Skyblueweeman
Well-Known Member
Night G...
Millions? We had the likes of John Gayle and Julian Derby. We had to get excited when Cobi Jones signed
The reference to sexton was the only comparison I could really make in comparison to the claim the club is at its lowest ebb
Zero money to spend, crowds below 10,000 the all seater folly, the collapse of the Jimmy hill era with death threats that made Sunderland hate look very tame, players all declaring they would leave at the end of the season, players being chased down thackall street by an angry mob and the farcical final game.
All through it he retained his dignity and he kept the club away from relegation against impossible odds
Luton, Watford and Notts County were good teams all three armed with good managers David Pleat at Luton, Graham Taylor at Watford and Jimmy Sirrel with Howard Wilkinson his partner. We had the players but weren’t a good team as Grendel says that’s down to the manager.Look at the other sides Sexton was up against... the 1980s financial powerhouses of Swansea, Watford, Notts County, Luton and Brighton and Hove Albion were all in the first division in 1982-83.
I suspect there was a transfer budget, but Sexton wanted to go with what he had. He did bring a player in - if you remember he swapped Tom English (who he wasn't playing anyway) for Jim Melrose partway through the season.
I always though Sexton made some very peculiar decisions - the signing of a washed-up Gerry Francis when we already had Daly was one. Choosing to play Steve Jacobs and Steve Witton in different roles throughout the team was another.
As for the players saying they were going to leave, it wasn't all of them (Roberts, Daly, Hunt, Butterworth, Hendrie, Suckling and Singleton all stayed). I think you have to look to how Sexton managed the players to explain why some of them wanted to leave - how was the sale of Garry Thompson dealt with, for example?
Watford, Notts County and Luton all finished above us in 1982-83. Brighton and Hove Albion got to the FA Cup Final (where they were cheated out of a win).
I believe we under performed under Sexton and I think this was nothing to do with budgets. It is perhaps no coincidence that he never managed a club side again after he left Coventry.
I think there is probably a debate to be had as to whether Sexton was dignified, or whether he too invested in the development of some of his players and was actually apathetic towards the fate of the club.
As for players getting chased... urban myth?
Luton, Watford and Notts County were good teams all three armed with good managers David Pleat at Luton, Graham Taylor at Watford and Jimmy Sirrel with Howard Wilkinson his partner. We had the players but weren’t a good team as Grendel says that’s down to the manager.
Players chased down Thackhall Street ? not a myth unfortunately can’t remember who they were ccfc had a hostel at the time behind the West End on the corner of Catherine Street were youth team players lived and they managed to get there and take refuge.
That period in Sky Blue history was a very low ebb for us fans.
The person I blame for that period we have put a statue up for as they say football is a funny old game.
I did hear at the time the chasing incident was an evening after a match at the time the Mercer’s opposite the Kop end held discos and there were some youth team lads there one thing led to another bit of handbags and they got legged to the hostel
No more buddies with him than you are with Clint
Clint other than his schoolboy attitude to politics knows his stuff
its impossible to rank him against top flight managers
HAHA!!
Nearly all managers are sacked in the end, if you set up your stall on day one saying 'this guy is shite, get rid' and maintain it no matter what then when the inevitable happens you can claim to be more knowledgeable. It's all bollocks of course.Grendel is still digging?
Made himself look a fool with his taxi thread so has to keep going with his anti Robins agenda.
Also tried to claim Hyam is not good enough a few weeks back. Arguably our best player ffs.
My recollection of that season was the club was in financial difficulty due to the ill-conceived investment into the American team [Detroit, I think?] and that cost us a lot of money.Grendel is saying Sexton "...retained his dignity and he kept the club away from relegation against impossible odds" and that isn't really true. He had a bunch of Under 21 internationals (at a time when U21s were usually in the first team) and they massively underperformed. I would say the club avoided relegation despite Sexton, not because of him.
Grendel is also saying Sexton had no budget and I'm saying Luton, Watford, Notts County, Swansea and Brighton and Hove Albion were in the same boat yet three of those teams outperformed our club in the league and another nearly won the FA Cup. You have said Luton, Watford and Notts County had good managers - I'm not so sure Jimmy Sirrel was such a good team manager (but some of the coaches working under him were excellent).
I grew up in Coventry and Brighton. There used to be a rumour in Coventry that a chip shop in the Burgess had served up a fried rat - nobody had actually met the person who had been served the rat... they had always heard about it through a friend who knew the person who had been served the rat. The exact same rumour existed about a chip shop in Brighton. Both stories were urban myths.
I have heard about players being chased down the road in Coventry, but like the rat in the chip shop I've never been able to track down who was chased or the chasers. Steve Jacobs was a regular at the hostel you mention (complete with his sky blue Cortina... obviously didn't qualify for a Solara), I saw him in Brighton a few times in 1984 and he never mentioned anyone being chased... nor have any of the other players I have spoken to. Like I say, urban myth.
Ah... so you heard. Didn't actually witness it yourself?
Hey, did I ever tell you my friend told me her cousin's, friend's, ex-boyfriend's, sister's mate got served a fried rat at that chip shop in the Burgess/West Street.
Interestingly, there seem to be variations on the myth. Some say it was Les Sealey who was chased and it was after the West Ham game.
It was reported in the TelegraphAh... so you heard. Didn't actually witness it yourself?
Hey, did I ever tell you my friend told me her cousin's, friend's, ex-boyfriend's, sister's mate got served a fried rat at that chip shop in the Burgess/West Street.
Interestingly, there seem to be variations on the myth. Some say it was Les Sealey who was chased and it was after the West Ham game.
My recollection of that season was the club was in financial difficulty due to the ill-conceived investment into the American team [Detroit, I think?] and that cost us a lot of money.
This lead to Garry Thompson being sold mid-season, which caused some upset in the squad. I've not heard of any chasing of players, until today.
However, that young squad was a very talented one.
As for Dave Sexton, he stayed in the area and studied for a degree after managing us and worked for many years in the England U23 & U21 programmes, as well as in coach development and was very highly regarded.
Nearly all managers are sacked in the end, if you set up your stall on day one saying 'this guy is shite, get rid' and maintain it no matter what then when the inevitable happens you can claim to be more knowledgeable. It's all bollocks of course.
The rat? Of course it was...It was reported in the Telegraph
Nearly all managers are sacked in the end, if you set up your stall on day one saying 'this guy is shite, get rid' and maintain it no matter what then when the inevitable happens you can claim to be more knowledgeable. It's all bollocks of course.
4 seasons and 2 promotions in to this nonsense I think the 'told you so' ship has long since sailed.Yep, that's exactly what he's angling for.
The day Robins is sacked, even if it was 5 years, he'll be all 'told you so!!!'
If only Hill had kept the investment in a team in Detroit things might not have been so bad. What Hill did was move Detroit Express to Washington DC and renamed it Washington Diplomats (a previous Washington team had also used this name, but they'd gone out of business). It was after the team moved to Washington that everything went bad. That was in 1981, so a bit before the 1982-3 season when Garry Thompson was sold.
My point about Dave Sexton is that I thought he lost his way at Coventry and he was too emotionally invested in his squad of young players. I think he wanted certain individual players to do well and lost sight of the need to balance the books and for the team to do well. International management is a different thing to club management.
In Sexton's defence, I think it didn't help that he lost Gordon Milne as 'Director of Football' or 'Executive Director' (or whatever they called his role) for the 1982-3 season.
The sale of Thompson was key to the collapse - I don’t know if that was the year that dumb announcement about hunt was made but I assume so - selling Thompson would have been similar to selling Godden last season
Then to claim players like singleton stayed after the debacle is like saying pask stayed. He could t have started more than 20 games. Suckling was under contract - I thought hunt didn’t hang around either for very long
By the time we got to October the main team was totally different to the prior season - 8 players I’d say were new that season on average until Gould decided to sack the goalkeeper in the media
He’s easily the best manager we’ve had since the premier league, if he keeps us up this year then we should all chip in for a statue.
Only half of that is a lie I heard
Depends how much loyalty SISU show money talks and relegation would be a disaster these changes usually happen around Xmas so a manager can have some funds in January window,I’m expecting us to be picking up wins over the next group of games but if we don’t questions will surely be asked by SISUI like that MR has tried something different to stem the goals. To be fair brum should have won with their chances on Friday but he’s trying stuff. Can’t see robins leaving even if relegated so thread silly. Paul cook would be great though if it happened
Hold on. Just yesterday you claimed that Gouldy was one of our greatest managers of all time - along with Neal.
At least be consistent with your nonsense.
The real Danny Thomas son is one my good pals while we on the subjectI suspect despite your username you never even watched the club then.
I’ve never said Gould was a great manager I would be said that in the post!
He wasn’t even a good oneI suspect despite your username you never even watched the club then.
I’ve never said Gould was a great manager I would be said that in the post!
The sale of Thompson was key to the collapse - I don’t know if that was the year that dumb announcement about hunt was made but I assume so - selling Thompson would have been similar to selling Godden last season
Then to claim players like singleton stayed after the debacle is like saying pask stayed. He could t have started more than 20 games. Suckling was under contract - I thought hunt didn’t hang around either for very long
By the time we got to October the main team was totally different to the prior season - 8 players I’d say were new that season on average until Gould decided to sack the goalkeeper in the media
Same as the likes of Gould I guess
How many promotions did Gould achieve with us?
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