Being a gaffer is such a tough job

The City kit boss and former Latics legend writes every week for Chron Sport

THE number of manager sackings is getting worse and worse...

There was a spate of them at the weekend - three in the Championship alone.

I don’t think some of these clubs are properly investigating the candidates for the job before they decide who to employ. It’s a major decision, and one on which so much depends.

It’s happening throughout the divisions too, and it really is becoming a merry-go-round.
There has always got to be a team at the top and a team at the bottom, but a lot of clubs just haven’t got the patience.

It is a very difficult job being a manager and I don’t like to see anyone losing their job, but there are pay-offs to be had - so I don’t necessarily feel sorry for all of them!

City enjoyed a comfortable win against Swansea on Sunday thankfully, and again the strike force looked amazing at times.

Defence is likely to be tested this week at away games at West Brom tomorrow and Southampton on Saturday.

Playing at Southampton always reminds me of one of the funniest incidents I was ever involved in as a player, down at the old Dell ground.

I was playing for Huddersfield and shortly before we were due to go on to the pitch, the ref popped his head into our changing room and said that a Southampton director had died earlier that week. Before kick-off everyone inside the stadium was to observe a minute’s silence at the sound of the ref’s whistle.

Bobby Hoy was a lovely, absent-minded colleague of mine who heard the whistle and promptly flew like a shot down the right wing! I’ve never seen a player look so sheepish as he almost crawled his way back to the half-way line.

And yes, we gave him some stick afterwards!