Walshys Rant

[Col city fan]

Accusing people who don't agree with you of not being fans. Well done, chap, well done.

That said I've always doubted your own support of the club given your desire to take away the man who's leading us towards success. It's like you want us to fail.

Cheers Harry.. I agree with you.

The irony is I don't actually disagree with BNET. I agree that Taylor was the wrong man for the job. All I've tried to do is to discuss the mitigating circumstances and to not simply run away with all this 'he's a cvnt' stuff. It's too simple and doesn't explain the issues that may have been around to cause us to go on our longest losing streak in the history of the club. The fascinating thing was that the rot didn't set-in immediately. I guess the squad continued on the crest of Martin's wave for some time, until the wheels spectacularly fell off.

And as for Steve Walsh... He remains a legend in my eyes. No City player, in my lifetime, has worn the shirt with more pride.

[Ric Flair]

I hate nobody in football more than Peter Taylor

[hackneyfox]

I was happy when we got Taylor, he was seen as one of the young managers of te future.

It was always going to be difficult for him taking over from MON.

 

That doesn't change the fact that he destroyed our team, he was a cnut.

Akinbadbuy for 5m, surely Col you can remember Wolves fans laughing at us (he couldn't trap a wet bag of cement being one of the comments).

Benjamin 'he's on for the future, he's played for the England U-21s' , yes you picked him you cnut.

Junior Lewis, Junior ****ing Lewis.

[hackneyfox]

That said I've always doubted your own support of the club given your desire to take away the man who's leading us towards success. It's like you want us to fail.

Don't be silly Harry, BNET is as Leicester as you can get.

[Ford Super Sunday]

Cheers Harry.. I agree with you.

The irony is I don't actually disagree with BNET. I agree that Taylor was the wrong man for the job. All I've tried to do is to discuss the mitigating circumstances and to not simply run away with all this 'he's a cvnt' stuff. It's too simple and doesn't explain the issues that may have been around to cause us to go on our longest losing streak in the history of the club. The fascinating thing was that the rot didn't set-in immediately. I guess the squad continued on the crest of Martin's wave for some time, until the wheels spectacularly fell off.

 

Very pertinent point. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but the seeds must have been there for a while. This was a team that before the Wycombe game in March hadn't won a league match away from home since November (a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough). After the defeat to Wycombe we obviously went on the horrendous run. Something snapped in the team that day.

 

The questions need to be asked as to why PT didn't get the squad going again. Was he not a motivator, a man manager? As you say before the Wycombe game we'd just gone third in the table after a win against Liverpool, the home form was good. We had a good midfield, a decent defence and times were producing impressive results. Taylor leaving wasn't even on the agenda. Those nine games, why?

 

More importantly, what happened over the summer to continue that terrible form into the start of the new season. Only three new signings, all high-profile in fee and player. How could the squad not regain some kind of confidence or belief before embarrassing themselves against Bolton. Why did weeks of pre-season yield precisely no improvement with basically the same team that played in 00/01

 

Had Taylor lost the dressing room? If so, the alarm bells should have been ringing and he should've been sacked in the summer, I was only 11 so I don't know how badly the opinion of PT being sacked was at the end of the 00/01 season, but it should've been far stronger than it was.

 

- The board made the wrong choice of manager in 00/01

- Peter Taylor made some terrible signings (fees and wages aside)

- His abaility to pick the team up after a devastating defeat was lacking

- PT should have been removed from his position in the summer by the board

- PT did not improve the team over the summer in any way ensuring the shocking start we had.

- PT's commitments, while a source of pride for the fans initially, became a distraction and hindrance in the end?

 

Wildcard question, which some may know; was the influence of some members of that team far too strong, and something which PT had to battle against, ultimately not winning, or did he try and go in gung-ho completely the wrong way about it?

[GingerrrFox]

Sven has been afforded the luxury of having not wasted fortunes on players. No, no, it wasn't Sven.. People will say.... It was the board who just let them happen.

Doesn't Taylor get afforded the same luxury, or is it one rule for one?

I agree wholeheartedly with this. Blame the man for picking shite players, awful man management and general mis-managing of the football. Football wise he ruined our club but he was never making the calls financially.

[hackneyfox]

I agree wholeheartedly with this. Blame the man for picking shite players, awful man management and general mis-managing of the football. Football wise he ruined our club but he was never making the calls financially.

Disagree with this, MON had been given full financial control, he decided transfer prices and salaries, the same control was given to Taylor.

[Col city fan]

Disagree with this, MON had been given full financial control, he decided transfer prices and salaries, the same control was given to Taylor.

Exactly right. But that's the point. If full financial control was given to Taylor then why? And why weren't questions asked when we were paying ridiculous transfer fees and wages for very very average players?

What were the Board doing? Completely absolving themselves of any responsibility? If so, it was a big gamble and one which backfired bug time.

[hackneyfox]

Exactly right. But that's the point. If full financial control was given to Taylor then why? And why weren't questions asked when we were paying ridiculous transfer fees and wages for very very average players?

What were the Board doing? Completely absolving themselves of any responsibility? If so, it was a big gamble and one which backfired bug time.

The board at the time do have to take responsibility for allowing Taylor to lose the plot and then not reining him in.

That doesn't excuse the purchases of AA, Lewis and Clarence, 3 of the worst players ever signed for the club when you consider how much they cost in total.

[Col city fan]

Very pertinent point. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but the seeds must have been there for a while. This was a team that before the Wycombe game in March hadn't won a league match away from home since November (a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough). After the defeat to Wycombe we obviously went on the horrendous run. Something snapped in the team that day.

The questions need to be asked as to why PT didn't get the squad going again. Was he not a motivator, a man manager? As you say before the Wycombe game we'd just gone third in the table after a win against Liverpool, the home form was good. We had a good midfield, a decent defence and times were producing impressive results. Taylor leaving wasn't even on the agenda. Those nine games, why?

More importantly, what happened over the summer to continue that terrible form into the start of the new season. Only three new signings, all high-profile in fee and player. How could the squad not regain some kind of confidence or belief before embarrassing themselves against Bolton. Why did weeks of pre-season yield precisely no improvement with basically the same team that played in 00/01

Had Taylor lost the dressing room? If so, the alarm bells should have been ringing and he should've been sacked in the summer, I was only 11 so I don't know how badly the opinion of PT being sacked was at the end of the 00/01 season, but it should've been far stronger than it was.

- The board made the wrong choice of manager in 00/01

- Peter Taylor made some terrible signings (fees and wages aside)

- His abaility to pick the team up after a devastating defeat was lacking

- PT should have been removed from his position in the summer by the board

- PT did not improve the team over the summer in any way ensuring the shocking start we had.

- PT's commitments, while a source of pride for the fans initially, became a distraction and hindrance in the end?

Wildcard question, which some may know; was the influence of some members of that team far too strong, and something which PT had to battle against, ultimately not winning, or did he try and go in gung-ho completely the wrong way about it?

Great post.

On a similar note, the reasons for the wheels spectacularly falling off last season (under Nige) have never been explored really have they?

Why? Because Pearson is still in position and because we've started well this season. IF we now take a nosedive again this season, and Pearson gets sacked (I don't think it will happen personally), but IF it does, then last season's failure will be fully explored. Rumours will abound and accusations made.

You could well be right... I don't know, only those involved will.... The squad that Taylor inherited was full of big names and strong personalities. IMO this may well be why MON's replacement needed to be a big personality himself. As I said earlier, Redknapp was offered the job before Taylor. It would have been interesting to see how he did.

Finally, I ask again... Who is more at fault? The fool who is hired, or the fool that hires him? A question which, in football, (if not in many walks of life) seems to get conveniently overlooked.

Sven got sacked... Sven was hired by the Board. The Board are still there..

[Corky]

Very pertinent point. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but the seeds must have been there for a while. This was a team that before the Wycombe game in March hadn't won a league match away from home since November (a 3-0 win over Middlesbrough). After the defeat to Wycombe we obviously went on the horrendous run. Something snapped in the team that day.

 

The questions need to be asked as to why PT didn't get the squad going again. Was he not a motivator, a man manager? As you say before the Wycombe game we'd just gone third in the table after a win against Liverpool, the home form was good. We had a good midfield, a decent defence and times were producing impressive results. Taylor leaving wasn't even on the agenda. Those nine games, why?

 

More importantly, what happened over the summer to continue that terrible form into the start of the new season. Only three new signings, all high-profile in fee and player. How could the squad not regain some kind of confidence or belief before embarrassing themselves against Bolton. Why did weeks of pre-season yield precisely no improvement with basically the same team that played in 00/01

 

Had Taylor lost the dressing room? If so, the alarm bells should have been ringing and he should've been sacked in the summer, I was only 11 so I don't know how badly the opinion of PT being sacked was at the end of the 00/01 season, but it should've been far stronger than it was.

 

- The board made the wrong choice of manager in 00/01

- Peter Taylor made some terrible signings (fees and wages aside)

- His abaility to pick the team up after a devastating defeat was lacking

- PT should have been removed from his position in the summer by the board

- PT did not improve the team over the summer in any way ensuring the shocking start we had.

- PT's commitments, while a source of pride for the fans initially, became a distraction and hindrance in the end?

 

Wildcard question, which some may know; was the influence of some members of that team far too strong, and something which PT had to battle against, ultimately not winning, or did he try and go in gung-ho completely the wrong way about it?

 

I doubt it, Walsh, Cottee and Collymore, who Taylor didn't get on with, had gone, there was a lot of his team there, Savage really liked him. He was supposed to be a great man-manager, close to the players, the opposite of O'Neill, so there was no excuse if the players didn't want to play for him.

 

He either seriously overrated players in the lower leagues or didn't have the clout to sign good players for the money he paid. I think we were in for Eidur Gudjohnsen at the same time as Akinbiyi.

[Dan LCFC]

Some people go on like the transfer fees are like a big secret to the manager

[Dan LCFC]

Great post.

On a similar note, the reasons for the wheels spectacularly falling off last season (under Nige) have never been explored really have they?

Why? Because Pearson is still in position and because we've started well this season. IF we now take a nosedive again this season, and Pearson gets sacked (I don't think it will happen personally), but IF it does, then last season's failure will be fully explored. Rumours will abound and accusations made.

You could well be right... I don't know, only those involved will.... The squad that Taylor inherited was full of big names and strong personalities. IMO this may well be why MON's replacement needed to be a big personality himself. As I said earlier, Redknapp was offered the job before Taylor. It would have been interesting to see how he did.

Finally, I ask again... Who is more at fault? The fool who is hired, or the fool that hires him? A question which, in football, (if not in many walks of life) seems to get conveniently overlooked.

Sven got sacked... Sven was hired by the Board. The Board are still there..

 

The board's naivety is what brought Sven in. I'll openly admit I was excited by the appointment - I'd say Sven's reign was the biggest learning curve I've had as a football fan.

 

In that case though, I think the board have actually learned and progressed - Sven's been a joke since.

[Jobyfox]

In my analysis of Peter Taylor’s time at Leicester City I always reach the same conclusion. If I had been given a remit to completely destroy an established top 10 Premier League club, within the shortest timeframe possible, I could not have done a more effective, complete and utterly thorough job as PT did in his time with us. Remember: that’s if I’d been given a specific remit to achieve dragging one of the best and well managed clubs, in the country, to the brink of liquidation in the shortest time possible.

 

It’s when you think about it this way that you realise just how inept PT was. Totally and utterly incompetent to a level that cannot really be defended. Following O’Neill was a tough job, but it would simply not have been possible to f’k it up anymore completely whoever had been appointed.

 

I’m always astonished when he appears to do reasonably well elsewhere. If you look at this record more closely, however, initial success is almost always followed with a downward trend that leads to resignation or the sack. Even then the initial success is at clubs where the infrastructure is already in place. I remember pointing this out to some Bradford fans when he was appointed their manager. They argued that this wasn’t the case, his success was genuine and that he was a good manager in the lower leagues. Initial success followed, but eventually those same fans were desperate for him to go.

 

Don’t get me wrong I don’t hate the fellow. As far as I know he isn’t an unpleasant person or morally corrupt. I just simply believe that in my 30 years of following football he is quite easily the worst football manager I have ever encountered.  

[_Fatboyslow_]

How time warps things, Taylor wanted to play 442, he kept Lennon to start with then sold him say it's was a better deal for the club. We did better without him, he spent a lot of time doing the England u21's (?) his one good signing DE was lost to the team. Wolves fans couldn't believe what we paid, as was the case with most of his signings. The board at the time failed to act and we only stayed up because if the great start to the season. Anyone who saw us destroyed at highbury on news day, I think, knew that that the team built by MON had been destroyed.

Where as at the time Taylor's appointment may have made senses he should have never been in charge at the start of the second season. That was down to the board.

[Corky]

What's extremely sobering is that in the calendar year of 2000 we picked up 61 points. In 2001 we managed 29.

 

Incredible collapse in 12 months.

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

To suggest Harry would have been better, as many are on here, is little naive. He may have signed better players and kept us in the Prem over the relatively short term, but he would have plundered our finances for personal gain.

 

It's well known down here that Harry signs players for free on big wages, and then takes 10% of selling on fees. How else do you think him and Jamie own 10-15 triffic properties in Sandbanks! (the 3rd or 4th most expensive area for property in the world). Just look at the finances of Pompey and Saints in the immediate post-Harry era - both on the verge of ceasing to exist. So I guess I'm trying to say he might have done a PT, but just taken a bit longer...

 

But yes, PT complete and utter clown. Don't know how he manages to get good jobs above the Pub Leagues. The speed with which he dismantled a good team who had won 2 domestic trophies, played in Europe and was on the verge of qualifying for Europe via League finish was astonishing. Makes me appreciate the MON/Pearson way (esp after our latest experiment at flashing the cash) - good, young hungry players with something to prove. 

[AoWW]

Hello Rob, now there's a first, me and you agreeing  ; ))

 

Not sure about Muzzy's figures though, seem to remember a figure of £31,500 being his wages when he left, l had the inside track on a lot of this back then, as l knew most of the team and boozed with a lot of them regularly. Memory might be out on that figure but it rings a bell.

 

Hmm, or perhaps you just bought them the occasional pint in Simpkins which no doubt made you an ITK.  

[Webbo]

I said hello to Paul Fitzpatrick once in The Bank 1 Saturday night. If there's anything you need to know just ask.

[AoWW]

I said hello to Paul Fitzpatrick once in The Bank 1 Saturday night. If there's anything you need to know just ask.

 

His PIN number?

 

(Yes, I do know you didn't mean 'The Bank' in that sense!)

[demon_dog]

My nephew worked for the club during this period in time.

I recall him telling me that PT started by completely fecking up the Youth team, then fecking up the reserve squad, (my nephew was involved with both), he told me to wait and see what happened when PT started to really exert his influence on the Senior squad.

Up until then he had left them to virtually run themselves, that's why they started off under his reign so successful. 

Sure enough they soon started to go on a downward spiral from which they never recovered.

 

Without doubt the worst manager to ever be in charge of LCFC.

He is the only manager in 50+ years of following us that I shouted to be sacked. (That includes Pleat and Sousa) 

He was worse than either of those.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

I hate Taylor purely for the fact in his own deluded mind he doesn't actually think the job he did here was a disgrace.

 

Holloway was just as bad but at least he had the stones to admit he was crap.

[BNET]

Hmm, or perhaps you just bought them the occasional pint in Simpkins which no doubt made you an ITK.

Is that a fukcing guess ?  l was not name dropping l have no need to,  l was mentioning where l got a inside track  from.  Why would you come up with a comment like that unless you're a tv vat.  If you doubt what l say, maybe some people who have been around here or BR would confirm that l have posted stuff that l probably shouldn't have regarding the club in the past, but bollox to that, why do l have to prove anything to someone like you , your comment says all thats needed to know about you.

[Col city fan]

I hate Taylor purely for the fact in his own deluded mind he doesn't actually think the job he did here was a disgrace.

Holloway was just as bad but at least he had the stones to admit he was crap.

That's so true.

I remember Holloway interviewed after the final game and he looked completely distraught. He was very apologetic, blaming himself etc, if my memory serves me right.

Taylor didn't appear to give a monkeys.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

You're ranting too.

It's too easy to simply call Taylor a cvnt. Try to look at his failure in some context. If you simply dismiss that many of the players never got over MON leaving then you'll never know the bigger picture. I ask you again. Did you disagree with his appointment at the time? Very few did. I fear however, that trying to have a conversation with you on this is futile. 'Taylor's a cvnt who should be hung' is easier isn't it.

I'm not defending the man. I'm saying that he would have had to have been very very good to have taken on O'Neils reigns. That squad was full of big personalities at the time. He tried to change things, but failed.

Good old Col. Always ready to throw himself to the lions. 

 

Great fun though isn't it?