Most of the squad actually really liked McCann. I know that’s difficult for a lot of supporters to believe after the embarrassing loss to Wigan and relegation but the squad from the League One season really liked and respected him.
They didn't play like it in that relegation slide. Did well to turn it around but I still felt he was arrogant, intransigent and basically a poor man's Pearson in treating fans with contempt via the media. Though perhaps not to the extent Tim Wa**er did. Part of his eventual success (if you call righting a wrong of his own making success) was creating an us vs them mentality within the squad that was never going to fly with a new owner wanting to re-engage supporters though.
I'd say the common denominator was the club under a certain ownership not liking uncomfortable questions and treating fans with contempt. They banned the HDM too.
No idea why some adore Burns, he's a terrible commentator, is a virtual yes man for the club and was all but on the Allams' side when it came to the name change. Is it because he's a bit of a dinosaur and wants teams to just lump it forward so some identify with him?
Nice bloke doesn't make him good at what he does. Don't really care how he is down the pub if he's rubbish at his job.
It was clear the L1 winning squad really liked him, they ran through brick-walls for him and I've seen it said by plenty of supporters from other clubs he's managed at too. He gets a lot of criticism for getting us relegated, but it had been coming for years and the job he did once we were relegated was top. I think surviving comfortably in the Championship, with a transfer embargo, the lowest wage bill in the league of £12m and no player in the squad costing £1m or anywhere close is some achievement.
You said you don’t know why people adore him, not why people thought he was a good commentator or whatever it is you’re moaning about. I wouldn’t say I adore him, but I simply answered why I do like him that’s all. I also didn’t think he was rubbish at his commentary job either. I never minded his commentary (although obviously never listened to home match commentary as I’d be at the game)
He gets justified criticism for getting us relegated as his stubbornness took us down. It was clear that side was spiralling and was poor - McCann did nothing to change it. He didn’t do what Selles did and made us hard to beat/score against. All we needed was to pick up the odd point here and there and we’d have been safe. He should have been able to do that with what he had in front of him. I also think he should be praised for getting us promoted again, but it was only righting the wrong of the previous season.
We got relegated due to years of bad recruitment and being completely reliant on 2 players, which once they left, gave us an average L1 side. The comparison with Selles is just plain stupid because Ruben's side cost £20m+ in transfer fees and the wage bill is around £25m. We spent £1.5m on getting Barry on loan for half a year and then spent £2m+ on Kyle Joseph. Ruben had a breeze of a job compared to Grant.
He was a good commentator, great champion of the City and good presenter. The BBC got rid because he didn't fit their agenda. I mean why would you want a middle aged male, local to the area, well connected and well respected with a good knowledge of the sporting, music and business scene presenting local radio? He nailed it on that morning show and knew what the audience was interested in.
Agreed. I was on his morning show several times. Once in the studio with him for over an hour chatting and taking listener questions. Thoroughly professional
Very good on his morning programme, one of those with a good radio voice, but didn’t rate him as a football commentator. Maybe a different pairing would have improved things.