I think we may now be able to lay to rest one stupid misconception that really winds me up: that, in order to manage a big team, you essentially need to have already managed a big team.

How many times have young, promising managers been overlooked for top positions in England because they ‘lack insider knowledge of European competitions’, ‘won’t be able to deal with big name players’ or ‘simply don’t have enough experience’?

It’s a regular occurrence.

Well, doubters, how do you explain the apparently seamless ease with which Graham Potter has taken the reins at Chelsea?

Yes, it’s early days and there is always the possibility things could unravel in the future. But so far so good for Graham who, after starting his Stamford Bridge career with a steady draw, has guided his new team to four convincing wins on the trot since then. And that includes home and away triumphs over AC Milan, which is no small feat even if the Italian side are not the powerhouse they once were.

“Yes, but Potter does have experience of European competitions,” those same doubters will probably cry, as they scramble around trying to justify their argument.

True, he does have experience: a solitary Europa League season a few years ago when he was in charge of Östersund. But that hardly puts him up there with the likes of Ancelotti, Zidane and Mourinho as one of the giants of European experience.

Yet despite being a relative novice to big boy’s football, Potter has taken it all in his stride. And why is that? Because he is simply good at his job.

In fact, it may be his lack of top-level experience that is actually helping – he doesn’t have any preconditioning as to how things ‘have to be’ carried out a big club, so he is doing things the way he thinks they should be carried out.

As I said earlier, five games does not a season make, and Potter’s time at Chelsea could still end in tears. But I genuinely don’t think it will. The players seem happy with him, which helps, and he hasn’t given the slightest inclination of looking out of his depth.

I’m not denying that experience can help, of course it can. However, it shouldn’t be make-or-break when it comes to appointing a manager at a top club.

Potter, in my mind at least, seems to be well on track to prove that once and for all.

An interesting move from Forest

Last week just about everyone agreed that the Nottingham Forest manager was doomed.

Rumours abounded that Steve Cooper was going to be fired before the weekend arrived and certainly wouldn’t be around to take charge of the match against Aston Villa last Monday.

To be fair, that was a reasonable assumption given the fact the club had spent an incredible amount on players to mark their Premiership return but were rooted to the bottom of the table.

But it would appear Forest were just teasing. So much so that the club’s owners not only didn’t sack their manager, they gave him a new contract that runs up to 2025. That’s quite a turnaround for everyone involved.

What would appear to have happened is that Forest’s hierarchy realised the real reason for their rather poor start is more to do with the recruitment itself than the manager. In fact, as part of a wider reshuffle, the two men who were behind the mega recruitment drive over the summer were relieved of their duties and a new director of football put in place.

And I’m not surprised.

Buying 22 new players was always going to be too many at one go. It’s like they had been given a budget and went out and spent it just for the sake of spending it. Although there is no way to be certain, I am relatively sure that Cooper himself wouldn’t have wanted that many players. It causes too much disruption and unrest, and sends out a very negative message to those players that got the club promoted in the first place.

In fact, when I did my preseason predictions, I said I thought Forest would be the best performers out of the new kids on the Premiership block. But I think I failed to take into account just how big the recruitment drive had been and how unsettling it would turn out to be.

Heck, the club essentially brought in the equivalent of two entirely new full teams. That must have shaken the dressing room to its core, and Cooper will have been spending more time introducing players to each other than training them.

Will this uncommon – almost unheard of – approach, of backing rather than sacking a struggling manager, work? I haven’t got the foggiest idea. The problems caused by the exaggerated recruitment will still be around for a while and it may take a few more months to iron out the problems.

Supporting a manager when he is down is a considerably braver decision than getting rid of him

But supporting a manager when he is down is a considerably braver decision than getting rid of him. And for that, Forest’s owners deserve a lot of credit.

E-Mail: James@quizando.com

Twitter: @Maltablade