THE start Chris Brass made to his managerial career would compare favourably with any of the game's all-time greats.

Without having the facts at my fingertips, it is unlikely that Bob Paisley, Brian Clough and Bill Shankly all cut their managerial teeth with four straight League victories.

Chris Brass did. But sadly, those early, euphoric days could not lead to long-term success.

Sadly, because - if he had succeeded - there would have been few more popular managers in York City's history.

That assumption is probably best supported by the fact that despite the club's relegation from the Football League after 75 years of membership following the worst-ever season in front of goal and with a record-breaking run of 20 games without a win at the end of the campaign, calls of "Brass Out" never resonated around Bootham Crescent.

The reason for such patience can only be that fans appreciated Brass approached his job as York City manager with pride, passion, enthusiasm, honesty and integrity and, just as importantly, had a full understanding of the off-field traumas the club and its supporters had suffered.

He lived through them and, as well as his own professional pride, he wanted York City to flourish for the fans' sake.

But the results and performances in the second half of last season and at the beginning of this campaign were not and confidence in Brass, among the Bootham Crescent faithful, quickly disintegrated.

Brass felt certain senior players did not contribute sufficiently to preserve the club's Football League status but the former Burnley defender acknowledged at the start of this season that he had been given the means to assemble his own squad and, as manager, the responsibility for their failings ultimately lies with him.

Brass, meanwhile, should be remembered as a manager who was thrust into the difficult position of player-boss at the age of 27 and gave everything to the role only to fail to get the results his effort deserved.

An eloquent, intelligent, leader of men who is responsive to modern methods and a keen observer of the game, Brass may still get another stab at management but should perhaps hang up his playing boots first.

Updated: 10:51 Monday, November 08, 2004