| They sold a team, and built a stand on 23:17 - Jun 5 with 1001 views | yesjohn99 |
| They sold a team, and built a stand on 13:03 - Jun 5 by Lord_Lucan |
I think that's an urban myth |
Could swear blind that I’ve read somewhere Fergie was sounded out about the job but thought it had come too soon for him.
Could also be miles out mind you! |  | |  |
| They sold a team, and built a stand on 20:52 - Jun 6 with 910 views | Lord_Lucan |
| They sold a team, and built a stand on 23:17 - Jun 5 by yesjohn99 |
Could swear blind that I’ve read somewhere Fergie was sounded out about the job but thought it had come too soon for him.
Could also be miles out mind you! |
I’m not saying we didn’t speak with him. The urban myth bit is about the story that SBR recommended “Ferguson” but the board thought he meant Bobby when in fact he meant Alex.
Mind you, I can’t remember anyone being in the frame apart from Bobby. |  |
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| They sold a team, and built a stand on 21:10 - Jun 6 with 897 views | MVBlue |
To me from my 90s perspective it is detail I did not know.
However it does seem a concerning pattern, with some similarities to the Sheepshanks ending. Having success then needing better ground stands and capacity. Starting the work but success on the pitch is not going as well. Finances start coming up tight and the team starts to fade with new stand causing financial concerns on top of lost revenue (transfer price dip or itv digital bust).
We are again looking to a more successful future, but we really need to head these warning from the past with the talk of a bigger stand already from Ashton. You must learn from history to break the cycle, lets wait until we have money in the bank. |  |
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| They sold a team, and built a stand on 21:18 - Jun 6 with 885 views | Lord_Lucan |
| They sold a team, and built a stand on 21:10 - Jun 6 by MVBlue |
To me from my 90s perspective it is detail I did not know.
However it does seem a concerning pattern, with some similarities to the Sheepshanks ending. Having success then needing better ground stands and capacity. Starting the work but success on the pitch is not going as well. Finances start coming up tight and the team starts to fade with new stand causing financial concerns on top of lost revenue (transfer price dip or itv digital bust).
We are again looking to a more successful future, but we really need to head these warning from the past with the talk of a bigger stand already from Ashton. You must learn from history to break the cycle, lets wait until we have money in the bank. |
I kind of don't 100% agree
It's not as if we did a Wolves and started a building program that would never see the finish. In reality the cost of the stand was funded by Pioneer.
As for new NS and Churchmans, if we hadn't have done it we might still be sitting in oversized cowsheds. | |
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| They sold a team, and built a stand on 23:16 - Jun 6 with 819 views | Vic |
The stand didn't help but the sad fact is that Bobby F just wasn't in the same league as SBR as a manager. He didn't have the personal touch with the players and his football wasn't as good.
It really was a sad and sorry decline and the players coyld see what was happening and one by one they got out. |  |
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| They sold a team, and built a stand on 23:46 - Jun 6 with 806 views | PhilTWTD |
| They sold a team, and built a stand on 23:17 - Jun 5 by yesjohn99 |
Could swear blind that I’ve read somewhere Fergie was sounded out about the job but thought it had come too soon for him.
Could also be miles out mind you! |
He was quietly asked if he'd be up for it but, as you say, he said it was too early for him to move to England. |  | | |
| They sold a team, and built a stand on 23:50 - Jun 6 with 801 views | PhilTWTD |
| They sold a team, and built a stand on 21:10 - Jun 6 by MVBlue |
To me from my 90s perspective it is detail I did not know.
However it does seem a concerning pattern, with some similarities to the Sheepshanks ending. Having success then needing better ground stands and capacity. Starting the work but success on the pitch is not going as well. Finances start coming up tight and the team starts to fade with new stand causing financial concerns on top of lost revenue (transfer price dip or itv digital bust).
We are again looking to a more successful future, but we really need to head these warning from the past with the talk of a bigger stand already from Ashton. You must learn from history to break the cycle, lets wait until we have money in the bank. |
Stand didn't really cause immediate financial concerns in the Sheepshanks era as the bond meant it was a longer term issue rather than an immediate one, indeed the cost of building the stands wasn't part of the administration. It was more of an issue in the years to come as we failed to get back in the Premier League and it hampered the club's ability to compete in what's now the Championship. | | | |
| They sold a team, and built a stand on 23:53 - Jun 6 with 797 views | PhilTWTD |
| They sold a team, and built a stand on 10:22 - Jun 5 by Lord_Lucan |
I don’t necessarily agree with that.
I put it pretty much down to Ferguson. He may or may not have been a good coach but he was a bloody useless manager.
Also, it’s fair to say that the team had possibly peaked. The 78 side needed rebuilding and perhaps the 81 side needed some attention as well.
In 78 we got a bit lucky with Talbot financing the Dutchmen and also Brazil, Gates, Butcher and Osman coming through, we never had that flurry of youth coming through in 81. |
Ferguson's lack of management ability was obviously a factor, moving on Mick Mills as he felt he had too much power at the club, other players not wanting to stick around, but the club also needed to sell to cover the cost of the stand.
I've also heard people who worked at the club at the time suggest there wasn't a lot of succession planning from Robson, that he didn't look beyond the end of his time at the club, at how the team might develop from the summer of 1982 onwards. If I remember rightly, it was known he was moving on for a year. | | | |
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| They sold a team, and built a stand on 23:54 - Jun 6 with 795 views | PhilTWTD |
| They sold a team, and built a stand on 20:52 - Jun 6 by Lord_Lucan |
I’m not saying we didn’t speak with him. The urban myth bit is about the story that SBR recommended “Ferguson” but the board thought he meant Bobby when in fact he meant Alex.
Mind you, I can’t remember anyone being in the frame apart from Bobby. |
Think you're right about that being a myth. | | | |
| They sold a team, and built a stand on 06:09 - Jun 7 with 741 views | Vic |
| They sold a team, and built a stand on 23:53 - Jun 6 by PhilTWTD |
Ferguson's lack of management ability was obviously a factor, moving on Mick Mills as he felt he had too much power at the club, other players not wanting to stick around, but the club also needed to sell to cover the cost of the stand.
I've also heard people who worked at the club at the time suggest there wasn't a lot of succession planning from Robson, that he didn't look beyond the end of his time at the club, at how the team might develop from the summer of 1982 onwards. If I remember rightly, it was known he was moving on for a year. |
And it’s always sad to learn of weaknesses in our heroes isn’t it. SBR stand almost alone in history as the greatest manager we’ve had but he wasn’t perfect.
It’s often said how the late 2010’s were difficult years for supporters, but for those of us who grew up following twin from the later 60’s I’d argue that watching the decline and disintegration of the team from 1985 was just as hard. There was a sense of inevitability as we saw one who after another leave the club after SBR left. Those dark days, with crowds which reflected how bad things were. | |
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| They sold a team, and built a stand on 07:26 - Jun 7 with 707 views | Herbivore |
| They sold a team, and built a stand on 23:46 - Jun 6 by PhilTWTD |
He was quietly asked if he'd be up for it but, as you say, he said it was too early for him to move to England. |
In an alternate universe, I could have started going to Town games with Fergie as manager and Gullit and Gascoigne pulling the strings in the middle. Instead I got John Duncan, Tony Humes, and Glenn Pennyfather. |  |
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| They sold a team, and built a stand on 07:45 - Jun 7 with 671 views | GlasgowBlue |
| They sold a team, and built a stand on 07:26 - Jun 7 by Herbivore |
In an alternate universe, I could have started going to Town games with Fergie as manager and Gullit and Gascoigne pulling the strings in the middle. Instead I got John Duncan, Tony Humes, and Glenn Pennyfather. |
I’m lucky enough to have completely missed the Ferguson / Duncan years, as Sir Bobby leaving in 1982 coincided with me getting a job and finding new outside interests. i didn’t return to Portman Road until 1991 under John Lyall. |  |
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| They sold a team, and built a stand on 08:27 - Jun 7 with 653 views | Churchman |
| They sold a team, and built a stand on 06:09 - Jun 7 by Vic |
And it’s always sad to learn of weaknesses in our heroes isn’t it. SBR stand almost alone in history as the greatest manager we’ve had but he wasn’t perfect.
It’s often said how the late 2010’s were difficult years for supporters, but for those of us who grew up following twin from the later 60’s I’d argue that watching the decline and disintegration of the team from 1985 was just as hard. There was a sense of inevitability as we saw one who after another leave the club after SBR left. Those dark days, with crowds which reflected how bad things were. |
In their way the 80s decline was as tough. It felt that the good times were gone, possibly for good. I’d grown up seeing the team competing at the top level. Good players; progressing then all of a sudden it dribbled away along with our identity.
While one hoped the likes of Brennan and Cranson were going to be as good as their predecessors, they were never going to be. Somehow the club just fell away. The lowest point for me wasn’t even the pathetic play off attempt against Charlton at Selhurst Park, but five minutes into the Duncan era. Nice man, dreadful manager.
Just before kick off in Duncan’s first home game he was running around the pitch with a bit of paper giving instructions. Hopeless. Half empty ground at best, team that while nowhere near as bad as Hurst/Lambert’s shower, showed little sign of anything much. Graham Harbey…..
Darker than the late 2010s was the arrival of Keane. It didn’t take too long before it was obvious he had no idea, even if his woeful signings hadn’t given me a clue. Jewell. One hoped…. soon dashed.
Looking back, there have been plenty of good times for the decrepit like me. Robson, Lyall’s bright time and of course Burley’s lovely team. A pleasure to watch - usually (Crewe at home wasn’t). But we’ve had our dark times too. I found the faceless Evans era plain depressing. That includes MMs time - he defied gravity and worked miracles with nothing, but I didn’t like the football and never felt he was ever going to be supported enough to get us out of the division. It was depressing.
So we’ve certainly earned this golden period since Gamechanger and I’m particularly pleased for younger people who are engaged with something special for the first time. This club has its identity back. If you need proof, just watch Pat Godbold’s birthday video. |  | | |
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