It seems that Richard Bevan of the LMA didn't shout loud enough last week as his statement - condemning the scapegoat ethos swamping English clubs - went unheard in Merseyside and East Anglia.
There's little doubt that Keane and Hodgson weren't on the right track; Keane lost seven games in nine leaving Ipswich dangling over relegation and Hodgson won just seven of his twenty Premier League games in in charge at Anfield. But they were strayed - not lost.
Bevan got it spot on, rightly denouncing the way clubs try to rescue on-pitch performance by "sacrificing" their managers. He even added an academic flavour, citing research that found bringing in a new boss ultimately drags performance levels to lower than that under their previous manager.
That sort of level will be no good for Ipswich and Liverpool. And Bevan offered the alternative: try going in the opposite direction: back in 1989, Alex Ferguson was on the ropes after a Keane-esque LLLLLLDD run of form - but the then Man Utd chairman Martin Edwards chose longevity over haste - a wise decision, you'll probably agree.
Amazingly, Hodgson was the 13th manager in little over a month to be given their P45 - that trend goes back to the Chris Hughton sacking, probably more of a farce than the two Roys put together. What this tells us is that no-one is safe. Indeed by the time this is read, Ancelotti, Houllier and/or Grant could be gonners (#not gooners#). Whether or not they are, this is not to say that all managers are flawless (some, in fact, should be fired sooner than they actually are). Rather the point is that clubs need to think twice: the influx of foreign investment is glossing the "quick-fix" strategy as viable - clubs need to forget this when it comes to deciding whether to swap managers and remember: good things come to those who wait.
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