Joe Jones column: Jamie Fullarton appointment does not reassure Notts County fans

So, after just under a fortnight of waiting, Notts County have their new manager. Ricardo Moniz's promise of attacking football did not translate well in League Two, a division full of plodders and sluggers, and so he paid the price just after Christmas with the Magpies in the bottom half of the table.

Since the departure of Keith Curle, the Magpies have been in freefall. From a top-half League One table, we deteriorated season upon season until, in May 2015, we had slipped into the bottom division of English professional football once again. 

Since Curle, all the managers we've had did not have any experience of managing an English league first team - Chris Kiwomya was a reserve team manager, Shaun Derry was still a professional player when we entrusted him with the Notts reins, and Moniz had only ever managed sides in various top divisions on the continent, a completely different kettle of fish to the depths of English football.

Much as it pains me to think of Notts County, my beloved team, the Oldest Football League Club in the World TM, slumming it in the fourth division, this is the harsh truth. And as we are here, we must adapt by taking on a manager who has experience of Leagues One and Two, who can help drag us out of this mire.

Over the last week a number of individuals have been tipped for the job, including Northampton Town manager Chris Wilder, Grimsby Town boss Paul Hurst, Newport County’s John Sheridan and former Swindon Town gaffer Mark Cooper. Former Birmingham City and Huddersfield Town manager Lee Clark was also said to be among the names being considered for the post.

All of these individuals would have been alright to some degree. Hurst would have been the biggest gamble of the lot as he hasn't managed in the Football League, but he has done such a good job with Grimsby Town that he would have been a good prospect.

Considering how tense the Notts fans are at the moment, having witnessed their team deteriorate to the state they're in now, he appointment of a manager with prior league experience would have been reassuring. It would have said "alright, we are in a mess, but here are some safe hands who know the name of the game and know what it takes to get out of this god-forsaken division".

What would not have been alright, however, is yet another unpopular appointment featuring another unproven, untested individual like we have done for our last three managers.

And lo and behold, we've now got Jamie Fullarton, whose only experience of management is youth teams, as our new manager.

Sure, he "could" end up being a brilliant manager, much like the relatively untested Neil Warnock was 25-odd years ago. But at least Warnock was proven in the non-League - like Hurst. Fullarton is another unknown quantity, and nobody knows what to expect. And therein lies the problem - it's not a reassuring appointment. It doesn't offer peace of mind. It's another complete shot in the dark.

And given how all our expectations and hopes have been dragged through the wringer in the last few years, is this really what Notts fans deserve at this stage in time?

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