A question for those over 30

I do not recall any clamouring for Alan Clarke's sacking in 1986/7 when we started the season with six straight league defeats, and had a mere 4 points from 8 games at the end of September. Is it the modern generation that have no patience, and want instant success?

 

There weren't the facilities for making your views known then, unlike now. Alan Clarke was another one who thought he knew everything and everyone else knew nothing. His man management skills were just about on a par with Davey's. He was however, a far more successful player than Davey and therefore probably commanded a little more respect. However, it didn't last long.

 

every reds fan i knew at the time, wanted clarke out nt

 

No comparison

Clarke was/is a legend.
Davey is some tubby lad from Wales who got lucky in two games last season.....

 

RE: No comparison

He is well qualified though.....

 

we were playing some great stuff,just not getting the luck,by the end of the season we were by far the best team in the division,and when we started the next season with the same team we finished with, we went straight to the top of the league,with many people saying the stuff we were playing was divison 1 class,Johnny Giles being one of them, (why the hell Clarkey ever broke the team up I`ll never know)

 

They were playing some great stuff at the time

..- without scoring goals. The enforced sale of David Hirst to Swillsborough hit us very hard but it was always just going to be a matter of time before we clicked. Saying that I'm sure we were still bottom by the time we visited Arsenal in February and despite shipping Larry May out to the Pigs we went on a run that saw us climb to mid table.

I can still remember celebrating round Wath the night we gained our first point against Plymouth, and I've just looked it up the stats for the game, crowd for that game was a mere 4163. Bloody hell that was scraping the barrel.

 

Rumours at the time was that he wasn't popular with the players

Bit arrogant ... he was a legend and I'll always thank him for the promotion and the squad he put together buthe never quite cut it as a manager at the other clubs he managed

 

No problem. We had belief in Clarkey, and felt he would make it come good. Some do with Davey, I just hope they are right. However the gates were lower and thus fewer 'boo' boys.

 

The club lost it's strike force during the summer

David Hirst, Ian Walsh & Gordon Owen and only brought in Steve Lowndes and Carl Bradshaw on loan. The football we were playing was quite impressive, but there was very rarely any end product to our approach play. Clarke tried Gwyn Thomas up front, along with inexperienced kids like Darren Foreman, Ian Chandler & Willie Ferry all to no avail. The first breakthrough was in November when we brought in John MacDonald. He introduced that touch of class we'd been missing. However, things didn't finally click until Clarke swallowed his pride and re introduced Rodger Wylde to the first team, after having frozen him out since the summer of 1985. A vast improvement in results saw us move up to mid table security by the end of the season.
Most of what few fans we had at the time were well aware of the financial problems that Clarke was having to struggle with off the pitch and cut him some slack.

 

Not forgetting Michael Clarke..

Who had a good season as a winger/wingback. Clarke launched the Centenary Society. However, he had no rapport with the fans this second time around. He also said ' David Hirst leaves over my dead body' which was silly really when everyone knew Hirst would go the first time anyone offered any money for him. The club's directors alienated themselve from the Official Supporter's club. Didn't Cuz (Rising Sun organiser) who was president of the official Supporters Club get thrown out at 1 game for protesting. At the end of that season Clarke was sacked, the Chairman resigned in protest at this board decision and John Dennis took over. Mel Machin appointed. The club was steadily moving forward again, although at times under Machin, it didn't appear that way.

 

Did chandler get a hat trick at this game...?

or was it mick clarke?


English Division 2 (old)
Hull City 3 (0) - 4(0) Barnsley

on 01-01-1987

 

oh and clarke was off his rocker by the end

one tracksuit leg rolled up and all that.

I amazes me though that people slag off Davey for his baffling decisions as if he's been the only one. Clarke was hatstand at times.

 

and when was it we got battered by 7 at the Hawthornes

was that just after clarkes departure / winstanley caretaker??

One of my more painful away jaunts

 

Clarke was sacked in November 1989

After the board refused to sanction the transfer of David Currie to Sheffield Wednesday, in return for Steve Whitton & Imre Varadi coming to Oakwell, allegedly. The chairman, Geoff Buckle who backed Clarke on the deal, resigned in protest. Again, allegedly.

 

I think Clarke got saked nearly half way into the following season then, after a 7-0 drubbing by West Brom, Machin was apointed before Christmas '89

 

Chandler got a hat trick that day

But I don't recall many other games he scored in, if any.

 

Clarke had already gone before the 7-0 defeat at WBA

Winstanley was in charge at the time.

 

It was the first game after Clarke was sacked

And was Eric Winstanley's first game in charge as caretaker manager.