Coaching to Management: The Good, the Bad and Les Reed

With Chris Hughton looking set to become Norwich's newest manager I take a look at the levels of success of that magic transition from coach to gaffer.

Hughton had ten years as assistant manager at Tottenham Hotspur working under as many as six managers. It would seem that this would be the perfect scholarship to becoming a successful manager and for Hughton this seems true. His spell at Newcastle saw him achieve promotion and secure mid table status in the top division only to be controversially relieved of his duties. Being promoted to manager appears to be a poisoned chalice, similarly to Martin Jol at Spurs, Hughton was afforded less time than you would expect and an unrealistic level of consistency was required to keep his job. Jol achieved back to back fifth placed finishes (after being promoted following Jacques Santini's premature departure), at the time, the best in Tottenham's Premier League history. Poor form in the proceeding season saw all that forgotten as he was axed quicker than Cardiff's home colours. Hughton has since gone on to have an excellent season at Birmingham. With a squad in transition, Hughton relied heavily on youth, as many of his big names left. Starlet Nathan Redmond shone and loan signing Andros Townsend saw the Brummies playing some of the best football in the league. Hughton guided Birmingham to fourth place in a very competitive division littered with former Premier League teams. He also had an FA Cup run which saw them lose a fifth round replay to eventual winners Chelsea and a unique situation in the Championship, of being in Europe. After qualifying for the Europa League group stage, Birmingham held their own and only missed out on qualification for the knockout stages by one point in a very tight group. Forever being linked with new jobs, the future looks bright for Hughton and I wish him all the best at Norwich, however not everyone can make this transition from the backroom to the touchline as smoothly and successfully as Norwich's new boss or Fulham's Jol.

Over the years there have been those who have found being promoted to manager nigh on impossible. None more famous than Steve McClaren. Accused of being 'too matey' with the squad, Schteve lacked the authority to stamp his mark on the squad. Having been involved in the national set up since 2000, it was difficult for McClaren to demonstrate to the squad that he was in charge and they should do it his way. This is certainly a factor when coaches make that step up, they must have the mental rigidity to establish their own regime and not try to do things as their predecessor had, as tempting as it may be. This does not mean that you should not learn from your experience as assistant, but it is the method of application of this learning which appears to be the key to successful management. The media smear campaign was not conducive to success it must be noted, brandishing McClaren 'Second Choice Steve' and the 'Wally With The Brolly', his failure to qualify for EURO 2008 saw the end of a miserable tenure. McClaren's skill as a club manager cannot be denied, he had guided Middlesborough to the League Cup and a UEFA Cup Final and subsequently won the Dutch league with FC Twente. Perhaps the same cannot be said for other would be managers, not everyone has the raw ability to become top dog.

Phil Brown, Chris Hutchins, Sammy Lee and Les Reed. You won't find these guys in the Managerial Hall of Fame. All excellent and successful coaches in their own right, they seemed to lack the skills required of a top level manager. Les Reed even being named worst manager of all time in an unofficial online poll. Phil Brown's infamous on pitch team talk demonstrated a lack of tact and managerial nous you would never see amongst the likes of Wenger, Redknapp and Moyes. It was akin to the training ground, a place Brown was surely more accustomed to. When Bolton appointed Sammy Lee in 2007, aside from having a ridiculous touchline headset, which would have needed a direct line to the man upstairs for Lee to have success, his bewildering tactical decisions led Bolton to one win in eleven. 'Little Sam' fell well short of his larger predecessor.

The move from No.2 is clearly one which poses many difficulties and is not for everyone. In today's modern game it seems that managers can often be thrown in at the deep end, Alan Shearer and Paul Ince for example, took on jobs that were too big for them. Perhaps they would have benefited from an understudy tenure, however there seems a pattern where if one is in the backroom too long, the step up to No.1 is a bridge too far. There are certainly more cases of failure than success and it seems Chris Hughton is an exception to the norm.

JLloyd