Whether you’ve got a good ‘phelan’ or a bad ‘phelan’ about the appointment of Neil Adams’s new right-hand man, there is no arguing that as a coach, Mike Phelan brings bucket loads of experience and an inside knowledge of the game that’s hard to beat.
Like everyone, I hope that such qualities bode well for a return to table-topping form for the Canaries but as with everything in life (except for birth, death and taxes), there’s no guarantee.
For the first few years of Phelan’s coaching career, it didn’t look promising as he followed fellow ex-Canary Gary Megson around a number of poorly-performing clubs (starting with City) without being able to revive their flagging fortunes.
Phelan then landed a plum role at Old Trafford from which he progressed through the Ferguson hierarchy to spend the last few years next to ‘the great man’ before the ‘chosen one’ decided to dispense with his services.
Many experts cite that latter decision as a major error in the short, yet entertaining (from outside the Manchester bubble) stint of Moyes.
Twenty years or so on from his Carrow Road coaching apprenticeship, Phelan finds himself back in Norfolk (inevitably so maybe as he was born in a place called Nelson) although not in the top job as some were clamouring for way back in the last knockings of our dying Premier existence.
Conspiracy theories are rife. It’s all part of some grand plan by David McNally to put in place a manager-in-waiting should things not work out well over the coming weeks and time has to be called on the Adams-era. A ready-made replacement which will prevent any embarrassing hiatus while prospective candidates from the UK (or further afield, like last time… allegedly) are considered if the slide down the table isn’t quickly reversed.
People love a conspiracy theory of course (JFK, moon landing, 9/11 etc). The departure of previous coach Mark Robson took everyone by surprise and was never really explained by Adams – that’s his prerogative of course.
Whatever qualities Adams first saw in a man with just 13 games as manager of Barnet and 14 more in the dugout with the goggle-wearing Dutch master Edgar Davids (at the same club), seem to have rapidly become unappealing once the early season crack and fizzle turned to thud and splutter.
The new set-up is an odd arrangement in many ways. Back in 1995/96 Phelan, as Megson’s second in command, was responsible for coaching amongst others, Neil Adams. With the ‘boot’ now on the other foot, the master has turned pupil and vice versa. That’s got to be a bit awkward?
Add Gary Holt into the mix, and we have reverted our trust to a classic ‘old boys’ network’. Designed to bring back some vim and vigour to our play and banish those nightmarish Middlesbrough/Forest memories to be forever treated as unfortunate blips in an otherwise successful push into the top six for the 2014/15 season. The minimum requirement post-relegation surely?
It all sounds ideal – three City hall-of famers, all with some (varying) degrees of legendary playing status at the club and so who know their way around and have an instant connection with fans.
To take up the role of devil’s advocate, I would point out that our greatest successes in recent times have come as a result of an injection of life from pastures well away from the dreaming spires of the Fine City: Lambert, Worthington, Walker, Brown, Bond and Saunders – none of whose playing careers took a turn in Norfolk.
Of course the more negative of the yellow and green army would point to the last time such an old boys scenario was in place – the Gunn/Crook/Deehan combo. It looked a dream team on paper but one which became the stuff of nightmares on that never-to-be-forgotten August day in 2009.
Just a blip for the old boys’ network concept? Maybe not. The Deehan-Megson (1994-95), O’Neill-Walford (1995) and Megson-Phelan (1995-96) regimes soon faltered and fell apart with early optimism replaced by resignations and recriminations.
The mid-90s were not good for the network’s reputation. In fact, only Dave Stringer and David Williams (1987-92) can really be put up as a case for the network bearing any fruit of a successful vintage… and that’s a long time ago.
And now we find ourselves in the middle of another decade pinning our hopes on a team of ex-Canaries full of good intentions. Will history repeat itself or can team Adams buck that record and restore the network’s status at Carrow Road? Can Adams do ‘a Stringer’?
It all depends on whether you take the Fordian “history is bunk” approach to life or prefer the Churchillian mindset of “those that fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it.”
The decision to go with an old boys’ team on the sidelines is a risky formula that, along with mullets and tight shorts, has arguably all but long disappeared from the game since the glory days of the Anfield ‘boot room’.
Despite my devil’s advocate role, I genuinely hope that team Adams manages to get our season back on track and ensures that subsequent success is a ‘family affair’. If not, then maybe David McNally should take a lesson from history next time around and confine that Carrow Road old boys’ network to the past.
Lots of people (and pundits) still believe the “Liverpool Boot-room Legend”. I suspect it is not applicable in the current era.
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Russell: interesting that you cite Mike Walker as an outsider. As I recall, he was appointed manager after five years coaching the reserves and youth team. True, he didn’t actually play for us – but was his appointment so fundamentally different from Adams’? There’s a lot to your argument, but I reckon you’re slightly gilding the lily.
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Well yes Stuart, there is a big difference because Adams played for us. As differences go, it’s a whopper.
Our board are made up of wealthy bumpkins. It’s only natural they want Norfolk folk around them. It’s the Norfolk way.
One road in, one road out.
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This is something that’s had me baffled on more than one occasion in the past. To be honest, I was surprised when Hughton was appointed that it wasn’t someone who had previously been at the club. I just don’t know why anyone thinks that time spent at the club in the past would help, other than to reduce the vitriol a little if things aren’t working out, but if you’re hiring people with that in mind it doesn’t speak of much in the way of positivity.
Maybe it’s a way of making someone with an average at best CV look less unimpressive; e.g. if one of the first team coaches appointed in the summer was simply a man who had a spell managing in the Scottish second division it wouldn’t have impressed anyone much, but if it’s Gary ‘three lungs’ Holt, somehow it looks better by the fact that the man has had success with the club before, which doesn’t really make sense if you think about it. How useful he was playing for Norwich means nothing regarding how good he would be as a coach, at any club. Before that, the level of cronyism during Gunn’s time was embarrassing, frankly.
Phelan is a different matter, though, since his record stands out on its own.
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Michael (3): You may be right. But:
(i) most of the criticism I’ve heard is that Adams was promoted from youth team coach without higher-level experience, rather than that he played for us. In that regard his appointment is very similar to Walker’s
(ii) David McNally has been called many things – but I think bumpkin may be a new one.
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*Mike – difficult to argue with the achievements of Shankly & Co. but achieved in a different era and on another planet compared to today’s game. I’m struggling to think of another example from the past decade or so.
*Stewart – fair shout on Mike Walker – ‘phase 1’ although my strict definition of ‘old boys’ network’ is played and managed/coached for. Walker ‘phase 2’ probably adds to my argument? If not, I’ll re-gild that lily with the tenure of Peter Grant (signed by Walker)!
*Ben K. – I guess Gary Holt prefers coaching to the main role – why else would he go backwards in terms of the football career ladder? In an ideal world, it would be great if success came from a bunch of ex-players with a bit of yellow and green running in their veins but it seems the modern game just doesn’t function like that. If ‘team Adams’ could break that mould, the club and fans could be hugely proud.
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Genuine footy fans support their team through thick and thin, ‘City till I die’ etc, etc. why the unrest? Why the debate & inquests? Results went well for starters this season, okay we’ve had a very disappointing run but are Cardiff and Fulham faring any better? The Championship is so competitive its a tough ask for any side whatever resources they may have. We have a club to be proud of a manager who is passionate , proud owners who are beyond reproach. On the basis that we are going to support the lads whatever league they play in let us stop finding fault, comparing with the past and all that pointless stuff and just get behind the manager and the team. Is booing going to help? Of course not so let’s all believe in NA and his staff and raise the roof at Carrow Road we might just help make the difference .
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What this club needs is new owners that have just an inkling about football then maybe we would stop getting stupid decision after stupid decision .
Appointing managers with no experience just because they are nice and you love them to bits is a mistake you would not expect from a 10 year old .
Stick to cooking Delia and let somebody qualified run the club .
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Phill (8): if that’s all there is to Adams, seems a bit puzzling that McNally should appoint him, ambitious players like Ruddy and Jerome should want to play for him, Holt and Phelan should want to be on his team….I could go on.
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