Anybody bothering? think this could be a good day/weekend out, so seriously wanting to do this, and I reckon a 2-1 win to boot.

Interesting stuff that.  It never felt right that we got DF, and his links with Gartside's mate or whoever it is virtually confirm it wasnt all above board and the job going to the best candidate.  Wasnt Chris Hughton in the running too, although that might have been when we got Lennon.  What might have been, both of those absolute top blokes, and no how to organise a team and play to a recognisable system, I cant remember the last time we had 1 of them.

I seem to remember the consensus of not wanting Mick. DF was the popular option and so was Lennon. 
Hindsight is 20/20

1 hour ago, Leyther_Matt said:

One to dine out on, that 😂

Was it you who we bumped in to on the escalator coming out of Euston underground?

Wasn't me

Just now, ZicoKelly said:

Wasn't me

Must have been someone else Stockport-bound then (or I’m fed duff info)

1 minute ago, Leyther_Matt said:

Must have been someone else Stockport-bound then (or I’m fed duff info)

It happens to the best of us

14 minutes ago, Rudy’s Message said:

I seem to remember the consensus of not wanting Mick. DF was the popular option and so was Lennon. 
Hindsight is 20/20

I didnt want Hughton either.  I was doing cartwheels when we got Lennon, and Coyle, and to a lesser extent Parky and even Hillcroft.  What do I know, fact is Hughton has turned out to be the best of the lot and McCarthy arguably the 2nd best.  FWIW I wasnt aware anyone wanted Freedman, came as a no-mark who might turn out good and left as one who definitely wont, like Lennon.

...and Coyle, and Parky (I'll spare Hill the judgement for now).

2 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

I didnt want Hughton either.  I was doing cartwheels when we got Lennon, and Coyle, and to a lesser extent Parky and even Hillcroft.  What do I know, fact is Hughton has turned out to be the best of the lot and McCarthy arguably the 2nd best.  FWIW I wasnt aware anyone wanted Freedman, came as a no-mark who might turn out good and left as one who definitely wont, like Lennon.

On paper at the time they all looked decent, Deep circumstances in the club will always have effects on the outcomes. 
I don’t think it has made much difference with the manager recently. The problems have been there for a while and started from the top and the manager has taken the flak, some more deserved than most. 

9 minutes ago, Rudy’s Message said:

On paper at the time they all looked decent, Deep circumstances in the club will always have effects on the outcomes. 
I don’t think it has made much difference with the manager recently. The problems have been there for a while and started from the top and the manager has taken the flak, some more deserved than most. 

Youre remembering things different to me. Freedman wasnt a popular choice. Not saying he was unpopular but was another if Gartside's 'i know best' appointments like Megson. We were all bemused more than anything when freedman got job and that didnt change much while he remained!

Remember hearing Gartside didnt like fact McCarthy didnt personally take charge of training and other player matters leaving it to his assistant.  Well however he did job hadnt worked out too badly for him great job at Titswich but Gartside knew best...

Just now, snowball said:

Youre remembering things different to me. Freedman wasnt a popular choice. Not saying he was unpopular but was another if Gartside's 'i know best' appointments like Megson. We were all bemused more than anything when freedman got job and that didnt change much while he remained!

Remember hearing Gartside didnt like fact McCarthy didnt personally take charge of training and other player matters leaving it to his assistant.  Well however he did job hadnt worked out too badly for him great job at Titswich but Gartside knew best...

Maybe it was the circle of Wanderers I knew at the time. 
I heard that about training about Mick, I dunno how common that was then but it certainly is now 

I fail to see how DF looked decent on paper, I assumed we were signing some young undiscovered top manager like when Norwich got Alex Neil or Wycombe got Ainsworth.  I agree circumstances have a huge effect, and I sympathise with any BW manager in last few years, but we could all list the basic errors and faults of Coyle, Lennon, DF, Parky and now Hill, its just poor management of a football team at times whereas the likes of Neil, Ainsworth, Hughton, Dyche, Warnock, Mowbray, Rowett know how to organise a team and maximise their resources.  I live for the day we get a manager of that quality, we must be due one surely.

Harry Kewell is on our train back but can't be arsed talking to him

1 minute ago, ZicoKelly said:

Harry Kewell is on our train back but can't be arsed talking to him

Ask him about crying at the Reebok

2 minutes ago, ZicoKelly said:

Harry Kewell is on our train back but can't be arsed talking to him

His Mrs is still filth 

Only common ground I can think of is him signing Postman for Crawley, before he left for a bigger club (Notts County), replacing Nolan.  That worked out well.

44 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

I fail to see how DF looked decent on paper, I assumed we were signing some young undiscovered top manager like when Norwich got Alex Neil or Wycombe got Ainsworth.  I agree circumstances have a huge effect, and I sympathise with any BW manager in last few years, but we could all list the basic errors and faults of Coyle, Lennon, DF, Parky and now Hill, its just poor management of a football team at times whereas the likes of Neil, Ainsworth, Hughton, Dyche, Warnock, Mowbray, Rowett know how to organise a team and maximise their resources.  I live for the day we get a manager of that quality, we must be due one surely.

We've been a bad job for quite a while. I doubt it'd have been very different if those other managers had been in charge.

How hot !!

Is this bloody train ?

And its late

2 hours ago, ZicoKelly said:

Yeah well that was the Geordie giving me duff info

We had a look at the euro qualifying table and saw they came third so presumed they missed out

So as we were waiting to get off the train we started chatting again and i said "unlucky with the euros just missing out" to which he said "news to me, we're playing Slovakia in a couple of weeks" 

Felt like a right nob

But he was sound, said any Bolton fan going any distance to an away game has his utmost respect this season

Also pretty much said Ipswich fans were cunts with the abuse they gave him week after week given the job he did

He also didn't travel first class

I bet he thought you were a right pillock 

4 minutes ago, embankment said:

How hot !!

Is this bloody train ?

And its late

The 7-00 got tropical.

Train temperature was a problem 

avanti out 

16 minutes ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

We've been a bad job for quite a while. I doubt it'd have been very different if those other managers had been in charge.

I'm struggling to think how things wouldnt be different with a good manager versus having a crap one?  For a start, we'd have different players, playing to a different system, that's got to be a start.  Sheff Utd, PNE and Millwall would have been bottom 8 in championship in last couple of years with any recent BW manager, and relative lack of investment, but they got good managers so punched well above their weight.  

20 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

I'm struggling to think how things wouldnt be different with a good manager versus having a crap one?  For a start, we'd have different players, playing to a different system, that's got to be a start.  Sheff Utd, PNE and Millwall would have been bottom 8 in championship in last couple of years with any recent BW manager, and relative lack of investment, but they got good managers so punched well above their weight.  

Ever decreasing budgets, with no change in expectation levels lead to a difficult environment to manage in. There's only so much a manager can control.

A couple of things two of those clubs you mention have in common are stability and relatively modest ambition. The other just happened to appoint one of the very best managers in the country. How did Rowett do at his previous club?

I will add that Coyle was genuinely awful. The rest of our managers since have had various strengths and weaknesses, as I suspect most managers do.

15 minutes ago, Lt. Aldo Raine said:

Ever decreasing budgets, with no change in expectation levels lead to a difficult environment to manage in. There's only so much a manager can control.

A couple of things two of those clubs you mention have in common are stability and relatively modest ambition. The other just happened to appoint one of the very best managers in the country. How did Rowett do at his previous club?

I agree having stability is a factor, but the manager still controls team shape, having a plan which the players buy into and understand, and to an extent who we sign and whether or not we play players out of position. Instability doesnt make you leave ALF on the bench or use Bridcutt or Lowe as defenders, just basics that maximises your limited resources  If you appoint a good manager you do better than if you appoint a BW manager of the last 10 years or so.  Rowett has a proven track record, he just did poorly at Stoke, but well at Burton, Birmingham, Derby, Millwall.

6 minutes ago, Johnnyrotten said:

I agree having stability is a factor, but the manager still controls team shape, having a plan which the players buy into and understand, and to an extent who we sign and whether or not we play players out of position. Instability doesnt make you leave ALF on the bench or use Bridcutt or Lowe as defenders, just basics that maximises your limited resources  If you appoint a good manager you do better than if you appoint a BW manager of the last 10 years or so.  Rowett has a proven track record, he just did poorly at Stoke, but well at Burton, Birmingham, Derby, Millwall.

I don't think Hill would've played Bridcutt at centre-back if he had confidence in the alternatives. And Lowe is just the best full-back at the club. Also, I can understand why Parky left ALF on the bench.

Rowett has a track record but failed in the job he had before his current one. As did his successor, who'd done well elsewhere. That's the point. Sometimes clubs are just bad for managers. 

It's just like business. A board can hire one of the best CEOs around, but if they aren't given the proper resources to do their job, or there are unrealistic expectations placed on them, their influence isn't as effective.