Which muppet can we appoint next?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Been mulling over this idea that we need someone experienced. I will admit up front for full disclosure that I was unsure about it. Anyway, here's the managers who have taken teams up from League One over the last five seasons, along with their age at the start of that season. (I'm aware that age is an imperfect metric for 'experience', but it's a whole heap more faff to assess 'experience' - what, by number of years? at what level? etc)

2015:
Bristol City: Steve Cotterill, 50
MK Dons: Karl Robinson, 34 – his first job as manager
Preston: Simon Grayson, 45
2014:
Wolves: Kenny Jackett, 52
Brentford: Mark Warburton, 51, first job
Rotherham: Steve Evans, 51
2013:
Doncaster: Paul Dickov, 40
Bournemouth: Eddie Howe, 35
Yeovil: Gary Johnson, 57
2012:
Charlton: Chris Powell, 42
Sheff Wed: Dave Jones, 55
Huddersfield: Simon Grayson, 42, then Mark Robins, 42
2011:
Brighton: Gus Poyet, 41, first job
Southampton: Nigel Adkins, 45
Peterborough: Gary Johnson, 54 then Darren Ferguson, 38

So it seems to me that while some wily old greybeards get promoted, so do some keen young things: Karl Robinson, Eddie Howe and Darren Ferguson all escaped this division in their thirties, while Dickov, Poyet, Powell, Grayson and Robins were barely in their 40s. Notable also that Poyet, Robinson and (the slightly older) Mark Warburton were all in their first managerial jobs.

Meanwhile, it's worth noting that experience doesn't preclude failure. Last season, Gary Johnson (59) was in charge for most of the season at relegated Yeovil; John Gregory (60) was in charge for the first half of the season at relegated Crawley.

Maybe, to hum the old song, the truth is somewhere in the middle. But it does seem to me that just as the third tier is on average the youngest for players, it's also had more than its fair share of successful young managers, and we might be daft to rule someone out on his lack of experience.

For the record, some of the mentioned potential BWFC managers' ages at the start of next season:
Chris Powell 46
Keith Hill 47
Uwe Rosler 47
Chris Wilder 48
John Sheridan 51
Steve Cotterill 52
Ian Holloway 54
Danny Wilson 56
Phil Brown 57
Sean O’Driscoll 59
Dave Jones 60
Neil Warnock 67

[LeverEnd]

Firgot about Dave Jones. Always considered him decent.
Although Bobo will pooh pooh him because he's racist against scousers.

[LeverEnd]

Stewart Lee is brilliant. Saw him at the Lowry and laughed my tits off.

Yeah, but you laughed at something I said once. I can't remember for the fecking life of me what it was though.

I think it was when you described an explosive shit as 'like a flock of escaping bats'.
Doubt it'll happen again though.

[Worthy4England]

Remy Garde and Gary Neville are doing nowt at the moment...

[SmokinFrazier]

Neville has been sacked by Valencia so he'd be my preferred option now, if he's up for dropping to League One. I think we'd be a good option for him too because he wants to prove himself in England, we're a big club with great facilities, we have a young squad and we're looking to get promoted next year. I'm sure clubs higher than us would be interested in him too but it's not like we've got nothing to offer him, I think we're a great project for a manager on the rise.

Whoever we appoint, I just hope it's someone young and talented rather than a proven failure. We can't just think about next season, it's got to be about League One being a formality and then someone capable of getting us back into the Premier League.

[Worthy4England]

Oh errr... I was only having a quiet snigger at the red bastard.

[Lord Kangana]

100% disagree on this occasion fella. It's all about next season.

We can't dream about the Premier League until there's any realistic prospect of us getting back there.

[Bruce Rioja]

Neville has been sacked by Valencia so he'd be my preferred option now, if he's up for dropping to League One. I think we'd be a good option for him too because he wants to prove himself in England, we're a big club with great facilities, we have a young squad and we're looking to get promoted next year. I'm sure clubs higher than us would be interested in him too but it's not like we've got nothing to offer him, I think we're a great project for a manager on the rise.

Whoever we appoint, I just hope it's someone young and talented rather than a proven failure. We can't just think about next season, it's got to be about League One being a formality and then someone capable of getting us back into the Premier League.

Hmm, and we're back to Jon McGovern time again.

[TonyDomingos]

we're a big club with great facilities, we have a young squad and we're looking to get promoted next year.

We're not a big club - we'll be lucky to get 10k on next season. I think our once great facilities are on the wane. I don't know the age profile of the squad after the summer exodus, but if it's young, that'll be because we're left with nowt but the kids. I'd be happy to avoid relegation next season; can't see that we'd be pushing for promotion.

Sorry to be negative, but I reckon that's the reality of it.

[Enoch]

Three wins in sixteen, I'm not sure we could handle the excitement.

[Worthy4England]

Three wins in sixteen, I'm not sure we could handle the excitement.

That's why I threw in Remy Garde too in the same post! He only had 2 in 20...

[thebish]

Neville has been sacked by Valencia so he'd be my preferred option now, if he's up for dropping to League One. I think we'd be a good option for him too because he wants to prove himself in England, we're a big club with great facilities, we have a young squad and we're looking to get promoted next year. I'm sure clubs higher than us would be interested in him too but it's not like we've got nothing to offer him, I think we're a great project for a manager on the rise.

Whoever we appoint, I just hope it's someone young and talented rather than a proven failure. We can't just think about next season, it's got to be about League One being a formality and then someone capable of getting us back into the Premier League.

1) we sold the training ground which was always the first thing people said when the said we had "great facilities" - by this, you presumably mean the stadium?
2) I don't think we can imagine that (regardless of who we bring in) getting out of league 1 is a formality - it won't be...
3) Premiership??? what????

[CrazyHorse]

Gary Neville.

[BWFC_Insane]

Yeah. Let's get another young and unproven manager and hope they aren't in the 99% of duds that make up the young and unproven group.

As it stands I think there is more chance of us going down again than coming straight back up.

Talk of premiership is absolute la la land right now.

[Worthy4England]

Gary Neville.

Well done that man! That was the reaction I was looking for....maybe I wasn't specific enough...

[Harry Genshaw]

On what basis would we want to hire Neville? He talks a good game but what makes anyone think he would be a good manager? His former teammate Soljskaer had a good reputation from his time in charge of Molde but look how that worked out at Cardiff! I doubt he'd come anyway.

Someone cheap with lower league experience please.

[Hoboh]

On what basis would we want to hire Neville? He talks a good game but what makes anyone think he would be a good manager? His former teammate Soljskaer had a good reputation from his time in charge of Molde but look how that worked out at Cardiff! I doubt he'd come anyway.

Someone cheap with lower league experience please.

Actually I think Neville is a good shout, hard graft here to prove himself, might do the trick and he seems to like the area.
Doubt we can afford him though, don't think we'd have many shirkers and the youth may benefit.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

If Neville wants to prove himself and stay local, Salford are only four tiers below us, and he can't sack himself

[thebish]

On what basis would we want to hire Neville? He talks a good game but what makes anyone think he would be a good manager? His former teammate Soljskaer had a good reputation from his time in charge of Molde but look how that worked out at Cardiff! I doubt he'd come anyway.

Someone cheap with lower league experience please.

Actually I think Neville is a good shout, hard graft here to prove himself, might do the trick and he seems to like the area.
Doubt we can afford him though, don't think we'd have many shirkers and the youth may benefit.

since when did "liking the area" feature on the list of qualifications to be manager??

[BWFC_Insane]

It boggles my mind that Gary Neville gets a mention. Might as well throw John Motson into the ring. He talks a good game.

Most of football management is about man management and critical decision making off the pitch. Neville is entirely unproven and the only slim evidence we have of his managerial ability screams massive failure.

Why on earth would we take a complete and utter gamble on someone like that. You could pick any ex player who has ever played the game and they'd have the same odds as being a success as Gary Neville.