So. Aberdeen took a conscious decision to sack an under-performing manager and replaced him with an up and coming manager with a proven ability to improve the clubs he’s managed. St Mirren, having been thrown into a situation they neither wanted or expected, reacted by bringing in a manager with a proven track record of delivering over the past 10 years a level of league and cup success in Scotland we could only dream of.
We take time, apparently, to talk to people (who, we know not) who tell us we could be doing better. No s**t Sherlock. This high-level consultation process (I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt here) takes place during a transfer window when we allow the current manager to make signings not just to address the current predicament but for future seasons.
Then, after two decent results (not performances) we sack the manager and replace him with someone whose most recent football experience has been moaning over the roast beef and tatties that “Palace versus Southampton and they have the cheek to call it Super Sunday…”
It’s the latest shambolic decision in long, long line of similar appointments. There is a common denominator and this is where our problem lies.
John Nelms isn’t just an employee of Tim Keyes, he’s a friend. Sacking John Nelms isn’t just a matter of taking someone’s job away, it’s a whole lifestyle. Nelms committed to Keyes by uprooting his family and moving to Dundee when he was asked to. And the appreciation Keyes has for this means he’s not going to sack him. The Keyes family is known for its loyalty to its companies and employees. They don’t walk away from failing or under-performing organisations; they do what they can to improve them. This is good for Dundee FC. But it also means that John Nelms is seen as part of the solution, not the problem.
Guess what I’m saying is, we can vent all we want but the bottom line is that while the Keyes family owns Dundee FC, then John Nelms will be here for as long as he wants.