Hourihane

In hindsight you're right, and an experienced manager with a top end Championship/lower end Premier League squad would have walked the league. However, as well as his inexperience, Hendrie had an insane amount of bad luck. The original plan was to build the team around Hristov. An international striker who was starting to show flashes of his class after taking a long time to settle in. He sustained a long-term injury early on in the season. He then lost David Watson to injury, who would quite possibly have gone on to be an England regular. So he was suddenly without two international class players within weeks of the season starting. I'm not entirely sure how anyone can legislate for that at any club outside the top 6 in the Premier League.

And then Ward was absent through injury and suspension before being sold, and by the time we signed Mike Sheron we were well out of the running.

Without a doubt he still should have done better with the players he had at his disposal, but he also had more than his fair share of misfortune to deal with.

 

He picked some crap players though like Tony Bullock, Mike Turner, Sean McLare and Kevin Richardson. Loaned in Don Goodman and Deon Burton. Guy didn't have a clue. Although the football was still attractive to watch because there were still players that carried the team.

 

Bullock was brought in as a reserve and probably wasn't expected to play very much. Burton, Richardson and Goodman all had a decent pedigree, but for whatever reason didn't perform (although Goodman's all round game was excellent, he just couldn't score). I always rated McClare personally. And don't forget he also brought in Dyer and Hignett.

 

Yes, I'd forgot about the injury to Hristov. He'd started to look quality and like he'd rip the Championship.
Did his ankle I think at Crewe very early in the season.

 

Great post. It’s hard for me to comment on most of them as they’re before my time. I hope it works out I’m just a bit sceptical. I just feel like the board have upset fans & season ticket sales are down so they’re just trying to appease us by sticking two legends together.

In terms of success I wouldn’t just judge it on promotion, Ismael, Struber & Robins were all recruited from other clubs and were successful in their own right.

It won’t make a blind bit of difference to me. They could appoint Athersley Rec’s manager & they’ll still get my full support. I just feel it’s a very cynical move.

I agree about it been a lottery as well. If you go into a dressing room & they aren’t having you it doesn’t matter how good of a coach you are.

 

I get your points re several near misses. And maybe should have pointed that out. Basset. Val, Duff and to some extent Collins had good seasons. Maybe 1 or 2 others. But I was just providing an interesting stat that even I was surprised when I worked it out. To point out. Experience isn't the be all and end all. They all have to start somewhere.

 

Add Machin to the list for a good season. We missed out on the playoffs on goal difference.

 

Hey, I don't believe it either.
But they sure as hell would be positive ambitious appointments, IF they happened!.

 

Probably, the best two managers in my 60 years following Barnsley came to us with no managerial or coaching experience. Allan Clarke was thrown straight in to it and Danny Wilson had a season as number 2 to Viv Anderson. I wouldn't be dismayed to see Conor get the gig as Head Coach, quite probably as player/coach initially. Like any other appointment it would be a gamble, who's to say McCann/Williamson/Uncle Tom Cobley or anyone else would be better or worse than Conor if they got the gig?

 

Point taken.

 

I was actually going to start a thread yesterday asking if there is still such a thing as Player Manager?
Player coach is close enough, and I bet there aren't too many of that breed either!

 

Mr Rooney was for a while - he played 30 times as player-coach.

 

It is how Collins and Williamson started out. Williamson was at Gateshead for many years, firstly as a player, then player coach and then head coach.

 

There's an angle that player managers are slightly better because they're on the pitch. However, they need a good adviser with them. Danny Wilson had Eric Winstanley.

Viv Anderson on the other hand didn't know when to pack in like the others did.

 

Something else to look forward to then

 

That's a very fair summary, and one that I'd not contemplated before.

 

If this happens, and we can keep Luca, I believe he'd thrive under the guidance of Conor.

 

Maybe so I think the fact he never managed again speaks for its self and all managers have some bad luck. Stendel had many injuries to contend with he had kieffer moore out for months with a fractured skull and Kenny dougall broke his leg and still got the job done.

 

That's true but no so close to the start of the season and in a lower league. Hendrie made some big errors but lady luck really didn't smile on him either.