For some people knowing when to hang up the boots is very hard to see. For others they walk away too soon. It is a fine line between walking away while at the top and walking wheneveryone starts asking when you are going to leave.
One of the saddest things in football was seeing Brian Clough still at the helm at Nottingham Forest as the club fell from the greatness he had been such a crucial part of. Sir Matt Busby, Bob Paisley and Bill Shankly all went while at the top, although Shankly looked back with hindsight and felt he stepped aside too early.
It would appear that former Perth coach Graham Normanton has also had second thoughts about stepping down from the role of coach of Perth SC last season after twelve fantastically successful years at the club.
What is sad is that unlike Shankly and Busby who stepped back into the shadows, he is still turning up to training and watching the new coach take his former team through their paces. It is sad as his former players are beginning to question his presence, and the respect he garnered is being eroded. It is also sad as it shows a lack of respect for his successor. Hopefully someone will have a quiet word in his ear, to ensure that he keeps the respect he worked so hard to earn.
