What are your feelings of gordan strachans time as manager here (3 Viewers)

[Briles]

I was 12 when he was appointed and obviously he was manager when we were relegated and was sacked early doors the season after .

I remember his time vaguely , but more specifically he managed a couple of really exciting teams 97/98 most notibly where we finished 6 points off a european place but were hopeless away , a common theme of top flight coventry years

Do our supporters dislike strachan ? Feels like many rarely mention him with effection .

Intrigued

At the age I was during that Era I had no thoughts on managers at all, it was all about the players. Looking back with my adult head on now I think we should've done better with the players we had. But certainly don't dislike the bloke.

 

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[Bad Boy]

Sadly he'll always be labelled as the manager who took us down after 34 years in top flight football.
Personally I liked him, he suited us at the time and we played some good stuff at home and were rightly labelled The Entertainers.
Could he have got us promoted, unlikely with the squad and the financial mess we were in.

 

[Speedie's Head]

Loved him. He never took us down - the board can claim that honour! We had no main striker until John Hartson came about mid-February time!

Sometimes came into the hotel bar where we drank in Kenilworth (it could be hard to get quality beer in those days) with his wife on a Saturday night. He didn't drink at all but there was a posh restaurant at the back. He'd love it if we'd won!

 

[LastGarrison]

A bit of revisionism on ‘both sides’ but sadly for me his inexperience shone through that ultimately led to us getting relegated.

Loved to play players out of position, stuck with his favourites and if people got frustrated with Robins for his lack of substitutes then there would have been some sensational meltdowns on here (if it would have been around!) around Strachan’s refusal to either make changes or make them very late.

His interviews also got increasingly more embarrassing and unprofessional the more the pressure piled on him.

His time does get skewed as we had some of the best players we have ever had play for the club but even then with the talent we had and with one of our best ever finishes in the PL he could figure out how to win away!!!

My overview for us? Great player, shit manager.

 

[ProfessorbyGrace]

I saw pretty much 100% of the home games under Strachan, and maybe 25% of away games. Away games were usually us shutting up shop, losing an early goal and getting rammed thereafter. Saying that, some of the best attacking football I’ve seen is us play was at HR under Strachan.

Defensively, we always looked shaky. There was never that iconic CB to Marshall the team and hold the line, except maybe the few times Dublin played there.

All in all, it was an era that promised much, but ultimately failed and slid into abject mediocrity in 00/01.

 

[Sky Blue Wozza]

Until the past few, 97/98 was my favourite season to have watched all the way through.

He’ll always have credit in the bank for that - and also the mesmeric home displays in 99/00.

Whilst I think there was probably an air of inevitability about our relegation at some point in the early 00s, he can’t escape criticism for some of tactical inflexibility and reliance on his favourites - and not picking certain players (Aloisi, for one).

That Everton game at home in 00/01 was a particular nadir.

 

[Terry_dactyl]

Pretty much what Tom and Brighton said, but I didn't get the love in with Telfer, I convinced myself he got picked because he was great at golf!

Was chatting to a Southampton fan from work the other day, talking about when Strachan was there.
Without any prompting he said, “yeah Strachan did well tbf but for some reason he kept picking this bloke, Paul Telfer. He was shit and Strachan kept picking him”.

 

[fernandopartridge]

First season when he took over we were terrible, but stayed up because of the points deduction for Middlesbrough

Second season was his best season, and he's exceptionally unfortunate not to have taken us to least a cup semi if not the final

Third season was disappointing albeit he had to contend with the sale of Dion Dublin

Fourth season exciting with some great attacking players but we didn't finish much if any higher than the previous season

Fifth season was terrible, relegated and he really should have been sacked in January that year. In mitigation he'd lost Keane and McAllister but he just didn't address long term weaknesses in the team

Sixth season in Division 1, he probably should have been moved on that summer and somebody else allowed to reinvigorate the team

 

[Speedie's Head]

As a small club in the PL you might have hopes of winning 1/3, drawing 1/3 and expecting to lose 1/3 of games. In a 42 game season that's around 56 pts. To be honest thats solid mid table and pushing for top half. That is roughly Strachan's record at the club. Could we have expected better realistically, I don't think so.

 

[Joe King]

While I was at BBC CWR, I was sent to Ryton to interview Stachan for a piece about his stolen medals being recovered. He was okay to interview, but I got a massive bollocking from Fat Ron Atkinson beforehand! I dared to walk on his precious training pitch, wearing just soft trainers! He went ballistic at me screaming "Get off that f***ing pitch!" Maybe me yelling back "Okay. Keep your hair on!" didn't help things. Bastard made me wait nearly an hour before he allowed the interview! Never liked him since!

 

[itsabuzzard]

A bit of revisionism on ‘both sides’ but sadly for me his inexperience shone through that ultimately led to us getting relegated.

Loved to play players out of position, stuck with his favourites and if people got frustrated with Robins for his lack of substitutes then there would have been some sensational meltdowns on here (if it would have been around!) around Strachan’s refusal to either make changes or make them very late.

His interviews also got increasingly more embarrassing and unprofessional the more the pressure piled on him.

His time does get skewed as we had some of the best players we have ever had play for the club but even then with the talent we had and with one of our best ever finishes in the PL he could figure out how to win away!!!

My overview for us? Great player, shit manager.

He certainly was a tremendous player.

 

[Moff]

Shit. Relegated us.

I was waiting for your post Torchy

 

[CovValleyBoy]

Had a high opinion of himself which didn't translate to points won. Took us down.

Postscript: kept us up as a player. Was class even in late 30s.

 

[torchomatic]

I was waiting for your post Torchy

Predictable, as ever!

 

[SwanLane]

He was a fantastic player despite being 38 when he joined us. Players didn’t tend to get much past 33 in those days due to diets, booze and other issues.

As a manager, gave us some good times and managed Ron’s expensive choices better and for longer than the big man did. Atkinson was moved ‘upstairs’ when Strachan took over. Something you don’t hear of much any more.

The Telfer thing was a bit weird but loads of managers had similar obsessions - still do now. I put the relegation down to the ownership of the club. Was inevitable. But GS had lost the run of himself by the end. It was toxic and he had to go.

 

[ovduk78]

He certainly was a tremendous player.

I was at Spurs in 94/95 season when we won 3-1 to confirm PL safety & he ran Justin Edinburgh ragged, made me wonder how good he must have been in his prime

 

[covcity4life]

This team, minus Telfer

View attachment 46733

My favourite ever cov game I saw live

 

[TomRad85]

My favourite ever cov game I saw live

There were a lot of good ones that season but this one was probably the best.

 

[Speedie's Head]

I was at Spurs in 94/95 season when we won 3-1 to confirm PL safety & he ran Justin Edinburgh ragged, made me wonder how good he must have been in his prime

A month out looking at the fixtures I was always confident that we'd win that game if we needed to. Same again in 97 was it? Wasn't worried for a second! It was very strange.

 

[Colin Steins Smile]

The results didn't reflect the talent of the squad for the "entertainers" season.
The loss of McCallister and Keane in one transfer window, along with the bad injury that finished Steve Froggatt was a major factor in our relegation.
The recruitment that transfer window was poor.

 

[Speedie's Head]

Steve Froggatt was a major factor in our relegation.

He was a smashing player too!

 

[Cally Fedora]

He put a good team together but by the same yardstick had far more cash given to him than anyone who had gone before. He got it badly wrong switching Dublin to CH.

 

[Sick Boy]

I was 12 when he was appointed and obviously he was manager when we were relegated and was sacked early doors the season after .

I remember his time vaguely , but more specifically he managed a couple of really exciting teams 97/98 most notibly where we finished 6 points off a european place but were hopeless away , a common theme of top flight coventry years

Do our supporters dislike strachan ? Feels like many rarely mention him with effection .

Intrigued

I’m a similar age to you and can’t help but remember him relatively fondly after the Gould, Neal and Atkinson eras. He’d lost the plot by the end but there was more good than bad.

 

[play_in_skyblue_stripes]

A fine player and an intelligent person. However that intelligence came with a big downside, arrogance. He thought he knew best and heard similar comments by others club fans. Best example being when he refused to take Magnus Hedman off when he was clearly injured and our fans were chanting to have him substituted. Strachan refused and I'm pretty sure we lost against either Derby or Middlesbrough


I'm loved his incredible performance midweek away performance at Tottenham as a 40 year that was key to staying up one year. There were other factors in our relegation , but it's my belief that his arrogance was a significant factor.
So from me not a person who I like.

 

[play_in_skyblue_stripes]

I was at Spurs in 94/95 season when we won 3-1 to confirm PL safety & he ran Justin Edinburgh ragged, made me wonder how good he must have been in his prime

Yep , that night he was tremendous player. I was so nervous going to that game and ended up being a brilliant night.

 

[ovduk78]

A fine player and an intelligent person. However that intelligence came with a big downside, arrogance. He thought he knew best and heard similar comments by others club fans. Best example being when he refused to take Magnus Hedman off when he was clearly injured and our fans were chanting to have him substituted. Strachan refused and I'm pretty sure we lost against either Derby or Middlesbrough

It was against Middlesbrough & we lost to a shot by Dean Gordon that Hedman couldn't get to, crazy as we had Kirkland on the bench

 

[Tommo1993]

Strachan always speaks well in general and of his time with us when I’ve heard him on podcasts and stuff. But when he gets into 6th gear Scottish, it’s a challenge knowing wtf he’s saying.

My first love was Dublin, and I doubt he’ll ever be replaced. And whether I loved him or not, the ‘Judas’ thing is utter wanking nonsense.

 

[play_in_skyblue_stripes]

Until the past few, 97/98 was my favourite season to have watched all the way through.

He’ll always have credit in the bank for that - and also the mesmeric home displays in 99/00.

Whilst I think there was probably an air of inevitability about our relegation at some point in the early 00s, he can’t escape criticism for some of tactical inflexibility and reliance on his favourites - and not picking certain players (Aloisi, for one).

That Everton game at home in 00/01 was a particular nadir.

Gosh that 1-3 Everton home game was abysmal. Talked to a friend at half time and we were shocked how badly we had played.

 

[Brighton Sky Blue]

Gosh that 1-3 Everton home game was abysmal. Talked to a friend at half time and we were shocked how badly we had played.

That was one of the last games we went to as a big extended family, my dad hauled us out at 0-3 as he was too pissed off by what he saw.

 

[Speedie's Head]

My first love was Dublin, and I doubt he’ll ever be replaced. And whether I loved him or not, the ‘Judas’ thing is utter wanking nonsense.

Strachan had agreed a new contract with him only for the board the sell him. That was the beginning of the end.

 

[Moff]

Predictable, as ever!

Never….I just know you aren’t his number one fan.

 

[blunted]

I think the way a manager's spell with a club ends always looms large over their legacy, and the end with Strachan was an especially grim time for the club overall.

I think he was very much a man of a previous era, and was in charge during a time when other teams were professionalising and getting more sophisticated tactically. Relegation seemed inevitable for us at one point or another. But he was a brilliant character, more so than any manager we've had since, and there were some incredibly entertaining sides that he managed. Combined with his brief time as a player I think I feel more warmly towards him than his managerial record probably warrants.

My take exactly. Remember the author of Staying Up who had behind the scenes access saying on CWR we would stay up the year we were relegated. The next day on national radio, he said we would be relegated as Strachan's personality was stressing the players.
He had some incredible luck to keep us up followed by bad luck when we went down.
The last minute blatant penalty against Hartson, when we were playing West Ham away not given, comes to mind.

 

[Gynnsthetonic]

Being made to sell his best players every year didn't help. Richardson and his croneys made millions out of it.

 

[Sky Blue Wozza]

Gosh that 1-3 Everton home game was abysmal. Talked to a friend at half time and we were shocked how badly we had played.

From memory, that was the first game I went to when people were openly displaying acrimony from the stand towards manager and players.

Been plenty since, like.

 

[covboy9]

Unbelievable coach of players, players coached and drilled to a fine detail also a very good motivator

give him money at your peril tho was also a prat in interview lol