Southgate's time at the Boro: 'six bad weeks'

Sheriff_John_Bunnell_ret said:
I was more than happy for Southgate to be sacked when he was. I would have preferred it if he had gone earlier, but as soon as possible were my thoughts.

The problem was our performance in big games. Losing 5 nil at home to wba. Dear me.

I also don't remember schwartzer getting hounded out. My memory is of people being furious that the club let him go.

Such a shame there's no archive of this message board from 10 years ago.
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Schwarzer was very unpopular around the part of the North stand I sat. Enough to make me have a few arguments during the game. I'll guarantee if you spoke to him he'd have felt under valued from the fans at that time. Not everyone, not even the majority, but as with most things it's the idiots that shout the loudest.
 
Gains said:
Strachan might have been a bad appointment for you, I'm just saying at the time the majority thought it was an upgrade from Gareth and yes, it proved to be terrible decision but that doesn't mean it was seen as the same as say, the Woody or "We're going with Steve" decisions which both got a very luke warm reception from fans when they were made.
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I think the majority of fans had reservations tbh he was a dump manager at the wrong time. the best we could have hoped for was some decent players coming in on the back of his appointment.. Craig Dawson, Scott Brown, Gary Hooper, Charlie Austin, Charlie Adam (again) f**ked them all off.
 
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newyddion said:
Gordon Strachan was a total turd of a manager long before he darkened out doorstep. Nobody agreed with the timing of his sacking (of Southgate). I would say quite a few wanted him changed out in January, the majority would have accepted him being shipped out in the summer.. not many thought it was a good ideas to fire him when we did. I remember a section of our supporters booing Schwartzer.. idiots.
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Good summary newy, easy to look at this with hindsight, but how the non Boro foot ball world reacts is a good barometer and most were genuinely surprised Southgate went when he did.
 
Gains said:
Schwarzer was very unpopular around the part of the North stand I sat. Enough to make me have a few arguments during the game. I'll guarantee if you spoke to him he'd have felt under valued from the fans at that time. Not everyone, not even the majority, but as with most things it's the idiots that shout the loudest.
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Lot more to it with Schwarzer, but I would definitely imagine he felt undervalued. Read his recent comments about Mclaren and I imagine despite over ten years sterling service wih us he was never one of our big earners. Worked out well for him, could have seen his career out with us but instead reached a Uefa Cup Final, played in the Champions League and was part of the Leicester sqaud who won the Premier.
 
Otto42 said:
Good summary newy, easy to look at this with hindsight, but how the non Boro foot ball world reacts is a good barometer and most were genuinely surprised Southgate went when he did.
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Sean St Ledger.. £4.5m how on earth did that come about? Pure madness.

I remember at the time thinking Graham Souness would have been a good fit (if we were to replace Southgate) and liked the idea of Nigel Pearson also.

Tony Mowbray's stock had rocketed and he had taken the job at Celtic around that time.
 
Newy

We didn't sign SSL - only had him on loan for 4 months.

£4.5m would have been quite expensive, but he was ROI international and well established Championship player.
 
newyddion said:
Sean St Ledger.. £4.5m how on earth did that come about? Pure madness.

I remember at the time thinking Graham Souness would have been a good fit (if we were to replace Southgate) and liked the idea of Nigel Pearson also.

Tony Mowbray's stock had rocketed and he had taken the job at Celtic around that time.
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Again all makes the sacking of Southgate when we did more bizarre, we had given him the pre season to get the players he wanted prepared how he wanted for the Championship. Sack him the previous Christmas or summer we are a much more attractive proposition to someone like Souness, Pearson or Mowbray. Sounded at the time like the whole Southgate sacking and Strachan appointment was a bit knee jerk, hadn't Keith Lamb just bumped into him at Coventry a few weeks before?

Conversation something like this....Gibbo 'I though we would be doing better than this.....only fourth, stuffed by West Brom and losing at home to the likes of Leicester' Lamby 'Well Gordon Strachan was saying to me last Saturday......'
 
Otto42 said:
Again all makes the sacking of Southgate when we did more bizarre, we had given him the pre season to get the players he wanted prepared how he wanted for the Championship. Sack him the previous Christmas or summer we are a much more attractive proposition to someone like Souness, Pearson or Mowbray. Sounded at the time like the whole Southgate sacking and Strachan appointment was a bit knee jerk, hadn't Keith Lamb just bumped into him at Coventry a few weeks before?

Conversation something like this....Gibbo 'I though we would be doing better than this.....only fourth, stuffed by West Brom and losing at home to the likes of Leicester' Lamby 'Well Gordon Strachan was saying to me last Saturday......'
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---------------------Coyne-------------------
McMahon--Wheater--St Ledger--Grounds
-----Yeates--Williams--Arca--Johnson-----
---------------Aliadere--Emnes-------------
 
Corcaigh_the_Cat said:
What a dreadful line up.
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Bennett was just about to come on the scene as I recall.. maybe he was already starting to make appearances. We should have done a lot more with what we had imo.

-----------------Jones---------------
Hoyte--Wheater--St Ledger--Hines
-----Williams--Digard--Arca--------
---Johnson--Aliadere--Emnes------
 
Stupid stupid decision to appoint him Gibson should have listened to the LMA but we all know how pigheaded he is. This 6 bad weeks nonsense is gibson trying to rewrite history and justify a monumentally stupid appointment. Gibson knew the club would be restructuring and reducing wage, all the more reason to go for an experience hand, like an Allardyce or a Hodgson, not a rookie. Tightening the purse strings whilst trying out a management novice was completely illogical and the wrong decision to say otherwise is insane. I dont believe we would have gone up that year under southgate losing future premier league winner Huth, and adam johnson severely weakened the team, dont forget southgate's replacement for huth was Sean St Ledger an absolute spud. Amazing player for us but gareth the manager was a four or five out of ten at best and gibsons appointment a zero.
 
Glover_elbow said:
Stupid stupid decision to appoint him Gibson should have listened to the LMA but we all know how pigheaded he is. This 6 bad weeks nonsense is gibson trying to rewrite history and justify a monumentally stupid appointment. Gibson knew the club would be restructuring and reducing wage, all the more reason to go for an experience hand, like an Allardyce or a Hodgson, not a rookie. Tightening the purse strings whilst trying out a management novice was completely illogical and the wrong decision to say otherwise is insane. I dont believe we would have gone up that year under southgate losing future premier league winner Huth, and adam johnson severely weakened the team, dont forget southgate's replacement for huth was Sean St Ledger an absolute spud. Amazing player for us but gareth the manager was a four or five out of ten at best and gibsons appointment a zero.
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I normally defend Gibson on here but I agree, it was a daft appointment and I still regret it to this day. Southgate could win the Euros and next year's WC but it wouldn't change my view of that appointment at that time.
 
newyddion said:
Bennett was just about to come on the scene as I recall.. maybe he was already starting to make appearances. We should have done a lot more with what we had imo.

-----------------Jones---------------
Hoyte--Wheater--St Ledger--Hines
-----Williams--Digard--Arca--------
---Johnson--Aliadere--Emnes------
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Remember the this is my team now judge me on my team... line

Yes that worked out well didn’t it.
 
Problem with strachan was that he badly over estimated how good Scottish football was compared to even the championship as he put together on paper an old firm dream team with the likes of Boyd McManus robson flood killen etc.

But it just highlighted how poor Scottish football is/was.
 
newyddion said:
Bennett was just about to come on the scene as I recall.. maybe he was already starting to make appearances. We should have done a lot more with what we had imo.

-----------------Jones---------------
Hoyte--Wheater--St Ledger--Hines
-----Williams--Digard--Arca--------
---Johnson--Aliadere--Emnes------
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Barring Johnson (less said the better), that is a truly dreadful team. Arca was past it by that point and Digard never had the fitness to achieve anything.

Imagine if we had kept Tuncay and Huth. Would have walked it.
 
zorro_mfc said:
Problem with strachan was that he badly over estimated how good Scottish football was compared to even the championship as he put together on paper an old firm dream team with the likes of Boyd McManus robson flood killen etc.

But it just highlighted how poor Scottish football is/was.
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That and he didn't sign any wide players. No fullbacks or wingers. Other than tarmo link. Hence Barry Robson at left back.
I think that was at qpr where we had won five one the year previous with Leroy Lita putting in one of his god performances and Arca beating five men with the world's slowest dribble.
 
I forgot about chasing Alan Smith....bullet dodged. It's like Derby beating us to the signature of Waghorn (who's now leaving for nothing).

It's sometimes nice being out bid👍
 
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