Dave Robertson (Peterborough United) - September 6th
Clubs : Peterborough United 2015
Appointed : 21st February 2015
Sacked : 6th September 2015
2014/15 results : 6 Wins
4 Draws
4 Losses
22/42 points
2015/16 results : 2 Wins
1 Draw
6 Losses
4/18 points
Becoming manager of Peterborough United was Dave Robertson's first venture into management and he started off brightly. He became only the second ever Peterborough manager to win all 3 of his opening games having beaten Bradford, Sheffield United and Leyton Orient before adding a 4th successive win at Doncaster. He helped Peterborough to a 9th place finish, just 6 points off the playoffs after he achieved a 43% win rate to round off his maiden term in management. He was rewarded for his job last season by being given a 3 year contract to stay at the club. He had a good start to the season picking up 2 wins in 3 games in all competitions however, those were his last wins as he drew 1 and lost 3 league games as well as 2 cup games therefore causing to board to terminate his contract. After scoring 9 goals in 9 games, it's clear to see that attacking wise there was potential but having let in 16 in as many showed the problem was the defending. Overall, because it's his first job in management and the first full-time job he had in football, I think it was a rash decision from the board and that he should have been given more time. Robertson and Monk for Swansea are similar in a way however Swansea gave Monk time even when results didn't come and now they are seeing their side have good success in the Premier League. I know Robertson wasn't a club legend like Monk however, for a new manager it takes time to get their philosophy across to the team so to sack a manager who is still finding their feet in the league however, with results not coming in and maybe due to pressure from fans, the board chose to sack him. I know teams can start the season bad on occasions but having only been 6 games in, there was plenty of time for him to turn it around with 40 games still to be played and even though their caretaker manager started with a win, there is no guarantee that sacking Robertson was the right decision and I believe that he surely should have been given more time.
Paul Dickov (Doncaster Rovers) - 8th September
Clubs : Oldham Athletic 2010-13
Doncaster Rovers 2013-15
Appointed : 20th May 2013
Sacked : 8th September 2015
2013/14 results : 11 Wins
11 Draws
24 Losses
44 points
2014/15 results : 16 Wins
13 Draws
17 Losses
61 points
2015/16 results : 3 Wins
3 Draws
3 Losses
6/18 points
This is an odd sacking in my opinion from the Doncaster board. The 2013/14 season saw Paul Dickov fail to keep his side in the Championship as they were relegated on the final day on goal difference yet the board trusted that he was the one to take them back up. After guiding them to a 13th place finish last year, you'd have thought that if Doncaster were going to sack him it would have happened then, right? Wrong. They kept Dickov in charge and after picking up 3 wins, draws and losses in all competitions with 1 win 3 draws and 2 losses coming in the league alone seeing them pick up 1/3 of the points available. For him to get sacked after that seems a little strange to me in all honesty. You could say it's because of the 3 goals which they scored in the league in 9 games however, they did only concede 5 goals therefore showing that their defence is good, however they just needed work on the attacking side of the game. I think that if they gave Dickov a bit more time then the goals would come. All it takes is for one striker to hit form and get 20-30 goals and it could win them games and if the defence stays as solid as they have been so far then Doncaster could have had a good season and thought for the playoffs and it's for this reason that I believe that the board have made the wrong decision. In an illustrious career which saw him score 101 goals in 421 games as a striker, Dickov clearly knows what it takes to score and if given more time, he could have worked with the strikers to help them find their feet in front of goal. Overall, if you're going to stick with a manager who gets the club relegated and has a mid-table finish, then why sack him after an average start to the season? Maybe they were hoping to see their side go up this year however, all it takes is some good form in the upcoming months and Doncaster could have rose up to the top end of the league so that's why I find the decision to sack Dickov to be odd.
Darren Kelly (Oldham Athletic) - 12th September
Clubs : Oldham Athletic 2015
Appointed : 4th May 2015
Sacked : 12th September 2015
2015/16 results : 1 Win
4 Draws
4 Losses
7/18 points
After looking at the results at first glance you'd think that the decision to sack Darren Kelly was quite justified however, when you look deeper and see that they are only 4 points off the playoffs, it does make you question why he was sacked. They lost to Middlesbrough and Shrewsbury in the League Cup and Johnstone's Paint Trophy respectively and although they would clearly be disappointed to exit the cups early on, surely getting 1 win 4 draws and 2 losses in the league makes up for that, clearly not. Despite an 11.1% win rate, you have to remember that this is the 36 year old's first managerial job and as they were willing to give him a chance at managing them, it does make you think why they would sack him after only 9 games. His side have clearly showed a resilience to lose in managing to pick up 4 draws however, you could argue that they should have held on to the 1-0 leads they had at home to Shrewsbury and away to Bury. With no win since August 15th and 2 losses on the bounce with 2 goals scored and 7 conceded have seemed to put the nail in the coffin for the new manager. Overall I can't understand why Darren Kelly has been sacked, it could be a lack of wins, the number of goals conceded in the last two games or the early departure in the cup competitions. I believe that this decision is as rash as they get, as in my opinion, if you're willing to take the chance on giving someone their first job in management then it is my belief that you should give them enough time to get their philosophy across to their players and the Oldham board have not done this. Hopefully Darren gets more of an opportunity at another club and maybe he'll join the final team which we discuss. League One Chairman's seem ruthless this year with 3 of the 4 manager's sacked all come from the third-tier of the English game so if your club is struggling in this league so far then expect a managerial change to be on the horizon.
Neil Aspin (Halifax Town) - 17th September
Clubs : Harrogate Town 2005-09
Halifax Town 2009-15
Appointed : 28th April 2009
Sacked : 17th September 2015
2009/10 results : W-30 D-10 L-2 Pts-100
2010/11 results : W-30 D-8 L-4 Pts-98
2011/12 results : W-21 D-11 L-10 Pts-74
2012/13 results : W-21 D-12 L-9 Pts-75
2013/14 results : W-22 D-11 L-13 Pts-77
2014/15 results : W-17 D-15 L-14 Pts-66
2015/16 results : W-1 D-2 L-7 Pts-5/30
Loyalty is the first thing that comes to mind when talking about Neil Aspin. He showed it in both club and management as despite being linked with clubs as a player and jobs as a manager, he stuck by his morals and stayed with who he was with. Three promotions in four years including two league titles in his first two years saw Aspin become a fan favourite at Halifax. He was also the man in charge for all but one of the Shaymen's 30 game unbeaten run at the Shay between 18th April 2009 to the 13th November 2010 including 24 wins, an incredible record. Success continued in 2013/14 as the Shaymen recorded a 5th place finish therefore qualifying them for the playoffs in their first season back in the highly competitive Conference. Unfortunately playoff winners Cambridge broke Halifax hearts as they suffered defeat in the semi-finals. It looked as though the 2014/15 season was going to be even better for Halifax as they were comfortably in the playoff positions for the majority of the season however, 1 win in the last 15 games of the season saw Halifax finish 9th as a lack of firepower was the catalyst for a good season in contrast with the great season which they were hoping for. As a part-time club, it's hard to attract bigger players when you reach the Conference and with the departure of Lee Gregory to Millwall, you have to admit that the fact they were near the top for 1/3 of the season was an achievement in itself however, as a football fan, we can all understand the fans disappointment. The poor form at the end of last season unfortunately continued over to this year's campaign and with only 1 win in 10 games and 5 points from 30 which sees Halifax lie in 23rd place out of the 24 teams. With this form, changes had to be made and I agree with the decision to let Aspin go. He's been fantastic for Halifax and the Aspin era will live on in fan's memories however sometimes a team needs a new philosophy and I believe that bringing in a new manager is what's right for the club so overall I believe that unlike the decisions made by the League One club's Chairman's, Halifax's decision was well justified.
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