davieG Posted 2 July 2007 Posted 2 July 2007 Source After sacking Rob Kelly towards the end of last season and deciding not to appoint Nigel Worthington on a permanent basis, new Leicester City owner Milan Mandaric opted for Martin Allen as the man he hopes will take the Foxes back into the top-flight. "I needed someone with hunger, drive, commitment and potential to aspire to our dreams and Martin ticked the boxes," said Mandaric, who had been linked with the likes of Chris Coleman and Neil Warnock. "His undoubted ability is matched only by his infectious enthusiasm which will inspire the club. Having grafted in the lower divisions of the Football League with Barnet, Brentford and MK Dons, the 41-year-old is now looking to show that there is more to him than the 'mad dog' tag he picked up as a player and the reputation as a managerial eccentric. That has served him reasonably well to date. Certainly at Brentford, combined with a couple of excellent FA Cup runs it brought both Allen and the club to the attention of a much wider audience and the media were keen to hear what gems the manager had for them pre and post-match. Arguably however that made chairmen in higher divisions wary of him and when Allen quit as Bees manager in the summer of 2006 he was forced to drop down to League Two with MK Dons despite taking Brentford to the play-offs for two seasons running. He repeated the feat with Milton Keynes last season before being chosen by Mandaric to take over at the Walkers Stadium and knows now that it will take more than crazy stunts and plenty of passion to get the best out of players who have either played in the top-flight or want to get there. "I picked up the nickname as a player and sometimes I do get tired of it," he said after being installed at Leicester. "There is a lot more to me than that. They say there is a fine line between madness and genius and I'd like to be the nutty professor, not a mad dog. I've done all my homework, all the courses." The new manager has certainly been busy, signing Bruno N'Gotty and Carl Cort among others to revive a squad that did not ensure their Championship safety until the last couple of weeks of last season. Money is being made available and more new faces will be added before the start of next season. A number of the MK Dons backroom team have joined the new manager and Allen has also brought across his unique style of direct contact with the fans. Visitors to Leicester's official website get personal updates from the boss telling them what has been happening on the transfer front, in training and so on. Mandaric was not noted for his patience when he took over at Portsmouth and went through a number of managers before hiring Harry Redknapp. Now he has gone for a manager with plenty of experience but who is still hungry to show what he can do at a higher level. Next season will certainly not be dull for Foxes fans.
Guest Posted 2 July 2007 Posted 2 July 2007 Next season will certainly not be dull for Foxes fans. I'm certainly hoping so!
Geo V Posted 2 July 2007 Posted 2 July 2007 Im glad MA is trying to get away from the nicknames and gimmicks that may work in the lower leagues as this is the real business end of football and MA will not be given time to get it right by MM who is normally an impatient man. Inspiring lower league lads with acts ofbravery or stupidity may have worked but he is now dealing with well paid individuals and International footballers so he needs to move with the times. Despite what he may be saying, I can guarantee all that the post-match interviews will be more colourful than RK`s!
lookwhaticando Posted 2 July 2007 Posted 2 July 2007 Wasn't this very same story in the Mercury not all that long ago? I swear it all sounds very familiar.
He's not bald Posted 2 July 2007 Posted 2 July 2007 Wasn't this very same story in the Mercury not all that long ago? I swear it all sounds very familiar. Yep it's just re-cycled news!
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.