Thursday 28 May 2015 14:55, UK
League Managers Association chief Richard Bevan hopes to see former West Ham boss Sam Allardyce make a swift return to management.
Allardyce’s contract with West Ham was not renewed after three years at Upton Park where he helped consolidate the east London club’s position as an established mid-table Premier League side.
The 60-year-old has previously managed at Blackpool, Bolton, Blackburn and Newcastle, and Bevan believes football needs managers like Allardyce.
“It’s disappointing not to see Sam continuing,” Bevan told Sky Sports News HQ.
“Sam Allardyce is a man who has taken charge of over 900 matches and he’s one of the most experienced and forward-thinking managers.
“I was disappointed to hear Sam say he was going to take a holiday because I think the game needs Sam and I hope he is back soon.”
Almost 200 managers and coaches lost their jobs during the 2014/15 season and Bevan admits it is "worrying" to see the highest rate of managerial turnover in the last 13 years.
“From a managerial perspective we’ve had a higher turnover of managers than ever before - 47 managers have been sacked and also 150 coaches.
“There have been about a dozen resignations as well. It’s the worst across the leagues since 2002, and in the Championship it’s the worst ever.
“Back in 1992 the average tenure for a manager was four years and to see that down now to eight months in the Championship is a bit of a nonsense really.
“I don’t really want to brush over the stats for the Championship because they are very worrying for the game. Twenty managers have lost their jobs in the Championship plus a large number of coaches.
“It sends out the wrong message because coaching is the golden thread of our game and the clubs and the FA have a responsibility to protect the coaches and develop our future coaches.
“And, if you look at the 200 sackings of coaches and managers, you will probably find that close on 30 per cent of those sackings were not down to results, they were down to relationships.”
Bevan was asked if an influx of foreign owners had contributed to the alarming rate of turnover off the pitch. He insisted it is immaterial providing owners understand the culture of the club, but Bevan gave a scathing assessment of Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino’s tenure.
“I don’t think it matters very much whether you are an overseas owner or a domestic owner, the key is recognising the tradition, the supporters, the philosophy and the community,” he said.
“What fans don’t want to see is debt and sacking of managers. They want to see good communication and transparency and I think those boards that manage the expectations of the fans and the media tend to be the boards that build this culture of growth and not the boom or bust approach we’ve seen in clubs such as Leeds.
“The tenure of the current owner and the way he has treated ex-employees is a disgrace and it does need to be looked at by the FA and the Football League.”
