What qualities do you want to see in a football manager?

I was listening to the BBC Scotland football phone in on Saturday night on the way home and was interested in an Aberdeen supporter praising Derek McInnes (not Adams!) for showing much more passion than his predecessors.  This, and the recent antics of a certain former Sunderland Manager has led me to think about the qualities I want to see in the manager of my team.  I'm not sure I do want to see obvious 'passion' on the touchline.  Too often that seems to end up being arm waving and incessant shouting.  A manager should be a leader too and that precludes, for me, some of the more outlandish behaviour we see week in week out on the touchlines up and down the country.  A leader should be able to accept 'challenging' decisions by officials and rise above inevitable playing rough and tumble during a game.  I prefer a manager who can look on dispassionately, analyse the match as it unfolds, act accordingly to revise tactics during play and at the interval and direct matters in the expectation that players will carry our their instructions, revised during the game or not.  I expect the manager to carry out thorough post match analysis and being able to explain to players where they went right and where they went wrong.  This will allow players to develop a better understanding of the issues they faced in the match and being able to do better the following week.  If they cannot do that then they don't have a future at their current level, whatever it might be, never mind any higher level.

Of course this is made all the more difficult when the manager is actually on the field throughout the game!   How do the manager and the captain interact on field during play?  What role does the Assistant manager/coach fulfil?  Have Accies got it right this season in this respect?  Time will tell, and that time may start with St Johnstone tomorrow night.  Good luck to all in the hoops.   

Kilmarnock vs Accies - League Cup - Tuesday 27 August 2013

Accies come into this game after an ultimately comfortable win on Saturday against a previously undefeated Queen of the South; Killie on the other hand are looking to have a bit of a confidence boost after a home loss to low flying Hibs in the SPL, or is SPPL?  Those looking for precedents should note that Accies beat Killie in the League Cup in season 2007/8 (albeit at NDP), announcing that October evening that we were a SPL club in waiting.  Accies will certainly go into this game full of confidence and it will be interesting to see who plays tonight, assuming the club's priority is a top 4 finish in the Championship.  I guess Alex Neil will sit this one out, but other than that I don't see too many changes.  It may be that an away game against an established premier league club is too big a step to blooding too many youngsters - we will find out soon!  This will be a good test for the 2013/14 Accies, although my guess is that it comes just a wee bit too soon to be really helpful or indicative - I will be more interested to see how we react in our next two league games (away to Falkirk and Dundee) after this potentially tiring distraction.  As long as we don't end up having to play 120 mins.....  

Stirling Albion vs Accies - League Cup - Sat 3 August 2013

Accies travel to Stirling on Saturday to play the Binos in a match between 2 teams already eliminated from the Ramsdens Cup.  This League Cup fixture (there doesn't seem to be any sponsor for the League Cup yet) is hardly one to set the pulse racing, but for Accies it represents a second chance to record a victory against lower-league opposition before the league kicks off in 2 weeks time.  As ever with Scottish football there is a curiosity, in this instance Albion were dumped out of the Ramsdens Cup by Raith Rovers, Accies first league opponent in 2 weeks time.  So this game is something of a form guide - maybe.  It is difficult to see Accies showing more commitment to this game than was shown last week, which suggests there may be doubts about participation by Neil and Canning.  Hopefully new signing Andreu will add bite in midfield and Keatings will show his true colours up front.  Ryan is still suspended for this game.  A win would certainly be a morale booster, but with the obvious priority being the league it is likely that success in this game will be provided by a slightly less than optimum Accies team.

Feel free to question Club Chairman Les Gray about Accies' priorities for the coming (current?) season at the Fans' Forum to be held in the function suite at NDP at around 5pm on Sunday 4 August.  Further details available on the official site.