Jocko CLOWN talks in the Argus

[Tooting Gull]

one thing i really didn't like about him was his constant talking down of the club. used to bang on about how crap withers was and then used that as an excuse when we either lost at home, or he was unable to sign a player he wanted. thing is from a pr perspective, it was hardly conducive or helpful when trying to A attract fans or B generating some atmosphere at home games when the manager keeps banging on about how rubbish the ground and fans are.

The thing is, sometimes he was just answering questions, not going on some premeditated rant. Journalist asks: "Is Withdean a problem?" McGhee (honestly): "Yes". Journalist writes: "Mark McGhee last night blasted his own crap stadium, citing the 'Withdean effect' as the root of all evil in the world."

Did it help attract players, fans or generate atmosphere? No, you're right. But to say anything else would have been a total lie. Talking down Withdean is not the same as talking down the club, it's a shithole. And any of our recent managers could have (and probably did) say we would always be held back until we moved out of the dump.

 

[vulture]

should of gone after the stoke game along with the other coaching staff

 

[D'Angelo Saxon]

McGhee was in my bar last night and seemed like a sound bloke. Asked me whether Gordon Banks was eating in the restaurant - which he was - I hadn't noticed as his back was to the bar and not many of the other staff are into football - He seemed genuinely chuffed to see Banks, and went and said hello. Spoke to Gordon Banks and his wife later that evening, and the man is a legend. Big hands. Sorry for rambling on.

 

[brightonbc]

He took over a team high on confidence and in form, under coppell i believe we may have gone straight up, he killed leon knight who was on fire under coppell. And lets be fair how lucky were we against Swindon, he tried to sit on a 1-0 lead and it nearly back fired. Credit due though he kept us in the championship that season, however after that im sure if someone would have come in he would have gone. I had a friend who worked for the Albion, apprantly he was a top bloke but towards the end didnt give a monkeys about the club, his comment after the stoke game was enough for me, and i always believe he let personal issues with players sway his team selection. If anyone was harshly treated i believe it was wilkins, how many players have cried in a Brighton shirt, he was never given a fair go by the Mcghee lovers who were bitter. Anyway why dwell on the past, this is the most excited ive been in the 25 years i have supported brighton, we have a lovely stadium on the way, a passionate chairman with some wonga, and a manager that will one day get us in the premiership if he stays

 

[Storer68]

he really should have left after that stoke debacle. things turned unpleasant the season after, he lost the plot and started to sound a bit poisonous.

one thing i really didn't like about him was his constant talking down of the club. used to bang on about how crap withers was and then used that as an excuse when we either lost at home, or he was unable to sign a player he wanted. thing is from a pr perspective, it was hardly conducive or helpful when trying to A attract fans or B generating some atmosphere at home games when the manager keeps banging on about how rubbish the ground and fans are.

No different to Adams' first spell then. MA was always using our crap facilities to bond the players, create team spirit, an "us against the world" outlook.

Worked for him

anyway for MM if only for that fantastic day out in Cardiff.

Bit like criticising Melia for getting us relegated from the First Division whilst convenielntly ignoring the Cup Final

 

[Biscuit]

He took over a team high on confidence and in form, ... he killed leon knight who was on fire under coppell. And lets be fair how lucky were we against Swindon... Credit due though he kept us in the championship that season... his comment after the stoke game was enough for me, and i always believe he let personal issues with players sway his team selection.

This. JOCKO CLOWN!

 

[Scotty Mac]

the man gave me my most successful time that i can remember as an albion fan

 

[Storer68]

He took over a team high on confidence and in form, under coppell i believe we may have gone straight up, he killed leon knight who was on fire under coppell.

Knight scored quite a lot of goals whilst MM was manager........

including this one,

 

[cjd]

Not sure how a mananger can succeed when the Chairman' s view of success was..."keeping them up", whilst having to sell players to balance the books.

Personally, I have always thought that Dick Knight was sort of "disappointed" that we gained promotion that year via the play-offs. I think he well knew that Championship football and the costs involved, were well out of reach of his and the Boards pockets.

 

[Gwylan]

He took over a team high on confidence and in form ...

As has been posted above, he took over a team that had just suffered three straight defeats. I would guess they were low on confidence and certainly weren't on form.

Put me in the pro McGhee camp. In fact, I think he was one of the top five managers in the 44 years I've been watching the Albion. He was unlucky that he followed one of the best ones.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Mcghee gave me some my best moments as an albion fan....beating Palace away, Swindon playoff game, Bristol Playoff final and of course staying up the next season aswell wasa great feat.

In regards to people slagging him off and the insults, heres one for you....why dont you all fcuk off!

I am not a fan of McGhees - The reasons include:

* That in the second season in the Championship, we surrendered without any fight. His tactics made it obvious that was going to get us relegated - Why would you take off a forward and put on an extra defender when losing 1-0? Why not at least try, didn't he have enough faith in his players ability?

* This constant insistance that 'we didn't have any players here at the club' and that he was desperate to bring in his own new players rather than try to get the best out of what he already had (even when it was impossible to sign new players due to closed transfer windows etc..) - don't forget, he had some very good players during his reign, and a side playing as a team, however, somehow he managed to piss them off and force several players out, weakening what we had in the process (I think his falling out meant we actually got a lot less than we might have done for the players that were sold, people say he brought in X amount in transfer fee's, but how much more could it have been had he been able to man manage and get the best out of what he had rather than criticise) - It was Odd he slated the squad he had as not good enough, especially as most were deemed good enough by Coppell and were top of the league when he left, and other teams that were promoted did well enough without major changes. - I still think we could and should have finished higher in both seasons in the championship

* His dropping of players completely from the match day squad, despite them scoring in the previous match - this defies logic to me. CKR questioned this following Jake Robinson being dropped despite scoring and McGhee publicly stating that 'we don't have a goal scorer in the squad', CKR was gone soon after - Where is the logic in dropping someone for scoring or constantly slagging off the only available options you have as goal scorers to the press?

* He was someone who did things his way, and if anyone questioned his method or authority they were out of the squad and sold on, often far too cheaply, but the club was forced to sell because they wanted out due to McGhee. (CKR, McCammon etc) As our hand was forced, we received a lower transfer fee than we might have got if the players were happy here and playing well. - Several players left because of him, and others almost went too, like Kuipers (and we all know how much he loves the Albion). It might have just been a coincidence, but almost all the players he publicly fell out with were coloured.


McGhee is obviously a Marmite manager, Some fans just look at the few positives of mcGhees stint in charge and ignore all the negatives, or vice versa. I believe that the squad McGhee had was better than the finishing spot we achieved in our first season in the Championship and the preceeding promotion campaign. The second season in the Championship was abysmal, and cost us more than league status, but created an apathy amongst fans about going to watch the team, destroying the momentum etc..that was built under previous managers.

McGhee got lucky there and we only sneeked into the place offs at the very end of the season after almost missing out despite being top earlier in the season. To me, McGhee never really trusted the players he had here to play and never gave them a chance to shine - too negative in his approach and attitude.

 

[El Presidente]

I don't know how you can call him a Jocko clown El Pres when the other day you banged on about him giving us our highest league placing in 17 years and raked in a load of money. You defended him against TCB comments.

Irony old chap, Irony

 

[Thunder Bolt]

McGhee got lucky there and we only sneeked into the place offs at the very end of the season after almost missing out despite being top earlier in the season.

I can't be bothered to argue the other points with you but we were in the top 6 (playoff position) from December onwards.

Brighton and Hove Albion | Match | Fixtures | 2003

 

[les dynam]

I am not a fan of McGhees - The reasons include:

* That in the second season in the Championship, we surrendered without any fight. His tactics made it obvious that was going to get us relegated - Why would you take off a forward and put on an extra defender when losing 1-0? Why not at least try, didn't he have enough faith in his players ability?

* This constant insistance that 'we didn't have any players here at the club' and that he was desperate to bring in his own new players rather than try to get the best out of what he already had (even when it was impossible to sign new players due to closed transfer windows etc..) - don't forget, he had some very good players during his reign, and a side playing as a team, however, somehow he managed to piss them off and force several players out, weakening what we had in the process (I think his falling out meant we actually got a lot less than we might have done for the players that were sold, people say he brought in X amount in transfer fee's, but how much more could it have been had he been able to man manage and get the best out of what he had rather than criticise) - It was Odd he slated the squad he had as not good enough, especially as most were deemed good enough by Coppell and were top of the league when he left, and other teams that were promoted did well enough without major changes. - I still think we could and should have finished higher in both seasons in the championship

* His dropping of players completely from the match day squad, despite them scoring in the previous match - this defies logic to me. CKR questioned this following Jake Robinson being dropped despite scoring and McGhee publicly stating that 'we don't have a goal scorer in the squad', CKR was gone soon after - Where is the logic in dropping someone for scoring or constantly slagging off the only available options you have as goal scorers to the press?

* He was someone who did things his way, and if anyone questioned his method or authority they were out of the squad and sold on, often far too cheaply, but the club was forced to sell because they wanted out due to McGhee. (CKR, McCammon etc) As our hand was forced, we received a lower transfer fee than we might have got if the players were happy here and playing well. - Several players left because of him, and others almost went too, like Kuipers (and we all know how much he loves the Albion). It might have just been a coincidence, but almost all the players he publicly fell out with were coloured.


McGhee is obviously a Marmite manager, Some fans just look at the few positives of mcGhees stint in charge and ignore all the negatives, or vice versa. I believe that the squad McGhee had was better than the finishing spot we achieved in our first season in the Championship and the preceeding promotion campaign. The second season in the Championship was abysmal, and cost us more than league status, but created an apathy amongst fans about going to watch the team, destroying the momentum etc..that was built under previous managers.

McGhee got lucky there and we only sneeked into the place offs at the very end of the season after almost missing out despite being top earlier in the season. To me, McGhee never really trusted the players he had here to play and never gave them a chance to shine - too negative in his approach and attitude.

good post. good to see some sound reasoning. agree with most of that, the second half of that relegation season was truly woeful.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Guy Fawkes, that seems to be a lot of half truths and rumours that became fact as enough people began to peddle them.

CKR parting shot was questioning why Robinson was not in the team, despite being top scorer. Something to do with the fact that he only had about 5 goals and he was highly ineffective, I would have thought.

 

[vulture]

lets face it he was shit

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

lets face it he was shit

Come on. Remember the best of Albion days.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

Anyone who got £1.5m for Virgo deserves a medal!

 

[Ned]

Anyone who got £1.5m for Virgo deserves a medal!

And even more so for the £500K plus for Harding.

 

[El Presidente]

He took over a team high on confidence and in form

This is the team that had just lost three consecutive games before he was appointed.