A BIG name does not guarantee success in football. A winning formula will not definitely be concocted upon reputation alone. Do not judge a book by its cover, etcetera.

When Jody Morris was first appointed as Swindon Town head coach, the overwhelming majority of fans – including myself – were delighted.

A former Chelsea, Millwall and England under-age midfielder, who had enjoyed a fine playing career and arguably an even better youth-coaching career, was now our boss.

But 10 years after trading in his washbag for a whistle, the Town job was his first lone senior role in football. Morris had never taken a top job at any level – not even a non-league stint as Hampton and Richmond boss, for example. He had never been asked to make the decisions at a level where winning is everything and mistakes are not easily forgiven.

In his introductory press conference at the County Ground, Morris promised an elite environment and a mixture of styles to generate winning football.

What we all saw was far from that. Town’s playing style under the ex-Chelsea man seemed confused from the start. The first few games caused very little optimism among fans, and even the scrappy win at Salford City was preceded by almost half an hour of stagnant football.

Aside from home wins against Harrogate Town and Bradford City – plus an encouraging draw away at Leyton Orient – the negatives, drawbacks, and complaints emerging from watching Swindon under Morris far outweighed the positives.

The other obvious grumble from Town fans was the number of points lost from winning positions late on. Swindon dropped 14 points in the final 10 minutes of games, largely based on the fact that Morris rarely executed his tactics correctly in order to shut a game down and attempt to defend what they had.

Speaking of complaints, the 44-year-old would be wise to try and conceal his apparent disconnect with a club’s board slightly better in future roles. Towards the end, almost every press conference seemed to feature a shot at Swindon’s board. Did Morris not already know the parameters he would be working between when he took the job?

One of those factors – or elements, as he might say – was an extremely young squad that was built to fund the club long-term while attempting to prevent significant overhaul in every transfer window.

Clearly, the club’s recruitment policy was misguided and can be improved. With a few simple tweaks in the summer, Morris could have had a squad at his disposal capable of having a go. But until then, he seemed unable or unwilling to try and coach his players – improve them to a standard which would limit mistakes and allow for exciting, free-flowing football.

In the end, with player and board relationships appearing to have broken down, results and morale on the floor, and little to no support from the fans, there seemed only one inevitable cause of action for all parties to take. And on Monday, the announcement that Morris had either left or been sacked arrived.

Perhaps the most damning statistic from Morris’ tenure is this – Swindon were in the play-offs when he arrived and 17 points below them when he left, closer to the relegation zone. Meanwhile, the man who helped Town reach the top seven in the first place, and has just kept his new side in the Football League, was effectively pushed out having not been widely welcomed in the first place.

What’s in a name? Certainly not guaranteed success.