, Garry Monk became the Swansea manager and although he was recently sacked, initially led Swansea to their club record Premier League points haul of 56 in 2014/2015.
It highlights just how effective it can be for clubs to promote from within, and it is better for them when the manager knows the ins and outs and everyone around the club, creating an effective working relationship.
So ‘Supermanagers’ die out? The possibility is yes, highlighted through the fact Mourinho has not yet been snapped up by a club since his dismissal from Chelsea, while Manchester United are supposedly looking to promote Ryan Giggs, who we all know epitomises someone who knows a club inside out…
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