Given that there’s been reported interest in Hecky in the recent past, (speculation or otherwise) and the fact that he did a great job with winning promotion, the paint pot cup and a great start on our return to the Championship, I’d like to think there is a contingency plan and hopefully it covers more than the void left by Hecky, but the Sports science team as well.
Ok then, The promotion, winning the paint pot cup and a great start to the return to the Championship, all done with playing great football, we’re nothing then.
In the last fifty years, five out of the six promotion winning managers at our club were appointed from within, Johnny Steele (1968), Norman Hunter (1981), Danny Wilson (1997), Andy Ritchie (2006) & Paul Heckingbottom (2016). Only Allan Clarke (1979) came from outside the club and won promotion. Also, the football 'experts' at the time claimed in 1994 when Wilson was appointed and in 2005 when Ritchie got the job, that these were examples of the club going for the cheap option and no good could possibly come from it. If the board goes down the same route again, it's highly likely that these same comments, or something similar, will be produced.
It really depends on the quality of coaches within the club at the moment. I hope if we appoint from within its because people deem that candidate the best option to improve us short and longer term and not the simplest option. As always we’ll just have to sit tight, and hope the club makes the best call in the circumstances, then give whoever comes in the best backing we can. There seem to be a lot of exciting young managers about in lower leagues. I really hope the club know who they want and move quickly. We have a two week break coming up - perfect time to get players and managers away for a week and work on tactics, formations and gel as a team.
Normally I would too. But absolutely no one in the current set up fills me with any confidence from the little I’ve seen and what I’ve heard. In fact the coaching from 23s down was something I really hoped was going to improve under new ownership. But, whoever gets it I’ll support and hope they do a fantastic job.
As occook has said, it really depends on the quality of our coaches currently on our staff. I don't know how good they are, but wouldn't be arrogant enough to write any of them off due to nothing more than my personal ignorance.
I remember a manager not so long ago who presided over a really poor run of results, and a lot of fans wanted him sacked. The club, however, stuck by him, only to find that he then left voluntarily anyway. We appointed from within, and ended up with the most successful team in very recent history. I wonder if history will repeat itself?
Perhaps, they’ll promote temporarily from within and have a prospective candidate ( from overseas or otherwise) keeping a watchful eye on things until the summer.
It does depend. To be honest I don’t know enough about the coaching staff below Clapham who I presume will go with Hecky but we have people with the clubs best interests at heart like Devaney and Hassell so who knows. It’s more likely to be some foreign guy we have ever heard of. New broom and all that.
Perhaps. Interested to see what happens. Hopefully whoever comes in can get us playing and put a bit of a spring in our step. A win against Wednesday, no matter how unlikely Now, would be a massive boost.