£££££s, HORNETS, BEES AND 'GERS

Now that Sam has been finally thrown into the lion's den and some have said why him, why not Arsene or Steve? I heard to today a suggestion that came very much from "left field". I suspect that it was so far "left field" that many football followers would say who? or Yessss, of course, he would be good!

I mentioned Mark Warburton a while back, when I had a bit of a dab at Brentford FC, from Griffin Park and Midtjylland from Denmark. Here are a couple of blogs.
http://baileyfootballblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/a-pub-at-each-corner.html
http://baileyfootballblog.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/its-numbers-game.html

Warburton attended Latymer School in West London. He had been at Leicester City under Frank McLintock but did not like Frank's successor Jock Wallace, whose methods did not suit him. He said he would never treat "his" players as Wallace treated him and his Leicester colleagues. Wallace was like a "marine" with barbaric training methods.

Warburton played at Enfield FC and Boreham Wood with some success and then at Charlotte in the States. He then worked at St Clement Dane's School, combining a salary as a trader at RBS and eventually, in the early 2000s, investing his money travelling through Europe coaching at some of the great clubs; Sporting Lisbon, Ajax, Valencia, Barca and Willem II. He learned his trade there.

He then joined up with Watford FC, recruited by Aidy Boothroyd, looking after their youngsters in 2006 and also forged links with the nearby Harefield Academy, a source of many good young players. Warburton worked with Sean Dyche, both pumping up footballs, driving kids to games and generally working at grassroots".

Brentford called on his services in 2011 under the owner Matthew Benham. (see link above) In his new role he elevated the Brentford FC Academy to a Category 2 status in 2013 and oversaw a purpose built football facility at Uxbridge High School; benefitting both institutions.

He took on the managership of Brentford FC in December 2013. In his early days, before a crucial match, he introduced his players to the trading floor at HSBC in Canary Wharf, to show them what real pressure was in a job." The Bees won promotion to the Championship that season.

By the end of the next season, 2014-15, Brentford gained their highest position in the Football League and awards for their manager. In 2015 Warburton, assistant David Weir and Sporting Director, Frank MacParland (once of Liverpool FC) left the club after a disagreement with owner Benham over recruitment issues which were being based on "mathematical modelling and statistics allied to scouting methods". seen "Money Ball"? See link!

Brentford had made it to the Championship play offs, losing in the semi-final to Middlesbrough having used only 24 players, the equal lowest in the division. Warburton and Weir left for Scotland.

They are both at Glasgow Rangers and making the best of the great club's recovery back in the Scottish Premiership, having won the Championship double last season.