Jump to content

Lawries biggest mistake when managing us


OldNick

Recommended Posts

Thinking about the fans who remember Wayman hobbling about injured playing for us and the pain of our failure all those years ago, took me back to the scars i still have of Highbury 84 where we let in an injury time goal to lose to Everton in the FA cup semi. i recalled how LM played an injured Stevie Williams and how that effected our performance. Williams was a superb influence for our team at the time but he could not do anything on the day .

It is amazing how even now the disappointment and sense of injustice still rancors

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thinking about the fans who remember Wayman hobbling about injured playing for us and the pain of our failure all those years ago, took me back to the scars i still have of Highbury 84 where we let in an injury time goal to lose to Everton in the FA cup semi. i recalled how LM played an injured Stevie Williams and how that effected our performance. Williams was a superb influence for our team at the time but he could not do anything on the day .

It is amazing how even now the disappointment and sense of injustice still rancors

 

Agreed it probably was the wrong decision...then there was Cassells....but ask youself how may good decisions he made?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thinking about the fans who remember Wayman hobbling about injured playing for us and the pain of our failure all those years ago, took me back to the scars i still have of Highbury 84 where we let in an injury time goal to lose to Everton in the FA cup semi. i recalled how LM played an injured Stevie Williams and how that effected our performance. Williams was a superb influence for our team at the time but he could not do anything on the day .

It is amazing how even now the disappointment and sense of injustice still rancors

 

Agree with this. I remember it was'nt a corner and I still hate Adrian Heath.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agree with this. I remember it was'nt a corner and I still hate Adrian Heath.

 

 

I think you mean it wasnt a free kick......an no it ******* wasn't

 

 

(Apologies everyone..... that link will kill your day)

 

 

Oh and old nick...... Thats a ******* bunch that's put me in a right **** mood now you made me think of that

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He was a fantastic manager for us and I was privileged to watch us in that era.The Everton game was an opportunity that went past as we Im sure gone on to lift the Cup.

Heath I still would love to lump, and Andy Gray got away with murder by havibng a ref who let him foul his way through the game

Link to comment
Share on other sites

His biggest mistake was leaving us to go to Sunderland... he had a great thing going down here but he failed in dramatic fashion in the north east and his tenor at Sunderland was nothing short of a disaster.

 

In hindsight you can say it was his biggest mistake, but people should remember he turned down Man utd to stay with us. The Sunderland job came up about 12 months later and that was his dream job, in his home area.... It didnt work out, but I personally don't hold any grudges from him taking it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you mean it wasnt a free kick......an no it ******* wasn't

 

 

(Apologies everyone..... that link will kill your day)

 

 

Oh and old nick...... Thats a ******* bunch that's put me in a right **** mood now you made me think of that

I didnt put the bloody youtube up though did I?

it has set me off now.Lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

His biggest mistake was leaving us to go to Sunderland... he had a great thing going down here but he failed in dramatic fashion in the north east and his tenor at Sunderland was nothing short of a disaster.

 

His soprano was pretty sh1t too...but I agree with the premise.

 

What is it with Northerners...do they have to pay a penance by returning from Nirvana once they've found it?:D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think you mean it wasnt a free kick......an no it ******* wasn't

 

 

(Apologies everyone..... that link will kill your day)

 

 

Oh and old nick...... Thats a ******* bunch that's put me in a right **** mood now you made me think of that

 

first time ive seen that probably since it happened. its annoying me more than ever now, especially as it was never a free kick and also why the heck did we have two in front of the ball for the kick?! get him back in the box marking ****heath!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had some great days with Lawrie but he definately got it wrong that day. I also think he got it wrong in the League Cup Final versus Forest when he had Sealey on the bench and not Manny A or Hebberd. If we could have stuck Manny on Gemmil (like he did in the semi v Curry) it might have been different

Link to comment
Share on other sites

mark Wright lost his man as well FFS. And how on earth is that ever a free kick??
the whole game Gray was fouling and the ref letting him get away with it. The same happened in the semi against Liverpool where Hansen spent the game holding Danny Wallace.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was sat behind the dugout and Puckett was stripped and ready to come on but Lawrie couldn't seem to make his mind up on the sub. That result hurt more than losing the final in 2003 because we were far and away the better team and didn't do ourselves justice, as we proved three days later when we thumped them in the league at the Dell. Next season Everton built on the impetus of the cup win to become champions and I can't help but think that might have been us.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Old Nick you are bang on the money here, this was easily his biggest mistake and I too share the view an FAC win that year may have led to us doing an Everton the following year. It still causes me great annoyance now. In fact I have spoken to both Lawrie and Stevie Williams about it in recent years and I can assure ypu I am bothered about it a lot more than they seemed to be! We should have played Golac in midfield in that game. The highlight of that season (aside from round 4) was seeing Moran and Wallace both score hatricks in the same game against Coventry - although Ashly Grimes reply is still one of the best goals I have ever seen scored in Southampton.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can look back at every Manager that's ever Managed and they've all made mistakes. Fergie has made a few, especially when the European rule was 3 foreginers only. Goes without saying that the best Managers are the ones who've made the least mistakes, and Lawrie didn't make many. In those days the Manager asked the player if they were able to play and do a job and if they said yes, they were in. Nowadays the medical staff would have a lot more of a say,and clubs tend to protect the players a bit more. You have to say if we get to the play off final and AL is touch and go, a lot of people will want Adkins to risk him and play him half fit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There were a few mistakes that season. We couldn't seem to make our mind up whether to go for the league or the cup - or maybe that's my memory playing tricks and the league was never a realistic possibility until Liverpool started dropping points late on - anyway, there was the home league game with Forest which we lost that was rearranged so that Williams could serve a suspension and be available for a cup game, and Lawrie played a weakened team at Everton in the league (lost 0-1 I think) where he rested Dennis, Worthington & Williams because a booking would mean they missed a cup game. In hindsight those games were the difference. Stems from having a small squad I suppose.

 

On the whole though, this is nit-picking. Lawrie was marvellous for us - 1975-85 were our glory years!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There were a few mistakes that season. We couldn't seem to make our mind up whether to go for the league or the cup - or maybe that's my memory playing tricks and the league was never a realistic possibility until Liverpool started dropping points late on -

 

 

I dont think the league possible that season, if I remember correctly Liverpool pretty much ran away with it, and only started dropping a few points after it was in the bag.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There were a few mistakes that season. We couldn't seem to make our mind up whether to go for the league or the cup - or maybe that's my memory playing tricks and the league was never a realistic possibility until Liverpool started dropping points late on - anyway, there was the home league game with Forest which we lost that was rearranged so that Williams could serve a suspension and be available for a cup game, and Lawrie played a weakened team at Everton in the league (lost 0-1 I think) where he rested Dennis, Worthington & Williams because a booking would mean they missed a cup game. In hindsight those games were the difference. Stems from having a small squad I suppose.

 

On the whole though, this is nit-picking. Lawrie was marvellous for us - 1975-85 were our glory years!

 

The Forest game was moved so Williams was available for the Skates game, the following Saturday.

 

Well worth it in my book.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Agreed it probably was the wrong decision...then there was Cassells....but ask youself how may good decisions he made?

Wasn`t Cassells part of the deal when we got Mark Wright from Oxford. If so it wasn`t a bad deal. I know that Casells didn`t set the world alight be I seem to remmber a handful of goals including some crackers in the 5 all draw at home to Coventry. Mind you I am extremely old (like everyone else on this thread) so the memory might be playing tricks!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wasn`t Cassells part of the deal when we got Mark Wright from Oxford. If so it wasn`t a bad deal. I know that Casells didn`t set the world alight be I seem to remmber a handful of goals including some crackers in the 5 all draw at home to Coventry. Mind you I am extremely old (like everyone else on this thread) so the memory might be playing tricks!!

 

 

The way McMenemy recounts the story was that Wright was thrown in to the Cassell's deal!!!!! My claim to fame around that time was wiping the sweat off Cassell's balding head as he walked off at Brentford away. The dressing rooms were Portakabins and the players had to walk through the terrace behind the goal to get to them.

 

And he definitely scored in the 5-5 draw with Coventry that evening with one of them being a long range effort. That was the game where Wallace came off the pitch thinking we had lost.

 

I'm not going to comment on the Everton game and /or the Steve Williams decision as that day still haunts me to this day (for a number of reasons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

He was right to start with Williams but should have taken him off for extra time. The following week we easily beat Everton 3-1 in the league with Alan Curtis playing making it an even bitterer pill to swallow.

 

That will be the game where there were about 800 in the away end (700 with familiar Southampton faces!!!!).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now I'm going to be a little controversional here...

 

When Lawrie took over from Ted in December 1973 we were 5th-9th in the old First Division (I don't know the exact date but that was the movement during December 1973).

 

We were relegated in 20th place that season - not a great start, especially as he signed the likes of Lew Chatterley from his old club FFS)

 

OK, we won the FA Cup in 1976 from our new lowly status (I have to say with a huge slice of luck, but I'll take that)

 

And he managed to sign a load of fading stars using his undoubted personality in the 80's.

 

But at the end of the day there wasn't much planning for the future.

 

I'll take cover now for the inevitable storm - be gentle!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That season (83/84) we not only should have won the cup but we should have won the league as well. We ended up as runners up just 3 points behind the eventual champions Liverpool.

 

That season we dropped 3 points at home to the bottom team (notts County). I am sure that Lawrie must have made mistakes that day ... but I cannot remember what they were. Where he did muck up was in early April when he played a weakened team at Everton a week or so before the semi final. It was a morning game as the National was that day. it was a horrible game which we lost (1-0 I think). A full strength team couldn't have done any worse and 3 points there could well have won us the title.

 

The saddest thing in writing this is that younger Saints may find it difficult to believe we were that close to doing the Double. It seems like a totally different world!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Further to my previoue post - our first match in Division 2 in 1974-75 I think was against Hull.

 

We failed to win - I don't think I went again for a couple of seasons - I was that disgusted with our fall from grace, you can guess who I blamed!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Old Nick you are bang on the money here, this was easily his biggest mistake and I too share the view an FAC win that year may have led to us doing an Everton the following year. It still causes me great annoyance now. In fact I have spoken to both Lawrie and Stevie Williams about it in recent years and I can assure ypu I am bothered about it a lot more than they seemed to be! We should have played Golac in midfield in that game. The highlight of that season (aside from round 4) was seeing Moran and Wallace both score hatricks in the same game against Coventry - although Ashly Grimes reply is still one of the best goals I have ever seen scored in Southampton.

 

Didn't we play them at the Dell on the following Tuesday with Golac in for Williams and absolutely steamroller them? I remember Golac putting Terry Curran in the stands early on and we never looked back - going unbeaten till the end of the season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Further to my previoue post - our first match in Division 2 in 1974-75 I think was against Hull.

 

We failed to win - I don't think I went again for a couple of seasons - I was that disgusted with our fall from grace, you can guess who I blamed!

 

In those days he was known as 'Mac my enemy'

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Didn't we play them at the Dell on the following Tuesday with Golac in for Williams and absolutely steamroller them? I remember Golac putting Terry Curran in the stands early on and we never looked back - going unbeaten till the end of the season.

 

Correctamundo. But we were losing 1-0 at half time. However, the pure hatred from the terraces scared the cr ap out of Peter Reid et al and we won 3-1.

 

happy days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:thumbup:

Now I'm going to be a little controversional here...

 

When Lawrie took over from Ted in December 1973 we were 5th-9th in the old First Division (I don't know the exact date but that was the movement during December 1973).

 

We were relegated in 20th place that season - not a great start, especially as he signed the likes of Lew Chatterley from his old club FFS)

 

OK, we won the FA Cup in 1976 from our new lowly status (I have to say with a huge slice of luck, but I'll take that)

 

And he managed to sign a load of fading stars using his undoubted personality in the 80's.

 

But at the end of the day there wasn't much planning for the future.

 

I'll take cover now for the inevitable storm - be gentle!

 

Agree +1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...