Do we owe it to Booker?

[Aspinal's Body Double]

I've been voting for Dowie or Cotterill but since Bob has declared he wants the job I'm having some qualms about this.

Some of us have been moaning about lack of loyalty in recent managers, and I think not without justification in case of Coppell. Are we being hypocritical if we then don't reward Booker's loyalty?

He has stayed with us through all the turmoil (didn't he turn down offer to join Micky at Leicester?) and has been loyal to us. The players who have also remained loyal apparently want him (although I know players often fear a new face coming in). Therefore there's an argument to reward loyalty of both our coach and our players.

I think one of our concerns is the failure of Hinch and Wood, but in fairness that has nothing to do with Booker. I know he is unproven, and I would be worried about the risk. But I'm also a little worried that if we don't appoint him we'll not have been fair to him. We could also have no real complaint if he then decided to move on to try and get his chance elsewhere.

What do other people think?

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

The worst outcome is that he is pissed off at being passed over, and we don't get the person we want because they want their own backroom staff.

 

[Weezle]

It is NOT unfair not to appoint him. He came intot his club as an assistant with no promise of ever being manager. DK has shown great loyalty to him by insisting ANY new manager had to agree to work witht he current set up - this doesn't happen at most clubs.

We've got a good thing going on at this club at the moment - why ruin it by bringing in an unproven manager - we've been stung like this twice before. Still got to be Dowie, Cotterill or now Tigana for me. Sorry Bob, but we don't want to lose you - if he meeses up as manager we lose a great servant to the club - why risk it.

 

[Raphael Meade]

i completely agree with where your coming from, but would still be very worried about giving the job to him, simply because of the obviously close relationship he has with the players. it does seem a bit unfair on him though, as we're sort of punishing him for doing a good job.

tough one, glad its not my call!

i was agreeing with where norman wa coming from... just type slowly!!

 

[Wez]

Booker is so key to the albion. Perhaps he does deserve a chance? But if he fails then what, would he leave the club?, would he go back to his old position and if so his relationship with the players may of changed by then?

Its a tricky one to call.

But theres no doubt about it the job he has done for us has been spectaculer!

 

[Don Tmatter]

The trouble is, if we give him the job and it goes tits up and we have to sack him, we would have to lose him from the club completely, we couldn't give him his old job back ala Tinselhood.

 

[Aspinal's Body Double]

I take your points Weezle, and it's a fair argument.

I think we all seem to be feeling it's a tough one. Is there a compromise somewhere?

Would it be worth giving him an extended run as caretaker (I don't think there's an outstanding field out there right now so might be worth risk of losing Dowie et.c?) or beef up his current role with a view to him taking over next time?

 

[chemical brother]

If Booker f***ed it up, which let's face it on the basis of the players wanting him, the Hinsh and Wood episodes he probably would, we'd lose him. And he's central to everything, it could be the beginning of a decline back into division three if he left.

It's too big a risk.

xx

 

[Marshy]

We dont owe it too him.

Get a new man in, but he has to keep the backroom staff.
Simple.

 

[Aspinal's Body Double]

Marshy- except that Bob has now said he wants "to cross that line" to a manager's job, which means that keeping the backroom staff may not satisfy him.

Which is also why, Chemical Brother, we may be at greater risk of losing him by not offering him the job.

 

[Brovion]

Absolutely Marshy. We appoint him boss. He fails. We sack him. Bang! we've just lost the best number 2 in the game. All the while we haven't got Falmer we will probably have a high turnover of managers. We NEED Booker in his current role to provide continuity.

 

[Marshy]

Booker has left it to late to be manager now.

Hinshelwood, Wood etc etc it never works appointing within for us.

 

[Icy Gull]

Tough call - but I'd give him the job. May regret it in the future but I think he's worth a try because I think he'd be good enough, not because he deserves it.

The choices being bandied about aren't anywhere near as good as the ones who have already quit. Dowie, maybe, being the exception and i wouldn't be comfortable poaching him.

 

[Northstander]

Booker??

He should stick to what he is one of the best at, being the no.2!! Let's get somone in who will take us where we belong!! FALMER bekons and we are going on and on!! Next Stop San Siro!!

 

[Locky]

Tough call this one,
Personally I think I would keep him as no 2 with the view to promoting him next time.
Of course when I say next time, I mean after our next manager retires having been with us for 12 years.

 

[Gritt23]

Sorry, I can't be anything but horrified at the prospect of an appointment from within. We need a guy who's got experience at this level of doing the top job. Plenty of contacts at other clubs is also a big advantage at this level, where he needs to be able to uncover players to sign, that most managers don't know about.

Not Booker, NO !

 

[Simster]

I think he should be given 4 games and if he does the business, we make him manager.

It seems to me that we'll lose him sooner rather than later if we pass him over. He's ready to become a manager, and if we turn him down and he looks elsewhere, I doubt his CV will be thrown straight into the bin at, say, Orient or Carlisle - he's coached 2 championship winning sides in 3 years and we're top of the league yet again.

I think it's crunch time. Let's see what he can do and give him a chance.

 

[chemical brother]

Well f*** me with a twenty foot iron hot rod

when will we learn? We f***ed up it up and lost good coaches in Wood and Hinsh, and now some people wanna do it again

booker throwing a strop if he doesn't become manager isn't a reason to give him the job, and i'm sure he wouldn't do that anyway

xx

 

[Aspinal's Body Double]

when will we learn? We f***ed up it up and lost good coaches in Wood and Hinsh, and now some people wanna do it again

But equally we can't say Booker wouldn't be any good because... well Hinch and Wood were no good. If we had never appointed Wood or Hinch, would we no be saying "it's time to appoint someone internal who has proven himself, and who has some loyalty and passion for the club."

I'm not saying he should get it, I'm still undecided. I am sure that previous internal appointments should have no bearing on our decision.

 

[Aspinal's Body Double]

Sorry, I f***ed up the quote bit.

The first paragraph was Chemical Brother's, I was responding to that.