Lookers_Carl Posted May 17, 2010 Share Posted May 17, 2010 THE CANDIDATES Over the course of the coming week, OWTB will take a look at the potential candidates for the Oldham Athletic managers post. At 7pm on Monday 17th May, and every subsequent evening untill Sunday, an article on each of the favourites will be put onto the site, having a look at their strengths and drawbacks. The candidate for Saturday 22nd May is Paul Simpson Click here to read on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookers_Carl Posted May 17, 2010 Author Share Posted May 17, 2010 FRANKIE BUNN Experience: Frankie Bunn started his coaching career at Wigan Athletic before being appointed as academy coach at Manchester City in 1998, and then being promoted to reserve team manager at a later date. Bunn joined Iain Dowie at Coventry City as first team coach in 2007, enjoying a brief stint as caretaker manager with Harbin after the sacking of Dowie. Bunn is currently a free agent after departing Coventry City alongside Chris Coleman in May 2010. What does Frankie Bunn have to offer to the position: One obvious strength of Bunn is his prior connection with the clubs glory days will go some way to ensure he will be a popular figure with the fans, which can only be a good thing given the fans relationship with Penney. Bunn also has over ten years coaching experience based in the top two tiers of English football at youth team level and reserve team level that should stand him in good stead. Given the likely reduction in wage budget for 2010/2011, Bunn's experience with bringing younger players through the system has to be seen as a plus point. What may prevent Frankie Bunn becoming the next Oldham manager: Whilst his coaching experience is plentiful, Bunn's chances could be hindered by his lack of first team management. Given the much-publicised cuts to the wage budget next season, it could prove to be a job and a half for even the most experienced of managers, and would almost certainly be a baptism of fire for a rookie manager like Bunn. Whilst Bunn’s prior links with Latics could be viewed as strength, it could also be viewed as a weakness, as former director Mike Newton stated in the Oldham Evening Chronicle “I think at some point it is important to start looking forward and not back. “The club has a fantastic history. But it shouldn’t become a museum. “It has to be progressive and not look back all the time or else it will wither on the vine.” Is it really time to put the 'pinch me' years to bed and look forwards, not backwards? The Verdict: Despite his lack of first team management experience, Bunn has clearly served his apprenticeship at Manchester City and Coventry City moving up the hierarchy from academy coach to first team coach over a period of twelve years. I personally think he has enough coaching experience to warrant a crack at a management job (and that is putting aside his previous links to Latics). As far as candidates go wanting their first crack at management, I don't think the candidates will come much stronger than Bunn based on experience alone, with his previous links to the club serving as an added bonus. A very strong contender for the job. Tuesdays candidate will be Martin Gray Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookers_Carl Posted May 18, 2010 Author Share Posted May 18, 2010 MARTIN GRAY Experience: Martin Gray retired from playing in 2001 whilst at Darlington in order to focus on coaching the reserve and youth team on a full time basis. Upon Dave Penney’s appointment as Darlington manager, Gray was promoted to assistant manager, and subsequently followed Penney to Latics to take up the same position. What does Martin Gray have to offer to the position: Any other external appointment would be reliant on the opinions of others when it comes to making a decision about the current playing squad, and it may only be after ten games or so that this manager would have formed an accurate opinion on who he wants to stay and who he doesn’t. This would not be the case with Gray, having trained with the current squad and watched them play in all 49 competitive games this season, Gray would be in a perfect position to accurately judge the abilities of the current playing squad. And the fact that he is already on the wage bill would mean Latics would only have to find one extra wage for a potential number 2 (and that’s assuming his number two is not an internal appointment). What may prevent Martin Gray from becoming the next manager: The key problem I foresee if the club appoint Gray is his connection to the grossly unpopular Dave Penney. Every new manager deserves to start their position on an even keel, and this applies to Martin Gray, but it is a luxury I do not think he will have. And without coming across as being disrespectful to Gray, given his association with the Penney regime, it would probably not be an appointment that will put bums on seats, regardless of whether he was the best man for the job or not. Given the loss in revenue as a result of nearly a 20 percent drop in attendances compared to the average attendance of 2008/2009, the 'bums on seats' factor is not a factor I imagine the board will ignore. The Verdict: This is a difficult one. Despite his connection to the Penney regime, Martin Gray is undoubtedly a very strong contender for the job, and is currently listed as 5th favourite for the job at 7/1. However, the board of directors would be fools not to consider the business aspects of the managerial appointment. If Martin Gray is to win over the fans then it is essential that he puts over his own ideas, comes across as his own man as well as explaining how he plans to do things differently, which so far he has failed to do. If he was appointed I think it would be a very bold decision, but I remain to be convinced that Gray will be able to shake off his association with Penney and be judged on his own merits by the Latics faithful. Wednesdays candidate will be ex Stockport manager Jim Gannon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookers_Carl Posted May 19, 2010 Author Share Posted May 19, 2010 JIM GANNON Experience: After an uneventful spell as manager of Dundalk, Gannon was appointed manager of Stockport County in January 2006 whilst the club were rooted to the bottom of League Two. Not only did Gannon manage to save County, they missed out on the playoffs on GD by 1 goal in 2006/2007, and beat Rochdale in the 2007/2008 League Two playoff finals to gain promotion to League One. Gannon was made redundant after Stockport went into administration but wasn't out of work for long after taking the reigns at Motherwell, although his tenure did not last long and he was sacked in December 2009 after failing to settle in Scotland. Gannon was appointed manager of Peterborough United in February 2010, and although it became obvious he would not be able to keep them up, he was offered a four year contract which he turned down as he did not want to uproot his family from the north west. What does Jim Gannon have to offer to the position? Gannon has many things going that would stand him in good stead for this position. One of which is his reputation for assembling teams capable of playing attractive football on a small budget. Given the apparent size of the budget next season, and the dross that Latics fans have had to put up with this season, thats two boxes ticked already. Gannon also has a reputation for bringing through young players & non league talent, such as Liam Dickinson, and selling them on for a sizeable fee. Gannon is also a strict disciplinarian, as ex Latic and Stockport captain Gareth Owen found out when he refused to shake Gannon's hand after being substituted. Gannon is also a qualified accountant and he put together a rescue plan for Stockport in January 2009 when the prospect of administration first loomed. What may prevent Jim Gannon from becoming the next Oldham manager: To put it bluntly, his mouth!!!!. Gannon was known for his outbursts, such as refusing to do interviews for Sky TV as tey apparently refused to come out and fix his satellite dish. He was also heavily critical of the refereeing standards in Scotland, and didn't mind saying so much to the displeasure of Hugh Dallas. And despite being out of work, a managerial appointment such as Jim Gannon would undoubtedly not come cheap. Gannon has also been heavily linked to the vacant Stockport County post, and this is rumoured to be his favoured destination should the 2015 consortium successfully take control of the club. One would have to ask in this case, should Latics really be looking to appoint a manager who potentially sees us as his 'backup plan'? The Verdict: There is absolutely no doubt that Gannon ticks many boxes, such as being able to work on a budget whilst playing attractive football, which would make him a very strong and well qualified candidate for this position. Whether his ego will prevent him from working with TTA is one thing. And given the apparent quality of applicants to the position so far, would it be fair to give the position to someone to whom we are his backup plan? A thumbs up to this potential appointment, albeit a cautious one. Thursdays candidate will be Mark Crossley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookers_Carl Posted May 20, 2010 Author Share Posted May 20, 2010 MARK CROSSLEY Experience: Mark Crossley joined Latics in 2007/2008 as a player/gk coach, and left at the end of the 2008/2009 season to join John Sheridan at Chesterfield in the same position, where he remains to date. What does Mark Crossley offer to the position? Crossley would be no stranger to the setup at Latics, and from a financial perspective, Latics would have the luxury of killing two positions (manager and GK coach) with one wage. Crossley was always considered a positive influence on the dressing room during his time here and was looked up to by the younger players. What could stop Mark Crossley from being the next Oldham manager? Crossley has a few factors working against him, one of which is a lack of coaching and management experience. Considering other candidates such as Bunn have over 10 years of coaching experience to their name compared to Crossley's 3, he will have his work cut out if he is to persuade the Latics board he is the man for the job ahead of them. Crossley was also part of Sheridan's regime that was plagued with discipline problems towards the end of his tenure, and part of the same management team at Chesterfield which has arguably underachieved this season. The verdict: This appointment would most certainly not be the worst appointment in the world. Crossley was always a likeable character during his first stint here, and will be no stranger to a few of the existing players. However, given his lack of experience and arguably higher profile/more experienced candidates in the same category as Crossley, there is no doubt he is up against it, and this would be an appointment I would be disappointed to see given the names linked to the job at the moment. Fridays candidate will be ex Man U and Newcastle midfielder Nicky Butt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookers_Carl Posted May 21, 2010 Author Share Posted May 21, 2010 NICKY BUTT Experience: Although Nicky Butt does not have any management or coaching experience as such, he has won just about every single club honour there is to win as a player. Butt announced his retirement from the game in the build up to Newcastle's last home game of the season. What does Nicky Butt offer to the position? A breath of fresh air and a different option to TTA, thats what. TTA went with experience three times with Penney, Talbot and Moore, two of which didn't even see a season here. They tried appointing a coach from within whom had been at the club for 8 years or so. That soon went stale. And they have tried the 'bring a legend back' approach with the appointment of Royle, which (sorry Joe) was nothing short of a spectacular failure and soon became a damage limitation job for Joe. Nicky Butt would be as raw as they come, with a long list of contacts at the likes of Man U, Newcastle and Birmingham. What could stop Nicky Butt from being the next Oldham manager? I think the two major factors that could against Nicky Butt are his lack of management experience and lack of knowledge in the lower league. Having just retired from a glittering playing career based in the top division for all bar his last season, Butt would be going straight into the bottom two tiers with no time to acclimatise himself to who is hot and who is not at lower league level. And like with any external appointment, Butt's knowledge of the capabilities of the existing playing squad would be somewhat limited compared to Gray, or even other applicants who know the lower divisions well. The verdict: Whilst there are no doubt gambles associated with this appointment, I believe the appointment of Butt would be a positive and forward thinking appointment, and one which could work very well for the club if an old head with plenty of experience and lower league contacts as his number two. A definite thumbs up from me should this happen. Saturdays candidate will be Paul Simpson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lookers_Carl Posted May 21, 2010 Author Share Posted May 21, 2010 PAUL SIMPSON Experience: Ex Man City winger Simpson started his managerial career at Rochdale in 2002/2003 but left at the end of the season. Simpson replaced Roddy Collins as manager of Carlisle early in 2003/2004, and came within a whisker of keeping them in the football league despite being 15 points adrift in December 2003. Simpson then went on to gain two successive promotions with Carlisle, winning the Conference National playoff finals in 2004/2005, and gaining promotion to League 1 in 2005/2006. Simpson replaced Billy Davies as manager of Preston in June 2006 but lasted just over a season after a poor start to the 2007/2008 season cost his his job. He then went on to manage Shrewsbury Town in March 2008, losing out to a last minute Gillingham goal in the 2008/2009 playoff finals. Simpson was sacked from Shrewsbury after failing to make the playoffs in the 2009/2010 campaign. What does Paul Simpson offer to the position? Paul Simpson has a wealth of experience in the lower leagues and two promotions on his CV (funnily enough League 1 is the only level in the FL that Simpson is yet to manage at). He is well known for playing attacking football and no stranger to working on a budget. What could stop Paul Simpson from being the next Oldham manager? Decent lower league manager, successive promotions from Conference National to League 1, sence of dejavu anyone? The direction TTA wish to go in could very well prevent Simpson from becoming the next Oldham manager, which could very well be a different route to the 'experienced manager' route they adopted with Penney. The verdict: If TTA decide that they want to stick with the approach of going for an experienced manager with a promotion or two on his CV, then Paul Simpson may well be their man. However, I do not think this is the right appointment for Oldham Athletic at this time on the basis that we have given experience a go three times, and for different reasons each time, it hasn't worked. I think now is the time for TTA to take a different approach to appointing the manager, although if the right young manager cannot be found, then I think Simpson would be a safe, if uninspiring appointment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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