Michael Skubala is close to agreeing to become the next Bristol City manager, as reported by John Percy.
The Telegraph writer suggests negotiations are ‘ongoing’ but that a three-year deal is close to being agreed, which would leave the Imps looking for a new head coach. It would also mean he leaves with the second-best win percentage in the club’s history, having delivered arguably the best campaign the club has ever enjoyed.
The saga has been ongoing for a couple of weeks now, with the first approach not really feeling like much of a threat, certainly not to me. However, that developed, and it quickly became apparent he was a serious contender, not least when his friend, James Ellis, took over as sporting director at Ashton Gate.
However, his chances dimmed when the Robins decided to appoint their first-choice, Tommy Elphick, last week. It appeared to be done and dusted, with some outlets reporting Michael was close to penning a new deal with the Imps. There was another twist this week, when Elphick reportedly turned down the job, instead wishing to remain at Dean Court under their new manager.
That left Bristol City scrambling to recover, and they brought their attention back to Michael yesterday. It seems now that a deal has been agreed, and I would be very surprised if Michael Skubala is in the Lincoln dugout come our pre-season friendlies.
That leaves a question of what the future holds for the Imps. There is a succession plan in place for every manager, whether that is a list of candidates or a single front-runner. My feeling, given how we’ve developed over the last few years, is that there will be a quick appointment, but the speed should not make you think it hasn’t been planned out.
My personal preference would be for Tom Shaw and Chris Cohen to step into the role. The current structure, with Michael, is very collaborative, rather than being led by an individual, and while we will have a gap to fill, I feel the best way to do that is for everyone to shift up, and we fill it in further below.
I always like to cite Brentford as a great example of how this is done. Dean Smith did wonders at Brentford, and when he moved on, they promoted internally, bringing up Thomas Frank. Frank got them promoted, and when he left, they appointed set-piece coach Keith Andrews as the head coach. This season, Brentford finished in the top ten of the Premier League for the third time in four seasons. No need to turn to a merry-go-round name, no need to ‘get Wanrock in’ or whatever other nonsense will appear on social media. Instead, it’s a nice, smooth succession plan, where the head coach arrives in post knowing the club, players, owners and culture.
For now, we sit and wait for updates, but it does feel like our Championship era might well be the start of a new era in the dugout as well.
It is a bit disheartening that Skubala wouldn’t consider staying with Lincoln. I mean, would the pressure of Keeping Lincoln up be greater than the expectations of Bristol City fans, given their slide this season compared to last? Is this just a money issue? The Cowleys thought they could hack it at a club with very high (and let’s face it, unrealistic) expectations – but the result was mediocre. Portsmouth was a poor experience and now they plod along at a club that will continue to struggle in League 2.