An ex-manager speaks

[Legion]

I think even though it was a bit of a nightmare he actually has more affection for us than he has for that lot where he actually won a trophy. Not hard mind you considering the clowns that lot have in charge. I imagine he was treated with more respect the day he was fired by us then most of the days he spent with Birmingham.

Most definitely.

[steamer]

I could not believe that we had appointed him.
Incredulous, gobsmacked, ashamed, embarrassed, are some of the words to describe my feelings on his appointment.
It was always going to end in tears.
Having said that, I could not slate him during the season in the way I slated ODreary.
Sad for everyone, he should never had the job and was/is a good guy set up to fail

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

No problem with him coming from them.
Just thought it was doomed from the start because of his approach to playing football.
Mind you, if we'd won every game 1-0 and won the league I'd have kissed his feet in public!
UTV!

[SoccerHQ]

It was a shame the abuse he suffered against Bolton and on a smaller level against Spurs but at the same time he asked for it with so many of the performances we came up with from above December onwards.

[rob_bridge]

He actually gave a shit but never been hired.  No way was he going to turn down the  job.

However his signings didn't work (Given aside and contract he has is ludicrous), his tactics and football from the Dark Ages and didn't seem to be able to motivate players.

[SoccerHQ]

It's ridiculous to look back at a season so recent and when you scroll through the games just see so many terrible games, some which it was no exaggeration to say we barely ventured out of our own half like Spurs away and then Man. United at home.

Don't think I'm going OTT to say there were only 4 exciting games that season, first one v Blackburn (relegated), 3-2 win over Norwich, a fluke 3-1 at Chelsea (still no idea how that happened) and 3-2 away to Wolves (relegated), all the others were playing for a draw or a scrambled win/draw against fellow relegation candidates.

I've given Lambert some stick this season for the disappointing football on offer and going 4 league games without a goal wasn't good but seriously anyone comparing the football now to just two seasons ago isn't being serious imo.

We had a 4 game spell this season of dire football, we had a 40 game spell that year.

[villan from luton]

He should never have been appointed manager, not cos of who he was manager of, but more the way he managed. There again that was not his fault.

I so wanted him to succeed as he was a decent bloke, he was brought in at a difficult time, but his negative tactics were wat did it for me. He had to go, but that said, he has always been complimentary about the club and I wish him all the best in the future

[PeterWithesShin]

Ex-manager Alex McLeish. Still my favourite sentence in the history of the world.

[PeterWithesShin]

However I wish him no ill will and would happily have a pint with him. Unlike scummers like Pubey and Mr Fickle.

[Ian.]

He's a very decent fella. I'll never forget the tour Aberdeen made to Devon to play Exeter, Plymouth and my local side Dawlish. They stayed here in Dawlish and the players were such a decent bunch. At the time they was a very successful outfit with players like McLeish, Willie Miller, Jim Leigton, Davie Dodds, Jim Bett to name a few and they were managed by Ian Porterfield.
They spent a lot of time in Dawlish, using our football social club, the pitch and put, bowling green and had a lot of time for everyone here. My mom used to wash the kit for Dawlish Town and offered to do Aberdeen's while they stayed. To see their red Umbro kit hanging in my garden was a real treat.
When they played Exeter City I was in the stands and me and my mom (Jean) kept hearing "Jean" being shouted out. We then realised it was Jim Bett sat in the stands shouting to her!
Another time we gave McLeish, Leighton and Bett a lift home to their hotel in our Ford Cortina. The whole team was a great credit to professional footballers, they were absolutely brilliant.

In those mid 80's Dawlish attracted quite a few decent sides in the summer from Big Ron's Sheff Wed, QPR who had some big names like Seaman, Chelsea, Steve Harrison's Watford (who was a right laugh). I served Harrison in my Villa shirt at the ice cream kiosk I worked in. He liked the shirt! QPR were great and spent a fortune at our club but out of all them Aberdeen were fantastic to have.

We also had Crewe every summer come to stay and play, with David Platt scoring 4 against Dawlish the summer before he left them for us. This was also how Seth Johnson was spotted during one of these visits. Again Dario Gradi was a real decent chap who had a lot of time for everyone down here.

Those were great days for Dawlish Town FC, now though the team does not even exist. Dawlish Town FC went tits up a few years back after a few bad years of management. I was travelling Europe at the time and was gutted it happened. I have great memories with them from a kid watching them to captaining the second team and being in the squad which won at Wembly in the Pub Cup.

[Toronto Villa]

I could not believe that we had appointed him.
Incredulous, gobsmacked, ashamed, embarrassed, are some of the words to describe my feelings on his appointment.
It was always going to end in tears.
Having said that, I could not slate him during the season in the way I slated ODreary.
Sad for everyone, he should never had the job and was/is a good guy set up to fail

Embarassed? Disappointed for sure, but I don't get why you'd be embarassed.

[rob_bridge]

I could not believe that we had appointed him.
Incredulous, gobsmacked, ashamed, embarrassed, are some of the words to describe my feelings on his appointment.
It was always going to end in tears.
Having said that, I could not slate him during the season in the way I slated ODreary.
Sad for everyone, he should never had the job and was/is a good guy set up to fail

Embarassed? Disappointed for sure, but I don't get why you'd be embarassed.

I agree it was embarassing for the people who recruited him. I wasn't ashamed though as he stated.

[PeterWithe]

I can't believe he ever rocked up here, I may have mentioned it before.

Still, never heard of anyone who's met him that didn't have a high regard for him personally.

[eastie]

Maybe in the light of the very decent reactions on this thread it should be titled Alex Mcleish speaks?

[Mister E]

Reading the OP gives me the sense that he actually felt he could do something special at the club; whcih seems a little deluded to me. Wrong manager at the wrong time at the wrong club.

He also refers to the money constraints which he and his successor shared; which does beg the question about the wages and length of contract that Charlie, Hutton and Given were awarded. I accept that TSM will not have had the final say on these issues but it does seem a little odd to compare the constraints under which each manager is / was working.