The Sports
Psychology Blog
Today's Sports Psychology blog considers the sacking of Paul Simpson as Preston North End manager.
Football: Paul Simpson - A Bad Manager?
So Paul Simpson is asked to leave Deepdale. A poor start to the season has left The Lillywhite's in the relegation zone. But, is sacking Paul Simpson the solution to the problem?
Paul Simpson was headhunted by Preston North End from Carlisle United. At Brunton Park he achieved successive promotions. From out of The Conference into League One. A special accomplishment. Previously he took Rochdale to the heady heights of the fourth round of the FA Cup. And in his first season at Preston, he was within a few points of the play-offs. So, clearly, this is one good young manager.
In the close season Preston sold their top player David Nugent. He wasn't replaced. Then captain Graham Alexander was sold. Two influential players. Internationals. Sold. Losses of talent and experience that are going to take time to recover from. To replace. Time the manager wasn't given.
Yesterday David Jones was granted more time to turn around the fortunes of Cardiff City. Clearly David Jones isn't a bad manager. At the start of the season, Brian Laws was under intense pressure at Sheffield Wednesday. A game away from the sack they said. Now look at the Owls. Confidence is back at Hillsborough.
Often it takes one game or one player to make the difference. To get the confidence back. To help the team reconnect to their strengths. Sacking the manager may help. But it is short-sighted. It suggests that Paul Simpson cannot turn the situation around at Preston. But why not? That is what good managers do. They overcome adversity. Find ways out of losing streaks. And that is why they hired Paul Simpson. Because of his impressive track record.
Preston will never know if Paul Simpson could turn around Preston's poor start. They didn't trust him to. But what does it say about their own judgement as a board?
We know that the history of successful football clubs, is built around the longevity of the manager. Men given time to make their mark on a football club. It can take three to five years for a manager to build the foundations for success. Then five more years plus, to change the DNA of the club. To create a winning culture throughout the organisation.
To sack a manager before that time, implies either panic or poor recruitment and selection. In which case, maybe it's those who make the key boardroom decisions who should look closely at their processes.
