There is nothing more satisfying for a columnist than the chance to say "I told you so".

With not even the slightest hint of modesty, I therefore present the news that Paul Jewell is back in management with Derby - as predicted in this column last month.

As I said at the time, he was the man that Adam Pearson always wanted. Billy Davies was walking thin ice long before he had a post-match pop last week about the lack of financial backing from the boardroom.

Davies paid the price for bad-mouthing his boss - but he also suffered for getting Derby too far too fast. They clearly weren't ready for promotion after shocking West Brom in the play-off final.

Jagger' inherits a club with a sound chairman, big fanbase (something he would never have with Wigan) and solid infrastructure; in short, a team built to come straight back up if they make the expected drop in May.

Jewell signed a three-and-a-half-year deal and made it clear he was ready for the long haul - but from what we've witnessed this season, staying in the job for three-and-a-half years is gold clock material.

Incredibly, 21 different managers have lost their jobs since the first ball was kicked - almost a quarter of the clubs in England.

Six Premiership clubs have changed hands, with others tipped to follow. Gareth Southgate is feeling the heat at Middlesbrough; Sam Allardyce is facing flak from the fans for not reversing Newcastle's fortunes overnight; and even Rafa Benitez has sailed close to the wind after his fall-out with Liverpool's American owners.

It's even more cut-throat in the Championship, where Bradford's own Aidy Boothroyd is now the longest-serving manager - and he does not celebrate his third anniversary at the Watford helm until March.

But we should not be surprised that the managerial merry-go-round spins as madly as ever. Everybody demands instant success at whatever level and woe betide those who can't deliver - just look at Terry Dolan and his bizarre departure from Guiseley.

Jewell and Derby appear the perfect combination and I'm sure, as with City and Wigan, he will make a success of them in time. But that, as every manager will tell you, is a rare commodity in football.

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