Micky Adams on 5Live

[Sampson]

From what I remember, even after promotion back to the PL we were basically still bankrupt and almost all the promotion and tv money just went towards paying off debts, so MA just had to bring in a bunch of free signings.

 

We probably spent the least of any newly promoted side in the past 20 years - usually newly promoted teams spend tens of millions. Think we spent about £400k in total or something miniscule.

 

He was kind of hamstrung in what he could bring in during the PL season to be fair to him.

[Realist Guy In The Room]

13 minutes ago, Sampson said:

From what I remember, even after promotion back to the PL we were basically still bankrupt and almost all the promotion and tv money just went towards paying off debts, so MA just had to bring in a bunch of free signings.

 

We probably spent the least of any newly promoted side in the past 20 years - usually newly promoted teams spend tens of millions. Think we spent about £400k in total or something miniscule.

 

He was kind of hamstrung in what he could bring in during the PL season to be fair to him.

This.

 

We signed players like Paul Brooker, Nicolas Priet and John Curtis just to get the numbers up but they were absolute gash.  Also many of the players that were still here from previous management were in massive decline.  Impey, Taggart, Elliott and then the Taylor boys who were never really good enough anyway Scowcroft, Jones, Davidson.  

 

It still amazes me how competitive we were.

[Steven]

4 hours ago, Sampson said:

Tbf we did still have a superb attack that season.

 

Dickov and Ferdinand were both outstanding and one of the best strikeforces in the country that season and pretty sure they outscored any of MON' s strikeforces even. We just couldn't defend to save our lives and let in so many late equalisers/winners for the opposition.

So’ton (h): led 2-0, drew 2-2.
Spurs (h): led 1-0, lost 2-1.
Wolves (a): led 3-0, lost 4-3.
Ch’ton (h): led 1-0, drew 1-1.
Everton (a): led 2-1, lost 3-2.
N’castle (h): led 1-0, drew 1-1.
Bolton (a): led 1-0, drew 2-2.
Boro (a): led 3-1, drew 3-3.
Bolton (h): led 1-0, drew 1-1.
Spurs (a): led 4-3, drew 4-4.

[Dan]

Too young to really appreciate how well he did for us at the time, looking back we've got a lot to thank him for. Deserves respect off of our fans for sure.

[Tielemans63]

7 hours ago, Realist Guy In The Room said:

This.

 

We signed players like Paul Brooker, Nicolas Priet and John Curtis just to get the numbers up but they were absolute gash.  Also many of the players that were still here from previous management were in massive decline.  Impey, Taggart, Elliott and then the Taylor boys who were never really good enough anyway Scowcroft, Jones, Davidson.  

 

It still amazes me how competitive we were.

You're right mate. Just look at this shower of shit.

 

 

It's testament to MA that he almost kept the team up when this is what he was working with. Think I'm right in saying too that those 'legacy' players you talked about from the MoN era were also on lucrative contracts weren't they? Seem to remember Peter Taylor trying to curry favour with those guys by flinging out 4 and 5 year deals with big wages when they were past their best. That can't have helped MA either as presumably he couldn't get rid of the old to bring in the new. 

 

He did make mistakes and there were numerous times that season when I wanted to punch myself in the face when we kept chucking points away late on in games but IMHO Adams should be remembered as a real success and an important figure in our history.

[funkyrobot]

9 minutes ago, Paddy. said:

You're right mate. Just look at this shower of shit.

 

 

It's testament to MA that he almost kept the team up when this is what he was working with. Think I'm right in saying too that those 'legacy' players you talked about from the MoN era were also on lucrative contracts weren't they? Seem to remember Peter Taylor trying to curry favour with those guys by flinging out 4 and 5 year deals with big wages when they were past their best. That can't have helped MA either as presumably he couldn't get rid of the old to bring in the new. 

 

He did make mistakes and there were numerous times that season when I wanted to punch myself in the face when we kept chucking points away late on in games but IMHO Adams should be remembered as a real success and an important figure in our history.

Lee fkin Morris, what a sick note. Then when he finally played we realised he was less effective than a well past his best higgy. 

[Realist Guy In The Room]

11 minutes ago, funkyrobot said:

Lee fkin Morris, what a sick note. Then when he finally played we realised he was less effective than a well past his best higgy. 

Let us please not forget Peter Canero.

 

If he had even an inch of quality, he would have won us the game with a glorious chance away at Leeds and who knows, that may have changed our fortunes.  

 

As it was, he was absolute dogshit and missed a sitter leaving the way for us to concede late and lose.

[Vlad the Fox]

9 hours ago, mod hero said:

I remember that, horrible. Can't remember the tactics that season as it was a long time ago.

 

what I do remember is every time he made a sub when we were winning/drawing towards the end would end up conceding late on

He said in an interview once that we had no depth in the squad, other teams could bring on prem quality players but as soon as we brought on subs it massively weakened our team resulting in us conceding late goals.

[funkyrobot]

3 minutes ago, Realist Guy In The Room said:

Let us please not forget Peter Canero.

 

If he had even an inch of quality, he would have won us the game with a glorious chance away at Leeds and who knows, that may have changed our fortunes.  

 

As it was, he was absolute dogshit and missed a sitter leaving the way for us to concede late and lose.

Sweet peter the canary was the start of the Scottish influx that carried on and really took off when Levein took over eh? I seem to remember that canary and all those that followed were all absolutely shite. 

[Bellend Sebastian]

I still think Mickey getting us promoted at the first attempt after a season where the team and the club had been in total disarray, and without spending any money is one of the most impressive achievements of the modern game. Add to that the fact we could even compete in games in the PL having thrown together a squad using change from behind the sofa cushions, I really don't think he gets the recognition he deserves

[Gazza M]

Used to be a treat to follow City in that promotion season against adversity. The football was not the most attractive, but very effective. The following year was one of the most frustrating. We weren't that bad, just Mickey got obsessed with experience and then took it to a new level after relegation with the "dads army." I know he had lost it when he started talking about himself in the 3rd person all the time in interviews. With hindsight, was better than the sack of s*it that followed for the next 18 months after that. 

[mod hero]

43 minutes ago, Vlad the Fox said:

He said in an interview once that we had no depth in the squad, other teams could bring on prem quality players but as soon as we brought on subs it massively weakened our team resulting in us conceding late goals.

I remember he kept taking Dickov off cos he was goosed and bringing Brian Deane on so we lost that defending from the front.

 

i thought Marcus Bent had a good season for us that year as well

[Sampson]

1 hour ago, mod hero said:

I remember he kept taking Dickov off cos he was goosed and bringing Brian Deane on so we lost that defending from the front.

 

i thought Marcus Bent had a good season for us that year as well

He did! I remember him scoring a cracking goal against Charlton too! Such a good attack really didn't deserve to go down but when you were forced to play John Curtis, Steve Howey, Matt Heath and Jordan Stewart in defence we just couldn't compete.

[mod hero]

Paul Brooker, winger signed from Brighton I think.

 

made one appearance v Chelsea and gave a goal away.

 

never seen him again.

 

remeber Dabizas as well? ?

[bovril]

All of the team that started the first match against Southampton had PL experience and 6 of the team that year (Thatcher, Gillespie, Dikov, Bent, Izzet, Ferdinand) went on to play more games in the PL after they left us, so we weren't quite the plucky 'crock of shit' people seem to remember. I think the signings were good considering we had no money, just tactics and game management got us relegated. 

[Corky]

We weren't a great side but the amount of leads that were lost and late goals conceded suggested we had enough up to a point.

 

We were well off the pace in the Championship when he left with an ageing squad.

[Stan]

13 hours ago, bovril said:

Boro away is maybe the most depressed I've been after a Leicester game. 

This. A thousand times.

 

I remember listening to the match commentary, when they announced only 2 minutes added time and thinking phew! 

[Fox92]

Will always like him for his job here. Promotion under admin is tough.

 

[Fox92]

13 hours ago, bovril said:

Boro away is maybe the most depressed I've been after a Leicester game. 

Wolves away for me.

 

Always remember seeing someone in our end after final whistle just sat staring at the floor.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

1 hour ago, Sampson said:

He did! I remember him scoring a cracking goal against Charlton too! Such a good attack really didn't deserve to go down but when you were forced to play John Curtis, Steve Howey, Matt Heath and Jordan Stewart in defence we just couldn't compete.

Didn't Ferdinand bag an absolute rocket of a free kick late on at the Valley as well?

[ajthefox]

12 minutes ago, Miquel The Work Geordie said:

Didn't Ferdinand bag an absolute rocket of a free kick late on at the Valley as well?

Bagged a few as I recall. One at Pompey sticks in my mind. 

[Vlad the Fox]

4 hours ago, mod hero said:

I remember he kept taking Dickov off cos he was goosed and bringing Brian Deane on so we lost that defending from the front.

 

i thought Marcus Bent had a good season for us that year as well

Bent was great, I was gutted we didn't isn't sign him.

[David Hankey]

Lovely to reminisce but we really should be looking forward.

[HighPeakFox]

David has spoken - stop enjoying yourselves everyone.

[Koke]

When asked on 5 Live he thought this current group of Leicester players are "unmanageable" he said yes. That came after reports suggesting Puel had to impress the players and MA wasn't having any of that. He probably does have a point that 1 or 2 senior players in this squad need to be moved on. It's a powerful group of players.