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Welcome Gary Rowett
Birmingham City have installed former player Gary Rowett as their new manager following the sacking of Lee Clark. 40 year old Rowett has brought his backroom staff with him from Burton – assistant manager Kevin Summerfield, first team coach Mark Sale, goalkeeping coach Kevin Poole along with performance coach Darren Robinson.
Following Clark out the door is head of football recruitment and co-caretaker manager Malcolm Crosby and goalkeeping coach John Vaughan, leaving just Richard Beale behind who will resume his position with the U21 squad.
I think its testament to the dedication of the administration staff at St Andrews that the club has changed the entire coaching staff so rapidly without any fuss, threats of litigation or scurrilous stories in the press. I’ve long championed some of the wonderful people at the club like Jo Allsopp, Julia Shelton and Roger Lloyd and it’s time to recognise once again that despite the crap they have to put up with from BIH they can keep the club going in a professional manner.
Rowett is one of my favourite players from the late nineties; as someone who played (badly) at right-back themselves I’ve always had an affinity for players in the position and I always thought that Rowett was one of our most consistently good players at that time. He’s a manager whose stock is rising, winning 63 of the 142 games he took charge of at Burton Albion. At 40 he’s still young; he knows the club well and is from the local area so he will know exactly how we are feeling right now.
I did think that Mike Phelan would get the role because of his bigger reputation thanks to a long stint as no 2 to Fergie at Manchester United but I’ve heard from various sources that that reputation was his downfall during the interview process as Phelan was less aware of the squad, the situation and what needed to be done.
So what now?
I don’t think things will magically change. I’m of the opinion that try as they might this squad isn’t great and that it’ll need a good manager just to keep them up. The big question is if there will be sea changes in the makeup of the team; I have to admit I agree with the multitude that seem to think Paul Robinson is not worthy of his place and I think that Blues may have to freshen things up with some of the more fringe players. That being said, I don’t believe that anyone who is massively worthy of a place has been intentionally left out previously; it’s more that a change will do the team good.
The Blues Trust will be hosting a meeting tonight at the George starting at 7- members and non-members alike are welcome to attend what will be an informal discussion with the intention to come up with a plan of action. Following my piece yesterday I’m given to understand the Birmingham Mail will send someone too – apparently I ruffled a few feathers and I may have put a couple of noses out of joint – but something needed to be said. The Mail could be a massive part of any fan led campaign to make things better at the club and I’d rather pester them to be included than to exclude them because of a seeming lack of interest. Unfortunately, I will not be in attendance myself tonight as I’m going to be out of the country – however I’ve already offered my ideas and help via email to the Trust.
Whatever we as fans do, I think it has to be positive. It’s just my sole opinion (and I expect to be shot down for it) but I think we’d achieve more by packing out the stadium than leaving it empty; I think we’d achieve more by acting than using inaction as our protest. I felt proud of the fans singing Keep Right On when we were continually conceding on Saturday and that’s what we need – it’s easy to have a great following when times are good but the truly great ones are then when it’s crap. We can happily support the team and manager and still show our displeasure to the board – however, I will add that singing “Chinese scum” brings nothing but shame upon ourselves. Let’s rise about racism and jingoism and show the gallows humour we’re really good at.
I’m a believer that to effect change we need to get onto the regulatory bodies and roust them into action – the Football League here in the UK and the financial regulatory bodies such as the SFC in Hong Kong. If they did their jobs properly BIH would find it much harder to continually act as they have been and we’d probably be in a better situation – and that’s what we want for Gary Rowett as he starts out.
186 Responses to “Welcome Gary Rowett”
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Excellent piece.
Well put Dan and some very good points to bear in mind.
Glad you had some influence on the Mail, just hope it doesn’t hamper your career.
KRO+DNM
another great article that says what most most of us think.
I think you are right Dan, 8-0 drubbing hard to stomach but that day, that match has gone, don,t dwell on it concentrate on the future give your support to the players and of course the new manager and his staff. Let’s fill the stans like we used to. Players respond more to encouragement than slagging them off. I think if you are honest we have all made mistakes in our jobs and lives and being continually slagged off is not the answer lets get behind them no matter what the result is at Wolves.
KRO.
If you did ruffle a few feather at B’ham Mail good.I can’t see any other local rag around country showing such a seeming lack of interst in their clubs plight,Another good piece by David Conn in the Guardian this morning.if they can produce investigative journalism why can’t the Mail?
great piece. I am 200 miles away from Brum now and but still hold 2 season tickets and go to all away games South of Watford. My mind goes back to the time when Birmingham City Council turned its back on the Stadium development. At that point Sullivan and Gold were on there way out knowing their vision for us could not be realised. I now see that vision taking place at West ham just 60 miles away from me.
What is needed is local politicians and MPs to get off their shiny back sides and get involved. Local Council and even this shambles of a government can influence this process. They are a few months away from an election and I don’t care whether they use diplomatic methods or a gun boat up the yangse . GET US OUR CLUB BACK! The farce has gone on long enough . The Hong Kong stock exchange can shove it quaint Chinese customs where the panda sticks its water chestnuts.
Sorry for the Peaky Blinders mentality but enough is enough.
Keep up the good work
your spot on Alan, every time I see an article about the Olympic stadium I think…that should have been us! City of Birmingham Stadium but our local politicians were totally uninterested!
Good Luck to Karren & the Gullivans, they will be averaging 50K every home game next season, 90% paid for by the taxpayer…that is business acumen!
KRO
I cant be at the meeting tonight, though I suspect it is going to be a challenge due to the choice of venue. I await the democratic conclusions and will support the actions determined as long as they are actions I can buy into.
Dan,was I hearing things yesterday when someone from the Blues Trust said that there might be some investment from BIHL in the very near future?
I’m pleased with the appointment of Gary Rowett, I think that in the circumstances, we are lucky to get someone with great potential who should be a good fit with the club.
I think that we might learn much fro his team selection (probably for the first home game) and I’m hoping to see some changes in addition to more confidence and belief from those already in place.
With regard to BIHL, I think/hope that something may give after last Saturday but I believe that they will do what they always do…..pretty much nothing! I think they hope the change of manager will be enough to keep us in the Championship. To them we are nothing more than a vehicle for trading on the HKSE and anywhere in the Championship will do!!!!
I can’t understand why our MP doesn’t get involved. If the dismantling of a treasured local institution that bears the name of the city doesn’t matter, then what does??
I am not sure what Birmingham fans can achieve what Coventry fans couldn’t achieve in terms of protesting against their owners. The local Coventry Telegraph did a lot more for Coventry than the Birmingham Mail has for its local club but other than returning to their rented stadium not a lot else has been achieved. I can applaud the trust and every other individual that wants to give ideas on how to push BIHL out of the club but it seems they are going nowhere and any potential sale is a complicated and tedious process. The chairman yesterday promised better communication with the supporters from BIHL and this is a step, only a small step, forward. I understand Gary Rowett wanted certain assurances from the board before taking the job and this can also be seen as a step forward otherwise he would not have taken on such a difficult job. Difficult in keeping the club in the Championship, if Rowett achieves that without any last day drama then its a job well done.
My local MP, for Kings Heath, is a Charlton fan who spends most of his time in London so I don’t think we will get much help from that quarter.
The local council, irrespective of their party, has never been interested in The Blues so don’t expect much there, and the Mail is a poor quality parochial rag with no national influence so that’s a no hoper.
The fact is that until the Chinese decide that THEY want to sell up we’re shackled to a corpse called BIHL and we can do nothing about it.
Good luck to Gary and his team KRO SOTV
Thank you Daniel for yet another good article. Appreciation to all St,Andrews staff for their sterling work.
May I take this opportunity to plead with our supporters to give Gary Rowett and all his staff their full backing during this campaign because he has a mammoth task ahead of him and it aint gunna take just a couple of games to get out of the relegation position.
I think it’s widely accepted that the staff do a sterling job behind the scenes. That’s the main reason I wouldn’t like us to go into admin. They don’t deserve to lose their jobs. To them, I’d say a hearty Keep Right On!
Gary Rowett’s first press conference LIVE at 4pm on BCFC’s You Tube channel.
Keep me Posted please Staffs. I have a genuine reason for not listening.
Basically what you’d expect him to say tbh. No revelations. Just talking about what the players can expect of him and what he expects from the players. One point was, that if the players drop below the standards he expects, they won’t be playing in the first team.
He says he’s fully aware of the financial constraints, but he will be able to bring one or two players in if he sees an area that needs filling.
He also spoke about how managers he’d played under have influenced him in certain things, like tactical things with TF and man-management from Bald Eagle.
But as I say, no real revelations.
I wonder r If other ex-blues notables, such as TF will want to pop in and see him now that GR is back at Stans. Also, does a certain Italian gentleman in Solihull still have any ambitions towards the club if the club give up it’s intransigent attitude towards selling in one go?
In Dan’s recent Hong Kong press conference, it was stated by Dan and his colleague (who had inside information) that Paladini was a time waster who frustrated even his own legal team.
Alan Walton makes a very very important point. A football club can lift a city and the feel good factor, we have an election next year. WHAT the hell are the so called MPs doing. A club can impact the local economy so much. We should push the Mail and MPs etc and shame them into action. I also agree the best way to show any new owners the potential is to fill St Andrews and show them what could be ahieved.
Thank you for a very interesting web site (evening mail where would we be without OP)
Garry Rowett has my full support and best wishes, I feel optimistic for the future.
Message to Gary Rowett:
Welcome back and I wish you the best of luck.
We all know what a tough job this is; if all you do is give us back our pride, that will be a job well done.
When was the last time stans was sold out? We should organise one home game a month where we fill the stands – every fan calls upon his fellow fans to attend. We make the place rock until half time then everyone leaves the stadium, congregating outside where we still let boys inside hear us support them and the shirt.
That’s both a positive and powerful statement, if you ask me.
The sentiments are good, like all the suggestions, but maybe BIHL won’t give a toss anyway… they’ll have your money by then. They’re 1000s of miles away in HK, so the only thing they care about is losing money, not empty seats at half time.
I hear you. I still think it would bring fans together, show prospective buyers the fan base we have and show the manager and boys that we’re behind them whilst maybe attracting some publicity from the media
How about nobody paying to go in period, if we can get huge crowds outside singing we will be supporting the players and not our parasitical owners! This would send a stronger message to Hong Kong
I applaud your notion of packing St Andrews out, but I cannot see how this could happen without radically reducing admission prices. This of course would be unfair to season ticket holders who have already paid in advance.
Any ideas?
Watford game is now £10 adult & kids for a £1.
Article in the Guardian on line (news now) not very good journo work.
Some of the comments are very interesting “bullying in the dressing room & a drinking culture”
It’s funny you should mention the drinking culture. When leaving the Bolton game the other week, the guy on one of the burger bars told me of witnessing one big piss up when there was supposed to be a training session at Wast Hills. Absolute disgrace from the former manager and players if true, which it would appear to be!
Takings at the Man On The Moon, Peacock Inn and Coach & Horses could be well down if bevvies are banned!
the man on the moon used to open in the early morning espically for lee clark so what does that tell u? if the manager likes a tot the players will follow
Well if that be true the question arrises as to why the club did not sack him for gross misconduct, these stories have been common knowledge for some time.
£5 for Oldies ;-)
You have said what some including myself have been aluding too for some time, hopefully all will be revealed soon.
Clark hasn’t said a dickie bird since he left. Why the gagging order?
Welcome to Gary Rowett and good luck. Your certainly going to need it. If your professionalism and aptitude are anything like they were when you were our right back,you could be a shining light in a very dark place these days.
I think Gary was the best choice and I feel we at least have some hope now for the season. Great if he can add a player or two , we desperately need a central midfielder and left sided attacker
No – even more important, we need a decent right back, we are continuously torn to pieces down the left flank (if only Gary Rowett hadn’t hung up his boots!0
Having seen the press conference, one area of undoubted inprovememt on Clark is Rowetts ability to deal with the press, he came accross as bright, cheerfull, and enthusiastic, whereas Clark was morose.with head bowed in defeat most of the time.
Apparently Clark is now odds on favourite to take over at Blackpool!
Seems we both are afflicted with “couldn’t care less” owners!
I must say he appeared a determined leader you could back. Miles ahead of LC in dealing with the press. I don’t think he has any illusions either of the task in hand and won’t feel sorry for himself either. I say feck those who ave written us off as doomed. Only takes a modicum of atmosphere at home to turn the tides. Back him now. Don’t judge unless he baffles us. He looks at least a winner who has overcome setbacks. Don’t under estimate retiring early at 30. Welcome GR. I will go on the the journey at least with you. Good Luck!
Hi Dan, am I correct in believing that Trevor Francis and Barry Fry are part of a consortium waiting in the wings to buy onto Blues? Lets give it the dingles Saturday. KRO
No. It is North American with a blue chip member. They want all of BIH shareholding in BCFC so this is a showstopper along with concerns that lenders may come out of the woodwork that have not been declared to them
Sorry to put a damper on the appointment of Gary but until we get investment and better players we will not improve. Clark played round pegs in square holes because he was playing the best team he could and he was hoping the players could adapt to their new roles. It seems Gary will be a manager for the future but unless there is investment in improving the quality of the squad we are very unlikely to succeed.
Secondly we do not deserve to succeed. The behaviour of fans berating Randolph on Saturday for perceived missed saves, booing the team and being racist against the Chinese shows what a bunch of losers we are. I was ashamed to be a blues fan.
Sadblue, while not condoning the actions you describe, I think this is born of pure frustration and hurt. You may be right in your opinion of the team’s abilities, but I would disagree, purely on the basis of some of the performances this season have been impressive, and certainly shown enough to suggest they can compete at this level – the 1st half v Sheff Wedenesday, Norwich, Millwall and Charlton away suggest to me the players we have are not far off – something was missing – that I’m hopeful Rowett & Co can put right. Ironically, we have Lee Clarke to thank for assembling the basis of a squad of players with a fighting chance, let’s hope Gary Rpwett can now finish the job.
Richard M;, My thoughts and feelings precisely, mate.
I’ve said it all season so far and, despite Saturday’s drubbing, I still think we’re not far away from being a decent side. We just need to strengthen in a few of areas to make us tighter. I don’t think we need to bring in a left-sided midfielder, we have enough players who can do an adequate job there. Right back is a must and, if Randolph remains No.1, we definitely need a new keeper. There’s need of a midfield organiser (in the mould of Derby’s John Eustace) and maybe a half-decent striker.
I think 3, possibly 4 players will do us nicely. It’s not as though we’re cut adrift.
Hi Dan
I have been thinking for some time now that we should be channeling efforts or protests at the football league as we can’t do anything about BHl, Do you know what exactly they could do,?
obviously if they can do something, they either don’t want the expence or time, or they can’t be bothered, Well if they can really do anything about this situation we should be protesting outside their offices or getting the press to put pressure on them and shame them into doing something.
Things certainly won’t change overnight. I suspect it will be some weeks before we see actual change on the pitch. That’s not to say I’m in any way doom and gloom, on the contrary, I believe this man knows the task, he will have a PLAN and he will be aware of how he wants them to play. I don’t really know how he is like as a manager but why would you come here if you don’t have confidence in your ability? For some reason I’m feeling happier, I hope we can give him until the end of next season to turn things around.
Jon McCarthy tends to agree:
“I think he will come in and know what is required but it will take a while, maybe eight or 10 games, before you notice him really making his mark. It might be sooner, I don’t know, but eventually there will be a different style about Birmingham.”
This article gives a brilliant sense of Rowett’s philosophy of playing – and yes, unlike Clark, I do actually believe he really knows what he’s doing:
http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/philosophical-football-gary-rowett-and-rise-lower-league-tacticians
A new article in the November issue of FourFourTwo gives a brilliant sense of Rowett’s philosophy of playing – and yes, unlike Clark, I do actually believe he really knows what he’s doing:
Very true it’s not Christmas yet and we are not cast adrift. This is not exactly a quality league. For me for donkeys years now we have always been very weak in centre midfield. Gleeson is probably my number one culprit. God know what Clark saw in Davis as well. Oh for a Bowyer,ferguson or Gardner now. In the champ Big Teams crucify us. Oh by the way Demarai Gray is the one bright spark. What happened to Reece Brown to and Hancock? I would sooner play Reilly in centre mid as at least he cares
Gleeson and Donaldson have been the biggest disappointments for me. They came with decent reputations too. Davis I think is a good buy, but he’s having to do everything himself, especially when Caddis is beside him. Reilly is decent player as long as he doesn’t try to be too clever. He should win it and lay it off simple, instead of looking for the long pass (which he’s rarely capable of.) We definitely need a bit of muscle in the side, we get knocked off the ball too easily.
Reese Brown, I think, has been suffering with a couple of knocks, but he played in the U21s last night, so hopefully he’s up to speed now or thereabouts.
The biggest failure for me has to be Randolph, how he keeps his place is beyond believe.
Reilly has to play with Davis, but his passing leaves much to be desired, his intentions are good if only he matched it with accuracy.
Gleeson and Donaldson have not performed to expectations, more so Donaldson who demanded more money, basically holding the club to ransom then failing to deliver.
KRO+DNM
When Randolph arrived, he looked a very good signing… until Xmas that is. Once Bartley and Burn went back to their clubs, all his limitations were exposed and have been ever since. When he had the height and telescopic legs of the two loanees in front of him, he didn’t have a lot to do, except save shots. Now, he doesn’t command his box, doesn’t instill any confidence when coming off his line and is prone to shots just to the side of him and over his head. Look back at our goals against and see how many times you think to yourself, “He should have had that,” or “How did he let that one go past him?” Sorry, don’t rate him.
Resse Brown not the answer IMO, he needs to beef up, no doubt the skill is there but every time I’ve seen him play he gets “bullied” out the game by physically stronger opponents
That’s true of a lot of our players to be fair. Hopefully, the new regime with have them up to standard pretty soon.
I have only seen Donaldson twice. A Clark 451 and a ten man lone striker. Not really his fault. I get the impression Wes Thomas needs a proper run in the team. What happened to that Celtic fella to?
As always, a great piece Dan and a big antipodean welcome to ‘Gazza’ too.
Re your comment on Phelan – would it not be the case that a former 2iC to Fergie at MUN would command a lot more money than the Manager of Burton Albion?
Just listened to Tom Ross’ interview on Audioboom. It’s the best interview I’ve heard so far. One thing Tom is good at, is getting people to relax and talk.
After seeing the interview it is obvious Gary Rowett is the real deal. He is a bulldog and will pull the best out of tbe players we have because he will command respect. I can see a rise coming for the team. The defense will be organized and the whole team will appear to have bigger more aggreesive players. The fans too will be louder and more unified in response to the leadership of GR.
I just wish there was something that could be done to address the original goal of attracting chinese investment and branding because it doesnt look like we are going to lose the current owners anytime soon. They are big into symbolism, that is why myvprevious post seemed so crazy.We can project negative chi or we can do the opposite and as I write that I get more convinced that is the best path.
Just seen on the Blackpool forum that they’re slagging Noel Blake off, saying he conspired with Oyston behind Riga’s back. Hmm..
Does anybody know how many candidates were actually interviewed for the Blues manager’s position and who would have actually conducted the interview(s)?
From what I’ve read, it seems that only Rowett and Phelan were interviewed. There may have been more that I haven’t read about, but I think once they’d interviewed Rowett, they’d pretty much made up their minds.
Thanks.
Who actually conducts the interviews? It can’t be Pavlakis so might it be one of the people Daniel mentioned in this blog? I’m thinking Julia Shelton but I could be way off.
This is what I wondered from the off. Who were the 2 members staff and who were the 2 ‘independants?’ Funny they were never named, like Fulham did.
I forgot, they considered Hughton too, but were unsure of his commitment. He’s holding out for the Fulham job thankfully.
Oh dear… Kit Symons got the job! Hughton will have to wait until December now, when the next spate of sackings occur.
i welcome gary rowett. one of my fave players. hopefully he can teach the defenders to defend!!! and drop randolph as doyle played well. i think its the wrong time to take ovr as the club is only going one way with these people at the top. i sincerely hope im wrong
For some reason Doyle always plays well against Wolves…
For me on Saturday, 4-5-1 as follows
Doyle
Caddis (RB), Hall, Packwood (CBs), Grounds (LB)
Davis (Holding Midfielder)
Reilly, Gleeson (Central Midfield)
Cotterill (Right Wing), Gray (Left Wing)
Thomas
Emphasis has to be on defence, but use Wes Thomas pace and Cotteril’s crossing abiliy and Gray’s pace to stretch Wolves on the counter-attack.
Not sure about Gleeson, but might see more of he’s passing ability if we have Davis and Reilly in there doing the dirty work.
I think I would prefer a 4-5-1/4-2-3-1, but Rowett’s Burton usually played a fluid 4-4-2, home and away, so that’s what I would expect tomorrow. I would be surprised if the team was much different to this:
Randolph
Caddis Hall Robinson Grounds
Cotterill Davis Reilly Gray
Donaldson Thomas
It’s not the team I would pick though.
I’m hoping for a few selection surprises, but not expecting them.
Sounds like you’ll be missing all those LC selection surprises each match followed by predictable home misery ! Ha !
I too hope that isn’t the team and that Rowett and his team does put some markers down right at the outset and make some changes for wolves but its a tough opener to his Blues career2.
However isn’t it nice to have a manager who sounds like a manager, and who can put together sensible phrases and sentences of coherent English at last. I think this at least means neither the players nor the press will be needing a translator henceforth!
He talks a good game, but talk is cheap. The proof of the pudding and all that. ;)
Nah, what I meant by surprises, are guys like Doyle, Hancox, Packwood, Brown etc. Out of that team I posted above, there are 4 or 5 I wouldn’t have in my team again.
Talking of Rowett talking lol… there is one inflection in his speech that drives my up the wall… but that’s not his fault, it’s just a pet hate of mine. But, as long as he does a good job, I’ll let him off. ;)
To be honest only three maybe 4 deserve their places in the team this week.
GR will probably stick with what the players are comfortable with before we see any major changes.
A decent performance Saturday with the hope of getting something.
Watford will be the real test of the players character when they walk out in front of the home crowd again, GR will have had a week on the training ground with them by then.
KRO+DNM
As I said yesterday Chris, we’ll see what Rowett’s made of when we see if he’s kept Robbo in. That’s the single biggest decision he has to make in my book. Clark didn’t have the balls to do it, so we’ll see.
For me, Doyle, Grounds, Davis Reilly, Gray, Thomas would be nailed on. The rest, I’m not ars*d about tbh.
Thats about right Staffs, I’d only go with Thomas because he was an early sub other wise I would stick with Novak and Arthur up front.
KRO+DNM
I would give Novak and Thomas a go up front. Certainly can’t be any worse than Donaldson. Bring Arthur on to run at them later in the game, when legs are tiring.
Funny business football opinions but I really don’t rate Davis at all. He looks sluggish with a poor touch to me. Having said that I would love it if we could pass to a blue shirt.not a lot to ask?
Christ Staffs Randolph again? we are in trouble if he plays.
The side I named up above is the side I think he might play…. certainly not the one I would choose. Randolph should be sold come January, he’s become a liability. I’d play Doyle and promote Townsend personally.
Maybe start to judge how good, bad or indifferent Gary Rowett and his assistants a dozen or so games down the road. They need a chance and some time.
Also, I see the “villa Times” (aka the “BIrmingham Mail”) is reporting that vilers want Lambert out. Did they want him out a couple of months back when they were in the top three in the Premiership? How fickle is that? What a bunch of odious spoiled brats!
He has only recently signed a four year contract. Cant see Randy being too willing to pay out for compensation .
I think we have a decent young manager in Gary Rowett our problem now is trying to get these idiots from Hong Kong to sell up, around 70 supporters turned up to the Royal Goerge yesterday for a meeting to discuss the ownership situation i think that will have BIHL quaking in their boots!!! Our support on the whole is not that of a big Club & anyone wanting to buy a football club may be put off by our lack of loyalty to out club, we need to fill the ground at the next home game support the team throughout the game stay in our seats at the end and make our feelings heard by demonstrating from the stands with as much noise as i know us blues fans can.
Some Blues fans have clearly voted with their feet (and their pockets) as the demise of the club drags on and one win in the last 20-odd home games can’t help attendances. Can any club “boast” a worse record at home?
Clark should surely have been sacked many months before he actually was with this deeply embarrassing sort of record and the fact that he was not merely underlines what utter rubbish the current owners are.
Clark is confirmed as Blackpools new manager so he’s had a good payoff from us and walked into another job!! Lets see how much he loved the Blues when he hands back the money he got when he was sacked, i think not.
I wish him all the luck in the world. He’s due a shed load.
Why should he hand anything back? He got sacked so he should be paid as per his contract – simple as that. Good luck to him as he had to work with his hands tied at Blues. Although I can’t see that Blackpool job being any better.
A big welcome to GR as well – lets hope he doesn’t end up as another BIHL casualty. Just checked the odds against the Dingles and we are massive underdogs. Time for a flutter.
So Agent Mcleish if you were to get sacked for underachieving at work you should be paid thousands of pounds i don’t think so !! That only happens in the mad world of football. Clark may have had his hands tied but records show how poor he was but if your happy with him taking money out of our club fine. I’d be amazed if he does anything anywhere he goes but time will tell.
The football world does seem to operate inside a strange bubble which excludes much of the outside world.
I just wonder if, as many ex-managers tend to, Clark may contact Blues to ask if any of the players he signed were available for transfer.
Just a thought.
I think Gary Rowett will assess the players between now & when the transfer window opens & only let the dead wood go, Blackpool can have what they want from those. Rowett has been told he can bring in 2 to 3 players which will probably be via the loan systems just hope we can afford decent wages to loan better players.
The football world is certainly a strange world.
The Leeds manager has been sacked but will draw his wages until 2016, this is why so many who are sacked don’t normally jump straight back in, I think there is usually a clause that stipulates if they find another job they lose their pay-off.
He can have a few of them, Robbo, Randolph and Donaldson to start with, but good luck to him at Blackpool.
KRO+DNM
It’s called a contract which means it’s contractual whether you like it or not.
If allwgations concerning the booze prove to be true we could have saked him 12 months ago for gross missconduct, and not payed him a penny
Clark wasn’t paid thousands of pounds because he failed, but because that’s what his contract stipulated. Why should the club sack him, then renage on the contract? At the end of the day, no matter what you think of Clark’s skills, or lack of them, he always worked hard and did his best for the club. The fact that his best wasn’t good enough doesn’t mean he should be treated like sh*t!
Sorry staffs there muppets and there definite muppets, and tony one of them, hope his wife finds him a big enough pit in wales…he can echo all day long to himself……….lol
Gross missconduct is just that, it relieves the club of contractural responsibility.
We have PaPa spent a lot of time at Wast Hill. Time enough to take LC through disciplinary action if he had reason to do so. Ultimately leading to dismissal with relatively little to pay or none of it was gross misconduct
Nothing will move forward for blues until the ownership changes, irrespective of manager.
A complete boycott is needed to rid the club of this ongoing never ending bad joke. I’ll put the idea forward again at the end of the season when we ve been relegated with the same bad joke of owners in charge.
These owners need to be gone as you rightly say, Carl.
As an aside, I remember your namesake playing up front for Blues in the late 1980s.
Yes, our owners are giving us a trip down memory lane where the quality of football is becoming akin to that delivered by the greats of CR , Colin Gordon and co. The twist in the tale is things are going to get a lot worse than this, complete boycott required
Carl R I hope your call for a boycott is as successful as your namesake was as a striker.
Rowett shouldn’t be slow in criticising the players if they don’t come up to scratch. Clark never seemed to criticise the players and they may have retreated into a comfort zone with no pressure being exerted by the manager to give of their best.
Successful managers such as Clough, Ferguson and Mourinho do not shirk from keeping their players on their mettle by constructive or sometimes unconstructive hairdryer treatment.
Not sure Zigic would agree with that!
Can’t understand either Clark or Blackpool, the former needs a rest and time to reassess after what he went through at Blues and the later needs someone with a better track record than Clark. Can’t honestly see what impact Clark is going to make at Blackpool. I genuinely wish the guy well, although somewhat tempered in the knwledge he has gone to one of our relgation rivals.
Surely the main thing is that he ain’t at Blues any more, although, as many others are correctly saying, change right at the very top at BCFC is what is really needed.
Could the fact that Clark saved a certain club from relegation by a hair’s breadth last season have anything to do with Blackpool’s choice?
Whatever anyone says about him, he was manager when a rabbit was pulled out of the hat and we stayed up. First game without him and we lose 8-0. He wasn’t all bad but I agree he didn’t have the ‘mojo’ to wangle one goal wins from the team. Maybe Blackpool will be different for him – no pathetic far east owners.
It is also worth remembering who was manager when Blues won only 1 home game out of over 20 and that alone should have seen Clark dismissed many months ago.
I agree some supporters forget how we ended up in the bottom 3 on deadline day last season in the 1st place!! They also forget who’s team it was that lost 8 – 0 because I’m sure it was Clarks. Our concern now is our new manager and i will support him as i did Clark until he started to screw up. Lets see what he can do with the players because I’m sure they aren’t as bad as last weeks results suggest.
If I’m one of ‘some supporters,’ I can assure you I don’t forget anything, even at my age. I don’t forget the cock ups McLeish and Hughton made either… but as far as I’m concerned, they’re in the past and don’t bother me either.
I agree balance in needed in assessing Clark Geoff but my view is that the criticism has become unbalanced, as if pillorying Clark absolved the rest of the club from any responsibility. If you gave Alex Ferguson the meagre resources and restrictions that BIHL imposed on Clark, he could have done little better. At Blackpool, Clark will be answering to the Oystons, who have money and live locally. Admittedly they are tight with it but what successful businessman isn’t?
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not overly defending LC and analyses from supporters like you, Staffs, Chis W et al has been great but let’s not make him an effigy for burning because he’s not..he cared and did a job.
As we say here; give someone a sh*t sandwich and it’s still a sh*t sandwich no matter how much ketchup you put on it. Just watch the Seasiders lift themselves off the bottom. And us too under GR..that’s football.
Aussie it was him who put us in that position in the first place for christ sake get a grip some of you.
I totally agree with your views RichardG. The only problem with that, is that players won’t stand for the hairdryer treatment anymore. Listen to managers and recently retired players and they all say the same thing, the old style of management doesn’t work on the modern day player. They’re way too soft and delicate for that.
Staffs…….Premier League standard players on top wages I agree don’t take kindly to harsh criticism.
Lower league players with fewer options (not likely to be head hunted abroad etc) should be receptive to constructive criticism to enable them to optimise their effectiveness.
You’ll get no argument about that from me Richard. I think players are mollycoddled far too much these days…. yes, even those on a ‘measly’ £5k p/w. It would do a lot of them good to do a hard day’s work for once.
Couldn’t agree more re the mollycoddled, as for the wages let them live on the breadline or minimum wage for a week or two, maybe then they would have some idea of what the really true supporter goes through.
KRO+DNM
They should appreciate what they’ve got now and work hard for it.. it doesn’t last forever. What most of then don’t get, is that within the next 8-10 years, they could well be on the dole after their career has finished.
All players should learn to be receptive to constructive criticism, irrespective of which division they play in.
The phrase “putting in a shift” can mean 8 to 12 hours at a time in the real world.
Calm down StaffBlue i was talking about Aussieblues comments i agree with most of your views,not all of them though.
I’m as calm as anything mate. Blood pressure dictates that I don’t let anything get to me these days…. not even Lee Clark, Bournemouth 8 or 23rd position in the Championship. Seen it all before, got the T shirt. As far as I’m concerned, the new manager will get exactly the same support from me that the last manager did… even if things don’t go well for him. At the end of the day, it’s a bl00dy thankless job at the best of times.
Anyway, life would be boring if we all agreed. ;)
Amen to that post Staffs!
Let Gary manage the players his way….he’s got a full array of ex blues players as coaches and I can’t wait to go to wolves and turn them over, come on gazza show the Blackpool one how to play as a team and in the right positions .kro
Dave”……..I thought you would be bitter as Gary got the job you went for lol.
I know Richard but IDE rather be in the crowd watching than managing particuly on Saturday in dingle land where young Gary will show the yam yams that were not gonna roll over and give up like with Bournemouth……can’t wait Richard I feel a good vibe.
Yes dave, what happened? Other than experience, contacts etc….. what does Rowett have that you don’t? ;-)
Anthony Taylor will be the referee against Wolves. Last time he reffed us, was when Wolves beat us 1-0, with Marlon King’s og. Anyone believe in omens?
Exactly staffs but not to worry as long as he keeps us up with good football I will forgive him I suppose….but if it all goes wrong there’s always a next time but I hope not.kro
It’ll give you another 6 months to hone your skills mate. ;) Your time will come.
That will take us upto the end of the season and relegation if ime to take the job of Gary and ime hopeing that’s not the case but if the call comes I will not let down my city and its great supporters and that you can take that to the bank…..and get them to give a few million to the cause . Kro
As long as you play 2 up front, and keep all your square pegs in square holes, you’ll be ok. ;)
I’ll have a pint or two of whatever you have been drinking.
I meant Dave M and not Staffs but don’t get me wrong, Dave. Your passion for Blues is respected by me.
What happened to Disqus (when you could delete or edit a mistakenly typed message and start again)?
Disqus wouldn’t just delete a typo… it would delete whole comments, without a word of explanation! Then when you tried to post it again, it would tell you that you couldn’t, because you’d already posted it. Stupid system. I certainly don’t miss it.
With Disqus I meant edit or correct a typo (which was good) but I recall unexplained deletions too so I suppose it’s that swings and roundabouts thing.
Seems simple enough to work out but many a manager as failed……4-4-2 is my preferred formation like the great mike Bassett England manager, a goalie, a left back,a right back,two centre halves, a left and right winger, two central midfield players and two strikers….it’s not rocket science is it really!!!!.kro
For me, 4-4-2 relies heavily on good wingers. There aren’t many these days who can cross a ball without stopping first, or cutting inside. The deadliest attack in football, is when the winger hits the byeline and crosses on the run. It gives defenders no time to turn and adjust. I think the nearest we have is Mark Duffy.
Surely you look at the players you have got and apply a formation and tactics that makes the most of their strengths. The fundamental issue with playing one up front, especially at home, is that none of our strikers are either suited to or are good enough to be on their own up front. Neither do we have midfield players who are going to be regular scorers. In this case the logical approach is to have two up front, get plenty of crosses in knowing you have got bodies in the penalty area when the ball arrives and maximise the number of opportunities your strikers get.
Last season we had a 6’7 striker and the crosses rarely beat the first man, this season we have had people attacking the near post only for every cross being to the back post, Ziggy would be in double figures by now.
GR has to get the basics right and any average footballer should be able to comprehend that.
As someone said earlier, “it ain’t rocket science”
KRO+DNM
We don’t get enough bodies in the six yard box period. It’s been our weakness for a few seasons now. With every attack, there should always be one player coming in at the far post too. The amount of chances that go begging in the modern game for the sake of a player on the back stick is unbelievable.
Also, we don’t have enough players who can have a pop from outside the box. We’ve not really had one of those since Gardner left. Cotterill is the closest we have, but he’s not consistent enough.
I agree with Shirley though, you have to find a system that suits the players at your disposal. With 4-5-1/4-2-3-1 we don’t have a striker good enough to play up front on his own. If we play 4-4-2, it leaves us weak in the centre of midfield. So, over to you Mr Rowett.
Looking at how Burton have been playing and listening to GR I get the impression that he plays a system which is flexible and easily adapted during the game. which could be a 4-3-3 and with the right players it is very easy to switch about.
It is up to the players to work the system or as we get being told, buy into that philosophy mentally.
At the end of the day the players have to work the system and I think GR keeps it pretty simple for them to understand, after all football isn’t exactly nuclear physics is it?
I agree with the players not getting forward enough and Donaldson seems to end up wide and we have no one in the box.
KRO+DNM
It was the same with Marlon King.. and Jerome before him. They tended to be our best wide players. Strikers shouldn’t go any wider than the inside channels.
According to Sky.com, Burton play a 4-4-2 home and away. But I suppose that could be a fluid 4-4-2, diamond, etc. The first couple of games should give us an idea.
I was reading something that said GR uses a fluid 4-4-2, that during a game reverts to 4-5-1, 4-4-3, etc, but the way it was put over by GR was simplicity in its self, all the players have to remember is a few numbers that are passed over from the sidelines, it went on to say he rarely had to shout instructions.
It was something written up while they were training at St Georges Park, may even have been in the 4-4-2 magazine, their was a video clip of it too.
KRO+DNM
Have to feel sorry for Blackpool supporters, just when you feel desperate and things cant get any worse what happens? Clark turns up as manager bloody hell.
Every other manager turned the job down but he without a semblence of honour grabbed it, at least hes out of town and good redance.
hahahhha even in the afterlife you are already missing him hey tony lets hope he dont come bite you on your ar*se…….
He is grabbing every penny he can until he finally gets found out. He will get even less support from the Oyston’s than he did from BIHL.
he said a rolling contract will do nicely thanks, in his second breath he wishes the blues all the best..lol
Jeez Tony, when ARE you gonna get over him? He’s been gone a week… and you’re still obsessed with him. lol
He’s looking at it through binoculars the wrong way round!
As we march on the YAM yam territory tomorrow, already the yams are expecting double figures.
Normally a change of manager bring change of results….my heart says rowetts could pull off a tremendous victory, but head tell me a further hammering could take place……….. what ever takes place tomorrow i will be standing next to my fellow noses in full voice…………….kro
on friday night for for our ascendance on saturday lunchtime……….kro
As the KO at Mollineux is at a reasonable hour here – 11 hour time difference making it 11:15pm – can anyone give me a link where I might see the game live? Ta.
I don’t think we’re allowed to post those kind of links on here AB.
AussieBlue – the game is live on Setanta in Oz.
Is it only rumour at this stage or are Blues trying to bring in Michael Morrison, Charlton’s player of the season last term and rated highly as a defender? Loan or otherwise, it maybe an early sign GR is looking to provide support for the leaky defence.
I reckon trying to make Blues a difficult side to beat over the next couple of months would be no bad thing.
Not a rumour Geoff. Rowett has confirmed that they’re trying to tie up a 2 month loan deal by tomorrow. He’s a decent player. He’s in a strange situation at Charlton though. He’s vice-captain, he’s recently signed a new deal at the club…. yet he’s out of favour.
It seems Rowett ain’t too impressed with our defenders so far.
Aussie Blue.
Clark is a poor manager who was appointed by the puppet of a faceless and cynical bunch of chancers (who lack the saving grace of possessing ambition). I have mentioned before with comments that change is needed at boardroom level at Blues but let’s see if GR and his assistants can do a better job than their predecessors where they will only have the same (and inadequate for the foreseeable future, at least) resources to work with.
And hold those sandwiches – they sound decidedly crook – I’ll have a chip butty, please, with chips from Dad’s Lane Chip Shop opposite the Highbury pub. How’s that?
Cheers and G’day.
Love that chip shop, after a few ales in the Highbury a stagger over the road, many a great night.
KRO+DNM
I have also noticed that only a certain number of replies are permitted with this system before the “Reply” finishes. I discussed it once with Daniel where I hasten to add it is nobody’s fault.
We’re certainly looking for a couple of good defenders after that debacle last Saturday plus a passing midfield player and a 20 goal a season striker…..best off blues luck Gary!!!! Kro
Apparently, Morrison can play centre back and right back.
Hopefully, he won’t have to play both at the same time.
GR seems to have been allowed a fairly free reign then, but we don’t want to be in the same boat as last season regards loans.
KRO+DNM
Morrison would be a good signing, but will he sign in time for tomorrow’s game? Doubtful tbh. Would probably be earmarked for the Watford game. It would probably allow for Edgar to be pushed forward into midfield…. he certainly hasn’t looked happy at centre back for the last 3 or 4 games. But that could be due to having to play alongside Robbo.
According to a Poster on Freeforums , he has signed for two months and is in the Squad for tomorrow.
And more..
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/birmingham-city-sign-charlton-defender-8028268
Yep, it appears so. That’s not just happened, it’s obviously been in progress for a couple of days I would think. There’s also a rumour that we’re looking at Guy Moussi.
According to my local rag, the Nottingham Post he has gone to Birmingham for trials.
He was not wanted by new boss Stuart Pearce, my neighbours reckon he was a decent defensive midfielder.
KRO+DNM
Apparently, Moussi is training with us and is a free agent. Wouldn’t be a bad signing, at least until Xmas.
Edgar could well push up and give some depth to the midfield allowing for Davis to drive forward, the midfield has lacked substance and I don’t think Gleason is doing his fair share, he has had a few games now but doesn’t seem to get any better.
Can’t really blame any one individual for the Bournemouth result, it was a team effort, hopefully they will redeem some pride tomorrow but more importantly against Watford in front of those brave enough to watch.
KRO+DNM
The problem though staffs is I want to see a player who’s a specialist in one position,ime fed up of players coming in who are versatile…I want a centre half playing at centre half and a right back playing at right back, no mixing and matching because we e been down that road and it don’t work. Kro
I have to agree with that. That’s been Spector’s problem over the years, until no one, probably not even himself, knows which was his best position. He’s no longer effective in any position. Caddis is the same. He came as a right back, did well early doors, but now considers himself a midfielder. Again, he’s not that good at either anymore. We need specialists, especially in defence.
Not expecting too much from GW with whats at his disposal ..as granny used to say in best brummie “yowm carnt polish a turd”..but as said players playing in the positions they know could be a start..and give Robinson a job driving the team bus hes a liability now.just looking for some passion and pride from some average players will do and I think GW will get the dressing room back that was lost under LC and a mid table finish at best.
KRO
Who is GW?
has trouble with his R’s like Johnathan Woss
GW……it’s my bloody I pad ..no probs with my R’s just my W’s……rankers
lol arrr the curse of the fat finger.
We’ll see what Rowett’s made of when he announces his first team tomorrow. If he leaves Robbo in, he’s bottled it. The nearest he should be to the pitch now, is in the dugout.
Demarai Gray won’t be fit for tomorrow, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see Novak staying on the left flank tomorrow. I can’t see there being much change in the team to be honest. Randolph will probably play, Robinson too… and don’t be surprised to see Eardley at right back either.
I’m just hoping Rowett surprises us and picks a team that actually has a chance of getting a result.. instead of picking the usual suspects.
Guy Moussi is an interesting possible signing. He may be the the central midfielder we haven’t had since Guirane N’Daw left. In other words a physical presence that Gleeson, Caddis, Davis and Reilly cannot be.
Agree completely. Any manager worth his salt should identify straight away that a player of such ilk would be a priority in lightweight and inaffective midfield. Having already addressed the other glaring problem of a solid centre half it’s a good start from GR.
Well done GR, one down only about 8 more to find, next we need a goalkeeper followed quickly with a striker who knows where the net is.
KRO+DNM
Congratulations to ChrisW for spotting a weakness and saying something about it, we’re desperate for a goalkeeper and a striker. :-)
Congratulations to GR for spotting a weakness and doing something about it, we were desperate for a centre half