Where from here then?

Well then… I neither expected to be back so soon or for this to be the topic of discussion.

I had previously described Neil Warnock as Town’s ace up the sleeve, a somewhat unmovable object into the Championship landscape and a get out of free jail card to avoid the finality of relegation, that was until it was announced that Warnock was out of the equation after Stoke on Wednesday night and Town entered the managerial merry-go-round for another dizzying spin.

It will only be Town’s fourth manager in the course of twelve months, a record more akin to a Pozzo regime.

Under the banner of one more year, I suppose Town fans may feel short-changed by the departure of Warnock after only six games. I think for many, myself included, I felt that that the succession plan may have come into place next summer with a full transfer window and pre-season to work with, a real opportunity for the new man to stamp their identity on the football club, and this invaluable stability and precious commodity of time that Warnock brought would allow Town to bide their time.

From the comments provided by himself and Jake Edwards, it seemed to always be the plan for Warnock would step aside prematurely when their longer-term managerial candidate of choice would become available and now is that time.

It did seem coincidental with the comments regarding the summer transfer window that there may have been a rift emerging, but that was quickly and decisively addressed in typical Warnock fashion to dismiss the notion that it was a falling out that had led to such a decision.

At the end of the day, it is an amicable departure of a club legend at the beginning of a season of transition – what possibly could go wrong?

I do feel for whomever is to step into the fray to replace Warnock who as I’ve mentioned seemingly a hundred times before, performed a miracle to keep Town in the division last season. I think because of this and this alone, it has to be a manager with the personality and perhaps the ego to not be intimidated by the size of the task ahead.

I suppose the question now is where do Town go from here then?

If you were to pick a reliable man manager with extensive knowledge of the Championship, I mean, you’d pick the person that you’ve just mutually agreed to let go. You cannot fault the ambition of Kevin Nagle, it is very clear that his future sees Town in the Premier League and that means that if the opportunity arises to bring in the manager that they believe is going to make that happen, he will seize that opportunity.

It does all feel slightly Icarus though.

Town have, particularly in recent years, been burnt by the rogue managerial appointment, the one so left of field that it’s in the car park. We shan’t go through the full list, but the current track record reads: Jan Siewert (unemployed), Danny Schofield (unemployed), Mark Fotheringham (unemployed).

I think if Town were to go with another with an unknown name or limited track record, it would be met with rapturous discontent. I’m not going to speculate who that name might be, but I can say that following a relatively quiet summer, addressed previously here, I think now is where a statement is expected to be made, an appointment to signal the intent and match the abundantly clear ambition of the American.

It is the first major decision made by Kevin Nagle that has gone against the grain, up until this point, whilst he’d been decisive, the vast majority of the decisions made were underpinned by the broad support of the fans in the court of public opinion. However, this one is certainly going to be one which splits opinion and divides the fanbase.

The next moves made by Town will be ones that are carefully watched and equally scrutinised, the severity of the appointment cannot be understated and whilst cases have been made that relegation and a full reset wouldn’t be the end of the world, clawing yourself back out of League 1 has proved a challenge too far for many a side, and I wouldn’t fancy our chances.

On the flipside, if the right appointment is made and Town climb the table, there will be no reason to look back and the amicable split will prove best for all parties involved. Town can build with the man at the helm who they see leading them into the future, and Neil Warnock can return to the Cornish coastlines with a survival tale in his back pocket that will go down in folklore and means that he never has to pay for a pint in Huddersfield ever again.

Over to you Kevin, no pressure. We’re banking on the fairytale panning out as planned over here.

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