5. He Fits The New Premier League Manager Model
Alan Pardew. Brendan Rodgers. Paul Lambert. Each considered among the hottest properties of last season, and now (or at least very soon) in three of the most famous managerial seats of English football. Crucially, all three can be considered of the "new breed" of Premier League managers, younger, comparatively less experienced (certainly in the cases of Rodgers and Lambert) and studiously dedicated to the game. All three managers play positive forms of football, from Pardew's three-pronged attack at Newcastle, to Swansea's dominance of possession last year and Norwich's fearlessness against "bigger opponents", and all three recognise the chief importance of both ball possession and team play, both increasingly important fundaments of the modern game. With 30 goal a season strikers largely a thing of the past, teams now have to play for one another, turning possession into team goals rather than just individual ones, and this younger breed of managers seem to recognise as much. Lee Clark could well fit in with those three names: he is young, passionate and knowledgable, and he would certainly seem to fit the new model, following a similar route into top flight management (if he gets the chance) with a successful lower league apprenticeship spent learning how to build a team and get players gelling. It could also help that he has spent the past couple of months working alongside Alan Pardew and his highly rated coaching team at Newcastle. Like the other members of the new breed - especially Lambert and Rodgers - Clark believes in efficiency before flair, getting his team to win the percentages rather than adopting the gung-ho attacking style that he initially tried at Huddersfield and which he learned as a player under Kevin Keegan at Newcastle in the 90s. Pragmatism and statistical awareness are now as important as nutrition, and Lee Clark knows as much, even if it meant some Huddersfield fans weren't exactly bowled over by his style of play. He knows how to win, or how not to lose, and that, particularly this season will be enormously important for Norwich City. If Norwich could get a similar season out of Clark that they got out of Lambert, they will be laughing all the way to the bank - because Premier League survival has leaped to the top of their objectives even more now that Lambert is leaving, and Grant Holt is trying to follow him through the door. So come on Norwich City fans, would you welcome the appointment of Lee Clark as manager? If not, who is your pick for the Carrow Road hot seat?