Is it that important though? Does anybody really care that Bryan Robson hadn't been a manager before? McClaren was our most successful manager ever. Southgate was our captain and you can see why the chairman did it. Look at an older, more experienced Southgate now for example. The German managers rumoured to be the favourite when Southgate got the job only for the chairman to allegedly change his mind, were they in work at the time? Strachan wasn't working but was experienced. Mowbray wasn't working but was still fairly 'hot' after his work with Hibs and West Brom. Karanka hadn't managed before but took us into the play-offs and then took us up. Monk had just had a decent spell at Leeds and was still relatively highly thought of at the time Boro went for him. Pulis was an old head, probably seen as a safe pair of hands. I hated it under Pulis at the end but you can say he got us into the play-offs and then would've got us in again if Derby hadn't been cheating. We should've been higher up the league probably but there you go. Is it the chairman's fault another club were cheating and taking his manager's play-off place off him?
Woodgate hadn't managed before and was a disaster but does that automatically mean we shouldn't appoint first-time managers ever again? Of course not. Warnock is about as experienced as you can get and has done a good job up until the past few months. Does that mean we shouldn't appoint another experienced manager in future? Of course not.
What is the fascination with appointing a manager currently in a job? Allegri was unemployed for two years, Zidane isn't working at the moment. There are good, bad and indifferent managers in and out of work all over the world. If the chairman wants to look for someone who isn't running a senior side at the time he wants to make an appointment then so what, it's worked in the past and will work again IMO.
People are no doubt going to slate Gibson for the Warnock appointment and where we are at the moment but to my mind he did the right thing by acknowledging Woodgate was probably going to take us down. He changed it and brought in a man who galvanised the team and the supporter base. We had a decent season of consolidation in the grand scheme of things, although obviously there were disappointments and annoyances along the way. Warnock deserved a crack this season. You have to give them time and I'm glad our chairman gives them that.
