[Archived] John Williams

[Kenwoo]

What a great guy. The Paul Ince decision was a stinker but everything else was gold. Think City will win more Silverware in the coming seasons. They've got a great setup and John Williams will do wonders for them.

[jim mk2]

So a man who has "lost interest" (according to Mrs Desai) is back in football and landed a prominent role at a leading club too - a good move for him and recognition of his talents that throws into the spotlight again the stupidity of our owners. It's obvious more than ever that you cannot trust anything Venky's say or do and why their claims of spending £40m plus in this transfer window should be taken with a barrowload of salt.

[Majiball]

Good luck in your new job JW, all the best.

So the man who had waited 5 years to get some investment walks away as he lost interest (Well done Jerome and Kean)

Desai's words over JW leaving

[imy9]

Good luck in your new job JW, all the best.

So the man who had waited 5 years to get some investment walks away as he lost interest (Well done Jerome and Kean)

Desai's words over JW leaving

He wanted a change after 12 years- perfectly understandable, it usely takes me about 5 years! He is now at a club where l am sure he is being paid handsomely for a far less demanding role- good luck to him.

[cn174]

He wanted a change after 12 years- perfectly understandable, it usely takes me about 5 years! He is now at a club where l am sure he is being paid handsomely for a far less demanding role- good luck to him.

You think he left because he fancied a change?!

[jim mk2]

he lost interest

Desai's words over JW leaving

More lies and spin by the owners of course.

Williams was forced out.

[cruz]

Here we go again...all together now....1,2,3,.......YAWN!!!!!!

[RoverMad86]

More lies and spin by the owners of course.

Williams was forced out.

Regardless of how and why John left we now have a new set-up and need to move on.

Mr Williams clearly has.

Good luck.

[artemorethanlabore]

Great for Williams, but also sets his sainthood/martyrdom, as seen in this thread, in another light that he has no qualms with going to M City to work.

[Majiball]

All I can say is this:

JW thank you for deciding you still had plenty to offer football, having met you it would have been a real blow to lose you from the game. Also your new job pours scorn on all of the reasons posted by posters & the club, showing the only interest lost was in the new regime, not the club or game. The fact you've choosen a club like City shows you are not adverse to change as they are a growing beast in the mold of a titan. Your new role at a club wishing to cement its place at the head of the football table clearly shows your ability is not in question and your reputation well earnt. So I ask the question given our owners intend the same as City, being top 4 within a few years, why were you not retained????

Your closing statement that there is a new order and a new way of doing things, combined with this should tell everyone exactly what we are in for.

[jim mk2]

Regardless of how and why John left we now have a new set-up and need to move on.

Mr Williams clearly has.

Good luck.

Williams "clearly has moved on" because he had no choice - he was effectively sacked. Like Sam Allardyce he was seen as part of the previous regime by the new owners and, like Sam, he probably told Venky's how football operates in this country and how they should go about their business. The owners chose to ignore them and throw away the experience of both men and we as fans have had to suffer the consequences over the past 6 months.

Best wishes to both. Man City and West Ham are the winners in all this.

[den]

I agree 100% with that Neil, the Rao's might well want to bring someone in from the outside to look at things with a fresh eye, but as I've previously opined the ideal successor to John Williams is already at the Club imo in the shape of the admirable Tom Finn.

I'm surprised people haven't picked up rather more on the fact that Tom issued the official statement paying tribute to John. This indicates to me :

1) Tom must be viewed favourably by the new owners.

2) Tom must not be too unhappy either with the fact of John's departure or the manner in which John was treated or he'd presumably have been offski himself.

Sorry Rev!

[47er]

Here we go again...all together now....1,2,3,.......YAWN!!!!!!

Yeah its really boring isn't it?

[RoverMad86]

Williams "clearly has moved on" because he had no choice - he was effectively sacked. Like Sam Allardyce he was seen as part of the previous regime by the new owners and, like Sam, he probably told Venky's how football operates in this country and how they should go about their business. The owners chose to ignore them and throw away the experience of both men and we as fans have had to suffer the consequences over the past 6 months.

Best wishes to both. Man City and West Ham are the winners in all this.

Are we now not in the same situation? Williams was sacked, as was Sam, so we have to move on. We have new people in, they both have new jobs. That is life.

Struggle to see how West Ham win? Would you swap Kean and Premier League football for Sam and Championship football? Personally I would not. Maybe I am alone in thinking this.

[Gav]

Are we now not in the same situation? Williams was sacked, as was Sam, so we have to move on. We have new people in, they both have new jobs. That is life.

Struggle to see how West Ham win? Would you swap Kean and Premier League football for Sam and Championship football? Personally I would not. Maybe I am alone in thinking this.

You're not alone, its business, happens all the time when takeovers occur.

Wish him well in his new role.

[Mattyblue]

'fancied a change' imy? Behave yourself!

He wasn't bored, he wasn't close to retirement, he didn't want a new challenge.

I met him just before the takeover and the passion he still had for Rovers was infectious, I had to remind myself that he was only an employee.

Man City are a club going places fast and they think Williams is a man who will help them move forward. Venky's thought otherwise, more fool them.

[DanLad]

Good luck, John!

I hope your new job goes well!

[imy9]

'fancied a change' imy? Behave yourself!

He wasn't bored, he wasn't close to retirement, he didn't want a new challenge.

I met him just before the takeover and the passion he still had for Rovers was infectious, I had to remind myself that he was only an employee.

Man City are a club going places fast and they think Williams is a man who will help them move forward. Venky's thought otherwise, more fool them.

Hold on, he was the top man at Rovers, what's his position at Man City, 6th, 7th? With all due respect JW is not going to be playing a major role at City as he did at Rovers- in all honesty he probably would have a bigger say at Rovers. From afar I have thought that City have been run by muppets who are ruining the game- JW will have little say in changing that but I wish him well- he deserves as much.

[Exiled in Toronto]

He clearly didn't want to sack Allardyce and, when over-ruled, didn't want to work for the new owners. Fair enough. Now he has gone and got another job, fair enough again. He brought a passion to his job, but it was still a job. I'm a bit surprised he has taken a job that reports to the chap who reports to the chap who reports to the owners, given the autonomy he had here, but each to their own.

I assume that people will be replacing their atavars of him, unless supporting a mid-level administrator at Manchester City somehow equates to supporting Blackburn Rovers?

[Amo]

I assume that people will be replacing their atavars of him, unless supporting a mid-level administrator at Manchester City somehow equates to supporting Blackburn Rovers?

Che Guevara-style t-shirts will be next.

Good luck to JW in his new role. I'm sure the club will benefit from his years of experience and respect in the game. It's too bad Venky's didn't feel the same, but c'est la vie.

[RibbleValleyRover]

'fancied a change' imy? Behave yourself!

He wasn't bored, he wasn't close to retirement, he didn't want a new challenge.

I met him just before the takeover and the passion he still had for Rovers was infectious, I had to remind myself that he was only an employee.

Man City are a club going places fast and they think Williams is a man who will help them move forward. Venky's thought otherwise, more fool them.

So you have spoken to JW Matty and he told you he was forced out?

[Exiled in Toronto]

So you have spoken to JW Matty and he told you he was forced out?

Exactly. I find "forced out" to be another hyperbolic phrase bandied about on here much like "stabbed in the back".

I am sure JW found his position to be initially uncomfortable and then, after the Allardyce sacking, untenable. These thing happen. But for him to have been "forced out" one would have to assume that they sacked Allardyce at least in part to get rid of JW, which is ludicrous.

[den]

Exactly. I find "forced out" to be another hyperbolic phrase bandied about on here much like "stabbed in the back".

I am sure JW found his position to be initially uncomfortable and then, after the Allardyce sacking, untenable. These thing happen. But for him to have been "forced out" one would have to assume that they sacked Allardyce at least in part to get rid of JW, which is ludicrous.

You're making a big assumption that JW left mainly because he was made to sack Allardyce. Care to share how you know that then?

[Exiled in Toronto]

You're making a big assumption that JW left mainly because he was made to sack Allardyce. Care to share how you know that then?

It was heavily implied in that report further up this thread. Care to share how you know any better?

[den]

It was heavily implied in that report further up this thread. Care to share how you know any better?

Well you said: "I am sure JW found his position to be initially uncomfortable and then, after the Allardyce sacking, untenable". - So you weren't sure, in fact you don't know why he left.

My position was clear before Venky's took control. I said then, that people should watch John Williams's position carefully, because he was the kind of person who wouldn't hang around if he didn't think the club was in the right hands. His move to Man City pretty well shows that to be the case, doesn't it?