Most underrated Notts County managers?

[Joe Jones]

Notts County have had some great managers over the years (and many c**p ones, but we'll not talk about these!).

But besides from the top man Jimmy Sirrel and the other usual suspects who have done well with the club (Neil Warnock, Sam Allardyce, Steve Cotterill) what other gaffers who may not have had as much recognition do you rate particularly highly?

[samwatto2008]

Martin Allen, Paul Ince, McParland

[Elite_pie]

I'll probably be in a minority of one here, but I'll offer the name of Steve Thompson.  I'm not talking about his spell as assistant to Colin Murphy, but when he took over from Gudjon Thordarsson in 2006.  We had just avoided relegation to the Conference on the last day of the previous season with a stomach churning 2-2 draw against Bury (who had Kasper Schmeichel in goal), and he was given the job by the Supporter's Trust in June despite huge fan opposition and inherited a squad consisting of little more than half a dozen poor players.  He persuaded Jason Lee to sign from non-league and built a route one squad around him that always battled until the end.  The tactics were very basic- hoof it up to Jason and get on the end of his knock-downs.  It wasn't pretty, but it worked.  We finished in a comfortable mid table position, and actually scored more goals than we conceded.  Considering what he came in to he did a good job that season.  He was given the boot the following season after a poor start and replaced by the hopelessly inept Ian McParland.

[Piethagoram 𝕏 @piethagoram]

Honourable mentions to Wilko, Walker and maybe Moniz (more for the refreshing style of play at home but at the same time , couldn't really identify a decent player)

What I would say, some plaudits need to be given to the coaches..who were unsung heroes ...Dick Bate deserved credit for the defensive coaching of a back 3, Benji, Sims and Yates...a formidable back line that did its job.

Mark Smith, Big Sam's assistant until Mark unexpectedly leaving for pastures new up north. Big Sam always relied on good coaches and even he had some failings at Notts with his #2

Dave Kevan, I felt sorry for his abrupt departure with Ricardo...A good coaching pedigree, highly thought of at Stoke and FGR

Richard Dryden for a season of an unbeatable reserve team..

 

Cannot agree with Elite on Steve Thompson though..I remember a game at Accrington where Thommo came to talk to supporters..saying that we wasnt being allowed to sign Luke Rodgers...well Steve, I believe you had already spent the budget and under the Trust, there was no cash reserve...

 

[DangerousSausage]

12 hours ago, Elite_pie said:

I'll probably be in a minority of one here, but I'll offer the name of Steve Thompson.  I'm not talking about his spell as assistant to Colin Murphy, but when he took over from Gudjon Thordarsson in 2006.  We had just avoided relegation to the Conference on the last day of the previous season with a stomach churning 2-2 draw against Bury (who had Kasper Schmeichel in goal), and he was given the job by the Supporter's Trust in June despite huge fan opposition and inherited a squad consisting of little more than half a dozen poor players.  He persuaded Jason Lee to sign from non-league and built a route one squad around him that always battled until the end.  The tactics were very basic- hoof it up to Jason and get on the end of his knock-downs.  It wasn't pretty, but it worked.  We finished in a comfortable mid table position, and actually scored more goals than we conceded.  Considering what he came in to he did a good job that season.  He was given the boot the following season after a poor start and replaced by the hopelessly inept Ian McParland.

Interesting one and I actually agree. Thompson was appointed just two weeks before pre-season training was due to start. We had signed no-one and had very few players under contract. Not only was he fully prepared - he knew exactly who he wanted to sign and the players he wanted duly signed on the dotted line over the next week or two - he also had a very clear concept of how we were going to play. And what's often forgotten is that we spent most of the season in the top half and even flirted a little bit with the play-offs - with four games to go we were just three points off. On paper he was the least promising manager of the Trust era, but he was the only one who had us anything like competitive.

Before my time, Howard Wilkinson seems to gain little recognition for taking us into the top flight. Jimmy Sirrel still gets a lot of the glory for that promotion, but he'd passed team affairs on to Wilkinson because he recognised that he'd taken Notts as far as he could. Sirrel deserves praise for that as few managers would have that level of self-awareness and humility, and I think he was the one who chose HW. However, it was Wilkinson who changed our style of play and who was the architect of our promotion back to the top level for the first time in half a century.

[Chris Website URL Visit Site 𝕏 fmcj10 Instagram fmcj10]

Charlie McParland for me.

He's a good manager IMO, at the lower league level he knows how to find a player and builds squads based on depth (when money is available to him). Even on a budget he does well for what he has open to him. Tactically he's aware, he might not make the best calls in game but I feel he's always been vastly underrated. I'd even say to a certain degree a portion of fans dislike him, which I have never really understand.

Before the 2000's I'd really struggle, but I can recall my Grandfather saying how Mick Walker was underrated and treated quite poorly.

He also spoke similar about Howard Kendall, but felt he brought much of the criticism on himself due to poor decisions and bad habits. I remember both Mick and Howard managing Notts, yet I don't really recall much else about them as the manager of the club due to my age back then.

[liampie]

paul ince? he was awful.

i think martin allen to a degree was underrated because some fans felt he was not that good. if he had a better budget i think he would have done much better here but he managed to make us stable during that period.

who managed us during the munto season? cotterill, becke and mcparland?

[Elite_pie]

2 hours ago, liampie said:

who managed us during the munto season? cotterill, becke and mcparland?

All three of them.  Hans Backe wasn't here long enough to form too much of an opinion, but McParland had more than long enough to be judged.  He came in at a very difficult time under the Supporter's Trust, but that still doesn't hide the fact that as a manager he was useless.  As a player very good, as a manager totally useless.  In the Munto season the fake money meant he was given a squad that was head and shoulders above the rest of the division, and he still only got us up to fifth.  I still have vivid memories of his final game against Torquay, we were on TV and were coasting at 2-0 when they just went direct - their only tactic was a long ball or long throw into the box.  We dropped deeper and deeper, and it was no surprise when they pulled it back to 2-2.  McParland just stood there motionless and changed nothing.  He had no Plan B and the tactical awareness of a slug.  I remember a very depressing drive home thinking that we had a brilliant opportunity to be promoted but it would by ruined by a completely hopeless manager.  I was delighted next day to hear he had been sacked.  The rest is history, as soon as we got a competent manager in we won the league by 10 points.