Mark 'expert' Lawrenson Posted 22 November 2012 Share Posted 22 November 2012 He was very foolish in the way he handled leaving us to go to Villa, he was always going to leave us to go there, they were his team, he should of been up front and honest and that would of avoided all the judas nonsense. He did well for us and got us promoted with a very average side which worked hard and showed guts and spirit, I will always remember the highs and lows of the play off finals and thank Brian for those memories amongst many others. Good times indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Royston. Posted 22 November 2012 Share Posted 22 November 2012 We dont hold grudges do we? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lobsterboyuk Posted 22 November 2012 Share Posted 22 November 2012 What he did with the resources available was a miracle - I don't begrudge him going to Villa, without further investment he'd done all he could at city... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenfox Posted 22 November 2012 Share Posted 22 November 2012 I thought that was Neil Lewis? http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=4502 As you went to school with him though, I'll go with who you say, even though I don't remember him. No it's not Lewis. Never saw him play but used to read about the youth team in the programme & Ian Thompson scored loads of goals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UpTheLeagueFox Posted 22 November 2012 Share Posted 22 November 2012 "Grinders" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 22 November 2012 Share Posted 22 November 2012 Almost ????? like ..........not quite as high .....!!!!! but in high regard in his own right ??? there's no almost as far as i'm concerned. the two are incomparable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 22 November 2012 Share Posted 22 November 2012 Little paved the way for O'Neil, without Little turning the club around there never would have been the MO'N years. There's no denying what Little did for us - i went to everyone of those play off finals.. But was it truly Little or was it his backroom staff that got the players playing? If you look how littles managerial career has been since he left Leicester.. and more specifically since he lost his backroom staff at Villa most notably John Gregory, his career has nosedived. He got sacked from Gainsborough trinity last season in the blue square north division.. if he was as good a manager as his 3 years at leicester suggested, then whats he doing in the blue square north division, never mind getting sacked from it? What division is O'neill managing in? I think it was the coaches/ backroom staff who were the unsung heroes of Little's Leicester career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxoffderby Posted 22 November 2012 Share Posted 22 November 2012 No it's not Lewis. Never saw him play but used to read about the youth team in the programme & Ian Thompson scored loads of goals I knew Neil Lewis too in those days, Neil was left footed a winger I think. He came from Wolverhampton. On a seperate note I think the bloke in the top row 2nd from the right was Scott Eustace. He was a centre half I played with him also. I don't mean to name drop doesn't matter really none of them made it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davieG Posted 22 November 2012 Author Share Posted 22 November 2012 There's no denying what Little did for us - i went to everyone of those play off finals.. But was it truly Little or was it his backroom staff that got the players playing? If you look how littles managerial career has been since he left Leicester.. and more specifically since he lost his backroom staff at Villa most notably John Gregory, his career has nosedived. He got sacked from Gainsborough trinity last season in the blue square north division.. if he was as good a manager as his 3 years at leicester suggested, then whats he doing in the blue square north division, never mind getting sacked from it? What division is O'neill managing in? I think it was the coaches/ backroom staff who were the unsung heroes of Little's Leicester career. That's a bit harsh and you could say that about many managers but it's the front man (manager) that takes both the praise and the abuse. I wasn't aware of John Gregory or Allan Evans enjoying any decent level of success when they parted from Litlle. You could also start to question O'Neill's credentials on that basis considering how he's currently floundering at Sunderland without John Robertson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark 'expert' Lawrenson Posted 22 November 2012 Share Posted 22 November 2012 John Gregory but where is he now? I think it was a case of all 3 Little Gregory and Evans being the perfect blend as a unit together, but not great individually. On the subject of Gregory I remember him and Simon Stainrod in their QPR days spitting on Paul Ramsey down at Filbert St. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 22 November 2012 Share Posted 22 November 2012 That's a bit harsh and you could say that about many managers but it's the front man (manager) that takes both the praise and the abuse. I wasn't aware of John Gregory or Allan Evans enjoying any decent level of success when they parted from Litlle. You could also start to question O'Neill's credentials on that basis considering how he's currently floundering at Sunderland without John Robertson Gragory was an excellent coach who tried to make the leap into management at Villa but in my opinion failed- he was only ever a coach. O'Neill is doing exactly what he has always done at clubs - started slowly.... he was routinely booed after that infamous sheff united game and hasnt let us forget it.. if i remember correctly Celtic were not t winning everything in his first year there although it was hard for them to not finish top two.. Villa had a poor year and i remember talking on here about how many villa fans were against him that first year...often takes him tiem to instill his methods / ways into a club/ team..But you MIGHT right in one sense - it will be intresting to see how things pan out there without Robinson and wether he gets the club to come good in the end... ( but he's still in the prem and hasnt just been sacked from the blue square north division!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamN Posted 22 November 2012 Share Posted 22 November 2012 The whole season review is on Youtube, I watched it a few weeks ago, I've got a feeling that interview is on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitchandro Posted 22 November 2012 Share Posted 22 November 2012 Gragory was an excellent coach who tried to make the leap into management at Villa but in my opinion failed- he was only ever a coach. O'Neill is doing exactly what he has always done at clubs - started slowly.... he was routinely booed after that infamous sheff united game and hasnt let us forget it.. if i remember correctly Celtic were not t winning everything in his first year there although it was hard for them to not finish top two.. Villa had a poor year and i remember talking on here about how many villa fans were against him that first year...often takes him tiem to instill his methods / ways into a club/ team..But you MIGHT right in one sense - it will be intresting to see how things pan out there without Robinson and wether he gets the club to come good in the end... ( but he's still in the prem and hasnt just been sacked from the blue square north division!) I think you make a fair point, and I do expect him to do better at Sunderland given time, but I'm sure Villa finished about 6 places higher in his first season. As for Gregory I thought Villa were quite decent under him? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manwell Pablo Posted 22 November 2012 Share Posted 22 November 2012 I think you make a fair point, and I do expect him to do better at Sunderland given time, but I'm sure Villa finished about 6 places higher in his first season. As for Gregory I thought Villa were quite decent under him? Yep nothing wrong the John Gregorys Villa side, espeically when compared with the current abomination. EDIT: On subject the abuse Little got that day, for 90 minutes, was quite unlike anything I've ever herd live. Contempt was in the air! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5waller5 Posted 22 November 2012 Share Posted 22 November 2012 Yep nothing wrong the John Gregorys Villa side, espeically when compared with the current abomination. EDIT: On subject the abuse Little got that day, for 90 minutes, was quite unlike anything I've ever herd live. Contempt was in the air! It was frightening - animalistic kind of frenzy when he came out of the tunnel .... I remember nearly passing out I was that angry and had been shouting so much ... It was a steep learning curve but we were much more practised and generally better with our vitriol towards McGoo!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian the fox Posted 22 November 2012 Share Posted 22 November 2012 Brian Little totally turned the club around in attitude both on & off the pitch , make no mistake we were in terminal decline under Pleat . In the end Littlle's own ambitions out weighed small time Martin George George later bragged to the rival fanzine Wtmg , that Leicester never had a single penny of his own money , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester_Numan Posted 23 November 2012 Share Posted 23 November 2012 For me, it wasn't the fact that he left, that was understandable, it was the way the whole thing was handled. I'd have had far more respect for Little, Evans & Gregory if they had just told the truth. It was a great opportunity for them and they should have just said so, apologised and left. The denials and outright lies when we all knew what was going to happen were insulting. We were more devastated at losing O'Neill but he didn't get the same reaction because he never hid it and insulted our intelligence by denying it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPH Posted 23 November 2012 Share Posted 23 November 2012 I think you make a fair point, and I do expect him to do better at Sunderland given time, but I'm sure Villa finished about 6 places higher in his first season. As for Gregory I thought Villa were quite decent under him? Yeah he did alright at Villa... but he didnt realy do much after that... fell down the divisions just like Little did... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanolegend1989 Posted 23 November 2012 Share Posted 23 November 2012 Yeah he did alright at Villa... but he didnt realy do much after that... fell down the divisions just like Little did... Yeh I remember him having a storming 1998/99 season where they lead the league up until Xmas before slipping away. Hes done nothing since though has he? A brief stint at Derby is all else I remember.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corky Posted 23 November 2012 Share Posted 23 November 2012 Gregory had a good half season at Villa, nothing after that really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettsj2 Posted 23 November 2012 Share Posted 23 November 2012 Yeh I remember him having a storming 1998/99 season where they lead the league up until Xmas before slipping away. Hes done nothing since though has he? A brief stint at Derby is all else I remember.. I always remember him managing Derby and beating us 3-0 at home. When they scored he ran out of the dugout and jumped and screamed at all the fans in the Carling stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trav Le Bleu Posted 23 November 2012 Share Posted 23 November 2012 I do/did feel the same about np, it wasn't so much that he left, more that he didn't really explain himself, nor say any sort of goodbye/thanks to the fans, that pissed me off. I guess I have forgiven him now, but even though he was forced out by Mandy he could have done it with it bit more grace. You don't think he was gagged in some way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LJS Posted 23 November 2012 Share Posted 23 November 2012 Brian Little totally turned the club around in attitude both on & off the pitch , make no mistake we were in terminal decline under Pleat . In the end Littlle's own ambitions out weighed small time Martin George George later bragged to the rival fanzine Wtmg , that Leicester never had a single penny of his own money , I'd kill for a chairman like him now. Say what you like about George but he never had us in the debt we are in now. It was he who wanted O'Neill in the face of plenty of opposition in the boardroom. His financial management and determination to appoint O'Neill was a significant factor in the successes we went on to experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain... Posted 23 November 2012 Share Posted 23 November 2012 You don't think he was gagged in some way? He didn't have to go into detail, but he could have thanked the fans, said he enjoyed his time at Leicester, acknowledged us at least for what should have been the 2 best years of his managerial career. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ian the fox Posted 23 November 2012 Share Posted 23 November 2012 I'd kill for a chairman like him now. Say what you like about George but he never had us in the debt we are in now. It was he who wanted O'Neill in the face of plenty of opposition in the boardroom. His financial management and determination to appoint O'Neill was a significant factor in the successes we went on to experience. apart from Wolves who gives a shit about debt in football these days ? George & the Shipmans always sold players to line their own pockets , Appointed the brightest young managers to paper over the cracks of their meagre spending habits , they didnt really care about the fans & upped the gate prices on a whim for certain games ......................George was a shit chairman , he got lucky with Little & Oneil , Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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