Blackwell accused of bullying

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I heard a story about a friend of the storyteller who was a footballer. Blackwell invited him to the Leeds training ground re signing. He got there at the allotted time and was summarily ignored. We thought maybe he was supposed to watch training but was waved away and basically sat in his car for a couple of hours. Then was made to wait longer. Then a very abrupt Blackwell didn’t acknowledge his wait, told him what his wage would be and that he was signing. No conversation about how he liked him, how he wanted him to play, anything.

Now, Leeds were by far the biggest club this player could have played for and Blackwell treated him like shit because of it rather than use it to motivate him.

The player didn’t sign for him because he was a massive arse. Signed for Wendy for twice as much wage and was really shit for them. Which was a nice ending for me.
 

Ive read nothing conclusive to say Blackwell was a bully. Being left out of the squad, having to train with the kids etc isn't bullying it's being performance managed. Where are the facts? He was a shit manager but all too often these days people cry wolf and spout bullying because they can't accept they aren't good enough.
 
, he could have tarred and feathered me and I'd have worked my balls off to play at BDTBL.[/QUOTE]

Some aught to think about that when having a go at players such as George Long. He would have bust a gut to play for The Blades. It's a real shame that certain individuals ruined his confidence, which in turn virtually ended his carreer here.
 
Bruce Wayne said:
Ive read nothing conclusive to say Blackwell was a bully. Being left out of the squad, having to train with the kids etc isn't bullying it's being performance managed. Where are the facts? He was a shit manager but all too often these days people cry wolf and spout bullying because they can't accept they aren't good enough.
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Well said Mrs B.
 
Bruce Wayne said:
Ive read nothing conclusive to say Blackwell was a bully. Being left out of the squad, having to train with the kids etc isn't bullying it's being performance managed. Where are the facts? He was a shit manager but all too often these days people cry wolf and spout bullying because they can't accept they aren't good enough.
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What sort of 'facts' would you expect to get in this sort of situation?
 
I’m still amazed by this campaign to constantly denigrate and besmirch the good name of one of the better managers weve had in recent time.

Wedgburys comments seem to be a petulant attempt to blame someone else for his own shortcomings, He quite simply wasn’t good enough for what was required and his subsequent career corroborates that.

Blackies football wasn’t as awful as people seem to remember it being. There was no fannying about with the ball playing tippy tappy passes in the middle of the park, but it was just solid football where we got the ball forwards nice and early, and it was exciting when we used to get the ball in the mixer. A lot of Bassets game was built on getting the ball in to the POMO (position of maximum opportunity) as quickly as possible and that took us up divisions and his style of football was exciting and isn’t discredited so I don’t understand why Blackies is either,

It is also telling that as soon as Blackie left for Leeds that our form dipped off drastically as with Blackie as Warnocks lieutenant we would have enjoyed top flight football earlier and sooner.

The only reason we didn’t go up in 08/09 was because Blackie had his best player sold behind his back, and we still ended up a couple of points away automatic, and at a Wembley play off final, and he achieved all that despite inheriting an expensive squad from Robson that wasn’t fit for purpose, and had to remodel it as quickly as he could, whilst simultaneously having his budget slashed, if it wasn’t for Blackwell we would have fallen a lot quicker.
 
Revolution said:
This puts me in mind of something that happened in the league game against Burnley a few weeks before, which was on Sky.

United had not lost away for 15 games (a club record) but Blackwell changed his team, dropping Cotterill who had been a big part of our promotion run. We were dismal and lost 1-0, creating little of note.

Just before half time Naughton got forward and had a shot which went well wide but was just about our first goal attempt. Naughton was them caught on camera, presumably after Blackwell had asked him what he was doing, yelling at Blackwell "I've had a shot you f****** w*****!".

I assumed from that exchange that Naughton and Blackwell did not get on...
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:D yes I remember that. The bit of info I got told about the play-off game actually came from mutual friends of mine and kyles, grew up with the lad you see.
 
brownie said:
I’m still amazed by this campaign to constantly denigrate and besmirch the good name of one of the better managers weve had in recent time.

Wedgburys comments seem to be a petulant attempt to blame someone else for his own shortcomings, He quite simply wasn’t good enough for what was required and his subsequent career corroborates that.

Blackies football wasn’t as awful as people seem to remember it being. There was no fannying about with the ball playing tippy tappy passes in the middle of the park, but it was just solid football where we got the ball forwards nice and early, and it was exciting when we used to get the ball in the mixer. A lot of Bassets game was built on getting the ball in to the POMO (position of maximum opportunity) as quickly as possible and that took us up divisions and his style of football was exciting and isn’t discredited so I don’t understand why Blackies is either,

It is also telling that as soon as Blackie left for Leeds that our form dipped off drastically as with Blackie as Warnocks lieutenant we would have enjoyed top flight football earlier and sooner.

The only reason we didn’t go up in 08/09 was because Blackie had his best player sold behind his back, and we still ended up a couple of points away automatic, and at a Wembley play off final, and he achieved all that despite inheriting an expensive squad from Robson that wasn’t fit for purpose, and had to remodel it as quickly as he could, whilst simultaneously having his budget slashed, if it wasn’t for Blackwell we would have fallen a lot quicker.
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Cackwells football was nothing like Bassetts.
 
Sheffsteel said:
Topplayersleave,
Men working with men, then some form of bullying is historically the easiest way to manage and influence people.
I’m not talking extreme bullying as that probably wouldn’t work.

However subtle bullying (flexing ones muscles of authority) tends to work to a degree with many.
Suppose this discussion depends on ones definition of “bullying”. Some call it banter....others call it bullying.
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I understand what you're saying Sheffsteel

But in the case I talked about it was outrageous bullying

This bloke was a complete twat

He'd literally spy on me and if somebody approached me to tell a joke or something he'd pop out of nowhere whilst we were laughing and drag me upstairs to report me to the gaffer for neglecting my work duties

The guy who actually left his work station to walk 50 yards to tell me the joke...............Nothing

There's a million stories like this I could tell you

I left the company after a while and went back to study.
On my last day this guy went on the sick because he knew what he'd done for many years and he was scared of what I might do to him when I walked out for the last time
 

Sean Thornton said:
Cackwells football was nothing like Bassetts.
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That's true
Bassett's teams could be described as being direct but it also had a lot of quality in there as well.

Blackwell's players would be fined and dropped for doing something as basic as bringing the ball under control.
Much better to just swing a leg at it and hoof it up the field
 
brownie said:
I’m still amazed by this campaign to constantly denigrate and besmirch the good name of one of the better managers weve had in recent time.

Wedgburys comments seem to be a petulant attempt to blame someone else for his own shortcomings, He quite simply wasn’t good enough for what was required and his subsequent career corroborates that.

Blackies football wasn’t as awful as people seem to remember it being. There was no fannying about with the ball playing tippy tappy passes in the middle of the park, but it was just solid football where we got the ball forwards nice and early, and it was exciting when we used to get the ball in the mixer. A lot of Bassets game was built on getting the ball in to the POMO (position of maximum opportunity) as quickly as possible and that took us up divisions and his style of football was exciting and isn’t discredited so I don’t understand why Blackies is either,

It is also telling that as soon as Blackie left for Leeds that our form dipped off drastically as with Blackie as Warnocks lieutenant we would have enjoyed top flight football earlier and sooner.

The only reason we didn’t go up in 08/09 was because Blackie had his best player sold behind his back, and we still ended up a couple of points away automatic, and at a Wembley play off final, and he achieved all that despite inheriting an expensive squad from Robson that wasn’t fit for purpose, and had to remodel it as quickly as he could, whilst simultaneously having his budget slashed, if it wasn’t for Blackwell we would have fallen a lot quicker.
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What if the same comments had come from someone who was and still is good enough for what is required? What if the same comments come from someone who didn't directly work with 'Blackie' who's career was therefore unaffected by him?

Blackwell was a terrible manager. If he had stayed we'd have ended up in League One eventually and our academy would have been in much worse shape.
 
I remember sitting in the Bramall lane upper as we swatted Bristol city aside (2-0 I think) at the end of Blackwell ‘s half season. I was very happy with the way we set up, played hard, quite direct but purposeful football. Speed had a good game and we just bossed it. I was very happy with the style.

After that it was so percentage based it was silly. Giving possession away to squeeze a space to try and win it back higher up the pitch. I remember a game v Ipswich. We went 0-2 I think and the crowd were urging Morgan to pass to a midfielder rather than lump it down a channel. Blackwell was berating him for not already having lumped it. Morgan paused and played a little ball to someone, who found someone else and we stringed three passes together and the crowd roared approval. It was as telling a moment as I can remember where a style was rejected.

Did we draw 3-3? Silent Blade it was midweek I think
 
Sean Thornton said:
Cackwells football was nothing like Bassetts.
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It was excruciating. Defenders would hoof it aimlessly into midfield where Quinn would try to scoop it over his own head to nowhere in particular in the vain hope of finding someone masquerading as a striker. Monty (let’s keep it neutral about him) would then have to chase around relentlessly in the hope of retrieving it. There was no style, no flair, nothing that qualified as passing and precious little excitement.

Besmirch him? That’s far too lenient. I’d miss out the ‘esm’ and just birch the fucking useless piece of shit.

9B5D255B-9CDE-4702-B190-2F70F9948007.jpeg
 
Utd fans view of Blackwell was summed up away at Doncaster before he was sacked when the whole away end chanted Gary Speeds red and white army as Speed tried to motivate Utd and Blackwell sat in the dug out after bringing on Andy taylor for Henri Camra despite us losing 1-0.
 
sitwell said:
Utd fans view of Blackwell was summed up away at Doncaster before he was sacked when the whole away end chanted Gary Speeds red and white army as Speed tried to motivate Utd and Blackwell sat in the dug out after bringing on Andy taylor for Henri Camra despite us losing 1-0.
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First ten minutes of that game Donny ran us ragged and the crowd sang "Blackwell Blackwell sort it out" He looked over, spread his arms and shrugged his shoulders. He was rightly booed. The twat.
 
PokerBlade said:
Remember how terrible some people used to think Quinn was? Turned out after Blackwell left that he could actually play the game a bit.
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He was just used to help the ball on to Donkeyson who would be too busy wrestling a defender. Some of those games were as bad to watch as the third division relegation season.
 
I remember we actually played better and got more results after Beattie was sold.

Signing Henderson and selling Hulse summed up Blackwell.

Also tactically inept, I think he was bailed out by having good players. No plan B at all, especially breaking teams down.
 
Sean Thornton said:
He was just used to help the ball on to Donkeyson who would be too busy wrestling a defender. Some of those games were as bad to watch as the third division relegation season.
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The difference is that one of my favourite games last season was the Fulham home game even though I was gutted to lose. Under Blackwell I used to come away miserable even when we'd ground out a win.
 
brownie said:
I’m still amazed by this campaign to constantly denigrate and besmirch the good name of one of the better managers weve had in recent time.

Wedgburys comments seem to be a petulant attempt to blame someone else for his own shortcomings, He quite simply wasn’t good enough for what was required and his subsequent career corroborates that.

Blackies football wasn’t as awful as people seem to remember it being. There was no fannying about with the ball playing tippy tappy passes in the middle of the park, but it was just solid football where we got the ball forwards nice and early, and it was exciting when we used to get the ball in the mixer. A lot of Bassets game was built on getting the ball in to the POMO (position of maximum opportunity) as quickly as possible and that took us up divisions and his style of football was exciting and isn’t discredited so I don’t understand why Blackies is either,

It is also telling that as soon as Blackie left for Leeds that our form dipped off drastically as with Blackie as Warnocks lieutenant we would have enjoyed top flight football earlier and sooner.

The only reason we didn’t go up in 08/09 was because Blackie had his best player sold behind his back, and we still ended up a couple of points away automatic, and at a Wembley play off final, and he achieved all that despite inheriting an expensive squad from Robson that wasn’t fit for purpose, and had to remodel it as quickly as he could, whilst simultaneously having his budget slashed, if it wasn’t for Blackwell we would have fallen a lot quicker.
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Ninja level trolling...surely?
 

itsinyerblood said:
Missed you post mate, just read it. Yes, Blackwell was not the right man and it was time for him to leave, well said.
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Prescient comments from Linz in that thread:

He is apparently feared rather than respected in the dressing room
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and this pearl:

we'd never get out of League One playing the way we are
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If only you knew what was to come when you wrote that Linz! :(
 
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