[Albion] Which ex manager do you have the least respect for?

[Dave the OAP]

Absolutely none of them

in their own way they took us far further that the club would ever have dreamed.

poyet set the foundations and provided some brilliant years….Potter made us a team that teams copied to try and beat us. We were brilliant at times. RDZ was the ultimate charisma based manager, with huge enthusiasm and led us through the best results we ever had at the club….european nights the like of which we may never see again.

of course, Albion fans either idolise manages Or forget the good times and like to do shite threads like this to look “ right on”

 

[oldboyroy]

I think you’ll find RDZ was insisting on this at the end 2022/23 season. In the following season it became apparent that he was not in favour of the club’s policy of recruitment. Whatever, it resulted in the club’s way or the highway. He chose or was directed to the latter.

RDZ had a long injury list and expected the club to bring in reinforcements in the January window which we don't do. He moaned publicly about it almost every week. Now, we have Fab who has also had a ridiculously long injury list yet, hasn't moaned and just got on with it even, citing it as a challenge which he's passed with flying colours in all honesty.

 

[OzMike]

Potter all day long, with the others tied for 2nd.

 

[el punal]

RDZ had a long injury list and expected the club to bring in reinforcements in the January window which we don't do. He moaned publicly about it almost every week. Now, we have Fab who has also had a ridiculously long injury list yet, hasn't moaned and just got on with it even, citing it as a challenge which he's passed with flying colours in all honesty.

And a wonderful end to the season rewarding that with 4 wins, 1 draw in the last 5 games, and 13 goals scored.

 

[stewart12]

Poyet and De Zerbi were both only ever going to end one way- both hotheaded, Latino stallions. I accepted with both that it'll be "fun while it lasts" but it was inevitable that both would end under a bit of a cloud

Potter is just an absolute wanker

 

[Lenny Rider]

Old school, Melia for me, nothing to do with the football side, complete mercenary, yes Wembley and all that, but it came at a price and the club and the fans were on the wrong end of it.

But of the three the OP gave us, Potter, for a multitude of reasons, but the history lesson does it for me every day of the week and twice on a Sunday.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Old school, Melia for me, nothing to do with the football side, complete mercenary, yes Wembley and all that, but it came at a price and the club and the fans were on the wrong end of it.

But of the three the OP gave us, Potter, for a multitude of reasons, but the history lesson does it for me every day of the week and twice on a Sunday.

Not for the first time your insider knowledge appears to trump what is known to the world at large. This from Melia's wiki:

Melia became Brighton & Hove Albion's chief scout. When Mike Bailey left as manager in December 1982, Melia was promoted to jointly manage Albion with reserve team manager George Aitken. They shared the duties for three months with Aitken taking more of a background role. His greatest managerial feat occurred when he took Albion to the 1983 FA Cup Final. The run took Melia back to his old stomping ground of Anfield where a goal from another ex-Liverpool player Jimmy Case won the game. During the cup run Melia became famous for his 'disco' style of dress and his glamorous younger girlfriend, Val Lloyd. Melia was appointed permanently as manager in March 1983 after Albion reached the FA Cup semi-final for the first time, beating Norwich City.[6] They beat Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-final to face Manchester United in the final. During the summer, former Albion player Chris Cattlin was appointed as first-team coach by chairman Mike Bamber in an attempt to instil discipline into the side. Melia resigned his post on 19 October 1983, reportedly due to his disdain of backroom meddling by Cattlin, who had started to have an influence on team selection. The following home game, Melia attended as a supporter in the North Terrace and was lifted onto the shoulders of fans with the fans chanting "Melia In, Bamber Out". Albion had won just 7 out of 35 League games with him in charge.

Is that true? If so it sounds completely mad.

 

[FamilyGuy]

Potter.

Based on my own scale of “who left the worst taste in my mouth when I heard he’d gone”. Unforgivable behaviour in my book.

My brother is a WHU supporter so I’ll be watching with interest.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Not for the first time your insider knowledge appears to trump what is known to the world at large. This from Melia's wiki:

Melia became Brighton & Hove Albion's chief scout. When Mike Bailey left as manager in December 1982, Melia was promoted to jointly manage Albion with reserve team manager George Aitken. They shared the duties for three months with Aitken taking more of a background role. His greatest managerial feat occurred when he took Albion to the 1983 FA Cup Final. The run took Melia back to his old stomping ground of Anfield where a goal from another ex-Liverpool player Jimmy Case won the game. During the cup run Melia became famous for his 'disco' style of dress and his glamorous younger girlfriend, Val Lloyd. Melia was appointed permanently as manager in March 1983 after Albion reached the FA Cup semi-final for the first time, beating Norwich City.[6] They beat Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-final to face Manchester United in the final. During the summer, former Albion player Chris Cattlin was appointed as first-team coach by chairman Mike Bamber in an attempt to instil discipline into the side. Melia resigned his post on 19 October 1983, reportedly due to his disdain of backroom meddling by Cattlin, who had started to have an influence on team selection. The following home game, Melia attended as a supporter in the North Terrace and was lifted onto the shoulders of fans with the fans chanting "Melia In, Bamber Out". Albion had won just 7 out of 35 League games with him in charge.

Is that true? If so it sounds completely mad.

He was definitely in the north stand, he wasn’t happy when Cattlin was brought in as assistant (with the obvious plan of taking over), that inevitably happened and Melia was in the north stand.

Not sure about the chanting and lifted on shoulders, I genuinely can’t remember that, but then I was always stood to the west of the goal.

 

[goldstone]

I have a great deal of respect for all three. Thank you for asking. A manager I do not have much, if any, respect for is Sami Hyypia.

 

[Lenny Rider]

Not for the first time your insider knowledge appears to trump what is known to the world at large. This from Melia's wiki:

Melia became Brighton & Hove Albion's chief scout. When Mike Bailey left as manager in December 1982, Melia was promoted to jointly manage Albion with reserve team manager George Aitken. They shared the duties for three months with Aitken taking more of a background role. His greatest managerial feat occurred when he took Albion to the 1983 FA Cup Final. The run took Melia back to his old stomping ground of Anfield where a goal from another ex-Liverpool player Jimmy Case won the game. During the cup run Melia became famous for his 'disco' style of dress and his glamorous younger girlfriend, Val Lloyd. Melia was appointed permanently as manager in March 1983 after Albion reached the FA Cup semi-final for the first time, beating Norwich City.[6] They beat Sheffield Wednesday in the semi-final to face Manchester United in the final. During the summer, former Albion player Chris Cattlin was appointed as first-team coach by chairman Mike Bamber in an attempt to instil discipline into the side. Melia resigned his post on 19 October 1983, reportedly due to his disdain of backroom meddling by Cattlin, who had started to have an influence on team selection. The following home game, Melia attended as a supporter in the North Terrace and was lifted onto the shoulders of fans with the fans chanting "Melia In, Bamber Out". Albion had won just 7 out of 35 League games with him in charge.

Is that true? If so it sounds completely mad.

That old love is the tip of the iceberg.

I’ve nearly finished my book, “Go lick a Window”*, should be out late summer

*(“Albion From Every Angle” actually, but there’s still that little shock jock inside me )

 

[Stato]

Coppell obviously. He ain't got no birth certificate.

 

[Lenny Rider]

Coppell obviously. He ain't got no birth certificate.

Again old boy, researching stuff for the book, Palace aside, Coppell was a decent bloke, lot of things went under the radar, but he certainly had qualities a number of other Albion managers didn’t.

 

[Stato]

Again old boy, researching stuff for the book, Palace aside, Coppell was a decent bloke, lot of things went under the radar, but he certainly had qualities a number of other Albion managers didn’t.

That may be the case, but unless you can put it in a song...

 

[Greeko]

Can’t vote I like and respect all three of them

 

[Brownstuff]

They all wanted good for the Albion so how can you not have respect for our manager. Actions speak louder than words and they all left the club in no worse a position/situation especially in terms of level of squad than when they joined. Never lost respect for any of them.

 

[sparkie]

I've mellowed on Poyet now.

De Zerbi - hero.
Potter - zero.

 

[peterward]

Interesting debate, always liked Poyet as manager until the ending and likewise for De Zerbi who had us playing some of the best football we've seen.

Straight shoot out between three.

Option A)

Gus Poyet for claiming he was sacked live on air and also the Crystal Palace semi final debacle



Option B)

De Zerbi for in which the manner he left and then went on to become the Marseille manager

Option C)

Potter for which he sailed off to Chelsea with everyone but the tea lady and Barber

Both Poyet and RDZ left as pretty self involved arrogant c*cks, 1 fired, 1 amicably......

And while Potter was never so overtly arrogant, his was the real snakery and deception.

Formal approach on a Tuesday and he, his staff and many of our Albion employed backroom staff all resigned on the Thursday.

He'd clearly been plotting it a while, had been tapped up and was having secret convos with fellow employees ahead of the formal approach...... when push came to shove, he didn't give 2 hoots he was gutting the coaching set up and leaving club with nothing as long as he and his career profited.

Wanting to go to Chelsea is normal enough, the way he did it was not.

 

[Biscuit]

Only one of them described staying with us as "the easy option" and continually patronised us. It's 100% Potter.

Poyet transformed the club and brought success, but like De Zerbi it was always going to end in tears. They're both just a little mad, in a good way. The highs were wonderful, and the press conferences were entertaining. Potter.. boring, dull and full of snarky comments. Oh, and the emotional intelligence of a snail if you ask me.

Poyet/RDZ were like slightly unhinged ex-girlfriends; unpredictable, short-term but a lot of fun. Potter was like that hot ex who looked good on paper but you just didn't click with and was a total downer.

 

[oldboyroy]

Only one of them described staying with us as "the easy option" and continually patronised us. It's 100% Potter.

Poyet transformed the club and brought success, but like De Zerbi it was always going to end in tears. They're both just a little mad, in a good way. The highs were wonderful, and the press conferences were entertaining. Potter.. boring, dull and full of snarky comments. Oh, and the emotional intelligence of a snail if you ask me.

Can relate to this. Didn't like the Poyet glass ceiling comments and the sacked on TV stuff but Potter with his easy life history lessons and we are only Brighton etc etc when, Roberto proved that we were as good as anyone and should aim high. Fab, has this mindset too without the strop of RDZ when things don't go his way.