Who would be a manager?

This weekend saw the demise of another young manager in sport as Andre Villas Boas became the fifth Chelsea manager in as many years to clear his desk. In the same week it was effectively revealed that Stuart Lancaster will not be considered full time for the England job as John Kirwan has been told he is not experienced enough at international level. Bearing in mind that Kirwan has managed at 3 world cups and won the inaugural tournament as a player, it puts Lancaster in the unlikely category as he has a total of three tests managerial experience.

It got me thinking about how the systems that we have in place are setting up managers who are looking to build a team and play the long game for a fall. Lancaster has done everything as head coach that he could have in his short tenure. He has looked to build a team for the future by not involving some of the old guard from the start. He has taken a hard line with discipline dropping both Danny Care and Delon Armitage after their respective indiscretions, and in just a few weeks has bedded in some young players and developed what we imagine will be the core of the England side for the foreseeable future. So, the question begs, what more can he do?

Andy Robinson is another example of an international coach who is constantly being put under pressure. In my opinion this is the most exciting Scottish team for some years. Yes, they have struggled to score tries, but they have looked more likely to get wins than in previous years and have got some players who would be very unlucky not to make the Lions tour in just over a year. If Robinson gets the backing of the SRU, i genuinely think it won't be long before the Scots are looked at more seriously on the world stage again.

Don’t get me wrong, I know that professional sport like any business is about getting results, and not hitting the targets that have been set out is fundamentally a sackable offence. But the apparent lack of common sense and forward thinking in hiring decisions is what astounds me. Lancaster is developing a team and building a regime in the same way that Robinson is doing with Scotland and Warren Gatland has done with Wales over the last 4 and a half years. If he is automatically overlooked because of his lack of work experience on his CV despite having already made a distinct impact, I for one will be disappointed.

It would be a shame for rugby to stagnate in the way that football seems to be heading with the same managers rotating between different jobs at similar levels. There has got to be an incentive for less experienced managers to be given time to progress and grow with a team.

If the RFU appoint Nick Mallett to take the reigns at the end of this 6 Nations, I hope he is given at least 5 years to take the England team to not only this world cup, but the next one as well. Let’s not forget it took Sir Clive and Graham Henry two shots to perfect their team and time it right to win the RWC. Giving a manager half a season to find perfection and then maintain that perfection indefinitely is quite an ask.

What are your thoughts on Lancaster & the future of the England role?

Until the week after next (i'm skiing next week),

Andy