Different manager thread

[1960maaan]

 

Below is the list of managers that have been in charge since I started watching City in 1970.
The list doesn't look complete, but near enough. Of the 20 something men that have been in charge only once have I felt as down as I do now. Terry Cooper was different, so I don't count that one, he had lined Joe Jordan up to take over so it was expected. The only other time was when Jordan left for Hearts when we had a chance of going straight up  Usually, when a manager leaves , you are shite , that's the thing you dump your Manager when he's  crap. Nige had been doing ok with loads of injuries and keeping to an ever shrinking budget. Joe had been promised riches, well a chance of being Scotland Manager, so he dumped us. 
So this feeling is rare. Anyone been sad/disappointed about losing a Manager before ?

Manager history, 

	FROM	TO
Nigel Pearson	24 Feb, 2021	Present
Dean Holden	05 Jul, 2020	24 Feb, 2021
Lee Johnson	07 Feb, 2016	05 Jul, 2020
John Pemberton	14 Jan, 2015	07 Feb, 2016
Steve Cotterill	03 Dec, 2013	14 Jan, 2015
Sean O'Driscoll	14 Jan, 2013	28 Nov, 2013
Derek McInnes	19 Oct, 2011	13 Jan, 2013
Keith Millen	12 Aug, 2010	03 Oct, 2011
Steve Coppell	11 May, 2010	12 Aug, 2010
Keith Millen	18 Mar, 2010	11 May, 2010
Gary Johnson	26 Sep, 2005	18 Mar, 2010
Keith Millen	11 Sep, 2005	26 Sep, 2005
Brian Tinnion	05 Jun, 2004	11 Sep, 2005
Danny Wilson	27 Jun, 2000	05 Jun, 2004
Leroy Rosenior	14 Jan, 2000	27 Jun, 2000
Tony Fawthrop	14 Jan, 2000	27 Jun, 2000
David Burnside	14 Jan, 2000	27 Jun, 2000
Tony Pulis	05 Jul, 1999	14 Jan, 2000
Benny Lennartsson	28 Oct, 1998	05 Jul, 1999
John Ward	27 Mar, 1997	28 Oct, 1998
Gerry Sweeney	25 Mar, 1997	27 Mar, 1997
Joe Jordan	15 Nov, 1994	24 Mar, 1997
Russell Osman	21 Jan, 1993	14 Nov, 1994
Denis Smith	09 Mar, 1992	21 Feb, 1993
Jimmy Lumsden	08 Oct, 1990	24 Feb, 1992
Joe Jordan	16 Mar, 1988	01 Sep, 1990
Terry Cooper	20 May, 1982	16 Mar, 1988
Roy Hodgson	03 Jan, 1982	30 Apr, 1982
Bobby Houghton	01 Oct, 1980	03 Jan, 1982
Alan Dicks	01 Oct, 1967	30 Sep, 1980

[Edgy Red]

Thanks for posting that list... i had a season ticket in the 90's and was gutted when John Ward left. We had some great moments under Danny Wilson and i was sad to see Cotterill leave.

Weirdly, i'm not feeling the Pearson departure as badly as those i've mentioned above. I'm not sure if thats an age thing or the quality of the football but i'm looking forward to a change.

[GrahamC]

Although I believe you’re slightly older than me we cover exactly the same managers.

The honest answer is no.

At the time I thought Cotts deserved longer, Jordan was a real shame but it was his choice, so nothing like Nige.

Can’t say any of the others bothered me, Ward was considered unlucky but he never managed at Championship level again in his career.

[AppyDAZE]

I was there at the start of this. Well from 1969/70 to be precise.

I remember it well...

Dicks out! was a regular cry at AG for a few years before he finally got his team sorted out.

Was gutted yesterday when I heard Nigel had been sent packing, but the club goes on.

Please guys and girls, give the new man a chance WHOEVER it turns out to be.

It isn't his doing that the blokes running the club are clueless.

COYR upwards and onwards!

Edited October 30, 2023 by AppyDAZE

[Kimpton]

Believe it or not Mciness, I mean the football was the worst of anyone in the last 20 years by a mile, but I remember thinking it was an exciting brave appointment. Turned to shit though. He managed to destroy Fontaine, sign Ryan Mcgivern and play McManus and Bates centre back. Blimey he made SOD look like a success so so dire.

[Fpcity]

Totally forgot about Pemberton! 

[Davefevs]

I’m younger than you both and cover the same managers too.

Ward I thought was harsh on the back of a televised win v Bolton.

Cotts I was gutted about, but he’d backed himself into a corner.

Nige my views are well documented on here.

[eardun]

Coppell’s departure was a shock but too soon to feel as depressing as Pearson’s sacking.

[Zuni]

31 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

 

Below is the list of managers that have been in charge since I started watching City in 1970.
The list doesn't look complete, but near enough. Of the 20 something men that have been in charge only once have I felt as down as I do now. Terry Cooper was different, so I don't count that one, he had lined Joe Jordan up to take over so it was expected. The only other time was when Jordan left for Hearts when we had a chance of going straight up  Usually, when a manager leaves , you are shite , that's the thing you dump your Manager when he's  crap. Nige had been doing ok with loads of injuries and keeping to an ever shrinking budget. Joe had been promised riches, well a chance of being Scotland Manager, so he dumped us. 
So this feeling is rare. Anyone been sad/disappointed about losing a Manager before ?

Manager history, 

	FROM	TO
Nigel Pearson	24 Feb, 2021	Present
Dean Holden	05 Jul, 2020	24 Feb, 2021
Lee Johnson	07 Feb, 2016	05 Jul, 2020
John Pemberton	14 Jan, 2015	07 Feb, 2016
Steve Cotterill	03 Dec, 2013	14 Jan, 2015
Sean O'Driscoll	14 Jan, 2013	28 Nov, 2013
Derek McInnes	19 Oct, 2011	13 Jan, 2013
Keith Millen	12 Aug, 2010	03 Oct, 2011
Steve Coppell	11 May, 2010	12 Aug, 2010
Keith Millen	18 Mar, 2010	11 May, 2010
Gary Johnson	26 Sep, 2005	18 Mar, 2010
Keith Millen	11 Sep, 2005	26 Sep, 2005
Brian Tinnion	05 Jun, 2004	11 Sep, 2005
Danny Wilson	27 Jun, 2000	05 Jun, 2004
Leroy Rosenior	14 Jan, 2000	27 Jun, 2000
Tony Fawthrop	14 Jan, 2000	27 Jun, 2000
David Burnside	14 Jan, 2000	27 Jun, 2000
Tony Pulis	05 Jul, 1999	14 Jan, 2000
Benny Lennartsson	28 Oct, 1998	05 Jul, 1999
John Ward	27 Mar, 1997	28 Oct, 1998
Gerry Sweeney	25 Mar, 1997	27 Mar, 1997
Joe Jordan	15 Nov, 1994	24 Mar, 1997
Russell Osman	21 Jan, 1993	14 Nov, 1994
Denis Smith	09 Mar, 1992	21 Feb, 1993
Jimmy Lumsden	08 Oct, 1990	24 Feb, 1992
Joe Jordan	16 Mar, 1988	01 Sep, 1990
Terry Cooper	20 May, 1982	16 Mar, 1988
Roy Hodgson	03 Jan, 1982	30 Apr, 1982
Bobby Houghton	01 Oct, 1980	03 Jan, 1982
Alan Dicks	01 Oct, 1967	30 Sep, 1980

Same for me.

[tin]

When you think back to SL turning a blind eye to the piss head culture of the Wilson era or LJ’s profligacy, he was too loyal. This is the polar opposite. Nige and his staff had earned more loyalty than he got.

I thought Cotts deserved more time, but that doesn’t even come close to this in my 32 years of support when you factor in the experience let go (Rennie included).

Edited October 30, 2023 by tin

[AppyDAZE]

5 minutes ago, eardun said:

Coppell’s departure was a shock but too soon to feel as depressing as Pearson’s sacking.

All the excitement of we've got Steve Coppell only to hear that he had walked and the new guy was going to be..

 

 

Keith Millen.   BCFC in a nutshell.

Be prepared.

Edited October 30, 2023 by AppyDAZE

[Silvio Dante]

5 minutes ago, Davefevs said:

I’m younger than you both and cover the same managers too.

Ward I thought was harsh on the back of a televised win v Bolton.

Cotts I was gutted about, but he’d backed himself into a corner.

Nige my views are well documented on here.

Ward left IIRC because he wanted help and his choice was Ray Harford but the board brought Benny in. I didn’t hold a great torch for Ward - nothing to do with ex Rovers but more that I thought he took Joes team up. It’s fair to say that if Shaun Taylor wasn’t injured it may have ended differently.

There were only a couple I was truly gutted by - Joe obviously but surprisingly for some, Benny. I could see what he was doing; bringing youth through and wanting to play good football. I could see a plan, I could see shoots. I hated Pulis coming in because I knew what anti football he played but also because I knew it was a complete 180 and it would screw up what Benny was working towards. It’s no shock that in the first post Pulis game at Bournemouth several younger players came back in - Benny started the Hill, Brown, Burnell generation and it’s a shame he didn’t get a chance to finish.

[AppyDAZE]

4 minutes ago, tin said:

When you think back to SL turning a blind eye to the piss head culture of the Wilson era or LJ’s profligacy, he was too loyal. This is the polar opposite. Nige and his staff had earned more loyalty than he got.

I thought Cotts deserved more time, but that doesn’t even come close to this in my 32 years of support when you factor in the experience let go (Rennie included).

Spot on.

[handsofclay]

26 minutes ago, 1960maaan said:

 

Below is the list of managers that have been in charge since I started watching City in 1970.
The list doesn't look complete, but near enough. Of the 20 something men that have been in charge only once have I felt as down as I do now. Terry Cooper was different, so I don't count that one, he had lined Joe Jordan up to take over so it was expected. The only other time was when Jordan left for Hearts when we had a chance of going straight up  Usually, when a manager leaves , you are shite , that's the thing you dump your Manager when he's  crap. Nige had been doing ok with loads of injuries and keeping to an ever shrinking budget. Joe had been promised riches, well a chance of being Scotland Manager, so he dumped us. 
So this feeling is rare. Anyone been sad/disappointed about losing a Manager before ?

Manager history, 

	FROM	TO
Nigel Pearson	24 Feb, 2021	Present
Dean Holden	05 Jul, 2020	24 Feb, 2021
Lee Johnson	07 Feb, 2016	05 Jul, 2020
John Pemberton	14 Jan, 2015	07 Feb, 2016
Steve Cotterill	03 Dec, 2013	14 Jan, 2015
Sean O'Driscoll	14 Jan, 2013	28 Nov, 2013
Derek McInnes	19 Oct, 2011	13 Jan, 2013
Keith Millen	12 Aug, 2010	03 Oct, 2011
Steve Coppell	11 May, 2010	12 Aug, 2010
Keith Millen	18 Mar, 2010	11 May, 2010
Gary Johnson	26 Sep, 2005	18 Mar, 2010
Keith Millen	11 Sep, 2005	26 Sep, 2005
Brian Tinnion	05 Jun, 2004	11 Sep, 2005
Danny Wilson	27 Jun, 2000	05 Jun, 2004
Leroy Rosenior	14 Jan, 2000	27 Jun, 2000
Tony Fawthrop	14 Jan, 2000	27 Jun, 2000
David Burnside	14 Jan, 2000	27 Jun, 2000
Tony Pulis	05 Jul, 1999	14 Jan, 2000
Benny Lennartsson	28 Oct, 1998	05 Jul, 1999
John Ward	27 Mar, 1997	28 Oct, 1998
Gerry Sweeney	25 Mar, 1997	27 Mar, 1997
Joe Jordan	15 Nov, 1994	24 Mar, 1997
Russell Osman	21 Jan, 1993	14 Nov, 1994
Denis Smith	09 Mar, 1992	21 Feb, 1993
Jimmy Lumsden	08 Oct, 1990	24 Feb, 1992
Joe Jordan	16 Mar, 1988	01 Sep, 1990
Terry Cooper	20 May, 1982	16 Mar, 1988
Roy Hodgson	03 Jan, 1982	30 Apr, 1982
Bobby Houghton	01 Oct, 1980	03 Jan, 1982
Alan Dicks	01 Oct, 1967	30 Sep, 1980

I also started in 1970 so have experienced the same as you. You omitted Gerry Sharpe between Roy Hodgson and Terry Cooper, incidentally.

Like yourself the only other time I can say I was saddened by a manager leaving was Joe Jordan the first time around. But on that occasion it was the manager himself who chose to leave having progressed the club and put them in a better position. This time the manager wanted to say.

I thought it was incredible a week ago when with City in 8th place having just beaten Coventry with a team depleted by injury, someone posted on OTIB that if City lost to second placed Ipswich and Cardiff who are riding high with an even more depleted team that Pearson would be sacked. The incredible thing was that I believed that could well be the case due to the vibes of the last few months. 

It's bizarre now thinking that this was the same owner who allowed LJ several losing runs of far, far more than two matches having given him Megabucks to amass a big squad to give him all the clubs in the bag but never sacked him until the umpteenth time this happened. But sacks a very popular manager of City, whom the fan base could see was building something, after two losses partly brought on by the owner's refusal to invest and obviously before two upcoming matches against teams in the bottom three. The cynic in me reckons that had City been playing Leicester and Leeds away AFTER these recent two losses instead of Sheff Wed and QPR, Lansdown would have waited until after those games to wield the axe believing it would then be four losses on the bounce.

An absolutely disgraceful approach and attitude from SL.

[GrahamC]

3 minutes ago, Silvio Dante said:

Ward left IIRC because he wanted help and his choice was Ray Harford but the board brought Benny in. I didn’t hold a great torch for Ward - nothing to do with ex Rovers but more that I thought he took Joes team up. It’s fair to say that if Shaun Taylor wasn’t injured it may have ended differently.

There were only a couple I was truly gutted by - Joe obviously but surprisingly for some, Benny. I could see what he was doing; bringing youth through and wanting to play good football. I could see a plan, I could see shoots. I hated Pulis coming in because I knew what anti football he played but also because I knew it was a complete 180 and it would screw up what Benny was working towards. It’s no shock that in the first post Pulis game at Bournemouth several younger players came back in - Benny started the Hill, Brown, Burnell generation and it’s a shame he didn’t get a chance to finish.

Interesting point.

No manager that we have ever had, even the really shit ones (SOD, the lunacy of appointing Fawthrop) boiled my piss anything like as much as Pulis. 
Everything about him, he’s gas, Welsh (that vile Newport accent) the dogshit football, his ridiculous match day garb, Lyndsey effing Parsons as his assistant, godfather to Holloway’s kids, (I mean, did we do no research?) it all really annoyed me.

Benny was mad, some of his signings (like the shortest goalkeeper in Denmark) were definitely pretty strange, but having got relegated there seemed no sense in tearing up the experiment of blooding the youth & definitely not for a *** like Pulis.

[Davefevs]

Fair to say some you on here have been serious fans over the years.  I always played Saturday, trained Tuesday, so feel a bit a “part-time Bill” up against loads of you.  Went when I could, but it’s only in recent years (2013) that I started going every week.

i’m not worthy! ️️️

[Silvio Dante]

5 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Interesting point.

No manager that we have ever had, even the really shit ones (SOD, the lunacy of appointing Fawthrop) boiled my piss anything like as much as Pulis. 
Everything about him, he’s gas, Welsh (that vile Newport accent) the dogshit football, his ridiculous match day garb, Lyndsey effing Parsons as his assistant, godfather to Holloway’s kids, (I mean, did we do no research?) it all really annoyed me.

Benny was mad, some of his signings (like the shortest goalkeeper in Denmark) were definitely pretty strange, but having got relegated there seemed no sense in tearing up the experiment of blooding the youth & definitely not for a *** like Pulis.

There was one real sliding doors game in 1998/99 for me - I think around March time we played WBA at the Hawthorns and drew 2-2 with them equalising late on, after we’d lost Bell and Testimitanu (great Benny signing, think we had to include a piano?) to broken legs. We hang on in that game I’m sure we stay up. Nevertheless I think he was onto something, and the ripping it up just felt like an abysmal decision.

[GrahamC]

1 minute ago, Silvio Dante said:

There was one real sliding doors game in 1998/99 for me - I think around March time we played WBA at the Hawthorns and drew 2-2 with them equalising late on, after we’d lost Bell and Testimitanu (great Benny signing, think we had to include a piano?) to broken legs. We hang on in that game I’m sure we stay up. Nevertheless I think he was onto something, and the ripping it up just felt like an abysmal decision.

I was there.

Lee Hughes equalised in something like the 95th minute, Mark Shail was playing on when clearly concussed after we’d used all our subs, but had no idea where he was.

Aaron Brown’s debut & Akinbiyi (as usual) unplayable, got both, one man forward line.

Think Testimitanu was a cruciate ligament injury, out for a year.

We won games under him but it was probably the best we played.

[italian dave]

Similar timespan for me.....I can just remember Fred Ford, but only just.

I think I'm probably a bit weird though in that I don't really find myself liking and disliking managers quite as deeply as many obviously do! 

My view tends to be that I know virtually nothing about what's going on behind the scenes, pretty much all of them are doing a better job than I could do, and whilst some are no doubt better than others they are generally doing their level best for my club, and I'll support them as long as they're with us. Football's often a lot about luck, fine margins, confidence, that sort of thing, so I just feel that the tide might turn at any time and I'd rather managers stayed in post and were successful. 

So, I tend to feel a bit sad when any of them go - and NP is no exception. The two exceptions have been Osman and Pulis - both of whom had, in my view, things other than the best interests of Bristol City at heart, and I was glad to see them go.

Probably only one I was really devastated to see go: for anyone who thinks NP has done well with limited resources (and he has) I give you Terry Cooper. Now he really did work miracles with no resources, loved the club, and gave us some fantastic football into the bargain. I know the circumstances, but I was still really sad to see him go.

Edited October 30, 2023 by italian dave

[italian dave]

39 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

Interesting point.

No manager that we have ever had, even the really shit ones (SOD, the lunacy of appointing Fawthrop) boiled my piss anything like as much as Pulis. 
Everything about him, he’s gas, Welsh (that vile Newport accent) the dogshit football, his ridiculous match day garb, Lyndsey effing Parsons as his assistant, godfather to Holloway’s kids, (I mean, did we do no research?) it all really annoyed me.

Benny was mad, some of his signings (like the shortest goalkeeper in Denmark) were definitely pretty strange, but having got relegated there seemed no sense in tearing up the experiment of blooding the youth & definitely not for a *** like Pulis.

Agree Graham - about both Pulis and Benny.

I always felt Benny was a good coach who was put in an impossible position by the club completely messing up the John Ward situation. He was also ahead of his time in identifying issues around things like diet, training, which we now take for granted.

And, as you say, tearing it all up and some - usual City style even then that we don't just change manager we change everything about our style, philosophy, set up at the same time. Mad.

[Mr Popodopolous]

32 minutes ago, GrahamC said:

I was there.

Lee Hughes equalised in something like the 95th minute, Mark Shail was playing on when clearly concussed after we’d used all our subs, but had no idea where he was.

Aaron Brown’s debut & Akinbiyi (as usual) unplayable, got both, one man forward line.

Think Testimitanu was a cruciate ligament injury, out for a year.

We won games under him but it was probably the best we played.

Was either the week before or after, held on and on and on vs Sunderland, the runaway side of Quinn and Phillips up front...until we didn't.

Last minute penalty at home, 0-1. Scott Davidson stormed onto the pitch.

[fgrsimon]

Been following City since 1983 and I was thinking today that this is the first time I've actually been pissed off at a sacking in all that time. Obviously gutted when JJ left first time around but that was his choice to leave for a ahem 'bigger' club (Hearts). So gutted in fact I can still remember exactly where I was when I read it (on the Northern Line between Finchley Central and East Finchley as it happens). All the others had reached a natural end, even Steve Cotteril, I was very sad when he was sacked but it was the right decision.

I suppose I was a bit disappointed that John Pemberton wasn't kept on instead of LJ taking over and I'm still convinced that without the points we got when Pemberton was caretaker, we would have been relegated.

The ones I was most glad to see the back of were Jimmy Lumsden, Pulis and LJ. I remember the Pulis side being totally lacking in goals but Tony Thorpe was perpetually on the bench! Lumsden got rid of Bob Taylor...

[Red Exile]

Good thread! I started late 60s and I'd agree with others that Joe Jordan's was a gutting departure - seemed that we were set up to thrive and if we had done it would have been a good time to do so.

The departure of Alan Dicks felt inevitable, after a brilliant innings. Of the others I felt the greatest sorrow at TC, at GJ and at Cotts because in each case it really felt the need of an era in the club's history and because they had put effort into building a really good relationship with all of us. Good times.

I was a far more distant follower in the later 90s - young kids - came back in the Wilson days and got the whole family along for GJ. I hugely fell out of love with the Lansdown's running of the club in the Millen/McInnes/SOD era. Never recovered my faith in them. I was very vocal on here about Millen - had a different user name then - and there were plenty of Lansdown loyalists around then to shout down any critique, perhaps the same folk who lined up behind LJ as he snatched defeat from the jaws of victory time after time.

Millen was right up there with Tinnion and Holden - totally incompatible with any ambition to build and progress. Incomprehensible. Hoping that things will different this time, not hugely optimistic that they will!

Nigel Pearson's departure feels different to all of those. Both a good man shown the door after a lot of painfully hard work and a depressing expression of what our football club has become. The sooner Lansdown goes the better.

[Offside]

I usually feel sad when a manager  goes (Pulis being the exception - his departure was a cause for celebration). But this is the first time I’ve felt pissed off about it. Usually it’s clear that a tipping point has been reached (losing the players/fans, threat of relegation, abysmal form etc), but that isn’t the case with NP, who still had the backing of players and fans.  

[Guest]

Quite remarkable that NP appears to be the only manager the club has sacked over all those years that doesn’t seem to have been given anywhere near the leeway the others were.

Different owners/Chairman, same scenario, give the guy some time to improve before wielding the axe.

NP must have truly wound SL up to act as he has…..if only walls could talk.

[sunningdalered]

Took me a long time to get over the appointment of Millen. He was always a no. 2, never a leader. IIRC he was defensive coach prior to the managerial appointment, and we couldn't defend for sh*t.

[DaveInSA]

Through the 80s was my “peak city” watching experience. Pretty much every home game during that time. So obvs, Cooper and Jordan hold a special place in my memories. 

Then I went to Uni, moved to London, SA and finally back to Somerset in 2017.

TBH, I’ve lost my enthusiasm for attending games while I’ve been away. And for me, alarm bells started to ring when Coppell left after 2 games in charge. That’s pretty much unheard of in the world of football. I was actually quite excited about him having a good run.

Totally gutted about the Pearson debacle though. Reading between the lines it was telegraphed. And he isn’t stupid enough to not realise and he very cannily called the owners out in the media. Who then fired him. Alarm bells ringing again.

My nephew is in the academy, my brother and his boys are ST holders. I could easily go. I just have found it so uninspiring. Teams come to our home ground expecting to turn us over and we duly oblige (TBF NP was addressing that).

All I can hope is that Steve is selling up and we can rebuild with a new manager with the same ethos as Pearson. Else it’s all in vain and we will stay little Bristol City.

 

[SecretSam]

Turns out Hodgson leaving was a big blow - I mentioned that to him when I bumped into him, when he was England manager. We had a laugh and a joke about it.

[SecretSam]

16 minutes ago, Offside said:

I usually feel sad when a manager  goes (Pulis being the exception - his departure was a cause for celebration).

I remember being overjoyed when he went. The next game (Bournemouth away, IIRC), it was like a party in the away end.

[harvey54]

8 hours ago, Davefevs said:

Fair to say some you on here have been serious fans over the years.  I always played Saturday, trained Tuesday, so feel a bit a “part-time Bill” up against loads of you.  Went when I could, but it’s only in recent years (2013) that I started going every week.

i’m not worthy! ️️️

Oh you are mate. Stand down soldier, it's been a tough few days