What Martin Allen is all about (Brentford Supporter)

[macca]

As a Brentford fan I thought I'd give you my take on your new manager.

If you want passion, drive, commitment, hard work and enthusaistic endeavour, then Martin Allen's your man. They're not just the personal attributes he'll bring but those that he will insist on and instill in everyone around him - and if not, they'll be out with no messing about.

That's why he will bring his tried and tested backroom staff with him as they are well-versed in his ways and he appears to have total trust in those he surrounds himself with, especially his assistant Adrian Whitbred and sports therapist Damien Doyle (don't worry too much about Junior Lewis, he was youth team manager at the Dons, although strangely Allen used him as a squad member at Brentford, much to the surprise of most supporters!).

He will enthuse supporters in a way that most won't have experienced before and he has a fantastic ability to communicate in a way that will create a special bond between fans and players and that will be an experience worth waiting for.

However, the downside of Martin Allen is that tactically he is not the best - his teams are fairly sterile and play one-method football with little hope of varying things either during games or from match-to-match. His players become almost like robots, relying on his touchline rantings to guide them and when left to their own devices, they often seem lost and bewildered.

His win-ratio of games is outstanding and you will almost certainly win/draw more often than suffer defeat and the one thing about Allen is that defeat hurts him badly and a loss is most often followed by a victory in the next match (or at least not another defeat!). This, combined with his somewhat manic approach and off-the-wall antics are, I believe, a deliberate ploy to hide the poor quality of the football played by his teams and in many respects, what's wrong with that? If the team are winning, how many supporters really care about the quality of football? It's only after his reign is over that it's easy to look back and realise what tripe was being dished up much of the time.

In summary, get ready for a magical carpet-ride, enjoy every minute of it - and don't be surprised if it ends in play-off / promotion. The only certainty is that when it does end, it will end in tears (it always does with Mr Allen).

Good luck!!

[lildave3]

As a Brentford fan I thought I'd give you my take on your new manager.

If you want passion, drive, commitment, hard work and enthusaistic endeavour, then Martin Allen's your man. They're not just the personal attributes he'll bring but those that he will insist on and instill in everyone around him - and if not, they'll be out with no messing about.

That's why he will bring his tried and tested backroom staff with him as they are well-versed in his ways and he appears to have total trust in those he surrounds himself with, especially his assistant Adrian Whitbred and sports therapist Damien Doyle (don't worry too much about Junior Lewis, he was youth team manager at the Dons, although strangely Allen used him as a squad member at Brentford, much to the surprise of most supporters!).

He will enthuse supporters in a way that most won't have experienced before and he has a fantastic ability to communicate in a way that will create a special bond between fans and players and that will be an experience worth waiting for.

However, the downside of Martin Allen is that tactically he is not the best - his teams are fairly sterile and play one-method football with little hope of varying things either during games or from match-to-match. His players become almost like robots, relying on his touchline rantings to guide them and when left to their own devices, they often seem lost and bewildered.

His win-ratio of games is outstanding and you will almost certainly win/draw more often than suffer defeat and the one thing about Allen is that defeat hurts him badly and a loss is most often followed by a victory in the next match (or at least not another defeat!). This, combined with his somewhat manic approach and off-the-wall antics are, I believe, a deliberate ploy to hide the poor quality of the football played by his teams and in many respects, what's wrong with that? If the team are winning, how many supporters really care about the quality of football? It's only after his reign is over that it's easy to look back and realise what tripe was being dished up much of the time.

In summary, get ready for a magical carpet-ride, enjoy every minute of it - and don't be surprised if it ends in play-off / promotion. The only certainty is that when it does end, it will end in tears (it always does with Mr Allen).

Good luck!!

Thanks alot for that, sounds to me like a bloke we will all grow to love!

[Babylon]

Thanks alot for that, sounds to me like a bloke we will all grow to love!

Sounds to me like a manager Thracian will turn on after one game of poor football.

I predict the first Allen out poll will be on here by 3rd October.

[Raj]

However, the downside of Martin Allen is that tactically he is not the best - his teams are fairly sterile and play one-method football with little hope of varying things either during games or from match-to-match. His players become almost like robots,

Sounds like just the ticket for Leicester City FC!!!!!

[C-man]

I'm not too worried about fans criticising his tactics at the moment. At Brentford and MK Dons, you have football being played in League 1 and League 2, hence the players aren't great so the style of football being played has to suit them. Yes, Blackpool, Yeovil and even Bristol Rovers are playing some good stuff at the moment, but they may just be exceptions to the 'Hoof to win' rule of the forementioned leagues.

I'm not saying his tactics will change when he gets to City, because we have a shit team aswell. I'm saying that he will need to sign a big striker and a lump in midfield if he wants to play that sort of game.

Hopefully, his tactics can change according to the player situation.

[eaststandtom]

I'm not too worried about fans criticising his tactics at the moment. At Brentford and MK Dons, you have football being played in League 1 and League 2, hence the players aren't great so the style of football being played has to suit them. Yes, Blackpool, Yeovil and even Bristol Rovers are playing some good stuff at the moment, but they may just be exceptions to the 'Hoof to win' rule of the forementioned leagues.

I'm not saying his tactics will change when he gets to City, because we have a shit team aswell. I'm saying that he will need to sign a big striker and a lump in midfield if he wants to play that sort of game.

Hopefully, his tactics can change according to the player situation.

im glad you got those final 2 sentences in

he needs to get some new players in if we are gonna play better football

[Jay]

I'm not too worried about fans criticising his tactics at the moment. At Brentford and MK Dons, you have football being played in League 1 and League 2, hence the players aren't great so the style of football being played has to suit them. Yes, Blackpool, Yeovil and even Bristol Rovers are playing some good stuff at the moment, but they may just be exceptions to the 'Hoof to win' rule of the forementioned leagues.

I'm not saying his tactics will change when he gets to City, because we have a shit team aswell. I'm saying that he will need to sign a big striker and a lump in midfield if he wants to play that sort of game.

Hopefully, his tactics can change according to the player situation.

thats true it's about getting results with the players you have he took over Brentford saved them from relegation and got them into the play offs the next 2 seasons obviously not the best squad in the world but played to their strengths and ability it's a results business and you have to say he has a pretty effective record of getting results.

[Thracian]

Sounds to me like a manager Thracian will turn on after one game of poor football.

I predict the first Allen out poll will be on here by 3rd October.

He'll need more than just enthusiasm at Championship level and beyond. I'm not unhappy with the appointment but am not inclined to join the general euphoria either.

We'll see what he can put together with a level of funding he's not known before and whether his motivational psychology is matched by a clever and adaptable football brain, something that's been notably lacking in our last three managers.

Sounds like Allen will be popular - but then new managers invariably are and often beyond anything they deserve. It's the same with new players. Fans want them to be successful and most try to see them as such to begin with.

I'll not fence sit. I think Allen will be successful in that, with money for new players and his fanatical input to drive them, he will be competing at the right end of the table rather than the wrong one.

If that's the case there'll be no calls for "Allen Out" within the time scale you mentioned because we'll still be basking in the joy of life beyond the bottom quarter of the table.

Frankly, he's not got much to improve on so his chances of early and relative success are so high as to be virtually certain.

It's only later the pressure will mount - when he needs to win vital matches against other managers who have something about them.

And in that situation it is Allen's apparent rigidity and predictability that bothers me because a rigid approach is too easy countered by thoughtful opponents, however much his philosophy might appeal to the masses.

[THEBIGJOHNSTEADER;]

We've drawn far too many games over the last few seasons, hopefully we will start to pick up more wins with some real attacking determination!!!Come on Mad Dog!!!

[Babylon]

He'll need more than just enthusiasm at Championship level and beyond. I'm not unhappy with the appointment but am not inclined to join the general euphoria either.

We'll see what he can put together with a level of funding he's not known before and whether his motivational psychology is matched by a clever and adaptable football brain, something that's been notably lacking in our last three managers.

Sounds like Allen will be popular - but then new managers invariably are and often beyond anything they deserve. It's the same with new players. Fans want them to be successful and most try to see them as such to begin with.

I'll not fence sit. I think Allen will be successful in that, with money for new players and his fanatical input to drive them, he will be competing at the right end of the table rather than the wrong one.

If that's the case there'll be no calls for "Allen Out" within the time scale you mentioned because we'll still be basking in the joy of life beyond the bottom quarter of the table.

Frankly, he's not got much to improve on so his chances of early and relative success are so high as to be virtually certain.

It's only later the pressure will mount - when he needs to win vital matches against other managers who have something about them.

And in that situation it is Allen's apparent rigidity and predictability that bothers me because a rigid approach is too easy countered by thoughtful opponents.

If we lose the first game and don't perform will you start your twice yearly "that's enough for me" thread?

[The People's Hero]

If we lose the first game and don't perform will you start your twice yearly "that's enough for me" thread?

It'll be a game he hasn't seen as well. Thracian has the ability and right to judge on games he hasn't seen.

We mere mortals do not!

[josh_baskin]

I feel sick!

The first image of him that came up when i typed his name in a popular seach page!

[Milan]

WHAT THE fook, JUNIOR LEWIS IS BACK.

[moseeds]

Hmmm...bit concerned about this rigidity...

Hooooooooooooof anyone? Better get your neck braces out again...

[Don't call me Mad Dog]

A good post from Macca about Martin Allen.

A lot of MK Dons' fans ignored the advice that the Brentford fans gave about him (warts n all) as we were delighted to get a motivator after nice guy Danny Wilson took us down to League Two.

A lot of what Brentford (and Barnet) fans said has proven to be true, and it seems that history repeats itself a lot with MA. We have had our best season ever in terms of results, which you cannot argue with, but its not without its pain.

1) If he doesn't like a player on a personal level - he will kick them out or out on loan.

- Goalkeeper kicked out for allegedly either calling him Mad Dog (he HATES that) at his first meeting or refusing to dive into freezing water during a pre-season 'team bonding session'

- Centre Back (Craig Morgan) just got call up to Wales First Team (and played) so he sent him out on loan. Good player, instrumental in Peterborough thrashing us 4-0 at London Rd

2) Dodgy signings

- All managers make mistakes, but he brought in 2 keepers and in the end the goalie coach played as the other's were useless. He sacked the best keeper we've had!

3) Tactics - Macca sums this up well. Plenty of hoof ball, but could improve with better players.

- A lot of spoiling tactics like accidentally not throwing the ball in - watch for it !

- Lots of shouting ends up

4) You do it my way

- Good or bad ? Right through the club you do it his way or no way.

We also allegedly had a wage bill 2-3 times higher than any other in League 2

It won't be boring ! Good luck the Foxes

[Joe.]

I like the sound of this really.

We need a hard liner to sort some of these useless prima donna's out.

[Simi]

Why do I see Kisnorbo or Hume calling him Mad Dog.

[MKBarmyArmy]

A good post from Macca about Martin Allen.

A lot of MK Dons' fans ignored the advice that the Brentford fans gave about him (warts n all) as we were delighted to get a motivator after nice guy Danny Wilson took us down to League Two.

A lot of what Brentford (and Barnet) fans said has proven to be true, and it seems that history repeats itself a lot with MA. We have had our best season ever in terms of results, which you cannot argue with, but its not without its pain.

1) If he doesn't like a player on a personal level - he will kick them out or out on loan.

- Goalkeeper kicked out for allegedly either calling him Mad Dog (he HATES that) at his first meeting or refusing to dive into freezing water during a pre-season 'team bonding session'

- Centre Back (Craig Morgan) just got call up to Wales First Team (and played) so he sent him out on loan. Good player, instrumental in Peterborough thrashing us 4-0 at London Rd

2) Dodgy signings

- All managers make mistakes, but he brought in 2 keepers and in the end the goalie coach played as the other's were useless. He sacked the best keeper we've had!

3) Tactics - Macca sums this up well. Plenty of hoof ball, but could improve with better players.

- A lot of spoiling tactics like accidentally not throwing the ball in - watch for it !

- Lots of shouting ends up

4) You do it my way

- Good or bad ? Right through the club you do it his way or no way.

We also allegedly had a wage bill 2-3 times higher than any other in League 2

It won't be boring ! Good luck the Foxes

You hit the nail on the head with that post.

Though even though Allen is very one dimentional in terms of tactics, this is clear when we got knocked out of the play-offs, Gary Peters figured us out and unlocked us and Allen couldn't cope with that.

Allen has a plan A and a plan A only, if that fails he can't cope and that's why I think it will be interesting to see how he works in the Championship.

Though he certainly will shove a firework up the a*se of some players!

When its on the floor it's attractive, in the oponents face, you want it come and get it sorta rough and ready play. Though as you can imagine when you play another 'rough and ready side' sometimes a bita 'hoof' comes into play and it's horrible to watch.

Leicester City when they are good they will be outstanding

Though when Leicester City are bad you will know your bad.

Simple as that really.

Good luck Allen

MKBA

[Thracian]

If we lose the first game and don't perform will you start your twice yearly "that's enough for me" thread?

Instead of worrying about me you might just think about how long you show yourself prepared to back lame horse managers.

In some ways it is very commendable - loyalty has merits whatever.

But after Adams, Levein, Kelly and Worthington I don't think you need to worry about any early "that's enough" cries from me.

For a start Allen is a personality and a communicator, something we've being crying out for.

Win or lose, you've only got to read that article you posted to see how positive he is and how unlikely he is to concede anything to the opposition much less the initiative. I've pleaded for positive leadership.

And there's an urgency about him too, the feeling that instead of talking about doing this, that and the other either he'll do things, whether it be signing the players he wants, demanding perfection on some new free-kicks or telling some waster that his time at the club is over.

While he wasn't my first choice he was third on my list and one of only four of the multitude of names mentioned that I actually wanted. So no, he won't get a hard time from me.

Furthermore while accepting that his approach might not involve grade A pass-and-run football I do believe it will be direct, exciting and focused 100% on the aim of winning football matches. I don't see us being in retreat very often.

Even I can stand setbacks on that basis.

And to show my good faith in the guy my season ticket has just been bought and paid for.

[holly]

im not sure if im excited or not, i get excited every season and get let down so i hold no hopes and hope to be made happy very very happy.

hope his hard man attitude works i think it will

[DanTheFoxBhoy]

I'm excited!

[Ric Flair]

Martin Allen is a mirror image of Milan Mandaric. We all knew Mandaric arriving was going to be a roller coaster, and the majority of us couldn't wait for it to start. So here we are (Bloc Party) this is exactly what everyone signed up for.

Let the fooker commence. I'm more interested in enjoying the up's and down's of having a pair of nutters in charge than perhaps a purple patch of a season and then getting twatted every week in the Premeirship that leads to another several years of gloom after it.