Breaking our transfer record two seasons in a row with Sasa Curcic and Stan Collymore were huge mistakes. We totally lost momentum and although we signed some good players between 98 and 2002 we also lost quite a few. Doug then pretty much gave up by 03 and took 3 years to sell us.
Lambert made sense at the time.
Quote from: Clark W Griswold on May 20, 2022, 08:23:20 PMBreaking our transfer record two seasons in a row with Sasa Curcic and Stan Collymore were huge mistakes. We totally lost momentum and although we signed some good players between 98 and 2002 we also lost quite a few. Doug then pretty much gave up by 03 and took 3 years to sell us. I was living in Wigan and working for the firm that did Bolton's travel arrangements at the time, and saw a lot of Bolton games as a result. Curcic was absolutely brilliant for them, a bit like Kinkladze for Manchester City in that he could run with the ball seemingly glued to his feet and go past people at will. I was hugely excited by his signing, which was only heightened by his debut in which he was absolutely superb.Ssimilarly with Collymore, he was seen as the fabled "last piece in the jigsaw" and a real statement of intent. That it all went so wrong, is still a massive shame. For two seasons under Sir Brian we looked absolutely brilliant, and those two had the talent to really make us contenders. Sigh.
Quote from: N'ZMAV on May 21, 2022, 09:16:07 AMLambert made sense at the time. As did David O'Leary at the time. I feel sick just typing that, but his first season was very good indeed, especially the second half, and even in his second season we were top 6 at the start of December. All massively down hill after that, the pug nosed twat.
Also agree that Lambert looked a good appointment on paper. Liverpool got Rodgers at the same time and I thought we'd got the better deal. Close run thing who I detest more out of Lambert and O'Leary but I think Lambert edges it because the football was more soul destroying.Interesting points made about appointing Gregory and it being a mistake. I think I like him more now than I did when he was our manager. It always seemed like he preferred dull and functional over exciting and innovative. Not unlike O'Neill in that respect.
Quote from: SoccerHQ on May 20, 2022, 11:07:56 PMGregory was fine for first 18 months. Was in danger of getting sacked when we had that poor run in early 1999 season but then we responded with incredible run of form that should've got us to two cup finals and also a solid league position.At the start he thought big with the signings but mistake was giving him a new contract just before the cup final (reminds me of Arteta getting one and Arsenal immediately implode to miss out on top 4).Should've waited and perhaps we could've still kicked on after the trauma of the Chelsea match with new manager and group of players. Instead we've never recovered at all from losing that game.22 years today btw, a few 6th place finishes is all we've mustered in the league since then and two cup finals.Gregory started to fall apart after his first Christmas, at the time when Stan went AWOL. We had a bad end to his first full season and the start of the next one, then we recovered to get to the cup final. From then on it was, as you say, a case of treading water. He did okay, and in hindsight he did a better job than we realised given that he was dealing with a chairman who was waiting for him to do something sackable. The trouble was that we were in such a good position and for the first time in decades money was available yet he spent so much time, as he put it, fighting fires and most of the money on average or past-it players. A more imaginative appointment who made imaginative signings and we could have been well set.
Gregory was fine for first 18 months. Was in danger of getting sacked when we had that poor run in early 1999 season but then we responded with incredible run of form that should've got us to two cup finals and also a solid league position.At the start he thought big with the signings but mistake was giving him a new contract just before the cup final (reminds me of Arteta getting one and Arsenal immediately implode to miss out on top 4).Should've waited and perhaps we could've still kicked on after the trauma of the Chelsea match with new manager and group of players. Instead we've never recovered at all from losing that game.22 years today btw, a few 6th place finishes is all we've mustered in the league since then and two cup finals.
Quote from: N'ZMAV on May 21, 2022, 09:16:07 AMLambert made sense at the time. Brendan Rodgers was also available that summer although think Liverpool quickly tapped him up.Lambert was decent but six months later Southampton got in Pochettino who was completely unknown to UK audience at the time but completely transformed them so that was example of time of forward thinking club who thought outside the box and had 4-5 really good seasons as a reward.Too often we go for safe appointments which restricts us. Even Gerrard I think could be deemed as safe given Purslow knows him so well.I think this side is crying out for an experienced continental coach to come in and implement a modern style to it, perhaps that's the plan post Gerrard. Let's hope we're not miles off it in premier league when time comes.
I doubt there is a plan post-Gerrard. Feels more that we've given him the keys to the place to do whatever the fcuk he wants.
Quote from: eamonn on May 21, 2022, 01:33:11 PMI doubt there is a plan post-Gerrard. Feels more that we've given him the keys to the place to do whatever the fcuk he wants. It does indeed feel like that.
Quote from: Sexual Ealing on May 21, 2022, 01:43:29 PMQuote from: eamonn on May 21, 2022, 01:33:11 PMI doubt there is a plan post-Gerrard. Feels more that we've given him the keys to the place to do whatever the fcuk he wants. It does indeed feel like that.I think he will have some testing kpi's set for him. People like our owners don't give management a carte blanche and put up with them under achieving