Andoni Iraola Spurs Bournemouth to Europe, Chelsea Managers take note
Andoni Iraola has taken Bournemouth into European football for next season for the first time in the club's history, and chelsea managers are at the centre of the debate around how long coaches should be given. Tony Pulis used his column to argue that sustained work still wins out, with Bournemouth's rise now the clearest example.
“He showed why good managers need time,” Pulis said. The former Premier League manager pointed to Bournemouth's progress under Iraola after three years in charge, during which the club repeatedly sold its best players.
Pulis backs Iraola
Pulis said Iraola did not get away quickly. “Andoni did not make the best of starts to his time on the south coast - he took 10 attempts to register his first league win, which did not arrive until the end of October - but in an era where managers get less time than ever before, he has proven that, if you do get it, then success can and will follow good managers.”
That run matters because Bournemouth have now done what the club had never managed before. They secured European football for next season after building steadily over three years under Iraola, who is set to leave Bournemouth this summer.
Manager time on the line
Pulis used his column to widen the point beyond Bournemouth. He said Keith Andrews' first season at Brentford was “amazing,” after Brentford were viewed by many as relegation candidates and Andrews was top of the bookmaker's list to be the first manager sacked. Brentford came within a whisker of qualifying for Europe for the first time.
He also noted that Arsenal and Manchester City have been the two outstanding teams this season, while Daniel Farke turned Leeds' fortunes around at the end of November under real pressure and kept Leeds in the Premier League. Regis le Bris joined Farke in helping a promoted side stay up.
LMA awards on Tuesday
The broader argument lands with Tuesday's League Managers Association annual awards dinner, where the history of the prize underlines how hard it is to match league winners. In the past 33 years, only 14 overall Manager of the Year winners have also won the Premier League, while seven winners have come from outside the top division.
Pulis knows the route. He won the Premier League manager of the season award with Crystal Palace in 2014 and the Division Three award with Gillingham in 1996, and his view is clear: Bournemouth's first European season under Iraola is not a fluke. It is the reward for time, continuity and a manager who kept the club moving after a slow start.
