Another Day, Another Loss: The Life of a Premiership Manager

Yet again another pathetic excuse for a chairman propelled himself into the footballing limelight today as news of another Premiership sacking did the rounds.

John Williams, the chairman of Blackburn Rovers Football Club, became part of the demolition squad who gave the new blood of Premiership management, Paul Ince, the heave ho.

And what might the reason be? A weaker start to his debut season that we all expected with the Rovers. Forget his illustrious title-winning time at struggling former Premiership outfit MK Dons, and forgetting his only recent positioning within his new club just a few months previous, the board at Blackburn felt it necessary to give up on him and therefore showed themselves as unwilling to provide any opportunity for the former player to allow himself to build up any sort of reputation with his new club.

Chairman John Williams himself was quoted as saying that the team was "currently in danger of becoming detached from the pack", but surely in Paul Ince’s premature sacking they have put themselves in more danger of detaching and alienating themselves from a different kind of pack—the pack that comes in the form of an army of fans, many of whom were willing to give Ince the benefit of the doubt and allow him to forge a longer period to prove his worth.

A period in which he could have turned the tables on his team’s under-performance that was the first half of the 2008-09 season.

The Premiership is consistently attacked for its readiness to sack anyone who fails to meet the seemingly ridiculous and ludicrous standards of the powers that be. Even Jose Mourinho, who produced a team of pure quality at Chelsea, could not meet the misguided requirements of the buffoons that presided over him.

Many have spoken about the stupidity of sacking debutants into the top class management world, a list of premature maulings that will become obviously longer in seasons to come.

Aston Villa manager Martin O’Neill himself echoed these sentiments in describing the sacking in proclaiming: "It seems like he's been in the job for only three minutes, which he has been, and it is exceptionally difficult. You are getting judged so quickly."

In a dream world, Paul Ince—wherever he goes—will be given a greater time to develop and prosper in future seasons. Possibly in years to come, if karma has its way, he will come back stronger and more prepared for the fight, so as to allow the powers that be to eat their words.

Such an event would also show that without being given a chance to succeed a hero can not be created. Perfection is not an instantaneous revelation, but rather a wondrous revolution.

If Paul Ince can pick himself up and repeat his lower league success then maybe such a fantasy can and will become reality.