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From the first minute he accepted the job on an interim basis, Jimmy Phillips was stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place.
Wanderers were destined for the drop and no-one at the Macron could admit it in public but there wasn’t a manager around who could have rescued that situation in such a short space of time.
So from there it became a matter of building for the future, of testing out some of the younger players who may prove useful in League One next season.
The resounding 6-0 defeat at Bristol City gave Phillips a pretty swift answer on that front.
The academy boss found out sharpish just how deep problems ran in the first team, some caused by the chronic lack of funding, some by bad attitudes and others by his predecessor Neil Lennon’s bad decisions.
Some of the younger players were out of the equation for a reason. They were just not capable of handling the pressure at this moment in time.
Fingers burned by the result, Phillips reverted to the same policy as Lennon. With Wellington Silva injured and Liam Feeney exported, the squad had precisely zero width and precious little pace. The answer was to pack midfield and at least make Wanderers tough to play against.
By the time Derby County dispelled that myth and confirmed relegation it was simply a case of salvaging pride, for both the team and the men in the dugout.
Fate confirmed, some of the pressure was relieved. It has, for example, been enough for Niall Maher to come in and show he has something to offer in both full-back positions, likewise a rejuvenated Oscar Threlkeld. It has also enabled Zach Clough and Rob Holding to rediscover some decent form.
But of the senior players who arguably could now be labelled the worst team in the club’s history, precious few have come out with their pride intact.
David Wheater has led the way. By waiving his appearance bonuses for the rest of the season he has at least reciprocated some of the reward he has reaped over the past few years. His performances have also been of a high standard.
Emile Heskey is another professional who has come out of this with credit.
Some Wanderers fans will be rolling their eyes at that statement and, it is true, the former England man should not be starting games in the Championship week in, week out at this stage of his career. That he is tells you everything you need to know about the reliability of others in his position.
Phillips could win brownie points by fielding a team entirely comprised of home-grown youngsters. How they would fare against a physical Cardiff City side this afternoon, for example, remains to be seen.
Would fans forgive a heavy defeat because the team all graduated through his academy? There is an argument to suggest it couldn’t get any worse.
Realistically, the odds are still stacked against the younger players even though they have achieved their dream of becoming a professional. Yes, they may be paid for their trade, their name might appear on Football Manager and they might have a fancy action shot on their Twitter account but to carve out a career like Wheater or Heskey requires something different entirely.
Phillips knows full well that the technical know-how is being put into his players by staff he knows and trusts. And against players of their own age Wanderers do extremely well, suggesting the raw material is good.
However good the coach – as Phillips is finding out in the first team right now – they cannot teach personality. You are either a winner, or you are not. And Wanderers do not have enough winners.
I see immense promise in the likes of Clough, Holding, Threlkeld, Maher, Josh Vela and Tom Walker but before they command the same respect as people like Heskey, Phillips or Peter Reid, they have to show something more.
I dearly hope that comes in League One next season.
If Phillips swings the axe at Cardiff today and drops senior players for the sake of giving youngsters experience then I tip my hat to him. Sink or swim: There will never be a better opportunity to show you can be a part of this club’s future.
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Wanderers were destined for the drop and no-one at the Macron could admit it in public but there wasn’t a manager around who could have rescued that situation in such a short space of time.
So from there it became a matter of building for the future, of testing out some of the younger players who may prove useful in League One next season.
The resounding 6-0 defeat at Bristol City gave Phillips a pretty swift answer on that front.
The academy boss found out sharpish just how deep problems ran in the first team, some caused by the chronic lack of funding, some by bad attitudes and others by his predecessor Neil Lennon’s bad decisions.
Some of the younger players were out of the equation for a reason. They were just not capable of handling the pressure at this moment in time.
Fingers burned by the result, Phillips reverted to the same policy as Lennon. With Wellington Silva injured and Liam Feeney exported, the squad had precisely zero width and precious little pace. The answer was to pack midfield and at least make Wanderers tough to play against.
By the time Derby County dispelled that myth and confirmed relegation it was simply a case of salvaging pride, for both the team and the men in the dugout.
Fate confirmed, some of the pressure was relieved. It has, for example, been enough for Niall Maher to come in and show he has something to offer in both full-back positions, likewise a rejuvenated Oscar Threlkeld. It has also enabled Zach Clough and Rob Holding to rediscover some decent form.
But of the senior players who arguably could now be labelled the worst team in the club’s history, precious few have come out with their pride intact.
David Wheater has led the way. By waiving his appearance bonuses for the rest of the season he has at least reciprocated some of the reward he has reaped over the past few years. His performances have also been of a high standard.
Emile Heskey is another professional who has come out of this with credit.
Some Wanderers fans will be rolling their eyes at that statement and, it is true, the former England man should not be starting games in the Championship week in, week out at this stage of his career. That he is tells you everything you need to know about the reliability of others in his position.
Phillips could win brownie points by fielding a team entirely comprised of home-grown youngsters. How they would fare against a physical Cardiff City side this afternoon, for example, remains to be seen.
Would fans forgive a heavy defeat because the team all graduated through his academy? There is an argument to suggest it couldn’t get any worse.
Realistically, the odds are still stacked against the younger players even though they have achieved their dream of becoming a professional. Yes, they may be paid for their trade, their name might appear on Football Manager and they might have a fancy action shot on their Twitter account but to carve out a career like Wheater or Heskey requires something different entirely.
Phillips knows full well that the technical know-how is being put into his players by staff he knows and trusts. And against players of their own age Wanderers do extremely well, suggesting the raw material is good.
However good the coach – as Phillips is finding out in the first team right now – they cannot teach personality. You are either a winner, or you are not. And Wanderers do not have enough winners.
I see immense promise in the likes of Clough, Holding, Threlkeld, Maher, Josh Vela and Tom Walker but before they command the same respect as people like Heskey, Phillips or Peter Reid, they have to show something more.
I dearly hope that comes in League One next season.
If Phillips swings the axe at Cardiff today and drops senior players for the sake of giving youngsters experience then I tip my hat to him. Sink or swim: There will never be a better opportunity to show you can be a part of this club’s future.
Source