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Boyle's Best Manager


TigerWoodsMFC
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143 members have voted

  1. 1. Who's been the most successful

    • Billy Davies
      0
    • Eric Black
    • Terry Butcher
    • Maurice Malpas
    • Mark McGhee
    • Jim Gannon
    • Craig Brown
    • Stuart McCall


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The best manager Boyle appointed was McGhee without doubt as he took us to a 3rd placed finish and Europe, playing the best football we've ever played all in twelve short months which was all the more remarkable that it came on the back of the disastrous Malpas season and also that we also had the tragedy of Phil O'Donnell's death midway through the campaign.

 

Terry Butcher's time in charge was probably the best era we've had in recent times as although the football we played under him was at times absolutely awful, we were nothing if not exciting and the League Cup run of 2004/2005, especially the Semi Final against Hearts will live with me forever. He had a great relationship with the support and brought a great deal of unity between club and fans, although administration played a part in this aswell, and unlike McGhee and a few others, Butcher really seemed to have some degree of affection for Motherwell FC.

 

 

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We know that Butch was good with bringing the kids in but what about his signings? I was away at the time and don't remember so was he any good in the transfer market?

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We know that Butch was good with bringing the kids in but what about his signings? I was away at the time and don't remember so was he any good in the transfer market?

 

 

He had 'mixed results' in the transfer market I'd say.

 

His good signings were; Gordon Marshall, Stephen Craigan, David Partridge, Scott McDonald, Phil O'Donnell and to an extent, Richie Foran, albeit he was very much a 'hit and miss' type player who did not deserve anywhere near the amount of 'cult' status that he held and continues to hold with some of our fans.

 

His not so good signings; Alex Burns, Richard Offiong, Gerry Britton, Gary Bollan, Jason Dair, that boy Vaughan, Daniel Sengewald and Brian Kerr (who should have and could have been a great signing had he not been such a lazy bugger)

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I've went for Terry, but was a very hard choice between him and McGhee. McGhee has us playing the best football i've ever seen Motherwell play, lead us to 3rd place and lead us through one of the darkest moments in our clubs history. However, it lasted only 1 season or half a season to be more accurate.

 

Terry consistently had us in top 6 places, memorable cup runs and had great rapport with the club and its supporters. He seemed to have a genuine affection for the club and I have to say I was gutted when he left. Granted, however, some of the football we were playing at times was awful.

 

I think most people would agree its a toss up between the two, depending on what perspective you take.

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Went for McGhee, only narrowly. The difference between the 2006/07 season and 2007/08 season is phenomal. McGhee managed to get the team far fitter than Malpas ever had them, which was strange given you need to football brain to get players fit and Malpas wasn't even able to do that. The difference in Clarkson, McGarry, Paterson, Smith and Quinn for various reasons was astounding.

 

However, a lot of McGhee's bad luck was down to the lack of injuries in my opinion. We were only without O'Donnell due to tragic circumstances and Quinn to a broken jaw for any length of time. McGhee was able to base his starting eleven around the same 13 or 14 players all season. The next season he was found out a bit, as he never really replaced McCormack and had to cope without Clarkson and Craigan for long periods of the season.

 

Butcher has to be commended for being the only manager I've seen who hasn't left a sour taste in the mouth (I am too young for the Tommy McLean era). The spirit he showed at the club was brilliant around the administration time and but for a bit of lady luck not relegating us, he guided us to three semi finals, one final and two top six finishes, whilst coping with losing numerous players throughout his tenure.

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Butcher has to be commended for being the only manager I've seen who hasn't left a sour taste in the mouth (I am too young for the Tommy McLean era).

 

Which was pretty impressive given that, as I recall, he was economical with the truth about his 'holiday' to Australia.

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Based on the list, I'd go for Butcher, he presided over a fair string of results, league places and cup appearances and all under the spectre of impending doom and selling his primary assets.

 

McGhee showed what you can achieve if you make the players treat their privileged jobs (well, as close as you can get for a modern British footballer) to a 9-5. Instilling professionalism and a high work ethic ultimately paid rewards. The whole O'Donnell/Scotland job/"I'm not applying" thing still leaves his tenure for me under a cloud, especially when you combine it with the nature of his exist and subsequent press interviews.

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Whilst I hate to admit it but I opted for McGhee, some of the football played whilst he was here was just superb.

 

Big butch came a close 2nd though and he was, big far, my favourite of the bunch.

 

 

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I went TB because he left when his time had come and not when he got a better offer

I'm not sure what wage Terry was on at Motherwell but you can rest assured that the £350,000-a-year job Down Under was more than we were paying. So yes if it's down to money, he left for a better offer.

the £350,000-a-year job Down Under is too good a chance to reject. He will succeed ex-German international winger Pierre Littbarski and have former Norwich midfield man Ian Crook as his right-hand man.

Butcher added: "I have been hugely impressed by the club and their ambitions for the future - and let's be honest, aside from anything else, it is a wonderful opportunity for me and my family and just too big to turn down."

 

Last season, with Crook alongside head coach Littbarski, Sydney won the A-League Grand Final, beating Central Coast Mariners 1-0 at Sydney Football Stadium in front of a 42,000 crowd.

 

Butcher added: "If you had told me a month ago I would be in Australia and about to become the new coach of the country's leading domestic football club I would have either called you nuts or had you carted off.

 

"I have to admit that when I received the first call, I thought it was a massive wind-up. I suspected it was either one of my staff, players or some prankster who wanted a laugh at my expense."

 

Butcher met with Sydney chief executive Tim Parker and chairman Walter Bugno, as well as touring Aussie Stadium and spending time with Crook and the rest of the coaching staff.

 

Parker said of Butcher: "We have been impressed by his knowledge of Australian football and the Sydney FC team and players, as well as his drive and ambition.

"He has spent time with the existing football staff and also been to Aussie Stadium."

 

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I know he left for a new job but I also recall him saying he felt he had done all he could and wanted a new challenge, where as Mark McGhee was only getting started with MFC before he decided to leave for a new job

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Can't decide between two managers in a 12 year period? I'd say that a majority of clubs and their supporters would envy us that.

 

I went for McGhee for his hardcore preseason training and for our first half performances which shocked the opposition and often saw us two or three goals up at halftime.

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