Change is not always guaranteed to improve things, many examples have shown that the grass is certainly not always greener on the other side.
Yet it is fair to say that however bad things get, when a clean break is made there is usually an outbreak of enthusiasm for what may follow, however blindly optimistic it may be. This affect is witnessed countless times each footballing season when we lay witness to the high-pressure world of being a football manager. In fact there lies quite a similarity with the recent Presidential election in the United States. The viewing public generally become disillusioned with who they have running things, finances worsen and confidence is low, then sudden sweeping changes occur and we have an enthusiastic out with the old and in with the new attitude!
How far can one person change attitudes and results though? In reality of course there is always more than just a figurehead concerned, a new cabinet or backroom staff, but what ensues is undoubtedly motivated and attributed to the new person in charge. We have seen in the last few weeks how both Newcastle United and Tottenham have to some extent started to turn their respective seasons around, but how far the effect of Joe Kinnear and Harry Redknapp will stretch is difficult to tell.
The situation at Newcastle is still very unclear, Mike Ashley continues to stay away from games and firm bids for the club are yet to come to fruition, in fact only last week the club offended one potential suitor by doubting the seriousness of a Nigerian consortium. Perversely enough the more that Joe Kinnear improves the on-field fortunes of Newcastle the more difficult it will be to move the club on from its current twilight zone. The team and its board have already had more than enough bad PR this season without removing the man who has steadied their ship, and inevitably any new owners are likely to want their own manager. Unfortunately loyalty in football is not always as strong as David O'Leary had with his 'young players', when he became a self-parody in charge of a then underachieving Aston Villa!
Meanwhile at Tottenham the revolution continues apace, so far so good under 'Harry Houdini,' but I will err on the side of caution. He has certainly inspired the team and it is very doubtful that without him they wouldn't of endured further humiliation at the hands of Arsenal and Liverpool. Yet it is far too early to say how much Redknapp will or can achieve at Tottenham. The club has unveiled new stadium plans which may be a tad ambitious when they are still locked in the bottom three, and if they continue to sell their best players in future Harry could walk as he did from Portsmouth the first time.
With a change of manager for clubs in situations as serious as Tottenham and Newcastle have found themselves, the honeymoon period is relatively short and the need for change is all the more urgent. Managers can rebuild old reputations or indeed try to prove themselves at a supposed higher level, either way the highs and lows are as arduous as ever. In these positions the pressure can be stifling and is probably even greater than succeeding a fan favourite; most of the time there will be a Barack Obama effect but in the world of football it can be all to easy to lose track and become a Bush.