Worst ever managers - we have had a few

[shen]

2 hours ago, Gubbins said:

I did say he's far from the worse but compare him to our more mid range managers, Little, Adam's, Wallace hell even Sven who didn't even manage a promotion and straddles the line between mid and crap. I'd rather watch any of their sides play football than watch Marescas all out possesion shite. For me he's dead last in our list of not awful managers.

 

Its not really got owt to do with the overall conversation but as you brought it up im not sure his desertion to Chelsea did save our behind, rather it kicked the can down the road into this year's potentially club ending relegation scrap.

I think Maresca got way too much criticism for his style. Some were adamant we never attacked with pace or on the counter, but we clearly did at times. I would always choose the patient play which would periodically result in some nice movements and clear cut chances above the sporadic wondergoals we got under Cooper, Cifuentes or even Sven. 

 

Re Saving our bacon, 12 points deduction would probably have been a foregone conclusion this season without the money generated from the compensations. 

The income probably gave us a better shot at survival both last season and this season. 

That we completely squandered those opportunities is not on Maresca.

[Leicesterpool]

RVN just seem to give up by Christmas. I think it was as soon as he found out he wouldnt be able to sign anyone in January.

[The Doctor]

On 05/03/2026 at 17:15, Fox92 said:

Better than some of the squads that stayed up. We went down with something like the third best defence in the league.

 

Our squad included players that were more than proven at that level, Oakley/Clemence/Howard, plus McAuley was solid and went onto have a good top flight career, as did Stearman. Hume was half decent at that level and used to get double figures for us. 

 

I will always stand that we should not have gone down. I don't even think we'd have gone down with Megson in charge. Agree that Allen started the mess (as did Mandaric overseeing it all, getting involved and letting it happen) but for being the man in charge while it happened Holloway goes down as one of the worst for me (it is hard to compare different levels/squads/budgets throughout history, granted). 

Howard wasn't really a goalscorer though. We had basically no attacking threat in that team. Holloway was abysmal, but that squad was not plenty good enough for the level. It had some good individuals but an overall dearth of quality. Much like now tbh.

 

6 hours ago, everton carr said:

The fact they have been poor don't change the fact they both had good careers prior to Leicester.Ayew over 300 PL games over 100 international caps.And it's a team of 5 who have to agree on signings not just the manager.

Cooper obviously pushed for Ayew and Reid. That 4 other people had the chance to override him and tell him this is a professional football club, not an episode of Premier League Years just means there were 5 shit people at the club that summer.

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

On 05/03/2026 at 15:47, Stadt said:

Cannon was a January transfer and so was Woyo so the net spend 88m - 35m  (euros/transfermarkt). 53m euros so about £46m net.

 

We don't know the exact transfer approval process but it's pretty obvious Skipp, Ayew and Reid were die cast Cooper signings. Can you imagine Maresca asking for those three?  

Enzo got them out of jail to some extent and gave them an undeserved opportunity to make right all the wrongs that had gone on before. And then they deliver that transfer window… 🤣 beggars belief really.

[TonyN11]

Holloway for me

[TonyN11]

Can't remember if I said, 'Holloway for me'

[Stadt]

32 minutes ago, Wasyls Pec Deck said:

Enzo got them out of jail to some extent and gave them an undeserved opportunity to make right all the wrongs that had gone on before. And then they deliver that transfer window… 🤣 beggars belief really.

Apparently they were concerned about FFP at this point  

[Aussie Flash]

As other folks have mentioned on this topic Rodgers was the worst manager by far  I have  witnessed in the City hot seat in the last 70 years . Just goes to show what Irish blarney can do when we have such incompetants running the show.

[inckley fox]

8 hours ago, The Doctor said:

Howard wasn't really a goalscorer though. We had basically no attacking threat in that team. Holloway was abysmal, but that squad was not plenty good enough for the level. It had some good individuals but an overall dearth of quality. Much like now tbh.

 

Cooper obviously pushed for Ayew and Reid. That 4 other people had the chance to override him and tell him this is a professional football club, not an episode of Premier League Years just means there were 5 shit people at the club that summer.

The issue in those days was the midfield. The only thin thread of a midfield we had post-Izzet lay in Joey Gudjonsson. And when he sodded off, there was nothing.

 

In defence there was McAuley, Stearman, Kisnorbo, McCarthy. In attack Hume, Fryatt. But in between, for years on end, it was a vacuum.