Who are your 5 worst Blades managers since 1975?

[Jan Age]

1. Robson - the most uninsparational signing ever made by the club.

2. Heath - Woeful

3. Russel Slade - Only caretaker twice but really didn't like the guy.

4. Nigel Clough - controversial but the last season was just unforgivable.

5. Micky Adams - Poor just Poor.

 

[I should coco]

Haslam has to be in their for taking us down a division and having a hand in appointing Peters.

Peters HAS to be in the list as he took us to the lowest point in our history,

Robson obviously as he couldn't manage his way out of a paper bag despite spending record amounts (for us) on transfers and wages. If he'd stayed to the end of that season we would have gone down.

Weir; out of his depth and totally inexperienced. The opposition sussed us out after one game and stopped our fantastic passing game by not letting us play it out from the back like Barca. Plan B was more of Plan A.

Heath. That night at home to the mighty Port Vale is one of my top 5 worst ever United games.He was clueless and without Smith's goals we would have been in the relegation zone earlier. He just pips McEwan (Oldham at BDTBL close to the top 5) by revealing his ineptitude so quickly.

So for me, in order of crapness

Robson
Peters
Heath
Weir
Haslam

The jury is out on Adkins but his current 0% win percentage is very worrying...........

 

[Jehovah]

Weir, no question. I have never gone and watched United expecting us to lose, but with that piece of shit, it was foregone conclusion. Watching us lose to Hartlepool at home in the cup was a particular lowlight.

Robson was awful, but did sign Beattie, one of my favourite ever United players.

I actually think Adams was unlucky. We pounded some teams in some games, but due to hitting the woodwrok countless times and just general badluck, he went down with us. Just off the top of my head Nowrich somehow beat us 1-2 at home despite being annhiliated. Millwall nicked a 93rd minute equaliser which they had no right to. He did also give us a fantastic away day at Reading when 2-0 down and relegated, we came back to win 3-2 and have a chance of survival.

 

[Bladesway]

Robson edges Weir out as the worst in my lifetime. Simply because of the money he squandered and the players he alienated, hiring Robson was the beginning of our slippy slope to where we are today. Weir had little time and funds to improve a very poor squad that he inherited.

1. Robson
2. Weir
3. Heath
4. Adams
5. Blackwell

If you want me to be pedantic Warnock was the start of the slippery slope.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Only five?

 

[Deleted member 1486]

How on earth can you have missed out Bryan Robson?

You beat me to that question.

I'm just going to say Robson and Blackwell. Yes, I was there for Heath, Weir, etc, etc, They were bad but the rot had set in before they got there. Robson and Blackwell both had the best team in the league and the biggest resources and still managed to fuck it up! (and caused far more long term damage to us than any of the above. The cost of not being in the top league NOW has never been greater).

 

[Darren]

It beggars belief that people think Blackwell a worse manager than Weir, Adams, Peters, Robson etc. This is the guy under whom we were always challenging for promotion from the second tier. I am quite willing to accept that the football was tedious and that he was personally obnoxious; but the worst manager since 1975? Really?

All I can say is that I wish we were still in the position we were in under Blackwell....

 

[Revolution]

In chronological order:

Haslam
Heath
Robson
Adams
Weir

Honourable mentions: Peters, Sirrell

The idea that Blackwell set us back 10 years is ludicrous. He made errors, true, and perhaps should have done better in 2008-9, but the person most responsible for our failure to be promoted in those years is McCabe. Haslam did far more damage with his loony transfer policy than Blackwell did.

 

[JJ Sefton]

Weir
Robson
Heath
Adams
Speed

 

[Darren]

In chronological order:

Haslam
Heath
Robson
Adams
Weir

Honourable mentions: Peters, Sirrell

The idea that Blackwell set us back 10 years is ludicrous. He made errors, true, and perhaps should have done better in 2008-9, but the person most responsible for our failure to be promoted in those years is McCabe. Haslam did far more damage with his loony transfer policy than Blackwell did.

Indeed. Even as a matter of basic logic, Blackwell's massive improvement in 07-08 with the same players as we had under Robson (and his taking roughly the same team to a 3rd place finish in 08-09) must make the former a better manager than the latter.

 

[On The Plus Side...]

Nigel Adkins!

 

[Mustela Putorius Furo]

Under Harry Haslam United finished in their lowest EVER league position in 3 consecutive seasons. The full depths of our decline started under him. He has to be the worst. That leaves Adams, Weir, Robson etc as also-rans.


(Later, under Ian Porterfield we actually finished in our lowest ever postion.... but then he couldn't finish any higher than 1st in Div 4 in his first season).

 

[Darren]

Under Harry Haslam United finished in their lowest EVER league position in 3 consecutive seasons. The full depths of our decline started under him. He has to be the worst. That leaves Adams, Weir, Robson etc as also-rans.


(Later, under Ian Porterfield we actually finished in our lowest ever postion.... but then he couldn't finish any higher than 1st in Div 4 in his first season).

Interesting point. From every season from 76-77 to 81-82 we equalled or beat our lowest ever league position

76-77 11th D2
77-78 12th D2
78-79 20th D2
79-80 12th D3
80-81 21st D3
81-82 1st D4.

 

[Grecian2000]

Indeed. Even as a matter of basic logic, Blackwell's massive improvement in 07-08 with the same players as we had under Robson (and his taking roughly the same team to a 3rd place finish in 08-09) must make the former a better manager than the latter.

Although looking at Robsons record at Middlesboro would be similar to comparing his playing career with the Blackwells.
Busted flush by the time he got to us but, and should never have been appointed, but a couple of promotions from Div2, three survivals in the top division and their first ever FA Cup final would suggest Boro fans probably can't even understand what we're on about.

So MY worst five:

Heath
Weir
Robson
Blackwell
McEwan

I think one things for sure, other than Porterfield in his first years under Brealey, none of our managers can look to the boardroom with much affection.

 

[JJ Sefton]

I think one things for sure, other than Porterfield in his first years under Brealey, none of our managers can look to the boardroom with much affection.

Kendall and Robson?

 

[Darren]

Although looking at Robsons record at Middlesboro would be similar to comparing his playing career with the Blackwells.
Busted flush by the time he got to us but, and should never have been appointed, but a couple of promotions from Div2, three survivals in the top division and their first ever FA Cup final would suggest Boro fans probably can't even understand what we're on about.

So MY worst five:

Heath
Weir
Robson
Blackwell
McEwan

I think one things for sure, other than Porterfield in his first years under Brealey, none of our managers can look to the boardroom with much affection.

But aren't we talking about who was the worst United manager? In which case, Robson is far worse than Blackwell's, whatever their records at other clubs.

Also, the wallet was well and truly opened for Robson as well as Porterfield.

 

[Darren]

My worst 5

1. Robson
2. Weir
3. Adams
4. Heath
5. Haslam.

 

[JJ Sefton]

My top four lists

1 - Worst United managers
2 - Prime Ministers who came to office not through election
3 - This one
4 - Numbers 1 records on your birthday

 

[mosbolad]

As they say on The Weakest Link, statistically the weakest were (win percentage)

And the strongest?
Clough 56.67
Wilson 51.89
Spackman 46.51
Porterfield 43.36
Warnock 42.53
Blackwell 42.40
Make of it what you will. Crap managers getting good results, crap managers getting bad results, and so on. Unfortunately, where we are now it is definitely about results regardless of performance. Hopefully, Adkins can deliver both.

Just out of interest, where do you get Clough's win percentage from?

Soccerbase (which is invariably correct) and even Clough's own wiki page (which is invariably subject to random editing!) lists it as
104 games managed, won 49 which is a 47.12 win percent.

Still pretty decent but behind Danny Wilson at 51.89, who appears to be our most successful (based purely on win percentage) permanent manager.

http://www.soccerbase.com/managers/manager.sd?manager_id=2142

 

[Grecian2000]

But aren't we talking about who was the worst United manager?

Yes we are, but I was looking at your "must make the former a better manager than the latter" which I read as a more expansive statement.

A bit like comparing our CF's and saying "Keith Edwards was a better player than Ian Rush", all about the context.

 

[Darren]

My top four lists

1 - Worst United managers
2 - Prime Ministers who came to office not through election
3 - This one
4 - Numbers 1 records on your birthday

List of which PMs had the most United managers in their tenure

1. Cameron 9 (Blackwell, Speed, Carver, Adams, Wilson, Morgan, Weir, Clough. Adkins)
2. Blair 8 (Kendall, Spackman, Thompson, Bruce, Heath, Slade, Warnock, Robson)
3. Thatcher 6 (Haslam, Peters, Porterfield, McEwan, Bergara, Bassett)
4. Wilson 5 (Harris, Rowley, Furphy, Coldwell, Sirrel)
5. Callaghan 3 (Sirrell, Coldwell, Haslam)
MacMillan 3 (Mercer, Clark, Harris)
7. Major 2 (Bassett. Kendall)
Brown 2 (Robson, Blackwell)
Heath 2 (Harris, Furphy)
Eden 2 (Freeman, Mercer)
. Churchill 2 (Davison, Freeman)
12 Douglas-Home 1 (Harris)
Attlee 1 (Davison)
Chamerberlain 1 (Davison
Baldwin 1 (Davison)
MacDonald 1 (Davison)

 

[Darren]

List of PMs with same surname as United Managers

1. Heath
2. Wilson

 

[Guesty]

Cameron nine? NINE?

Christ it's like a living hell because it means that we have concurrently a long-reigning Tory Government and United being shit.

 

[Darren]

Cameron nine? NINE?

Christ it's like a living hell because it means that we have concurrently a long-reigning Tory Government and United being shit.

He's been PM for 5 years, so we are averaging just short of 2 managers a year in his term or in other terms, the average tenure of a manager under Cameron is just over 6 months (even shorter if you count Morgan's 2 spells separately).

 

[JJ Sefton]

List of which PMs had the most United managers in their tenure

1. Cameron 9 (Blackwell, Speed, Carver, Adams, Wilson, Morgan, Weir, Clough. Adkins)
2. Blair 8 (Kendall, Spackman, Thompson, Bruce, Heath, Slade, Warnock, Robson)
3. Thatcher 6 (Haslam, Peters, Porterfield, McEwan, Bergara, Bassett)
4. Wilson 5 (Harris, Rowley, Furphy, Coldwell, Sirrel)
5. Callaghan 3 (Sirrell, Coldwell, Haslam)
MacMillan 3 (Mercer, Clark, Harris)
7. Major 2 (Bassett. Kendall)
Brown 2 (Robson, Blackwell)
Heath 2 (Harris, Furphy)
Eden 2 (Freeman, Mercer)
. Churchill 2 (Davison, Freeman)
12 Douglas-Home 1 (Harris)
Attlee 1 (Davison)
Chamerberlain 1 (Davison
Baldwin 1 (Davison)
MacDonald 1 (Davison)

The most pointless graph you'll ever see.

 

[Darren]

View attachment 12445

The most pointless graph you'll ever see.

2 errors:
1. Churchill II should have 2 - Davison and Freeman
2. MacDonald should not be red: by the time Davison was appointed the first United manager in 1932 MacDonald was PM in the National Government, around 80% of whose MPs were Tories. MacDonald was the leader of the 20 strong National Labour Group. The official Labour Party was in opposition and had expelled MacDonald the previous year. He should be purple I reckon.

 

[JJ Sefton]

2 errors:
1. Churchill II should have 2 - Davison and Freeman
2. MacDonald should not be red: by the time Davison was appointed the first United manager in 1932 MacDonald was PM in the National Government, around 80% of whose MPs were Tories. MacDonald was the leader of the 20 strong National Labour Group. The official Labour Party was in opposition and had expelled MacDonald the previous year. He should be purple I reckon.

 

[Darren]

View attachment 12446

Top 3 PMs most likely to use the word "fuck"

1. Brown
2. Callaghan
3. Attlee.

 

[grafikhaus]

1. Harry
2. Haslam
3. Danny
4. Bergara
5. Biggldy, boggldy boo

 

[Woodwardfan]

The two who wasted our big cash when we had it:

Joint worst 1 and 2: Kendall and Robson.

Followed Robson and couldn't manage a highly paid squad of good players: 3. Blackwell.

4. Peters
5. Sirrel