Best & Worst TUFC Managers

[ferrarilover]

Brucie, you are right only in the sense that Leroy's signings weren't the best, but the football, oh the football! Glorious times.

Ferrarilover is quiet on these threads. Let me guess: Buckle worst ever, Ling best ever?

It must be horrible being wrong 100% of the time.

I'm "quiet" on these threads because I haven't seen anything like the number of players that the majority here have, so I can add nothing either useful, worthy or amusing (go on, someone say it). That said, I happen not to think that Ling was a bad manager, it's just his style happens to be unappealing to fans. There are plenty here telling us that Leroy was useless because he had a brilliant squad to play with. By that same logic, Ling must be one of the best ever, since he had a pretty ordinary gaggle of players and made the Playoffs.

Buckle's lack of a plan B is what costs him. His talent for taking the oppo by surprise is demonstrated by his success with us in the Cups. However, once his primary has failed to work, he struggles to change things and get the win anyway.

Criticising anyone from the Roberts era is meaningless. SAF couldn't have kept us up, nor a front line of Messi and Ronaldo. Lubos is a big fish in the USMNT pond (the Yanks will elaborate), he can't be all that bad.

To the future, I'm hoping Knill will be as exciting with us as he was with Bury a few years ago (which, judging from the contents of an email I got a while ago, seems likely). That side featuring Nicky Ajose is still one of the most thrilling performances I've ever seen from visitors to Plainmoor.

Matt.

[hector]

Cyril Knowles is my personal favourite. He transformed a poor side that had almost been relegated from the League the previous season, taking them to the brink of play-offs in his first season and the final of the Sherpa Van Trophy the following year. On top of that he provided great little cup runs and developed the talent of Lee Sharpe. He didn't win anything in terms of silverware , but he delivered to the whole club a renewed belief in a short time.

I believe he did this with mostly players he inherited, although he did bring in Dave Caldwell I think. A great coach and motivator, but still (even he) could not get Kenny Allen to kick goal kicks straight, and not out of play all the time.

Nice one Cyril !

Yes - Cyril largely inherited a team from Stuart Morgan but added Phil Lloyd, Sean Haslegrave, Dave Caldwell plus Lee Sharpe. He later added Roger Gibbins and we had Glynn Riley on loan for a while. We had a few loanees that season. Simon Milton from Ipswich, Alan (forgotten surname) who starred against Wrexham and later played fro Wales, on loan from Swindon.

[chunkygull]

by hector=
We had a few loanees that season. Simon Milton from Ipswich, Alan (forgotten surname) who starred against Wrexham and later played fro Wales, on loan from Swindon.

alan mcloughlin. amazing that after his loan spell he went back to swindon and his career kicked on quite well, portsmouth, southampton and 42 caps for a then decent republic of ireland team.

[jonnyfive]

It must be horrible being wrong 100% of the time.

I'm "quiet" on these threads because I haven't seen anything like the number of players that the majority here have, so I can add nothing either useful, worthy or amusing (go on, someone say it). That said, I happen not to think that Ling was a bad manager, it's just his style happens to be unappealing to fans. There are plenty here telling us that Leroy was useless because he had a brilliant squad to play with. By that same logic, Ling must be one of the best ever, since he had a pretty ordinary gaggle of players and made the Playoffs.

Buckle's lack of a plan B is what costs him. His talent for taking the oppo by surprise is demonstrated by his success with us in the Cups. However, once his primary has failed to work, he struggles to change things and get the win anyway.

Criticising anyone from the Roberts era is meaningless. SAF couldn't have kept us up, nor a front line of Messi and Ronaldo. Lubos is a big fish in the USMNT pond (the Yanks will elaborate), he can't be all that bad.

To the future, I'm hoping Knill will be as exciting with us as he was with Bury a few years ago (which, judging from the contents of an email I got a while ago, seems likely). That side featuring Nicky Ajose is still one of the most thrilling performances I've ever seen from visitors to Plainmoor.

Matt.

That was my point you utter doughnut. Your often condescending 'know it all' manner needs to be viewed in the context of your short term support.

Keep trying Sir Wrongalot. You'll catch up one day!

[ferrarilover]

This is possibly the only thread in the history of the board where the length of an individual member's support for the club had any bearing or relevance. Still, don't let that stop you...

Matt.

[ROADRUNNER]

matt, why dont you crawl back under your stone, this site is for people to debate things, you really are an annoying ****!

[Trojan 67]

Best - Frank O'Farrell. Saw my first TUFC promotion (1965/66) with Frank in charge.



Best - Cyril (nice one ) Knowles. My first visit to Wembley with TUFC (Sherpa Van Trophy Final) with Cyril in charge (my first ever visit to Wembley was the 1975 FA Cup Final of Fulham v West Ham United).



Best - Paul Buckle ( ) - for TWO visits to Wembley AND a promotion while in charge.

[Sunnysideup]

Best - Paul Buckle ( ) - for TWO visits to Wembley AND a promotion while in charge.

Its suprising how many people think its easy to get back out of that league. Theres nominally "bigger" clubs than ours (in fanbase terms and therefore income) that are stuck there for some time with only the 2 promotion slots available.

[tomogull]

Yes, that is true Sunnysideup. I (through gritted teeth) included him in my list of best managers but he was never a great favourite with the fans because he was seen as being arrogant. It was the same when he was a player, notably when he played for Exeter against us. His departure also left a nasty taste. It was a well known fact that he had agreed to fill the Bristol Rvrs managerial vacancy BEFORE that play off final at Old Trafford against Stevenage. But we can't all be perfect and against all odds, he did get us out of the Conference after just a couple of seasons

[Sunnysideup]

Yes, that is true Sunnysideup. I (through gritted teeth) included him in my list of best managers but he was never a great favourite with the fans because he was seen as being arrogant. It was the same when he was a player, notably when he played for Exeter against us. His departure also left a nasty taste. It was a well known fact that he had agreed to fill the Bristol Rvrs managerial vacancy that play off semi finals at Old Trafford against Stevenage. But we can't all be perfect and against all odds, he did get us out of the Conference after just a couple of seasons

You forgot the playoff against Colchester. I think he played in that as well.

[PlainmoorBob]

Easy - Knowles for identifying the core of a decent side from the squad nearly relegated in 87 (McNichol, Kelly, Cole, Impey, Dobson, Dawkins, Loram, McLoughlin) and adding the ingredients of Lloyd, Haslegrave, Caldwell and the emergent Lee Sharpe (who was absolute dynamite in his short time - watch the Newport game on YouTube - pure class)