[Archived] Gary Bowyer

[DE.]

What I find amazing is that people still believe Venky's would appoint an experienced or remotely decent manager. Now that's not learning your lesson.

[rovers11]

The next manager is going to have to rebuild the squad. Now while Bowyer has done OK so far, there's absolutely no evidence that he can do that. What rovers need next time, is someone who's been at another club and taken the club onto the next level.

My thoughts exactly.The squad needs major surgery - we need an experienced manager who can do that. Why take another risk on a managerial rookie if experienced managers are out there. If someone like Schuster wants the job then give it to him.

In saying that, if Bowyer got the job I actually think he would do a pretty good job. The reason I think he is a very strong candidate is his knowledge of young players both at Rovers and at other clubs. He plucked out Todd Kane from Chelsea because he is very familiar with him from his time from working with our youth team. If he could pluck a few more top young players from other teams and get some of our own youngesters into the squad then that could prove quite fruitful for us.

I just don't think we should take the risk though - need a proven manager.

[Amo]

The latter part of Graeme Souness's tenure at Ewood is a classic example of this. He fell out with some of the stronger characters in the squad and these players influenced the weaker ones. The result is a real dip in results and performance and ultimately ends in the managers dismissal.

Signing Dominic Matteo didn't help.

[chaddyrovers]

when people/fans say a proven manager, what are we actually looking for in the new manager?

experience in PL or Championship?

promotion experience?

overseas experience?

how many years in management?

a football philosophy?

History of developing young players?

[USABlue]

I am in the undecided camp, one part of me thinks we need an experienced manager to take the reins. The other thinks well he's done alright why not. I think it took him a little longer to de-Appleton the players than it did to de-Berg them. But by many accounts he does get the players to respond to him which is something no other manager has really done this season. He seems an honest sort of bloke so I think if he gets us unbeaten to the end of the season he must be in with a real shout, that and it would prove the path of least resistance for the clueless Rao's

[Exiled in Toronto]

Very surprising to me how many posters refuse to give Bowyer any credit whatsoever.

The seven points from his second spell are all the more creditable imo given that Appleton absolutely wrecked the balance of the squad by releasing or loaning out the flair players

Hmmm, and there was me thinking that without Jones and Williamson in midfield we'd be dead and buried by now. Appleton got terrible results but he did sign the nearest things to decent midfield players at this level

[Amo]

It's well and good saying 'We need a proven manager!' ad nauseam, but when you consider that whoever comes in will be the brainchild of Shagnew, Shebby, or Notorious Balaji, it doesn't bear thinking about. Until the owners grow a brain (they won't), and the board-room is restructured (it won't), I'm thinking Rovers stick with Bowyer for now. It's all rather grim and I wish I was past caring, but that's the best we can hope for.

[RevidgeBlue]

Hmmm, and there was me thinking that without Jones and Williamson in midfield we'd be dead and buried by now. Appleton got terrible results but he did sign the nearest things to decent midfield players at this level

Yes, to his credit Williamson in particular and Jones to a slightly lesser degree appear to be good signings that Appleton deserves credit for.

To be fair though, before Appleton came in Bowyer was getting a decent tune out of the players already at the Club - even the relatively hapless Murphy. And given the fact he was allowed to bring six players in I don't think you can argue anything other than Appleton recruited very poorly overall.

I'd sooner have left Bowyer in charge until the end of the season, kept Rochina and Vukcevic and allowed Bowyer to make a couple of additions of his own, we might have been challenging for a play off place not needing a couple more points to avoid relegation about now.

[GanG2245]

if bowyer get good results in next 4, then he is good enough to be permanent manager. seems like a mentally strong guy who does not panic easily...

but probably results wont be good. 4 very difficult matches coming up....

[chaddyrovers]

depending on who will could get in and the money available and how much cut backs they are in the summer, and Bowyer history of developing young players and getting them players into the first team,

then Bowyer might be the best manager we can get.

[DE.]

I can understand people not wanting Bowyer to take the job full time in theory... however, I'd like a realistic list of managers who would be willing to come to the club that would be better options. And keeping Venky's history of managerial appointments in mind I don't class the likes of Hughes, Curbishley, or Schuster as realistic. We're pretty much talking rookies, and probably bald white ones at that.

[Proudtobeblue&white]

It's well and good saying 'We need a proven manager!' ad nauseam, but when you consider that whoever comes in will be the brainchild of Shagnew, Shebby, or Notorious Balaji, it doesn't bear thinking about. Until the owners grow a brain (they won't), and the board-room is restructured (it won't), I'm thinking Rovers stick with Bowyer for now. It's all rather grim and I wish I was past caring, but that's the best we can hope for.

I'm kind of resigning my view to this. Whilst the idiots prevail at the club, the best interests of the club are secondary. Whilst Kamy informs us that a couple of decent candidates are interested, what is the point whist internecine warfare continues. Same old.....if the letters are genuine (as appear on the Trust site), and Glen states they are, what on earth are Shagnew still doing here?

As usual carnage is the norm, and poor GB has to try and keep the players together as a unit. The only thing that really unites our players seem to be big fat contracts! Survival is vital, Venkys fessing up, doing the right thing, appointing proper people.....pie in the sky.

Venkys = Pompey

[Stuart]

when people/fans say a proven manager, what are we actually looking for in the new manager?

experience in PL or Championship?

promotion experience?

overseas experience?

how many years in management?

a football philosophy?

History of developing young players?

Really good questions. I'll not answer them all but a proven manager for me means someone proven at Championship level. A steady hand will do for now. Someone who can work on a shoestring, gas experienced bad form and been able to turn it around. But has a particular ability to be able to man-manage.

Bowyer has had any real bad times to cope with yet and if he does it could easily end in relegation. I was slightly concerned about him being too matey with the player but with Murphy sidelined he may have that.

If Bowyer continues as he has, it's hard to deny him the chance but it's another gamble.

[RoverInverness]

The players at each club are key to situations like this. Quite simply I believe that if the players like and respect the manager then they will go the extra mile for them, which is what we have seen in the last two games. The latter part of Graeme Souness's tenure at Ewood is a classic example of this. He fell out with some of the stronger characters in the squad and these players influenced the weaker ones. The result is a real dip in results and performance and ultimately ends in the managers dismissal. A new manager comes in and suddenly the players attitudes change and results and performances improve. A good manager (Sam Allardyce, SAF etc) will weed out the bad eggs and at the very least have a squad who respect them.

I think that this post raises a very good point. As somebody pointed out concerning Berg "if you don't get rid of bad players, bad players will get of you". Appleton also realised that there was something rotten and stinking in the attitude of some of our players. Arbitro is right to assert that they respect Bowyer on a short term basis. However, being a permanent manager is a totally different scenario. Perhaps some of our players like Bowyer just because he isn't Appleton or Berg, and he isn't in a position to perform the radical surgery that is required. Give Bowyer that responsibility and they may soon turn against him.

Whoever Venky's appoint he MUST be allowed to weed out the under performing dross and the board must back him, regardless of a possible downturn in results, as senior players get upset about potentially losing the holiday camp, can't touch me and my £30 grand a week mentality. Our playing squad needs a dose of strong, foul tasting medicine - playing for Bowyer for two games does not mean our chronic problems on the pitch have gone away, and it doesn't qualify Bowyer as the man to dish out the medicine.

[Stuart]

I think that this post raises a very good point. As somebody pointed out concerning Berg "if you don't get rid of bad players, bad players will get of you". Appleton also realised that there was something rotten and stinking in the attitude of some of our players. Arbitro is right to assert that they respect Bowyer on a short term basis. However, being a permanent manager is a totally different scenario. Perhaps some of our players like Bowyer just because he isn't Appleton or Berg, and he isn't in a position to perform the radical surgery that is required. Give Bowyer that responsibility and they may soon turn against him.

Whoever Venky's appoint he MUST be allowed to weed out the under performing dross and the board must back him, regardless of a possible downturn in results, as senior players get upset about potentially losing the holiday camp, can't touch me and my £30 grand a week mentality. Our playing squad needs a dose of strong, foul tasting medicine - playing for Bowyer for two games does not mean our chronic problems on the pitch have gone away, and it doesn't qualify Bowyer as the man to dish out the medicine.

It also serves to underline the point as to what happens, as in cases such as Steve Kean, where the players lost form and appeared to have lost respect for him. Yet the club backed him rather than sacked him. Our form never recovered and we were relegated.

The remaining players may have respected him but they were of inferior quality, probably grateful to Kean for their opportunity.

This is where a good man-manager comes in. He can keep the quality players happy and performing, whilst isolating the real troublemakers.

This is where the players, manager and board all need to be pulling in the same direction.

[Amo]

what are we actually looking for in the new manager?

Hair.

[Majiball]

Hair.

Can it be anywhere or does it have to be on his head?

[Stuart]

Can it be anywhere or does it have to be on his head?

Not many things make me LOL but that did!

[den]

Very surprising to me how many posters refuse to give Bowyer any credit whatsoever.

He's taken the team over twice at a particularly low ebb and has managed fourteen points from eight games over two spells. The seven points from his second spell are all the more creditable imo given that Appleton absolutely wrecked the balance of the squad by releasing or loaning out the flair players.

The one thing Bowyer got wrong imo was his team selection for the Cardiff game, but who knows, we might have lost that anyway even with a full strength side.

In particular, Bowyer seems to have got the knack of getting us over the finishing line in home games - whilst not always playing particularly well. Five home games under Bowyer including the FA Cup tie against Bristol City have yielded four wins and one draw with nine goals scored and only one conceded.

There's still work to be done obviously and I hope he can go on and finish the job. He does seem to be quite close to the players from his comments and seems to have created a siege mentality following on from all the criticism of his trip to India etc. That closeness could work one of two ways. But at the moment it seems to be continuing to have a positive effect, despite the lack of flair in the squad, the players still seem to really want to play for him.

Hopefully, the truth will sink in that none of our problems are down to either the manager or the tactics. This current squad of players is the worst squad we've had for many, many years Simon. And the cause of this is down to Venky's and their decisions to rid us of a fantastic management team, both on and off the field.

[jim mk2]

Hopefully, the truth will sink in that none of our problems are down to either the manager or the tactics. This current squad of players is the worst squad we've had for many, many years Simon. And the cause of this is down to Venky's and their decisions to rid us of a fantastic management team, both on and off the field.

We've lost alot of good players but a good manager such as Mccarthy appointed to replace Kean could and would have made a big difference. Mccarthy took over a team of complete no-hopers at Ipswich and has steered them out of relegation trouble. Look at the difference Freedman has made at Bolton and Davies at Forest too. It's not all about players - the man in the dug-out is crucial too.

[den]

We've lost alot of good players but a good manager such as Mccarthy appointed to replace Kean could and would have made a big difference. Mccarthy took over a team of complete no-hopers at Ipswich and has steered them out of relegation trouble. Look at the difference Freedman has made at Bolton and Davies at Forest too. It's not all about players - the man in the dug-out is crucial too.

The manager is crucial Jim, of course he is. But because McCarthy improved the Ipswich team, it doesn't follow that he would have done the same here. Tell me this - why hasn't Harry Rednapp been able to keep QPR in the PL? Obviously, because no matter how good a manager he is, the squad aren't of PL standard. Now if you think this Rovers squad is better than the results have shown, you have to tell me who the top players are?

[Tom]

Is Bowyer doing a Sam and prioritising games and writing others off or are they just not 'playing for him' at selective times?

It seems amazing that in 3 home games we have conceded 1 goal under him yet 10 in 3 away games

[JAL]

We've lost alot of good players but a good manager such as Mccarthy appointed to replace Kean could and would have made a big difference. Mccarthy took over a team of complete no-hopers at Ipswich and has steered them out of relegation trouble. Look at the difference Freedman has made at Bolton and Davies at Forest too. It's not all about players - the man in the dug-out is crucial too.

Looks like whoever was going to manage Blackburn Rovers they werent ever going to be allowed to be a success here.

[DE.]

Is Bowyer doing a Sam and prioritising games and writing others off or are they just not 'playing for him' at selective times?

It seems amazing that in 3 home games we have conceded 1 goal under him yet 10 in 3 away games

Fact is, we don't have the quality in the squad to prioritise games, and there is no guarantee this bunch of clowns will turn up for any given match. If Bowyer is playing that game then it's a very dangerous one that will most likely backfire - I hope he has more sense than that.

[jim mk2]

The manager is crucial Jim, of course he is. But because McCarthy improved the Ipswich team, it doesn't follow that he would have done the same here. Tell me this - why hasn't Harry Rednapp been able to keep QPR in the PL? Obviously, because no matter how good a manager he is, the squad aren't of PL standard. Now if you think this Rovers squad is better than the results have shown, you have to tell me who the top players are?

McCarthy has a proven track record so the likelihood he would have done well for us too. This Rovers squad should certainly be better placed. I've seen some dreadful performances this season not because we have poor players but because they have at times been under-motivated and badly organised because they have been badly managed. An old fashioned sergeant major type like McCarthy or Davies simply would not have tolerated some of the rubbish served up under Berg and Appleton. I'm exempting Kean from this because he got us off to a cracking start for which we should be grateful. If we manage to stay up this season of course we will need to improve the team in the summer but if this team had been properly managed I'm certain we would not be anywhere near the relegation zone. .