Micky Adams – My life in football

[Dkc]

Anyone read it?

Like Wilder, Micky Adams took over at the Lane when the Blades were at very low ebb. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and was a Sheffield lad and a boyhood Blade. Like Wilder, he had stood on the kop as a young man. He’d had a successful playing career at mostly lower league clubs, and had a good track record as manager, winning the third division with Brighton in 2000–01 and promotion to the PL with Leicester City in 2002–03. He was also the first player to receive a red card in the Premier League.

Adams was doing an excellent job at Port Vale before being poached by the Blades in December 2010 following Gary Speed’s departure. At the time the Blades were in a relegation battle, and most thought that Adams was an excellent choice to turn things around. In fact, his appointment was greeted with more enthusiasm than that of Wilder.

That’s where the similarities end. Despite his passion for the club, Adams was unable to prevent relegation. In his defence he wasn’t backed well in the JTW, and the players he inherited were on the whole poor. In the end the atmosphere was toxic and he had earned the nickname “Alehouse Micky” – a disparaging reference to the way his teams played (ie like a pub team) before being sacked.


A young Adams as Fulham player-manager

After being sacked he went back to Port Vale, and achieved promotion to the third tier in 2012/13. He then had an unsuccessful season at Tranmere in 214/15, leaving in April 2014 with the club bottom of the league. A short spell at Sligo Rovers in Ireland has been his only management job since them. As far as I know he hasn’t been back at the Lane since his departure (could be wrong)

Adams was a proven manager before coming to the Blades, but like a number of other recent, and on paper decent managers (Adkins, Wilson) the job in hand ultimately proved to be too much. Unlike the aforementioned managers, Adams only had little over half a season to turn things around, and was hamstrung by the squad he inherited and the lack of backing in the JTW. Having said that, the football was undoubtedly poor – but I can’t help wondering if we’d have spent the next six years in the third tier if we’d stuck with him.


In tougher times

According to Wiki page Micky Adams has retired from football management and now has a role as a consultant – interestingly his CV makes no mention of his ill-fated time with the Blades.Wonder if he goes into any more detail in his book.

Sorry it's the Daily Fail

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo.../Micky-Adams-stresses-modern-day-manager.html

 

[Harry's Game]

Shudder...

Those days feel like the Stone Age at the moment.

 

[Dkc]

Yep. I liked Adams and thought he deserved a season in L1. But contrast the football we were playing last time we were in this league to that we are playing now. It's like Barcelona compared to,,,er,,,a pub team,

 

[Hamburg Blade]

I feel sorry for several managers that we had after Warnock left and Robson had his stint; the situation created a toxic mix that possibly no one could have turned around. I always think it's pretty pointless when a club appoints a manager when they're in trouble and then gets rid of him after a year or less. He may have been able to turn it around with a little time and support, he'd got a proven past, but we'll never know.

 

[Bladesman]

Yep. I liked Adams and thought he deserved a season in L1. But contrast the football we were playing last time we were in this league to that we are playing now. It's like Barcelona compared to,,,er,,,a pub team,

Not sure I want a manager who wasn't motivated enough to be a manager.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

View attachment 32670

Anyone read it?

Like Wilder, Micky Adams took over at the Lane when the Blades were at very low ebb. He wore his heart on his sleeve, and was a Sheffield lad and a boyhood Blade. Like Wilder, he had stood on the kop as a young man. He’d had a successful playing career at mostly lower league clubs, and had a good track record as manager, winning the third division with Brighton in 2000–01 and promotion to the PL with Leicester City in 2002–03. He was also the first player to receive a red card in the Premier League.

Adams was doing an excellent job at Port Vale before being poached by the Blades in December 2010 following Gary Speed’s departure. At the time the Blades were in a relegation battle, and most thought that Adams was an excellent choice to turn things around. In fact, his appointment was greeted with more enthusiasm than that of Wilder.

That’s where the similarities end. Despite his passion for the club, Adams was unable to prevent relegation. In his defence he wasn’t backed well in the JTW, and the players he inherited were on the whole poor. In the end the atmosphere was toxic and he had earned the nickname “Alehouse Micky” – a disparaging reference to the way his teams played (ie like a pub team) before being sacked.

View attachment 32671
A young Adams as Fulham player-manager

After being sacked he went back to Port Vale, and achieved promotion to the third tier in 2012/13. He then had an unsuccessful season at Tranmere in 214/15, leaving in April 2014 with the club bottom of the league. A short spell at Sligo Rovers in Ireland has been his only management job since them. As far as I know he hasn’t been back at the Lane since his departure (could be wrong)

Adams was a proven manager before coming to the Blades, but like a number of other recent, and on paper decent managers (Adkins, Wilson) the job in hand ultimately proved to be too much. Unlike the aforementioned managers, Adams only had little over half a season to turn things around, and was hamstrung by the squad he inherited and the lack of backing in the JTW. Having said that, the football was undoubtedly poor – but I can’t help wondering if we’d have spent the next six years in the third tier if we’d stuck with him.

View attachment 32672
In tougher times

According to Wiki page Micky Adams has retired from football management and now has a role as a consultant – interestingly his CV makes no mention of his ill-fated time with the Blades.Wonder if he goes into any more detail in his book.

Sorry it's the Daily Fail

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo.../Micky-Adams-stresses-modern-day-manager.html

I saw a few weeks ago that this got a bit of press, and thought as a good deed I might buy it, and report on the United related stuff to save people the trouble of reading it. There are so many questions of how he somehow managed to make an already bad situation worse, how Bent was so appalling, how Bassett was brought in to help man the phones.

I just couldn’t bring myself to buy it though. My apologies to all for not going ahead with this great sacrifice of time, money, and above all sanity, and reopening this wound.

 

[KoppedOff]

Personal opinion, but I DETESTED him. Far more than any other manager in my lifetime (maybe Heath). He had loser written through him from day one. Hated his interviews- always blamed everybody but himself. No wonder the players were so pathetic and gutless under him; Adams couldnt raise a smile at a tickling contest.

Dont care if he is/was a Blade. Difference between him and Wilder/Warnock is that two of them are winners.

 

[Dkc]

I saw a few weeks ago that this got a bit of press, and thought as a good deed I might buy it, and report on the United related stuff to save people the trouble of reading it. There are so many questions of how he somehow managed to make an already bad situation worse, how Bent was so appalling, how Bassett was brought in to help man the phones.

I just couldn’t bring myself to buy it though. My apologies to all for not going ahead with this great sacrifice of time, money, and above all sanity, and reopening this wound.

Ah yes, I forgot that Basset was brought in towards the end, but ended up doing admin work or something. What a clusterfuck that season was. I remember celebrating on London Rd after the game, QPR I think, when Blackwell was sacked. No disrespect to Speed, but his football was no better than Blackwell's and the results were worse

 

[Dkc]

Personal opinion, but I DETESTED him. Far more than any other manager in my lifetime (maybe Heath). He had loser written through him from day one. Hated his interviews- always blamed everybody but himself. No wonder the players were so pathetic and gutless under him; Adams couldnt raise a smile at a tickling contest.

Dont care if he is/was a Blade. Difference between him and Wilder/Warnock is that two of them are winners.

Adams was a "winner" before joining the Blades, he had an excellent CV with a few blips, as did Warnock

 

[Tyler Durden]

He was never going to turn it around, there's just nothing to the bloke at all. I was already prepared for relegation by Christmas.

One part poor manager, one part victim of circumstance in Uniteds case.

Not a poisonous cunt like Warnock at least, I'll give him that much.

 

[Dkc]

He was never going to turn it around, there's just nothing to the bloke at all. I was already prepared for relegation by Christmas.

One part poor manager, one part victim of circumstance in Uniteds case.

Not a poisonous cunt like Warnock at least, I'll give him that much.

Tyler I generally like your posts but will you give it a rest about Warnock? Your dislike verges on obsession. Did he shag your missus or something?

 

[KoppedOff]

Adams was a "winner" before joining the Blades, he had an excellent CV with a few blips, as did Warnock

Adams was a "winner" before joining the Blades, he had an excellent CV with a few blips, as did Warnock

A quick look at his wiki page (hardly in depth, I know) does seem to show in tge years before he came, he was somebody that could at least get underperforming sides out of bother and towards upper mid table. Which is exactly what we needed at the time. So what went wrong? He didnt get backed financially, fair do’s. But we did have some decent players in there; how the hell the team and himself went down without even a whimper of resistance is utterly baffling. The guy had no fight in him.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Tyler I generally like your posts but will you give it a rest about Warnock? Your dislike verges on obsession. Did he shag your missus or something?

No, he just fucked my football club.

 

[Dkc]

A quick look at his wiki page (hardly in depth, I know) does seem to show in tge years before he came, he was somebody that could at least get underperforming sides out of bother and towards upper mid table. Which is exactly what we needed at the time. So what went wrong? He didnt get backed financially, fair do’s. But we did have some decent players in there; how the hell the team and himself went down without even a whimper of resistance is utterly baffling. The guy had no fight in him.

I do remember a false dawn. We beat Leeds, and a few thought the corner had been turned. Don't think we picked up another three points after that though.

 

[KoppedOff]

I do remember a false dawn. We beat Leeds, and a few thought the corner had been turned. Don't think we picked up another three points after that though.

The squad was well stripped of a lot of the quality we had the year or so before, but we still had Ched Evans, Lee Williamson, Stephen Quinn. Plus the likes of Doyle, Collins and Cresswell who get plenty of stick but all did well the year after (granted a league below). There was a battler in Montgomery. Jamie Ward (was probably injured though). And young versions of Lowton and Maguire.

There should have been enough there to at least put up a fight.

 

[dublin 10 blade]

Although I didn’t rate the guy
He did actually save Sligo Rovers from relegation, just a pity he couldn’t do it for his
Beloved Bladescteam
Although we were fucked before he took over and blackie should have gone after play off defeat

 

[FinchleyBlade]

No, he just fucked my football club.

Yeah, saved us from relegation and then got us into the premiership with one of the most memorable season in our recent history in-between.

He fucked us big time.

 

[DifferentClass]

No disrespect to Speed, but his football was no better than Blackwell's and the results were worse

Funny you bring up Speed, as I've been thinking about players who never quite set the world alight as players but are fucking brilliant managers (eg. Wilder).

Speed was a fantastic player but a crap manager.

 

[Living In a Fantasy World]

He had to manage a blades team with Nyron Nosworthy.......*shudders*
He did give Maguire his first start and same with Long, so some credit.
Had to manage a under performing team with a lacking Evans.
but yeah lets not think back to them days.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Yeah, saved us from relegation and then got us into the premiership with one of the most memorable season in our recent history in-between.

He fucked us big time.

Yeah that was brilliant wasn't it, and to think he did it in just 6 and a half short years.....

We'll ignore the bit where he tried to derail that same promotion bid by trying to fuck off to Portsmouth in November after having a hissy fit over his contract. Or his pissing away of the Premiership budget on shite, or not even bothering to be a manager for the last 6 games of that very same season since he was on his way out anyway. Or his snidey little fucking swipes at us every since he left.

Oh but he's a super-duper-mega Blade isn't he? Aye, about as much as Gary Megson.

 

[Broomhall Blade]

The worse Blades manager in my 40 years supporting the Blades.
Should never have got the job, i am still convinced if Gary Speed had stayed in charge we would not have been relegated.

That last picture is how i will always remember him , arms folded on the touchline.

 

[Broomhall Blade]

Funny you bring up Speed, as I've been thinking about players who never quite set the world alight as players but are fucking brilliant managers (eg. Wilder).

Speed was a fantastic player but a crap manager.

Bit unfair that he did alright as manager of Wales, and i am convinced if he had stayed with us we would have stayed up.

 

[diplomat]

A couple of thoughts:
In my opinion Speed could see some of the issues we had and was probably glad he was offered an escape route.

Adams was backed. We brought in loads of players if you look at the loans too. Our transfer policy had been of the sticking plaster variety for a couple of years tho, whilst trying to claw some money back. That said, serial football club destroyer Birch needs the finger pointing at him for some of the contracts.

I went to the meet the manager event with him and Cork and knew we were in serious trouble.

 

[SwissBlade]

He brought in Collins. That’s how bad he was

 

[Highbury_Blade]

A couple of thoughts:
In my opinion Speed could see some of the issues we had and was probably glad he was offered an escape route.

Adams was backed. We brought in loads of players if you look at the loans too. Our transfer policy had been of the sticking plaster variety for a couple of years tho, whilst trying to claw some money back. That said, serial football club destroyer Birch needs the finger pointing at him for some of the contracts.

I went to the meet the manager event with him and Cork and knew we were in serious trouble.

Agreed on speed. Thought the general agreement at the time when Speed left was that both parties had dodged a bullet.

I don't think there's any excusing Adams' performance. Utterly disastrous, and another managerial mis-step by McCabe. I highly doubt he'd have got us out of league 1 either. MccCabe was right to bin him off and bring in Wilson, and if it wasn't for some ill-advised hotel room antics, he'd have been proven right to do so.

 

[CarlingBlade]

Any team with Not-worthy in was destined for relegation.

 

[LSF]

No, he just fucked my football club.

Well I enjoyed the fuck anyway

 

[Revolution]

You could write a book about that relegation season: some of the dumbest decision making ever seen at the Lane happened that season.

Blackwell, Speed, Adams, Birch, McCabe and most of the players were all culpable. That relegation was entirely avoidable.

 

[Dkc]

It could have been avoided by not giving Blackwell the entire summmer to assemble a squad then sacking him three games into the new season

 

[Dkc]

Well I enjoyed the fuck anyway

Apart from the ruined orgasm