TWENTY FOUR HOURS IN PARMA.

I'm writing this shortly after hearing the news that Carlos Cuesta has left his role as manager of Parma by mutual consent.

I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon in Parma with Carlos Cuesta earlier this year. I've not spoken about it much but it was an experience I greatly cherish.

I left my home in Manchester one afternoon and had to be back the next evening so by plane, monorail, bus, taxi and a walk in the Italian heat – there and back – I made it work.

Perhaps I'll reflect on it in more detail one day because I left with lessons learnt and since applied – from the minutia of football theory to the habits of daily life.

I will always be grateful to Carlos for the generosity of his time and knowledge that day, without a sense of gatekeeping or closed off-ness.

I look forward to seeing where the rest of his football career goes.

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