From the footie supplement in today's Metro:
Come in No 16, your time is now
The Payne game – EFL with John Payne
Steve Gibson should be the dream chairman for Middlesbrough. Wealthy and a loyal, lifelong fan. So how come he repeatedly gets it so wrong? It’s not that he employs bad managers. Far from it. But ever since making Bryan Robson his first appointment in 1994, Gibson has been fond of a big name.
Gareth Southgate cut his teeth in charge of Boro from 2006 to 2009, but the now England boss lacked the experience to save them from Premier League relegation. Similarly, Jonathan Woodgate – sacked this week – may well have what it takes to be a successful boss, but for a club with promotion aspirations, to appoint a rookie always felt like a recipe for disaster.
So just as Terry Venables, Gordon Strachan and Tony Pulis have been appointed to put out Boro fires in the past, now the mantle has been passed on to Neil Warnock. The brief, as it so often is for the 71-year-old, is simple. Keep us up. Much is being made of the fact that this is the 17th club Warnock has managed. But, including caretakers, Gibson is on to No 16 since becoming chairman in 1994.
When you consider Robson lasted six years, Steve McClaren five, Tony Mowbray and Aitor Karanka three each, that is an awfully high turnover, which suggests a failure to learn from his mistakes.
Six years ago, Warnock said of Boro: “I’ve tried so hard over the years to become their manager. I just thought Steve Gibson was the best chairman there’s ever been.” But the wily Warnock is only in position now because Gibson keeps on getting it wrong.