Take Care

Caretaker manager may well be the second-least glamorous position in football (someone has to clean the bath tubs.) The only guarantees it brings are difficult circumstances and zero job security. Yet despite this, certain individuals have been able to triumph over adversity and bring success to both themselves and their clubs, in the process securing themselves full time employment. But reading about them would be boring. Instead lets look at three crazy cases of confounding caretakery!

Tony Parkes

Tony Parkes will forever be associated with Blackburn Rovers, having spent an incredible 34 years (count 'em) with the club as both a player and a member of the coaching staff. During this time he enjoyed (endured?) an even more astounding number of stints in charge, temporarily taking the reins not once, not twice, not thrice, not...erm...quice.... Well anyway he was caretaker manager on six separate occasions, with his first stint in 1986 and his last in 2004, all the while serving as Assistant Manager under seven different managers. Two of these stints (During 96/97 and 99/00) lasted for over twenty-five games.

Sadly his three decades of loyal service counted for little when angry-faced Welshman and former Barcelona ace Mark Hughes took over and brought his own backroom staff with him. Even worse Parkes himself wasn't informed in person, instead being told by his own daughter who had heard the news on the radio.

The Odd Couple



Speaking of long service, how about Steve Coppell at Crystal Palace? He took the reigns at Selhurst Park on four separate occasions over a sixteen year period at the club, spanning 84 to 2000 (aka "The Willenium").

However its the time between Coppell's third and fourth stints that's relevant to this article. At the time the club were competing in the Premiership but had spent the past few years yo-yo-ing between the top flight and Division 1 (The Championship/Old-Old-Division 2) and mounting debts meant new ownership from Mark Goldberg.

With such a tumultuous atmosphere surrounding the club it was obvious to all involved that steady hands would be needed at the wheel.

So to whom did The Eagles turn to steer them back on course?

Bobby Robson, the former England manager, who had recently lost the managerial hot seat at Barcelona to Louis Van Gaal?

No? Well what about Ruud Gullit? He guided Chelsea to FA Cup glory in only his first season and, at the time of his sacking (only a month before Coppell's departure) his team were second in the league.

Still no? Well... What about Gerry Francis? He'd resigned as Spurs manager in September 1997 and, whilst not exactly possessing a glorious record, he at least had experience.

Nope.

Instead of any of those options or in fact any other qualified coach in the world they chose to give the management job to these two:



Attillo Lombardo and Tomas Brolin.

This despite the fact that neither had coached before. At any level. Ever.

Lombardo later described the circumstances as follows:

“I came home last night and received a phone call and was summoned by the chairman-to-be and I was proposed the job there and then. I had half-an-hour to make a decision, and it felt like being run over by a lorry.”

Unsurprisingly Palace lost five of their next seven matches and were eventually relegated.

Ending on a lighter note... Sandy Stewart



When Owen Coyle left Scotland's St. Jonhston to take up the reigns at Championship side Burnley it was up to his assistant Sandy Stewart to lead the side into their next game. Which just so happened to be the Scottish Challenge Cup final. Which they duly won. Beating Dunfermline Athletic 3-2. Capturing their first trophy in over ninety years. And leaving Stewart with a 100% winning record. One game, one win, one cup.

Five days later Stewart resigned to resume his former position as Coyle's No.2 at their new home of Turf Moor, leaving one important question unanswered:

What would happen if Sandy Stewart managed a team with Pegguy Arphexard in it?!