Extended-PhenotypeI am not convinced that he would be successful in the Premier League
I kinda get where this opinion comes from, it was one I empathised with during our last stint up there but surely with the hindsight we have now this belief is losing its edge.
Firstly, it is very apparent now that the manner in which we won the championship, playing as some folk would say, simplistic football, was not really down to the manager lacking technical nous, but of the limitations of the players. we've seen how managers who followed him failed to install anything more technical with the players he had, and we've seen McD utilise plenty of different formations and styles of play other than direct football with a set of more capable players.
Secondly, we can appreciate now that we were swept up in this idea our new owner at the time was investing in the team and that we overpitched our expectations in light of the truth. Little money was invested, Few signings were his choice, and few worked out; I think we all forgot what a tough ask it was to stay up, even more so considering the lack of support he had and lack of quality he had pushed on him. What a difference one or two of those signings not being shit/pcunts would have made.
Thirdly, you don't always succeed at first attempt. It's a learning curve. If he had stayed on, we can safely say in hindsight he wouldn't have to have tried very hard to match the(lack of) success his successors had. Maybe he would have done better. Maybe, like with the championship, another stab at the Prem would have seen him succeed in keeping us up.
And finally, prior to their appointments, both Adkins and Clarke were quite highly regarded. Both were thought of as a step up from McD. But when presented with the state of affairs McD had, both also failed and neither could achieve anywhere near as much. Two 'better' managers couldn't address the problems we had, so it's pretty clear McD wasn't the issue and still isn't now.
So for me, the theory McD is a limited manager is a bit like believing the earth is flat - its kinda been debunked by the information we have now and while this doesn't mean he's the next Fergie or anything, surely we should stop hitting him with a stick that doesn't exist, clear the slate and see where he can take us in the following seasons.
I don't always agree with you on the TB, E-P, but that is an excellent post.