We have all thought it in the middle of a successful save: I could do better than that manager. John Boileau went from thought to action.
A letter to the chairman
In 2006, Steve McClaren left Middlesbrough to become England manager. The job was open and John, 25, wrote to the club’s chairman, Steve Gibson, to apply.
His credentials came from Football Manager 2005: successful spells at Nuneaton Borough, Chievo, Kalmar FF, Doncaster and even Chelsea. In the real world, he had coached an under-11 team. As for salary, he asked for £80,000 a year, a figure he himself described as very reasonable.
The reply
The best part of this story is that Gibson replied, and with great humor. Among other things, he wrote that the club considered it a sign of its progress that someone of John’s stature would consider working there.
The exchange of letters became so famous that it ended up published on the Letters of Note website in 2011, and it still resurfaces on social media now and then.
Ten years later, Altrincham had been warned
Apparently John started a trend. On December 7, 2016, National League North side Altrincham announced they were looking for a new manager after Jim Harvey’s departure. And they added a warning straight away: applications based on Football Manager or Championship Manager experience would not be accepted.
The club itself admitted the warning would probably have the opposite effect. Knowing the community, it very likely did.
Read also
Sources: Yahoo Sports (02/23/2011) · Goal (12/07/2016)
