Steve Coppell on Monday

[London Irish]

The fact that we needed the compensation money meant that the club did not make all that much effort to keep Coppell

That's not a fact, that's just the usual rumour and supposition pushed around by the usual anti-Dick Knight suspects. You correctly referred to it as a rumour earlier in this thread, how did it become "fact"?

 

[Uncle Buck]

That's not a fact, that's just the usual rumour and supposition pushed around by the usual anti-Dick Knight suspects. You correctly referred to it as a rumour earlier in this thread, how did it become "fact"?

Apologies for my poor grammar. Never really thought of the idea that the club may not have made that much effort to keep Coppell as they needed the money as an anti Knight thing, more just a financial reality. I just think Coppell gets a rough deal from our fans.

Now why are you not out dancing a silly dance, drinking black stuff and being generally a touch nationalistic on your patron saint's day?

 

[London Irish]

got to get stick. I don't think he did a good job here. We still got relegated and all he did was bring in short term fixes that failed. Old players who've since cost us a lot of money (Rodger, Blackwell), loans we had no chance of keeping (Sidwell, Ingermarsson) in fact the only player he bought in that was any good was leon knight. Don't forget he also ignored most of the youth team (virgo was dropped and left our by him).

...and to top it all off he left at the first opportunity he got.

More or less spot on. I think Coppell is a fine tactician and man manager. But the big black mark against him was that he didn't have the vision to see that the youth coming through was probably a better bet than the sticking-plaster solutions of ageing pros and short-term loan players. In the end, Coppell knew his solutions were not sustainable, he couldn't see any way out of the constant struggle and haggling of the loan system, so he walked to easier pastures where he didn't have to do any of that.

Dick Knight knew the inevitable was coming because he'd probably been looking at Coppell's cheery face weeks beforehand. And too bloody right we then screwed a bit of cash out of Madjeski, we weren't going to let Reading have him for nothing, FFS!

McGhee came in and had a team in decline that was heading out of the play-off places. He took a short-time to acclimatise, and then had Virgs and Harding in the team straight away. At every opportunity he's given young players their chance and picked them over the ageing pros, as Mayo, Watto and Harty have found to their cost at various times.

I may boo Coppell in a fairly pantomime way next Monday, and at other times I may applaud him, depends on my whims at the time.

 

[London Irish]

Apologies for my poor grammar. Never really thought of the idea that the club may not have made that much effort to keep Coppell as they needed the money as an anti Knight thing, more just a financial reality. I just think Coppell gets a rough deal from our fans.

Now why are you not out dancing a silly dance, drinking black stuff and being generally a touch nationalistic on your patron saint's day?

Fair enough. Still at work, and Mr Plod takes some exception to drunken Plastic Paddies careering down the A23 of an evening.

 

[Uncle Buck]

More or less spot on. I think Coppell is a fine tactician and man manager. But the big black mark against him was that he didn't have the vision to see that the youth coming through was probably a better bet than the stinking-plaster solutions of ageing pros and short-term loan players. In the end, Coppell knew his solutions were not sustainable, he couldn't see any way out of the constant struggle and haggling of the loan system, so he walked to easier pastures where he didn't have to do any of that.

Maybe you have been celebrating a bit too much today because that is some rewriting of history that you have managed there. When Coppell left we were top, 3 points clear, had a game in hand and had just played our best match of the season at Rushden. Hardly a club in crisis or the wheels coming off. He went as Reading had more prospects than us and the Albion needed any cash they could get there hands on (as they still do).

 

[Yorkie]

There was a gap though between Coppell leaving us at the top and McGhee taking us over (Bob Booker was in charge for that time) when we were slipping down.

 

[sams dad]

Was the 4-0 defeat at Brentford, Booker's
last game in charge?

 

[oapdodge]

Ehat a load of gash.

Taylor said with the playing budget he was offered there was no chance of the team staying up, he was right.

When Coppell arrived he was given more money.

Tayor is a class manager and did a first class job for brighton

I for one wish him well.

Some people need to take there adams blinkers of

Good call. Think we are in the minority.
Still want to give C*****l shit. He did walk out and dump us. He used us and no getting away from it.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

yes it was

The side last year was not very good - yes it got promoted but more due to luck than judgement sometimes, so coppell taking it top was fairly impressive

 

[Yorkie]

Was the 4-0 defeat at Brentford, Booker's
last game in charge?

No, the next one, the defeat against Stockport (our 3rd defeat in a row)

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

my bad

 

[London Irish]

Maybe you have been celebrating a bit too much today because that is some rewriting of history that you have managed there. When Coppell left we were top, 3 points clear, had a game in hand and had just played our best match of the season at Rushden. Hardly a club in crisis or the wheels coming off. He went as Reading had more prospects than us and the Albion needed any cash they could get there hands on (as they still do).

That's all true that first bit, but if you look at what happened straight after he left, you can see the problem. Fair play to Coppell, while he was here, he delayed the inevitable because he has great strengths as a manager. As for our great win at the paper tigers of Rushden, well yes, I wasn't on NSC at the time, but I hope you weren't one of the ones who forget about that and turned very quickly on Zesh Rehman.

I shudder to think of the young guys we might have lost to other clubs had Coppell stayed, Virgs was virtually gone already.

 

[Uncle Buck]

That's all true that first bit, but if you look at what happened straight after he left, you can see the problem. Fair play to Coppell, while he was here, he delayed the inevitable because he has great strengths as a manager. As for our great win at the paper tigers of Rushden, well yes, I wasn't on NSC at the time, but I hope you weren't one of the ones who forget about that and turned very quickly on Zesh Rehman.

I shudder to think of the young guys we might have lost to other clubs had Coppell stayed, Virgs was virtually gone already.

I think the thing about Coppell not using the youth is a bit of a myth. He started last season with Hinshlewood at centre back, had brought McPhee in and was already playing Harding. It just happened that he did not rate Virgo, which happens with managers. It would have been a pain to have lost him, but it happens. Coppell had a system and had a happy knack of being able to sign players that fitted into his system.

 

[jezzer]

I dont think we should boo him, I loathe this Judas crap which is so perpetuated in the premiership/tabloids, its utter no-brain drivel. Coppell would have kept us up if he had been signed from the start of that season and his signings made a difference, whether they were short or long term. He`s hardly to know a couple of them will never play again when he signed them! He was intelligent, tactically aware and although not perfect and ex-palace he doesn`t deserve a serious slating. I might even give him a clap. He did try really hard to keep us up when he was here, from an impossible position we actually had real hope at times, he said a few times leading up to his departure that he would like to manage a team actually capable of thinking about promotion for once instead of forever being a relegation saviour and no one else would have chosen to stay given the offer he eventually got, and we still are one of the few clubs who can say they received a transfer fee for a manager!

 

[Yorkie]

But when all is said and done he's still P*l*ce

 

[Uncle Buck]

But when all is said and done he's still P*l*ce

As was Taylor, Martin Hinshlewood, Simon Rodger, Gary O'Reily and many more. It does not make any real difference they are paid to do a job and Palace are close enough that there are always going to be those that are employed by Palace and Brighton.

 

[Yorkie]

I know Uncle Buck. I was trying to be humerous.

time for bed I reckon

Night night

 

[London Irish]

I think the thing about Coppell not using the youth is a bit of a myth. He started last season with Hinshlewood at centre back, had brought McPhee in and was already playing Harding. It just happened that he did not rate Virgo, which happens with managers. It would have been a pain to have lost him, but it happens. Coppell had a system and had a happy knack of being able to sign players that fitted into his system.

Yes, he did blood young players, but they never got extended runs and were always shoved out of the way by the latest ageing pro signing or loanee. Would Hinsh and Harding have hung around to fight their way through this Coppell "system", well, we'll never know because he f***ed off to Reading.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

And where would have hinsh etc gone?

If i recall not many people rated hinsh highly when he first came into the team

 

[Silent Bob]

Yes, he did blood young players, but they never got extended runs and were always shoved out of the way by the latest ageing pro signing or loanee. Would Hinsh and Harding have hung around to fight their way through this Coppell "system", well, we'll never know because he f***ed off to Reading.

But this was some time ago. They were younger, it's possible Coppell saw them in the same way McGhee now sees the likes of Robinson and Jarret , no?