Next Manager? Life after DB.

[Jimbokav1971]

Gateshead losing Rob Elliot to Crawley has got me thinking about life after DB.

You would expect that sooner or later someone will make DB an offer he can't refuse and we will be left once again be reliant on TK recruiting a new manager, (which has not always been a strength.... to be ultra-polite).

There were quite a few names mentioned when DB to Swindon was being talked about, but one of the more commonly voiced names, (Luke Garrard), is not someone I would particularly like to see here, despite the fact that I think he is a very good manager.

Someone that caught my eye a while ago, (when managing Notts Co), was Ian Burchnall, and it was he that did a lot of the groundwork that Luke Williams, (and now Stuart Maynard), have benefitted from. Burchnall is now a 1st Team coach at Wolves under Gary O'Neill, but I'm unsure of he was an O'Neill appointment or a club appointment. Either way, while we're unlikely to be able to compete with the wage that Wolves are paying him, the attraction of being the main man might be strong.

I obviously hope that DB is with us for many more seasons, but if he is to move on, who would be on your shortlist for our new manager.

I wonder if Darren Currie might be in the reckoning if the position became available. Southend are on a more stable footing so he might feel less like he was leaving them, and the rest of the management team in the lurch if he was to leave. I do think that there is unfinished business there.

Ben Strevens obviously has history with us, but until recently I hadn't seen much at either Eastleigh or Daggers that would make me think he is a suitable candidate. His preference for 4 at the back possibly counts against him though if we want to continue where DB left off, and remember that this is hypothetical of course.

[Edit] John Hunt reminded me that I had missed off Simon Bassey, who was able to completely transform the playing squad with the simple addition of a left back, (Beardy), an energetic midfielder, (Skeffington), and if my memory serves me correctly, moving an existing centre-half, (Kefalis), from centre-half to holding midfield and giving us a structure to work from, (5 wins 3 draws and 5 losses is remarkable in comparison to the shambles that went before). I'm REALLY surprised that he hasn't been offered a permanent #1 job since then, although he presided over 3 losses in 3 games for Portsmouth on another interim basis.

So my initial shortlist contains just 3 names now.

Ian Burchnall
Darren Currie
Simon Bassey

Who would you add to the list and would they be above or below these two?

[Sam_BFC]

I would prefer to bury my head in the sand with this topic for now.

[BeeArmy22]

Gateshead losing Rob Elliot to Crawley has got me thinking about life after DB.

You would expect that sooner or later someone will make DB an offer he can't refuse and we will be left once again be reliant on TK recruiting a new manager, (which has not always been a strength.... to be ultra-polite).

There were quite a few names mentioned when DB to Swindon was being talked about, but one of the more commonly voiced names, (Luke Garrard), is not someone I would particularly like to see here, despite the fact that I think he is a very good manager.

Someone that caught my eye a while ago, (when managing Notts Co), was Ian Burchnall, and it was he that did a lot of the groundwork that Luka Williams, (and now Stuart Maynard), have benefitted from. Burchnall is now a 1st Team coach at Wolves under Gary O'Neill, but I'm unsure of he was an O'Neill appointment or a club appointment. Either way, while we're unlikely to be able to compete with the wage that Wolves are paying him, the attraction of being the main man might be strong.

I obviously hope that DB is with us for many more seasons, but if he is to move on, who would be on your shortlist for our new manager.

I wonder if Darren Currie might be in the reckoning if the position became available. Southend are on a more stable footing so he might feel less like he was leaving them, and the rest of the management team in the lurch if he was to leave. I do think that there is unfinished business there.

Ben Strevens obviously has history with us, but until recently I hadn't seen much at either Eastleigh or Daggers that would make me think he is a suitable candidate. His preference for 4 at the back possibly counts against him though if we want to continue where DB left off, and remember that this is hypothetical of course.

So my initial shortlist contains just 2 names.

Ian Burchnall
Darren Currie

Who would you add to the list and would they be above or below these two?

Wouldn’t want either of the 2 you’ve mentioned. Burchnall played nice stuff but Notts had a soft underbelly and couldn’t defend set pieces with him in charge. They controlled the ball a lot but not so much in order to penetrate and more sometimes just for the sake of keeping the ball.
Currie played some good stuff with us but the squad we had in 2020 had some seriously excellent players and he had us 11th when the season ended. I know we’d been on a great run and would’ve almost certainly ended up top 5 had the season run its course but he only properly started to get a tune out of us with an insanely good Mcallum up front.

I know we all say that Barnet as a player is a much more attractive proposition than it was 3 seasons ago because of where we’re at and then manager we have, but I think it’s also a much more attractive proposition as a manager. Managers have not been fond of TK in the past, but Brennan in his comments over the 3 years has made it abundantly clear that a good relationship can be forged with TK if you go about things in the correct manner and make an effort to get along with him.

[BeeArmy22]

I would prefer to bury my head in the sand with this topic for now.

That is also a good answer!

[ninestein]

A good business will always have a succession plan, but i hope we don't have to deploy it for a while yet.

DB fits the bill for so many reasons. He's a good all round manager in an era where clubs try to be a bit clever having a large backroom team separating recruitment from the art of coaching.

DB can recruit, he can motivate, he can set his team up to be effective. What better challenge than stepping up a level with us and prove he can do all of these things again in L2?

However, we in the stands have to match his ambitions too. We need the fan base to show that it can grow as we take steps towards L2, then I believe he will stick with us.

There is a tough reality in this sport. A team doing well means it is well run. That in itself will attract the attention of other clubs who are in need. It comes with the territory. But for now, enjoy the football and let's hope DB is lifting a trophy with us come the Spring!

[adher36]

Connor Smith as the continuity candidate but yeah, let's all sweep this under the carpet and pretend there's nothing to be concerned about

[Sam_BFC]

Managers have not been fond of TK in the past, but Brennan in his comments over the 3 years has made it abundantly clear that a good relationship can be forged with TK if you go about things in the correct manner and make an effort to get along with him.

Martin Allen has expressed similar.

Of course Still (apparent sourness after final spell notwithstanding) and Fairclough also appeared to have very good relationships with him.

[John Hunt]

I would prefer to bury my head in the sand with this topic for now.

That is also a good answer!

Many times the grass is not greener on the other side. Managers move and their next job is less successful.

For them maybe better the devil you know.

Simon Bassey please!

[Jimbokav1971]

I would prefer to bury my head in the sand with this topic for now.

That is also a good answer!

Many times the grass is not greener on the other side. Managers move and their next job is less so.

For them maybe better the devil you know.

Simon Bassey please!

That is a very good shout and someone who should have been on my original list.

[PurleyBee]

I read a good article about Hearts latest recruitment process, their chairman says they always have a shortlist of potential managers should their manager walk or get sacked, however they have now appointed a algorithm company to assist their next appointment a sign of the way football is going. Got me thinking whether TK (and daughter?) similarly have candidates in mind should DB go elsewhere or results take an alarming turn, he surely didn't previously when appointments such as Nugent and Westley were made that seemed random and panics. Younger coaches seems the trend at the moment with Carsley and the Brighton and Ebbsfleet appointments of late but like everything with football it's all cycles Blackpool went for Steve Bruce David Moyes can't be far away from a return so maybe Allardyce will turn up again somewhere. As for Barnet DB has a v long contract let's hope that keeps the wolves from the door for now.

[Jaydeebee]

I’ll get stick for this but my ‘hot take’ is

If Brennan stays long enough that TK hands over to his daughter, he’ll go upstairs and if Connor’s still there, he’ll take over. I really do see Brennan going back upstairs at some point

[Beesting]

If we're top and coasting I dont see DB leaving, he'll want another title to his name. He's essentially got a job for life here so it would need to be something special for him to take a risk.

If he did leave, it would need to be a manager who's values and playing style are similar. Simon Bassey for example was a very defensive minded coach, that wouldnt work well with this group. Gateshead appointed Rob Elliot from within, this would be our best option I believe if DB left in the middle of a season. Give CS the wheel and steer the ship to promotion.

[barnet6newport1]

I don’t usually write on the forum, but this one is close to my heart because it deals with the ‘quick fix, grass is always greener’ aspect of managerial recruitment.

Dean Brennan is unusual as a manager as he is very much his own man and knows his own mind. It is apparent that he is very much committed to Barnet and the project here. After developing things so well and at such a steady pace over the last three years, he is not going to get tempted by offers elsewhere in any great hurry. He is too clever for that. Seeing what happened to Rob Edwards moving from FGR to Watford and what subsequently happened at FGR has probably reinforced that. He won’t want to see all his hard work at Barnet flushed away in a short period of time with an inappropriate successor.

There are other factors that also influence this that I have had directly from other sources.

I took Dean up on his offer of a cup of tea and chat a while back. He is financially secure as he has family business interests, which tie him to this area. He gave up playing full time in his early twenties as he didn’t like the insecurity of one year contract renewals and the lack of stability that they brought. If you notice apart from Sheffield Wednesday and Bohemians, most of his football career has been in this neck of the woods, pointing to loyalty and stability; in particular his six year spell managing Hemel Hempstead.

I recently spoke to a Wealdstone supporter who was very ‘in the know’ and quite matter of fact about this. She told me that the parting of the ways was quite heated and pointed to the fact that he didn’t appear happy to want to leave. I won’t say any more, but there was nothing that she said that lead me to believe that she was factually inaccurate; particularly as I portrayed myself as a neutral (and not a Barnet supporter) who simply wanted to understand the history better.

Having said this, I agree fully with the original post in that ‘nothing lasts for ever’ and Dean will not always be here. At the time of him taking over, I wrote to TK pointing out that former high profile players such as Harry Kewell, along with many others, do not make the best managers. They can play but they can’t always manage. I also pointed out at this very early stage that, from what I had briefly seen, Dean Brennan had success written all over him. The reply was that he found it ‘interesting’. Look where we are three years later.

Managerial recruitment has, on many occasions, been a significant blind spot at Barnet. There have been too many rookies appointed with no relevant experience to the league that club was in at the time, hence the relatively poor results.

The club needs some form of small scale proactive recruitment department similar to that at Brighton and Brentford, which has served these clubs very well. Newport County adopted this approach in the noughties, sometimes taking several months to ‘get their man’ and look what they achieved since relative to where they were at the time. At some appropriate future point, I intend to write to the club again regarding this particular issue.

[bfc_mo]

I don’t usually write on the forum, but this one is close to my heart because it deals with the ‘quick fix, grass is always greener’ aspect of managerial recruitment.

Dean Brennan is unusual as a manager as he is very much his own man and knows his own mind. It is apparent that he is very much committed to Barnet and the project here. After developing things so well and at such a steady pace over the last three years, he is not going to get tempted by offers elsewhere in any great hurry. He is too clever for that. Seeing what happened to Rob Edwards moving from FGR to Watford and what subsequently happened at FGR has probably reinforced that. He won’t want to see all his hard work at Barnet flushed away in a short period of time with an inappropriate successor.

There are other factors that also influence this that I have had directly from other sources.

I took Dean up on his offer of a cup of tea and chat a while back. He is financially secure as he has family business interests, which tie him to this area. He gave up playing full time in his early twenties as he didn’t like the insecurity of one year contract renewals and the lack of stability that they brought. If you notice apart from Sheffield Wednesday and Bohemians, most of his football career has been in this neck of the woods, pointing to loyalty and stability; in particular his six year spell managing Hemel Hempstead.

I recently spoke to a Wealdstone supporter who was very ‘in the know’ and quite matter of fact about this. She told me that the parting of the ways was quite heated and pointed to the fact that he didn’t appear happy to want to leave. I won’t say any more, but there was nothing that she said that lead me to believe that she was factually inaccurate; particularly as I portrayed myself as a neutral (and not a Barnet supporter) who simply wanted to understand the history better.

Having said this, I agree fully with the original post in that ‘nothing lasts for ever’ and Dean will not always be here. At the time of him taking over, I wrote to TK pointing out that former high profile players such as Harry Kewell, along with many others, do not make the best managers. They can play but they can’t always manage. I also pointed out at this very early stage that, from what I had briefly seen, Dean Brennan had success written all over him. The reply was that he found it ‘interesting’. Look where we are three years later.

Managerial recruitment has, on many occasions, been a significant blind spot at Barnet. There have been too many rookies appointed with no relevant experience to the league that club was in at the time, hence the relatively poor results.

The club needs some form of small scale proactive recruitment department similar to that at Brighton and Brentford, which has served these clubs very well. Newport County adopted this approach in the noughties, sometimes taking several months to ‘get their man’ and look what they achieved since relative to where they were at the time. At some appropriate future point, I intend to write to the club again regarding this particular issue.

Thanks for the insight, please write in the forum more often

[jerroll]

If we're top and coasting I dont see DB leaving, he'll want another title to his name. He's essentially got a job for life here so it would need to be something special for him to take a risk.

If he did leave, it would need to be a manager who's values and playing style are similar. Simon Bassey for example was a very defensive minded coach, that wouldnt work well with this group. Gateshead appointed Rob Elliot from within, this would be our best option I believe if DB left in the middle of a season. Give CS the wheel and steer the ship to promotion.

in fairness to Simon Bassey he had a dire squad to work with and decided trying to be hard to beat was the way forward with those players - given his own squad or a squad of better players he may approach the game differently.