Barnsley FC's Darrell Clarke says football short-termism will not make him cut corners

On Monday former Bradford City midfielder Steven Schumacher became the latest across English football's four divisions, after less than a year at Stoke City.

Tuesday’s League Cup tie at Manchester United will be Clarke’s 10th competitive Barnsley match but having been in management for a decade he knows the score. Realising only wins will buy him the time he needs to build will not alter his thinking.

"I work short-term, medium-term and long-term for the football club," he says.

"I'm the custodian of the football club and I speak to Mladen (Sormaz, the sporting director) and the board about what I think's needed and looking forward at how the club's run.

"I'm a realist that you're only a bad month away from being under severe pressure. Some people moan about it but that's it.

"You win a game there'll be very little said about it, you lose a game there'll be a lot said about it."

Clubs that have success after constantly changing managers are in a small minority, yet it keeps happening.

"You're judged very quickly as a manager or a head coach now – too quickly," argues Clarke. "Successful teams build connections in the squad, the environment, it all takes time.

"Look at the greatest manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, rumoured to be getting sacked before Mark Robins put one in the bottom corner against Notts Forest (in 1990) and they win the FA Cup. Even in the modern day, it took Jurgen Klopp a few years to win trophies at Liverpool.

"What world do we live in now where people think as managers should be able to change things in two or three months?

"Every course you do with the FA is about having time and building things but you've got to win. I'm comfortable with that.”