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I blame Steve Coppell


The hand of RO'D

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Coppell is the reason he was the last "big name" manager to come aboard.

High profile, would have been on good money, but when he found out about signings and goings on at the club that he didn't think was right, he pretty much said so (see the interview he gave where he wasn't happy about a few things). He didn't like or approve of involvement from higher up, of any sort, so walked. 

Since then we've had "up and coming" managers, or promoted from within. There is no coincidence about that.

Summer gone we were being linked with, and interviewing Chris Hughton - big name, experienced, and would have cost money. Probably also wouldn't have approved from interference from other quarters, e.g. Ashton and Lansdown(s). What happened, well we all know that after 6 years of interviews (it seemed that long at the time), we promoted from within.

We won't see a big name manager here, unless there is a change at the top. Happy to be proved wrong, but I just can't see it happening.

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Perhaps it would be better if you said SL doesn't have faith in his own ability when choosing higher profile people?

Coppell didn't even want the job...SL chased him, courted him, even though SC said he wasn't sure. SL wanted him because he wanted to replicate what Reading did.

Perhaps you don't promise managers things at appointment, persuade them to join, then when in the job find things you've been promised not available.

Look at SL s judgement with David James as well.

Imo...SL great businessman, poor judge when appointing football people.

 

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Maybe so, but part of the problem lies with the scouting system that was in place when Gary Johnson was manager. There were several expensive (for the time) signings for City that were failures and City was left with unsustainable salary costs. SL has said that after this period he lost faith in the splashing the cash business model. The cost reduction that subsequent managers had to implement was one of the reasons that led to relegation. Unfortunately we’re now left with a mixed business model that doesn’t seem to be working. A mixture of young ish  players signed with the aim of selling for a profit at a later date, who aren’t that good enough, and older players who have no resale value 

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29 minutes ago, spudski said:

 

Coppell didn't even want the job...SL chased him, courted him, even though SC said he wasn't sure. SL wanted him because he wanted to replicate what Reading did.

 

Coppell's success at Reading was due in no small way to his support team. Wally Downes, a former member of Wimbledon's crazy gang, led most of the training and off the pitch player contracts / transfer activity was led by Director of Football [and former pro goalkeeper who made almost 100 first team level appearances, unlike our own Mark Ashton with 0] Nicky Hammond.

Coppell was not allowed to bring his backroom team with him as he had to work with Keith Millen, another "nice human" by all accounts!

Nicky Hammond is now Head of Football Operations at Celtic

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It's not just Coppell, Pulis came here with a good track record and that ended in a similar fashion although he did stay a bit longer than Coppell. Also O'Driscoll had a good track record in the Championship and was OTIB's choice at the time but couldn't do the same here and Cotts didn't show the higher-ups much respect. It's like managers who've been at bigger clubs can't take us seriously, that they know better than the people running things here (perhaps they did?).

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3 minutes ago, ashton_fan said:

It's not just Coppell, Pulis came here with a good track record and that ended in a similar fashion although he did stay a bit longer than Coppell. Also O'Driscoll had a good track record in the Championship and was OTIB's choice at the time but couldn't do the same here and Cotts didn't show the higher-ups much respect. It's like managers who've been at bigger clubs can't take us seriously, that they know better than the people running things here (perhaps they did?).

SOD was a spent man as his spell at Walsall showed. Came here too late when he was passed it.

Coppell has history of jumping ship quickly....

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Just now, Bassomylord said:

SOD was a spent man as his spell at Walsall showed. Came here too late when he was passed it.

Coppell has history of jumping ship quickly....

SOD came here from Forest and left them in a decent position, as I said before nearly all on here wanted him at the time

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Coppell's managerial career was winding up before he joined us and his heart was never really in another long term project like at Reading.

He knew it was a mistake to take it and when he arrived to find the club in the situation it was behind the scenes (I've told you the gym story), with SL heavy handed in transfers (I've told you the Lee Grant/David James story), he cut his losses.

Easy to say he simply walked out, reality is he didn't have the motivation to do all the work that was needed. 

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1 hour ago, The hand of RO'D said:

If it wasn’t for that bush twitcher, Lansdown would still have faith in expensive high profile managers.

Thanks a lot Steve!

Or you could look at it as that's what you're very likely to get, even if you do appoint an expensive, high profile manager. 

The sooner fans get over the vanity of a big name appointment, the better for all of us. 

For example - which of the teams above us currently, have (had at the time of their appointment) a big name manager that would have received unanimous agreement from some of the self entitled cry babies on here...?

On the flip side... How many high profile managers, or even ones with far more experience, currently lay beneath us in the table..? 

Is DH perfect..? No

Is he potentially the right choice..? Possibly. Some good early signs but has doubtless been hampered by crippling injury absence. 

Can DH improve..? Yes, lots. And as long as he does, he's got many of the other attributes needed to be successful. 

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7 minutes ago, Alessandro said:

Coppell's managerial career was winding up before he joined us and his heart was never really in another long term project like at Reading.

He knew it was a mistake to take 

Easy to say he simply walked out, reality is he didn't have the motivation to do all the work that was needed. 

Absolutely spot on. 

That’s pretty much what lay behind Coppells departure.

At the time the conspiracy theories on here were truly off the wall!

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2 hours ago, The hand of RO'D said:

If it wasn’t for that bush twitcher, Lansdown would still have faith in expensive high profile managers.

Thanks a lot Steve!

It was Lansdown’s fault all along. Sticking his nose in and signing players like David james that coppell didn’t want . That’s why coppell walked . Don’t blame him at all . It’s all on Lansdown . 

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I started supporting City when Fred Ford was manager!   And thinking about it Coppell was arguably the only manager we've appointed in those 55 years who had proven experience at a higher  level. Wilson got Barnsley to the top div but came straight down. Everyone else was either starting out or came from a lower league- or from the same league but not with a record of success in that league.

Ford, Dicks, Millen, Osman, Jordan, Lumsden,Tinnion, Holden,.... 1st job

Benny, Houghton, McInnes ...1st English job

Cotts,SOD, TC, Ward, Smith, .....same level no promotions at that level ((all except TC had promotions but at a lower level)

Lee Johnson, GJ, Pulis, came from a lower level.

 

So we've never actually gone for a high profile, higher level proven manager except for Coppell who lasted 1 game.

 

 

 

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13 minutes ago, CodeRed said:

So we've never actually gone for a high profile, higher level proven manager except for Coppell who lasted 1 game.

 

Certainly true but....we all know that appointing an experienced and proven manger doesn’t guarantee success. All managers fail at some point.

Houghton isn’t exactly setting the league alight at Forest and he was coveted my many posters in here.

Fact is when any manager is appointed you can only hope that they’ll turn out to be a success.

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1 hour ago, Alessandro said:

Coppell's managerial career was winding up before he joined us and his heart was never really in another long term project like at Reading.

He knew it was a mistake to take it and when he arrived to find the club in the situation it was behind the scenes (I've told you the gym story), with SL heavy handed in transfers (I've told you the Lee Grant/David James story), he cut his losses.

Easy to say he simply walked out, reality is he didn't have the motivation to do all the work that was needed. 

Can you share these stories please?

Are you able to share a link to your posts/comments detailing these stories?

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40 minutes ago, Jin said:

Can you share these stories please?

Are you able to share a link to your posts/comments detailing these stories?

I can share them directly because they come from me! He was a member of Woodcote Park golf club in Purley and my in-laws were members so I played there often, and with him once, when I lived there for a few years. So was able to talk to him and hear the gossip. 

The gym anecdote he told was that he was looking to improve the clubs training facilities and asked SL for £20k for gym equipment and they came back with less than £10k for him. 

Secondly we needed to sign a keeper, he did all his due diligence and organised a deal for Lee Grant at Wednesday and left it with the club to finalise. Next thing he knows is the club unveiling David James (and all his conditions about not training certain days etc) without him knowing.  
 

He had his opinions about the owner and the club at that time and decided to walk, but I’ll leave it at that. As I say, his heart didn’t seem in it, at that time he had a house in Thailand too and spent half the year there. Always struck me as quite a mild man and I think he was enjoying a slower pace of life and didn’t want the cut and thrust needed to rebuild the club.

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and yet the same person appointed Pat Lam, which seems to me to counter the arguments quite effectively- could not have a more high profile manager. Think its a case of SL choosing who he thinks is best able to do the job simple as that. He has been successful with Bristol and hopefully soon will be with Bristol City.

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Although I'm no fan of Coppell his leaving had sod all to do with him and everything to do with our Chairman. If, unbelievably, there are those of you yet to cotton on to the fact its his money, his club and he demands 'yes men' to to his calling.

There are two mandatory job requirements for the role at City:

Accept a lower than average package;

Do as the Chairman dictates.

The circumstance of Coppell's departure are well documented. Many choose to forget he walked without compensation or job to go to, now that takes some principle.

And for those daring to mention the name of the utter guttersnipe Lousy Pint (there isn't a more loathsome individual than he in the whole of football,) forget not he had us over a barrell in offering him employment following our illegal approach to him. Forget not the circumstance of his two major, failed High Court actions, the judges comments and even those of the LMA. Forget not his silence upon summarily being shown the door at Wednesday.

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29 minutes ago, megansdad said:

and yet the same person appointed Pat Lam, which seems to me to counter the arguments quite effectively- could not have a more high profile manager. Think its a case of SL choosing who he thinks is best able to do the job simple as that. He has been successful with Bristol and hopefully soon will be with Bristol City.

I think you mean the same person who financed the appointment of Pat Lam, not the one who appointed him. That was largely driven by Tainton and Booy. SL knows even less about rugby than he does about football. 

As for Coppell being the reason SL doesn't go down a similar route, I genuinely think a trip to the Nou Camp has more to do with SL's decision-making than SC. He's gone on record about how a trip to FCB inspired the Bristol Sport model and I supsect SL thinks it's the right thing to appoint from within because FCB do it (albeit with former players who've won tropies and caps at the highest levels). 

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