Incompetent Managers and their decisions

[King Kev]

I may have put up similar threads to this in the past but can't remember for certain

The ranting Gillingham fans have inspired me. Go on list your managers and their mind numbing, incompetent decisions, statements, achievements or lack of. Did the outside world view them differently?

 

[Bar Carousel]

Andy Awford.

Played Ricky 'Pele' Holmes out of position, destroyed his confidence, And happily gave him away to Northampton for free.

He might not have shown us much in our time with us, but that is now clearly down to mismanagement more than anything else.

 

[Marked Ox]

Brian Talbot, the definition of utterly useless as a manager. Spent good money on Andy Burgess and had the inability to understand tactics or be flexible with the team in any way. This led to our relegation to the Conference.

Dave Kemp, up there with Brian Talbot. Hadn't a clue as a manager but a good coach apparently. Slagging off the supporters probably wasn't a good idea even if they were calling for you to be sacked.

Chris Wilder, clearly a good manager and I will always be thankful he got us out of the hell of the Conference; but ranting about the 'nasty and unappreciative' fans a few times on Radio Oxford and openly angling for a move a couple of times via the media as well really doesn't help.

 

[K-Win]

As well as Awfs - We've had some very unpopular managers in the past:

Richie Barker - brought in a truly dire brand of non-scoring football and had a dismissive, borderline abusive relationship with the fans

Graham Rix - generally incompetent - couldn't even put together a winning second-tier team with the legend that is Robert Prosinecki in it. And he also gave us Carl Tiler.

Terry Fenwick - seen as Martin Gregory's yes-man - and dammit we wanted Venables to run the team at the time, not moonlight in the boardroom occasionally.

John Gregory - took over from the massively popular Alan Ball in the 80s. Used to stand on the touchline wearing what seemed like gear better suited to a pleasure yacht. Clueless.

 

[King Kev]

As well as Awfs - We've had some very unpopular managers in the past:

Richie Barker - brought in a truly dire brand of non-scoring football and had a dismissive, borderline abusive relationship with the fans

Graham Rix - generally incompetent - couldn't even put together a winning second-tier team with the legend that is Robert Prosinecki in it. And he also gave us Carl Tiler.

Terry Fenwick - seen as Martin Gregory's yes-man - and dammit we wanted Venables to run the team at the time, not moonlight in the boardroom occasionally.

John Gregory - took over from the massively popular Alan Ball in the 80s. Used to stand on the touchline wearing what seemed like gear better suited to a pleasure yacht. Clueless.

He had that problem at Bury

 

[Strawberry_Jam]

Rob Page - Everything.

 

[King Kev]

David Flitcroft.....Oh deary me where to begin.
As he got us promoted everyone outside of Bury FC claimed he was some kind of miracle worker, he wasn't.
He had one of the biggest budgets in BFC's history, we made record losses every season under him.
After promotion, and despite already having a solid, strong strike force he proceeded to sign two more strikers on high wages. He didn't bother to bolster the rest of the squad properly, signing journeymen and unfit players to cover several positions across the park leaving us hugely stretched everywhere else on the pitch. As a first choice keeper he signed a 19 year old keeper on a season's long loan who had never played a first team game before. He then carted him off when he wasn't up to scratch and started swapping keepers every couple of months. One keeper arrived on loan from Wolves on the Saturday and was gone by the Monday.
He tried to convert Hallam Hope, an out of form striker into a left winger, it didn't work and we had no cover on the wings, he then loaned him out. He signs Lee Erwin on loan, a striker, then tries to convert him to a winger, it didn't work.
We went on a good run and then it ended, he started to panic and we lost every away game for nearly 5 months. Not just your usual defeats, but dickings, this included a 6-0 defeat at Coventry, a team grossly out of form.
He harped on about how he liked to blood youth then refused to play them, choosing out of form, unfit players from the first team to fill in for the ludicrous injury crisis we had. (more on that later).
Said youngsters were then loaned out to Norway's none league.
His exciting football philosophy went out the window and it turned turgid, negative and dirty.
Despite having six strikers available he constantly started a 4-5-1 despite the fact it wasn't working. Including in a 3rd round FA Cup home tie with Bradford City, a team in our division.
He played 37 year old Ryan Lowe on right wing for said game after Mellis went off injured.
He started our FA Cup fourth round tie at home to Hull City's reserves with a central midfielder at right back and a central midfielder on right wing, despite having a full back and winger on the bench.

Then came the big insult when, after a particular run of away day drubbings followed by nightly home games, our crowds dropped. Four points from two home games and he claimed we were proving the doubters wrong because we were 13th at the time, and declared he was baffled by the fans deserting the club. That did not go down well at all.

Our home form just about dragged us over the line without any last couple of game nerves. Despite being safe we lost three of our last four games and at no point were any of the talented youth lads put in. Instead our players signed on loan from other league clubs were played instead. Only in the last half hour of the last game did he put three young lads on. He then referenced this as evidence of him blooding the youth at the end of season forum. Did any of these lads get a look in the following season? Of course they didn't.
By May 2016 we had a mess of team, hampered by injuries caused by his training regime, a load of loan signings who were crap because Flitcroft refused to blood the youth players he apparently rated. Then there were all the players frozen out because he had fallen out with them. In several interviews in the closing weeks and after the last game had ended he constantly harped on about what an achievement 16th in league one was. My favourite quote was 'we have made staying up look easy.'
Meanwhile Dale on a fraction of our budget had nearly made the playoffs and Burton had been promoted.

That was just the 15/16 season.....

 

[K-Win]

I think Mr Flitcroft has just crossed your name off his list for job references, KK.

 

[King Kev]

I think Mr Flitcroft has just crossed your name off his list for job references, KK.

Kevin Blackwell is that respected in the game he has dozens of people using him as a reference

 

[DearneValleyRover]

Paul Dickov there are no words to describe our time with him as a manager

 

[DippyDon]

Karl Robinson's ability to open his mouth and spout utter drivel was quite perplexing. Still annoyed at his 'If plan B was any good it would be plan A' comment to defend not changing the way we played when we had been found out by the entire league.

 

[Reaper]

Alan Stubbs is the worst manager we have ever had in terms of transfer and tactical decisions but i can't be arsed to give the full reasons as it would a 4 or 5 paragraph long but all i will say is dexter Blackstock.

 

[ThisTinpotLeague]

Chris Wilder

If I was going to put together a list of people who definitely don't belong in this topic he'd be at the top.

 

[Aber gas]

We once employed Paul Buckle.

 

[King Kev]

We once employed Paul Buckle.

Didn't you offer him the job in the lead up to the league one playoff final and he subsequently just practically folded on the day for Torquay. I seem to remember that he didn't put a full strength team out and then, despite only trailing by a goal in the final he didn't bother to make any subs. If true that is a disgrace and surely it would not have boded well for you as a club knowing you had someone like that taking over.
A massive trek for Torquay fans to get to Old Trafford and for a manager to basically not bother managing his team on the day is disgusting.

 

[Marked Ox]

If I was going to put together a list of people who definitely don't belong in this topic he'd be at the top.

I did point out he was a good manager but his rants about the fans etc warranted a mention. I should add Denis Smith's (another good manager and top bloke) comment on Central TV that he should be England Manager after we got promoted back to the Championship in the 90s.

 

[Indian Dan]

Last season Luke Warm endeared himself to the fans by stating that the three home draws in a row was the same as a win!

He was absolutely useless as a manager - admittedly, not helped by the shambolic ownership of Power with his bestest mate Tactics Tim.

In my 40 years following STFC, never have I witnessed such ineptitude from top to bottom. Breathtaking really.

 

[Marked Ox]

As well as Awfs - We've had some very unpopular managers in the past:

Richie Barker - brought in a truly dire brand of non-scoring football and had a dismissive, borderline abusive relationship with the fans

Graham Rix - generally incompetent - couldn't even put together a winning second-tier team with the legend that is Robert Prosinecki in it. And he also gave us Carl Tiler.

Terry Fenwick - seen as Martin Gregory's yes-man - and dammit we wanted Venables to run the team at the time, not moonlight in the boardroom occasionally.

John Gregory - took over from the massively popular Alan Ball in the 80s. Used to stand on the touchline wearing what seemed like gear better suited to a pleasure yacht. Clueless.

I forgot all about Graham Rix, an absolute joke of a manager.

Which then prompted the unfortunate memory that Mark Wright managed us as well who was equally a joke. He resigned, before being pushed, after getting fined and banned for 'abusing' referee Joe Ross which included an allegation of racism which was dismissed by the FA.

 

[Andrewboom]

Mark Stimson giving Mark MacCammon a 3yrs contract on 2.5k pw!! A player so bad the Rainham End laughed at him, and we cheered when his hamstring went ping for the 10th time.

 

[Meadow]

All our managers since we've reformed have played their part in our rise though the leagues and are Womble legends. That's not to say that they didn't make mistakes. Terry Brown's constant revolving door was annoying and his failure to adapt to the Football League led to his departure. Neal Ardley's only recently been comfortable in admitting his mistakes in player recruitment. Tyrone Barnett anyone?

 

[Camborne Gills]

Paul Dickov there are no words to describe our time with him as a manager

Or in the 95th minute of a certain fixture (none that are printable anyway)

 

[Camborne Gills]

`Anyway, I raise you all of the above and trump it with Mark Stimson.

Edit; Bugger, someone else got there first. Ah well point still stands.

 

[EricSabin]

Gary Johnson replacing Billy McKay with Bas Savage.

 

[Camborne Gills]

Superb examples of one downmanship going on here

 

[RotherhamDale]

For us it's got to be Steve Eyre. Older fans will no doubt look at the infamous Graham Barrow era but I wasn't around back then.

Steve Eyre was a very well dressed man. He had a lovely range of V neck jumpers in many different colours. He often wore smart brown shoes to compliment the jumpers, and to give off the impression that the man had a clue about what he was doing.
His failings were quite simple really. He'd come to Rochdale from the Man City U6's or something ridiculous, and tried to bring half the City youth team with him. On football manager, this sometimes works. But in the reality of men's football in league 1... No chance. We were destined for bottom of the league and relegation. There were 1 or 2 half decent players actually... David Ball... Andrew Tutte when he could be arsed... That's about it really.
We got bullied every week.

 

[Aber gas]

Didn't you offer him the job in the lead up to the league one playoff final and he subsequently just practically folded on the day for Torquay. I seem to remember that he didn't put a full strength team out and then, despite only trailing by a goal in the final he didn't bother to make any subs. If true that is a disgrace and surely it would not have boded well for you as a club knowing you had someone like that taking over.
A massive trek for Torquay fans to get to Old Trafford and for a manager to basically not bother managing his team on the day is disgusting.

Yeah, we should of realised what an awful twat he was but our board at the time comprised a collection of fools and craven idiots. Thick as shit the lot of them.
Buckle arrived, immediately did some media which made him look all manly, signed about 39 terrible players and told the press we were now the " Barcelona of league 2" much to everybody's surprise.
I can deal with terrible managers, we're in the lower leagues after all but for pure deluded, cunty behaviour and such a ludicrously high opinion of himself Buckle is the best / worst. Sort of bloke who commissions life size portraits of himself and orders his poor wife to iron his pants.
Terrible c***.

 

[Bobbin']

Karal Fraeye after a 4-0 drubbing away at Burnley.

'We were good'

End thread.

 

[Hooped Wizard]

Paul Dickov and at times Dean Saunders and Darren Ferguson have all been embarrassingly dreadful.

 

[The Reverend Skyblue]

Russel Slade with a points rate, he didn't win any games, of just 8% surely wins this.
He played absolutely everyone out of position and would only play the crap players he had brought in. We had some decent youngsters but he overlooked them all and brought certain relegation on us two months before season end.
The ultimate prat in a cap

 

[Hedonist Puncture]

Alexander's set up against Millwall in last season play-off SF 2nd leg AND his set-up versus Wimbledon in this season's opener.