Still is the harbinger of doom for other managers

Harbinger of doom John Still admitted he and assistant Terry Harris are developing something of a reputation after Stockport manager Darije Kalezic lost his job following County’s 1-0 defeat at Kenilworth Road on Tuesday night, writes Mark Wood.
Hatters boss John StillHatters boss John Still
Hatters boss John Still

He was swiftly replaced by former Gateshead boss Ian Bogie and Still revealed it’s not the first time a manager has been sacked in the wake of playing one of his sides.

Kalezic only had 12 games in charge of the Hatters, winning three games.

Still said: “I keep getting texts from people because we’ve had that where we’ve been.

John Coleman was one, a fella at Walsall and then we had someone else this season where we played them and after they’d played us...

“It’s sad because he’s only been in the job this year. What do they expect? I don’t know what people expect.

“To get your ideas over takes ages. They’re players, they’re human beings and it takes ages to get your ideas over and I really feel for these people.

“I don’t think that it’s fair, I don’t think it’s just and I don’t think it’s right.

“But who an I? They’re not my clubs, if they were and I believed in someone and I sat down with them and they said to me I think to get this how we all want it is going to take three years or two years or five years or 10 years. If I agree to that give it that time, then do it but don’t do it halfway through. I think it’s absolutely crazy.”

Bosnian Kalezic, who was born in Switzerland, was a surprise appointment in January, although he led De Graafschap to the Dutch second division title in 2010.

And Still admitted managing in a foreign country with no local contacts must be a real challenge.

He added: “I really can’t speak for him. You’re as strong as your contacts to start with, you need your contacts.

“Looking up at that board there I’ve got areas of the pitch covered with loads of players that I know, that my scouts know, that people around me know.

“We went to Wrexham last weekend and stopped off at Aston Villa to train. The manager, the assistant manager and the first team coach are great friends of mine.

“If we go the other way and across there to QPR they’re great friends of mine. If we go to West Ham... so those sort of contacts are invaluable to me.

“If I went to Holland I wouldn’t have a clue who to ring for help, for advice, support, I wouldn’t have a clue.

“I would be very much listening to people that I called that I have no idea whether they’re telling me the truth or not.

“And I’d rely on some of those people. It must be very difficult. If you are manager at the (top level) in Europe you’ll know all about the English players because that European league is a league that covers everything, the Champions League and below.

“If you manager Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United even down to West Ham they all take players from abroad, they all watch foreign football. So it’s not so difficult.

“It must be very difficult when you come down the leagues.”

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