Mark McGhee

[Finchley Seagull]

All the faceless polls and constant criticisms of Mark McGhee are boring me with people just clicking a button to vote or making 'clever' remarks. Whether you support McGhee or want him sacked it is interesting to have a debate rather than a poll. It would also be good to hear who (realistically) people want to replace Mark McGhee if they want him sacked.

Personally, I support him. He has achieved his aims in both of the last two seasons and it is still very possible that he could achieve his aim this season. Even if he doesn't I would still trust him to take us up next season more than most other realistic managerial targets and we need stability in our situation. Most clubs who have struggled in recent years have constantly changed their manager. Look at Gillingham and Rotherham who both changed manager last season and have changed again this year. Mark McGhee has made this club almost £2.5 million in transfers (Cullip, Currie, Harding and Virgo) since arriving and only spent money on Turienzo and Kazim-Richards. Most managers would have struggled in that situation. Give him time and he will turn it round.

 

[Locky]

Personally I have no problem with McGhee.

Having said that he constantly surprises me with his team selection.
I would also question his man management skills.

Add to that his constant changing of the team.......................it would be nice to have the same two strikers play 4 games in a row, just to establish an understanding.

In fact thinking about it I do have a problem with McGhee

 

[Billy the Fish]

I agree with pretty much everything you say there, but I just think that even with our current resources we could be in a much better position if Mcghee had made better team choices and hadn't let his ego alienate one of our better players and basically cause all this aggro we're having at the moment.
If DK gave him a schoolboy style end of term report it would definately read: Could do better

 

[the right footed denilson]

I don't like the way he has dealt with Knight and believe a sassy manager would have handled the whole situation much better.

I hate his constant meddling in team selection, especially up front and believe, over all, his transfer activity has been poor.

If, as it has been suggested, he spent a 6 figure sum on Turienzo without seeing him play then that is unforgivable.

I am excited about CKR, Carole and Frutos so credit is due there.

I like the fact he has given younger players a chance.

I like his personality but rather someone else at the club.

That said, i can't think of an available, better option at this point so he has my full backing.

 

[Simster]

I am in full agreement with the right footed denilson, and would add that McGhee has my full support throughout this season because he has earned it with his results in the previous 2 seasons in difficult circumstances.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

He is obviously a talented manager, of that there is no doubt.

I am convinced there is no-one out there on the horizon that would do a better job currently, which is probably a sadder inditement of the state of english football management

My reservations are two fold:

1. His propensity to run to the press when things are not going his way infuriates me.

2. His team selection and use of sunstitues are at best bizarre and worst suicidal.


My concern is our scouting system, which I would have though seeing as we have, Hinch, Booker, Wilkins, that fat bloke white, could at least have found better younger players.

 

[Uncle Buck]

He is obviously a talented manager, of that there is no doubt.

Is he?

His managerial record is somewhat mixed, aside from the loyalty issues at previous clubs.

Reading he did a good job and built a decent side, but with Quinn at that level they were going to score goals.

He took Leicester down and promptly took the Wolves job. At Wolves he had decent funds, but did not sign that well and never got them up. One play off appearance and a cup semi probably prolonged his tenure.

Millwall, well he did take them up, but then with players like Warner, Iffil, Harris (pre the cancer), Neil, Cahill etc so he should have done and was it Keith Stevens team he took up. Did well to get them to the play offs the next year, but again those players were more than good enough for this level and some are regulars in the Premiership, but then the wheels did come off somewhat.

With us, well his record is OK, got us up and has kept us there. But even he admitted the play off semi win was somewhat fortuatous, but we take the chance and got away with it. However his transfer record has been mixed, some really good deals but some shockers as well. His running to the press over Knight and the Wolves incident was unecessary, his criticism of the Reading fans rather than our performance was odd and so on.

With McGhee, from what I see as a supporter is if you have a hard working ethic you will fit in, however he cannot manage those players who can be difficult, which is where the cries of lack of man management come in.

 

[Publius Ovidius]

Ok then Piers, i apologise

he is shit

 

[Uncle Buck]

Ok then Piers, i apologise

he is shit

I do not think he is that. I think he is a very workman like manager, who up until now has had the rub of the green with us. However some recent events have had the odd smack of desperation about them and comments to the press like the Luton and Southampton games do not really matter is not what we want to hear.

 

[Locky]

Turienzo as well as being a costly signing is reported to be one of our highest paid players as well.

 

[Ccider]

If McGhee had dealt with Knight in the same way that Adams/Cork dealt with Cameron, what do you think he would have said?

 

[Uncle Buck]

If McGhee had dealt with Knight in the same way that Adams/Cork dealt with Cameron, what do you think he would have said?

To an extent he has. Like Adams used the press to criticise Cameron, McGhee has used to it to communicate with Knight over the Wolves incident. OK he did not call him useless, but at the same time, like the Cameron incident it should have been kept in house.

 

[Zebedee]

Ok then Piers, i apologise

he is shit

That's more like it Dave!

 

[Bigtomfu]

Mark McGhee: My Pros and Cons.

Pros:-

Found and took a gamble on Carole and Frutos- very exciting prospects. (+ found Currie and sold Currie)

Gave Mayo and Hart the chance to prove their worth- they took it and both to me offer the team plenty.

Had the guts to play Harding and Virgo for long enough for them to look like saleable commodities- and made tidy profits from each.



Cons:-

Appears to want to be the main man as far as egos are concerned- doesnt appear to take players criticism even if it was justified (Leon on Kuipers...)

Doesnt rate Kuipers at all- I just dont like that, maybe im being sentimental but he's been through alot and deserves better treatment- last season he practically kept us in a lot of games once Roberts retired.

Plays players out of position to the point where the team dont really know what they are supposed to be doing.

Has a bee in his bonnet about other players that i cannot see deserve their chance. (im not going to be specific to save being accused of a witch hunt.)

Having signed Carole and Frutos as promising wingers appears to have stifled their development and stopped their free flowing attributes in the persuit of defensice duties- lets face it a team that loses two or three one playing for the win will always win more friends than enemies.

Has been either unlucky in the transfer market to some degree- Dodd- too old, too injury prone, too high wages- hasnt looked good at all.
Turienzo-duped by his agent and signed on the strength of a video performance for too much money- lets hope not too high wages.

Wont stick with a front two pairing because he wants instant results- what does he consider to be instant results though? We arent playing the type of football that creates oodles of chances so anyone playing has to take one chance a game which no striker does at our level consistently.


Says silly things about games publicly- Why did 3200 of us spend £26, a week after christmas to be told that the game didnt matter to him as he was concentrating on the cup game. Preposterous for two reasons-we need the points in the league and should have given it a go- saying that publicly points out to the players that he has no confidence in them to deliver.
Secondly- plays us the fans to be complete mugs- at this club especially we are the life and soul, helped save the club, will support the club in any guise it survives and will be here no matter whos in charge.

In conclusion no matter who i OFFEND with my views on players tactics etc i have every right to express my feelings as i see fit, when i see fit.


Football is a game of opinion so if your a fan, manager or chairman your opinion is only that...


Some people on here could do well to remember that.

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

Mark McGhee: My Pros and Cons.

Pros:-

Found and took a gamble on Carole and Frutos- very exciting prospects. (+ found Currie and sold Currie)

Gave Mayo and Hart the chance to prove their worth- they took it and both to me offer the team plenty.

Had the guts to play Harding and Virgo for long enough for them to look like saleable commodities- and made tidy profits from each.



Cons:-

Appears to want to be the main man as far as egos are concerned- doesnt appear to take players criticism even if it was justified (Leon on Kuipers...)

Doesnt rate Kuipers at all- I just dont like that, maybe im being sentimental but he's been through alot and deserves better treatment- last season he practically kept us in a lot of games once Roberts retired.

Plays players out of position to the point where the team dont really know what they are supposed to be doing.

Has a bee in his bonnet about other players that i cannot see deserve their chance. (im not going to be specific to save being accused of a witch hunt.)

Having signed Carole and Frutos as promising wingers appears to have stifled their development and stopped their free flowing attributes in the persuit of defensice duties- lets face it a team that loses two or three one playing for the win will always win more friends than enemies.

Has been either unlucky in the transfer market to some degree- Dodd- too old, too injury prone, too high wages- hasnt looked good at all.
Turienzo-duped by his agent and signed on the strength of a video performance for too much money- lets hope not too high wages.

Wont stick with a front two pairing because he wants instant results- what does he consider to be instant results though? We arent playing the type of football that creates oodles of chances so anyone playing has to take one chance a game which no striker does at our level consistently.


Says silly things about games publicly- Why did 3200 of us spend £26, a week after christmas to be told that the game didnt matter to him as he was concentrating on the cup game. Preposterous for two reasons-we need the points in the league and should have given it a go- saying that publicly points out to the players that he has no confidence in them to deliver.
Secondly- plays us the fans to be complete mugs- at this club especially we are the life and soul, helped save the club, will support the club in any guise it survives and will be here no matter whos in charge.

In conclusion no matter who i OFFEND with my views on players tactics etc i have every right to express my feelings as i see fit, when i see fit.


Football is a game of opinion so if your a fan, manager or chairman your opinion is only that...


Some people on here could do well to remember that.

Spot on old boy

And if some people want to discuss a change of manager or who should be in and out the team then they are perfectly allowed to do so.

 

[London Irish]

The criticisms of McGhee on this thread are utterly incoherent, concentrating on utter trivia like his comments about the Southampton game that were designed to take the pressure off his players. Any of the 3,200 of you went to the game, can you seriously say you were shortchanged by the effort and desire put in by the players after going 1-0 down?

And people are STILL moaning about him playing players out of position after the success of Lynch

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

And people are STILL moaning about him playing players out of position after the success of Lynch

Yeah fair point but its only one game. Harty had some good games at right back as did Reid at left/right full back El Abds etc etc

Whether that remains the case it another matter tho.

 

[Uncle Buck]

The criticisms of McGhee on this thread are utterly incoherent, concentrating on utter trivia like his comments about the Southampton game that were designed to take the pressure off his players. Any of the 3,200 of you went to the game, can you seriously say you were shortchanged by the effort and desire put in by the players after going 1-0 down?

And people are STILL moaning about him playing players out of position after the success of Lynch

You carrying on worshipping the ground he walks on and we will carry on having reservations about certain areas of his management.

Then everyone is happy.

 

[London Irish]

You carrying on worshipping the ground he walks on and we will carry on having reservations about certain areas of his management.

Then everyone is happy.

Nope, you are going to have to account for your weak opinions - that's what free speech and open debate is all about.

Bucky's comments are his usual triumph of twisted jaundiced logic, everything good McGhee has done in his career was not down to him but down to the players. Oh, and "luck". And his record at the Albion in promoting us and keeping us up against the bookies' odds is "OK"

 

[Uncle Buck]

Nope, you are going to have to account for your weak opinions - that's what free speech and open debate is all about.

But yours are weak as well. Now if this was a rugby forum you might be able to outclass us all but not on here....

Any managers achievements are going to have something to do with the players he has, without the players he does not have much to manage. You are struggling today Mr Smith.