Steve Coppell on Monday

[Uncle Buck]

Not going to give Coppell any stick, I think he is one of the best managers we have had here and he left to go to a club with better resources. Most of us change companies if there are better prospects. Also the rumour that never goes away regarding Coppell was that we needed the compensation money and did not make an awful lot of effort to retain him.

 

[LDH]

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.

 

[Uncle Buck]

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.

How can you argue that Blackwell and Rodger did not work. It was when players like them were introduced into the team that we started to get results. He used the loan system effectively. Regarding Blackwell and Rodger costing us money, well yes we were very loyal to Blackwell by honouring our contract offer, even though he had not signed it before he got injured, but we could not legislate for Jolly doing his cruciate at Middlesborough, a good couple of months after he had signed his new contract.

 

[(was)DBS]

Not sure how i am going to react yet, he did do a good job and yes he NEARLY saved us. Then the supposed bigger club come knocking and he leaves, but hey we now have MM who i think is a better manager so, something has come out of this in the end.

But will he come out and sit in the dugout second half or will he bottle it and stay in the stand?

Roll on Monday, whatever it will be a good atmosphere.

 

[tricky]

I think we should all barrack him.
Didn't he say himself that he always thought it was a sort of backhanded compliment!!!

 

[LDH]

I'm not really saying that Blackwell and Rodger didn't work (although we did still get relegated). I just think it clearly was a short term thing to him. Compare this to MM who has played youth players from the start and signed mainly younger players for the future.

He came in, tried to do a job, failed, then left. I don't particularly hate him for that but I also don't think he's some kind of albion legend for doing so..

 

[Napper]

He had my total support when he was here but the moment he walked out on us and the manner he did it means I will gice him loadsa grief on Monday.

The facts that he's a Palace man only adds to my hatrid

He did a reasonable job for us by nearly keeping us up (nearly not good enough) , then getting us to the top of 2nd (before walking out) but on the scale of things he's hardly a legend is he.

Give him some stick !!

P.A.L A.C.E

 

[Uncle Buck]

I'm not really saying that Blackwell and Rodger didn't work (although we did still get relegated). I just think it clearly was a short term thing to him. Compare this to MM who has played youth players from the start and signed mainly younger players for the future.

He came in, tried to do a job, failed, then left. I don't particularly hate him for that but I also don't think he's some kind of albion legend for doing so..

The records show that under his tenure we got relegated, but the fact that we had lost 10 of the 12 games that he was not incharge for might just have played rather a big part in that.

The fact that both Blackwell were both retained for a second season (then got injured) suggests they were not a short term solution. The fact that we needed the compensation money meant that the club did not make all that much effort to keep Coppell, rather than him wanting to jump ship, suggests that he did not view us entirely as a short term thing. In any case people move jobs and I am sure if a better one came McGhee's way he would consider it and why not?

 

[Icy Gull]

What's there to give him grief for? If he hadn't left we wouldn't have McGhee and there is no way Coppell would have worked with all the youngsters. He would have brought in expensive short term journeymen, like he did last time (with the exception of Knight) and our blossoming youngsters would never have got the chance to impress.

The future is bright on the playing front, how many loan players have we got at the moment and could we have afforded to let Coppell bring in loan players anyway.

Glad he's gone and no need to wind him and his team up by booing him imo.

 

[bellsize seagull]

Taylor well different case to the Coppell one and i think he turnes us round and nearly kept us up, have a little repsect !!

 

[LDH]

yes, taylor was a different case, he got us promoted as champions (that's actually promoted not 'nearly') and didn't leave us halfway through his contract.

 

[Wilts]

G'arn, you love him really

Not wanting to sit on the fence too much here... Coppell moved to Reading purely because we could offer him more at this point in his career. Granted the money is probably a bit better given BHA's financial existence at the moment, but it really was a choice decision weighing up the options and in fairness the state that Reading and Brighton find themselves in at the moment is one of a gap. In not many years time this gap should close, and dependent upon the respective boards and their direction, one may overtake the other and vice versa. On a level playing field, Coppell would probably have stayed, but we're currently not on a level playing field for various reasons and hence the transition across to Reading seemed fairly sensible from a career point of view.

Now, if you want views on Madejski's ethics, then there's much to question. I believe that he probably did what he felt is best, and used the wrong words to describe his feelings at the time. As an RFC fan I forgive him for a poor choice of words at the time to make him seem hypocritical. That may be a bit more difficult for those losing their manager in exactly the same circumstances that we did.

Given our recent history in games, I reckon it'll be a good match atmosphere-wise (almost INTIMIDATING), and the managerial movements of each person in charge should give it some extra weight. Given all I've said about Coppell's move here, we always like to do one over McGhee... despite the fact that he's pretty much all but forgotten now. Some never forget.

 

[Caveman]

A guy that most people sing about having VD and you're saying how wonderful he is? Strange lot some of you NSC'ers.

 

[Easy 10]

I think we should throw chocolate eclairs - just to confuse him.

 

[kevinsmith]

for Coppell

for Mark McGhee

 

[Braders]

I think we should throw chocolate eclairs - just to confuse him.

these-

or these? -

 

[Stinky Kat]

I liked Coppell when he was here and was sad to see him go. I will not boo him no applaud him but give an appreciative smile.

 

[Easy 10]

Can't see those piccies Braders, owing to the spacko websense I have to operate under at work. I am assuming you have added a picture of a cream-laden chocolate eclair, and a little chewy eclair from a sweetie packet.

I was referring to the big creamy chocolate eclairs. You can throw them further, and they make more mess.

 

[Parson Henry]

I take issue with that point Easy. The sweets, having more density will carry further and have more chance of hitting the target.

The cake, on the other hand, is not robust and is liable to fall apart within a few feet of being launched and may land on some poor hapless seagull sitting a few rows in front of you.

Hope this helps in you forming your final decsion on the matter.

 

[Caveman]

I thought mobile phones were all the rage?