Buckle

[basil75]

This year is the year he had the smallest budget, but the squad was already pretty much in place - he didn't have to actually build the squad on that budget, just maintain it.

What I've gathered he didn't have anywhere near the shoestring budget in previous seasons he likes to claim he had. He had money in the BSP, in a time where there wasn't much money in that division (unlike now) - the bigger clubs were all struggling to make ends meet.

He was a good overall manager for me - but of his 4 seasons 2 where good (although 1 of these would have been very disappointing had we not won the playoff lottery), 1 was average and another was pretty disappointing.

[bixieupnorth]

Agreed, I honestly don't know which is worse, his constant arrogance or that ridiculous bobble hat he wore against Crawley.

that was mental, it was even inside out!! cant find a picture, but he really looked a dick!!

he did a good job but i think it could, and should, have been so very much better. never liked him as a player, and am glad to see him gone. i havent met anyone in person who liked him, i prob have about 8 or 9 friends that go to plainmoor regularly and they all felt the same as me, and 3 or 4 others that go to most away matches and they seem to have totally despised him for most of the four years!

quite a few on here seem to think the sun shines out, and i can understand that we need to support our manager and whole team thru thick and thin, but at times he tested my patience with his arrogance, crazy team selections and a lack of plan b or c when things didnt go right. saying that he had some marvellous days, bury, bradford etc when things worked out well, but the way we crumbled v crawley and on saturday, v exeter etc was beyond belief.

getting us out of the conference was his greatest achievement, and i thank him wholeheartedly for that, but i dont think i'll miss him for a single second

[happytorq]

Only got up to page 9 but a thought has just struck me -

it seems fairly obvious that this deal was made before the play-offs, but it'd be interesting to know exactly when Rovers approached Buckle - our run-in was shocking (I can't remember without looking but i think the last 4 games we drew 3 and lost 1?). If this approach was made at around that time it'd be even more obvious that Buckle was plugging himself rather than doing all he could to get us promoted.

Regardless; I'm appreciative of the fact he got us back into the League, but equally he should be aware of the faith that the board put in him - taking a chance on a new manager was not something a lot of clubs would have, especially given that we had just been relegated and only had 4 players.

Finally - think I've missed something - what is this that gets mentioned about "setanta bird"?

[bixieupnorth]

january mate, just google buckle and bristol rovers.

similarly him and setanta, couldnt possibly post details on here what with all this twitter stuff going on!!

[tommyg]

S1: "With the budget he had you think a mid-table finish would have been reasonable? No, he should have got us up that season, his lack of a plan B is what cost us, so no credit from me for that. The FA Trophy? Come on man, was it really that difficult for the biggest spenders in the league that year to get to the final?"

A big budget doesn't bring you success. Buckle still had to build a squad capable of mounting a promotion challenge. Oxford and Cambridge both had big budgets. It took one of them twice as long as ourselves to gain promotion. The other are still down there and have been struggling in the bottom half of the Conference since we beat them at Wembley. This season, Crawley aside, Luton and Grimsby boasted the biggest budgets, but neither won promotion. It's not like Buckle was given the sort of money Steve Evans has had at Crawley. The defeat to Exeter hurt like hell and Buckle made naive mistakes tactically, but I still think it was a fairly successful season when you consider what was at the club when Buckle arrived. I think the board's plan was consolodation in season one and a promotion push in season two so we probably did better than most thought. As for the FA Trophy, Darlington competed with Mansfield for the honour this year. Neither are the biggest spenders in the division so perhaps it's more difficult than you think to get to the final.

S2: "I disagree, we could have and should have won the league that season. His mistakes cost us automatic."

Now you're being just greedy. I can't believe you're not actually giving him any credit for promotion. In the end did it really matter whether it was automatic or through the play-offs?

S3: "I'll concede he kept us up, but we proved later in the season we should never have been that close to the bottom in the first place. Look at Tisdale and what he did for City a year earlier with little investment as well. Look at what Westley has done with Stevenage ffs."

I'll concede that it was a difficult season and Buckle's weakest of the four. But in the end he made amends for a terrible six months. Tisdale and Westley have both done outstanding jobs, proving that smaller teams can punch above their weight. But for every Exeter or Stevenage there is a Northampton or Bradford.

S4: "He was given those tools when he was allowed to bring in Stanley, Robinson and Tomlin, we SHOULD have gained automatic promotion."

When the transfer window slam shut, we were 13th. To say we should have gained automatic promotion from that position is stretching it a little to say the least. And besides, Buckle was given those tools only after selling his top scorer and captain.

And finally, yes I do agree - I was baffled by some of his tactics. Sometimes I did leave the ground scratching my head. He's a manager in his first job and made mistakes. But the positives far outweigh the negatives. I think it's impossible to say whether other managers could have achieved more or less with the same resources at their disposal. We can argue that until we're both blue in the face!

[Southampton Gull]

That we could and to be honest I could spend the time answering each of the points you make with equally solid points but I guess we'll just have to disagree.

I did like the way you put down losing Benyon and Wroe as if it was a major loss Wroe was crap all season anyway and he was playing Benyon so far out of his comfort zone he looked lost. The Board could have kept that money, instead they let him bring in three quality players and we seriously could have made automatic promotion from that point, I have no doubts about that at all.

[tommyg]

That we could and to be honest I could spend the time answering each of the points you make with equally solid points but I guess we'll just have to disagree.

I did like the way you put down losing Benyon and Wroe as if it was a major loss Wroe was crap all season anyway and he was playing Benyon so far out of his comfort zone he looked lost. The Board could have kept that money, instead they let him bring in three quality players and we seriously could have made automatic promotion from that point, I have no doubts about that at all.

That's a relief. I need to have my tea and Neighbours is about to start!

[Southampton Gull]

A Buckle fan AND a Neighbours fan, you should have told me ages ago and I wouldnt have bothered arguing, you're obviously a woman with a mans name

[Regiment]

That's a relief. I need to have my tea and Neighbours is about to start!

A Buckle fan AND a Neighbours fan, you should have told me ages ago and I wouldnt have bothered arguing, you're obviously a woman with a mans name

ha ha. great thing about this forum, everyone free to make their point, everyone has an opinion and is entitled to express it, with no hard feelings or nastiness. well done.

i've made my feeling known, and am happy that people will accept my views, in the same way i'm prepared to be contradicted or proven wrong. i stand by what i've said about buckle, from his tactics/tictacs (another thread) to the way he seemed to snub me and my son when my son was mascot, but at the same time, you've made some very good points tommy. maybe as a combined effort, me, you and Dave should all become new manager !!!! :~D

[Southampton Gull]

I'm overqualified, I can talk to people

[Regiment]

hmm, and i've just said i accept i'm not always right, so that counts me out too !! =D

[Southampton Gull]

hmm, and i've just said i accept i'm not always right, so that counts me out too !! =D

You didn't mean it though

[Fonda]

I think it's impossible to say whether other managers could have achieved more or less with the same resources at their disposal.

I agree. And those that keep going on about him being 'statistically our most successful manager' would do well to bear it in mind.

[Trojan 67]

Thank you Paul Buckle and Shaun North for your excellent service to TUFC.

It's been very much a joint effort with one doing all the talking and getting all the glory, and one doing no talking and getting on with the job.

The little big man out for glory will earn whatever fortune fortune decides. The other little big man will go about his endeavour in the way a true little big man goes about his endeavour.

Again, thank you Paul and Shaun.

[clemy1989]

many thanks to shaun north, good riddance buckle