Latest news with #ChampionshipManageroftheYear
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Holloway honoured alongside Klopp and Mourinho at LMA Awards
Ian Holloway was honoured alongside Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho as he was officially inducted into the League Managers' Association's Hall of Fame 1,000 Club. The Swindon Town manager was one of five presented with a commemorative shield at the LMA Awards Night for reaching 1,000 competitive games in management. After a four-year hiatus, Holloway finally got above the four-figure mark against his former club Grimsby Town in December as Swindon were victorious by three goals to one. Impressive managerial five-a-side team being inducted into the LMA Hall of Fame 1,000 Club. #LMAawards — Henry Winter (@henrywinter) May 27, 2025 Alongside the 62-year-old on the stage as they were inducted into the LMA Hall of Fame 1,000 Club was Mourinho, Klopp, David Moyes OBE, and Mick McCarthy, with the cohort having combined to win 46 trophies across their various glittering careers. LMA Chief Executive Richard Bevan OBE said: 'The association was also proud to induct Ian Holloway, Jürgen Klopp, Mick McCarthy, José Mourinho and David Moyes OBE into the esteemed LMA Hall of Fame 1,000 Club. 'They now join an elite group of pioneering names who have all demonstrated the resilience, commitment and sacrifice required to be a modern-day manager. 'The LMA Hall of Fame 1,000 Club is a celebration of success and longevity in the game, and on behalf of everyone at the LMA, I congratulate all inductees on reaching this outstanding milestone and thank them all for their extraordinary service to our sport.' Read more: Swindon must finally let green shoots blossom in key season Holloway makes Ameen pitch as contract discussions continue Mutual desire and standoff - How Swindon got McGregor contract done Holloway has been in management for over a quarter of a century, starting out as a player-manager at Bristol Rovers, and has had huge success with Queen's Park Rangers, Blackpool, and Crystal Palace, taking the latter two into the Premier League, and will be hoping to add promotion with Swindon to that next season. The event also saw the LMA hand out their various managerial awards for the season, with Arne Slot taking home the most prestigious honour of Manager of the Year, having delivered Liverpool's second Premier League title in his first season in the job. Leeds United's Daniel Farke won Championship Manager of the Year, Chris Davies of Birmingham City won the League One prize, Grant McCann in League Two after winning the title with Doncaster Rovers, Sonia Bompastor the Barclays Women's Super League Manager of the Year for her undefeated season with Chelsea Women, and Jay Sadler of Portsmouth Women for the Barclays Women's Championship. In addition to these, Oliver Glasner, Eddie Howe, Ange Postecoglou, and Renee Slegers all received the LMA John Duncan Award for the historic successes they brought to Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Arsenal Women, respectively.
The Courier
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Courier
LEE WILKIE: Why Dundee sacking Tony Docherty was no shock
That football is a ruthless business shouldn't shock anybody – including those surprised by Dundee's decision to sack Tony Docherty. The bottom line is simple: this season hasn't been good enough from the Dark Blues' point of view. Yes, Docherty did really well over the last few weeks to rally his players and ultimately lead them away from the play-off spot and to safety from relegation. But in the grand scheme of things, Dundee would have been expecting to have a much better season than that. In fact, they would have been aiming to have a better season than they had last year, when they finished in the top six. The fact that they were just five points shy of a European place would have been at the front of everyone's minds when they were setting new targets for this term. Even without knowing exactly what they were, it feels a pretty safe bet to suggest they got nowhere near them. Were there mitigating factors? Yes. Bad referee calls? Absolutely. Unlucky breaks? No doubt. But after 38 games, the table has Dundee in 10th place, after a fight to cement safety that went all the way to the final day of the season. For a club scarred by a few relegations in recent memory – but also one with big plans for the future that will be aided by a solid period of top flight stability – that's too close for comfort. Now, I think Tony Docherty is a fantastic coach and a top manager. He will have learned a huge amount from his first year as a boss in his own right, when things went well. He'll have then learned even more this time around, when his team's form has been more bitty and challenges have been bigger. But it's a results business – and you only need to suffer a handful of poor ones to find yourself under pressure. Some will say Tony Docherty deserved more time at Dens Park – another summer to recharge and retool for another crack at the top six (and possibly even Europe). But Dundee's owners have shown themselves before to be comfortable with 'shock' managerial changes. Gary Bowyer's removal in May 2023, on the same day he was named Championship Manager of the Year, having led the Dee to the title and promotion, laid down one hell of a marker. Sacking Docherty shows they're still not sentimental. Whoever's next will at least be able to say they knew what they were getting into.
Telegraph
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Banning phones, rounds of golf and Tony Pulis on speed dial – inside Derby's great escape
Derby County have secured Championship safety and the £500,000 bill for manager John Eustace has proved the shrewdest signing in their recent history. Eustace was not included in the Championship Manager of the Year nominations, but his work at Pride Park over the last three months cannot possibly be overestimated. Inheriting a team bottom of the table and seven points adrift, the former Derby player has masterminded an heroic act of escapology. The goalless draw at home to Stoke City on Saturday was enough to send Luton down as Eustace's men finished one point and three places above the drop zone. THE RAMS ARE STAYING UP. 🖤 — Derby County (@dcfcofficial) May 3, 2025 Now the club is looking ahead with great optimism, with the opportunity to rebuild the squad this summer. Many questioned the wisdom of Eustace quitting Blackburn Rovers in February, when the Lancashire club were in fifth place and Derby were staring down the barrel at League One. Now, we can see why. Eustace has reinvigorated the club and established a powerful connection with a fanbase desperately waiting for lift-off. It is unquestionably Eustace's greatest managerial achievement so far, though the work of his predecessor Paul Warne, who ensured Derby's defensive record remained solid, cannot be airbrushed from history. Derby are now preparing for a busy summer, with survival opening up more possibilities in the transfer window. External investment discussions will also accelerate with owner David Clowes. Recruitment meetings are well under way. Derby have appointed former Huddersfield Town sporting director Leigh Bromby as an interim recruitment lead, and forwards are understood to be a priority for the summer. The sporting intelligence unit of Ed Smith and Mo Bobat, previously at the England men's cricket team, will also be crucial. Smith and Bobat were heavily involved in the January additions of Norway international Sondre Langas and forward Lars-Jorgen Salvesen from Viking in January. It can be revealed that defender Kane Wilson has triggered an option to cover next season and is also in negotiations over a new long-term contract. Derby want to re-sign Everton midfielder Harrison Armstrong on loan for next season. The teenager has proved highly impressive with not only his quality on the pitch but his maturity off it, after joining in January. Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips has also excelled and Derby will explore the possibility of re-signing him, too. Derby have 13 players out of contract in total and discussions will be held early next week over who stays or leaves. Eustace will be at the forefront of Derby's planning, and feels that next season presents an opportunity to grow the club. Derby were always convinced that he would deliver this impact. After Liam Rosenior was dismissed in September 2022, with the club in the third tier, Eustace was under serious consideration then. Despite his association with the club, where he made 62 appearances in two separate spells, dropping from the Championship into League One was still a tough sell. Earlier this year, though, the stars aligned. After Warne's dismissal, and with frustration building behind the scenes at Blackburn, Eustace made his emotional return. Derby's chief executive Stephen Pearce worked long days to complete the deal, totalling around £500,000 for Eustace and his backroom staff. It soon became clear that Eustace was a coach of high intensity. Training is minutely organised, with each player required to sign in at an allotted time before carrying out pre-activation. Individual meetings and unit meetings are frequent, with every player given a clear picture of what is needed to know their job inside out. Nothing is unprepared or off the cuff. Every detail is broken down into scripted passages of play. All players have been given individual development plans, focusing on preparation and diet away from the club's Moor Farm base. Eustace has banned the use of mobile phones in the players' bistro. Over the last international break, he took the squad away for three days to Mottram Hall to build team spirit. Rounds of golf and team meals at night were regarded as pivotal in enhancing the togetherness that has been a key part of the rescue mission. 'Fighters not victims' has proved Eustace's mantra, and he has maintained a level of calm through the highs and lows of a tiring season. Early into his tenure, he recognised that Derby could still improve with goals from set-pieces. Identifying players with good delivery was the focus in his first week. Perhaps it is no surprise that his old Stoke manager, Tony Pulis, is a huge influence on his training methods and they speak regularly. Set-pieces were a strength under Warne, and Eustace has continued that with nine goals from dead-ball situations. He has also utilised the long throw – another Pulis speciality – with three goals, including two in the crucial 3-2 victory at Plymouth Argyle in March. With Eustace's appointment coming late in the season, he needed to adapt and had no option to play in his preferred 4-3-3 formation. Though he relies on the information of analysts and data, Eustace is old school and makes personal trips to games to watch future opposition. Saturday's draw with Stoke has now removed any uncertainty, and Derby can finally plan for Championship football next season. Targets previously regarded as unattainable will now come into sharper focus.
