by Terminal Boardom »
11 Feb 2013 01:53
I am surprised that Branfoot isn't getting a mention. Whereas he too us up 2 divisions, the football was dreadful. Once Bremner, Wood and Senior left, the team fell apart. The replacements were utterly shocking. Some of his signings were bizarre to say the least. Who, in their right mind, would play hoof ball with Steve Moran up front? Moran was a very good footballer technically yet totally unsuited to Branfoot's "style". That we were effectively 45 minutes from returning to Division 4 sums his management abilities.
Porterfield tried to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear but never had the first idea of what his best 11 was.
IMHO, McGhee was brilliant. The style of football he managed to bring was amazing and was the best I saw at Elm Park. His partnership with Colin Lee was pivotal to the success he had. I wasn't at Molyneux for the first game of the season in 1994/95 but by all accounts, we destroyed Wolves only to lose 1-0.
Apart from the season when McGhee left and Jim and Mick took over, their tenure was one of struggle. Lots of distinctly average players came in eg Bodin. As in Branfoot's time, the loss of Osborn, Hislop and Taylor did us no favours. The heart was ripped out of the side.
Bullivant was given a task of taking over a struggling side and trying to improve it. he had a few transfer successes but ultimately, the run after New Year put paid to him. Burns, with the resources at his disposal was woeful. Sure, there were one or two signings that came off but don't forget the signed Murty as a winger - not a full back.
I am convinced had Pardew stayed, we would have won promotion.
Coppell? Took him time to get the balance right but when he did... the rest is history.
Rodgers? A basic inability to understand the abilities of the squad available and total failure to be able to get them to perform at their best. Thankfully, BMcD took over. Now, if BMcD can just get the first half of a season sorted out... Where BMcD has to be considered as probably our most successful manager has to be that he has managed to improve year on year having lost key players in the summer (Long, Mills, Sigurdsson spring to mind)