Lincoln City head coach Michael Skubala is not joining Bristol City, as journalist Pete O’Rourke suggested over the weekend.
Three days ago, he was linked with the Ashton Gate job vacated by Roy Hodgson recently, but now the same journalist is saying that, despite the interest, Michael is staying exactly where he is. Phew, right?
That’s the story, in a nutshell. With nothing from the club, no official approach, no noise suggesting Michael is unsettled, we have a little saga played out over the course of a weekend with a single puppetmaster. That’s the game we play over the summer, journalists, fan sites and the like, and like Pete O’Rourke, we’re the delivery method of non-stories and half-truths over the next few months.
You’re welcome.
For the record, I’m not criticising Pete O’Rourke, or Nixon, or indeed any ‘proper’ journalists. But I hope people understand the distinctions between each and how they source stories. Some are agent-driven, while more local journos have club contacts. For instance, you wouldn’t see Michael Hortin giving out ‘Championship clubs are watching Ivan Varfolomeev’ just like you wouldn’t expect O’Rourke to drop an exclusive quote from Skubala immediately after the open-topped bus parade.
The truth behind this story is probably this: O’Rourke, who is usually perhaps more agent-led than club-led, gets wind that The Robins are interested in a couple of young coaches: John Mousinho and Michael Skubala. Even that isn’t really a story: Michael has just led the Imps to arguably the most magnificent EFL title in history, of course, they’d be interested. Bristol City are also a side that has moderate success when taking managers from League One, so it’s a natural story.
In fact, I’d have been shocked if his name hadn’t been mentioned when that vacancy came up. That’ll be the case for a host of clubs over the summer, anyone looking for a manager with a long-term plan. Watford? No. Burnley? Wouldn’t be a surprise. Also, we have to face the reality that maybe one day, someone will come along with a job that is right for him and who would ever stand in his way?
Michael Skubala has steered this team (along with the players and staff) to the Championship, to a level not enjoyed since the fifties (we didn’t enjoy the sixties, I’m told), and whatever offers come his way, he deserves them. However, the real story will be when a club approaches the Imps for permission to talk terms.
When that happens, it won’t be Pete O’Rourke or Alan Nixon with the exclusive (in my opinion), but someone like Daniel Carter (Bristol City correspondent) or a local journo such as Derby’s Leigh Curtis.
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