Souness Out!

[Bazzanotsogreat]

It is a differentg job to the one Souness took.

5) He inherits the best squad outside Chelsea if he gets some defenders (and he doesn't need a big chequebook to do that- our defence cost a grand total of £3m if you forget about Amo and Vresko and is one of the best around).  

Where can he go from here at Bolton?- every season he has to comb the

I’m afraid I have to disagree with you there Phil, they are underachieving at he moment but how many of there players would get into arsenal, Man u and Liverpool’s first team not to mention spurs. Only possibly Owen, Parker and Given. I wouldn’t have any of there back 4 and seem to have quite a few overrated players in midfield. Add to this the fact that Shearer should finished to years ago and they in a reported 70 million of debt they are not an attractive position. With fact that there fans believe they are one of the biggest clubs in Europe which I completely disagree with

Edited January 7, 2006 by Bazzanotsogreat

[Jan]

Iwasn't happy when Souness arrived, think what you want but in our household only my brother supported his appointment. Wasn't happy when he was here, yes he won us promotion and the carling cup, but after that there was no ambition except to stay up season in season out, he even said so his self. It's nice to have a manager whos sole objective of the season is to get into europe. So i wasn't happy when he was appointed and was happy when he left. Blackburn Rovers started to look forward that day

That's the best description of the Souness reign I've yet heard. I was sick when from day one it was "the cups are not important" "we have to get into then stay in the league" and my special favourite "we're not bothered about this tie (CSKA Sofia)" when I was on the plane to Sofia. The fact that we lost the second round to Celtic because of HIS behaviour didn't endear him to me either. (I went to the first game not worried who won- said as much to anyone who asked at the time and left wanting Celtic to tonk us)

As someone else said, almost any other manager could have got us up with the inherited squad (Kidd was not a manager- even more tactically inept than Souness). Almost any other manager would have realised that squad wouldn't have kept us there and would have got rid of a lot of the deadwood) remember Jack was alive and spending when he got here. The cup was a bonus I'll admit, but the league form around then was abysmal. Even when we finished 6th I remember more than me on here complaining that with the way we could play in some games we should have been much higher in the league.

I love the cattiness of Mark Hughes as well- especially his comment that "it's easy to say that your ambition is to stay in the league, anything else then is over-achieving. We want to do more than that" That and his "I haven't played a weakened side in any cup and don't intend to do so now" exactly expressed how I wanted the team to be seen. Talking us down just annoyed me and led to me not making the 400+ mile round trip to cup games (today I have bought a ticket but wasn't feeling well and woke up at 2- have bought ticket for the midweek game and will make the trip then providing I feel better.)

[frosty]

I think if Shearer hadn't of scored for Newcastle today, Souness would have gone.

Has Shearer equaled that record?

[Bazzanotsogreat]

Yes he equal on 200 , 150 of them penalties 149 of them at St James's park

[Gareth]

Yep

[1864roverite]

that is that little monkey off Rovers back when we visit on 21st Jan

[Bazzanotsogreat]

I can see it now, Shearer needs one more to break the record he is throwing his elbow in our defenders face all game ( as usual) someone blows on him in the penalty area and guess what its goal number 201

[Anti Euro Smiths Fan]

Souness is rapidly starting to lead an extremely charmed life.

Well it seems as if he's been close to the cliff a couple of times now Simon, but on each occasion he's done just enough to avoid being pushed - for the time being.

As Frosty says, if Shearer hadn't scored late in the second half today, I think Souey would have been gone.

A couple of weeks before Christmas, Newcastle were drawing 1-1 at home to Aston Villa and David O'Leary's side were awarded a penalty with two minutes to go. Gareth Barry (rumoured to be a Newcastle transfer target) blazed the ball high over the bar. Had the penalty gone in, Shepherd may well have given Souness the push.

There was another narrow escape for Souey last week, when Lee Clark's injury time equaliser at home to 'Boro saved his bacon, with the crowd baying for blood. Chants of "Souness Out" were ringing around St James' Park after Hasselbaink put 'Boro 2-1 up.

I gather, reading the match reports, that Mansfield, just outside the relegation zone of League Two, created the better chances in today's match and were unlucky to lose against the Geordies. According to the BBC's match report: "Mansfield outplayed and outfought the Premiership side for much of the game."

But nevertheless , I agree with those who find this schadenfreude a bit over the top .

Well there was no schadenfreude on my part, Phil, to the news last week of Michael Owen's unfortunate injury. I wouldn't wish any injuries on others, but I must admit, that like Jan, I do find myself enjoying Souness's discomfort. Primarily because the last 18 months at Rovers under his management were a shambles.

They say that football is a game of two halves, and for the first half of Souey's reign at Ewood, it's true that he generally did a very good job for us. (If one ignores the Grabbi debacle for a moment - one of the most disastrous buys in Premiership history.)

Souness got us promoted and won the Worthington Cup. But in the last 18 months, the wheels came off spectacularly - and that's where my main gripe lies.

This was a man who nearly sent my football club crashing into obvlivion. 10 home Premiership defeats at Ewood during the 2003/04 season - with some truly horrendous performances at home. The goals from Jon Stead late in the season fortunately saved us from relegation and disaster.

I doubt that Rovers would have been able to recover from what would have been a catastrophic blow of relegation and under Souness, we started off the 2004/05 season in exactly the same poor vein. We were in the bottom three when Hughes took over and looked firmly like a relegation team.

As Hughes himself said: "Within a few days of arriving, I realised the team needed to be a lot fitter."

A damning indictment of Mr Souness - who was failing in his duty of preparing the team properly. Our team spirit was poor, with bust-ups, training ground squabbles and players being ignored by the man in charge. Garry Flitcroft learnt that he was being stripped of the Rovers captaincy through the media.

The team was a shambles, tactically poor and unfit, with players being played out of position. Dominic Matteo as a left winger. Square pegs in round holes. The manager tried to blame "lady luck" for his own tactical ineptitude and during our relegation battle he was busy swanning off to the Sky Sports studios in London to appear as a pundit, pontificating about Chelsea and Arsenal's deficiencies when he couldn't pick the right team at Rovers.

So that's where my scorn lies. He was a man, as I said, who was responsible for nearly crashing my football club into oblivion - a position from which we may never have recovered if Mark Hughes hadn't came along at the right time and turned things around. Thank You Freddy for taking this man away from us.

Yes, Souey got us promoted and won us the League cup. For that I'm grateful. But I'm also disdainful of his last 18 months with us and I wanted him to fail badly at Newcastle - which is exactly what he has done so far. Newcastle were a club who had finished in the top 5 of the Premiership in each of Bobby Robson's last three seasons.

Freddy Shepherd though believed that finishing 5th in his final season and missing out on the Champions League was "unacceptable". Under Souness, Newcastle have become a mediocre mid-table side who struggle to beat Mansfield.

Part of me wants Souey to get his P45 at Newcastle. The other part of me wants the shambles at St James' Park to continue for as long as possible.

Anyway, I've got a bottle of champagne in the fridge ready for when Souey does eventually depart. And if Jan wanted to share the bottle with me, she would be most welcome.

[RevidgeBlue]

Premiership history.)

So that's where my scorn lies. He was a man, as I said, who was responsible for nearly crashing my football club into oblivion - a position from which we may never have recovered if Mark Hughes hadn't came along at the right time and turned things around. Thank You Freddy for taking this man away from us.

372398[/snapback]

Amen to that Smiffy, couldn't agree more. Don't think most people realise how close Souness was to crippling our Club for good.

[Bazzanotsogreat]

Well it seems as if he's been close to the cliff a couple of times now Simon, but on each occasion he's done just enough to avoid being pushed - for the time being.

As Frosty says, if Shearer hadn't scored late in the second half today, I think Souey would have been gone.

A couple of weeks before Christmas, Newcastle were drawing 1-1 at home to Aston Villa and David O'Leary's side were awarded a penalty with two minutes to go. Gareth Barry (rumoured to be a Newcastle transfer target) blazed the ball high over the bar. Had the penalty gone in, Shepherd may well have given Souness the push.

There was another narrow escape for Souey last week, when Lee Clark's injury time equaliser at home to 'Boro saved his bacon, with the crowd baying for blood. Chants of "Souness Out" were ringing around St James' Park after Hasselbaink put 'Boro 2-1 up.

I gather, reading the match reports, that Mansfield, just outside the relegation zone of League Two, created the better chances in today's match and were unlucky to lose against the Geordies. According to the BBC's match report: "Mansfield outplayed and outfought the Premiership side for much of the game."

Well there was no schadenfreude on my part, Phil, to the news last week of Michael Owen's unfortunate injury. I wouldn't wish any injuries on others, but I must admit, that like Jan, I do find myself enjoying Souness's discomfort. Primarily because the last 18 months at Rovers under his management were a shambles.

They say that football is a game of two halves, and for the first half of Souey's reign at Ewood, it's true that he generally did a very good job for us. (If one ignores the Grabbi debacle for a moment - one of the most disastrous buys in Premiership history.)

Souness got us promoted and won the Worthington Cup. But in the last 18 months, the wheels came off spectacularly - and that's where my main gripe lies.

This was a man who nearly sent my football club crashing into obvlivion. 10 home Premiership defeats at Ewood during the 2003/04 season - with some truly horrendous performances at home. The goals from Jon Stead late in the season fortunately saved us from relegation and disaster.

I doubt that Rovers would have been able to recover from what would have been a catastrophic blow of relegation and under Souness, we started off the 2004/05 season in exactly the same poor vein. We were in the bottom three when Hughes took over and looked firmly like a relegation team.

As Hughes himself said: "Within a few days of arriving, I realised the team needed to be a lot fitter."

A damning indictment of Mr Souness - who was failing in his duty of preparing the team properly. Our team spirit was poor, with bust-ups, training ground squabbles and players being ignored by the man in charge. Garry Flitcroft learnt that he was being stripped of the Rovers captaincy through the media.

The team was a shambles, tactically poor and unfit, with players being played out of position. Dominic Matteo as a left winger. Square pegs in round holes. The manager tried to blame "lady luck" for his own tactical ineptitude and during our relegation battle he was busy swanning off to the Sky Sports studios in London to appear as a pundit, pontificating about Chelsea and Arsenal's deficiencies when he couldn't pick the right team at Rovers.

So that's where my scorn lies. He was a man, as I said, who was responsible for nearly crashing my football club into oblivion - a position from which we may never have recovered if Mark Hughes hadn't came along at the right time and turned things around. Thank You Freddy for taking this man away from us.

Yes, Souey got us promoted and won us the League cup. For that I'm grateful. But I'm also disdainful of his last 18 months with us and I wanted him to fail badly at Newcastle - which is exactly what he has done so far. Newcastle were a club who had finished in the top 5 of the Premiership in each of Bobby Robson's last three seasons.

Freddy Shepherd though believed that finishing 5th in his final season and missing out on the Champions League was "unacceptable". Under Souness, Newcastle have become a mediocre mid-table side who struggle to beat Mansfield.

Part of me wants Souey to get his P45 at Newcastle. The other part of me wants the shambles at St James' Park to continue for as long as possible.

Anyway, I've got a bottle of champagne in the fridge ready for when Souey does eventually depart. And if Jan wanted to share the bottle with me, she would be most welcome. 

372398[/snapback]

I couldn’t of put it any more eloquently myself, and when that buffoon of a man( Fat Fred) took Souness away from his reign from this great club it was a happy day. What has followed during his reign at Newcastle has made me even more happy, Newcastle who believe that because they get bums on seats they have a divine right to success and have a self-made reputation of a big European club.

Plus they are even more in debt than before Souness arrived a reported 80 million

Edited January 7, 2006 by Bazzanotsogreat

[Modi]

Amen to that Smiffy, couldn't agree more. Don't think most people realise how close Souness was to crippling our Club for good.

372402[/snapback]

Or how close thethe club was to being crippled before he came?

What Souness convinced me was the 'Italian' mentality of the need to change managers every 3 seasons or so for all but the most exceptional of talents. Sunderland suffered by staying with Peter Reid for too long, and the latest case in the Premiership seems to be McClaren at Boro. Rovers and Souness parted company at just about the last feasible point.

[modes98]

Amen to that Smiffy, couldn't agree more. Don't think most people realise how close Souness was to crippling our Club for good.

372402[/snapback]

Agreed totally, for all the good he did us, he did as much bad.

Awful signings matched by good.

Getting us up and almost certainly sending us back down.

The league cup stands as his main achievement

I'm thankful he left when he did, i'm even more thankful for newcastle paying us for his services as he would have been sacked soon after. Somehow i doubt anyone will take him off there hands now!

If it wasn't for hughes securing up our rubbish defense we would have gone down and as souness has proved he can't sign good/decent defenders and make them play well. It's for the next manager to make them play well.

I doubt he'll be in charge when we play them, but if he is it'd be very good to get him sacked!

[Ricky]

I seem to remember that Souness had a go at Bellamy when he left about not scoring enough goals. He said that Ameobi would outscore him if given a longer run in the team. Just out of interest Ameobi has played in 16 games this season and scored 1 goal, Bellers has played in 17 games and scored 9 goals....... I think I know which one I would choose Mr Souness.

http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/050202/4/8u8r.html

[S15]

That interview is littered with the kind of comments which make me love Souey so much.

Blatantly wrong yet so, so defiant.

[RevidgeBlue]

I seem to remember that Souness had a go at Bellamy when he left about not scoring enough goals. He said that Ameobi would outscore him if given a longer run in the team. Just out of interest Ameobi has played in 16 games this season and scored 1 goal, Bellers has played in 17 games and scored 9 goals....... I think I know which one I would choose Mr Souness.

http://uk.sports.yahoo.com/050202/4/8u8r.html

372819[/snapback]

I'm sure he also said at one point in the quote of the season that Dyer converted up front would score more goals than Bellamy this season.

I'm not normally an apologist for GS but a long while ago when things started going awry down here a friend of mine who's had a triple heart bypass was convinced that there was no way Souness could possibly perform his managerial functions properly due to the effects of the medication he must be on.

He did seem to be doing well for a period then seemed to reach a point whereby ever since both at Rovers and Newcastle his decision making and conduct has been so bizarre it's no surprise at all things went pear shaped and you wonder if there's anything in it.

[Ricky]

Not sure if anyone is interested but skybet have offered me 33-1 on Bellamy scoring at Newcastle and Souness getting sacked after the game.... could be interesting.

Also offered 25-1 on Pedersen to score direct from a corner this season. doesn't seem great odds to be fair.

[Eddie]

Those aren't good odds at all. If you consider the number of times he's tried and has yet to do it in any competition for us I wouldn't be tempted into that bet until the odds reached around 100/1.

[Blue blood]

The interview on radio rovers with our fitness coach was particularly damning and a timely reminder of how far we've come. Best quote was the rather diplomatic 'Reid, Emerton and (can't remember the third maybe Bentley) have never reached anywhere near their full fitness potential'.

With regards to Souness crippling us, on paper, he left us with some good foundations at least in Friedel, Todd, Reid, Dickov, Neill, Tugay, Pederson, Ferguson all of whom only began to realise or refind their best form after Souness had gone. For a crippled club that's a fair chunk of the team to be going on with. Add in the likes of Emerton, Enkleman, Gray as well as a good youth set up and the squad is becoming halfway decent. Sadly the other half was absolute rubbish on high wages and long contracts, and gave limited options for Hughes in terms of who he could play and who he could bring in.

Even so it's interesting to note that Hughes kept us up, in the end fairly comfortably with only three additions. It goes to show what a difference managers can make with any group of players.

Newcastle are trying to get this out of favour french defender to bolster their team - doesn't sound like a transfer that'll set the world alight.

[Tris]

Those aren't good odds at all. If you consider the number of times he's tried and has yet to do it in any competition for us I wouldn't be tempted into that bet until the odds reached around 100/1.

372933[/snapback]

If MGP would stop trying to flippin score direct from corners, his contributions in that area might actually be useful. There were more decent corners for Rovers in his absence on Saturday than he's taken all season to date.

[Tris]

Even when we finished 6th I remember more than me on here complaining that with the way we could play in some games we should have been much higher in the league.

I feel duty bound to contradict you there Janice, with a bit of a stroll down memory lane.

As I'm sure you recall, a strange twist of fate meant that my seats were next to your seats in the top tier at White Hart Lane on that sunny Saturday in May 2003 when we trounced Spurs 4-0 to reach Europe.

Which meant that we shared that euphoric moment, and the five of us celebrated and revelled in the fabulous achievement .... and as the Spurs season tickets rained down onto the pitch away to our right, you agreed that Souness was the man and had done bloody well!!!

I'll have a look for the photos if you like ...

[adopted scouser]

If MGP would stop trying to flippin score direct from corners, his contributions in that area might actually be useful.  There were more decent corners for Rovers in his absence on Saturday than he's taken all season to date.

372976[/snapback]

And where have you been ?!

[Tris]

And where have you been ?!

373029[/snapback]

here

wish I still was ....

[den]

[adopted scouser]

here 

wish I still was ....

373050[/snapback]

Lucky get ! Good job you had that woolly hat on mate, stops the light bouncing off your head !

Cracking picures, some of those fags look a bit long though

[Ozz]

Heapey?