Souness must go ?

[Jan]

Nope, I can't

That was then, this is now.

[FourLaneBlue]

People are quick to forget what Graeme has done at Rovers. He took a pretty mediocre first division team, and got them promoted in his first full season. In his first season in the Premier we finish a very respectable 10th and win a trophy. Next season we finished an impressive 6th, and reached the semi final of the league cup again. All this with an unfashionable northern club with attendances not in the top 20 teams in the country. I'd like to thank Graeme for some fantastic memories, the wins against Burnley, getting promoted at Deepdale, winning the league cup. You could see today after the game how much he was hurting. He cares- his players have let him down. I'm not saying he hasn't made mistakes, and I believe it is time for him to go, but please don't crucify the man. He's been the longest serving Rovers manager since Kenny for a reason- he's done a good job. Sorry to post this on a different thread- but I just wanted to stick up for the man. Even if he does go- lets remember what he's done for us. I'd love it if he turned it round now, but it just seems he's finally run out of ideas.

Thanks Graeme.

Rick

Couple of points- he is the longest serving manager at Rovers since Don Mackay, not since Dalglish (he's been at the club longer than him).

Secondly- He's certainly not going anywhere before the Fulham match on Monday. If we lose that then I do think Souness will probably offer to resign. If we get a result don't expect him to go anywhere. When things didn't work out at Liverpool he handed in his resignation. He'll surely do the same if we don't improve. The last three games are- home losses to Portsmouth and Leeds with a thrashing by Liverpool in between. If we lose on Monday...can Souness really carry on?

[Drummer Boy]

I know it's been done to death elsewhere, but who can come in now and do a better job? If GS takes us down we should do a Charlton and stick with him as he has done far more good than harm and is definitely the right man for the job. We canot let a few disgruntled and underperforming players determine the future of the club - player power is already dangerously high in the game.

[RevidgeBlue]

If not before Souness should undoubtedly have been replaced a week ago allowing his replacement seven games in which to turn things around.

John Williams has already presided over us being relegated with the 5th highest wage bill now we're going down again with the 8th.

What does he actually do to justify his quarter of a million pound salary?

[Jan]

A FEW players? Try ALL of them. When it was just one or two, you all buried your heads in the sand and forgave him. It's not, and NO WAY should he be allowed the chance to alienate the little talent we have left

[roversWASmylife]

Totally agree with some of the points you have made LeftWinger.

He came and got us out of a real state, anyone remember losing to Barnsley in 99? 2-1 at home.

Times have changed, ok we have had our fair share of injuries, but Souness has dug himself into a hole. He has had arguments with several players, some which have left.

Now, you have to question the relationship between the manager and the players.

From where I`m sitting every week, every player who puts on a blue and white shirt, should be going out on the pitch, and giving everything they have.

This isn`t happening, so why?

Pure , I can`t be bothered. Could be.

But if the manager is having numerous of arguments with the players on the training pitch, then it`s not going to do a great deal to team morale.

My opinion is that, Souness is the problem.

He`s run out of ideas, and is trying everything possible that he can think of, some players don`t even deserve to be at the club, so why can`t he see it. He obviously has his favourites , but it`s too late now.

He has to go, simple as that.

[super_neill]

If not before Souness should undoubtedly have been replaced a week ago allowing his replacement seven games in which to turn things around.

John Williams has already presided over us being relegated with the 5th highest wage bill now we're going down again with the 8th.

What does he actually do to justify his quarter of a million pound salary?

I am sorry to say it but there is no other choice in the matter if we go down.

[philipl]

If not before Souness should undoubtedly have been replaced a week ago allowing his replacement seven games in which to turn things around.

John Williams has already presided over us being relegated with the 5th highest wage bill now we're going down again with the 8th.

What does he actually do to justify his quarter of a million pound salary?

A very odd post.

Hiring and firing the Maanager is the Board's decision, not JW's.

In case you haven't noticed, JW runs a very good operation off the pitch and its Souness' job to run a good one on it.

[philipl]

I know this link has already been used.

The Board have the most unenviable of tasks.

They have a manager who has delivered three exceptional seasons at the club. They must feel deep down a loyalty to Souness and an enormous reluctance to do the dirty, especially as so many clubs have failed when making short term reaction decisions about Managers. They probably have given their word under a certain amount of duress that Souness will stay to the end of the season irrespective of what happens.

I posted that link because:

- when Souness could have been with his players trying to change things for the better during the most important half time team talk of the season so far, he was with the referee trying to change something that was impossible to change.

- Souness complains of lack of respect from officials (like when did Souness give respect to officials?). That comment smacks of someone desperate to be shown respect (as if that matters relative to results) and who is getting none from the people who should be giving him respect- the players.

If anybody from the Board is reading this, I just hope this post has just made it easier to take the decision which has to be made and acted upon.

PS Anyone else noticed that the dingles are saving their skins from relegation by beating the other clubs threatened by relegation from Div 1. For the third season running, we are losing games against relegation-threatened clubs.

Edited April 11, 2004 by philipl

[jim mk2]

If not before Souness should undoubtedly have been replaced a week ago allowing his replacement seven games in which to turn things around.

John Williams has already presided over us being relegated with the 5th highest wage bill now we're going down again with the 8th.

What does he actually do to justify his quarter of a million pound salary?

A very odd post.

Hiring and firing the Maanager is the Board's decision, not JW's.

In case you haven't noticed, JW runs a very good operation off the pitch and its Souness' job to run a good one on it.

Pardon?

John Williams said recently that he expects season ticket sales to increase next season, suggesting a man living in cloud cuckoo land rather that the real world.

The board may have the final say over the appointment of managers but Williams most definitely has an input.

I would suggest it is now far too late to replace Souness. Middlesbrough showed the way a few seasons ago when Venables was brought in to help the floundering Robson and stave off relegation.

That is what the board should have done months ago, although I doubt if the Souness ego would have taken kindly to working with a coach who actually knew what he was doing.

I did something very odd at today's match.

I didn't rant or rave at our players as usual but just sat back and watched us sink to another inevitable defeat.

Watching Rovers today, the plain fact is Souness has assembled a squad of very ordinary players who would struggle to survive in the Prem even if Arsene Wenger were in charge of them.

Short, Tugay, Cole, Flitcroft, and Amoruso are too old, Gray and Neill are merely average and Emerton and Reid are poor beyond belief. Stead and Gallagher are babies in football terms and it shows.

I can't see any way that we can avoid relegation now. If we could not beat Portsmouth and Leeds it was vital that we did not lose to them, and we could not manage even that. Two points from those games (and two points less each for Pompey and Leeds) could have saved us.

I was rather impressed by Leeds today, not just their spirit but the quality on the ball of Viduka, Smith, Milner and Pennant. We do not have players anywhere near their class.

I expect Leeds and Pompey to survive with us joining those other sub-standard teams, Leicester and Wolves, for the drop.

[Paul]

I was rather impressed by Leeds today, not just their spirit but the quality on the ball of Viduka, Smith, Milner and Pennant. We do not have players anywhere near their class.

Absolutley right and you are the first person, I think, to memtion this. I expected Leeds to be awful, they were far from this and a much. much better team than the Rovers. Which is an appalling set of affairs when you compare the two clubs over the last 9-10 months.

Leeds Utd looked like a team a fan could believe in. Blackburn Rovers look a complete and utter shambles.

[mrsjansen]

Souness has to go. All those people saying well he did so much for us in the past. Yeah we know we don't have short memories, but winning the Worthington cup 2 seasons ago, getting promoted back into this league, getting into Europe and finishing 6th isn't going to keep us up this season is it.

One bad season. No one terribe season, where the manager, board and players have lost the respect of the fans.

The people who think he should stay, if we go down are you going to be like, yeah but we won the Worthington cup. Well thats alright then?!!?

Go Souey Please

[FourLaneBlue]

Leeds Utd looked like a team a fan could believe in. Blackburn Rovers look a complete and utter shambles.

A week ago Rovers made Liverpool look like a club who should be challenging the top 3. Before that we made Portsmouth look like good travellers. Is it just a coincidence that it is only against Rovers that these teams ever look like world beaters? Leeds looked poor against Leicester yet looked confident and assured at Ewood. Now, what does the tell you?

Edited April 11, 2004 by FourLaneBlue

[Kennysuperbuyer]

Leeds Utd looked like a team a fan could believe in. Blackburn Rovers look a complete and utter shambles.

A week ago Rovers made Liverpool look like a club who should be challenging the top 3. Before that we made Portsmouth look like good travellers. Is it just a coincidence that it is only against Rovers that these teams ever look like world beaters? Leeds looked poor against Leicester yet looked confident and assured at Ewood. Now, what does the tell you?

It tells me that Souness is a to. . er.

[Uddersfelt Blue]

Maybe we should have taken more notice when we were beaten by a "sub standard" Leeds side at Elland Rd.

I agree with Jim Mk2, we don't seem to have players who can measure up at this level of football.

If we are to survive then it will be through fight and effort. Lets hope we can manage some of that in the last few games

[Bobby G]

We have 6 games left.It is far too late to bring a manager in and expect him to change everything in this short time.If Parkes is put in charge,whats the difference,he is the same voice the players are listening to at the moment,what makes the difference?Nothing.

If we are going down,we are going down,no change will make a difference.Then again if we dont change anything and go down,what will we say.

[Bobby G]

How about Mike Newell,IF we go down,to rebuild the side?He has done a good job at his last two jobs in Hartlepool and Luton right now i think.

He has history with us.

We wont be in a hurry to come back up i dont think and he would be a good shout i think.

[ABBEY]

How about Mike Newell,IF we go down,to rebuild the side?He has done a good job at his last two jobs in Hartlepool and Luton right now i think.

He has history with us.

We wont be in a hurry to come back up i dont think and he would be a good shout i think.

hartlepool?the monker hangers were after hanging him.

[allan]

The only reason not to sack Souness now is to deny him compensation money he would undoubtedly claim and receive (Derby have had to pay Gregory £1m last week in an out of court settlement). Souness has more or less bankruptyed the club, spending money they did not have- despite selling Dunn and Duff for £22m. H e has been found out for the crap manager he truly is. He took over a drastically under-performing squad and got promotion - a modest achievement in the circumstances. I'm sick of the man and he should be given a clear message at the next home match - for God's sake GO!

[USABlue]

We have 6 games left.It is far too late to bring a manager in and expect him to change everything in this short time.If Parkes is put in charge,whats the difference,he is the same voice the players are listening to at the moment,what makes the difference?Nothing.

If we are going down,we are going down,no change will make a difference.Then again if we dont change anything and go down,what will we say.

He does not have to change EVERYTHING, just a few things. Number one instill a fresh breath of life into a much jaded team.

[FourLaneBlue]

How about Mike Newell,IF we go down,to rebuild the side?He has done a good job at his last two jobs in Hartlepool and Luton right now i think.

He has history with us.

We wont be in a hurry to come back up i dont think and he would be a good shout i think.

As ABBEY says, Mike Newell was spectacularly unpopular at Hartlepool. A mate of mine is from the north east and said that for some reason Newell was seen all the time around the bars of Hartlepool, getting drunk and into fights with locals. The feedback seemed to be that they thought he was an arrogant prat. Whether any of that is true or not I don't know (I'm just passing on what I heard!), although it seems true that his departure was met with cheers and applause from the fans. Newell also snatched a runners up spot from the jaws of first place.

Maybe he has learned from that as he seems to have done well at Luton in very trying circumstances, certainly the playoff push from the Hatters is very impressive considering they have been in administration for part of it.

[blue phil]

We have 6 games left.It is far too late to bring a manager in and expect him to change everything in this short time.

Six games left of which we would only have to win 2 with maybe a draw (if we're lucky) is not totally impossible .

Who knows ? Maybe Parkes can see the lack of fight and the lack of balance in midfield etc just as clearly as we can , and like us has just as much input with regard to solving the problem. If Parkes has not been tarnished with the Souness brand of man management , then that's a good thing - the players will see him as a fresh broom , with an objective , unbiased way of picking the best team.

I can only hope that the board make the decision TODAY to give us the ONLY chance we have of staying up . That's dismiss Souness and hand the reigns to Parkes.

[Jan]

I have a friend who supports Luton. He's VERY impressed with Newell on all levels, and there are NO rumours about his private life

[AlanK]

Just out of interest Jan, would you have Walter Smith as manager or any other ex Rangers man?

[Jan]

Not Walter Smith, cos he's rubbish, but on another thread I already said I wouldn't object to Alec McLeish.

My dislike of Souness doesn't stem from Rangers, it's from his attitude when he played from Scotland many years ago. I have said this repeatedly. Sorry if you lot are too dim to pick up on it.

Edited April 11, 2004 by Jan2