Old Blackburnian's View - Pt 12 - Who is Rovers Greatest Manager (...of the last 50 years) ?

[Herbie6590]

A slightly longer version of this week's Accrington Observer column

Who is Rovers Greatest Manager (...of the last 50 years) ?

On an international weekend without club football, thank goodness for Twitter. Last week a Tweet asked “Who is your club’s greatest-ever manager?”. My first reaction ? Bingo, this week’s column sorted..!

My Rovers viewing started in 1969, therefore I’m going to restrict consideration here to the last fifty years so that my first-hand experience of watching Rovers can inform the commentary. The downside of this approach means that Bob Crompton’s FA Cup winning reign from 1926-1931, Johnny Carey’s first spell in charge from 1953-1958 which saw Rovers return to the top-flight and Dally Duncan leading Rovers to the 1960 FA cup final are all ineligible, though worthy achievements.

This will be of course, entirely a matter of subjective opinion and heavily influenced by personal biases as you shall see. Any comparison of achievements must also consider the context of those achievements; notably the resources available, how they were used and the personal impact of the manager in question. 

In true “Top Of The Pops” style, let’s count down from five to one...if at this point you are hearing Alan Freeman’s dulcet tones over the legendary theme, “At The Sign Of The Swinging Cymbal”; then my friend, we are on the same page...

 

5. Mark Hughes

Hughes joined Rovers as a player in October 2000 on a free transfer from Everton, one of many Rovers signings over the years that I have vocally questioned, only to have the evidence of my poor (and premature) judgement rammed down my throat. Two goals on his debut against Tranmere indicating that perhaps Souness knew what he could add.

However, it is his managerial record we are considering and Hughes returned to Ewood in 2004 to take over a side bereft of confidence and potentially on the road to relegation. Hughes subsequently led Rovers to two FA Cup semi-finals, UEFA cup qualifications and fashioned a side of skill allied to strength, leading the Guardian to christen us “Blackeye Rovers” in their “The Fiver” column, following the clash between Andy Todd and Robin van Persie in the Cardiff FA Cup semi final. A team that contained the likes of Robbie Savage, Roque Santa Cruz and David Bentley gave Rovers fans some great moments. Arguably, his reign at Rovers was to prove to be the high-water mark of Hughes as a manager, as despite his promising start, subsequent appointments failed to live up to the hype.

High Point: 4-3 win at Ewood over Manchester United in 2006

 

4. Graeme Souness

Souness, initially at least, was exactly the right man, at the right club at the right time. Rovers were in danger of being cast adrift in the second tier, or perhaps even worse and the whole club seemed to need a shake-up. The iron-man image of Souness was just what was required to reinvigorate an ailing set-up on and off the pitch.

Souness built on the young talent at his disposal, namely the exciting triumvirate of Duff, Dunn and Jansen and added to it some quality and experience with the likes of Berg, Hughes and of course, the inimitable Tugay. For signing Tugay alone, Souness could be regarded as something of a messiah.

Promotion was soon followed by a triumph in the League Cup, ensuring Rovers joined the pantheon of clubs to have won all three main domestic trophies. The signings of Andy Cole and then Dwight Yorke creating a buzz, the future seemed bright. However, slowly and surely, the abrasive side of Souness seemed to alienate some of his key players - most memorably Yorke in a 5 a-side match. When Newcastle came calling, many suspected that the timing salvaged his reputation and prevented Rovers having to dismiss him following a poor start to the season. The signing of Javier de Pedro summing up latter-days Souness.

High Point: Cardiff, 2002

 

3. Howard Kendall

Kendall joined Rovers as player-manager from Stoke City, on the back of a recommendation from Jimmy Armfield, after the Rovers board had tried to secure Armfield’s services. He took over a disjointed, dispirited team that had just suffered relegation and re-shaped them in his mould; hard-working, industrious, tenacious, organised but with flair and ingenuity when required. 

Securing promotion from the third division back to the second in his first season; incredibly, he almost made it back to back promotions the following year. Rovers capacity to avoid defeat resulting in a number of drawn games that ultimately would cause heartbreak as victories were required. That he managed all of this at a time when Rovers financial peril meant that (allegedly) nothing brighter than a 40w bulb flickered in the offices, tea bags were dried out and used twice and Kendall himself it is said, used to buy the milk for the staff tea, is little short of astonishing. 

His influence as a player should also not be under-estimated, but as he later went on to prove with Everton, he was indeed also a great manager. Had he stayed at Ewood longer than two seasons, perhaps he would have been indisputably Rovers’ best ever, but it was Everton that were to reap the benefits of his Rovers apprenticeship.

High point: Gigg Lane, April 1980

 

2. Kenny Dalglish

Dalglish is one of the legendary figures in British football and that he ever managed Rovers at all is still a source of astonishment. For younger readers, imagine Pep Guardiola quitting Man City next February and by October, being installed as the new Rovers manager...yes, it was THAT big at the time. 

Dalglish brought gravitas and instant credibility to the role, able to attract players to Rovers that wouldn’t have given (and in some instances didn't give) us a second glance previously, he was serious about his work and what he was expected to deliver. His signings were astute, his team building relentless and the results inexorably rolled in.

Promotion via the play offs and of course the small matter of the league title means he must be right up there, but adjusting for the resources at his disposal, means that in my view, he falls just short of the number one spot in this chart. 

High Point: May, 1995 naturally...

 

1. Don Mackay

I did say at the outset that personal biases would come into play and Don Mackay made me fall in love with Rovers all over again after the relatively sterile years of the early/mid 1980’s, where my Rovers habit had been broken by attending university. I followed from a distance of course, but preferred playing to watching. However, once Don was in situ, The natural enthusiasm of the man was infectious. His belief spread throughout the club and in time, the town.

There was something uniquely appealing about Don and the teams he assembled that won me over. Bargain signings seemed to gel almost immediately. Gradually, Rovers became attractive to watch and competitive. Glamour signings like Steve Archibald and Ossie Ardiles demonstrated the newly-found ambition. Much like Howard Kendall a decade earlier, the handicap of a shoe-string budget (initially) was overcome and resulted in successive appearances in the play-offs, albeit leading to annual heartbreak of course. 

But, THAT day out at Wembley in the Full Members’ Cup means that the Don just edges it for me. A day I never thought I’d see, Rovers lifting a trophy and at Wembley...little did we know what was to come. Don Mackay was a guest on the BRFCS podcast and still speaks fondly of his time at the club, but his memories are tinged with sadness that he couldn't utilise the Walker finance in the way that his successor was able to. On this list, you're number one though Don.

High Point: FMC, Wembley

 

You may well have your own view on this topic, but one topic we presumably can all agree on... “Who is Rovers’ Greatest-Ever Caretaker Manager ?”.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I'd have given Gordon Lee a mention.  You could also argue that Ken Furphy possibly saved us from oblivion. Bobby Saxton did pretty well with nothing. I'd have any one of those over the current incumbent.

On another tack - the worst one is quite easy. Slither forward Steve " The Snake " Kean. Having said that Owen Coyle isn't far behind.

Edited October 17, 2019 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Amo]

Sorry to be a pedantic ass but I think it was Kidd who actually signed Craig Short?

[oldjamfan1]

Just now, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

On another tack - the worst one is quite easy. Slither forward Steve " The Snake " Kean. Having said that Owen Coyle isn't far behind.

Paul Ince and Jim Iley weren't great either.

 

I agree with you on the omission of Saxton, Lee and Furphy - all very good managers. Saxton in particular worked miracles at Ewood.

Back to the original post, much as I enjoyed the first 3 years of Don Mackay's reign, I would always have Dalglish, Kendall and Souness above him in any list, and depending on the criteria being used, Hughes possibly as the finest of them all. The one thing against him is that he never actually won anything as Rovers manager, other than our hearts. By God I was proud to be a Rovers fan with him in charge though!!!

[Herbie6590]

3 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I'd have given Gordon Lee a mention.  You could also argue that Ken Furphy possibly saved us from oblivion. Bobby Saxton did pretty well with nothing. I'd have any one of those over the current incumbent.

On another tack - the worst one is quite easy. Slither forward Steve " The Snake " Kean. Having said that Owen Coyle isn't far behind.

When I started thinking about it...it was really difficult to weigh up relative Impact v Resources & that’s largely why I thought it would be a great topic for an opinion piece.

As I said in the piece, it’s all about opinions & personal biases. 

[rigger]

For me Gordon lee. Perhaps it’s an age thing 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just now, Herbie6590 said:

When I started thinking about it...it was really difficult to weigh up relative Impact v Resources & that’s largely why I thought it would be a great topic for an opinion piece.

As I said in the piece, it’s all about opinions & personal biases. 

Of course. The team Jack Marshall put together was the best team I ever saw but I suppose he just misses out on the last 50 years.

[Herbie6590]

Just now, rigger said:

For me Gordon lee. Perhaps it’s an age thing 

My personal bias ? He took Sir Roger to Newcastle & that was unforgivable.

Kendall did even more with less IMHO ?‍♂️

[K-Hod]

That one who wore a magic hat. 

What a man and what a good first name....

Edited October 17, 2019 by K-Hod

[Herbie6590]

7 hours ago, Amo said:

Sorry to be a pedantic ass but I think it was Kidd who actually signed Craig Short?

You’re quite right...edited accordingly. 
How the memory plays tricks !!!  ??

[JacknOry]

20 hours ago, oldjamfan1 said:

Paul Ince and Jim Iley weren't great either.

 

I agree with you on the omission of Saxton, Lee and Furphy - all very good managers. Saxton in particular worked miracles at Ewood.

Back to the original post, much as I enjoyed the first 3 years of Don Mackay's reign, I would always have Dalglish, Kendall and Souness above him in any list, and depending on the criteria being used, Hughes possibly as the finest of them all. The one thing against him is that he never actually won anything as Rovers manager, other than our hearts. By God I was proud to be a Rovers fan with him in charge though!!!

Agreed, the article states how big a deal it was Dalglish became manager using Pep moving to a Championship club as an example. However, you could imagine how talks went. JW basically says you have an open chequebook and outlined his plans to bankroll this club to success. Dalglish knows he can attract the players was probably on a great wedge himself - so I am not sure it was that big a shock. He does admit that if Liverpool had come back for him before they appointed Souness, he would have gone back. Was the pressure and circumstances around the Hillsborough disaster that originally made him walk out.

Anyway going off on a tangent there but agree that Dalglish had all the tools that any manager could dream of as well as some very good ones of his own. Hughes didnt have that and built a fabulous team. 

[Gone to seed]

Tony Parkes. Perhaps the last manager we will ever have who demonstrates anything approaching loyalty for the club and complete respect for the fans.

[Herbie6590]

Kinky Knee’s Blue & White Army

[Amo]

To think, before we appointed Souness, we had Joe Kinnear, Roy Evans and Colin Todd on the shortlist.

[philipl]

A shout out for Ken Furphy who restored pride in the club at its lowest ever point.

Bobby Saxton did a very solid job for us too.

We have has some very good bosses down the the years and the dross usually didn't hang around too long but they still did huge damage.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

59 minutes ago, philipl said:

A shout out for Ken Furphy who restored pride in the club at its lowest ever point.

Bobby Saxton did a very solid job for us too.

We have has some very good bosses down the the years and the dross usually didn't hang around too long but they still did huge damage.

In the 70;s Rovers had the reputation of being a breeding ground for managers. First Division ( Premier League now ) clubs kept enticing away our guys.

[philipl]

How could we have missed off Jim Smith who died today at 79?

Very decent Manager.

[simongarnerisgod]

 first started watching the mighty rovers when howard kendall was managing,my duncan mckenzie hating dad decided i was old enough and the rest is history,two games that stand out in the era,the fa cup games against coventry and villa,got a perfect view of andy crawfords goal against coventry as i was on my dads shoulders!!!he would`nt take me to the villa game,citing crowd trouble,most likely reason is he fancied a session with his mates before the game!!!kendall did a sterling job on absolutely nothing,built us a rock solid defence,only blotted his copybook when he tried to sell garner to halifax,allegedly

my overriding memory of bobby saxtons regime is the 84-85 season when we should have got promoted,top of the league at christmas,beating leeds on boxing day,unfortunately he was another one who fell foul of our financial position,when tiredness and injuries kicked in we did`nt have any cash for reinforcments,i think it was oxford(propped up by the crook maxwell)man city and birmingham(two big clubs who could afford new players) who pipped us for promotion

don mackay,a big talking scot was the next miracle worker who produced arguably an even bigger miracle than saxton,gave us back out pride with a trip to wembley and on absolutley nothing had us in the play offs on the brink of promotion three years running,i still shake my head in sadness  when i think of the palace games,they were terrible in the first leg,everyone was convinced we could`nt not go up,less said about the second leg the better,whether it was a penalty or not,we bottled it big style,we were never the same side after that and poor don was history a few seasons later

what can you say about dalglish,he took us to new heights,but during his first season caused me more stress than iv`e ever had watching rovers,we were cruising to the newly formed premier league when the wheels came off,losses to wolves,leicester,barnsley,charlton,watford and worst of all port vale had us all on a tight string,the vale match in particular was the breaking point,i remember one of my friends workmates deciding he would walk home from the potteries to ease his frustration,it took a whole hour for my mate to talk him out of it,tbh,id`e have left the muppet to walk home,we did`nt get back till 12.00 pm,we made it though,after a tense 90 minutes against the ariel leicester attack.In 1995,though it was great for the club,we started to see rovers shirts everywhere,suddenly there were rovers fans in my local who had patently never been to ewood in their life,what right did they have to suddenly announce they were lifelong fans,did they have to suffer the misery of the palace fiasco,were they at rotherham for a league cup tie when lenny johnrose kicked it skyward and the wind blew the ball in the top corner,where they ****,what gave them the right to wear the shirt??

loved the souness regime,he took no prisoners,made jansen a total footballer and had us playing like it should be played,anyone remember that freezing friday night game against bolton when we won 4-1 and jansen put their keeper on his a**e before walking the ball in the net.Souness was always going to blow up though,he never replaced duff or dunne and was unlucky to lose jansen,in the end it was a bit sad,you can`t kick off with experienced pro`s like cole and yorke,i was thankful he left when he did tbh

less keen on hughes due to his treatment of tony parkes,though he did make us difficult to beat and gave us two defensive collosus in samba and nelson,he also got up wenger and fergies skin more than once,which was ok by me,the grass was greener in the end for him,he should never have gone to city,it was to big for him and his reputation has eroded further still with subsequent appointments