CONFIMRED - Mark Bowen

[Forbury Lion]

Understandably a questionable appointment - but it's happened now and it's not going to be changed so we've got to back him.

Positive thinking hat on:
- Knows the players from last season and this season so will know strengths and weaknesses
- Knows the club
- Has played a part in the new signings so mass overhaul won't be happening again
(well at least I got to 3...)

Must also help the club from an FFP perspective getting rid of Gomes on big money and making an internal appointment (clutching here)

Positive thinking hat:
- He's watched all the games and has presumably worked out where Gomes was going wrong & feels he has the experience to turn the results around
- He can start immediately
- Opportunity for some puns - "Hitting the mark"/"Wide of the mark"
- He isn't Neil Warnock
- He doesn't have to worry about the sporting director taking his job (until we appoint a new one)

Negatives not already mentioned
- Welsh Day won't be as exciting as Portugal Day
- He shits on the English side of the bridge (understandably so, considering the distance from here to Wales)
- He may be part of the problem/culture that is causing the issues and therefore things may not change

[Millsy]

So most people would rather the club spends £millions on some Billy Big Bollox manager with a big wristwatch getting him here, who may well be disappointing and then we have to spend £millions getting him out. Rather than someone who must be relatively cheap, easy to offload and worth a shot.

[10539.4 Miles Away]

Ian Holloway confirms on TalkSport he went for the job.

Shudder. Doesn't seem so bad now.

[Focher]

this appointment is about as uninspiring as when we announced Pardew, Coppell then McDermott were to be our manager.

Rodgers excited me, as did Adkins, Clarke and Stam, all shit.

Clement was just , as was Gomes.

[royal67]

Seems a short sighted move to me. An appointment that smacks of knee jerk reaction.

Please give an example of an appointment that would have not smacked of knee jerk?

Well, I guess appointing an individual with some kind of Managerial pedigree in football would have made the choice look less rash? Taking another week over the process wouldn't have been the end of the world? The club could've also made the whole recruitment situation a bit more transparent to the supporters which would've helped allay some of the negative feedback......

[Millsy]

this appointment is about as uninspiring as when we announced Pardew, Coppell then McDermott were to be our manager.

Rodgers excited me, as did Adkins, Clarke and Stam, all shit.

Clement was just , as was Gomes.

Erm. Coppell had me (and others) VERY excited and I for one blabbed on relentlessly here against a barrage of scepticism. It should have been very inspiring.

But yeah most of us including me were uninspired by McD and Pardew and they turned out fine. As did Stam initially before he was Gourlayed. And people with better records like Tommy Burns, Adkins, Clarke, Gomes were shite despite having at least decent spells in previous posts.

So in my experience previously unknown managers have done a lot better (remember McGhee and Quinn/Gooding too) than those with a record - APART from Coppell hence my thread about the power of luck/circumstance/momentum being more important than the bum on the seat.

If we're all waiting for some sort of Coppell hero that's ok, but chances are we're better off getting a nobody.

[Ascotexgunner]

this appointment is about as uninspiring as when we announced Pardew, Coppell then McDermott were to be our manager.

Never sure about Pardew at first, Coppell I have to disagree with, I was pleased when he was appointed. Did some good work at Crystal Palace.
McDermott was one, like Pardew, I thought he would do well and he was definitely one that gave me hope. Though someone jogged my memory yesterday about the disaster of a start he had.

Rodgers excited me, as did Adkins, Clarke and Stam, all shit.

Yep, Rodgers really excited me, especially with the squad we had. Adkins, I wasn't sure about, they really should have pipped us to the title and he almost messed up at the end before getting second. Soton had a decent side and I can see why he was offloaded that summer. Stam was a name and again yep, we all expected better from a world class player who was coaching at Ajax.

Clement just left me in tears of frustration and anger when he was appointed. Should never have been near this club as a manager. It was obvious what was going to happen with him. Gomes just left me bemused.

[Millsy]

this appointment is about as uninspiring as when we announced Pardew, Coppell then McDermott were to be our manager.

Never sure about Pardew at first, Coppell I have to disagree with, I was pleased when he was appointed. Did some good work at Crystal Palace.
McDermott was one, like Pardew, I thought he would do well and he was definitely one that gave me hope. Though someone jogged my memory yesterday about the disaster of a start he had.

Yep, Rodgers really excited me, especially with the squad we had. Adkins, I wasn't sure about, they really should have pipped us to the title and he almost messed up at the end before getting second. Soton had a decent side and I can see why he was offloaded that summer. Stam was a name and again yep, we all expected better from a world class player who was coaching at Ajax.

Clement just left me in tears of frustration and anger when he was appointed. Should never have been near this club as a manager. It was obvious what was going to happen with him. Gomes just left me bemused.

Please sort out the quoting, those aren't my quotes

Although not bad points I'm happy to have my name against most of it.

[Ascotexgunner]

Never sure about Pardew at first, Coppell I have to disagree with, I was pleased when he was appointed. Did some good work at Crystal Palace.
McDermott was one, like Pardew, I thought he would do well and he was definitely one that gave me hope. Though someone jogged my memory yesterday about the disaster of a start he had.

Clement just left me in tears of frustration and anger when he was appointed. Should never have been near this club as a manager. It was obvious what was going to happen with him. Gomes just left me bemused.

Please sort out the quoting, those aren't my quotes

Although not bad points I'm happy to have my name against most of it.

Sorry 2WW1......Im not good at that sort of thing......Parenthesis always defeated me in maths

[Ascotexgunner]

First press conf in a few minutes on BBCRB....if anyones interested.

[royalp-we]

So let me get this straight: Bowen had some team/formation input last season and our results improved, and then this season he didn't have any such input and we've been shit again? So the owners are thinking "okay this guy looks like he knows what he's doing, let's make him manager". Seems reasonable if true.

This sums it up.

Feeling positive about this appointment. Let the kids and autograph chasing, face painting adults wallow around Gomes and his team leaving.

Got a feeling we are going to see a more dynamic, yet direct approach and we will witness this squad fulfil its potential.

[Greatwesternline]

this appointment is about as uninspiring as when we announced Pardew, Coppell then McDermott were to be our manager.

Rodgers excited me, as did Adkins, Clarke and Stam, all shit.

Clement was just , as was Gomes.

I was excited about Coppell as well.

I know this is mental, but i actually like watching us under Rodgers, we created loads of chances, just Simon Church didnt put them away. Obvioulsy McDermott came in and kept us up, and nearly won the cup, as the song went, but i thought we would have come good under Rodgers.

[WestYorksRoyal]

So most people would rather the club spends £millions on some Billy Big Bollox manager with a big wristwatch getting him here, who may well be disappointing and then we have to spend £millions getting him out. Rather than someone who must be relatively cheap, easy to offload and worth a shot.

What I want is the Club hierarchy to think carefully about any appointment and act in the best interest of the Club. From the outside, it looks like Joorabchian and Bowen have manipulated the situation and there is a clear conflict of interest if they were important in dismissing Gomes.

It's perfectly possible I'm jumping to conclusions, and ultimately if Bowen does well he'll win me over. But the journalists need to go hard at this afternoon's press conference and get some answers; it doesn't look good from the outside. It should be good governance 101 - a perceived conflict of interest is a big issue even if people "in the know" think they're acting right.

[windermereROYAL]

We can kick and scream all we like but nothing is going to change the fact he is our manager for the foreseeable future, best to just accept it and get behind the team,
No doubt if we lose Saturday before Bowen can get his ideas across after one whole game in charge there will be uproar online.

[Royals and Racers]

Did i miss any announcement that Eddie Niedzwiecki has joined as Bowens assistant ?

[windermereROYAL]

Did i miss any announcement that Eddie Niedzwiecki has joined as Bowens assistant ?

Yes, it was widely reported yesterday.

[royalp-we]

Bowen confirms on BBC Berks he had nothing to do with dismissal - all on the owners

He was never Gomes ‘boss’. Spoke to José yesterday and Gomes had given Bowen a glowing reference on his departure!

Club spoke to 2 or 3 candidates. Phoned over weekend and owners wanted as little disruption as possible. As Bowen was overseeing the academy and rest of the club, they felt he was the man for the job.

[Ascotexgunner]

Bowen confirms on BBC Berks he had nothing to do with dismissal - all on the owners

He was never Gomes ‘boss’. Spoke to José yesterday and Gomes had given Bowen a glowing reference on his departure!

Club spoke to 2 or 3 candidates. Phoned over weekend and owners wanted as little disruption as possible. As Bowen was overseeing the academy and rest of the club, they felt he was the man for the job.

Interesting he was asked to do the job by the club. He didn't expect it and was stunned to by the phone call.
That shuts a few people up on here and Twitter.

7 month contract and he seems keen on bringing Gunter and McCleary back as well by the sounds of it.

[Sutekh]

All the coaching staff that worked under Jose are still with the club, only José and Jorge Mendonca have left

Eddie Niedzwiecki confirmed as assistant returning to the role he left back in 1991

Chris Gunter and Gareth McCleary are part of MB’s squad

[genome]

Bowen confirms on BBC Berks he had nothing to do with dismissal - all on the owners

He was never Gomes ‘boss’. Spoke to José yesterday and Gomes had given Bowen a glowing reference on his departure!

Club spoke to 2 or 3 candidates. Phoned over weekend and owners wanted as little disruption as possible. As Bowen was overseeing the academy and rest of the club, they felt he was the man for the job.

Of course none of the helmists on Twitter will believe a word of this because they've already made their mind up.