Apart from the inexperience bit I like Frank, seems intelligent and was obviously under some good managers and likes good football.
Don’t think I said he had a poor win record at L1? Gauthier came out yesterday and said they want a manager who can win games. Hecky inherited an incredibly good championship team in league one and over a small sample size was able to win a few games. Credit to him for that. However, he wouldn’t have that luxury if he came back and even if he did and got us back up.. then what? Sack him and find someone who can win games at championship level? Because his record at that level is probably one of the worst of any Barnsley manager.
I’d say you saying ‘he doesn’t know how to win games’ without a caveat is a pretty sweeping statement. As I said I don’t want him back but whoever is appointed is extremely unlikely to be a proven Championship manager who has managed a team with a bottom 3 budget successfully at that level.
Hurst from Shrewsbury would be 1st choice for me (if they don't win the playoffs). Bowyer at Blackpool is another good shout. Paul Harsley anyone...?
Given his record his last 18 months at Leeds and us, I wouldn't say its really factually incorrect that the guy can't win games. In his last 100 games hes won 27. Thats pretty much two seasons of relegation form. We can take the 14 games he won 2 years ago with a very good championship team into consideration if we must, but I think its very reasonable to suggest the guy cant win games.
Giving a top quality former player a first chance would be the route I would go too. More and more clubs are doing that these days. Look at guys like Steven Gerrard, Kevin Nolan, Harry Kewell, and Joey Barton being given a chance, instead of the same old names with multiple failures on their CV.
The trouble with that is that I could see Frank and Christine living in Oxford, historic cultured city. Maybe Wycombe or Henley, somewhere else on the M40 corridor so both oxford and London are commutable. Can’t see her settling in Worsborough though. From a purely footballing point of view, yes. Someone like Brad Potts could learn a lot from him no doubt at all. It’s not like Frank was the most gifted technical footballer, but he became amongst the best goal scoring midfield players England have produced.
Kevin Nolan mentioned above seems to be well thought of. I would still approach Wycombe again for Ainsworth too
Just bumped into him artside the Butchers - he said it's not for him, likes living round here too much!!
This is the route I would definitely avoid. There's no reason to expect someone to be a good manager just because they were a good player, and furthermore a top player will have absolutely no idea or experience of League 1.
Allan Clarke did OK when he came to a 4th division club 40 years ago. (Boy does that make me feel old)
Some will be successful - my point wasn't that it's 100% bound to fail, but that there's no evidence for why such an appointment would work. As such it's a complete gamble based purely on the prestige of someone's playing career which has nowt to do with management. I'd prefer us to go for someone young and up and coming who has a record of success in the lower leagues.