Too young for Ted and Lawrie, it’s nice to say too young every now and again For me personally the most fun I’ve had as a supporter was under Adkins. The league one promotion and the start to the championship season was unbelievable and I went to a lot of away games back then too and the feeling around the club was just special. there is probably a good argument he is the weakest on the short list, but you can’t put a stat on feels Right man at the right time
If you enjoyed Nigel, you’d have loved Lawrie. Ted Bates was the man allegedly but some of his teams were bloody horrible. Lawrie’s teams post the 1978 promotion were simply fabulous. But I do agree Adkins restored the fun. Honourable mention to Pardew who re-built confidence and gave us a day out at Wembley where we actually won. In fact, the whole list have their strengths. Gordon’s sense of humour; Koeman’s re-build after the Liverpool asset strip; the Red Devil team of Poch. We’ve had some good ‘uns and it’s good to be reminded of that currently.
I voted for Pochettino. Too young for Lawrie, so couldn’t vote for him. Adkins is my favourite by a long way. But in terms of pure managerial ability, it’s pochettino for me. The difference he made in a short space of time was simply staggering. We looked fit, well drilled and like we could beat anyone. He improved almost every player and gave youth a chance to grow. Just a sensational manager when he was here imo. Koeman was good too, but i think he benefitted from a lot of the good work that Poch & Adkins did.
Also realise Puel goes unnoticed. A cup final we should have won; 8th in the league and Gabbiadini. Worth a mention
Cheers. Won’t displace Lawrie for my vote, but worthy of a mention given the list. I shan’t suggest Mark Hughes!
