Saints Greatest XI - The Best Managers Poll

[St Landrew]

I'm amazed..! Only two joke nominations and 6 genuine candidates. We revert to our original method for the last week's vote. That is, he who wins the most votes manages the A-Team and he who comes second manages the B-Team. You only vote for one person, so be clear who you want. And we'll see who we think is the greatest manager of SFC in living memory.

Edited 9 February, 2009 by St Landrew

[krissyboy31]

Yeh, first in with Ted. 100% vote!!

[SaintDonkey]

Ted was before my time so it has to be Lawrie.

[St Marco]

Ted without a doubt. Was before my time but being a supporter means more then just knowing what happened this week. The guy did so much for us, taking us from the old division 3 south to the first division (now called the premier league). He brought in legends like Channon,Paine and Davies etc.. getting the club into europe twice.

 

LM comes a close 2nd but winning an fa cup to me would not have happened without what Bates did.

[John Boy Saint]

I have to go with Lawrie Mac, Ted had just stepped aside when my keen interest in Saints was realised, so at an impressionable age Lawrie introduced me into the swashbuckling, take on all comers football that his teams played. Cup Finals, players who were household names, smashing European champions into submission: What an adventure.

 

Plus he did get me my tickets for the 1979 League Cup Final

[mynameisthehulk]

I get the impression Dalek2003 may have voted already

[saintwarwick]

I get the impression Dalek2003 may have voted already

 

LOL, Lawrie Mac for me. Although Ted was in charge when I first started supporting the Saints it was the latter part of his career so I opted for big Lawrie for what he achieved in his 12 years at the club.

[derry]

Ted took over a bankrupt club, the supporters bought his first player, he kept us in the third division when the old regional third division was split, won the third division championship, promoted to the first division and kept us there.

 

Lawrie McMenemy took over from Ted and promptly got us relegated. He won the cup in 1976, promoted two years later and a couple of Wembley visits, did well in the league, then left for Sunderland.

 

Ted joined us before the second world war and died 60 years later as club President. Nothing that Lawrie did could compare to the lifetime that Ted Bates put into Saints.

Edited 10 February, 2009 by derry

[MatthewStiles]

Ted was a bit before my time as well so I was tempted to vote for Lawrie on the basis that on getting back to Division 1 we finished 14th in 1979, the next season 8th, then 6th, 7th, 12th, 2nd, and 5th. However, the case for Ted though has been well put so I await further contributions before casting a vote.

[Toomer]

This going to be a close run thing between Ted and Lawrie, but as my first game was way back in 1959 it has got to be Ted for me.

[wild-saint]

LM won the FACup and tempted the european player of the year to the club. We havent won anything before or after. No contest for me.

[Mark Mywords]

Matthew, without Ted Bates there would not have been a Lawrie McMenemy era. Ted was the architect and builder of Southampton FC. The only thing that separated Ted from Saints was death. Unlike others, he would never have left and was Southampton through and through. So it's Ted for me 100%.

[Tamesaint]

Matthew, without Ted Bates there would not have been a Lawrie McMenemy era. Ted was the architect and builder of Southampton FC. The only thing that separated Ted from Saints was death. Unlike others, he would never have left and was Southampton through and through. So it's Ted for me 100%.

 

... and he must now be turning in his grave at our current predicament.

 

He died in November 2003.....and it has been downhill ever since then!!!

[St Marco]

Matthew, without Ted Bates there would not have been a Lawrie McMenemy era. Ted was the architect and builder of Southampton FC. The only thing that separated Ted from Saints was death. Unlike others, he would never have left and was Southampton through and through. So it's Ted for me 100%.

 

Plus also Ted was assistant manager when we won the cup.

[Fowllyd]

I get the impression Dalek2003 may have voted already

 

And it looks like he's been allowed three votes, too. Now that's grossly unfair!

[1976_Child]

How come we don't get to vote for Jan Poortvliet? Easily better than Ted et al.

 

[SaintSparky]

For me, even through Lawrie was during my time there is no doubt that in the history of Southampton FC that Mr Ted Bates is the clear number one, Lawrie is the clear number two; outside of this no other manager in our history comes remotley close to these two.

[gjphilsaint]

Close but Lawrie over Ted. Lawrie was my era, he brought togehter a team that survived with much distinction in the league, cup and in Europe. He bought players lesser managers would never have dreamed of encouraging to the dell... Keegan , Boyer, MacDougal, Shilton, Armstrong, Ball, Watson (Dave CB) as well as nurturing youth like Agboola, Wiiliams, Moran, Wallace(s).

 

But I wouldn't want my lawrie vote to detract in any way from Ted's legacy. I was a mere kid when Ted was in his hey day... by the time i started going to the dell it was lawrie mac.. Ted deserves so many votes for his loyalty and honesty and for being saints thru and thru (both as player and manager) a true Southerner!!

[WestSaint]

Different era but my vote goes to Lawrie - I was priviliged to watch wonderful players at the Dell under his managership and will never forget Wembley 1976.

[SarniaSaint]

Ted took over a bankrupt club, the supporters bought his first player, he kept us in the third division when the old regional third division was split, won the third division championship, promoted to the first division anfd kept us there.

 

Lawrie McMenemy took over from Ted and promptly got us relegated. He won the cup in 1976, promoted two years later and a couple of Wembley visits, did well in the league, then left for Sunderland.

 

Ted joined us before the second world war and died 60 years later as club President. Nothing that Lawrie did could compare to the lifetime that Ted Bates put into Saints.

 

Well said.

Great guy with no massive ego.

[Badger]

Ted took over a bankrupt club, the supporters bought his first player, he kept us in the third division when the old regional third division was split, won the third division championship, promoted to the first division anfd kept us there.

 

Lawrie McMenemy took over from Ted and promptly got us relegated. He won the cup in 1976, promoted two years later and a couple of Wembley visits, did well in the league, then left for Sunderland.

 

Ted joined us before the second world war and died 60 years later as club President. Nothing that Lawrie did could compare to the lifetime that Ted Bates put into Saints.

 

Ditto.

 

How we need someone in the Ted Bates mould again now.

[AussieDog]

What a tough call!

I would be happy with either one, and all my great football memories were from Lawrie Mac, and who can ever forget his signing of Keegan out of the blue, let alone our cup win of '76 and our other Wembley appearances....BUT...Ted Bates gave everything to Southampton, and got us into the top division for the first time ever. He was also the first to get us into Europe too!

I have to say that Lawrie would probably have managed todays primadonnas better than Ted. So today my vote is for Lawrie. If you asked me again tomorrow it would just as likely be Ted, it's that close in my eyes.

[St Landrew]

What a tough call!

I would be happy with either one, and all my great football memories were from Lawrie Mac, and who can ever forget his signing of Keegan out of the blue, let alone our cup win of '76 and our other Wembley appearances....BUT...Ted Bates gave everything to Southampton, and got us into the top division for the first time ever. He was also the first to get us into Europe too!

I have to say that Lawrie would probably have managed todays primadonnas better than Ted. So today my vote is for Lawrie. If you asked me again tomorrow it would just as likely be Ted, it's that close in my eyes.

 

I think that's a very fair summation for those posters who are split between Ted and Lawrie.

[Dellman]

It's Ted for me, not just because I'm old enough to remember it all but because he took us from the bottom (Div3) to the top(Div1) beginniing when we were penniless. Supporters held whist drives to raise the money to buy his first player (Jimmy Shields for £1000 if I remember correctly). Also, he was a modest man with no shomanship at all, he only put in to the Club and must have been astonished to live long enough to see people taking out of the Club.

[solentstars]

its lawrie for me ,he was my era but ted is not that far behind ,both legends has far has i am concerned.

[St Landrew]

Very busy this weekend, so I'm going to leave this poll open for the duration. Please continue to vote.

[Plumstead_Saint]

Lawrie.

I'm saving my Ted Bates votes for the Best ever director.

[St Landrew]

Well that's it peeps we have the teams and their managers. These polls have been fun, and the controversial result, that I suspected has actually happened. That is, that one of the most loved/hated figures in Southampton Football Club memory has topped the poll as the man most people would want to manage the A-Team, over and above possibly the most loved person ever to walked into SFC. It says a lot about Saints fans that, when the chips are down, they want a successful club, just like any other set of football club fans, and they won't accept second best, however good that second best may be; and Ted Bates was a superb second. It shows we love our club best when it is flying high. There's no miracle thinking in that, but perhaps it may be a good idea if some of today's influencial people might take notice of that transparent fact. But perhaps you have a different answer to our result.

 

Well finally... here are your favoured teams and their managers.

 

Representing the A-Team

 

Manager: Lawrie McMenemy

 

GK: Peter Shilton

 

RB: Ivan Golac

CB: Mark Wright

CB: Michael Svensson

LB: Wayne Bridge

 

RM: Terry Paine

CM: Alan Ball ©

CM: Matthew Le Tissier

LM: David Armstrong

 

RF: Mick Channon

LF: Ron Davies

 

Subs

GK: Tim Flowers

DF: Ken Monkou

MF: Rod Wallace

ST: Steve Moran

UP: Nick Holmes

 

and representing the B-Team

 

Manager: Ted Bates

 

GK: Antti Niemi

 

RB: Jason Dodd

CB: Claus Lundekvam

CB: Dave Watson

LB: Mark Dennis

 

RM: Danny Wallace

CM: Steve Williams

CM: Jimmy Case ©

LM: Chris Marsden

 

RF: Kevin Keegan

LF: Marian Pahars

 

Subs

GK: Kelvin Davis

DF: Mick Mills

MF: Ronnie Ekelund

ST: Alan Shearer

UP: Peter Osgood

 

If I get some time, I'll be writing some articles on the players, managers, and the teams themselves. We may even have a fictional match between the two of them. Pehaps we can have some opinions and stories of the people who have finally made the line-ups. Perhaps you can suggest the back-room staff..!

Edited 6 March, 2009 by St Landrew