Managerial Merry-Go-Round 2020/21

[Monkey Tennis]

I still find that bafflingly unbelievable.
At start of season FGR won the first nine games, which is still a Conference record, and were 2nd in table when Pennock was dismissed.
Rumours abounded that he had lost the dressing room. FGR had not had a win in last seven games of season.
But Pennock was playing the long game:- he knew title was out of reach and was preparing for the play-offs by resting our best players in league games.
FGR did not get promoted that season but one wonders did Pennock's sacking scupper our chances. He has since won a national title in some far eastern country, so not bad manager at all.

My opinion was and is that Pennock upset the chairman off-field in one way or another.
Pennock went public in a big way complaining about the state of the pitch and sat on a lawn mower for a photo shot. That was exactly same time the club was publicising MOWBOT.
And of course Pennock's style of football was not the most attractive to watch. He hated conceding goals and was happy with 1-0 wins.
I think at that time FGR had one of the worst disciplinary records in league. Since then it is one of the better ones.

Dale Vince has never offered a public explanation for Pennock's dismissal.

I hated that FGR team - some of the worst matches at Holker Street saw you tippy tap it around for 90 mins at half pace and still come away with a 1-0. So frustrating to watch.

We had Pennock for six months and he kept us up (Luke James was mainly responsible), so he's quite a respected figure here.

Just saw it is a bit hypocritical of your fellow fan preaching stability - we'd all employ a manager for five years if he met the club's targets!

 

[Si Robin]

Whilst that sacking was surprising - Chris's point does stand. Vince kept Hockaday on for much longer than he should have, and arguably Pennock as well. The fact that they've had only 3 managers in Vince's time in charge, and only got one promotion in all that time shows how loyal he is really.

 

[masi51]

I hated that FGR team - some of the worst matches at Holker Street saw you tippy tap it around for 90 mins at half pace and still come away with a 1-0. So frustrating to watch.

We had Pennock for six months and he kept us up (Luke James was mainly responsible), so he's quite a respected figure here.

Just saw it is a bit hypocritical of your fellow fan preaching stability - we'd all employ a manager for five years if he met the club's targets!

If a manager met your clubs targets for more than one season he would be poached ie Evatt
If a manager is mediocre you sack him Dunne
If a manager does not jump you sack them Jolley

Both the Oldham and Barrow jobs are a Managers nightmare

 

[Andy Proctor]

Andy Crosby is rumoured to be vales new assistant manager. He is currently northern Ireland under 21s manager and has worked several times as an assistant to nigel adkins at scunthorpe and a few other clubs.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Whilst that sacking was surprising - Chris's point does stand. Vince kept Hockaday on for much longer than he should have, and arguably Pennock as well. The fact that they've had only 3 managers in Vince's time in charge, and only got one promotion in all that time shows how loyal he is really.

Keeping a manager on "for longer than they should have" isn't good for stability then, is it? The main reason most clubs change manager is because they are performing well below standard or they get poached - with Cooper they've landed a bloke who has achieved everything asked of him, without exceeding expectations enough to be nicked by a bigger club. Don't think Vince is any better or worse than most chairmen in this league in that respect.

 

[Si Robin]

But he hasn't achieved everything asked of him - Vince is expecting promotion from League 2 and has been since promotion to the Football League in 2017. That Cooper didn't get sacked after their first season when they very easily could have gone down shows his loyalty.

They then built on that season and made the playoffs in their second season and just missed out in the 3rd.

I'm far from a Dale Vince or Forest Green apologist, but Vince doesn't sack managers on a whim and his club is more stable because of it.

 

[valefan16]

Andy Crosby is rumoured to be vales new assistant manager. He is currently northern Ireland under 21s manager and has worked several times as an assistant to nigel adkins at scunthorpe and a few other clubs.

Would be a great appointment and happy with those three (Flitcroft and Clarke) but it’s just weeks too late!

 

[Luke Imp]

FGR and Hockaday never felt right. They spent too much time spending tonnes of money on long, expensive contracts for U21 players? Seemed to take them a couple of years to get rid of the Hockaday regime.

I always remember Al Bangura. Not for his performances, I just liked his name.

 

[Robshep]

FGR and Hockaday never felt right. They spent too much time spending tonnes of money on long, expensive contracts for U21 players? Seemed to take them a couple of years to get rid of the Hockaday regime.

I always remember Al Bangura. Not for his performances, I just liked his name.

Nortey Nortei was a great name. He got booked against us and you could tell the referee was struggling not to laugh as he showed him the yellow card.

 

[Chris FGR]

FGR and Hockaday never felt right. They spent too much time spending tonnes of money on long, expensive contracts for U21 players? Seemed to take them a couple of years to get rid of the Hockaday regime.

I always remember Al Bangura. Not for his performances, I just liked his name.

Hockaday's transfer policy was mental. We had 9 strikers at one point, and gave 3 year deals out to players like Magno Vieira, Anthony Barry and Omar Koroma. His answer to everything was sign more strikers, and he only seemed to be able to handle coaching younger players thanks to his supposedly successful background at Watford's academy. Don't think we sold a single player to a bigger club whilst he was here, despite signing a lot of youngsters which says a lot, and is one thing we've certainly been better at under Cooper, we've sold a number of players at a good profit in the last 4 years or so.

He did somehow get the Leeds job after leaving us though.

 

[Super_horns]

FGR and Hockaday never felt right. They spent too much time spending tonnes of money on long, expensive contracts for U21 players? Seemed to take them a couple of years to get rid of the Hockaday regime.

I always remember Al Bangura. Not for his performances, I just liked his name.

Most noted for a very public campaign to keep him in the country ans the Home office tried to kick him out.

And breaking Robbie Savage's leg.

 

[GTFCfish]

I still find that bafflingly unbelievable.
At start of season FGR won the first nine games, which is still a Conference record, and were 2nd in table when Pennock was dismissed.
Rumours abounded that he had lost the dressing room. FGR had not had a win in last seven games of season.
But Pennock was playing the long game:- he knew title was out of reach and was preparing for the play-offs by resting our best players in league games.
FGR did not get promoted that season but one wonders did Pennock's sacking scupper our chances. He has since won a national title in some far eastern country, so not bad manager at all.

My opinion was and is that Pennock upset the chairman off-field in one way or another.
Pennock went public in a big way complaining about the state of the pitch and sat on a lawn mower for a photo shot. That was exactly same time the club was publicising MOWBOT.
And of course Pennock's style of football was not the most attractive to watch. He hated conceding goals and was happy with 1-0 wins.
I think at that time FGR had one of the worst disciplinary records in league. Since then it is one of the better ones.

Dale Vince has never offered a public explanation for Pennock's dismissal.

In the last 30 minutes of our play off final
against you that year I aged about 20 years.

 

[masi51]

In the last 30 minutes of our play off final
against you that year I aged about 20 years.

i wondered why people in Grimsby all looked 20 years older than what they really are
I had it down to Spice and Special brew when all it was down too........was a football game

 

[Luke Imp]

Hockaday's transfer policy was mental. We had 9 strikers at one point, and gave 3 year deals out to players like Magno Vieira, Anthony Barry and Omar Koroma. His answer to everything was sign more strikers, and he only seemed to be able to handle coaching younger players thanks to his supposedly successful background at Watford's academy. Don't think we sold a single player to a bigger club whilst he was here, despite signing a lot of youngsters which says a lot, and is one thing we've certainly been better at under Cooper, we've sold a number of players at a good profit in the last 4 years or so.

He did somehow get the Leeds job after leaving us though.

Yeah you were stacked with them - Vieira, Koroma, Frear, Norwood, Mangan, Styche, Yukolwski(?). Who've I missed? Was Parkin there with Cooper as well?

 

[Chris FGR]

Yeah you were stacked with them - Vieira, Koroma, Frear, Norwood, Mangan, Styche, Yukolwski(?). Who've I missed? Was Parkin there with Cooper as well?

Danny Wright, Matty Taylor, Ben Wright, Matthew Barnes-Homer are a few more I can think of from the Hockaday era.

Parkin was there under Pennock, left just after we appointed Cooper. Cooper brought in Doidge, Tubbs and Rhys Murphy to replace him. Pennock used Parkin alongside the likes of Lee Hughes, Kurtis Guthrie and Luke Rodgers.

I think we must have signed about 50 different strikers in a 4-5 year period in the Conference.

 

[Si Robin]

Don't mention Danny Wright with all these Grimsby fans around, they'll blow their top.

 

[Monkey Tennis]

Did Rhys Murphy ever get his 60 goals that season? I can't remember...

 

[Valeite]

i wondered why people in Grimsby all looked 20 years older than what they really are
I had it down to Spice and Special brew when all it was down too........was a football game

Did you go around asking them their age?

 

[Chris FGR]

Did Rhys Murphy ever get his 60 goals that season? I can't remember...

Fell just short.

 

[masi51]

Did you go around asking them their age?

strange person

 

[shoddycollins]

Hockaday's transfer policy was mental. We had 9 strikers at one point, and gave 3 year deals out to players like Magno Vieira, Anthony Barry and Omar Koroma. His answer to everything was sign more strikers, and he only seemed to be able to handle coaching younger players thanks to his supposedly successful background at Watford's academy. Don't think we sold a single player to a bigger club whilst he was here, despite signing a lot of youngsters which says a lot, and is one thing we've certainly been better at under Cooper, we've sold a number of players at a good profit in the last 4 years or so.

He did somehow get the Leeds job after leaving us though.

Carlisle United legend is Magno Viera... funnily enough my mate has a programme from our conference season where we were away at FGR and his name was printed on the back as 'Mango Viera'

 

[Chris FGR]

We had some bloke standing in as PA announcer call him that when he actually played for us. Was one of many strikers that looked good against us but did virtually nothing here.

 

[Robshep]

strange person

Nice of you to finally admit what the rest of us worked out ages ago.

 

[Valeite]

strange person

Well how do you know they look 20 years older than they are, if you didn`t ask ?

 

[Robshep]

Well how do you know they look 20 years older than they are, if you didn`t ask ?

Its a pretty poor way of picking up women. "Excuse me love but can i ask how old you are?". "What 25, i thought you were 45 at least. Want some Carlsberg Special Brew and a bag of spice". This forum drifts into The Twilight Zone sometimes.

 

[Indian Dan]

Sheridan will be available tomorrow!

Drunken fossil

 

[GTFCfish]

Don't mention Danny Wright with all these Grimsby fans around, they'll blow their top.

Your trolling of us really needs stamping out.

 

[denzel ecfc]

Tisdale for Orient. Thank me later

 

[The Terminator]

Tisdale for Orient. Thank me later

Is this the gossip coming from Exeter or just a prediction?!

He's not pulled up any trees in League One since that season in 2011 when we finished 7th, you finished 8th and Rochdale 9th I think.

I Would take a punt on him, his record in League Two is good and we do need to give an experienced manager a go. My worry is he needs his own backroom staff like Matt Oakley with him who I don't think went with him to Bristol Rovers.

 

[Casey]

Is this the gossip coming from Exeter or just a prediction?!

He's not pulled up any trees in League One since that season in 2011 when we finished 7th, you finished 8th and Rochdale 9th I think.

I Would take a punt on him, his record in League Two is good and we do need to give an experienced manager a go. My worry is he needs his own backroom staff like Matt Oakley with him who I don't think went with him to Bristol Rovers.

I've always scratched my head at these sort of comments. If he needs Matt Oakley too be successful why not just sign Matt Oakley?

I suppose football is based on pairings but it just seems odd to me.

Not meant as a dig at you Terminator.

Casey