Should football clubs change coaches more often?

‘It sometimes happens that a team in need completely pulls itself up by the arrival of a new coach,' says Van Ours. ‘I'm a Feyenoord fan myself and I'm really enjoying the advance the club is enjoying under Dick Advocaat. But when you analyse the effect of coach changes in general, you can conclude that, on average, they do not lead to an improvement in the long-term. There is often only a short-term recovery that can be attributed to psychological factors.’

A change of coach, Van Ours argues, has an immediate impact on the mental state of a group of players in trouble. They cling to the man who has his own, new way of working. ‘Sometimes a shock effect is created,' says van Ours. ‘Players can or have to prove themselves again and the club becomes aware that something has to be done. The board speaks out, the press interferes, and a new kind of willpower takes over. But it's not right to entirely rely on replacing coaches in advance. The new coach often does even worse than his predecessor. Or the team will fall back six months later. A change in coach is a measure that has no logic or system in it. It is very difficult to predict in advance whether the new coach will be successful.’