Lee Clark the ex-manager of League One outfit Huddersfield Town has just been nominated for the Football League's "outstanding managerial achievement" award one week after his dismissal. Clark's firing was a huge shock to many, including the 39-year-old manager himself, after leading Huddersfield to a 43 match unbeaten record and last seasons playoff final and currently sitting 4th in League One, 4 points of the automatic promotion spots. All this equates to many that the job he was doing, was good enough. The man that matters, Huddersfield chairman Dean Hoyle, didn't agree and one of the reasons that the Geordie got the boot (as ridiculous as it sounds) was partly down to his teams unbeaten record. The clubs position looks fairly rosy from an outsiders perspective but from closer inspection you see that Clarke's promising reputation although deserved, has deficiencies. Only 17 points from a possible 36 since November has seen the Terriers slip up, and slide down the table. Hoyle believes that the team, after all the financial backing it has received should be in the automatic spots, and gaining promotion to the Championship before the season is done without the lottery of a playoff.
Last years 3-0 defeat to Peterborough shows the concerns the chairman had over his ex-manager to be well founded. Hoyle said of the sacking "I had lost faith in his ability to get the club into the top two...I had also lost the faith that in a play-off final he could do it. The pressure would maybe have been too much for him." A young manager that is crackingunder the pressure to win the big games. Under Clark's tenure Huddersfield drew too many matches (including many in that unbelievable unbeaten run), and to win automatic promotion you need to pick up 3 points on a regular basis, either coming back from losing positions, or sneaking wins from a tie, and 13 draws so far this season just didn't cut it.
The first man on Hoyle's shortlist would have probably been the chap who just signed a contract at the once great Leeds United, who under Ken Bates' stewardship regard promotion even more important than Hoyle. Neil Warnock, sacked by QPR last month is a man made for promoting clubs, he's done it 7 times so far in his career and will need to make it 8 if he is to stay employed in Yorkshire. It seems that every job is the one 'last' big challenge for the outspoken Warnock, who is a man clearly devoted and in love with the game. Warnock has been in the professional ranks of the sport since 1967 and after a 12-year playing career he's been in management pretty much ever since. Bates, (who nearly signed Warnock for Chelsea many moons ago) is hoping that Warnock's no nonsense attitude to tactics and the game will be enough to see his depleted playing staff into the Premiership at the first attempt.
The man who Warnock replaced wasn't out of work long. With the first choice, and acknowledged 'don' of promoting clubs snapped up, Hoyle turned to a younger and equally hungry manager, Simon Grayson. Grayson, like Clark, is well regarded in football circles and is still a promising 'young' manager, but there is one key issue dividing them. Grayson seemed to overachieve on a small budget at Leeds, and Clark underachieved on his bigger budget at Huddersfield. Grayson, 3 years the senior of Clark also has the edge on his CV. Grayson has already overseen 2 promotions and will be expected to get his third within the next 3 and a bit months.
So after all this chopping and changing, what for Lee Clark? A young, English, coach who is all of a sudden out of work but still claiming some plaudits. Will it be the slippery slope to punditry like the once 'young and promising' Ian Dowie? Or a new and improved job at a bigger and better club?
To be honest it'll probably be neither, instead it's an award ceremony for an award that he probably won't win, and why won't he win? Well that's simple, he likes a draw too much.
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