[Archived] Souness for boro job?

[chaddyrovers]

In the Middlesborough local paper, it say that Graeme Souness has apply for the Boro job. He's a ex player there and did well with Rovers in that Division. Also did well in premiership and winning the league cup but the last 15 months of his reign was awful. He sold our best 2 players in Duff and Dunn.

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/boro-fc/boro-fc-news/2010/10/22/gs3-graeme-souness-is-in-for-boro-job-84229-27525140/

[DE.]

Some of the players at Boro seem to require a firm foot up the arse and I think Souey would certainly give them that. He wouldn't be a terrible appointment IMO, am surprised he's been out of the game for so long.

[tony gale's mic]

I think he'd be good for them. There's a fair few parallels between Boro now and us back then...granted Boro didnt win the title 5 years previous but then none of the title side were playing at the time.

[Amo]

Do you think Souness wanted a job back here after Ince left? I can't remember if he distanced himself from it at the time.

[The Gull]

Apparently when asked if he was interested in the job earlier today his response was "I am done with that nonsense". That would suggest that he is happy with the odd media appearance rather than the pressures of being a manager again.

[Tom]

In the Middlesborough local paper, it say that Graeme Souness has apply for the Boro job. He's a ex player there and did well with Rovers in that Division. Also did well in premiership and winning the league cup but the last 15 months of his reign was awful. He sold our best 2 players in Duff and Dunn.

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/boro-fc/boro-fc-news/2010/10/22/gs3-graeme-souness-is-in-for-boro-job-84229-27525140/

Things went wrong at the end but we can hardly blame him for Duff leaving.

One of my favourite managers in recent memory, let's just forget that opening game of his last season, the Matteo game

[Amo]

Things went wrong at the end but we can hardly blame him for Duff leaving.

Especially when Duff had a release clause.

[Doaksie]

The Duff transfer was inevitable at that time. After a few refused bids we simply had to say yes when as Topman says, the release clause was triggered (17 million I seem to recall). Abramovich was really flexing his financial muscle at that time.

I really enjoyed the Souness era. Yes they were some shocking signings and he was granted money we could only dream of now, but with my nostalgic hat on I can forgive all that for the good times. The football was exciting and of course some success helped to brighten the memories. Just need to forget his disdain for European competitions and I would really remember him fondly.

[92er]

I remember hearing on the radio that thier fans came to value Southgate after Strachan had taken over and realised he wasn't as bad as they thought he was.

I wonder if Gibson might consider going for him in partnership with somebody older.

[doctorryan]

The Duff transfer was inevitable at that time. After a few refused bids we simply had to say yes when as Topman says, the release clause was triggered (17 million I seem to recall). Abramovich was really flexing his financial muscle at that time.

I really enjoyed the Souness era. Yes they were some shocking signings and he was granted money we could only dream of now, but with my nostalgic hat on I can forgive all that for the good times. The football was exciting and of course some success helped to brighten the memories. Just need to forget his disdain for European competitions and I would really remember him fondly.

The clause was 17.7, but whatever, and Souey's disdain was for the UEFA Cup(I share that disdain unless we're playing a Celtic, Leverkusen, Feyenoord, etc...). He would've bloody loved it if we had qualified for the CL.

[deryck guyler's spoon]

We played superb football (remember that?) under Souness, shame his tenure was tainted by an almost disasterous end. I think he'd be great for Boro and would be surpised if he didn't want the job. I seem to remember Nicko suggesting that he was very interested in the Rovers gig post Ince.

[patrickvalery]

Its a real shame, but i'm not sure todays football is suited to Souness. He had us playing some beautiful stuff, but even since then football has changed. Footballers hold more power than ever before and Mr Souness would never accept that. I honestly believe that played some part in his downfall with us. Sadly, when a player is 'earning' such big wages, and collectively they hold so much power, the likes of Souness and his tried and tested methods are more often than not doomed to fail. The only thing which may work for him at Boro is having an owner who would back him. Both financially and ethically. But i'd still be surprised to see him get the job.

[Baz]

Souey would be a good move for Boro, he did well at Ewood for the first few years. It was his tactical naievity and constant falling out with the players that did for him in the end. I think overall his signings were very good, with the odd exception (Grabbi, De Pedro), he brought in players like:

Tugay

Berg

Friedel

David Thompson

Bert

MGP

Cole

Yorke

Lucas Neill

[Mattyblue]

His first 3 years were superb. That night at Celtic Park we played a brand of football that had your hairs on the back of your neck standing on end- that is why it riles me that we are now a 'likes of...' club, you know what I mean, a club that is always mentioned as a bunch of long ball cloggers.

However, lets not get all misty eyed. His last full season and the start of 2004/2005 before Newcastle came in was absymal. The quality of football, morale, tactics, results I believe would have seen us relegated.

[dave birch]

I still maintain that had Grabbi had his goal v Barthez allowed, we would have won that game and he would have been an eternal hero at Ewood.

btw, I think it was a fair goal.

[Amo]

From the sublime to the ridiculous, there was never a dull moment with Souey.

[Commondore]

Souey really seemed to have fallen off the radar before this, can't remember him being linked to anything since his reign at Newcastle went sour?

[Mattyblue]

Souey really seemed to have fallen off the radar before this, can't remember him being linked to anything since his reign at Newcastle went sour?

Didn't he say recently he was sick of the modern footballer, and would not want to manage again?

[DanLad]

I still maintain that had Grabbi had his goal v Barthez allowed, we would have won that game and he would have been an eternal hero at Ewood.

btw, I think it was a fair goal.

I think it was a fair goal, as well.

I think Grabbi would have been more effective for us had that been allowed, as well. Not a world beater, of course, but a better player than he was during his stay with us.

Another reason to dislike the perpetual favour that Utd receive from refs.

[den]

The Duff transfer was inevitable at that time. After a few refused bids we simply had to say yes when as Topman says, the release clause was triggered (17 million I seem to recall).

No we didn't.

[Andy]

Yes, we did.

Duff had a £17m release clause in his contract - at the time of signing the contract it was deemed that pretty much nobody would pay that amount.

However, once Abramovich waved his chequebook and that figure was offered, the clause was triggered (as was Bellamy's by Liverpool) and Chelsea were able to speak to Duff.

Also, Souey had no interest in rejoining us once Ince was sacked - he literally said so on Sky Sports News himself.

[92er]

I presume Jan isn't around at the moment.

[Doaksie]

No we didn't.

As Andy says, we had to accept the £17m bid as it triggered the release clause. We had to let him talk to Chelsea. Duff however could still have decided to stay with us. You recall it differently?

[den]

The Duff transfer wasn't inevitable because Duff himself said at the time, that although there was a clause, he wouldn't have asked to move.

EDIT - to clarify, if rovers hadn't accepted the Chelsea offer and contacted him at the airport, he wouldn't have asked to go. That's what he said at the time.

[gumboots]

As Andy says, we had to accept the £17m bid as it triggered the release clause. We had to let him talk to Chelsea. Duff however could still have decided to stay with us. You recall it differently?

And very nearly did. He came back after talking to Chelsea and when my daughter, who worked in the Bailey Arms, his local, at the time, asked him if that was it and he was going, he told her he didn't know but he didn't think so. Now he could have just been saying what he thought she wantd to hear but I think he was genuine.