Coppell's Legacy

[Maesknoll Red]

If Keith Millen didn't realise before, I'm sure he does now, the damage caused by Coppell's short, (but at a crucial stage of the year) tenure.

I was initially pleased by the appointment, but fairly quickly, got a gut feeling that things weren't right, his decision to not come to the final games of the season were surprising, given that surely 99.9% of people who take a new job are very enthusiastic about making a good impression and doing well. The lack of enthusiasm carried over to the start of his contract and pre-season (or at least that was the impression I gleaned from his demeanour). The lack of signings of the quality we expected him to bring (from what I've seen so far Hunt isn't fit to lace Orr's boots) is another big expectation not met.

Now whether he has an illness or is just not right mentally, seems to have been there from the outset, he may have thought that getting back into a Managers office would sort him out, its just a shame that it was ours. From the end of the season, through until he walked, I can't help feeling that the preperation has been far off the standard required.

This now leaves Millen and Wigley with an uphill task, one I sincerely hope they conquer, it will be a big plus point on Keith's CV if he gets us somewhere around 10th-14th, not quite sure it will be a big minus point if he fails, or even worse we go down. Yep, the dreaded relegation word, I remain confident that we will stay up and around mid-table, but there is some serious and honest talking needed, especially amongst the senior players and maybe decision making. Loans are still available outside the transfer window, we look in desperate need of a couple of players to shore up the defence.

So thanks for your legacy, Steve Coppell, it will be remembered for all the wrong reasons, I just hope it doesn't become one of real sorrow and anguish if the worst happens in May.

[reddoc]

The fact that Coppell shafted us for whatever reason is unarguable. What genuinely confuses me is the amount of time taken to reach that decision following Johnson's departure, apparently in order to find the right man capable of taking the next step and raising the profile of the club. If Millen was considered to be that man then logically he should have been offered the job at the time especially considering the reasonable run of form achieved whilst caretaking. However when Coppell jumpedthe appointment was immediate. Why? Pretty sure he'd have accepted the caretaker role again, pressure would have been off, and possibly given a few games he'd have demonstrated he was indeed the man for the job. Obviously at this moment you have to question this and we have zero options. Not having a dig at SL but strikes me of a can't be assed to go through all that again type of decision and unfortunately puts Millen in the position of being a great servant for the club who if he fails to turn things round pretty soon will be shown the door. Great shame as need not of been like this and feel it's all been handled pretty poorly.

[BCAGFC]

The holiday to Thailand said it all really, he should have been back here working as he had just had 4 week holiday to the USA.

BCAGFC

[Guest Cassio]

Steve Coppell isn't very well and the stress made his health 10 times worse. That's why he quit Reading. Madejski ended his open cheque-book policy, so Coppell had to cope with all the usual bullshit most managers on a fixed budget have to deal with. Couldn't cope so he walked. Exactly the same scenario with us, but this time his health got significantly worse than ever before.

All the players said Coppell's training methods were a massive improvement on Johnson's. Like focusing on short sprint running instead of long distance. Plus with Johnson, the players wouldn't see a football for the first 3 weeks of pre-season. Coppell had them playing headers, volleys and beats on day 1. Even though he never came to games, I heard he watched over 300 hours of City matches on DVD.

Bottom line is, during his year off he thought he could cope with the pressure. Back at work it wasn't the case. Can't blame the guy really.

As for Milly, everybody keeps saying he's a big deal at Lilyshaw for coming top of the class, and that he's in the top 20 best young coaches in the country?

[Nogbad the Bad]

Steve Coppell's legacy is we are left with an unbalanced, dishevelled, bloated squad totally lacking in shape or confidence.

He allowed players to leave that Millen might have made greater efforts to keep, or replaced more appropriately, namely Orr, McCombe and Hartley and signed players that a new manager, Millen or not, may not have wanted - particularly Stewart, Hunt, James and Williams.

The squad Millen inherited from Coppell not only lacked shape, but, vitally, leaders on the pitch.

Is the squad we are left with too good to go down? Definitely not, we're in a mess.

When Johnson left we were apparently flooded with 'dozens of quality applications'. When Coppell left us in the lurch apparently this situation had changed and Millen was first choice. Presumably then all the other quality previous applicants had since been employed, or lost interest, meaning Coppell had, in effect, possibly cost us another quality manager at this level by taking the job in the first place.

Is Millen, the the man to sort the present turmoil out?

Who knows, it would be a tough task even for an experienced new manager. He hasn't made an auspicious start, has had no success thus far in balancing the squad with the new signings that both Coppell and he himself had identified as being vital on the left hand side, and we've no idea whatsoever how he will cope with the pressure of an extended run of poor results and the possible ensuing unrest amongst the squad, and fans, should that occur.

Did he get the job before he was really ready, through no fault of his own, simply because other, possibly better options were no longer available?

It's not looking good at all tonight, we are in disarray and it's hard to imagine any other club in this division viewing a match against BCFC with any trepidation.

Coppell was obviously unfortunate with the disastrous injury list, but that apart he clearly has alot to answer for.

[havanatopia]

When Johnson left we were apparently flooded with 'dozens of quality applications'. When Coppell left us in the lurch apparently this situation had changed and Millen was first choice. Presumably then all the other quality previous applicants had since been employed, or lost interest, meaning Coppell had, in effect, possibly cost us another quality manager at this level by taking the job in the first place.

Where did you get that from? I'll take what SL said on Player; namely that Millen came forward, he was always number 2 choice when Copout took the job, so no job was advertised.

And no out of work manager would turn their nose up at managing BCFC; given the same scenario again and we would be flooded again.

[Alex_BCFC]

Steve Coppell's legacy is we are left with an unbalanced, dishevelled, bloated squad totally lacking in shape or confidence.

That was what Gary Johnson left us with. Can't really blame Coppell for that.

And again I wouldn't blame Coppell for the players that left- Hartley would have gone regardless, McCombe and B.Wilson not good enough and Orr offered much better deal elsewhere.

The only thing that annoys me with Coppell is why he decided to take the job when he wasn't that comitted to start with.

Unfortunately I never wanted Millen to get the job. He may prove to be a success long term but I can't see it myself.

[Antman]

SL was in a position where he had little choice but to give the job to Millen straight away.

KM took charge and turned the clubs fortunes around at the end of last term and then had to bite down and accept seeing another manager appointed over his head despite applying himself.

WHATEVER the reasons for SC's departure, if SL were now to re-open the job and ask for new applications, this would leave Millen once again, hugely demotivated and staring at the likely dole queue again

(after all could SL force a second manager to take Millen on)

Having spent many many years being very sceptical of SL's motives (mainly on a financial and company level) , I've come round to seeing him as a good and solid chairman. I do think he's not got a great record in appointing managers though.

He's going to be panicking to a degree as the timing for the situation could not be worse. We're in a tricky spot right now, as we, as fans, have had expectations built up over the stadium and then SC, then DJ, and one by one things haven't worked out.

We're left in a state of flux over the stadium, SC meddled with the squad then walked off, and as for DJ, christ who knows? it looks like a clanger, but the bloke IS a good keeper for this level, so I'm hoping given a little time to steady things, KM can get him playing with his defence.

Millen has got a tough job on, but he's well qualified and Wrigley is another quality coach/assistant, albeit an 'unknown' but as with so many managers before, it's all about that indefinable chemistry that you need to make things happen, we currently don't quite have that yet, but now, ever more so, we need a degree of patience and time.

(Look at Keanes start last season with Ipswich!!)

[SimplyRed]

SL was in a position where he had little choice but to give the job to Millen straight away.

KM took charge and turned the clubs fortunes around at the end of last term and then had to bite down and accept seeing another manager appointed over his head despite applying himself.

WHATEVER the reasons for SC's departure, if SL were now to re-open the job and ask for new applications, this would leave Millen once again, hugely demotivated and staring at the likely dole queue again

(after all could SL force a second manager to take Millen on)

Having spent many many years being very sceptical of SL's motives (mainly on a financial and company level) , I've come round to seeing him as a good and solid chairman. I do think he's not got a great record in appointing managers though.

He's going to be panicking to a degree as the timing for the situation could not be worse. We're in a tricky spot right now, as we, as fans, have had expectations built up over the stadium and then SC, then DJ, and one by one things haven't worked out.

We're left in a state of flux over the stadium, SC meddled with the squad then walked off, and as for DJ, christ who knows? it looks like a clanger, but the bloke IS a good keeper for this level, so I'm hoping given a little time to steady things, KM can get him playing with his defence.

Millen has got a tough job on, but he's well qualified and Wrigley is another quality coach/assistant, albeit an 'unknown' but as with so many managers before, it's all about that indefinable chemistry that you need to make things happen, we currently don't quite have that yet, but now, ever more so, we need a degree of patience and time.

(Look at Keanes start last season with Ipswich!!)

I agree with most of this. Lansdown is now caught between a rock and a hard place by putting all his eggs in Millen's basket. If Millen fails, it will look like Lansdown and the board made a bit of a panic appointment.

I think the task in turning the squad into a contending team is a bit beyond Millen. I hope I'm wrong, but I feel with Millen at the helm, we'll struggle.

[Nogbad the Bad]

Where did you get that from? I'll take what SL said on Player; namely that Millen came forward, he was always number 2 choice when Copout took the job, so no job was advertised.

The situation had changed exactly because the vacancy wasn't advertised second time round. Therefore, with no applications possible the situation had altered from Millen apparently being thought of as not quite ready after a good caretaker stint, to being undisputed first choice. Did Millen 'come forward', as you put it, or was he simply offered the job?

And no out of work manager would turn their nose up at managing BCFC; given the same scenario again and we would be flooded again.

They might well have lost interest if they had applied and were overlooked only a couple of months earlier, so although I agree we would be flooded again those applications may not have included the best previous applicants even if they hadn't got fixed up inbetween.

[Nogbad the Bad]

That was what Gary Johnson left us with. Can't really blame Coppell for that.

We're talking about Coppell's legacy - he signed 5 ready made first teamers in Adomah, Hunt, Cisse, Stewart and James yet the problems he immediately identified down our left hand side remained unaddressed. The squad was probably even more unbalanced when he left.

And again I wouldn't blame Coppell for the players that left- Hartley would have gone regardless, McCombe and B.Wilson not good enough and Orr offered much better deal elsewhere.

I wouldn't blame him either, you're right that any manager would have faced the same problems and may well have made the same decisions. The real question is whether Coppell replaced them appropriately because he was spending a huge chunk of our season's budget and these were vital signings that will shape our season. With a different manager in place it's likely we wouldn't have the majority of those new players contracted now.

Unfortunately I never wanted Millen to get the job. He may prove to be a success long term but I can't see it myself.

Completely agree on both counts.

[Nogbad the Bad]

SL was in a position where he had little choice but to give the job to Millen straight away.

KM took charge and turned the clubs fortunes around at the end of last term and then had to bite down and accept seeing another manager appointed over his head despite applying himself.

WHATEVER the reasons for SC's departure, if SL were now to re-open the job and ask for new applications, this would leave Millen once again, hugely demotivated and staring at the likely dole queue again

(after all could SL force a second manager to take Millen on)

I know you've gone on to explain a bit underneath, but surely it would have been perfectly acceptable all round to make KM caretaker again for a couple of weeks?

He seemed happy to carry on 'learning his trade' under Coppell, so why would it be different under another experienced manager such a short time later?

[Antman]

I know you've gone on to explain a bit underneath, but surely it would have been perfectly acceptable all round to make KM caretaker again for a couple of weeks?

He seemed happy to carry on 'learning his trade' under Coppell, so why would it be different under another experienced manager such a short time later?

i think you can't do it twice. that tactic paid off when GJ left, I'm not convinced it would work again and more critically under these circumstance. more importantly I think KM was quite circumspect in what he was saying at the time, and knew he'd need to take that line publicly in order to not just be shown the door.

The additional fly in the ointment, is that SC effectively used up our war chest (and as Millen would have been party to this to some degree, it makes sense for continuity at least to have the assistant step up.

Otherwise you'd have a massively bloated squad, a whole influx of new players left scratching their heads and wondering what the new man might do to them. a squad of GJ's players left worrying about their situation This in itself is a massive waste of money and resource and SL has always said he won't just keep coughing up endlessly.

Lets be in no doubt, SC left us in a mess.