The Best worst Motherwell Manager ever

[SteelmaninOZ]

In the same vein as Tam Cowans best team question I ask this who was the best /worst/ bad / liked manager we have had that you have seen. 
 

Worst manager for me was Jock Wallace. 
Liked Roger Hynd, Ally McLeod the McClean brothers David Hay Wimmer 

 

[Yabba's Turd]

I knew Bobby Watson personally, worst record during our time after Wallace went back to Ibrox after we got Greig the sack. Davy Hay had the chance to progress MFC but saw himself in bigger things, Lama Tomtom probably dragged the club up over his tenure to merit the best manager in my time.

[well_said]

1 hour ago, Yabba's Turd said:

I knew Bobby Watson personally, worst record during our time after Wallace went back to Ibrox after we got Greig the sack. Davy Hay had the chance to progress MFC but saw himself in bigger things, Lama Tomtom probably dragged the club up over his tenure to merit the best manager in my time.

Massively underappreciated at that time .

[MJC]

In my time it’s obviously Tommy McLean. Took us from the 1st division to the top flight where we have remained ever since and won the Scottish Cup. 
 

Terry Butcher would be my second best for the way he took over when we were at our lowest point and gave us some tremendous times.

Stuart McCall did well for us, but his Cup record when he had such a good team at his disposal badly tarnished that and that’s before you take into account shitting it from 3rd division Rangers and losing to Albion Rovers a year later.

Mark McGhee did an incredible job in the first season of his first stint but treated the club and the support with contempt. He is without doubt my most disliked Motherwell manager.

The worst manager during my time is Maurice Malpas. An absolutely awful and lazy appointment and he showed absolutely nothing to suggest he would succeed as a manager. The season he was in charge was absolutely horrible.

[wellfan]

I’ve been following the club since the McLean era, and Kettlewell is by far the worst manager in my time. He dragged the fans through the mud and tried to rewrite history, and nobody should let that slide.

[mio]

Davie Hay, his side was what really took me from being a young Motherwell fan who liked going to fir park to one who loved going to fir park. His team was attacking and full of flair. I remember being devastated when he left.

worst? We’ve had a lot? Malpas is up there, Watson was only temp so he doesn’t really count but was awful. Jock Wallace was awful but undoubtedly a good manager in his time. Sadly Hammell wasn’t very good. But I’ll stick with Malpas, awful manager and the most depressingly dull guy we’ve ever employed.

[MJC]

25 minutes ago, wellfan said:

I’ve been following the club since the McLean era, and Kettlewell is by far the worst manager in my time. He dragged the fans through the mud and tried to rewrite history, and nobody should let that slide.

I’d disagree about Kettlewell being the worst manager during the time dating back to the McLean era but absolutely can’t overlook or forget his behaviour during and after his departure. As you said he threw the entire fanbase under the bus in order to create a false narrative and preserve his own reputation. Absolute snake behaviour. 

[MelvinBragg]

McLean won a trophy and established us as a Premier League side so he's probably the best (certainly most important) in my lifetime. I haven't seen anyone mention him yet, but Craig Brown did a pretty good job. Obviously as he got poached.. 

Personal favourites were Butcher and McCall. Both came with no previous connection to the club but really seemed to develop a real affection for us. They "got it" for want of a better phrase... Others gave the impression they thought they were doing us a favour by simply lowering themselves to be here (Black and McGhee obviously)..

Worst? Probably Malpas or Kampman. I'll forever excuse Baraclough out of this conversation because of the playoffs...

 

[mio]

11 minutes ago, MelvinBragg said:

Worst? Probably Malpas or Kampman. I'll forever excuse Baraclough out of this conversation because of the playoffs...

 

I liked wee McCall as well, a really decent guy and a good manager for us but I have no doubt he’d have got us relegated if he was in charge of us in the play off games. He had a real fear of playing Rangers, the way he put out his sides against them was a disgrace actually. Not that I am saying he was Rangers minded when he was our manager but he did have a real fear factor about them.

Baraclough for all his faults went into those games really attack minded and went for them. I’ll always think favourably about him.

[AllyMax]

Willie McLean for his first season in the ten team league where he created a team that really should have won things.

Davey Hay for the difference he made to a team destroyed by Ally McLeod. You went to games betting on how many you'd win by, not worrying if you'd win or not.  As YT said, shame he thought he was bigger.

Tommy McLean for leaving a newly promoted club to come back down a rung to us, taking us back and building us into (during many difficult years financially) what was a cup winning side and, in his last season, a great team filled with real players. I really wish Tommy could have stayed another 10 years. Can you imagine what he could have done with the money that the ginger fuckwit wasted over his tenure ? McLeish had a financial backing that wee Tam could only have dreamed of, and turned us from contenders to relegation fodder in 2 1/2 seasons. 

To me McLeish was the worst manager we ever had when you look at his tenure as a whole. (And I was there for Wallace and McLeod)

[andalg]

Best

Davie Hay for the team performances under him

Tommy Mclean - had some horrendous teams and was under pressure before giving us the greatest football day in my lifetime

Worst

Roger Hynd

Maurice Malpas

[weeyin]

Malpas was easily the worst for me - on and off the pitch. Jock Wallace was second worst.

Davie Hay gave us a great promotion season and I liked McCall both as a person and as a manager. We played some fun stuff under him with some impressive league finishes.

[Throughthelaces]

Again in my time watching us which is really only since 2013. Worst for me is hands down Mark McGhee. The press conferences how he treated the support. Just an arse of a man.

Best Stephen Robinson two cup finals and brought stability to us re invented how we played a few times so clearly a talented manager unlike his successors so far. 

[SteelmaninOZ]

Forgot about Craig Brown and McCall on my likes list.

Thanks for the reminder Melvin Bragg

[mio]

2 hours ago, AllyMax said:

 

To me McLeish was the worst manager we ever had when you look at his tenure as a whole. (And I was there for Wallace and McLeod)

I always felt McLeish was a lucky manager. He took on an excellent side from McLean and made them better for one season. I think the players did better in this season as they were a bit more relaxed as wee Tommy was a tyrant. He then made a few duff signings and seemed to lose any respect he had from the players in the first season. He was such a media darling tho and got away with murder. 

[AllyMax]

5 hours ago, mio said:

I always felt McLeish was a lucky manager. He took on an excellent side from McLean and made them better for one season. I think the players did better in this season as they were a bit more relaxed as wee Tommy was a tyrant. He then made a few duff signings and seemed to lose any respect he had from the players in the first season. He was such a media darling tho and got away with murder. 

Mostly agree although I'd dispute that he made us better. (I know we finished a place higher under him, but that was more down to Celtic being even worse than the previous season) All the changes he introduced made us worse and he would end up reverting  to TM's formation from the previous year. Some of his early decisions, like buying a 3rd rate left winger to get in the way of the best attacking left back in the country were just typical of the stupid shit that he did. TM had us as ,a very solid 5-3-2 / 3-5-2 with everyone playing in their natural positions. Eddie May at right back, Andy Roddie anywhere near the stadium were just two examples of what a dick McLeish was.  Sorry for ranting, but I do hate the c**t with a passion 😄

 

[grizzlyg]

Best - Davie Hay, wee Tommy, McCall

Worst - Kampman, Malpas and of course Kettlewell purely because of the way he left club with his contradictory stories and threw whole support under a bus then released YouTube sun exclusive interview with Oprah McGregor the day Wimmer got appointed.

Ps. Aye.......still raging 🤣🤣

[twistandshout1983]

Best list , Tommy McLean for obvious reasons. Terry Butcher for the shambles he inherited and had us top 6 and a cup final. Stuart McCall for the league finishes 3rd, 2nd, 2nd . The cup form was very poor though and we should have won something in this era .  Robbo for the 2 cup finals and 3rd place finish. Craig Brown who had an excellent year in charge before he left

I also liked Michael Wimmer and would liked to have seen how he done as time went on.  Also Baraclough for those 2 playoff games alone 

Worst for me definitely Malpas . That whole season was a disaster from start to finish.  Harri Kampman's spell was also poor to watch 

 

[weeyin]

Wee Tommy is obviously a legend for the Cup Win.

His first SPL season in particular, however, was an eye-bleeding park-the-bus system that still ended up with us in a relegation slot, saved only by league reconstruction.

If any other manager had a season like that now, he'd be out the door by Februrary.

[mio]

10 minutes ago, weeyin said:

Wee Tommy is obviously a legend for the Cup Win.

His first SPL season in particular, however, was an eye-bleeding park-the-bus system that still ended up with us in a relegation slot, saved only by league reconstruction.

If any other manager had a season like that now, he'd be out the door by Februrary.

Wee Tommy’s teams up until Bobby Russell arrived was utter torture to watch, he’d never have survived any more than a season these days. He bought some utter dross as well mostly cast offs from his brother lol Gardiner, Murray, John Reilly…Peem Weir… I could list about 20 to be fair. There were some right hummers.

[0Neils40yarder]

McLean for me...but it was a different era, where players could just upsticks and move at the end of their contract and he was awarded far more time than managers would get nowadays. The simple fact is though, that he created 2 magnificent teams

 

Malpish - it's just yer Donald Duck...and absolutely awful fitba manager 

[Welly Machine]

McLeish, Brown, McCall and McGhee were good for spells but for me it has to be Tommy McLean for how he improved us over time and obviously the only trophy I have seen us lift.

Worst would be between Malpas, Kampman and, sorry to say it, Hammell.

 

[grizzlyg]

53 minutes ago, mio said:

Wee Tommy’s teams up until Bobby Russell arrived was utter torture to watch, he’d never have survived any more than a season these days. He bought some utter dross as well mostly cast offs from his brother lol Gardiner, Murray, John Reilly…Peem Weir… I could list about 20 to be fair. There were some right hummers.

Not sure who peem weir is addressed to that list Paul Kinnaird, Joe McLeod.  That was why Tommy never bought brother Jim a Christmas present.  He gave him a good few throughout the years 😜

[mio]

11 minutes ago, grizzlyg said:

Not sure who peem weir is addressed to that list Paul Kinnaird, Joe McLeod.  That was why Tommy never bought brother Jim a Christmas present.  He gave him a good few throughout the years 😜

Paul Kinnaird was an absolute loonball 🤣 I think he was drummed out of fir park as he owed everyone money due to gambling debts. 
Peem weir is Jim Weir (not the Accies guy) Tommy signed him from a German 3rd division team and then fired him straight into a game v rangers and he was horrific. I’m sure he now drives taxis in lesmahagow? I may be wrong with that tho? 

[star sail]

I think this could be a question that has different answers for different reasons.

If I was to give a simple answer, I would say best Tommy McLean and worst Maurice Malpas both for reasons that have been mentioned 

but 

The best football I watched was under Mark McGhee in his first season and I thought the way he handled the death of Phil O Donnell was almost statesmanlike so he is up there for me

and 

Now the controversial one. I was never as optimistic about a new start to a season as when Jim Gannon arrived. He brought in some good players (Jennings/ Ruddy/ Coke/ Jutkiewitz) and some fresh ideas that in the first quarter of that season really looked as if they were going to take us to the next level. Were it not for a last minute Jim O Brien penalty miss at Firpark against Rangers that first quarter could have been fairly exceptional. Unfortunately though Gannon seemed determined to press the self destruct button and the rest is history. I do wonder though what might have been if Gannon had had the temperament to put his vision into reality. We can't forget that Motherwell qualified for Europe that season via the fair play award. It was Gannon that instilled that playing culture at the club at that time.