Well, I thought it was, but today it has been shown to be otherwise. Andy Scott had been manager of League Two Rotherham United for about a year but following a 2-1 defeat to Oxford United on Saturday - a result that left Rotherham eight points off the play-offs - he was shown the door.
Now, Andy Scott has been around. He made 355 appearances as a player, scoring 73 goals for teams such as Sheffield United, Brentford, Oxford and Leyton Orient. When he turned his hand to management, he did particularly well at Brentford, being awarded BBC London `Manager of the Year` for 2008, Manager of the Month for April/May 2009 and runner up in the League Managers Association Manager of the Year Award for League Two in 2009.
But what is particularly poignant about his sacking today is that he was forced to retire as a player with the same heart condition - hypertrophic cardiomyopathy - that caused the death of former Manchester City player Marc Vivien Foe, who died whilst playing in an international match for his native Cameroon. As a result of his own experience, Scott was invited on to Sky Sports this lunchtime to provide his own perspective following the collapse of Fabrice Muamba at White Hart Lane on Saturday, who might well suffer from the same condition.
"I was very fortunate in that I was one of the two percent of people who suffer symptoms of the condition - for the rest, unfortunately, it is fatal," said Scott. "With a condition like that, carrying on playing for me was a no brainer because of the potential for your heart packing up on you out on the pitch."
Following his playing retirement, Scott became a driving force behind the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young which for the past five years has campaigned for young players to be thoroughly tested. He also spearheaded a meeting in 2007 at government level with all the football authorities to push for improved testing throughout the country in all age groups - a campaign which he champions very effectively, as witnessed by his appearance on Sky Sports today..
So there is much to admire about Andy Scott and it is more than regrettable that he has been the subject of such crass insensitivity by the Rotherham United directors in the timing of his dismissal today of all days.
"I was very fortunate in that I was one of the two percent of people who suffer symptoms of the condition - for the rest, unfortunately, it is fatal," said Scott. "With a condition like that, carrying on playing for me was a no brainer because of the potential for your heart packing up on you out on the pitch."
Following his playing retirement, Scott became a driving force behind the charity Cardiac Risk in the Young which for the past five years has campaigned for young players to be thoroughly tested. He also spearheaded a meeting in 2007 at government level with all the football authorities to push for improved testing throughout the country in all age groups - a campaign which he champions very effectively, as witnessed by his appearance on Sky Sports today..
So there is much to admire about Andy Scott and it is more than regrettable that he has been the subject of such crass insensitivity by the Rotherham United directors in the timing of his dismissal today of all days.
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