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Sometimes it is worth just cutting your losses and starting again in sport to rebuild and reap rewards.
It appears the new hierarchy at Wanderers have that train of thought by appointing Jimmy Phillips as interim boss following the decision to part company with Neil Lennon.
If relegation becomes a reality in the next few weeks then Phillips could be the man to steer the ship beyond the end of the campaign and rebuild the Whites team around young players he knows only too well from his time as academy chief.
The home-town hero has already cited the example of Southampton, who plummeted to League One but rose back to the top tier and into Europe by starting from scratch and utilising what has always been renowned as a well-run academy on the south coast – just ask Arsene Wenger who has drafted more than one player into Arsenal from the Saints’ youth set-up.
Who knows? That could be mirrored one day at the Macron with talented teenagers like Jamie Thomas and Alex Samizadeh hoping to follow Zach Clough, Tom Walker and Rob Holding off the Lostock conveyor belt.
Off course, there is always an element of risk in blooding too many youngsters at one time and Phillips is experienced enough to know that.
But it can be a gamble worth taking as Manchester United showed with their class of ’92 being thrown in by Sir Alex Ferguson a decade ago. It appears you can actually win things with kids!
Perhaps the best example of starting over in recent years has come at international level.
England’s friendly opponents in Berlin tonight, Germany, are a model many would do well to follow.
After their 5-1 humbling by the Three Lions in 2001, the Germans went back to basics and while it took some time, they forged a team of fresh young talent all around the same age bracket that dismantled England in the South Africa World Cup of 2010.
It can take time and patience – a commodity not too prevalent in modern sport, particularly football.
But you can get your rewards – the proof is in the pudding.
It doesn’t just apply to football either.
England’s cricket team has a lot of new blood in it these days, particularly in limited overs cricket, while Australia recently regained number one Test status again after replacing their old guard in the past few years.
Progression is a natural step in sport as the older legs and arms tire and the gates open for the next generation.
But sometimes necessity means a group graduating at once rather than individuals.
From what we have seen at Wanderers in a troubled 18 months, at least former boss Lennon did give youth a chance.
From Woolery to Clough, Holding to Walker – they were given an opportunity to shine.
Under Phillips they may all be asked to lead the way next season.
But, as Brian Clough famously said: “If you are good enough, you are old enough.”
His namesake Zach has proved just that for Wanderers and for fans who love to see one of their own break through – like Harry Kane at Tottenham or Marcus Rashford at Man United – the young Whites forward’s further development under Phillips’ stewardship could be that light at the end of a long dark tunnel.
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It appears the new hierarchy at Wanderers have that train of thought by appointing Jimmy Phillips as interim boss following the decision to part company with Neil Lennon.
If relegation becomes a reality in the next few weeks then Phillips could be the man to steer the ship beyond the end of the campaign and rebuild the Whites team around young players he knows only too well from his time as academy chief.
The home-town hero has already cited the example of Southampton, who plummeted to League One but rose back to the top tier and into Europe by starting from scratch and utilising what has always been renowned as a well-run academy on the south coast – just ask Arsene Wenger who has drafted more than one player into Arsenal from the Saints’ youth set-up.
Who knows? That could be mirrored one day at the Macron with talented teenagers like Jamie Thomas and Alex Samizadeh hoping to follow Zach Clough, Tom Walker and Rob Holding off the Lostock conveyor belt.
Off course, there is always an element of risk in blooding too many youngsters at one time and Phillips is experienced enough to know that.
But it can be a gamble worth taking as Manchester United showed with their class of ’92 being thrown in by Sir Alex Ferguson a decade ago. It appears you can actually win things with kids!
Perhaps the best example of starting over in recent years has come at international level.
England’s friendly opponents in Berlin tonight, Germany, are a model many would do well to follow.
After their 5-1 humbling by the Three Lions in 2001, the Germans went back to basics and while it took some time, they forged a team of fresh young talent all around the same age bracket that dismantled England in the South Africa World Cup of 2010.
It can take time and patience – a commodity not too prevalent in modern sport, particularly football.
But you can get your rewards – the proof is in the pudding.
It doesn’t just apply to football either.
England’s cricket team has a lot of new blood in it these days, particularly in limited overs cricket, while Australia recently regained number one Test status again after replacing their old guard in the past few years.
Progression is a natural step in sport as the older legs and arms tire and the gates open for the next generation.
But sometimes necessity means a group graduating at once rather than individuals.
From what we have seen at Wanderers in a troubled 18 months, at least former boss Lennon did give youth a chance.
From Woolery to Clough, Holding to Walker – they were given an opportunity to shine.
Under Phillips they may all be asked to lead the way next season.
But, as Brian Clough famously said: “If you are good enough, you are old enough.”
His namesake Zach has proved just that for Wanderers and for fans who love to see one of their own break through – like Harry Kane at Tottenham or Marcus Rashford at Man United – the young Whites forward’s further development under Phillips’ stewardship could be that light at the end of a long dark tunnel.
Source
