He might have resigned, but it seems pretty clear that it’s a question of ‘jump before pushed’ and that relations between the Spaniard and the ownership had soured to the extent that a split seemed inevitable. Indeed, in a strange way there’s a sense of relief that the matter has been put to bed, ending the unhelpful uncertainty and quietening those who fancifully dismissed the speculation as a press invention.Thank you. #NFFC pic.twitter.com/TfBM9yovVH— Aitor Karanka (@Karanka) January 11, 2019
It pays not to get too attached to managers as a Forest fan but it was clear that Aitor was popular. Maybe fans were just fed up of constant change and wanted someone to pin their hopes on, but there did seem to be some genuine affection for the ex Boro boss - and his name was sung loudly and regularly in a way rarely seen for recent occupants of the dugout.
While I personally felt that Mark Warburton had been owed more time, Aitor Karanka did appear to be a decent choice to replace him a year ago and always seemed a good fit as Forest manager. Not only had he had experience of gaining promotion to the Premier League, he didn’t - perhaps until recently - appear daunted by the pressure of the challenge he faced. Indeed, his pedigree as a player gave him a natural rapport and respect among the club’s legends that helped him fit in. This was a man who didn’t seem afraid of the club’s grand past since he’d played for a club with its own far grander heritage. He also felt fresh - and not a tired old hand after just another payday or a face from the club’s past that might divide the romantics and pragmatists among the fan base.
Karanka’s mission had seemed clear - especially in light of the ruthless dispatching of Warburton. He had a two-and-a-half-year contract and had to achieve promotion by the time it was up. Nothing else mattered and every decision he took as manager appeared guided by that. Signings had to be players who could come in and get us up within that period - and players like Joe Worrall had to go and continue their education elsewhere. It was perhaps more short termist than some fans would’ve liked - especially after an FA Cup win over holders Arsenal that had been inspired by academy graduates - but at least it was clear.
Karanka’s tenure hasn’t been all plain sailing - nor has it been free of mistakes. But, for a man in a hurry and with a tough target to meet he seemed to be doing well. He was less than half way into his contract and, in my view, at least half way towards his goal of turning us into promotion material. We can talk about points totals and league positions - both of which show progress - but the clear feeling is that this is a team that is ‘getting there’. A solid midfield base, the wing wizardry of Joe Lolley, the goalscoring of Lewis Grabban and the stylish passing of Joao Carvalho are all hallmarks of a decent side in the making. Getting more firepower, becoming more ruthless, countering teams that sit back at the City Ground, fielding a fit defence and improving on things like set pieces are all important to build on that if we want to win more games.
The Spaniard did, granted, have generous backing in his quest. The last two transfer windows have been busy and no-one can say the club hasn’t invested in improving the playing squad. Sub par players of the like of Jamie Ward, Matt Mills and Michael Mancienne have been moved on and superior replacements have been recruited. Yet, we’re in a world in which transfer fees are ridiculously inflated and it took £19 million to buy just two key attacking players in Grabban and Carvalho. When you haven’t got time to look around for bargains, you have to pay big bucks. The club might have thought it had spent enough - the reality is that the building work is unfinished and the harsh reality of the Championship can exhaust even the largest of chequebooks.
Reading John Percy’s report in the Telegraph - and other recent accounts - and it appears clear that the owners wanted the team to be in the top six at the start of 2019. It’s not quite apparent why this mattered since the prizes aren’t handed out until May. Sitting in 7th, four points off the top six, is hardly miles off the pace either. I can’t work out if this is an arbitrary retrospective target invented to justify parting ways or not. Either way it seems pretty daft.
There’s another worrying section in his report for me. It’s this bit:
Forest's owners clashed with Karanka over the lack of games for Arvin Appiah, an exciting teenage winger. They argued that Appiah should be given more time on the field, but Karanka felt it was effectively having his team picked for him.Are the club just saying this because they know we like to see our young talent given a chance? If so, it sounds like cynical spin to placate the fans. If not, and they genuinely put Karanka under pressure to field a player who has just turned 18, then that seems like unneccessary interference in playing affairs. The third potential explanation is that they have seen the interest from Premier League clubs in Appiah and want to maximise his value.
Appiah seems an exciting talent but he - like the team in general - needs patience. It’s completely wrong to compare the Marinakis regime to the Fawaz era in terms of the business and marketing side of the club - but fans are right to be worried by events that appear to show that we haven’t got over our addiction to the drug of short termism.
It seems that all hasn’t been right between the owners and Karanka since a visit from the club hierarchy to the training ground in October. That, coupled with the arrival of a new director of football, seemed to coincide with a downturn in the manager’s mood - not least in the aftermath of the Ipswich victory. Perhaps it was then that the pressure was put on the manager to deliver better results quicker?
It was certainly around then that Karanka’s substitutions became more erratic. After the QPR game, in which we switched to a bizarre front three of Murphy, Ansarifad and Grabban without any wingers to supply them, I felt I’d seen the actions of a manager under pressure - someone panicking and gambling to try to keep his job. At the time, though, I wrote that off as an explanation that was too silly to be true. The kamikaze nature of the Norwich game makes a little more sense through this prism though. Why else would we send on Gil Dias and push the full backs forward searching for a fourth in such circumstances? Consciously or not, Karanka seemed under pressure to win and, possibly, dispel the slightly unfair ‘defensive manager’ tag.
The club’s ownership clearly want promotion - don’t we all. But it now appears that the deadline has been reduced further still and that May is now the target. Yet, even then, the best way to achieve that would probably have been to patch things up with Karanka and allow him to make the one or two additions he’d need to fast track his goal.
Personally, I’ve felt for some time that there are probably at least six teams better placed for promotion in this campaign - and that we’d miss out on the play-offs. Narrowly missing out on the top six would’ve represented enough progress for me - especially given that there were 16 teams better than us last season and we’ve been relegation contenders in recent times. I felt that would’ve been the basis for a push next time around and that we stood a half decent chance of achieving Karanka’s tough two-and-a-half-year target. It’d also have been nice to feel the benefit of some continuity in the dugout - with the likes of Norwich showing how things can really click given time.
Yet, the desire for stability won’t be satisfied for now. The Post reckons that Karanka’s replacement will come from a shortlist of three - Slavisa Jokanovic, Martin O’Neill and Carlos Carvalhal. Jokanovic appears the obvious choice, especially given his experience with Watford and Fulham. O’Neill would need time to re-adjust to club football and maybe the moment has passed for him to take charge here. Carvalhal seems talented but combustible - a route we’ve taken before with Billy Davies perhaps?
The club could do without another cycle of January window panic followed by a summer of rebuilding, whoever takes charge. That way almost certainly leads to another sacking this time next year and the continuation of our Groundhog Day loop. We’re all a bit sick of that now surely?Jokanovic, O'Neill and Carvalhal - the three man shortlist drawn up by #nffc as they look to replace Karanka... with former Fulham and Watford boss understood to top it... https://t.co/DDPbuILcT6— Paul Taylor (@nottmtails) January 11, 2019
Whatever happens from here, good or bad, Aitor Karanka felt like he was a class act, doing a good job and was a decent fit for the club. Given how hard it has been to appoint good managers, it seems a shame that it has come to this.
No comments:
Post a Comment