Is there a right or wrong time for a manager to jump ship?

Since the inception of the Premier League there have been many young and green managers that have guided small and unfashionable clubs into the big time and in doing so these bosses have built up their reputation almost overnight. In the past twenty years we have seen the likes of Danny Wilson (Barnsley), Paul Jewell (Bradford, Wigan), Alan Curbishley (Charlton), Ian Holloway (Blackpool), Phil Brown (Hull City), Bruce Rioch (Bolton) Paul Lambert (Nowrich), Ian Dowie (Cyrstal Palace), Sam Allardcye (Bolton), Owen Coyle (Burnley), Tony Pulis (Stoke), Brendon Rodgers (Swansea), Glenn Hoddle (Swindon), Aidy Boothroyd (Watford), Nigel Worthington (Nowrich), Gary Megson (West Brom) and Dave Jones (Wolves) perform minor miracles in taking their designated team into the promised land. I may have missed a couple of names but these are the ones I can remember off the top of my head but anyway...

Looking at the above names I would say that barring Rodgers and Lambert (who have only recently achieved promotion) only Pulis' stock has actually risen since taking his team into the top tier of English football, but....

Have circumstances played a major part in this?

Shortly after taking Bolton up Rioch was appointed Arsenal boss and as we all know he pretty much bombed and it became evident that he was way out of his depth at Highbury. Would a couple of seasons of survival with the Wanderers been more fruitful for his career and stood him in greater stead to accept the challenge that he did accept or was he right to jump straight into the Gunners hot seat? Though that said you can't really blame him for taking up that particular challenge.

Diversely Allardyce stuck with Bolton for eight years and built a brilliant reputation before taking the Newcastle job. But did the football philosophy he moulded into his Bolton team actually work against him when managing the Geordies? Had he left Bolton, lets say, three years earlier would he be on a higher plane than he currently is?

Hoddle appeared to take to management like a duck to water with Swindon and you could argue that he perfected his path all the way to the England job at 38 years of age via Chelsea. It was only a combination of his egotism and ability to put his foot in his mouth that cost him the national post but that aside had he stuck with Chelsea for a few more years (ignoring how we all know how Ken Bates' mind works) would we still be enjoying watching a Glenn Hoddle team today?

The one that fascinates me the most is David Moyes. He is on course to have served as Everton manager for ten years which in today's climate is a herculean achievement in itself. The job he has done at Goodison has, in my opinion, been immense. I have no knowledge of him being offered any other job (though I may be wrong) which astounds me. I have always had this inkling that he will end up at Old Trafford but what if the unthinkable were to happen and he got the bullet? Would his reputation be tarnished? Would the nine years that preceded him have been for nothing? Would he be left to start from scratch so to speak?

And finally there is Martin O'Neil. On walking out on Aston Villa his standing is pretty much where it was when he took up the reigns at Villa Park. His name seems to pop up whenever there is a management position vacant.

So in concluding. Is there a right time for a manager to jump ship or is it just a game of roulette?

I think if Moyes were to be sacked by Everton, most football fans would be on his side. He's performed miracles with them given the lack of freedom he's had to work in.

As for O'Neill, had he resigned a week or two after the end of the previous season, it would have been fine. The reason his reputation took a knock was because he only resigned less than a week before the opening game of the season, leaving the new manager little time with the squad. Also his reputation was already going down due to wasting large amounts of money on average players with big salaries.

One manager that I think deserves the chance to jump ship, if he keeps up his team this season, is Roberto Martinez. To turn down he job this summer and stick with Wigan was incredible, but unless his chairman is prepared to stump up some funds to help his team then they'll constantly be struggling.

One manager who I thought left too early was Mark Hughes at Fulham, most people thinking he'd get another job quickly. However, if he stuck with Fulham through another European campaign and a top ten finish then his reputation would have risen further.

Bonjourno!

Vialli when he took over at Chelsea creamed in on Ruud Gullits hard how and excellent start to the season. All Vialli had to do was turn up and take the glory after Gullit left mid season.

Vialli looked a genius while Gullit never recovered. Thats what you call timing.

Forza Viallli!