It seems that we are nearing the end of the coaching hunt for our next Number 1, if press reports and rumours are to be believed. Fans are forming opinions and jumping into the “Morison Yes” or “Morison No” camps. Before favouring on or other, it is worth remembering the pros and cons of Morison. It is equally important for him in choosing whether to take it on or not to understand what is expected of him. Alex Ferguson often said that when choosing the first big club as young coach coach it is important to understand the expectations, the nature of the owner, and the backing and time that you will receive in achieving that goal. Getting it right gets you up the ladder for the next big success and pay day. Grabbing any job, or taking a bad one can be career-catastrophic. Who would take a risk with you next?

Let’s revisit the pros and cons of Steve Morison.

Pros
1. He is a coach that will, and already is, transitioning us to a style to passing / possession game.

2. Listening to his public statements it is clear he is intelligent and well versed in managing player psychology. The more he speaks, the more he impresses me.

3. He is a new coach, so he is young and hungry to succeed. He is motivated.

4. Like Klopp, Brendan Rogers, Arteta, Ragnick, Jesse March, Guardiola etc. he is a coach that focuses heavily player skill development, not just a tactician, organiser, selector or motivator.

5. He has vested interest in the promoting the U23s and grow them into established seniors.

6. He generally favours seeing all the youth academy integrated with the same style.

7. He doesn’t have a king sized ego, and is intelligent and measured

Cons
1. Questionable major contacts in player recruitment. Key to getting loans, free transfers, or any other player in the market is the quality of your contacts in the game and knowledge of top grade emerging youngsters. Does he have this ability, to the same degree as other promising young managers such as Brian Barry-Murphy, Neil Critchley and Michael Beale, who have that at Manchester City and Liverpool, where a glut of young talent is flowing through?

2. Coach reputation as a senior coach - with a time pressure. Some players just look for the money. Unless they are young, or from a lower league, we don’t have much money, so if we cannot use the “golden handshake” of good signing on commissions to agents and players, higher relative wages to our competitors or heavier transfer fees to outbid our competitors, then the reputation of the coach is key. If young players know that his playing / coaching environment is fun or the coach is known for nurturing and developing a players, that can override the lack of money. With Tan’s new lack of budget this cannot be overlooked. Morison’s name will be known in UEFA or coaching circles, but how many players will be swayed to sign for us by Morison? How many players other than our U23s (and a few young players at Leicester and Millwall where he coached) will know anything about him?

3. Coach influence outside of the Cardiff Under 23s. If the senior players contracts expire in summer without renewal, we will need to enter the transfer market and replenish. Regardless of the laughable Alan Hansen comment “You cannot win titles with kids” about Ferguson’s early 1990s United side, it is generally true that good teams have a balance of youngsters (18-25) , players in their prime (25-30) and mature leaders (30-33). You at least need one of the last two categories to complement the youth. That means a lot of transfer market activity in summer. Does Morison have a pull in the market for senior players, or have extensive agent relationships to pull these players in? Dalman may have the contacts, but it is the coach that influences the securing of the players. He is very green here.

I have stated my preferences from the outset, as per my original link. For all those reasons I would have preferred the appointment of Neil Critchley of Blackpool. I would have chosen Michael Beale as my second choice. Brian Barry-Murphy would have been my third. Steve Morison is a decent choice, and ticks most of the above requirements except the cons in the above list. With the downsides in mind, it is now important to consider how relevant they are.

Club Expectations
I have given my call. But is it the right call for the club? It depends on the club’s objectives. If Tan, Choo and Dalman decide that the objectives are to secure survival, retain the existing seniors and promote our Under 23s, then I think Morison could do that. For me, what he has embedded in just two to three weeks is impressive, and sign of things to come. But if the expectation is that we expect promotion next season based on retaining all or most of the existing senior players and the U23s, but without decent extra transfer funds, then I fear that Morison will not succeed and will come under undue pressure too early in his career. And if I were him I’d stay in the Under 23s until Tan is prepared to commit more funds.

If I were him, I would seriously consider the advice above of Alex Ferguson before taking the offer. Initial impressions are that, even at senior level, he is a good coach. But he does have drawbacks. And the club expectations, the owner and the backing of the club in achieving those goals have to be weighed up carefully. In his first venture in taking a senior side, this is a very big call. Not just for fans, and the club but also Steve Morison.