Your favourite ex Manager

Yup they're the ones - and although I probably agree with some of your comments none of them tried to divvy up the club once they left like Manky did and none of them claimed to have integrity one minute and took his thirty pieces of sliver the next like Judas did. And actually there are other reasons I like these - they are good memories despite the ups and downs AND:-

MIKE KEEN - who as a player manager served the club well especially on the pitch - even under the austerity imposed upon him by Jim Bonser and who brought back Dennis Bond and oh yes bought some bloke called Ross Jenkins.

GLEN ROEDER - (apologies for my earlier spelling) - who played well for us as captain and took over when no-one else was on offer

KENNY JACKETT - a stalwart for us under Graham Taylor, local lad and who has gone on to be a half decent manager at Millwall.

AIDY BOOTHROYD - Who despite the press criticism (which actually only came about when we got to the Premiership and upset the bigheads) is still the only manager to take us to the Premiership other then Sir Graham.

STEVE HARRISON - Taylors right hand man and again a major player for us - who brought in the likes of Paul Wilkinson and gary Penrice.

So yeah I'll give them a shout ...

 

Tell me do you ever rub the brown stuff off your nose?

 

Yes, they were not all that bad overall - as you say they bought in players who ultimately turned out to be good servants to the club - although it was actually George Kirby who bought in Ross Jenkins and Dennis Bond. I wouldn't say that Steve Harrison was a major player for us - he did manage over 70 games for us, so deserves a mention as a contributor to our rise up the leagues under GT.

Jackett looks like he will turn out to be a whole decent manager the way that Millwall are going this season.

Surely though, there was more to Aidy's downfall than just press criticism. The style of play in his last full season was dire and he left the club in a terrible financial state (albeit not just his fault - the directors must share the blame). The facts are that a mediocre season at Colchester, the sack at Coventry and hardly tearing up trees at Northampton must point to something lacking in his managerial capabilities.

But I could describe none of them as any of my "favourite" managers - although Jackett was a very much unsung hero in the midfield that we weren't suppose to have under GT.

Bill McGarry, Ken Furphy and Ray Lewington (because of the strictures under which he operated, still managing to get to us to 2 Cup Semi-finals) are the managers I most respect after GT.

But not Colin Lee........

 

Well I must admit that my memory is failing - I was sure big Ross was bought by Mike Keen so I looked it up in Oli Phillips Centenary book and he was decried as 'Kirby's Folly' so yes indeed he was bought by Georgie boy but Keen was the one who seems to have got him going. Dennis Bond however was brought back by Keen according to Oli.

 

Bond did play 3 or 4 games under Kirby the previous season so he might have been brought in on loan (if they had loans then). But he did play a full season under Keen the following year - he was never the same as in his first spell with us though - apparently the result of over imbibation of the "falling down" liquid during his "career" at Spurs. After a bright start he faded badly over the years (I did see him play a blinder against Liverpool in a replay at WHL I think it was the year that Spurs won the cup - 67).

 

I can remember watching him at WHL in late 1967 in a European Cup Winner's Cup match against a French team - can't remember which one though. He played such a blinder that the whole crowd were chanting his name during the second half - the noise was truly deafening. Not loud enough to help Spurs win through to the next round though. I seem to remember Cardiff being a surprise packet that year - got to the semi final & missed out getting to the final by five minutes.

 

Does the first Mrs H count?