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[mrtoad]

The strange case of the resistible rise of Gary Megson

Gary Megson may want to thank Bolton headhunter and sometime agent Mark Curtis for his new job.

Daniel TaylorOctober 30, 2007 12:25 AM

It was Paul Fairclough, a man who has spent his managerial career at the fag-end of English football, who boldly confronted what most members of his profession would rather be treated with omerta. "Management is an incestuous business," he said. "It's the only one I know where people are hired, allowed to spend £20m, fail miserably, toddle off to play golf for six months, walk straight into another job, and fail again."

"Incestuous" is certainly a good word to describe how the football world operates, although most managers would prefer the more jolly title of the managerial merry-go-round, as if there was something fun about the way the same old names (Peter Reid, Graeme Souness ad nauseam) routinely appear on betting-shop displays whenever somebody gets the sack.

Football is truly unique: which other industry would be so forgiving to men who have, on the whole, shown so many reasons against employing them?

In the peculiar case of Gary Megson, the supporters of Bolton Wanderers demonstrated what they thought of it by greeting his first appearance in the dug-out with calls for the chairman, Phil Gartside, to be removed from office and anguished cries questioning the new appointment in the strongest terms.

The vitriol subsided when Aston Villa visited on Sunday but the underlying hostility could be measured by another form of protest, with a crowd of 18,413 representing the Reebok Stadium's lowest league attendance since Bolton reached the top division in 2001. To put it into context, seven of the 11 fixtures in the Championship attracted more spectators.

Booing a manager on his first day at work can be counter-productive, yet it is difficult to sympathise with Megson when looking at his appointment and the role of Mark Curtis, the agent appointed by Gartside to headhunt a replacement for Sammy Lee. For those who do not know him, Curtis has been the subject of complaints to the FA and Fifa and is one of relatively few agents to be disciplined by the football authorities, dating back to November 1999 when he was fined £7,500 for improper conduct, which included an illicit payment, when the 15-year-old Jermaine Pennant moved from Notts County to Arsenal.

For a long time he has also been the first port of call for anyone in football wanting to get hold of Megson, and he also helped to negotiate the finer points of his contract with two previous clubs. Souness was so shocked by Curtis's presence at his own interview with Gartside that he withdrew his interest, perceiving it to be a done deal, regardless of the fact that Megson's win-rate from his only other spell in the Premier League, with West Brom, stands at 15%.

Bolton deny a conflict of interest and say that Curtis did not act for any of the candidates, and Megson's explanation seems to be that he uses Curtis for free. "Mark is not my agent and never has been," he said. "He is a friend of mine, but he does not represent me." Nevertheless he played a key role in the process which resulted in Megson getting the job ahead of, say, Chris Coleman, Aidy Boothroyd or Paul Jewell. For his part Curtis last week stated clearly: "I am not Gary Megson's agent. I know that Gary took another agent to Bolton with him."

Megson, lest it be forgotten, took charge at Nottingham Forest after leaving the Hawthorns and subsequently took the two-time European Cup winners into the third tier of English football for the first time in over half a century. He then had an 18-month spell out of work, when the list of managerless clubs to speak to him and go elsewhere included Swansea, Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield. He ended up coaching, unpaid, at Stoke City before, finally, he was appointed at Leicester City where, six weeks in, the fans responded to headlines about Bolton's interest by: a) scarcely believing it could be true; and lustily serenading him with chants of "Megson for Bolton".

Those supporters got their wish, as did Megson. Everyone seems happy, apart from those Bolton Wanderers fans who are so disgusted with the appointment that they have decided to vote with their feet and will be absent when Manchester City visit tomorrow in the Carling Cup.

I have to admit to being very baffled by the appointment of Mugson, but It is certainly true that the same old names are banded about continually when it comes to vacancies. It's now wonder that some of the better English managers/coaches are not getting any exposure in the EPL, as the old boys network at the top is alive and well. I actually think there are some very good managers in the lower echelons, who just don't get the chance.

TP, you have a real good guy at your Academy called Eamon Dolan, an excellent coach. Exeter City had Alex Inglethorpe who has now gone to Spurs as a coach. Martin Ling at Orient is well respected, and you only have to look at Holloway to realise he's a lot more than a clown (Okay they all have West Fountry connections). There are many others, but few will get a chance to manage at the top level, even with a good track record, which clearly Megson does not have, other than a little success at WBA. I'm sure that Chavy will have a little more to say on Mugson, as he calls him.

[chavy]

I do mate. The bloke's a joke. The Forest supporters were after him from day 1. His reputation of airing dirty laundry in public is well known. With him "kept within the confines of the dressing room" didn't apply. When he eventually resigned we were hovering just above (4 points) the relegation zone to L2 (Div 4) he'd lost the dressing room months before that & it took a big defeat by those power houses of English football.....Oldham!!....before he went. Our chairman wouldn't sack him because of his contract was too big to pay off. For a L1 manager I understand he was on about 600,000 quid a year !! I think the thought of facing 25,000 Forest supporters the next home game did it for him & he walked without a penny.

[ThaiPauly]

I was concerned that Bolton may have appointed someone decent, but I am more than happy with Megson's appointment for obvious reasons.

I just hope that he can help to maintain their current position , nicely entrenched in the bottom three for the rest of the season.

I really thought they could resolve their current plight with the right man in charge, now I am happy to say I dont think they can, which is one less relegation place to worry about.

If Derby and Bolton both go then that means there is only one relegation spot up for grabs.

And agreed Mr.T, Dolan is doing a great job at our accademy, thanks fo noticing.

[mrtoad]

TP, I think a lot of the clubs down at the bottom were very pleased with the appointment of Megson, of course not for positive reasons. He has a very poor track record, in fact even poorer than I first thought.

What was even more telling was that the fans at Leicester were singing for him to leave after he had only been there a couplke of weeks, and the reception he got at Bolton was noit good, even after they had secured a point. Can't see players like Anelka staying there with a pillock like Megsonrunning the show, although I'd actually be suprised if Megson lasts the season at Bolton.