Maybe seen as too ambitious but he has been managing Sloppies last 3-4 years. Lives in Bristol so not a bad commute either.
I think (just about) the Walsall job is still seen in managerial circles as one where if you get a few things right quickly it can be a realistic promotion shot and then use it as a stepping stone.
That was certainly Clarke’s mindset when he took it in 2019 and I was surprised Flynn came in given his stock at the time had him linked to jobs much higher than the arse end of league 2.
Trivela will go experienced next given how badly this experiment has gone in last six weeks.
Thought his Bristol City side years back played some brilliant football in league 1, Luke Freeman as one of the wing back so could actually be an effective 3-5-2 if he has a good transfer window and he’s still fondly remembered at Ashton Gate.
I’d also like Steve Cotterill. Can’t decide if it’s realistic or not to be honest but he’s definitely the type I’d like to see here.
He knows how to win, he’d command respect straight away, but he’d want to be left alone to get on with it, so as long as there’s no Matt Jordan getting involved then I can only see it working really well.
Matt Jordan will be involved. Trivela may well dump Sadler but they won’t be touching the structure or lack of around him. If anything they will add to the structure and add someone to work under Jordan as he now has Drogheda to workwith.
And that’s the biggest problem, bigger than Sadler. Who’s going to work on those terms? Which manager with any kind of credibility is going to let someone else potentially ruin that?
Ainsworth for me, has delivered at Wycombe, a club of similar stature to us, exactly what Trivela are trying to achieve here.
Feasible, who knows, that is up to Trivela and their ability to sell the idea. Ainsworth had 9 months at QPR taking on a bigger role that didn’t go well, that may not be attractive for other Championship clubs, so it is League 1 and 2 clubs that would be vying for him.
The managers role here is becoming even more critical than it would normally be, if ever we needed a “marquee” signing, it is in the role and now.
We need an older, experienced, even unfashionable manager - that’s how teams with limited budget and at a low ebb get out this league (Carlisle, Stevenage). Young, untested managers like Sadler only work when they come on the back of recent upwards trajectory and there’s patience for initial hiccups (Cambridge, Forest Green), or if the club is loaded and quality players can paper over any managerial shortcomings.