New Manager is Mark Hughes

[Hasta]

What has Dowie acheived as a player? Not alot.

He probably hasn't managed more than 100 games. Yes he got Palce promoted but with their squad they should have been pushing for the play-offs anyway.

I am just pointing out I don't think the top players will respect someone who a)hasn't any experience and b)hasn't acheived an awful lot.

It's just my opinion that Dowie is too inexpeinced to handle the players we have I just don't think he can command the respect he needs to.

Alex Ferguson achieved not a lot as a player. Whether he was initally respected or not at Aberdeen he proved to be a damn good manager. If we had over-inflated ego superstars then it might have been a problem but we have no really 'top' players.

As far as managerial experience goes Dowie has achieved more than Hughes or Strachan in winning a promotion.

And as Scotty said, if any player does take that attitude then he knows where the M65 is.

[Martin]

I'm not saying Strachan or Hughes have acheived more as a manager. The fact is the players would respect Hughes alot more than Dowie. I'm sure you'll agree on that.

Like it or lump it the premier league is full of over-inflated egos. That is what the game has become, we can't change it we have to cater for it.

Fergie was close to the sack was he not? Right at the start of his reign, but an FA cup win kept him in his job. I might be wrong on that. But as I understand it he was very nearly sacked.

[John]

How can they have interviews with Dowie or Hughes when no official approach has been made???

Looks like the three are out of work managers- if so expect Gordon Strachan to be our manager next week.

If board are not being economical with the truth, it could be a smoke screen but I doubt it.

For those Dowie lovers, look at the rejects he brought in for Palace this summer- he had a tight budget but so have a lot of other managers- he really has brought in a load of sh*t.

Edited September 10, 2004 by John

[trueblue]

He probably hasn't managed more than 100 games. Yes he got Palce promoted but with their squad they should have been pushing for the play-offs anyway.

If you'd have taken the trouble to read 2 pages back you would have seen this.. here

[Martin]

He probably hasn't managed more than 100 games. Yes he got Palce promoted but with their squad they should have been pushing for the play-offs anyway.

If you'd have taken the trouble to read 2 pages back you would have seen this.. here

Well it's not many over 100. I was rounding down

[trueblue]

He probably hasn't managed more than 100 games. Yes he got Palce promoted but with their squad they should have been pushing for the play-offs anyway.

If you'd have taken the trouble to read 2 pages back you would have seen this.. here

Well it's not many over 100. I was rounding down

LOL !

[Hasta]

Martin - At Man U Fergie was close to the sack. It just shows that all managers should be given time though (but thats for another day!).

I'd still like Dowie though. Or Hughes.

John - I may have missed something but how do we know that neither Hughes nor Dowie have applied for the job? Hughes was very cryptic and hasnt said he hasn't applied and as far as i know Dowie hasnt commented. Bearing in mind that there has been hardly any paper speculation on Dowie something has caused £34,000 to be put on him on Betfair (£21,000 more than Strachan) and his odds almost everywhere to tumble to 7/2.

[John]

I trust John Williams and he says the interest in the job has provided candidates with high qualities so I hope you are correct that Premiership managers have been applying for the role.

Bit weird of Dowie to jump ship early on, Simon Jordan said while he was there they would fight the Premiership together.

They will have to do more than fight with signings like the mighty Emerson Boyce and others which make me laugh.

[Brownie]

TP has hinted that the new manager will be installed early next week.

Wales are about to play one of the biggest mayches, next month, in their history against England.

Rovers seem to be insisting that Hughes would only be considered if he gave up on the Wales job..

I don't think Hughes is coming.

Looking at various comments and betting patterns, I reckon Dowie is the man.

He could be the next Martin O'Neill !

[tchocky]

Dowie is the lower risk option all round. Virtually no compensation as he hasn't got a contract.

For those who don't remember, he kept Oldham going up the table whilst the club was going bust and players were being sold all around him. That for me was the most impressive piece of football managing in terrible circumstances.

No way should alace be in the Prem. They were battlng wth the dngles for the drop from Div 1 when Dowie took them on before last Christmas, yet he took them to the play-offs and through a win at Cardiff to the Prem. Again outstanding management.

The Rovers are a club full of talented players who are not currently producing their best.

If Friedel, Amoruso, Gray, Neill, Ferguson, Tugay, Emerton, de Pedro, Jansen, Pedersen, Gallagher, Stead, Bothroyd to name some of the more gifted can be motivated and guided to do what they are capable of, WE DON'T NEED ANY TRANSFERS. We have players good enough to finish top six and win cups already at Ewood.

Everything points to the Rovers' transfer kitty being as low as our attendances. I do not believe Souness was denied access to transfer funds for any other reason than they were not there.

Since then, the receipt of £500K compensation from the barcodes and £250K for Yorke don't exactly equip Mr Big Name to go and bend the ear of his galactico drinking buddies.

Getting a big name who can bring in expensive new signings is the equivalent of taking Joan Collins to a photo shoot and leaving the slap behind.

I'll be delighted with Dowie and so will everybody on this board when we are in the top half by Christmas and playing great football.

I must admit if what you say is true, this man sounds like a genius. Motivation is of course incredibly important in football. You've managed to make this sound like the best option to me now. I'd be happy if we give him the chance.

[John]

Well Martin O Neil surely cannot make as many bad buys as Dowie did this summer.

Julian Speroni, Mark Hudson, Emmerson Boyce, Fitz Hall (defender playing in central midfield)

The list goes on....

Edited September 10, 2004 by John

[greggyk]

And Fitz hall played very well there when I saw him

[Manchester Blue]

I'm not saying Strachan or Hughes have acheived more as a manager. The fact is the players would respect Hughes alot more than Dowie. I'm sure you'll agree on that.

Like it or lump it the premier league is full of over-inflated egos. That is what the game has become, we can't change it we have to cater for it.

Fergie was close to the sack was he not? Right at the start of his reign, but an FA cup win kept him in his job. I might be wrong on that. But as I understand it he was very nearly sacked.

What did Mourinho achieve as a player? What did Wenger achieve as a player, what about Houllier or Eriksson for that matter. Like it or lump it you and other fans have to realise football is changing, in fact it already has done.

For all Souness' faults he was a great figurehead, brought players to the club that others wouldn't and some players respected him. However others didn't and look where it has got us. If we just appoint another 'personality' we will have failed to grasp a great opportunity here.

We need to move forward and we need a manager that can take us forward not drag us backwards. We are a small town club with limited resources, we should not lose sight of that. It doesn't mean we should give up but like Bolton we have to be innovative and use every angle possible. Appointing another big name just for the sake of it will kill this club, not appointing someone like Dowie.

As for Hodgson, his fitness coach had the players training twice a day which was a big change. Does Dowie do that? Like others have said if players won't play for the manager we bring in then get rid. Duff played here, Dunn played here in the last 3 years we don't need and we don't want primadonnas.

We need to exploit our position as a small town club, we should follow Charlton or Bolton not and build from there. We have a real opportunity and if we appoint someone like Dowie, Strachan or Hughes we will have grasped it. If not we may as well not bother.

[John]

Hall is the best of a very bad bunch.

How can the players even look at Dowie on the training ground- I just hope this is just a rumour, I really do.

[1864roverite]

John you make some very interesting points.

I dont think for one minute that if Rovers were to ask the LOW to speak to hughes that they would jump on the next bus, ride upto the highest mountain and sing amongst the sheep and wellies that they had just given BRFC permission to talk to their manager ! The same for any other club especially with the weekends matches nigh.

There is always going to be people acknowledging their currnet position, there will always be denial and flattery, there will always be speculation and media talk. Its the way the sporting world and in particular FOOTBALL works.

I personally think it will all be over come Wednesday, allowing the new guy (or female,he-she,gimp, or whatever) to settle in and take stock of the fantastic squad at their disposal not to mention allowing him to plan for the Pompy match

[Hasta]

I don't think Hughes is coming.

Looking at various comments and betting patterns, I reckon Dowie is the man.

Brownie, I expected hughes' price to have drifted back out a bit on BF. He's solidly traded at between 2.6 to 3.0 for 2 days now. Almost a quarter of a million pounds on him.

[Manchester Blue]

Hall is the best of a very bad bunch.

How can the players even look at Dowie on the training ground- I just hope this is just a rumour, I really do.

Oh for god's sake wake up. I'm repeating myself now but what does Wenger teach the players on the training ground. He tells them what he wants he doesn't have to show them same as Mourinho. If you want a manager they can all watch then we should get Hoddle. Stories from Spurs & Soton used to be about how he used to shout at them all and say no you should do it like this. Is that what you really want? A good manager does not have to have been a good player, in fact most of the best were not.

[John]

I not talking about playing history with Dowie- I am just pointing out his pathetic attempts over the summer to recruit players. I know he had a small budget but it looks from the outside that he has mucked it up.

I am stating that I would like Mark Hughes or Strachan.

Both ambitous, both passionate and both have a very good footballing brain. I state these in my preference to Dowie.

[Manchester Blue]

Fair enough I misunderstood your point and I apologise. I would prefer Strachan also but as Hughes has never managed at club level then he would be surely a bigger risk.

[greggyk]

I not talking about playing history with Dowie- I am just pointing out his pathetic attempts over the summer to recruit players. I know he had a small budget but it looks from the outside that he has mucked it up.

I am stating that I would like Mark Hughes or Strachan.

Both ambitous, both passionate and both have a very good footballing brain. I state these in my preference to Dowie.

Mark Hughes is so good that he failed to qualify the best team wales have ever had in a long long time to the euros and already failed to qualify them to the world cup.

Any team with Earnshaw,Hartson,Bellamy,Giggs,Savage,Koumass,Davis,Gabbidon and delany should easily beat the likes of Russia and Northen Ireland(with anb extra man)

They also play so called 'boring football' but actually fail to get the results

Edited September 10, 2004 by greggyk

[John]

He would be a risk but it looks like whoever we appoint will be a risk.

I hope this weekend sheds some light over who the appointment may be because this is starting to do my head in!!

I dont know much about the Wales situtation but Hughes seemed to have got the country going again- I see he has got good players at his disposal but he must be doing something right.

Edited September 10, 2004 by John

[grizfoot]

Personally i'd love to see Gordon Strachan appionted but it's looking like Dowie or Hughes (well going off the what the bookies say)

[brfcshabba]

It looked like it was gonna be O Leary or Venables last weekend for the Newcastle job going off what the bookies said

[grizfoot]

It looked like it was gonna be O Leary or Venables last weekend for the Newcastle job going off what the bookies said

Indeed just cause such a manager is favourite it can count for nothing at the end of the day

Edited September 10, 2004 by grizfoot

[Ninjathunder]

If I was Ferguson and Dowie is appointed I would be on the phone to Souness to organise a January transfer.

So what you're saying is that if you were a Blackburn Rovers player and Ian Dowie was appointed manager, you'd want switch allegiences to Newcastle United. You must have had some pretty itchy feet then in the summer of '99.