[Archived] Michael Appleton - New Rovers Manager

[John]

Getting a lot of people asking me to justify the appointment - pretty difficult to do that, makes little sense.

It's ridiculous - fair enough, at Pompey they were practically bankrupt and had the bare bones of a team but Blackpool is different. I don't think they've lost many of those games but still, not exactly done well has?

If they wanted to go super cheap, they should be going for someone like Terry Butcher - Appleton has no track record at all.

But like all managers, Appleton can prove himself with some good results - I know very little about him so makes it harder to judge.

[JAL]

The LET article this morning has really @#/? me off. The players going to the directors asking for Bowyer to be given more time? Since when has it been there responsibility to get involved with manger appointments. The get paid 10,000's a week to play football, not to decide who the manager should be. They should have no direct influence whatsoever. They have been on easy street for to long, I get the feeling that bowyer is their 'mate', that is not what we need in the long run. Appleton needs to come in and kick some of the players up the arse. CKR wants bowyer for longer because he's playing him even though he's the most selfish player I have seen, (even more than Rochina). Appleton should drop him and who ever else wants to complain. They play football and get paid thousands, get on with it and suck it up. Bunch of pre madonnas.

Think they, the players are fully justified in doing so, Three wins out of three, looking good, and bang, they hire someone else.

Jim Iley - successful at Barnsley

Gordon Lee - second managerial appointment

Jim Smith - only experienced at lower levels

Don Mackay - Only managed in Scotland

Paul Ince - successful at MK Dons

Kenny Dalglish - legend (until he went to Newcastle and Liverpool second time!)

and so the list goes on.

The only thing I would say is the requirement to perform when he is Rovers manager, it is pretty difficult for fans to define how a manager will work in a club culture or with a player group.

So just what have you against Bowyer and McPhilips to cut them dead at such an early stage in their career. (and please dont use the they arent interested in the job line)

[Elegia]

why do people continue to point out his win % ratio? would anybody have done any better at a Portsmouth team, who only had a few players left, and where he basically had to throw in kids to get a team on the field. He has only won 2 games at Blackpool, but again only lost 2 out of 11 games...

Correct, few would have done better at Pompey, with the situation there all it shows is that he can pick 11 players from those that they could afford to play or that turned up.

If they didn't field a team week in week out they would have been booted out of the football league and that would have been the death of Pompey.

Appleton wasn't there to win promotion or even necessarily win games (relegation didn't matter either) they purely needed someone to pick a team in order to maintain their football league status whilst in administration - whichever league that was to be in he was the only person daft enough/cheap enough/brave enough to do it. He had nothing to lose down there really.

Hopefully that do or die mentality is never needed at Ewood........

[AJW]

Yes, but only won 2 out of 11.

There was absolutely no need for this appointment. Bowyer's just won 3 on the trot. What is wrong with these people, do they have chicken @#/? for brains? Don't they ever keep their word?

An unnecessary gamble.

I agree , i'm not going to judge Appleton on what he may or may not have achieved as a manager , but WHY WHY WHY haven't we gone for the experienced manager we all know we need ? managers like O'Driscoll , Davies may not have been everybodies cup of tea , but they were available ... they would i'm sure have been happy with Appletons salary with 2 failed gambles behind us do we really need another

[callumrovers]

Think they, the players are fully justified in doing so, Three wins out of three, looking good, and bang, they hire someone else.

What are these owners upto that is for the benefit of Blackburn Rovers football club.

How are they justified. Who pays their wages? In a normal working environment do employees get to decide who the next boss is? NO

Well said !

[Kelbo]

Conveniently forget that the ony two managers to get us into the top flight in the last 40 years were both experienced managers who had achieved things.

You get nowhere employing wet behind the ears novices

Whilst I am not advocating for one minute Appleton will get us promotion, remember one thing, both managers you mention had the backing of the Walker cash, in the case of Jimmy Smith, he wanted Steve Kindon from Wolves who was scoring for fun and the board wouldnt give him the cash, we would have gone up with Kindon that year (Kindon told me he would have walked to Ewood at that time)

[JAL]

Think they, the players are fully justified in doing so, Three wins out of three, looking good, and bang, they hire someone else.

What are these owners upto that is for the benefit of Blackburn Rovers football club.

How are they justified. Who pays their wages? In a normal working environment do employees get to decide who the next boss is? NO

Well said !

Willing to let the empty seats have the final say Callum.

[callumrovers]

The only empty seats will be from fans who have already decided they are not going to support Appleton before he is even in the job.

[ABBEY]

The only empty seats will be from fans who have already decided they are not going to support Appleton before he is even in the job.

?? There's already thousands of empty seats .

[RibbleValleyRover]

Highly regarded coach in the game, young upcoming manager? I remember the same spiel spouted by fans and the media when Kean was given the job.

It was inevitable that some fans would try to justify this appointment, for some anything that Rovers do cannot be questioned "In Rovers we trust". After several rubbish appointments in a row it's understandable that if some people have a gut feeling it is more of the same they are going to speak out.

Win percentage stats aren't the be all and end all but they are very important, it is the stats that dictates whether you keep your job or lose it (maybe not as important at Rovers going off recent history).

I'll be the first to get out the humble pie but I don't think I will have to get in the ingredients to bake one never mind eat it. This appointment has disaster written all over it.

[callumrovers]

?? There's already thousands of empty seats .

Apart from the already empty seats, thanks to Venkys. I can accept fans not turning up because of Venkys, but too not turn up because we have appointed Appleton is fickle.

[joey_big_nose]

Screw it, he's in so he gets my support for eight games minimum. Rovers under Venkys have fluked some good decisions before - Rhodes, Jermaine Jones, Yakubu. I guess we have to hope this is another one..... have to say form is well well against them. Especially on the management front.

Oh well.

[Gav]

Apart from the already empty seats, thanks to Venkys. I can accept fans not turning up because of Venkys, but too not turn up because we have appointed Appleton is fickle.

I don't think its a simple as that callum.

Some of the decision making at the club over the past few years has been bordering on lunacy. Fans have had enough and are voting with there feet, appointing Appleton will be the final straw for many, its not that he's a bad manager, its the lies leading up to his appointment that once again we've had to endure and many feel under whelmed by his appointment.

I'll back him like I do with all new managers, but you can't call people fickle for staying away due to his appointment, I'd imagine the real reasons are much deeper.

[JAL]

Apart from the already empty seats, thanks to Venkys. I can accept fans not turning up because of Venkys, but too not turn up because we have appointed Appleton is fickle.

So what direction would Appleton be taking Rovers in given his past record and Venkys past record. Are we looking at a nil - nil bore draw.

[Rover_Shaun]

A 1975 status quo song comes to mind

[sjsbrfc]

A 1975 status quo song comes to mind

Is Appletons middle name Caroline?

[Rover_Shaun]

Is Appletons middle name Caroline?

FAIL....1973

[Roversider]

Think they, the players are fully justified in doing so, Three wins out of three, looking good, and bang, they hire someone else.

So just what have you against Bowyer and McPhilips to cut them dead at such an early stage in their career. (and please dont use the they arent interested in the job line)

I have nothing against Bowyer and McPhilips, I think they've done a great job and as such I would support their appointment. However this thread is about Michael Appleton and it looks likely that he will be appointed so the comments are about his suitability. I don't see it as a 'he's better/he's worse' argument, the deal has been done by Shaw.

The one thing I will say is that I fully expect Gary Bowyer to remain at the club in the role he previously held, doing a great job in developing our young players. In some ways for a club like Rovers you could argue that picking the right man for that job is just as important as the club manager. Whatever happens we should all thank him and Terry for their efforts and I really hope he is here to continue working for the club, he has certainly added very positively to his CV.

As to whether they are interested in the job that's a bit irrelevant as they haven't been offered it and last time I checked the decision is made in India, not by the fans. However given some of the rants on here I'm not certain that the fans are the best deciders anyway

[sjsbrfc]

FAIL....1973

Hard to distinguish, they all sound the same

[Majiball]

A link from 2013:

http://www.talksport.co.uk/radio/andy-goldsteins-sports-bar/130111/kevin-gallacher-blackburns-move-michael-appleton-189038

[JAL]

have nothing against Bowyer and McPhilips, I think they've done a great job and as such I would support their appointment. However this thread is about Michael Appleton and it looks likely that he will be appointed so the comments are about his suitability. I don't see it as a 'he's better/he's worse' argument, the deal has been done by Shaw.

The one thing I will say is that I fully expect Gary Bowyer to remain at the club in the role he previously held, doing a great job in developing our young players. In some ways for a club like Rovers you could argue that picking the right man for that job is just as important as the club manager. Whatever happens we should all thank him and Terry for their efforts and I really hope he is here to continue working for the club, he has certainly added very positively to his CV.

As to whether they are interested in the job that's a bit irrelevant as they haven't been offered it and last time I checked the decision is made in India, not by the fans. However given some of the rants on here I'm not certain that the fans are the best deciders anyway

Just cant see what Appleton has over Bowyer and McPhilips regarding managing ability maybe you could enlighten us.

[den]

Just cant see what Appleton has over Bowyer and McPhilips regarding managing ability.

Of course you can't Jal. You're like me and almost everyone else on here. We don't know the first thing about Michael Appleton, but we're likely to find out.

Let's wait and see eh?

[wampam]

i'd love to know who put the big bucks on appleton last weekend to come from nowhere to big odds on. somebody making a packet it seems.

[Majiball]

Just cant see what Appleton has over Bowyer and McPhilips regarding managing ability maybe you could enlighten us.

Experience.

Unfortunatly as opposed to experience in the term we all thought they meant IE managing a football succesfully they really meant experience of working with:

[LeChuck]

Just cant see what Appleton has over Bowyer and McPhilips regarding managing ability maybe you could enlighten us.

None of us know anything about Bowyer and McPhilips' managerial ability. You can't tell a single thing from three games.

We were always going to need a long term appointment. Admittedly I'm surprised they've done on the back of a three game winning streak.