Dean Wilkins

[Goldstone Rapper]

Not really.

Under wilkins we performed well, achieved well. Since he was fired, whatever the reason, the team has failed to perform or achieve as well as they did. We are no better off without him, ergo, getting rid of him was a cock up.

So what if he was rude to the tea lady? So what if he spent time with the players that made up his starting team instead of the fringe players and they got upset with it? So what if he got involved in parts of negotiation that were not his?

Football, we are constantly told, is a results game. Wilkins was getting them. It's as much a cock up to let "backstage" issues cost us a winning, developing, progressing team, as it is to fire a manager who moves you from 18th one season to 7th the following (despite having to rebuild his squad in january).

Whatever the reason for firing Wilkins, it was a mistake.

There must be some situations where an employer has no choice but to dismiss a manager irrespective of where the organisation has finished, because it would have wider repercussions, if they were seen to condone those actions.

Take the case of Martin Allen. He was accused of racially abusing a nightclub bouncer. Irrespective of where Cheltenham were in the league, if Martin Allen had been found guilty, I'm sure the club would have had no choice other than to dismiss him. (In the end, the police took no action and Allen left anyway).

Now I'm not accusing Wilkins of doing anything Allen was accused of. But the version of what happened I've heard is that Wilkins is supposed to have done something very serious that allegedly gave the club no option other than to dismiss him. I don't know how true this is but if it is, I can see the difficulty in communicating this, especially when a promising side was being developed, and the person involved was a player of legendary proportions.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

you can pinpoint our current shithouse performances from the moment wilkins went -

regardless of whether he had to go or not for off the pitch reasons

Agreed!

 

[Acker79]

There must be some situations where an employer has no choice but to dismiss a manager irrespective of where the organisation has finished, because it would have wider repercussions, if they were seen to condone those actions.

Take the case of Martin Allen. He was accused of racially abusing a nightclub bouncer. Irrespective of where Cheltenham were in the league, if Martin Allen had been found guilty, I'm sure the club would have had no choice other than to dismiss him. (In the end, the police took no action and Allen left anyway).

Now I'm not accusing Wilkins of doing anything Allen was accused of. But the version of what happened I've heard is that Wilkins is supposed to have done something very serious that allegedly gave the club no option other than to dismiss him. I don't know how true this is but if it is, I can see the difficulty in communicating this, especially when a promising side was being developed, and the person involved was a player of legendary proportions.

I've heard numerous reasons for why he went, and referenced a couple of them in my last post. I don't know which are true.

But, if what Dean did was on a par with what Martin Allen was accused of there is a process: he goes on leave while the club runs an investigation. The investigation runs its course, and a permanent replacement isn't brought in until after due process. This didn't happen.

One day Wilkins was in charge firing the players he and the club had decided to get rid of, the next day his job is taken by Adams and Wilkins is being insulted with the offer of a demotion (again, something that wouldn't occur if he had been guilty of something on a level of disciplinary action/club PR issue as the falsely alleged Martin Allan incident was).

While I don't know for sure, I find it very hard to believe, given this, that the reason for Wilkins going was because of gross misconduct or behaviour that would embarrass the club/leave the club in a vulnerable position.

But my point was that him being fired for finishing seventh is only one of many reason that make the argument that his firing was a cock up have merit.

 

[Titanic]

Q. What is Wilkins doing now (having been removed as manager and offererd a coaching role at League One level)?

A. Coaching at League One level.

 

[clippedgull]

In answer to the question I asked Knight at the Fans Forum he said Wilkins would still have been dismissed had we achieved promotion that season. So in effect for whatever reason he was a dead man walking.

 

[Titanic]

In answer to the question I asked Knight at the Fans Forum he said Wilkins would still have been dismissed had we achieved promotion that season. So in effect for whatever reason he was a dead man walking.

Not a dead man... but a coach in a managers job.

 

[BensGrandad]

Q. What is Wilkins doing now (having been removed as manager and offererd a coaching role at League One level)?

A. Coaching at League One level.

Would you stay with your employers if they demoted you and brought in somebody over you as your boss to do the job that you had been doing with a certain amount of success.

 

[Titanic]

Would you stay with your employers if they demoted you and brought in somebody over you as your boss to do the job that you had been doing with a certain amount of success.

I have seen that happen plenty of times in my line of business, and it can work well. If someone if promoted into an unsuitable role, it can be better for all concerned to find a way of settling them back into the role they were better suited for.

Remind me again of what job he is now doing?

 

[Deleted User X18H]

In May 2006 it was obvious that the Blooms wanted Mcghee out and a new man in. Whether that new man was to be Wilkins at that stage we will never know. Knight stood his ground and insisted Mghee stayed on. Obviously after a few dodgy results most notably Crewe at home the purse string pullers got their way.

I can't help thinking if Bloom had completed his inevitable take over in May 2008 rather than May 2009 Dean Wilkins would now be managing Albion as a play off contending Championship team with a nice few bob to spend.

 

[Titanic]

...I can't help thinking if Bloom had completed his inevitable take over in May 2008 rather than May 2009 Dean Wilkins would now be managing Albion as a play off contending Championship team with a nice few bob to spend.

Flap flap oink oink!

 

[BensGrandad]

Obviously the money struggle between Knight and Bloom had been going on for sometime because ina recent interview MA said if he had known about the board room squabbles at BHA he wouldnt have come back. Who knows if that is true or just an excuse to cover up his failure 2nd time around.

 

[R. Slicker]

Not a dead man... but a coach in a managers job.

You obviously didn't rate him & I know this is probably going over old ground but..
If he was only a coach & not a manager, How come all the 'managers' since have not come anywhere near his record? Particularly the 'manager' who replaced him & had the pick of Wilkins squad as well as the ability to bring new players in.
Does that mean that a coach was a better at managing than the established managers the board got in?

 

[Napper]

One thing that is blatantly obvious from that is how shit Cox has become

 

[bristolseagull]

Cox seems to be in every highlight as does Savage...

Why oh why did we let Savage walk when he WANTED to stay

couldnt agree more, huge mistake letting him go

 

[bristolseagull]

One thing that is blatantly obvious from that is how shit Cox has become

he's only started 8 games this season, give him a f***ing break

 

[NMH]

Q. What is Wilkins doing now (having been removed as manager and offererd a coaching role at League One level)?

A. Coaching at League One level.

He's with Pardew at Southampton isn't he?

 

[Ernest]

He's with Pardew at Southampton isn't he?

Who will get in the playoffs with a 10 point deduction.

Whatever happened in 2008 and for whatever reasons has killed this club and staying up last season only glossed over the problem.

 

[Deleted member 2719]

You obviously didn't rate him & I know this is probably going over old ground but..
If he was only a coach & not a manager, How come all the 'managers' since have not come anywhere near his record? Particularly the 'manager' who replaced him & had the pick of Wilkins squad as well as the ability to bring new players in.
Does that mean that a coach was a better at managing than the established managers the board got in?

Spot on Mr Slicker.

I think the problem in society is you often have to be a "Named" manager or some fans think you are crap and they are then unable to change their opinions.
I am personally happy for managers to come on through the ranks as Wilkins did very patiently.

I look forward to titanic response to you.

 

[NMH]

Now I'm not accusing Wilkins of doing anything Allen was accused of. But the version of what happened I've heard is that Wilkins is supposed to have done something very serious that allegedly gave the club no option other than to dismiss him. I don't know how true this is but if it is, I can see the difficulty in communicating this, especially when a promising side was being developed, and the person involved was a player of legendary proportions.

I'm not so sure it was anything particularly sinister or 'gross misconduct' related.
I think he promised the players something that the board had not sanctioned, nor were they interested in backing. A couple of players were and some and thus a couple were lost from the club. Such a line in the sand would compromise the manager enough to lose him support from employers and disappoint the dressing room - but still the remainder of the squad managed to get some good results and consolidate a reasonable position.... despite some woeful missed points that we really ought to have bagged (not least Orient at home where we bombarded them for the first 45 without scoring, then had to recover from an Owusu goal to draw with a late Forster pen.)
There WERE woeful performances in that season alright, like losing to 9 men at home - but then there were star ones like the 3-2 overturning of a decent Southend side with a 90th minute goal.

Whatever it was that got him the sack, he and the squad were shocked by it when it came. Let's not forget that Adams was still the golden boy in the board's eyes, and was like a shiny monolith stood in the background while DW was a very familiar through-the-ranks face that they had around for a while. Adams was the brilliant 'ex who had walked away', and with respectable & understandable reasons - while still supporting us with marches for Falmer. Dean Wilkins was, in management terms, the apprentice, a pretender yet to be crowned. If he's being given a new chance at another club, then that's fitting and he'll have emotionally/professionally moved on.
It's not hard to understand the board being disgruntled, or that players were disappointed, or that Adams was brought back in as manager - if my guesses are anywhere near correct - but hindsight shows that the events weren't to lead us to a better place.....but backwards, if anything.

So what... we have to move onwards and upwards, and make something happen again to pull us out of the relegation mire. I have little doubt that Poyet already has some new names in place, that we'll see arriving in the next month.

I expect half the squad will change.

 

[BigGully]

Forget the smears and inuendo, of course some fringe players didn't like Wilkins, so what.

The ONLY reason Wilkins was dismissed was because Knight didn't like him, didn't find him open enough with some playing decisions and didn't agree with decisions relating to the releasing or retention of some players, players that some might say were a little too cosy with the then Chairman.

Wilkins became ever more dispairing of Knights involvement and their relationship soured.

The unforgivable thing is that Knight put his own ego before the likely playing progress of the club, he as many Chairman didn't understand the complex dynamics of a football.

So he, with tacid support of some board members fired a succeeding manager replaced him with Adams, armed him with a fist full of money and held tight.

At best it was an unecessary risk that required some professional leadership from within the club, but now has since been proved as shameful negligence and relegation to League 2 looks a real threat.