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alex_ncfc

Why the obsession with ex-players as manager?

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Every time we need a new manager, there is always a clamouring for an ex-Norwich player to be given the full time job.

Why is there this obsession?

Is it a Norfolk thing? Are people scared about some "outsider" coming in and changing things?

Even now all I see on here and Twitter is people desperate for Neil Adams to get the job, and others saying Malky. The only real reasons these people can give is "because they understand the club". Gunny, Grant and Megson "understood the club", which worked out really well. Lambert probably didn''t "understand the club" - say no more. If I had to choose out of the two above it''d have to be Malky because of his previous experience with Watford and Cardiff at the top end of the Championship. But you have to ask yourself if these names would even be considered had they not ever played for us. I doubt *anyone* would be calling for them to get the job otherwise.

The euphoria when Adams took over from Hughton was bordering on ridiculous. I will be so disappointed if the board do it on the cheap again. However, it seems that''s what a lot of fans want. I''m pretty sure the board had this small time mentality when they allowed a Facebook campaign set up by Gunn''s daughter to get him the job!

Sod all this "understanding the club" nonsense - I want someone to come in and win football matches. That''s the beginning and the end of it as far as I am concerned.

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People fear change, and if you change to someone you''re at least familiar with, then its not as much of a shock to their systems.But I totally agree with everything you have said[Y]

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Alex - nail on the head mate. It''s really strange isn''t it. I can''t add anything to this because you have just said it all.

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its the misty eyed nostalgia of it all "player was brilliant during this period for us so will be brilliant again!!"

 

if only life was that simple.

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I guess it''s just another arrow to their bow. It''s always better to have someone that genuinely cares.

For what it''s worth, even if Malkay hadn''t played for us, I think he''s still the best realistic option out there.

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[quote user="alex_ncfc"]Every time we need a new manager, there is always a clamouring for an ex-Norwich player to be given the full time job.

Why is there this obsession?

Is it a Norfolk thing? Are people scared about some "outsider" coming in and changing things?

Even now all I see on here and Twitter is people desperate for Neil Adams to get the job, and others saying Malky. The only real reasons these people can give is "because they understand the club". Gunny, Grant and Megson "understood the club", which worked out really well. Lambert probably didn''t "understand the club" - say no more. If I had to choose out of the two above it''d have to be Malky because of his previous experience with Watford and Cardiff at the top end of the Championship. But you have to ask yourself if these names would even be considered had they not ever played for us. I doubt *anyone* would be calling for them to get the job otherwise.

The euphoria when Adams took over from Hughton was bordering on ridiculous. I will be so disappointed if the board do it on the cheap again. However, it seems that''s what a lot of fans want. I''m pretty sure the board had this small time mentality when they allowed a Facebook campaign set up by Gunn''s daughter to get him the job!

Sod all this "understanding the club" nonsense - I want someone to come in and win football matches. That''s the beginning and the end of it as far as I am concerned.[/quote]

Spot on, all the way through and yet all the support (apart from this thread) seems to be for Mackay. I don''t see him offering much more than Hughton did but of course he''s an ex Norwich player. So we refer to him affectionately as Malky, like he''s one of us. It''s a bit like Iwan Roberts trying to pretend a heart-felt association with Norwich. This quickly went out of the window when we played the Welsh clubs.

It''s worrying reading other threads, looking at the bookies take and listening to the odd rumour, all of which suggest its as good as done. I just hope not.

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I want Malkay because of the great job he did at Cardiff. He was on course for midtable until Tan got silly (yes i''m aware he left when they were 16th but the whole saga started a few games earlier with them sat about 12th).

He''s also got the exact personality a good manager needs, tall, glaswegian, firm when he needs to be, nice when he needs to be. Decent eye for a player. Knows how to organise a defence without it compromising the rest of the team, decent in the cups. The only player to get promoted three seasons in a row to the premiership as a player. Not bad going really!

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Malky would''ve probably been mentioned regardless of previous connections. He had 2 solid seasons at Watford and took Cardiff to a league cup final, the play-off semis and won the league. Not bad for someone who''s only been a full-time manager since 2009. He''s also available, which is another big plus. 

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You only have to look as far as our last manager to see that whichever way it goes (ex player or outsider) then nothing is guaranteed. Nobody can see into the future so whoever you pick it''s a gamble. You only have to look around at all the sackings this season to see that in many respects it basically boils down to a matter of luck. Clubs spend days/weeks/months trying to find that elusive manager who will get them success but more often than not, it doesn''t work out like they thought.Occasionally though you do get lucky (e.g. Lambert, Walker, Worthington) when everything drops into place. So at the end of the day there''s no accurate science to it and after weighing up all the options you just have to go with your personal preference & gut feeling and hope you''ve got it right.

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Just a further point regarding Adams as a potential replacement though. Garry Monk has just been given a three year contract at Swansea having done pretty well for them since Laudrup was sacked. He had absolutely no experience whatsoever and he has done pretty well.

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[quote user="littleyellowbirdie"]Just a further point regarding Adams as a potential replacement though. Garry Monk has just been given a three year contract at Swansea having done pretty well for them since Laudrup was sacked. He had absolutely no experience whatsoever and he has done pretty well.[/quote]Thats it, you have me convinced, this must mean that Adams will be an unmitigated success.

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Hardly an obsession or a Norfolk thing. Maybe fans pay more attention to those they have become familiar with and when they do well elsewhere, their appeal increases.

Just as likely, when non-connected names are suggested, too many loud-mouthed know-nothings attack the suggestion as someone worthless or too big for Norwich.

Openly hating a former player is less likely to happen.

Psych class is now over.

.

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[quote user="morty"][quote user="littleyellowbirdie"]Just a further point regarding Adams as a potential replacement though. Garry Monk has just been given a three year contract at Swansea having done pretty well for them since Laudrup was sacked. He had absolutely no experience whatsoever and he has done pretty well.[/quote]Thats it, you have me convinced, this must mean that Adams will be an unmitigated success.[/quote]The point I was making was that given there''s plenty of evidence that Adams has got a good head on his shoulders, lack of experience at the top level doesn''t bar him from being successful any more than having plenty of experience doesn''t bar you from being a failure.

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[quote user="littleyellowbirdie"][quote user="morty"][quote user="littleyellowbirdie"]Just a further point regarding Adams as a potential replacement though. Garry Monk has just been given a three year contract at Swansea having done pretty well for them since Laudrup was sacked. He had absolutely no experience whatsoever and he has done pretty well.[/quote]Thats it, you have me convinced, this must mean that Adams will be an unmitigated success.[/quote]The point I was making was that given there''s plenty of evidence that Adams has got a good head on his shoulders, lack of experience at the top level doesn''t bar him from being successful any more than having plenty of experience doesn''t bar you from being a failure.[/quote]There are no guarantees either way, but quoting how another man, at a different club, has managed it, hardly proves anything, does it?

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[quote user="Jimmy Smith"]I want Malkay because of the great job he did at Cardiff. He was on course for midtable until Tan got silly (yes i''m aware he left when they were 16th but the whole saga started a few games earlier with them sat about 12th).

He''s also got the exact personality a good manager needs, tall, glaswegian, firm when he needs to be, nice when he needs to be. Decent eye for a player. Knows how to organise a defence without it compromising the rest of the team, decent in the cups. The only player to get promoted three seasons in a row to the premiership as a player. Not bad going really![/quote]

Good managers are tall and Glaswegian? WTF

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[quote user="Houston Canary"]It proves you''re wrong............again.[/quote]I don''t think I need to prove that you''re an embarrassing moron, who solely posts here just to disagree with everything I say.....

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Any managerial appointment is a gamble. Bar none.

 

Appointing an ex-player has worked for us in the past-Dave Stringer. It may well have done with Martin O''Neill. We''ll never know.

 

It was so-so with John Deehan. Not good with Gary Megson. An utter disaster with Bryan Gunn.

 

Appointing someone from within has worked in the past. Ken Brown and Mike Walker.

 

Appointing someone with no connection to the club at all has worked in the past. John Bond and Paul Lambert.

 

It was so-so Bruce Rioch. Not good with Chris Hughton. An utter disaster with Bryan Hamilton.

 

Good or bad, success or derision as a result, no-one is guaranteed either, ex-player or not. You just have to look at who is available, who wants the job and assess which of them should be the most capable of doing a good job, now and afterwards. What or where they have been before should not be a factor-if they succeed it won''t matter (no-one ended up caring we poached Lambert from Colchester but if he had failed, it would have been "FFS, can''t believe our club appointed the Colchester Manager, he even flopped at Livingstone) where they came from.

 

But having said that, I would still prefer an outsider. Remember "young, ambitious, hungry"-which served us so well, player recruitment wise for a while? I''d like that in our new Manager, whoever he is. And he''s out there somewhere!

 

 

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[quote user="Old Shuck"]

Remember "young, ambitious, hungry"-which served us so well, player recruitment wise for a while? I''d like that in our new Manager, whoever he is. And he''s out there somewhere!

[/quote]

Mackay fits all of those. He''s young for a manager, ambitious (leaving Watford for Cardiff as they had a better chance of promotion) and hungry for success (he wants to manage in the Premier League).

Fantastic post BTW.

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Thing is Gary monk hasn''t been great has he

4 wins Cardiff, us,Newcastle and villa four draws eight losses

Not great I''d be gutted if I were a swans fan. Just as I''d be gutted if adams got ours

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I don''t think I need to prove that you''re an embarrassing moron, who solely posts here just to disagree with everything I say - mork

You also think others post here solely because of you. You''re pathetic but think you''re important. A lot of drunks do.

Why do you try to be first to respond to any thread? You have nothing of interest to say that is worth starting a thread, as the one ones you do start draw little response from anyone but your circle jerks. So you jump all over other people''s ideas usually with scorn. If this makes you only, try spending quality time with your kids. No beer!

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I think Malky would be a front runner even if he was an ex-ITFC player. He has become high profile in a very short space of time and has had success at Championship level.

 

Clearly he has got something of what it takes to be a leader of footballers.

 

His stint at Norwich City gives us further insight into his inspirational capabilities.

 

He is also available, hopefully.

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[quote user="BroadstairsR"]

I think Malky would be a front runner even if he was an ex-ITFC player. He has become high profile in a very short space of time and has had success at Championship level.

 

Clearly he has got something of what it takes to be a leader of footballers.

 

His stint at Norwich City gives us further insight into his inspirational capabilities.

 

He is also available, hopefully.

[/quote]And don''t forget he''s TALL.....................so he must be good.  Perhaps Real Madrid will come in for him or Barcelona, and then we can breathe easy.[:$]

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