Former Swindon Town boss Jody Morris is open to the idea of returning to management, after speaking on Sky Sports News.
Just three weeks out from being sacked by the Robins, Morris was quizzed on his former club St Johnstone’s managerial vacancy, with the 44-year-old open to the idea of a return.
Who Is Jody Morris?
A former midfielder with 388 career appearances, Morris was a Chelsea product with heavy ties to the club. Branching out after 10 years with the Premier League team, Morris spent five seasons with Scottish club St Johnstone, helping the Saints reach promotion to the Scottish Premiership during his time there.
What Went Wrong At Swindon?
Getting into management with Chelsea’s youth teams and assistant manager to Frank Lampard, Morris took his first senior managerial job when joining Swindon in the new year. Taking the task to score promotion with the Wiltshire club, the former FA Cup winner struggled during his tender with the League Two side.
A mess behind the scenes, Morris never seemed comfortable with the squad he was dealt, leading to just four wins during his 18 games in charge.
Is St Johnstone Right For Him?
With connections to the Saints, St Johnston just survived relegation from Scotland’s top division after a change in management.
Seen as a similar level to League One and Two, St Johnston could be a realistic team for Morris to return to if familiarity and stability are what he’s after.
What’s Been Said:
Speaking on Sky Sports News with quotes from The Herald Scotland, Morris covered what he could have done differently going into the job at Swindon and the managerial vacancy with his former team.
“You have to take every job on its own merit.
“I took Swindon at that. Maybe I would ask a few more questions about things that are going on behind the scene and who is in charge, who is doing what at the club.
“That is better for me going forward. I know Steve Brown at St Johnstone. I am sure if he wanted to talk to me he could easily get a hold of me.
“I think you have to take each job as it comes and look at their ideas and what they are trying to do going forward.
“Then I would maybe chat to the family and see what is what.”
Writer’s View
It’s interesting to see Morris already putting his name out there for opportunities, however, considering he seems to be familiar with St Johnstone, it’s not surprising he would want the job.
His time at Swindon was hampered by poor decision-making from many people, with it always feeling like a problem was waiting to happen. If he can learn from these mistakes and grow as a manager, I’m sure the potential we saw from his previous jobs can still happen in the future.
Surely nobody will ever employ him again. He did no preparation on opposing teams, had no idea on tactics, the training was awful and the players became unfit, he demotivated the whole squad and then always tried to blame the players for his own shortcomings. His past indiscretions would bar him from employment in most professions, let alone his many managerial shortcomings. Ridiculous to write articles like this that make it sound like he was let down by Swindon. We were in a play off position when he arrived. A bad workman always blames his tools.