[Archived] Souness Goes To Newcastle

[Tango]

ahhh rover6, there you are!

[den]

Thanks Maverick. I would take notice of someone like Henning Berg, always came across as a very honest man.

[Scotty]

I've been very anti-Souness on this board over the last six to eight months so I'm obviously quite pleased about the news today. I think his leaving is the best thing for the club, as I could only see the club going one way if he'd stayed much longer. However, you cannot overlook the fact that he did a brilliant job for three years and deserves a lot of credit for that.

He took over a mid-table first division team of over-paid, lazy players who lacked passion, heart and committment to the club. Souness turned the club around within a year, getting rid of the deadwood and building an exciting, young, extremely talented team that ended up running away with promotion to the Premiership.

His first year in the top flight was a struggle but the mid-season signing of Andy Cole turned things around. Safety was comfortably secured in the end and we all had a fantastic day out at Cardiff to boot. It was a remarkable achievement by Souness and his staff to win a cup and gain European qualification just over two years after taking over the job.

The next season saw us playing some of the most exciting football I've ever seen at Ewood. Players like Dunn, Duff, Gillespie, Tugay, Cole and Jansen were all quality performers (some more consistently than others!) and the team had a style and confidence about it that was particularly attractive to watch. We feared no-one and our eventual 6th place finish, and subsequent UEFA Cup place, was just reward for the efforts of the team and manager.

Then it all started to go wrong. The sale of Duff that summer was the start of the decline. Souness seemed not to realise the impact Duff's departure would have on the club and, although the manager spent the Duff money on good players, his failure to sign a left-sided replacement was a huge mistake imo. Selling the likes of Dunn and Gillespie didn't bother me much at the time but, in hindsight, perhaps too many of the flair players were released at the same time.

As a result, the team lacked penetration and creativity throughout last season. As results started to get worse Souness seemed to panic. Strange tactics, bizarre line-ups and baffling substitutions became the norm as the manager seemed to lose the plot. The team, and Souness I suspect, were saved by the inspirational January signing of Jon Stead. Even Souness couldn't have expected the impact the young striker would make on the team as his goals helped us to eek out enough points to reach safety.

This summer saw the sale of Cole, our best player imo, but no real top quality signings that would change the team's fortunes around. In the first couple of games this season Souness seemed to abandon his attacking principles, opting instead for dour, defensive line-ups, even at home to the likes of West Brom. There was no evidence at all that the manager had learnt from last season's mistakes and no signs that the club's fortunes were likely to improve. We'll never know for sure now but I suspect we were going down if Souness had stayed much longer.

Souness was great for the PR of the club, his transfer dealings were, by and large, good, and his first three years at the club must rank as some of the most successful in the modern era by any Rovers manager. However, the frequent fall-out with players, the lack of tactical nous, the suspicion that the training wasn't as good as it could be, and the increasingly baffling line-ups and substitiutions mean he will not be missed - at least not by me anyway.

Thanks for memories Souness but I'm glad you've gone.

[American]

Can someone explain to me what on Earth Mark Hughes has done in football management to make so many of you want him at the helm of our club?

Had a stretch of about 8 or 9 months where he did pretty well in a fairly weak group...

[T4E]

So, 7 or 8 games at international level, where he ultimately failed anyway............

Have we learnt nothing from the Hodgson/Harford/Kidd debacles?

[roversactive]

Happy now! Is that the only reason you wanted him out? So you could show us a stupid graphic?

[Shaddy]

At last, At last some of the whinging will stop........

You should know better Dave. I am absolutely gutted, and will finish reading theread before I make a proper comment.

[den]

Good post, Scotty.

[baarree]

Look at the dumplings that took over after Kenny, just hope it doesn't happen again.

[Shaddy]

Maybe its for the best to have a fresh start.

But this is the biggest act of BETRAYAL i have felt at the club.

Judging by the comments of many posters in the last six months or so, the biggest acts of betrayal seem to come from certain sections of our supporter base. And regularly too.

[rover_groo]

Lads,

Got a phone call from a person in the BBC sports desk at about 9:30am this morning informing me of this shocking news. Liek most of you i am still in shock and am extremely saddened by Souey's decision to leave us.

FIRSTLY

I, like several others would love to take this opportunity and thank Graeme for everything he has done for Blackburn Rovers. I instantedly doubted him when he was appointed, but it didn't take too long for me to take a shine to him. He has until now accumulated 4 and 1/2 successful years as manager of Rovers, getting us to Europe, winning a trophy and gaining us respect that we rightly deserved!!

Taking us from the depths of the 1st division to the Premiership, you know the rest. He has brought us back to a team that can't be taken lightly. Fair enough he wasted some money, but man didn't he pick up bargins.

Friedel: free transfer, Hughes: free transfer, Neill: 500k, Tugay 1.25m, admist many others and more recently Dickov for 150k. He also gave youngsters the chance in the 1st team, especially with Dunn and Duff when they seemed to be heading out the door for next to nothing.

He gave comical apperances post match and in every match you would see him out of the dug out and encouraging the team along as well as giving the ref and 4th official a piece of his mind!

SECONDLY

Appointment of an experienced and successful manager is essential and no more club wreckers like Roy Hodgson. Realistically I personally i would be keen on the appointment on either of the following: -

1. Mark Hughes

2. Martin O'Neill

3. Steve McMahon

4. George Graham

THIRDLY

Thanks for all the memories Souey and best of luck with your new job. You have placed us back firmly on the map and who knows, we just might see Mr Dunn arrive back on the Ewood pitch.

[dave birch]

Shaddy, there are some that are still in orgasmic highs about this, that they won't be able to use a computer for days.

Look how long it took Rover6 to get on here......

Edited September 6, 2004 by dave birch

[Cocker]

This lot sound happy - click me

[American]

This should be Jim's viagra.

[chris]

this isa good post:

"What has been our main problem, discipline! Souness' record of dealing with high profile players is awful. Look at Yorke and Cole, he argues with them, nearly comes to blows apparently and then sells them on the cheap, this is not what we need! Of all the names mentioned in the last week Souness is probably the only one who I thought had absolutely no chance of being given the job! This is a truly crazy turn of events, even by NUFC's standards" NU FAN

[squaylor]

The Newcastle fans are utterly raging. The moderator of howaythetoon.com has just resigned and is deleting the website. They know how to mope, don't they? Blimey...

That's it for me, I will no longer be attending any NUFC matches home or away for the foreseeable future nor shall I continue running this website.

My reasons? I've lost that passion I have, that passion that forces me to get up in the mornings to maintain this website. I now no longer care.

A disease is running through our club and something is seriously wrong. This will only get worse and not better. I am not going to sit by and pay for it.

I have a few things in the pipeline that will allow me to do the things I want to do such as swimming with the Great White Shark, a lifetime ambition of mine. I don't need to waste my life sitting at a desk reporting on a team that is managed by people who, lets just say, don't have OUR best interests at heart.

I will follow NUFC via radio and always look out for OUR reults and of course OUR club will always remain in my heart and I hope Souness and all the other good things about OUR club have the success it deserves, not least of all my fellow supporters.

I've had enough. For me it's all about passion and I can't get passionate about a disease that is rotting our club, more to the point I will not contribute towards it with my pockets. The club will always be here, the @#/?s that ruin it won't.

[Blackburn Ender]

It's the tactical side of Souness I won't be missing.

I agree with Scotty and Groo and, although I can't believe Newcastle fans will be jumping for joy, he still has more trophies than they do.

As for successors:

Mark Hughes - inexperience, yes. But his style and mannner when playing at Ewood, plus the way he's finally got Wales playing to the potential of many of their individual parts.

Strachan - possibly the most realistic 'safe pair of hands.' Available.

We have some talented players. We need a good coach to get the best out of them.

Anyone for Dalglish to do it again?

[mac]

after the shock.....Cant help feeling that its agood move for the club

We as a club have a lot to be thankfull for in the GS reign

We could be a lot worse not many managers leave a club in a better position than when the took over!

Having said this I do think that GS had taken rovers as far as he could and That both parties need the change.

As long as we have learnt from the managerial mistakes we have made in the past and get the right man in HAPPY DAYS AT EWOOD AGAIN

Thanks Mr Souness but the time was right for you to go!!

[TROOPER]

So long & thanks for the good times Souey. You have been great for this great club, but lady luck seems to have stopped smiling on you & this move seems to be in the best interests of both the Rovers & you...

As to the new bod...

What is Henning Berg doing?

ditto Stig Bjornebye?

Also why bring Tony Parkes back when he has just been shunted out to the reserves & one would assume has had little contact with the first team??? Is it just VERY stop gap 1-2 day move?

For me it would have to be Strachan...

Edited September 6, 2004 by TROOPER

[sumps]

Shocked that he's gone, but i'm glad as well as we can get a new manager in that actually knows that Matteo isn't a left winger.

It also seems like he knew that he was close to getting fired so left so he could avoid being fired.

[Nate]

WTF! I just hop off the board for a few hours to finish a journalism assignment and this happens!

[AllRoverAsia]

I have always tried to be a Souness supporter but I am not that upset at his move. Probably best for all - except perhaps Newcastle.

Fat Freddy rules the place so GS could be in for a torrid time especially when you add the young 'thugs' of NU into the equation.

Anway thanks GS - now lets move on to better and happier times.

[samtheozzy]

HOLY ####! I go out to dinner and come back to find that we've lost our manager and are currently searching for a new one! Kudos to Phillipl for the correct prediction

[tcj_jones]

Sick to my stomach. This is just so unexpected. I've never felt so empty, so devestated in my life.

I can't see us being successful this season, simply because we have lost such a great manager and such a great man.

It's the worst possible time to leave us and the unrest the players face and the time it will take for a new manager to settle will cost us our premiership status.

Thankyou Souness, you've shown us the best days of our exsistence.

[T4E]

Sick to my stomach. This is just so unexpected. I've never felt so empty, so devestated in my life.

I can't see us being successful this season, simply because we have lost such a great manager and such a great man.

It's the worst possible time to leave us and the unrest the players face and the time it will take for a new manager to settle will cost us our premiership status.

Thankyou Souness, you've shown us the best days of our exsistence.

Drama Queen.