Souness on Rovers

[Trinidad Rover]

Great to hear Souness talking about his time managing Rovers. Also a stark reminder of how far we have fallen as a club, both in terms of how we are run but also the level of players we used to have.

Nice to take a stroll down memory lane:

Souness on his time at Rovers

[blondie]

The comparison between Souness and Mowbray one you would die for, and one you would fall asleep listening to.

The choice is yours.

[tomphil]

A manager players would run through brick walls for and if they didn't well he'd kick them through it.

Shame he lost the plot but it happens to the best of them i think he was always the type to be destined for a short but spectacular reign. Makes me howl when some of our fans try and slag him off he's one of the best modern day managers we've had.

And the guy engineered his exit before he had to be sacked and got us 5 million in compo in the process.

Proper bloke.

[Displaced Rover]

Take slight issue with him saying he left us in a good state. Playing Matteo in midfield and having just signed Javier de Pedro...

That said, he did a great job on the whole and I'd bite your hand off to have a manager like him in charge right now.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Good to hear about Mark Hughes announcing his arrival on the pitch in the Derby cup game. Was the centre half he quietened Tarribo West ?

Edited August 12, 2021 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

10 minutes ago, Displaced Rover said:

Take slight issue with him saying he left us in a good state. Playing Matteo in midfield and having just signed Javier de Pedro...

That said, he did a great job on the whole and I'd bite your hand off to have a manager like him in charge right now.

Yeah we weren’t looking too good when he left.
 

He was right about Cole and Yorke. I remember watching them playing in a early season game on a very hot day, they did absolutely nothing. One centre half could have easily marked the pair of them. Kevin Phillips was playing up front for the opposition and he ran his blood to water that day in a similar role.

[jim mk2]

Blimey, I think his eyes were welling up at one stage talking about Rovers

Until he did his Colonel Kurtz impression in the last few months, he gave us as Rovers fans some of the best times during his time in charge

He knows the game inside out. With a clean slate, I'd have him back as an overall MD. 

 

[A Northern Horde...]

So many happy memories under his tenure...promotion,Cardiff and playing in Europe.I hope you realise you were very much liked at Ewood on the whole by the fans Greame. 

Christ,we have fallen off a fookin Mountain.

🤢

[JHRover]

A great watch. Great memories of that era and what a job Souness did.

I've so many memories of that time and sometimes it is hard to believe that it all happened in the space of 4 seasons - promotion, cup success, top 6 and European campaigns.

Someone who should be considered a legendary figure of the club yet the last 6 months or so of his tenure seems to have eroded that status somewhat. There was a bitter taste in the mouth when he upped and left for Newcastle with us struggling but in hindsight it was what he wanted and probably the right thing for him and Rovers to go their separate ways at that point.

If only the current incumbent had an ounce of the same rather than holding on beyond his shelf life.

Loved his comments about the City game when they came to Ewood at the end of the season and partied and how he wasn't happy about it. A warrior who is the polar opposite of the clowns we have now. Can imagine Souness raging at another club coming to our ground and celebrating, whereas Mowbray and Waggott would just see it as an opportunity to remind everyone of 'where we are' in the scheme of things.

[Trinidad Rover]

3 minutes ago, A Northern Horde... said:

So many happy memories under his tenure...promotion,Cardiff and playing in Europe.I hope you realise you were very much liked at Ewood on the whole by the fans Greame. 

Christ,we have fallen off a fookin Mountain.

🤢

It really hit home after listening to that. The anecdote about Souness and Williams disagreeing because both wanted the best for the club.

Stories about old pros leading the dressing room.

He’s not wrong on Dunny either, he should have listened.

[1864roverite]

The Souness era was great I agree that he may well make a good MD at a club like ours he knows how to make footballers tick and a super reflection on another great manager in Mark Hughes again would welcome him back with open arms

[windymiller7]

Excellent watch/listen. Thanks for posting.

Contract up with Sky at the end of the season, yes he's 69 but hey, it's younger than Warnock, get him back in that dugout!!

[arbitro]

Wow. That was the most enjoyable half hour I've had for a long, long time with anything football related. Fantastic memories of not too long ago and it's so nice to hear his kind words about our Rovers.

Well done to Andy Bayes and Radio Lancashire too for putting it together.

[Mattyblue]

I find listening to the likes of Souness, Hughes, figures from the 90s etc quite difficult to listen to. As I do watching old clips and matches. It just brings home to me what has been thrown away.

Of course, the nefarious characters of the past decade ‘can’t take your memories’ and it’s only myself that I’m denying, but there you go.

[EgyptianPete]

Great to listen and see, Souey really did have Rovers to heart. 

[roverandout]

Brought in tugay friedel. Developed dunn duff jansen. Proper manager not this charlatan that's in charge now

[gumboots]

I think the Souness era was the most fun my family had as Rovers fans. We travelled all over the place because we loved watching the team. We didn't always win, but you always felt we could. 

[Gav]

Great listen, proper club, run and managed by proper footballing people.

I remember being absolutely chuffed to bits when we signed Cole, it didn’t work out wonderfully well, but that goal in Cardiff more than makes up for it. 

Talk about a manager past his sell by date though, he lost the plot towards the end, I bet John Williams couldn’t believe his luck when the Geordies came knocking 😆

[JHRover]

I think my memories of the Souness era eclipse those of the Hughes days.

I think there's an argument that in terms of backing and finances Hughes did as good as if not better job in results on what Souness did. By the time Hughes was in charge the last of the Walker cash was drying up whereas Souness did get some decent backing for people coming in.

But I think the memories of winning promotion, winning a cup at Cardiff, and then on the final day the following year smashing Spurs away to move into the top 6, take some beating. It was always fun and entertaining and felt like we could beat anyone on our day.

It is quite depressing thinking about it and then facing up to the reality of where we are now with this sham outfit incharge.

The days of having a proper and quality manager, strong team behind him, proper board of directors. Just listening to him talking about John Williams meeting up 3 or 4 times a week to have it out with him. Great stuff and how a proper club should operate. Not the slippery charlatans we have now.

Edited August 12, 2021 by JHRover

[tomphil]

Cole was superb for us he had the same sulks all through his career wherever he was. Certainly helped a young Duff no end but i think Soueys biggest mistake was stroking his own ego trying to pair him up with Yorke again.

That never worked although Yorke was still quality but they didn't gel here and just strolled around like the big I ams.  He should have know that would happen though.

Still, it was a glorious problem to have though !

[RevidgeBlue]

6 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

He knows the game inside out. With a clean slate, I'd have him back as an overall MD. 

 

Wouldn't be the worst shout in the world, there'd have to be a stipulation in his contract that he couldn't sign any players from Willie bleedin' Mackay's stable though! (If he's still an agent).

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

THANK YOU GREAME SOUNESS.

I watched you dance with the Rovers fans at the Deepdale Promotion Party....you could sense it really meant something deep and personal to you.

 

 

[roverandout]

Remember the 4-1 City defeat.  Souey apparently tore strips off them after the game.  Mowbray would never do that.  

[JacknOry]

Mowbray saw positives in our defeat to Morecombe - could this be the most cliché manager of all time just going through the fckin cliché motions?

A proper manager is pissed right off and makes that clear to staff, players, and fans!

[simongarnerisgod]

thoroughly enjoyed souness reign,we played some great stuff,i looked forward to every game ,rovers 5 2 newcastle with tiny taylor putting shearer in his pocket was a particular highlight😁