After interviewing a number of experienced candidates for the job, the West Brom owners last week hired former Liverpool number two Steve Clarke to fill the managerial vacancy at the Hawthorns. The Baggies job will be his first as manager of a football team. Here's five reasons why his appointment is a huge gamble;
1. Curse of the Number 2
Steve McLaren, Carlos Queiroz, Ray Harford, Les Reed, Sammy Lee, Tony Adams, Terry OConnor...the list of assistant managers who have failed in the top job could fill every page of a newspaper. The list of successes including Bob Paisley, Bill Nicholson, Roberto Di Matteo (arguably) is much shorter, but, importantly, all of them were promoted internally. Steve Clarke is not only stepping into the managers shoes for the first time, but he is also moving to a new club. Roy Hodgson did a steady if unspectacular job at West Brom, although successive seasons in the Premiership is a stellar achievement for a side like Albion with their yo-yo reputation, and Clarke will do well to match the Englands managers record. Clarke is very experienced in football, having coached at Chelsea, Newcastle United, Liverpool, and West Ham, but nothing can prepare you for the unique demands of being a football manager.