[Archived] Henning Berg - Rovers Manager

[RevidgeBlue]

17 (well, 18)! Hmm maybe I should shut up for a bit. Oh yeah I'll get behind him and the team at the games. I just don't think its sensible to ever appoint a manager from a level below unless his record is close to flawless. Even then it can still go wrong as it did with Ince. We could have gone for Holloway, Freedman, Davies, McCarthy, Megson, Jones or anyone who's done this before. In every other walk of life experience of doing a job will put you at the top of the pile if you apply for that job elsewhere, obviously the reason being they know you can already do it. If there was nobody we could have got with experience and success in the Championship, only then should we have started with candidates from leagues lower down. I'm just wound up by the whole amateurish process, its the stupid risk-taking attitude that got Kean the job happening all over again. Anyway, I'll leave it at that and pray promotion somehow happens before the money vanishes and we return back to our 1980s level.

Megson? Jones? Davies? Are you having a giraffe?

Everyone seems to be overplaying the value of "experience." Generally when a manager is "experienced" it means they're not particularly good but have just been around a long time. Manage for a while with varying degrees of success, tail off, get the sack, then straight back on the managerial merry go round to swap places with another "experienced" manager who has just got the boot. Whilst up and coming young coaches invariably don't get a look in.

Several of our Norwegian posters have made excellent contributions explaining why Berg's record in Norway may well have extenuating circumstances. He might not turn out to be the answer, he might turn out to be absolutely brilliant. But it's far too early to be passing any sort of judgment after one game. If the players didn't react on Saturday that tells us rather more about the character of the players than it does about Berg.

Ability is more important than experience per se. As is sometimes being the right man in the right place at the right time. Look at Brian Clough at Leeds.

If Berg's good enough, he's old/experienced enough. If he's not, he's not.

[Steve Kean's Hypnotoad]

Megson? Jones? Davies? Are you having a giraffe?

Everyone seems to be overplaying the value of "experience." Generally when a manager is "experienced" it means they're not particularly good but have just been around a long time. Manage for a while with varying degrees of success, tail off, get the sack, then straight back on the managerial merry go round to swap places with another "experienced" manager who has just got the boot. Whilst up and coming young coaches invariably don't get a look in.

Several of our Norwegian posters have made excellent contributions explaining why Berg's record in Norway may well have extenuating circumstances. He might not turn out to be the answer, he might turn out to be absolutely brilliant. But it's far too early to be passing any sort of judgment after one game. If the players didn't react on Saturday that tells us rather more about the character of the players than it does about Berg.

Ability is more important than experience per se. As is sometimes being the right man in the right place at the right time. Look at Brian Clough at Leeds.

If Berg's good enough, he's old/experienced enough. If he's not, he's not.

Megson - promoted West Brom twice, Jones - promoted Wolves, Davies - promoted Derby. And they were on the end of my list.

The point of this season is promotion. Its the most vital thing to accomplish as a club since the title win, as we don't have Jack to help us this time if we don't manage it. If we don't get promoted then in a matter of years we'll be back to the level Burnley are at. So screw extenuating circumstances, screw who used to play for us and screw who's fashionable among supporters and who ain't. The thought process that got Allardyce the job should have been in place for this manager hunt with such a vital goal at stake. Instead we go for the lets have fun chancing our arm on an ex-player approach, its ridiculous.

[Kelbo]

Megson - promoted West Brom twice, Jones - promoted Wolves, Davies - promoted Derby. And they were on the end of my list.

The point of this season is promotion. Its the most vital thing to accomplish as a club since the title win, as we don't have Jack to help us this time if we don't manage it. If we don't get promoted then in a matter of years we'll be back to the level Burnley are at. So screw extenuating circumstances, screw who used to play for us and screw who's fashionable among supporters and who ain't. The thought process that got Allardyce the job should have been in place for this manager hunt with such a vital goal at stake. Instead we go for the lets have fun chancing our arm on an ex-player approach, its ridiculous.

The same Megson who struggled at Blackpool and Bolton? The same Davies who struggled at Notts Forest and the same Dave Jones, despite having Bellamy, Whittingham, Miller, Earnshaw etc struggled at Cardiff and is struggling at Sheff Wed, Megson was also sacked at Sheff Wed - there are no gaurantees in football, you take your chance, indeed, Coyle came from St Johnstone and did fine at Burnley, struggled at Bolton, AVB is on his last chances at Spurs after failing at Chelsea, yet was succesful abroad, Scoleri the same, names mean sod all to me, even Holloway failed at Leicester and QPR, Brian Clough went to Derby County from Hartlepool and won them the league title, I could go on over the years, even at Rovers, Jim Iley was a huge success at Barnsley prior to coming to Ewood and remains almost as big a flop as Kean!! Finally, we have Sparky, did really well for Rovers and flopped at Man City and the same at QPR to date>

[Fife Rover]

Megson - promoted West Brom twice, Jones - promoted Wolves, Davies - promoted Derby. And they were on the end of my list.

The point of this season is promotion. Its the most vital thing to accomplish as a club since the title win, as we don't have Jack to help us this time if we don't manage it. If we don't get promoted then in a matter of years we'll be back to the level Burnley are at. So screw extenuating circumstances, screw who used to play for us and screw who's fashionable among supporters and who ain't. The thought process that got Allardyce the job should have been in place for this manager hunt with such a vital goal at stake. Instead we go for the lets have fun chancing our arm on an ex-player approach, its ridiculous.

Well well SKH........If only you had made this post much earlier in your series, I am sure you would have had almost universal agreement from others and could thus have saved yourself all the wee battles that have come your way.

[Andy]

The comment has just been made to me that Henning is our first ever foreign coach, in the entire history of the club.

Bit of useless trivia I guess.

[Mike E]

The comment has just been made to me that Henning is our first ever foreign coach, in the entire history of the club.

Bit of useless trivia I guess.

The Welsh and the Scottish are still foreign to me

[Andy]

Hah, I was thinking of making that joke myself!

Having said that, Kean was not only Scottish but seemingly from another planet altogether...

[bob fleming]

The point of this season is promotion. Its the most vital thing to accomplish as a club since the title win, as we don't have Jack to help us this time if we don't manage it. If we don't get promoted then in a matter of years we'll be back to the level Burnley are at. So screw extenuating circumstances, screw who used to play for us and screw who's fashionable among supporters and who ain't. The thought process that got Allardyce the job should have been in place for this manager hunt with such a vital goal at stake. Instead we go for the lets have fun chancing our arm on an ex-player approach, its ridiculous.

Absolutely agree with this. For what it's worth, McCarthy would have been my choice (past tense). Initially I said Sherwood but that was over the weekend when whatshisface quit.

Anyway, it's all done now, they've not appointed the manager we wanted. However we now have Henning Berg, who if his first week is anything to go by, is well worthy of our support.

[RevidgeBlue]

Fair points to make SKH. You wanted a more experienved manager which is a perfectly reasonable stance to take.

However, you're trying to cite the fact we lost at Palace as evidence you're right which is just as ridiculous as you seem to think appointing Berg was.

[SamDingle]

If we don't get promoted then in a matter of years we'll be back to the level Burnley are at.

A matter of hours if results go well tonight.

[Stand & Deliver]

A matter of hours if results go well tonight.

Bloody Nora. Just when you think things couldn't get any worse.

[bob fleming]

Bloody Nora. Just when you think things couldn't get any worse.

That really does bring it all home doesn't it ? Sold off a Premier League squad, managed by an inept liar, Agents running the shop, removal of experienced guardians of the club, owners who know nothing about football. Culminating in burnley potentially going above us, obviously only briefly, tonight.

[CapeTownRover]

still think, that all this experienced manager stuff is nonsense. Freedman, Grayson, Poyet, Lambert, etc needed to start somewhere. Holloway, McCarthy, Redknapp etc were all once up and coming managers, who worked hard, and with so many years now behind them, and are now considered experienced. My take on this is, Berg has had 7 years as a manger, played in the PL and the Championship, and is by no means a novice at understanding what its all about. He knows the culture in England, he knows the expectations of fans, and he is by no means a fool.

There were those who wanted Sjolksjaer(spelling), but he has less managerial experience than Berg, and he has also never played in this divison. Berg took 2 Norwegian teams, who were basically skint, and in turmoil and imo did well. OGS imo has been helped by the fact that the owners have backed him with money, so for him its pretty easy going. So i cant understand why so many wanted a guy who has never played in this division, and doesnt know what it feels like.

[Florida Rover]

The comment has just been made to me that Henning is our first ever foreign coach, in the entire history of the club.

Bit of useless trivia I guess.

Johnny Carey was from the Republic of Ireland

[m1st]

still think, that all this experienced manager stuff is nonsense. Freedman, Grayson, Poyet, Lambert, etc needed to start somewhere. Holloway, McCarthy, Redknapp etc were all once up and coming managers, who worked hard, and with so many years now behind them, and are now considered experienced. My take on this is, Berg has had 7 years as a manger, played in the PL and the Championship, and is by no means a novice at understanding what its all about. He knows the culture in England, he knows the expectations of fans, and he is by no means a fool.

There were those who wanted Sjolksjaer(spelling), but he has less managerial experience than Berg, and he has also never played in this divison. Berg took 2 Norwegian teams, who were basically skint, and in turmoil and imo did well. OGS imo has been helped by the fact that the owners have backed him with money, so for him its pretty easy going. So i cant understand why so many wanted a guy who has never played in this division, and doesnt know what it feels like.

It was very interesting reading the match programme on my train back to the friends who are used to putting up with me whenever Rovers are in London. There was quite a lot of [presumably officially-sanctioned] slagging-off of Freedman, who was given his first chance in management at Palace, in various articles.

Basically, Palace looked to have a plan which fitted their players who looked sharper than we did and I thought that Berg's substitutions brought about a bit of an improvement. Let's hope that tonight's game will show a further improvement.

[Tom]

I await more posts about how well Dyche, Holloway and wee dougie are doing

[dingles staying down 4ever]

To those who pointed out the weekend's results prove that we should have taken McCarthy over Berg, have you seen Ipswich's result at Palace?

Does this mean that because only conceded two that Berg is the better manager, of course it doesn't.

It shows that Palace are the form team in the division.

[booth]

I await more posts about how well Dyche, Holloway and wee dougie are doing

Dyche, Holloway and wee dougie are doing well aren't they.

[SydneyRover]

still think, that all this experienced manager stuff is nonsense. Freedman, Grayson, Poyet, Lambert, etc needed to start somewhere. Holloway, McCarthy, Redknapp etc were all once up and coming managers, who worked hard, and with so many years now behind them, and are now considered experienced. My take on this is, Berg has had 7 years as a manger, played in the PL and the Championship, and is by no means a novice at understanding what its all about. He knows the culture in England, he knows the expectations of fans, and he is by no means a fool.

No, this point misses the point entirely. I don't think we can really read too much into Berg's tenure so far, tonight was desperately disappointing but at least we played okay.

But I still would have much preferred to have had an experienced manager. Yes those managers you named had to start somewhere. Firstly though the fact they're still around mostly means they've succeeded at this level more often than they've failed, so it's much less of a risk to appoint them than someone with a middling record in the Norwegian League. And secondly the experience that they have better equips them to deal with the kind of crap they'll face as manager of Rovers today.

[ABBEY]

First thing I noticed tonight was a proper warm up and stretching!!

[sjsbrfc]

Is this guy for real?

@Venkys_Advisors: Owners saw the game we let our self down and question needs to be asked by the players about letting 2 goals in and Berg is under pressure

@Venkys_Advisors: I am blaming shebby for appointing a manager in Berg enough has been said.

[BuckyRover]

Is this guy for real?

@Venkys_Advisors: Owners saw the game we let our self down and question needs to be asked by the players about letting 2 goals in and Berg is under pressure

@Venkys_Advisors: I am blaming shebby for appointing a manager in Berg enough has been said.

He is, to coin a popular phrase, a mentalist

[sjsbrfc]

He is, to coin a popular phrase, a mentalist

I told him what I thought of his comments

[BuckyRover]

He's been on here before. He is a fantasist from Oldham.

[Mike E]

He's that iBlAcKbUrN bloke isn't he?