The Managers: Gary Megson, 2007

[davieG]

Gary Megson was the second of the three managers appointed by Milan Mandarić in the 2007/08 season, which culminated in relegation to League 1.

His predecessor Martin Allen had been in post for 96 days. Megson’s tenure was even shorter lasting for only 42 days. This is the shortest ever term served by a Leicester City manager.

As a player, Megson was a defensive midfielder who played for nine clubs. Spells at Plymouth Argyle and Everton were followed by two spells at Sheffield Wednesday (for which club his father Don had played in the 1966 FA Cup Final) and a brief spell Nottingham Forest (although Brian Clough never played him in the first team). He also played for Newcastle United, Manchester City and Norwich City. At Carrow Road, he was in the Canaries team which finished third in the Premier League and played in the UEFA Cup.

 

At Norwich, Megson later became assistant to manager John Deehan. This was followed by brief spell as caretaker manager when he was unable to save the team from being relegated from the Premier League in 1995. Seven months later, after brief spells as a player at Lincoln City and Shrewsbury Town, he returned to Carrow Road for the remainder of the season as manager to replace Martin O’Neill when he became manager at Filbert Street in December 1995.

 

He spent the next season as Blackpool’s manager. This was followed by two years in charge at Stockport County and four months at the helm of Stoke City, before he was replaced by the club’s new Icelandic owners.

Megson’s next managerial post was a four-and-a-half year spell at West Bromwich Albion. He led them to two promotions to, and a relegation from, the Premier League. Board room tensions led to him leaving the Hawthorns in October 2004. He became manager at Nottingham Forest shortly afterwards but he was unable to prevent his new club slipping down to League 1. His failure to mount a promotion challenge the following season led to his departure just over a year after his appointment.

 

He was then out of the game for 16 months until he became part of Tony Pulis' coaching staff at Stoke City in June 2007.

 

Three months later, Mandarić appointed Megson as Leicester City’s new manager. This was not a popular choice with the fans. His coaches were Frank Burrows and the popular ex-Leicester defender Gerry Taggart.

 

Mandarić cited Megson’s ‘wealth of experience’ as the main reason for the appointment. At the same time, Megson stated, ‘I can guarantee that Leicester City will get all my attention, drive and desire to succeed’. Six weeks later, he walked out on the Club to go to Premier League Bolton Wanderers. 

Megson was charge at Leicester for seven league games, winning one and drawing four. When he left, Leicester City were in a lowly 19th place in the Championship.

In his second game in charge, a League Cup tie, Megson arranged for the home side Nottingham Forest to score unimpeded in the first seconds of the game so that the game could start with the Foxes 1-0 down as they had been when the original game had been abandoned due to the near fatal heart attack suffered by Leicester City’s full back Clive Clarke. Leicester then went on to win the match 3-2 before going on to beat O’Neill’s Aston Villa in the next round.

In his fourth league game in charge, Megson gave Andy King his debut in a 0-0 home draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers. King went on to win the League 1, Championship and Premier League titles with Leicester City.

Megson had been at Leicester for only a month when managerless Premier League side Bolton Wanderers made an approach to Mandarić for Megson’s services. This was rejected but on 23 October, 2007, Bolton announced that Megson was their first choice and made a second approach. A day later he left Leicester City and signed a two-and-a-half year deal at the Reebok Stadium

Megson spent just over two years as manager at Bolton Wanderers, followed by a year’s ‘garden leave’. This was followed by a year back at Hillsborough until he was dismissed in February 2012. Five-and-a-half years later he returned to West Bromwich Albion as Pulis’ assistant coach and a two-match spell as caretaker manager following Pulis’ departure.

 

https://www.lcfc.com/news/1204651/the-managers-gary-megson-2007

[Mark]

Megson for Bolton ?

[copunk]

A proper w##ker, more despised then dennis wise for me

[Mr Mister]

Rubbish manager

[Fox92]

I thought he was decent for us in terms of shoring up defence. I remember winning at Hillsborough and it was one of the best games of the season (not that we had many!). 

 

Thought then and still now that he was an absolute **** the way he just went to Bolton.

 

I remember that Forest game and he took loads of abuse from their fans.

[Corky]

I reckon he would've kept us up that season, but I have no regrets about him going or joining in with the chants telling him to go to Bolton. His four home matches were collectively the worst I've seen in 20-odd years- two goals, no wins and a truly appalling match against Sheffield United where we didn't have a shot on target. It made Puel's football look like Barcelona.

 

Six weeks of two good cup results and nothing memorable in league matches. A waste of time all round.

[Jonezy]

Shivers... 

[urban.spaceman]

Lucky escape. Bolton are still in disarray and Megson hasn’t been seen in public for 2 years. 

[Langston]

Wouldn't have gone down under him (but it wouldn't have been easy to endure) but he was infinitely more dislikeable than Allen, even Holloway. 

That game where Danny Webber scored for Sheffield United was an absolute howler. Puel got pelters for negativity and caution but I'd have thought even he'd draw the line at starting six ****ing defenders at home.

[Mike the Metal Ed]

Oddly fondly remembered for serving up the dullest football I've ever seen City play. Averaged a point a game and probably shoulders more blame than Holloway for our relegation. Mandaric had a hilarious tantrum when his chosen man got made to feel unwelcome here too. Glad he walked as soon as he did.

[Trav Le Bleu]

1 hour ago, copunk said:

A proper w##ker, more despised then dennis wise for me

Almost, but not quite. As said elsewhere, probably, of the managers we had in 07-08, the most responsible for getting us relegated.

[ajthefox]

Still can't quite believe that he got appointed by us and then 'poached' so quickly by a prem team. I've never been so happy to see the back of a manager.

 

 

 

[Tuna]

Don't forget he stole Mark Davies from us a year later.

[Mike the Metal Ed]

All that said, the cup win at Villa Park was great. Was absolutely shitting it when Patrik Berger had a free kick on the edge of the box at injury time.

[Collymore]

c***

[Freeman's Wharfer]

Ginger Mourinho

[Poiseuille]

Anyone actually remember that line up with 7 right backs?

 

I think I remember Kenton and Chambers were our centre mids. 

[Mr Mister]

Ridiculous appointment that followed the ridiculous sacking of Allen. 

[Tielemans63]

Gary bloody Megson.

 

Boring name

Boring face

Boring voice 

Boring hair do

Boring football 

Boring interviews 

 

Was delighted when he ****ed off to go and bore the shit out of Bolton fans instead.

[Vlad the Fox]

I’d usually give any manager a chance regardless of any reservations I may have, but the night we appointed megson I sat quietly with my head in my hands and slipped into a depression. 

 

When bolton shown their interest I couldn’t believe our luck and genuinely played it cool scared they’d change their minds if they saw how happy we were  

[Mendi]

[HybridFox]

what a bizarre period in our history 

[murphy]

These are getting ever more dismal.

 

Can we just fast forward to Pearson?

[Jattdogg]

Stupid tw@t w@nker cvnt doosh  cum face.

Mic drop.

 

 

Lol

 

 

I know , i know, i should be more polite. Sigh.

[Mike the Metal Ed]

3 hours ago, Poiseuille said:

Anyone actually remember that line up with 7 right backs?

 

I think I remember Kenton and Chambers were our centre mids. 

A few weeks later, Frank Burrows would go to Chelsea with a midfield three of Chambers, Kenton and Shaun Newton and nearly win. 

 

(With one natural centre midfielder, Sergio Hellings, as an unused substitute)