[Archived] Verdict On Souness

[Exiled in Toronto]

If there is to be a change who would you want?

For what it's worth my selections would be

1) Mark Hughes

2) Alan Shearer player/manager

3) Gordon Strachan

4) Iain Dowie

5) Mike Newell

I know that some of them would be unattainable but that would be my shortlist.

Good list LD

Hughes - might think he could do better than us.

Dowie - might think he has to buckle down for a couple of seasons at Palace.

Strachan - Sounds promising if he really did leave Saints because of an over-bearing chairman: not a problem he'd have here.

Newell - the Hartlepool thing bothers me, but he seems to be doing well at Luton.

Shearer player/manager - the more I think about this, the more I like it. Robson's demise will come too quickly for him to get the job there - I can't see a club like Newcastle taking a punt on an unproven anyway. His goals will keep us up. We all know he is obsessed by himself and his goal tally: what could be better for him than to be able to pick himself every game for the next 2-3 years, thus guaranteeing an unbeatable PL goals total. Of course the only unknown being will he be any good as a manager!

Maybe Newell and Shearer.......

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

A dramatic improvement in results is needed and demanded,quite simply the fans will not tolerate another season of Sh1te like the last one.

We pay our hard earned coin to watch Rovers and the vast majority dont like what they see...many are starting to vote with their feet.

If Souness feels he has taken us as far as possible then its time for him to walk before all the good work he has done for the club goes down the pipe.

[MCMC1875]

Lets see what his latest signing has got first.

If not, lets get ourselves someone who will bring in creative and attacking minded exciting footballers, rather than these defensive battling 'men'

No time to wait I'm afraid TP. The club is being hit where it hurts most - in the pocket - Prem and Centenary Suite bookings are down massively on match days. These are the people who influence the board on big decisions.

[broadsword]

Hughes - yet to manage in Premiership.

Dowie - wouldn't leave Palace for a club in a similar position

Shearer - would not be a good manager, would pick his favourites rather than in-form players

Strachan - doesn't want to come back into football yet

Newell - has no pedigree, just ask Hartlepool fans!

[Tom Pringle]

Would love us to get Strachan, but i can't see it happening.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

Rovers losing money hand over fist,I feared this would happen with the poor fare on the pitch..a vicious circle that a club like ours can ill afford

The utd game will see Ewood well short of capacity I fear.

Edited August 26, 2004 by SIMON GARNERS 194

[Blackpool_Rover]

Shearer - would not be a good manager, would pick his favourites rather than in-form players

Very harsh. How can you even attempt to analyse his managerial skills when he is still a player. H could be good as a manager, could be bad. But pick his favourites? where the hell did that come from.

[Exiled in Toronto]

Hughes - yet to manage in Premiership.

Dowie - wouldn't leave Palace for a club in a similar position

Shearer - would not be a good manager, would pick his favourites rather than in-form players

Strachan - doesn't want to come back into football yet

Newell - has no pedigree, just ask Hartlepool fans!

Souness - spent $40m and created a team that has spent 8 of the last 12 months in and around the bottom 3.

Souness - clueless on tactics

Souness - picks several players out of position each game

Souness - demotivates by humiliation

On the plus side:

Souness - got a team promoted with an open chequebook

Allardyce/Dowie - got a team promoted with closed chequebooks

Souness - won a cup

Allardyce - nearly won a cup but "robbed thanks to dodgy penalty decision" (copyright G. Souness)

There are no stone-cold certainties in picking a manager. In fact most posters on this board ranted 3 1/2 years ago about Souness dodgy record in his European jobs.

[Exiled in Toronto]

Shearer - would not be a good manager, would pick his favourites rather than in-form players

Very harsh. How can you even attempt to analyse his managerial skills when he is still a player. H could be good as a manager, could be bad. But pick his favourites? where the hell did that come from.

If Big Al's definition of a favourite is someone who tees him up for 25 goals a year, I'd be OK with that.

[broadsword]

Very harsh. How can you even attempt to analyse his managerial skills when he is still a player. H could be good as a manager, could be bad. But pick his favourites? where the hell did that come from.

Because he was virtually picking the team in his last year. Didn't want to play with Sutton, wanted to partner Newell instead, who wouldn't steal the glory, but who would tee up Shearer instead.

Anyway, why should we be his testing ground? He could make all his mistakes here then go to Newcastle and be a good manager for them 2/3 years down the line ...

[tonygreenbank]

Scotty,

In reply to your question. I have never believed that sacking a manager is the answer in football. I am confident that Souey and John Williams will know themselves when the time is right for a mutual parting if indeed it should come to it.

Roy Hodgson was sacked in september and we still went down. He remains adamant that given time he would have pulled things round. Brian Kidd was a coach first and foremost and didnt like the job of manager.

Knowledge is power and so many things happen at a club that we are not privy to. JW will see the playing staff and note their reactions as well but so far to my knowledge there arent any dressing room revolts that have come to light.

I am sure that if he reads these messages he will get an interesting mix but in a professional, multi-million pound business he cannot be influenced by the fans reactions too much.

I still believe that we have a good, experienced manager and a top ten side.

[LDRover]

Hughes - yet to manage in Premiership.

Dowie - wouldn't leave Palace for a club in a similar position

Shearer - would not be a good manager, would pick his favourites rather than in-form players

Strachan - doesn't want to come back into football yet

Newell - has no pedigree, just ask Hartlepool fans!

From what I recall Newell got sacked from Hartlepool for getting them promoted but not winning the championship!!

Dowie, I believe, WOULD come to Rovers because his family still live in the North and it can't be argued that we have the better squad.

Shearer as a player would give us all the excitement we crave and the place would be sold out every week. As a manager - who knows.

Can't comment on Strachan or Hughes' availability but you don't know til you try.

Oh and one more to throw into the hat. If we're still struggling at Christmas and are desparate for points - George Graham.

We'd play crap football but he'd sort us out at the back and we'd get enough points to stay up.

[chris]

Scotty,

In reply to your question. I have never believed that sacking a manager is the answer in football. I am confident that Souey and John Williams will know themselves when the time is right for a mutual parting if indeed it should come to it.

Roy Hodgson was sacked in september and we still went down. He remains adamant that given time he would have pulled things round.

not saying Souness should be sacked, but your theory, Harford got sacked in October and if he had not got sacked we would have gone down, like Souness he had a fairly good team but could not motivate players and got tactics badly wrong.

Parkes came in a turned Blackburn into a good team again.

Edited August 26, 2004 by chris

[MCMC1875]

LD

G Graham would spend too much time with the lottery money in a carrier bag on the Services / B'Burn station.

[MCMC1875]

Scotty,

In reply to your question. I have never believed that sacking a manager is the answer in football. I am confident that Souey and John Williams will know themselves when the time is right for a mutual parting if indeed it should come to it.

Roy Hodgson was sacked in september and we still went down. He remains adamant that given time he would have pulled things round. Brian Kidd was a coach first and foremost and didnt like the job of manager.

Knowledge is power and so many things happen at a club that we are not privy to. JW will see the playing staff and note their reactions as well but so far to my knowledge there arent any dressing room revolts that have come to light.

I am sure that if he reads these messages he will get an interesting mix but in a professional, multi-million pound business he cannot be influenced by the fans reactions too much.

I still believe that we have a good, experienced manager and a top ten side.

Top ten maybe - but you don't say which division you're talking about.

[tchocky]

not saying Souness should be sacked, but your theory, Harford got sacked in October and if he had not got sacked we would have gone down, like Souness he had a fairly good team but could not motivate players and got tactics badly wrong.

Parkes came in a turned Blackburn into a good team again.

Harford was just like Kidd though, an excellent coach with the respect of the players, who couldn't cut it as manager.

I'm also sceptical about Shearer, the last thing we need is another manager with an ego the size of Souness'...

If the decision was mine, I'd go for someone with tactical nous, and the ability to motivate/communicate with the players in a respectful manner. Didier Deschamps would be my choice.

[MCMC1875]

Sounds like the anti-Souey brigade arein the majority and rising. Be interesting to hear the crowd reaction on Sat when team news is published.

PS. Although Stead took most of the credit last Spring, Gally played a big part in his sub appearances.

[LDRover]

As a side issue did anyone see Gary Speed for Bolton last night.

He 'lorded it' over the mighty Southampton. He may be 34 but why the hell were we not in for him?

Beats the hell out of 5 chins Matteo in that position anyway.

[92er]

If the Rovers' finances are not good-and from the many comments made about the last accounts that seems to be the case-the last thing the Directors will want to do is to pay off Souness' contract. And although there has been previous reference to Souness' love of the Rovers, I can't see his agreeing to go without compensation.

I don't know what Souness' contract would say -and somebody in the past has said that when Coar wanted to replace Saunders, Souness poo pooed the idea as he has the right to choose his own coach-but I wonder if we need to bring someone else in,who has good standing in the eyes of professional players etc and who would not just be a yes-man.One of Souness' problems is he does not have someone he can talk to and who can tell him"Graeme, that's a stupid idea" etc.

Now I'm sure most people would shoot this down but .......

If we were going to consider amateur experts, how about Scotty or Jim 2?

[Scotty]

If the Rovers' finances are not good-and from the many comments made about the last accounts that seems to be the case-the last thing the Directors will want to do is to pay off Souness' contract. And although there has been previous reference to Souness' love of the Rovers, I can't see his agreeing to go without compensation.

I don't know what Souness' contract would say -and somebody in the past has said that when Coar wanted to replace Saunders, Souness poo pooed the idea as he has the right to choose his own coach-but I wonder if we need to bring someone else in,who has good standing in the eyes of professional players etc and who would not just be a yes-man.One of Souness' problems is he does not have someone he can talk to and who can tell him"Graeme, that's a stupid idea" etc.

Now I'm sure most people would shoot this down but .......

If we were going to consider amateur experts, how about Scotty or Jim 2?

They couldn't afford me.

[SamDingle]

Didier Deschamps would be my choice.

What a great idea. In fact if anyone is on the phone to Deadwood Park at the moment... HANG UP!

It could be that Didier Dechamps is right this moment trying to get through, to finalise his switch to East Lancs.

[Tom Pringle]

He has a point, UEFA cup finalists...to Blackburn Rovers

[krislu]

Didier Deschamps would be my choice.

What a great idea. In fact if anyone is on the phone to Deadwood Park at the moment... HANG UP!

It could be that Didier Dechamps is right this moment trying to get through, to finalise his switch to East Lancs.

Let us dream about getting managers like Didier Deschamps or players like Alan Shearer and Damien Duff, while you dingles are drooling over prospects like Christain Dailly or a Neil Danns loan deal..

BTW, dont you dingles have your own MB?

[mjs]

Changes have been made since last season in both personnel and tactics and management.

Not entirely correct as the tactics and management have been the same all along - very poor!

[T4E]

He has a point, UEFA cup finalists...to Blackburn Rovers

Champions League finalists.