Want a big name manager? Knock yourself out

The “we need a big name” Brigade always frustrate me when we are searching for a new manager.  There are so many qualities a manager needs, being well-known is not one of them, as Ange Postecoglou is dutifully illustrating.

A “name” makes life easier for the appointees.  Fans are always keen to see cash spent, and often the famous are the more expensive.  Appointing someone with name recognition takes the heat off for a while.  Contrast this to the reaction from some places to Ronny Deila getting the Celtic job in 2014, a young manager who over-achieved at a club most of us did not know how to spell (Stremsgodset).

Young Celtic fans will not be aware how big a name Liam Brady was when he took the Celtic job in 1991.  One of the most cultured midfielders in Europe, Brady starred for Arsenal and Juventus, a legend on the field, a quiet nonentity in the dugout.

If anything, John Barnes was an even bigger playing legend for Liverpool and England when he drove up Kerrydale St in 1999.  It transpired that goal in the Maracana was not proof positive of managerial abilities.  Roy Keane is also a big name, just ponder that for a minute.

Being tactically gifted, an effective communicator of ideas and instructions, as well as a working knowledge of a value market to strengthen your squad.  These are all high on my list.  You want a name to please the fans?  Knock yourself out.