I guess with the fixtures coming out tomorrow it is starting to sink in that WE ARE PREMIER LEAGUE!!!! The acheivement of Paul Lambert and the everyone else at the club has been indescribable. Is this the clubs greatest ever managerial acheivement? Lets take a look at the contenders. Nigel Worthington Took a side who were regularly finishing in the bottom third of the (then) Division 1 table and in his first full season made the play-off final 2001. followed by consistant top 10 finishes before the pieces fell into place and the league was won at a canter. Mike Walker Led Norwich to their highest ever league position (3rd) and a very memorable european adventure. Unfortunately, disagreements with Chase drove him to leave the club for Everton after just 18months and so we will never know if he could have maintained the high standards set. My personal opinion is that Walker got lucky to a degree. He was manager at a time where our youth system just happened to produce a group of VERY good players all at the same time. Sutton, Fox, Goss and even the likes of Lee Power. Fleck left but Walker was inspired in signing Mark Robins. The majority of the rest of the side were Dave Stringers signings. Dave Stringer Consistently had Norwich in the top half of the top flight achieving (then) highest league standings of 5th then 4th. Reached 2 FA cup semi finals, Some would also say he was the one responsible for sowing the seeds of Mike Walkers success. Ken Brown Promotion (83) Milk cup Winner (85) and Division 2 Champion (86) - The only Norwich manager to my knowledge to have won 2 trophies. Stringer worked under him and I believe learned much. Ron Saunders Took a side that were very average Division 2 Up to Division 1 for the first time. Also reached the League cup final in 1973. Ron Ashman League cup winer 1962 Archie Macaulay Took a Division 3 Norwich all the way to the FA cup Semi Final in the 58-59 cup run. I might have missed one or two and if so apologise, but I cannot see above any acheivement to match what has just happened. Never has so much progrss been made in such a short time. This club was on it's knees, close to Administration and heading to League 2 or worse. Thank you doesn't seem to convey the gratitude I have to all involved at the club but I cannot think of words that match the feelings. So from one very relieved and totally in awe Norwich fan Thank you.
i can only comment on who i've seen in my lifetime, so my choice would be, without doubt, dave stringer. beautiful football but most importantly, winning football. that team could have achieved so much more had there not been a european ban and when you look at our teams back then, we were in contention to win something in most of his seasons in charge. having said that, the way things are going at the moment, i've never experienced anything like our current regime!
Good shout Mr Foggo I think you're correct in that we may very well have Norwich's greatest ever manager still at the club but if you are just considering past managers for me it has to be Dave Stringer. We played some very attractive football under him and had some good finishes as well. As you said Mike Walker inherited a very good squad which was probably the reason he went on to take us to our best ever finish. He didn't last very long at Everton or when he came back to us for a second spell. Nigel Worthington got us promoted but was a very negative manager - the one thing that I still find strange is that he signed Hux - a great signing but surely not a Worthington type player. What about the worst managers - any takers for Megson, Rodent, Grant or Hamilton!!!
Stringer certainly would be Lamberts closest challenger in my eyes. Stringer worked under Ken Brown before taking the reigns himself. He was involved in the building of the youth setup that produced the talent that was to the benefit of both himself during his spell in charge and then Mike Walker after him. The legacy of stringers reign was the 3rd place finnish and the very special european nights (obviously with some fine tuneing by Walker). In contrast, I think Lambert has had a more immediate and potent impact. The game is different now. It would be so much more difficult for a Norwich side to finnish 3rd in the PL. We will see what Lambert is able to do, but I have to say that im my opinion, the acheivments to date probably just shade it considering where we were and the fact that until his appointment he had no input into the set up whatsoever. He has changed so much so quickly.
John Bond was certainly widely regarded as our best manager until the Dave Stringer era so I would say any candidate before him is a non starter. Since then, a toss up between Dave Stringer & Mike Walker. For no reason I can pinpoint I always liked Mike Walker a little more, maybe it was his tongue in cheek interviews on occasions or maybe his we are going to score more than you policy that made for some great games.
I think we can all agree that Mr Hamilton fell well short of what you required. I did actually like John Bond.
Ken Brown was boss when I first went (19th November 1982, a 4-2 win over Stoke). As I said above, Stringer was superb, BUT the foundations were already in place when he took over. Lambert has had to build from scratch and so far has not put a foot wrong. We will see this season, but like I said, the game has changed so much since Stringer was manager that comparisons will be difficult. Surely survival this season would be as much of an achievement as the 5th then 4th finnishes recorded by Stringer? The club is in a very different place now to then. Mind you, the club is in a very diferent place now to when Lambert took over!
I, too, slightly favour Mike Walker over Dave Stringer, but only just, but I'll tell you what, another two or three years of Paul Lambert moving us in the right direction, and it will be a no-brainer
As I said above, I think Mike walker to a degree was lucky. He managed a team of players (mostly assembled befor he arived) which happened to all hit their peak together. I know that does not automatically make them successful, but if sure as hell helps. The few signings brought in by Walker worked well (Robins for instance) but does that make him the best ever? He failed at Everton and his second spell here was not great. I think to a degree he was just here at the right time in 92-93 and that any good manager would have achieved what he did or maybe even better? I do think he was the best ever for value in interviews. Always looked forward to his very dry wit in the post match chat.
Silly me! I forgot that it's just Ipswich that hark back to the past! Good list of managers by the way just a shame that none of them are of the same quality as Sir Alf and Sir Bobby! COYB
Have to say JWM that Sir Bobby was one hell of a manager and a gent as well. Respect well and truly deserved.
Walker ...............He ditched us for the toffies and ended up running a skip company.....HA HA <Nelsons voice>
Does a greatest manager have to do it over a sustained period of time? Bond, Brown, Stringer and Walker all built on each other's work and established a good team playing attractive football. Deehan, Megson, O Neill, Walker (2nd time), Rioch were all false dawns. Hamilton was just awful. Worthington stabilised things and did well before losing it a bit. Grant, Roeder and Gunn were probably the three worst managers in our history. The Lambert story is still going and I wouldn't like to judge yet but it's looking very good so far.
Not harping back to the past, just comparing what we have now with the past and in contrast to Ipswich, What we have now compares favourably in my opinion. You are right though Alf Ramsey and Bobby Moore were both superb managers. Ipswich were very lucky to have benefitted from both of them.
My lifetime top three (in no particular order): Ken Brown (first time I saw Norwich in colour on TV as a scrap of a lad winning the Milk cup), Stringer, as that's the team I used to go and see most of all and that 3rd Place finish and FA cup run was just a brilliant days for a loopy teenager in the Barclay, and Lambert because he's got us playing football again with the heart and desire that is what it's all about. All three brought (and are bringing) the yellow and green closer still to my heart. OTBC
3rd place finish was Walker not Stringer (although as I said above, I think Stringer deserves some credit )
