morty
Moderator
Staff member
G
GJP
Well-Known Member
The Charlton model replaced with the Southampton model.
N
Number 9
Well-Known Member
Seems fairly sensible arrangement.
I can't help thinking that there may be an advantage for the MD and the SD to be on the board, rather than just advising the board.
I can't help thinking that there may be an advantage for the MD and the SD to be on the board, rather than just advising the board.
Canaryboy
Well-Known Member
I actually like the sound of our new approach, but surely the Sporting Director should be making the managerial appointment based on a budget that he is given by Steve Stone rather than simply "advising the board". because the moment the board vote against his decision he becomes impotent and irrelevant.
I'd love to know the ins and outs of what happened with Moxey. Unfortunately we live in an age where silence is bought / sold, so we will never know, but I do wonder whether he was given as much influence as he wished, or whether in fact it was the opposite and the board wanted him to step up to the plate to take responsibility and drive us forward but failed to find the balls to do so. Definitely feels like one of those two things.
I'd love to know the ins and outs of what happened with Moxey. Unfortunately we live in an age where silence is bought / sold, so we will never know, but I do wonder whether he was given as much influence as he wished, or whether in fact it was the opposite and the board wanted him to step up to the plate to take responsibility and drive us forward but failed to find the balls to do so. Definitely feels like one of those two things.
morty
Moderator
Staff member
Mcnally got too big for his boots in his final days and assumed just a bit too much control for the boards liking, in fact he was lucky to survive after Lambert left.
Perhaps it became apparent, very quickly, thatJez was cut from similar cloth, and wasn't used to working with owners who give him anything less than 100% control.
Perhaps it became apparent, very quickly, thatJez was cut from similar cloth, and wasn't used to working with owners who give him anything less than 100% control.
hogesar
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure it's possible for McNally to get too big for his boots. In my opinion what he'd been a significant part of achieving gave him the right to have significant control on what is going on.
Putting it bluntly, if it's a throw up between Ed Balls & Steve Stone vs McNally, I know who i'd choose a 100 times over.
I had irrational hatred for Jez so it's not even worth me commenting on that one.
Putting it bluntly, if it's a throw up between Ed Balls & Steve Stone vs McNally, I know who i'd choose a 100 times over.
I had irrational hatred for Jez so it's not even worth me commenting on that one.
morty
Moderator
Staff member
Massive fan of McNally mate, so don't disagree at all, he even dropped into the Nelson once, post game, and had a chat with folks and bought us all a beer!
Perhaps if you ever pop in I'll give you the lowdown on a few things about him
.
But there did come a tipping point where the board had to let him go unfortunately.
Perhaps if you ever pop in I'll give you the lowdown on a few things about him
.But there did come a tipping point where the board had to let him go unfortunately.
Canaryboy
Well-Known Member
I think it was clear that McNally was finding it difficult to deal with the pressure, for whatever reason.
Was a great MD for us though, and surprised he doesn't have a similar job in football already.
Was a great MD for us though, and surprised he doesn't have a similar job in football already.
Last edited by a moderator:
ZLF
Well-Known Member
mcnally deserves all the plaudits he gets but he is also part of the reason why we are where we are; so many steps forward but he was unable to put a proper scouting / recruitment structure in place, the lack of proportionate investment in colney. He as part of the reason the likes of turner ended up with such long well paid contracts with unfortunate options.
Absoutely he was very good for the club, just his time was done.
The latest structure will hopefully both build on the good bits that DM put in place but also address the bits that failed and were neglected.
Absoutely he was very good for the club, just his time was done.
The latest structure will hopefully both build on the good bits that DM put in place but also address the bits that failed and were neglected.
morty
Moderator
Staff member
The Pinkun reporting that the new sporting director is Stuart Webber, from 'uddersfield.
ZLF
Well-Known Member
tis a good start.
just leaves the head coach, then the extensive squad rebuild (incl all of the CBs) and finally getting the team to work and jobs a good un. Not a crucial 5 months at all.
but bloody encouraging and something to look forward too.
just leaves the head coach, then the extensive squad rebuild (incl all of the CBs) and finally getting the team to work and jobs a good un. Not a crucial 5 months at all.
but bloody encouraging and something to look forward too.
Canaryboy
Well-Known Member
Irvine until the end of the season and then Wagner if Huddersfield don't go up then, that would be nice.
Canaryboy
Well-Known Member
Its a bit ironic that we are bringing in a system which grants a Sporting Director some control over elements that Alex Neil failed at, just after sacking him. He'd probably be a better "head coach" than he would "football manager", as long as it was a Sporting Director who is clued up enough to veto £8m for a 30 year old attacking midfielder when you are in a relegation scrap, and 3.5 year contracts to injury prone left wingers.
That's not sympathy though because Alex Neil made it clear that he wouldn't work under such a system before he accepted the job here, he wanted full control. If he gets another job at this level I suspect football will have changed enough that he wouldn't have any choice in the matter, it seems to be the new way and "full control" will just be a thing which lives on in the lower leagues where clubs can't afford to have multiple people sharing out duties (.e.g Accrington Stanley paid James Beattie £50k a year, and a lot of that £50k a year went on him having to shell out on coach hire when there wasn't any cash in the current account, and I think he was paying the £300 a week wages of one of their strikers).
Or Hamilton in fact, who are probably a similar size to Accrington Stanley.
That's not sympathy though because Alex Neil made it clear that he wouldn't work under such a system before he accepted the job here, he wanted full control. If he gets another job at this level I suspect football will have changed enough that he wouldn't have any choice in the matter, it seems to be the new way and "full control" will just be a thing which lives on in the lower leagues where clubs can't afford to have multiple people sharing out duties (.e.g Accrington Stanley paid James Beattie £50k a year, and a lot of that £50k a year went on him having to shell out on coach hire when there wasn't any cash in the current account, and I think he was paying the £300 a week wages of one of their strikers).
Or Hamilton in fact, who are probably a similar size to Accrington Stanley.
Last edited by a moderator:
Canaryboy
Well-Known Member
And we should remind ourselves that it would presumably have been David McNally who rubber stamped those long deals for Jarvis and Naismith a few months before he resigned and then unresigned and then resigned again, so his judgement definitely began to fail him I feel.
Last edited by a moderator:
G
GJP
Well-Known Member
The actual state of our defence suggests AN isn't that hot on the coaching side.
B
Bill and ben
New Member
playing devil's advocate for a moment can I ask what mcnally did that was so requiring of praise?
is there not an argument that his reputation is entirely based on the work of the manager and players (especially ones he did not sanction the purchase of)?) And, of course, the money of the premier league
And while riding the tailcoats of other men he failed totally to do what he needed to do: properly scrutinise transfers; build the stadium and training facilities and; build on the success of the youth teams
Canaryboy
Well-Known Member
McNally and Bowkett were instrumental in convincing banks to give us a one year repayment holiday, at the height of the credit crunch when businesses of all sizes, all over the country and in all sorts of sectors were having credit facilities withdrawn and being forced into liquidation as a result. If they hadn't have won the trust of the banks we would have entered into administration in that League 1 season and would not have had the money to either sign Grant Holt or keep Wes Hoolahan (who's agent was trying to convince to leave, by the way). How would we have got out of that, selling Colney to Bovis Homes?
He then had the balls to sack a club legend after one game of the League 1 season and steal a manager that he already knew personally from a rival club without their permission. He plucked up the courage to do that when he was just a few months into his own job.
Collectively these are probably the two most important actions we've seen from our club in modern history, and I highly doubt we'd have seen the Premier League football in the intervening years if they hadn't happened.
McNally came into a club which was close to administration, with a shambles of a manager, and left one which was debt free, seen 4 years of Premier League football, and had Category 1 academy status. We've got a hell of a lot to be grateful to Bowkett and McNally for. They were precisely the type of ruthlessly determined and focused people that we needed to come into this club at a time of genuine crisis.
Perhaps it would help if you imagined what state we could be in if we had appointed Jez Moxey that summer. Bare in mind that Coventry City are currently bottom of League 1 with a stadium they don't own and can't even afford to rent. They were in the top division of English football every season between 1968 and 2001, and at that point in history (2001) their attendances were significantly larger than ours. They still have more years in the Premier League (founded 1992-93) than we do, despite them not having been there for the past 16 years.
From having that famous Premier League team between around 1998 to 2000 containing Steve Ogrizovic, Gary McCallister, Dion Dublin, and Darren Huckerby, to probably playing in front of 2000 away to Barnet, Morecambe and Accrington next season.
We shouldn't arrogantly assume that it couldn't have happened to us, it could have and it was largely thanks to McNally and Bowkett pulling us up by the scruffs of our necks that it didn't. Foulger stumped up a bit of cash at a crucial moment too.
Now back to Moxey, what would he have done? Kept Gunn until it was far too late to, failed to return at the first attempt, and then having a huge bank debt called in which puts you into administration whilst simultaneously shedding a few thousand season ticket holders? That's how you lose your ground and become a Coventry City.
He then had the balls to sack a club legend after one game of the League 1 season and steal a manager that he already knew personally from a rival club without their permission. He plucked up the courage to do that when he was just a few months into his own job.
Collectively these are probably the two most important actions we've seen from our club in modern history, and I highly doubt we'd have seen the Premier League football in the intervening years if they hadn't happened.
McNally came into a club which was close to administration, with a shambles of a manager, and left one which was debt free, seen 4 years of Premier League football, and had Category 1 academy status. We've got a hell of a lot to be grateful to Bowkett and McNally for. They were precisely the type of ruthlessly determined and focused people that we needed to come into this club at a time of genuine crisis.
Perhaps it would help if you imagined what state we could be in if we had appointed Jez Moxey that summer. Bare in mind that Coventry City are currently bottom of League 1 with a stadium they don't own and can't even afford to rent. They were in the top division of English football every season between 1968 and 2001, and at that point in history (2001) their attendances were significantly larger than ours. They still have more years in the Premier League (founded 1992-93) than we do, despite them not having been there for the past 16 years.
From having that famous Premier League team between around 1998 to 2000 containing Steve Ogrizovic, Gary McCallister, Dion Dublin, and Darren Huckerby, to probably playing in front of 2000 away to Barnet, Morecambe and Accrington next season.
We shouldn't arrogantly assume that it couldn't have happened to us, it could have and it was largely thanks to McNally and Bowkett pulling us up by the scruffs of our necks that it didn't. Foulger stumped up a bit of cash at a crucial moment too.
Now back to Moxey, what would he have done? Kept Gunn until it was far too late to, failed to return at the first attempt, and then having a huge bank debt called in which puts you into administration whilst simultaneously shedding a few thousand season ticket holders? That's how you lose your ground and become a Coventry City.
Last edited by a moderator:
Sit with the City fans who turn up
Free to join, free to read. Introduce yourself, pick a player thread, and get stuck into the next match thread.