There once was a time when the likes of Sam Allardyce, Alan Pardew, Mark Hughes and Harry Redknapp would be first in the queue for any Premier League managerial jobs that may be available.
However, according to one of the creators of the EPL, the old guard in the English top-flight have had their day and it’s about time that clubs continued looking forward rather than back.
‘I think the current state of play in the Premier League is fantastic for obvious reasons. The more competition we have, the better,’ ‘super agent’ Jon Smith wrote in his exclusive CaughtOffside column.
‘I love the fact that the young, new coaches and their coaching staff are to the fore and, though I don’t want to say anything negative about the older guard because they did a great job over many, many years, it’s nice to see the game looking forward rather than saying ‘Oh, we’ve got a problem, let’s go back in time.’’
The product that the Premier League has become bears no resemblance to it’s beginnings, when Smith, Rupert Murdoch and others changed the English footballing landscape.
It’s clear that Smith views that as a positive rather than taking the league in a direction that he didn’t envisage.
‘The game has moved on tactically, in terms of physical fitness and also with regards to social attitudes in a place of social conscience. Young coaches, new tactics, the game is vibrant… isn’t it wonderful,’ he continued.
‘I love Pep Guardiola and I think what he’s done for the game is brilliant. He’s probably the ultimate manager but even he took four years to turn Man City into something.
‘Arteta at Arsenal has taken about three or four years too and they’re nearly the final article now. They got a little lucky with the goal the other day otherwise it might’ve been two points dropped, but they matched City and they’re physically getting stronger.
‘I think what Eddie Howe has done at Newcastle too is phenomenal. Go back four weeks, however, and he was losing games. Had he continued to lose games, he wouldn’t have had the same status as he has today […] Everything’s wonderful as long as it’s for today, because our game thrives on emotion and reaction to emotion.
‘I just hope that the young coaches are given the time they need to evolve what is becoming a revolution; football at its best and better than it’s ever been.’
As the league does continue to evolve over time, it will be interesting to see how many more young, hungry and talented managers decide to ply their trade in England rather than any of the other top five European leagues.
With the Saudi Pro League also coming up from nowhere, there’s also a real threat that managers may see a period in the Emirates as a job worth taking given the amount of money that appears to be on offer for anyone working there.