Results business costly for Dickov

PAUL Dickov is flanked by former Athletic chief executive Alan Hardy at the press conference where he was named manager in June 2010.

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THE TIP-OFF featured a name out of the blue: "Here's one for you," said the source. "Have you heard Paul Dickov mentioned?"

The Scot, then 37 years old and with fewer grey hairs and furrows across his forehead, had been a transfer target for Athletic before he all-but ended his playing days at Leeds.

As a player of rich experience, it would have been a logical move on Athletic's part. But nobody

outside of the small, trusted Boundary Park circle had thought of bringing him in as the manager.

Dickov was fresh. He had no baggage of failure in the job, was a good communicator and had clear ideas how he wanted his teams to play.

It was a gamble. But with the new reign of Dickov, the feelgood factor missing during the miserable tenure of Dave Penney initially returned.

At the start of the 2010-11 season, the quality of football was at times superb. The team reached fourth in the league.

But an outbreak of mumps among key figures like (the now £2million rated) Dale Stephens coincided with a full-on collapse. Across the next 10 matches, Athletic tumbled to 15th. The attacking verve was replaced by a hesitancy in front of goal.

Thankfully enough points were in the bag for the alarming fall-off not to seriously threaten relegation.

A lack of post-Christmas form was a recurring problem for Dickov in 2011-12. Athletic bobbed around in the bottom half of the division for the whole of the season. Never did the club get any higher than 12th, though there was better fortunes in knock-out competitions.

The club made it into the Northern final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and landed a third-round cup-tie at Liverpool - a game that will never be forgotten by the 6,000 travelling supporters, who erupted when Robbie Simpson’s brilliant opening goal made a new generation of fans pinch themselves.

From that moment a year ago, the team’s fortunes have been on a gradual slide.

The Liverpool game was eventually lost 5-1, but it was the agonising Johnstone’s exit to Chesterfield that really provided the killer blow.

It was a devastating blow for everyone involved. Arguably Athletic — and Dickov — have never recovered.

An excellent pre-season to 2012-13 featured a defeat of Premier League champions Manchester City and some apparently very positive manoeuvres in the transfer market. But the improvement in player quality wasn’t matched by results — despite the manager declaring his pared-down squad to be the best of his reign.

Athletic have only spluttered to life this season. There have been excellent performances. But there has also been lots of faith-sapping dross. The team featuring talents like mercurial forward Jose Baxter, Jonathan Grounds, Matt Derbyshire, Reece Wabara and Lee Croft, generally defended adequately but struggled to hit the net.

The lack of performances, results and goals at Boundary Park really bit with Corney.

The chairman was a big fan of Dickov. Supporters, too, were behind the likeable Scot and wanted him to succeed. The startling signing of Jose Baxter to a long-term deal was an example of the faith players still had in their boss.

Ironically, the end of Dickov’s reign featured two of his finest moments as a manager. Though the FA Cup victory at Nottingham Forest was astonishing, the defeat of Liverpool at a packed-out Boundary Park was on another level entirely; the finest time the club had enjoyed for two decades.

Ultimately it served to reinforce the idea that a mismatch remained between talent on the pitch and points in the league. Relegation is still a possibility and awful current form made the parting of the ways an inevitability.

It wasn’t for lack of trying. Dickov was superb with the media and a popular figure, rarely complaining even when shorn of three members of coaching staff. In the end he was coach, manager, chief scout and club PR man. Nobody could have asked more from him.

For all that, results are the bottom line. The latest and riskiest of the chairman’s punts on the managerial roulette wheel ultimately failed to pay out.



DEFENDERS Paul Black and Nathan Clarke played under Paul Dickov and were full of praise for the Scot.

"Sorry to hear the news about Paul Dickov," tweeted Black, who was released by the Athletic manager at the end of the 2011-12 season before joining Tranmere. "Great guy and manager. Wish him all the best."

Clarke was brought to Boundary Park on loan from Huddersfield Town last term and went on to make 16 appearances. He now plays for Leyton Orient.

"Really sad to hear Paul Dickov has left. A great manager and loved working with him," tweeted Clarke.

"I'm sure he'll go on to big things in the future."