Thetownend.com

I was just considering our sucess rate with "first time ex-pro managers"

In my time supporting the Town, our best times have been where we have taken a bit of a gamble with a famous player, and given him the managers job (or player-manager's job) -

Macari
Ardiles
Hoddle
Di Canio

All these managers have not only had big sucesses, but they have put the buzz into the Town. They have also played great football. I know Macari had a long ball reputation, but they did it well, and I loved it.

"experienced" journeymen have done alot worse.

So...........when Paolo goes, surely we get another famous player type of manager.

(much as it pains me to think about Paolo leaving

McMahon's the worst example I can think off, and I'd take him over some of twits we've had in the 15 years since.

Not forgetting he won Division 2 as player/manager back in 95/96!

Gorman ?

Hence my referance to "famous ex players"

Paul Bodin

Danny Williams and Bobby Smih didn't do too bad a job. First season Danny Wilson didn't do too shabby. Dave McKay as a first time manager was a fucking car crash as was Ken Beamish.

Possibly a good point, but I think he was only a temporary manager wasn't he ?

And anyway, he spawned the next Swindon goalscoring sensation

What the flip has Danny Wilson got to do with this topic? Bearing in mind NBR was talking about "first time ex-pro managers".

Or are you saying as a journeyman he didn't do to badly? If that is your point he never changed the CG mentality imo.

Just asking, as I'm 70% pissed for a Wednesday evening.

I wonder is any other clubs have had a similar sort of success.

After Wilson - I was all 100% for a new manager. So many of the old guard continually live off one decent thing they did years ago.

George Burley was linked with the job here and some of you want him! Why - he did well with Ipswich and won Manager of the Year in 2001. Been shit and sacked from every club he's managed in the last 10 years though!!!

Regardless of everything else - Di Canio had to make it work here because if you fail in your first job at Swindon you're going to struggle to recover from it....

 I'm not sure the proposition really stacks up....Macari took us over on a historic low, Ardiles on a historic high, Hoddle as player manager was undoubtedly an inspired move.

Dave Mackay...had the credentials as a player, but entered the strange situation of a legendary side that probably needed freshening up...however he remains the only ex STFC manager to have the League title on his CV.

McMahon fitted the template, and won our only Div 3 title...a worthy achievement, sullied by the fact he'd got us down there in the first place

Bert Head and Danny Williams were both journeymen players and managers, but achieved success.

di Canio so far has done ok...he might achieve something, he might not.

I don't think he lost a game while at Hearts, just the victim of an absolute lunatic in control of the club.

I was in Edinburgh then and had a season ticket at Tynecastle that season. It was a truly bizarre sacking bearing in mind the brilliant start to the season he had made.

Who did you want before Di Canio was appointed DV ?

Hmmm, I dont think I was too sure to be honest. As I said - I wanted someone who hadnt been hired and fired 32 times previous by the likes of Peterborough or Hartlepool or something.


 Once we'd started being linked with people I did like the sound of Didi Hamann, at the time I had a preference towards him over Di Canio due to the fact he'd already coached a number of years in England alot of his ex bosses (Daglish, Houiller and Eriksson) were all still managing in England (at the time)

Also, the fact he wasnt as crazy as Di Canio - which at the time seemed like a negative for Di Canio. Clearly not now though!

...as for George Burley sacked at Hearts for being an alcoholic who turned up to training drunk every day, no?

Maybe a shout for a couple of years down the line post Paolo ....... Phil Neville?

Fuck off with this talk about who should replace Di canio. Can't we just enjoy what is happening at the moment instead?

Hallelujah some sense.

How this thread has rumbled on without at least a mention of Iffy cunting Onoura's ineptitude is astonishing. Shame that had to happen cos I loved him as a player.

Iffy fits into the bill of the ex Town player getting the job....which usually happens as a cheap option after some sort of financial crisis and therefore doesn't have a great record of success.

Agreed, just enjoy the ride while it lasts and worry about his replacement when/if it happens!

Iffy hardly had the easiest job in the world. The fact that we went to Ashton Gate that year with any hope of staying up was quite surprising.

I'm not saying he did a great job, but 'thrown in at the deep end' would be putting it mildly.

I've just been asked what we'll do when Di Canio leaves.

I assumed the correct answer was employ a new manager, so I went with that.

don't get me started on that clown Onuora

Poor fella.  :no:

Like I said "famous ex-players"

Fuck off we beat Gills (on Valentines Day ironically wasnt it?) and we were about 13th with a few games to play and gassed it!

yeah thanks mainly to Jamie Curetons fantastic finishing.

We won 1-0, went up to 16th, and were a whopping 1 point above the drop zone at the time. Admittedly, the 5 games without a win that followed it weren't good, and included that day at Forest. Having said that, I'm not sure even Paolo could get too much out of a team containing Albert Jarrett, Aaron Brown, Ricky Shakes, Jamie Cureton and Trevor Benjamin!

reeves4england pretty much sums it up for me, wasn't the best manager but jesus that job was impossible.

Poor Iffy just took on too much. We were a sinking ship which he did his best to keep afloat. Didn't help having Big Ron forced apon him either.

Being a sad statto i looked up that season. That result put us 16th but only a point off the relegation zone. Think this was pretty much our highest position of the season though. Selling Rory 6 months after selling SSP didn't really help our cause. Iffy was up against it to be fair.

Iffy never really stood a chance.  That whole season was a shambles.