Back in the day I was glad to see the back of Gary Pendrey and Dave Mackay but Ron Saunders appointment was genuinely exciting, I didn't really want Jim Smith to go but Saunders with backing would have made us a top 6 team, we just lacked Garry Mabbutt and Chris Waddle.
Back in the day I was glad to see the back of Gary Pendrey and Dave Mackay but Ron Saunders appointment was genuinely exciting, I didn't really want Jim Smith to go but Saunders with backing would have made us a top 6 team, we just lacked Garry Mabbutt and Chris Waddle.
At appointment ? ... one i was most in favour of giving it a go was Bruce
Can’t think of one, certainly not Saunders. I was happy when we got Smith, but not excited. Happy enough with TF and Bruce, but not excited. Pretty indifferent about the rest.
Before my time but was the prospect of Alf Ramsey exciting, a WC winner in B9 ?
or was his career fading away by then - It Must have been! :)
Before my time but was the prospect of Alf Ramsey exciting, a WC winner in B9 ?
or was his career fading away by then - It Must have been! :)
God yeah he was almost a fossil who'd been appointed to The Board for publicity and experience and status etc ... then when we were managerless he stepped into the breach. I don't think anyone was excited because no-one expected it to be for long
From wiki ...
"He had joined the board of First Division club Birmingham City in January 1976.[156] When Willie Bell was sacked as manager in September 1977, Ramsey refused the offer to take his place on a permanent basis, but did agree to act as caretaker until a successor could be found.[157] By early November, he had changed his mind. He resigned his directorship to take on the role of consultant, with a remit that covered not only day-to-day team management but also a wide-ranging responsibility for club affairs, to include the selection of Birmingham's next manager.[158] His tenure lasted just four months. In February 1978, star player Trevor Francis was fined for giving newspaper interviews about his desire to leave a club he saw as lacking ambition,[159] and the board accepted Ramsey's recommendation to place him on the transfer list. Three days later, when the decision was reversed for fear of a backlash from supporters, Ramsey gave two weeks' notice to quit.[160][161][162] "
If memory serves he came in as a sort of DoF then took over when Bell was sacked, so there was no fanfare.
Gary Rowet. Given what we’d been through
I was absolutely convinced Karanka would get us promoted in two seasons, when he was appointed.
That went well didn't it.
If memory serves he came in as a sort of DoF then took over when Bell was sacked, so there was no fanfare.
Yeah ... i've edited my post above to put in the wiki take on things ... he actually resigned when the Board reversed his recommendation to place the "constantly whinging in public" Trevor Francis on the transfer list
Nikola ZigicI was absolutely convinced Karanka would get us promoted in two seasons, when he was appointed.
That went well didn't it.
Yeah - him and Redknapp are about the only big name managers we’ve appointed in recent history. And big name is pushing it with both
Karanka, I thought we'd be a bit like a McLeish team. Hard to break down and winning plenty of games 1 nil. Totally wrong. Only Steve Cotterill saves him from being the most dislikeable manager we've had.
TF and Bruce
It was a good period for the club tbf even with the heartbreaks.
TF - out of all the Blues managers that I wanted to succeed (and that's all of them), I wanted him to succeed the most. Obviously that's gibberish, but someone's bound to know what I mean.
Brucie and although I didn't want Bruce sacked Alex McLeish and also Harry Redknapp.