micky adams - one of the greatest lower league managers? Discuss

[Barrel of Fun]

Errr..................with the exception of Zamora all the players he signed were on free transfers in his first spell. As for Zamora being a Championship/Premiership standard striker, what was he doing in Bristol Rovers reserves if he was that good unless no one else apart from MA saw his potential?

Second time around things did not work out, if Forster and Murray had been fit that season we would have probably ended up higher in the league IMO though.

A transfer fee is not the most important part of a deal. Certainly a signing on fee will be larger if the player is on a freebie.

I thought it was an accepted fact that we were 'moneybags' in those days in comparison to many teams in Division Four.

I'm sure it didn't take a genius to work out that Zamora was pretty good.

 

[hola gus]

Err no they weren't, we paid £50k for Danny Cullip and there were others too.

Didnt Paul Brooker cost money too? Think you very wrong on that one el presidente!

 

[Brovion]

I've always believed that his failure the second time round was down to the fans and the negative atmosphere we created. The expectations were massive, people were upset about the treatment of Wilkins, it was only a matter of weeks before he lost the fans.

Was gutted the way things worked out for a Brighton legend, but clearly a top lower league manager.

I think there's a lot of truth in what you say. It was getting towards the end of DK's reign, there was a lot going on behind the scenes and I don't think the Albion was a happy ship. The crass way Wilkins was sacked and Adams was appointed didn't help either, as he wasn't welcomed with open arms either by some of the staff or by a large part of the fanbase.

It doesn't excuse all his crap decisions and stupid comments of course but he was behind the eight ball from Day One.

 

[Icy Gull]

Err no they weren't, we paid £50k for Danny Cullip and there were others too.

Pethwick 40k and never given a chance

 

[KneeOn]

So it went tits up second time around, it all worked out and we had Slade! And when he went tits up we got Poyet! And now two teams are top: Us and Vale.

MA had this as his master plan!

Seriously MA's first time around was amazing, while his second time was shite but doesn't nearly every manager have a spell or a team they just don't get it on with really the same way a player can be fantastic at one club and shite at another (Livermore anyone?)...

 

[Icy Gull]

as he wasn't welcomed with open arms either by some of the staff or by a large part of the fanbase.

.

The majority of fans were ecstatic, even if quite a few were less than impressed with the way DK brought him back. When just a few turned Harty saw fit to call them windowlickers. Sorry, but Adams was architect of his own downfall 2nd time round and although his teams were rubbish after a reasonable start he hung on for a long time before the crowd turned against him given how pants the performances were.

Slade saved us against all odds and yet he was finding the crowd turning after 12 games, Adams had much much longer before the crowd turned.

 

[tonymgc]

Interesting Micky fact, He spotted Wayne Bridge & got SCC to sign him up.

What Micky achieved with us can never be understated, The nucleus of that team was the backbone of all the success we've had in the past decade. Yes it might not have been attractive but it was affective.

I would agree he's one of the greatest of the modern era & i personally wish him all the best at Port Vale.

 

[Scotty Mac]

virgo playing wherever there was a space just to get him in the team (right f***ing wing for f*** sake)
hawkins rushed back from a hernia operation and constantly being picked despite playing like a total donkey
"it was the leeds united"
signing jarrett and birchall
deciding the way to beat nine men was to launch the ball into the box for their keeper to claim every time
loft gaining a standing ovation against man city, only to be dropped and dissapear for the next few weeks

he did well first time round aided massively by zamora, but the fact of the matter is that his second reign was an utter abortion and put us back at least two years. if slade hadn't have saved his bacon by keeping us up then christ knows where we would be now

 

[El Presidente]

Err no they weren't, we paid £50k for Danny Cullip and there were others too.

Yup, you are absolutely right, I think we also paid £25k for Watson and Oatway (combined). Were Chippy and Dodge on frees?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I'm sure it didn't take a genius to work out that Zamora was pretty good.

Sorry, but I've got to take issue with that. Holloway (the genius who got Blackpool into the Premiership) missed it.

 

[El Presidente]

he did well first time round aided massively by zamora

..........and Cullip, Watson, Oatway, Capenter, Brooker, Morgan, Steele and a few others too. We were not a one man team. I don't see how he put us back two years though, you are rewriting history.

 

[El Presidente]

I thought it was an accepted fact that we were 'moneybags' in those days in comparison to many teams in Division Four.

I'm sure it didn't take a genius to work out that Zamora was pretty good.

Just because something is posted on NSC does not make it an accepted fact.

To say that MA did f*** all in taking a team that had lost ten games on the bounce under Jeff Wood to the top of League 1 in two and a half years is pretty churlish. Equally to give all the credit for those achievements to the (great) BZ is also petty.

 

[Scotty Mac]

..........and Cullip, Watson, Oatway, Capenter, Brooker, Morgan, Steele and a few others too. We were not a one man team. I don't see how he put us back two years though, you are rewriting history.

fair point about the other players. i was thinking more of the amount of games we won 1-0 where without zamora we wouldnt have got those points, but that happened far more under taylor

we went from being a team challenging for the play-offs to one who escaped relegation on the last day of the season. his attempts to rebuild it were, frankly, ridiculous (mayo resigning, mcleod, hawkins, virgo, livermore etc). i appreciate that the league was a lot tougher that season with the additions of peterborough and mk dons, but we should have been kicking on from finishing 7th and challenging again for the play-offs, building on what we have and getting ready to make a sustained promotion push in order to have been a championship club for a few years before falmer. the disaster of 08-09 and the poor start to last season all came about thanks to the appointment of adams. dick knight should probably take his fair share of the blame for the decision to bring him back, but he doesnt control what goes on on the pitch which was frankly laughable

 

[Thunder Bolt]

dick knight should probably take his fair share of the blame for the decision to bring him back, but he doesnt control what goes on on the pitch which was frankly laughable

Many would have you believe that DK did control what goes on the pitch.

 

[Scotty Mac]

Many would have you believe that DK did control what goes on the pitch.

i think he had an unhealthy say in who we did and didnt sign that lead to some ludicrous decisions, but its a stretch too far to suggest he was meddling with the team

 

[Garry Nelson's Left Foot]

Second time round with us is best forgotten. First time round he, and the team, were fantastic and he deserves to be remembered for that period not the botched second go.

In terms of his overall managerial prowess he is clearly a very good fourth division manager. If he gets Port Vale promoted it will be his third promotion from that league in five full seasons. His third tier management is scratchy at best. A great 10 or 12 games with us the first time round, an awful second spell with us and he was unable to keep Brentford up in the half season or so he spent there.

He did o.k at Leicester. Got them promoted to the prem, then relegated the following season. did nothing of note at Coventry.

So, he's a great fourth tier manager and has varying degrees of success in the other three divisions. Still a hero in my eyes, regardless.

 

[Brighton M]

Hawkins over Joel Lynch is a bit of a blot on his record in the transfer market...

Genius first time round, disaster the second.

Simple really.