GORDON STRACHAN - Friend or Foe? (8 Viewers)
- Thread starter Skybluerevolution (Pt2)
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LastGarrison
Well-Known Member
Oh well that's alright then.
mattylad
Member
What annoys me most is how shit he was a manager tainted my memory of some special performances as a player especially the year he pulled his boots back on to keep us up. Was it his or Richardsons fault that we wasted our best chance to get back up, is another question. Certainly the 5m spent on Hughes looked a good purchase at the time and with the likes of tommo in the side we should hace gone straight back up.
Houchens Head
Fairly well known member from Malvern
And I've got a soft spot for Strachan. It's down my garden and called the compost heap!
LastGarrison
Well-Known Member
No offence but that is bollocks.
I think the Wee Ginger was not that bad a manager - as far as I remember we were relatively comfortable in the league under him until that final season and the season before we went down we played some great stuff and scored for fun .The money situation then began to tell he lost his two top goalscorers in Keane and Macallister and probably the worst mistake was bringing in Bellend as main striker. We created plenty of chances the season we went down but no one was putting them away until JH came at the end of the season. My main criticism was with his substitutions where he was generally slow to make the change and often kept the player coming on at the side of the pitch for ages before bringing him on.
torchomatic
Well-Known Member
play_in_skyblue_stripes
Well-Known Member
Strachen is a foe. I am afraid his arrogance was a major factor in our relegation and subsequent huge decline.
He had his favourites for sure including Paul Telfer. I have nothing against Paul Telfer , may not be the best player but great team man. His problem was with people like Gary Breen who was an excellent player. I may have mentioned it before on here but his refusal to substitute Magnus Hedman with untried Chris Kirkland in about the 96/97 season highlighted his arrogance. It was obvious Hedman was croooked and the crowd called for a substitue but he refused and we ended up losing the game. He also had NOT time for supporters and was often quoted as saying "what to they know"?
Yes no doubt there were other factors outside of Strachen control that caused our relegation , but yes he is to blame to a fair degree.
Lets also not forget how he insisted on geting some owed money about 300K despite the clubs financial pridicament around 2002/03. Peter Reid was a poorish manager but he just resigned and went without a payout I understand.
Defo FOE for me!
fernandopartridge
Well-Known Member
Ultimately, foe.
Whilst he brought some very exciting players to the club, he also brought plenty of guff. For every Robbie Keane there is a Jairo Martinez.
Covstu
Well-Known Member
I can see Torch is part of the 'I love Strachan' fan club! I would agree he wasnt a great manager but we havent had many decent managers in an age anyway. He was a very stubborn manager who could adapt quick enough to situations which cost us time and time again. Regardless of the villa result, a team in not down there without a reason. We actually had a decent squad at that stage but no direction.
For the record, Telfer was shocking but always picked beacuse of wee Gordie.
For the record, Telfer was shocking but always picked beacuse of wee Gordie.
skybluetony176
Well-Known Member
i'm in the middle here. i dont think strachan was the sole blame for relagation but he was a big part.
as for telfer what he lacked in ability he gained in work rate, was always the fittest player on the field and chased every ball and somehow coventry always seemed to play their best football when he was in the team, he never looked a million dollars himself but his work rate use to give players around him enough breathing space to shine and possibly over achieve. thats my opinion anyway and i would have loved to have seen him at the legends along with dion
as for telfer what he lacked in ability he gained in work rate, was always the fittest player on the field and chased every ball and somehow coventry always seemed to play their best football when he was in the team, he never looked a million dollars himself but his work rate use to give players around him enough breathing space to shine and possibly over achieve. thats my opinion anyway and i would have loved to have seen him at the legends along with dion
Sterling Archer
Well-Known Member
A few things stick out for me:
1. The relegation season, I can't remember who we were playing but Magnus Hedman was in goal and was asking to come off as he was having trouble with his eyesight. Chris Kirkland was on the bench and had made some outstanding appearances in Hedman's absence the previous month. The fans started pleading with Strachan to make the sub along with Hedman who obviously wanted to come off and was struggling. Strachan turned round, took one look at the fans and shaked his head. Hedman stayed on and we conceded 2 or 3 quick goals. Awful management from the stubborn ginge.
2. Throughout those enjoyable Prem years, he never addressed the issue of our wobbly defence and insisted on playing Shaw and Williams and spunking his transfer budget on a sub striker (Moldovan) when we had the most on form strike partnership in England at the time with Dublin and Huckerby.
3. Dropping Dublin back to CB to shoehorn Moldovan into the starting line up for the 97-98 FA Cup 1/4 Final. I am adamant this cost us our place in the Semis.
4. Not winning an away game all season with the Keane/McAllister/Moroccans side was criminal.
Had some great times with him as manager but he should've never got that squad relegated with the resources he had at his disposal.
1. The relegation season, I can't remember who we were playing but Magnus Hedman was in goal and was asking to come off as he was having trouble with his eyesight. Chris Kirkland was on the bench and had made some outstanding appearances in Hedman's absence the previous month. The fans started pleading with Strachan to make the sub along with Hedman who obviously wanted to come off and was struggling. Strachan turned round, took one look at the fans and shaked his head. Hedman stayed on and we conceded 2 or 3 quick goals. Awful management from the stubborn ginge.
2. Throughout those enjoyable Prem years, he never addressed the issue of our wobbly defence and insisted on playing Shaw and Williams and spunking his transfer budget on a sub striker (Moldovan) when we had the most on form strike partnership in England at the time with Dublin and Huckerby.
3. Dropping Dublin back to CB to shoehorn Moldovan into the starting line up for the 97-98 FA Cup 1/4 Final. I am adamant this cost us our place in the Semis.
4. Not winning an away game all season with the Keane/McAllister/Moroccans side was criminal.
Had some great times with him as manager but he should've never got that squad relegated with the resources he had at his disposal.
henry the wasp
Well-Known Member
The Honduran signings was a strange on. Didn' think strachan had owt to do with it? Who was our scout at the time?
Just had a look. The south american scout was Rene Houseman. The players agent was marcelo Houseman, who was/is as bent as a nine bob note. I'm assuming Richardson orchestrated this charade and strachan didn't have a scooby.
As others have said though, Strachans arrogance cost us.
Just had a look. The south american scout was Rene Houseman. The players agent was marcelo Houseman, who was/is as bent as a nine bob note. I'm assuming Richardson orchestrated this charade and strachan didn't have a scooby.
As others have said though, Strachans arrogance cost us.
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henry the wasp
Well-Known Member
Another strange one was Walter Zevallos from peru. Signed the same time as Zuniga. V ery dodgy goings on at the time.
Houchens Head
Fairly well known member from Malvern
shropshirecov
New Member
I spent years hating the fella after he wrote in the observer that he hung on at city out of sheer bloody mindedness instead of resigning.
However, I've softened towards him lately, quite like the passion he showed at Wembley last week.
If we'd had stuck with him we would probably have come back up.
However, I've softened towards him lately, quite like the passion he showed at Wembley last week.
If we'd had stuck with him we would probably have come back up.
Houchens Head
Fairly well known member from Malvern
The only thing to have come back up if he'd stayed, would have been my vomit!
shropshirecov
New Member
Thinking back to after that Grimsby game, maybe you're right!
davebart
Active Member
I have never thought Strachan is a good manager. He was green when he became manager for us but he has never overcome his deficiencies.
He does OK when the team itself clicks but when things start to go wrong he has never shown any aptitude to halt a slide.
He should have been sacked in the November of the season we went down but Richardson bottled it. We were awful and it was obvious we were going down.
Having said this I also blame bellamy who was not a quarter of the player Keane had been.
He does OK when the team itself clicks but when things start to go wrong he has never shown any aptitude to halt a slide.
He should have been sacked in the November of the season we went down but Richardson bottled it. We were awful and it was obvious we were going down.
Having said this I also blame bellamy who was not a quarter of the player Keane had been.
Mr T - Sukka!
Active Member
He and his chairmans actions have lead us from:
Established Premier Leauge club who owns our own ground.
To what we are today a Northampton club.
Everything thats wrong with our division 3, homless, debt fucked club playing on Northampton started with these 2.
We are paying for them choices today. Wost thing to happen to CCFC.
And just when you thought fuckwits didnt come any bigger enter SISU...
Established Premier Leauge club who owns our own ground.
To what we are today a Northampton club.
Everything thats wrong with our division 3, homless, debt fucked club playing on Northampton started with these 2.
We are paying for them choices today. Wost thing to happen to CCFC.
And just when you thought fuckwits didnt come any bigger enter SISU...
Skyblueweeman
Well-Known Member
In his defence, I thought he was a good player for us.
As a player, friend, as a manager, foe.
WM
As a player, friend, as a manager, foe.
WM
ESB
New Member
Sorry this is all bollux, i knew we were down in the September of that year we actually went down. Id never felt that previously, some how we were vulnerable.
The heart of the team was gone.
As much as i hated him, Bellamy wasn't the fault, (you cannot blame a kid who'd been injured for the past 18 mths) we seemed decimated post Keane, Dublin, et al.
Blame the game of leasing players and taking profits from their sale. The club had been on the wrong financial path for a least 3 or 4 yrs previous. Relegation should have been a relief, unfortunately like other clubs all it did was reveal the shyte foundations staying in the premiership had been built on.
The heart of the team was gone.
As much as i hated him, Bellamy wasn't the fault, (you cannot blame a kid who'd been injured for the past 18 mths) we seemed decimated post Keane, Dublin, et al.
Blame the game of leasing players and taking profits from their sale. The club had been on the wrong financial path for a least 3 or 4 yrs previous. Relegation should have been a relief, unfortunately like other clubs all it did was reveal the shyte foundations staying in the premiership had been built on.
Hobo
Well-Known Member
Strachan was referred to as a great coach. Never saw that, for instance Paul Telfer was tactically naive, yet Strachan used to praise he work rate; however most the running was either pointless or trying to recover from a pointless run.
Jim Smith always did him tactically.
Strachan would watch the game go away from us, stick rigidly to his game plan hoping the game hadn't gone from us with with 25 minutes left. Then make substitutions in the last 5 minutes. He was totally frustrating.
No one understood what he said in post match interviews and when you did it didn't make sense.
He was one manager who was given money and had some quality to work with.
Bottom line is he got us relegated.
Jim Smith always did him tactically.
Strachan would watch the game go away from us, stick rigidly to his game plan hoping the game hadn't gone from us with with 25 minutes left. Then make substitutions in the last 5 minutes. He was totally frustrating.
No one understood what he said in post match interviews and when you did it didn't make sense.
He was one manager who was given money and had some quality to work with.
Bottom line is he got us relegated.
speedie87
Well-Known Member
Strachan def lost the plot at the end.
However would love to know if he was signing all those South Americans Ukrainians etc or was it Richardson.
The worst memory I have have Strachan in charge was a game v boro at home where hedman is injured to the point he can hardly move yet Strachan kept him on and dean Gordon of all ppl scored from 25 yards as a result
However would love to know if he was signing all those South Americans Ukrainians etc or was it Richardson.
The worst memory I have have Strachan in charge was a game v boro at home where hedman is injured to the point he can hardly move yet Strachan kept him on and dean Gordon of all ppl scored from 25 yards as a result
The reason we went down is because despite all our attacking options and ability to score goals, we had a back 4 that included Shaw, Williams and Hall.
blueflint
Well-Known Member
if we were good enough we would not have had to fight relegation every year.so sorry your talking bollocks not me
Russian Gun Dogs
New Member
Strachan provided many a great memory. Ultimately though, the best season I can remember, we failed to record a single away win. Had we got 2 or 3 away wins that season we'd have been in contention for a spot in Europe. We were brilliant at home, but only because we scored more than we conceded, and we usually conceded. His reign saw us field Oggy, Hedman and Kirkland, who were all brilliant keepers (Granted there are a few who didn't rate Hedman), yet clean sheets were nigh unheard of and the defence remaind. That simply wasn't good enough.
Strachan and Coleman are the two managers that have been the most frustating since we started going in the early 90's. Both had amazing resources and good squads for their respective levels and both cost us big time. Strachan with relegation and never realising the potential for European football, and Coleman for encouraging Sisu to pull the plug on "Plan A" by narrowly avoining relegation with a side that should have easily been chasing promotion.
Strachan and Coleman are the two managers that have been the most frustating since we started going in the early 90's. Both had amazing resources and good squads for their respective levels and both cost us big time. Strachan with relegation and never realising the potential for European football, and Coleman for encouraging Sisu to pull the plug on "Plan A" by narrowly avoining relegation with a side that should have easily been chasing promotion.
LastGarrison
Well-Known Member
More bollocks.
WiganSkyBlue
Member
So Noel Cantwell got the job in 1967 because he was ......... Noel Cantwell, late of Man U or similarly Gordon Milne late of Liverpool (via Blackpool and Wigan). All new managers have to start somewhere and we have usually been a club that gave new talent a start.
By the way, even though the record shows that he had a 34.5% overall win rate, Gordon Milne's teams played some of the most exciting football I can remember, with the likes of Colin Stein, Tommy Hutchison, Mick Ferguson, Ian Wallace, Terry Yorath, Graham Oakey, Bobby MacDonald and Jim Blyth in his teams.
torchomatic
Well-Known Member
Surprised you missed out Butcher, Neal and McAllister other young managers who had "to start somewhere". Like Strachan, they were shit too. Strachan will go down as the man who finally got us relegated from the top flight.
WiganSkyBlue
Member
I only mentioned those 2 as examples of fresh young managers in their first major managerial jobs, and some have not been so successful as the hype they were given. As for Strachan, I quite liked him for his apparent loyalty to the sky blue cause, something you don't get much these days, but you're right as far as the history books will show he was the man who saw us relegated from the top flight. I thought he should have stuck with us and got us back up again, but BR had other ideas.
torchomatic
Well-Known Member
Not that loyal. Don't forget despite our perilous financial situation he still wanted his pound of flesh. Well, three hundred thousand pounds of flesh.
Skybluerevolution (Pt2)
New Member
That he deferred payment until the club could afford to pay him - which I believe ended up in court as we failed to paid him when agreed...would you walk away from a job then write off any severance pay because your former employees were having financial difficulties...please answer?