I remember soon after Lou took over watching Sheffield Wednesday (IRC) at the Hawthorns against West Brom in a league game, Sheffield Wednesday bossed the home side all over the field and won easily. Soon after, Sheffield Wednesday played at Swindon in a League Cup game (IRC), I was expecting a drubbing for the home side as Sheffield Wednesday were so dominant and were leagues above Swindon. In utter shock, I found out the next day that Swindon had beaten Sheffield Wednesday. Macari made sure his team were ultra-fit and up for every game. If you saw Macari play for Man Utd, he wasn't that big, but was he ever fit and skillful. I saw Beamish play for Tranmere as a winger, he didn't seem that fit or influence the game. Macari's team was ultra fit, Beamish's wasn't. Yes, sure investment in players is essential, but they have to be coached correctly as Macari evidently did. Beamish was treated badly (IMO), but we were never going to win anything with him in charge.
I agree with most of that, except that it wasn't soon after he took over that they beat Sheffield Wednesday, it was the following season.
In Macari's first season we weren't that great - he realised he needed to change things, and get in new players, after losing to Dagenham in the cup. It was the following season, with new influential signings like Calderwood, and his new fitness regime, that it it took off. Of course, as we all know, a little bit of dodgy dealing in the transfer market also helped bring in those new players.
