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Following on from Hectors threads about players I thought why not chuck this one in as well.

I've only seen a handful of managers since I first began supporting the Gulls so my choice for best manager would be the man in charge when I first began watching and that was Leroy.

Buckle did an excellent job but ended up being a tw*t so I can't have him. Ling did an excellent job first season despite killing football and second season he got found out. For me, Curle and Kubik equally as bad as was 'caretaker' Shaun Taylor who managed the team in 6 games, won at Exeter and the other 5 were appalling even accounting for the fact he wasn't a football manager by trade. The defeat away at Rochdale surpassed even Lings comatose performances. So those 3 equally for me as they were all here short term and were crap.

Best- Leroy and Kevin Hodges -1998 my two favourite seasons both ended in disappointment to Colchester. I was away overseas in 2004 so missed the promotion run in.

Wost-Eddie May

i will list 5 best and 5 worst, not all of the best are neccesarily on results or achievement but times i remember with great fondness.

leroy rosenior
cyril knowles
dave smith
kevin hodges
paul buckle (doesnt mean i like him,he is still a tool, but a successful,memorable time in charge)

i hope alan knill takes buckles spot on the list.

lubos kubik
eddie may
paul compton (sorry compo, nothing personal)
wes saunders (sorry wes, nothing personal)
keith curle

Best in my time are Leroy and Buckle. Okay Buckle is a tw@ but he got us out of a league that has become a graveyard for many ex football league clubs.

Worst, How do i spell it... *googles* Ah yeah, Luboš Kubík!

Leroy. That day at Southend is the single best memory I have of football and TUFC, just incredible.

Best - Kevin Hodges/Leroy

Special mention for Ian Atkins for the great escape.

Worst - Wes Saunders/Eddie May

Special mention for John Cornforth.

Best?
FO'F closely followed in no particular order by Leroy, Bucks, Hodgy, Cyril and the often overlooked Don O', all have given me such joy and pride in the team at times.

david webb, top of the pile
paul compton
wes saunders
john cornforth
eddie may

ROADRUNNER wrote:david webb, top of the pile
paul compton
wes saunders
john cornforth
eddie may

I hope that's your "worst" list!!

yes it was, here is my best

leroy
frank ofarrell
ian atkins
cyril knowles
paul buckle

BEST

Frank O'Farrell
Bruce Rioch
Cyril Knowles
Ian Atkins
Colin Lee

WORST

Paul Buckle
Martin Ling
Eddie May
Paul Compton
Leroy Rosenior
Wes Saunders

brucie wrote:BEST

Frank O'Farrell
Bruce Rioch
Cyril Knowles
Ian Atkins
Colin Lee

WORST

Paul BuckleMartin Ling
Eddie May
Paul Compton
Leroy RoseniorWes Saunders

I know you like to have a moan like me Brucie but is this tongue in cheek or do you seriously think that Buckle and Rosenior were amongst our worst managers? It has to be a joke yes?

My top five managers would be...(since I have been watching, otherwise, Frank O'Farrell would be in there)
1) Cyril Knowles
2) Paul Buckle (for what he achieved with us, rather than who he became and how he left)
3) Leroy Rosenior
4) Kevin Hodges
5) Bruce Rioch

Don O'Riordan did as well as Hodges in a way, in terms of getting to the play-offs but being cheated out of it by Paul Raynor. His subsequent struggles, I always felt were because he was severely undermined by Bateson.

Worst
1) Paul Compton
2) John Cornforth
3) Wes Saunders
4) Lubos Kubik
5) John Impey

Going out on a massive limb here, but I don't (and never have) really understood the Cornforth-bashing. So I looked up some stats via Soccerbase........

He took over a team from Leroy that had lost 3 and drawn 1 of their last 4 games - punctuated by the out of character performances against Birmingham City in the FA Cup. And before that we'd scraped a win at Brizzle Rovers thanks to Sako's worldie, blown a 2 goal lead at home to Wycombe to draw 2-2 and really laboured to a 2-1 win against bottom of the league Rushden. I went to all of those games and we were poor.

I went to the first two games of the Cornforth-era (Shrewsbury and Stockport away) and saw us gain 4 points from two resilient performances. In fact Cornforth went on to win two of his first 3 games, and ended his "solo" reign with a record of 2 wins, 2 draws and 3 defeats.

Then Atkins came in, and the joint partnership saw a record of 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats. Atkins took sole charge of the team from then on, and saw the season out with 4 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat.

So Cornforth didn't do an amazing job (after all, he did bring in Les Afful!), but I went to a couple of the games and we were certainly better than when were under the last days of Leroy. So why does he get such a hard time?

hector wrote:My top five managers would be...(since I have been watching, otherwise, Frank O'Farrell would be in there)
1) Cyril Knowles
2) Paul Buckle (for what he achieved with us, rather than who he became and how he left)
3) Leroy Rosenior
4) Kevin Hodges
5) Bruce Rioch

Don O'Riordan did as well as Hodges in a way, in terms of getting to the play-offs but being cheated out of it by Paul Raynor. His subsequent struggles, I always felt were because he was severely undermined by Bateson.

Worst
1) Paul Compton
2) John Cornforth
3) Wes Saunders
4) Lubos Kubik
5) John Impey

Don 'O was a decent player too, although I have the dubious honour of having watched the Scunny humiliation...

Badders, I was stood very near to your mate Bateson when he strode across to face the music. First question from some popside chimp was "Are you happy with that performance?"