Your bestest, favourite City manager.......ever!

[tele 0]

It''s got to be Dave Stringer for me. In five seasons he got us a fourth place finish and two FA cup semi-finals. He really did lay the ground for the Mike Walker era with signings like Robert Fleck and Dave Phillips, and bringing players like Ruel Fox and Chris Sutton through the ranks. Without taking anything away from Walker''s first spell, that team was largely developed by Stringer.

[lake district canary 0]

[quote user="Shyster"][quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="Shyster"]John Bond was the suit and Ken Brown was the coach, LDC - the latter, through his playing days and experience at a successful WHU, was more likely responsible for the transformation you mention - and boy did he have an eye for a player - Crook, Bruce, Watson, Phelan & Gunn were all brought to the club by Brown.Brown lead us to a fifth place finish and a League Cup victory - two things Bond never achieved.[/quote]

Agree about Brown.    But we wouldn''t have got Brown if it had not been for Bond.  Its semantics really.   Bond/Brown - Lambert/Culverhouse -  double acts.  But at the age I was when they arrived at the club and after what I had been watching in previous two or three years - it seemed like a revolution.    Bond got a fit but footballing retentive squad of players, got them to practice with the ball - even Big Dunc started having more than one touch on the ball - and started a more expansive way of playing.    Brown may have been the engineer of it all - as shown when he had the job on his own - but Bond was the figurehead that enabled things to happen.   

[/quote]

Please don''t be under the impression that I''m totally dismissing Bonds contribution to our club here - he also garnered valuable experience at a successful WHU side and was partly responsible for the ''transformation'', but I know through behind the scenes, firsthand knowledge that most people involved at the club considered Bond to be Browns right-hand man way back then.[/quote]

No, its interesting to hear it.   Unfortunately, the late seventies is, how shall I say, a bit of a "blur"  (college and all that), so some of the details of that era are a bit hazy...... [:S]

[Steady On... 0]

It''s lambert, rescued us from the edge and gave us new hope.

I hope to say Chris Hughton for establishing us with balanced football in a few years though. It''d be a huge achievement.

[TCCANARY 263]

[quote user="BroadstairsR"]

John Bond for me. Not necessarily the best footballing  manager, and we have been pretty fortunate on reflection, but his flair and style lifted Nodge upto a new level. His high profile rubbed off and has been a lasting legacy for our Club ever since.

 

Brown was nice, Stringer was methodical and Walker inspirational. We''ve had some good ''uns, that''s for sure.

 

But when before or since have we had a Norwich City manager on a Desert Island Discs style radio programme on the Beeb? He became a bit of a national celebrity due to his confident flamboyance and we as a Club became noticed.

 

I remember that programme. He liked Blondie.

 

P.S. I didn''t think Kevin was too bad. He always got stuck in.

 

P.P.S.He did blot his copy book when he deserted us, like Lambo, for bigger things. In fairness to him though, when he failed, he was  big enough to say that he would walk on his hands and knees to Norwich if there was a chance of him being our manager again.

[/quote]

I checked the dictionary and if you are on hands and knees its crawling.

 

[Google Bot 3,271]

Just got to add to this, not a manager, but part of Ken Brown''s reign i also really liked Mel Machin, and it''s a pity he never stayed around Carrow Road.

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="TCCANARY"][quote user="BroadstairsR"]walk on his hands and knees[/quote]I checked the dictionary and if you are on hands and knees its crawling.[/quote][:D]

[William Darby 0]

Stringer for me for the reasons Tele outlined.  And he was/is a local bloke [:D]

[BroadstairsR 2,159]

[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="TCCANARY"][quote user="BroadstairsR"]walk on his hands and knees[/quote]
I checked the dictionary and if you are on hands and knees its crawling.[/quote]
[:D]
[/quote]

 

Yes I hold my hands (and knees) up to that. But they were actually JB''s words. [:)]

[TIL 1010 4,737]

John Bond for me. The man had style and charisma and placed our club on the media map for both national papers and TV. He brought Martin Peters to the club which in itself was a monumental achievement. Ted MacDougall was another.Who else has brought two living legends to Carrow Road ? His football was entertaining and remember Paul Lambert was not the only manager to get us to bounce straight back following relegation.

[PurpleCanary 5,557]

John Bond by several country miles. To attribute his success to Ken Brown is like saying Gordon Brown was the real reason Tony Blair was the UK''s second-best (after Clement Attlee) postwar prime minister.[:D]

[Highland Canary 76]

Got to be Johnny Bond, for entertainment and for post-match interviews - ''the players they was brilliant today'' - always made me smile!

[BroadstairsR 2,159]

[quote user="PurpleCanary"]John Bond by several country miles. To attribute his success to Ken Brown is like saying Gordon Brown was the real reason Tony Blair was the UK''s second-best (after Clement Attlee) postwar prime minister.[:D][/quote] 

 

 Bond was never far away from putting his foot in it though. Upon Ken Brown''s appointment he said that he was "too nice" to be a football manager. He then went on to fail at Manchester City whilst Ken succeeded very well at Carrow Road.

 

You could only dislike Bondie though when he was somebody else''s manager. The Tractors were very envious and thought SuperTed some kind of god.

 

That was a good time in the life of Norwich City Football Club. We came of age. 

[Indy 3,297]

That''s unfair to Brown, Purple, it wasn''t down to Bond we won the Milk Cup, finished 5th in the table under Brown, it was well past Bond days!

 

As much as I like Bond, he left us with a sour taste a bit like Lambert has now!

 

Stinger, what a nice bloke that guy was, knew his daughter from her Barclays days.

[BroadstairsR 2,159]

Bond, Walker, Lambert all left us for ''bigger'' clubs. The first two flopped. Will Lambo? 

[First Wazzock 902]

[quote user="Highland Canary"]Got to be Johnny Bond, for entertainment and for post-match interviews - ''the players they was brilliant today'' - always made me smile![/quote]

...And his ''the little fella was a revelation'' !!!

[:D]

[lappinitup 629]

As much as I loved John Bond, I have always thought that he owed much of his success to Ken Brown.Bond failed without Brown.....Brown succeeded without Bond!

[Shyster 0]

[quote user="lappinitup"]As much as I loved John Bond, I have always thought that he owed much of his success to Ken Brown.Bond failed without Brown.....Brown succeeded without Bond![/quote]

[img]http://services.pinkun.com/forums/pinkun/cs/emoticons/emotion-21.gif[/img]

[nutty nigel 7,528]

[quote user="Wiz"]

For me, its easy, Mike Walker I, and putting my tin hat on Mike Walker II wasn''t too bad despite his shameful sacking.

 

Yes, I expect Lambert, Bond or Saunders to come out as the top choices, but for man managing, attacking flowing football it has to be Mike for me.

 

Who''s your favourite?..........andd why?

[/quote]

 

Just asking for personal favoutites then Wiz? Or most successful?

 

It''s not easy either way. Posters can''t even agree who was most successful!! I see some say Walker is most successful yet he won nothing. So is that success based on one season?

 

What about Brown. He won our only major trophy and a 2nd tier Championship, another promotion and a 5th place finish (would have qualified for Europe?) But he also managed to get us relegated.

 

Stringer Achived a 4th place finish (would have qualified for Europe?) and 2 FA Cup semi-finals. 88/89 was arguably our best ever season when we were seriously on to win the double at Easter. Was also arguably our ever best team.

 

Walker then took the team to a 3rd place and those wonderful European matches. But he inherited most of that team and walked out before we knew if he was capable of doing more.

 

Lambert achieved the most dramatic rise imaginable. Obviously we will never know if he could sustain it and build on it. His stats will always keep him in high regard. But because other managers achieved more at the top level there will always be those unanswered questions.

 

Most successful for me are Stringer and Brown. Brown has the most honours but Stringer managed entirely at the highest level and proved he could build a team despite Chase selling our best players. Controversially I believe that Walker Mk2 was probably more Walker''s his true level. But he motivated Stringers team to great effect. He was also lucky to have the best from Chris Sutton. I think if Sutton had come through in the late eighties we would have won the double and this would be no contest.

 

Stringer is a thoroughly nice and approachable man. Norwich City through and through. responsible for some of the best moments both on the pitch and in the dug-out is both my most successful as well as my "bestest and favourite" manager.

 

And of course I have to mention Worthy. Took over a team headed for League One and took us to play-off finals and then won the Championship by a street a couple of seasons later. Also provided some unforgetable memories from the Prem as well as some forgetable ones. But in nearly 7 seasons we were never less than halfway in the Champs and always had an exciting forward to cheer us up. And he was responsible for Hucks. Worthy was the genuine Mr Niceguy, popular with players and fans alike, and will always be one of my "bestest favourites" however much others may achieve.

 

 

 

[nutty nigel 7,528]

I didn''t mention Saunders or Bond. They both achieved a lot. Bond brought some great exciting players to the club. It''s just a different age and impossible to compare. In Bonds time we could afford to sign a player who scored in the World Cup final. The managers I mentioned managed at a time that is a little bit closer to now.

 

 

[YankeeCanary 0]

[quote user="nutty nigel"]

I didn''t mention Saunders or Bond. They both achieved a lot. Bond brought some great exciting players to the club. It''s just a different age and impossible to compare. In Bonds time we could afford to sign a player who scored in the World Cup final. The managers I mentioned managed at a time that is a little bit closer to now.

 

[/quote]

 

nUTTY, don''t be shy about admitting the memory is starting to fade. It happens to all of us you know. [:D]

[YankeeCanary 0]

See what I mean. I forgot to reverse the caps lock.

[First Wazzock 902]

What about Lol Morgan?

[Kidderminster Canary 0]

!st Archie Macauley, got us to FA cup Semis while a 3rd div club and then promotion to 2nd Div

2nd Mike Walker

3rd paul Lambert

4th Bond

5th Brown

Could mix the last 3 in any order

[nutty nigel 7,528]

[quote user="YankeeCanary"][quote user="nutty nigel"]

I didn''t mention Saunders or Bond. They both achieved a lot. Bond brought some great exciting players to the club. It''s just a different age and impossible to compare. In Bonds time we could afford to sign a player who scored in the World Cup final. The managers I mentioned managed at a time that is a little bit closer to now.

 

[/quote]

 

nUTTY, don''t be shy about admitting the memory is starting to fade. It happens to all of us you know. [:D]

[/quote]

 

Me and mrs nutty do have problems remembering things. It got so bad we decided to go to the doctor to see if he could help. He told us that we were physically okay but might want to start writing things down, making notes to help us remember things.

 

Last night while watching TV, I got up to make a cup of tea. My wife asked, "Where are you going?"

 

I replied, "To the kitchen."

 

She asked, "Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?"

 

"Of course."

 

Then she asked me, "Don''t you think you should write it down so you can remember it?"

 

"No, I can remember that."

 

"Well, I also would like some strawberries on top. You had better write that down cause I know you''ll forget that," my wife said.

 

"I can remember that, you want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries."

 

She replied, "Well, I also would like whipped cream on top. I know you will forget that. You had better write it down."

 

I said, "I don''t need to write that down, I can remember that."[:@] And went into the kitchen.

 

 

 

After about 20 minutes, I returned from the kitchen and handed her a plate of bacon and eggs.

 

She stared at the plate for a moment and said, "You forgot my toast."

 

 

 

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="First Wazzock"]What about Lol Morgan?[/quote]LOL! [:D]

[nutty nigel 7,528]

[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="First Wazzock"]What about Lol Morgan?[/quote]
LOL! [:D]
[/quote]

 

Not MEGA LOL[:^)]

 

 

[First Wizard 0]

[quote user="BroadstairsR"]Bond, Walker, Lambert all left us for ''bigger'' clubs. The first two flopped. Will Lambo? [/quote]

 

 

Could we ever see a Lambert MkII period at Norwich?

 

Personally, I hope not, I''d rather see a Walker Mk III era first. [;)]

[SwindonCanary 455]

Surprised Ron Saunders isn''t mentioned that much, before him our claim to fame was an FA Cup run. He changed a humdrum team into Champions.Having said that Lambert has done better so my top three are :-1. Lambert2. Walker3. Saunders

[Indy_Bones 441]

[quote user="Wiz"]Personally, I hope not, I''d rather see a Walker Mk III era first. [;)][/quote]I''m still surprised that Walker hasn''t returned to manage in the last decade or so following leaving APOEL.The problem now is that 10 years is a long time in football and he''d probably end up like Dalglish in that he used to be great but is now clearly behind the times...

[dpit 1]

It''s Bond for me but only by association because he presided over the best attacking pairing we''vehad: step forward Mr macDougall and Mr Boyer