26th October 2004: I was very
disappointed with the performance at Selhurst Park on Saturday, and
I was planning to make some sort of comment on that, but Gary Megson's
statement today has obviously taken precedence.
At the time of writing, there has been no official response from the
club to Megson's statement that he will not be remaining at the Hawthorns
once his contract expires next summer. In my opinion, there is no
doubt what the club's response should be. I believe that Megson should
not be in control of first team affairs any longer.
We have all seen what happens when a manager either announces or is
told that he is not to be in charge beyond the end of the season.
Other than Sir Alex Ferguson who eventually changed his mind and is
something of a special case anyway, the only other high profile cases
I am aware of are those of Gordon Strachan at Southampton and Sir
Bobby Robson at Newcastle United. In both instances, it was clear
that the players were affected by such a situation and results suffered.
To be honest, there was already a problem in the dressing room given
Megson's comments about last week's training after the match on Saturday.
By making a statement, Megson has forced Jeremy Peace into making
a decision - in my opinion, although he has his own interests at heart,
he has probably done the club a favour. The chairman must act quickly
to at least get a temporary replacement, because leaving Megson in
charge is a recipe for disaster. His is obviously considering the
club's position, and hopefully sounding out potential candidates,
and I hope that when the statement comes, it says something concrete
about the immediate future.
Until recently, I have always supported Megson as I felt that he deserved
a chance. But this season, his apparent inability to pick the right
team and deal with the higher profile players, his persistence in
playing his favourite players that are obviously not up to the job
and his failure to change the course of any match this season through
tactical substitutions have all led me to believe that he has done
as much as he can.
All Albion fans should be eternally grateful for the crucial part
he has played in dragging the club out of the doldrums, and it is
a shame that his tenure is to come to such an ignominious end. But
for the good of the club, he must be replaced as quickly as possible.
It is essential that we survive this season, and the new man needs
time to assess the squad before the transfer window re-opens.
I'm not sure I have a favourite amongst the names that are apparently
in the frame. Heart points to either of the Robsons, but head points
to Strachan, although he may fancy the Scotland job which may be up
for grabs shortly.
Whatever the decision, I hope it is made very quickly.
|
