Under-fire bosses remain optimistic

MANAGERS whose clubs are at the wrong end of the table will not go into the new year fearing for their jobs, according to League Managers’ Association chief John Barnwell.

The pressure is on the likes of West Ham manager Glenn Roeder, Bolton boss Sam Allardyce and Leeds coach Terry Venables, whose clubs are all battling to avoid relegation.

But according to Barnwell, the nature of his union's members is to always look on the bright side of life.

"If you are a football person you are always optimistic, otherwise you wouldn't be in the business," he said.

"It is not a negative business and even though there are some drastic changes taking place the game is resilient and so are the managers.

"Look at the marvels of Bobby Robson, Sir Alex Ferguson and Graham Taylor. None of them needed to stay in the game but have done so because of their great love for it and they are marvellous examples to young managers who are striving to be successful in a very competitive business."

Roeder and Allardyce are two of the game's bright young coaches, along with West Brom's Gary Megson, despite all three finding themselves at the wrong end of the Premiership.

But Barnwell insists they are doing a good job.

"There are a range of things which can be achieved and we have some very gifted young managers coming through, and the future looks bright on the coaching side.

Most of them do an incredible job, not just in the Premiership but in the Nationwide League too, where clubs are going through difficult financial constraints."

A gloomy picture has been painted for the future of football in some quarters, but Barnwell believes the game is resilient enough to survive the latest round of problems, and says he has history on his side.

"Years ago when the minimum wage was lifted and Johnny Haynes was paid £100 a week, everybody said the game was ruined and it wouldn't survive but of course it did. Then freedom of contract came in 1961 when George Eastham moved from Newcastle to Arsenal and everybody said that was the ruination of football but of course it wasn't.

"Now we have got the Bosman ruling which has had massive effects and again everybody said it was the ruination of the game, but football always recovers."