- Oscar Wilde’s wisdom proves that hiring Tudor was an ‘experience’ for Spurs.
- Avoiding panic is vital when choosing between experiment and experience.
- Why Norwich City dodged a bullet by rejecting short-term fixes for Clement.
Oscar Wilde once said, “Experience is what men call their mistakes”. If this is the case, then hiring Igor Tudor was a massive amount of experience for Spurs fans and a big warning to Norwich City and other clubs around the world.
Context
There is some sympathy with Igor Tudor, as he was granted compassionate leave after hearing about the death of his father after the game. It can’t be stressed enough that, whatever fans may think, he deserves support in a difficult time.
You may be thinking “What does this have to do with Norwich City?”
On a wider level it is about the mistakes we’ve made in the past and the potential bullet we dodged.
Decision making
Earlier this year Norwich City faced a similar dilemma to Spurs albeit one league lower. The threat of relegation is something that can cause people to make panic decisions.
Choosing the right manager is vital but it is also a decision that is more complicated than people probably realise.
On the one hand you could argue that experience is crucial. If that were the case then Glenn Roeder should have been a great manager for Norwich, see also Dean Smith.
But there was a sense that they felt bigger than the club they were managing and didn’t mesh well with the more community feel of Norwich.
By contrast, going for a more experimental pick may seem like a way to invigorate a team. In some cases, such as Alex Neill, Paul Lambert or Daniel Farke, it can revolutionise the team and take it further than thought possible.
Equally, a Johannes Hoff Thorup can seem like the right idea but ultimately come off like a despairing supply teacher trying to control an unruly classroom.
Gamble
Igor Tudor was ultimately an example of clashing cultures. The outgoing sporting director Fabo Paratici probably saw Tudor as a kind of Italian firefighter given his short term stints with Italian teams, the barista compared with the greasy spoon types of Sean Dyche and Sam Allardyce.
This is why I am glad Mark Attanasio and the Norwich City board did not follow this short-term thinking. Interim bosses can work, such as the impressive stint Michael Carrick is doing at Manchester United this season.
But rather than trying to put out fires with an Igor Tudor, I am glad to see we have a Phillipe Clement coming in to not just put out the fire but hopefully make sure we don’t play with matches again.
