He picked a strange time to go and seems to forget They were only half the story Lincoln City FC are just as important. It struck me that all the talk of a "Big Plan" it was always about you and getting your club as far as you can go. The fans bought in, the players bought in it all. Not a bad thing. I think they hoodwinked people, which is why there's a lot of upset which is understandable. Post match Interviews both Sheffield Wednesday & Us DC threw players under the bus. These are players who haven't been on the same journey that Lincoln City have. If they had gone during the window then yeah they could've sold these players. They're in a bad place, but, it their own making. Don''t make it worse by alienating the people who hold your future in their hands. They should have stayed and taken you up. Have faith others can do it. It my take sorry if it offends
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He picked a strange time to go and seems to forget They were only half the story Lincoln City FC are just as important. It struck me that all the talk of a "Big Plan" it was always about you and getting your club as far as you can go. The fans bought in, the players bought in it all. Not a bad thing. I think they hoodwinked people, which is why there's a lot of upset which is understandable. Post match Interviews both Sheffield Wednesday & Us DC threw players under the bus. These are players who haven't been on the same journey that Lincoln City have. If they had gone during the window then yeah they could've sold these players. They're in a bad place, but, it their own making. Don''t make it worse by alienating the people who hold your future in their hands. They should have stayed and taken you up. Have faith others can do it. It my take sorry if it offends
buckielugger
Vital 1st Team Regular
Kev is one of my oldest Imp friends.
He did absolutely loads for the club for many many years.
He went to a huge number of consecutive Lincoln matches, home and away, without missing a single one, even through a long spell of cancer treatment.
Free choice for him to do whatever he wants to.
And by the way, has done an awful lot for unwanted greyhounds.
GreenNeedle
Vital Squad Member
I don't know anything about him other than your last statement r.e. greyhounds and completely agree on that.
I meant "many people" would know him due to his work with greyhounds :)
Davidimp
Vital Football Legend
No offence taken sir, a lot of think that.
Would much rather they left in May and gone to your team so our new manager could have built his own team and they could have done the same at your place.
Even journo mates of mine where amazed they've gone there.
Huddersfield are a bloody car crash but went there because they have total control and a whacking great pay rise.
Yeah I'd noticed they've thrown the players under the bus too, ,probably not the best idea given the players there are used to losing and really need tlc not public bollockings.
He's never been a losing run before and think it's unsettling him, shame.
I don't think They were ever seriously in the running. After Pulis it cost us a fortune to rebuild the scouting network. and if DC wanted total control we weren't going to destroy that so soon after Pulis. A majority of clubs at Championship and Prem level run that model, because, it's too much for one person. I think Jones should have stayed at luton, and the cowley's with you. Jones had the same demands. At the moment the Huddersfield fans are blaming the players. Their half time talk on sunday was a disaster. We put Grady on to run them ragged, Weak right side, I know they had a decent Right Back on the bench that DC seemed to overlook. They need a result quick otherwise the fans question the hype a 26 game losing run will do that. They had a chance at a proper legacy with you. as I said before they are only half story You lot are the other half. It gives me no pleasure to say this but I can't see this ending good for either Jones or your ex managers. There's a massive jump up between leagues from 1 to championship to Prem
StrangelyBrown
Vital Squad Member
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No idea what you mean- the principle is we tend to see the positives in "our own" when they behave in a way another manager of another club would be criticised by us for the same behaviour extolled by our own. It is human nature. It is what happens.
My point simply is what we enjoyed and extolled ourselves in our previous management team appears differently when you see it occur in another club.
Nothing to do with any transformation on the field or in the club- and i repeat my point that we will have a very different approach from Appleton as was clear from his first press conference.
UnbelievableJeff
Vital Squad Member
I have it on very good authority that in their informal discussions with WBA, they told the board they wanted total control. The response from the board was "Who do they think they are, coming to us and telling us that?" It is fair to say they were told to shut the door on the way out.
They were not considered for the Swansea job, but Micky Mellon was. He interviewed very well. As did Appleton and nearly landed the job. My source is someone on the interview panel.
Appleton impressed Swansea very much, The Cowleys didn't even feature.
So, I think their throwing under the bus of players is very Mark Cooper like and also Evans. I personally think that DC is struggling with many years of over work and badly needs a rest, before he has a total meltdown.
They were not considered for the Swansea job, but Micky Mellon was. He interviewed very well. As did Appleton and nearly landed the job. My source is someone on the interview panel.
Appleton impressed Swansea very much, The Cowleys didn't even feature.
So, I think their throwing under the bus of players is very Mark Cooper like and also Evans. I personally think that DC is struggling with many years of over work and badly needs a rest, before he has a total meltdown.
PerthImp
Vital Football Hero
Personally speaking I thought, from the first day of appointment, they would probably lose their first two games, but Millwall at home is possibly their first winnable game. It will be a real test for them to see if they can get all three points against the Lions. DC possibly knows Neil Harris better than most of the managers in the Championship and probably how his team plays. A win would get the HTFC crowd behind them as well. We'll see.
imp73
Vital Squad Member
Okay... i get your point. But i think you are jumping to conclusions very early. It would be a very strange first press conference to start blaming others.
bristolimp
Vital Champions League
You can’t blame the cowleys for moving - everyone here would do the same if offered that increase.
The timing wasn’t good but I guess it never is.
If he keeps them up I predict they will move again to better things
The timing wasn’t good but I guess it never is.
If he keeps them up I predict they will move again to better things
WellingtonImp
Vital 1st Team Regular
I keep hearing “...everyone here would do the same if offered that increase” or similar. While I agree many/most would ...it is very wrong to say everyone.
The angst people have is that the Cowleys made things personal, building their report with the City and fans on a very emotional and personal level. It was refreshing, but it was all flannel. It’s fine to try and inspire or motivate, but they sold us all an emotional attachment, and then bolted (at the worst possible time). They achieved great things but their legacy is unfortunately tarnished. Maybe that will heal over time. I hope so.
I sometime wonder if our success, and how we embraced them, scared them, knowing that at some point they wouldn’t be able to keep it up. The first couple of seasons they looked tired and pushed the behavioural boundaries a bit with their dark arts, but last season and this, they appeared more fraught and tetchy, rather than just tired.
Anyhow, there are some people, that if they truly meant what they said, the legacy would transcend the money and mean more. You see that in some players, those that shun the millions to stay with a smaller Club (still on a very decent wedge) that they have formed a real attachment to.
The angst people have is that the Cowleys made things personal, building their report with the City and fans on a very emotional and personal level. It was refreshing, but it was all flannel. It’s fine to try and inspire or motivate, but they sold us all an emotional attachment, and then bolted (at the worst possible time). They achieved great things but their legacy is unfortunately tarnished. Maybe that will heal over time. I hope so.
I sometime wonder if our success, and how we embraced them, scared them, knowing that at some point they wouldn’t be able to keep it up. The first couple of seasons they looked tired and pushed the behavioural boundaries a bit with their dark arts, but last season and this, they appeared more fraught and tetchy, rather than just tired.
Anyhow, there are some people, that if they truly meant what they said, the legacy would transcend the money and mean more. You see that in some players, those that shun the millions to stay with a smaller Club (still on a very decent wedge) that they have formed a real attachment to.
UnbelievableJeff
Vital Squad Member
WellingtonImp......I think you've brilliantly hit the nail on the head. Steve Cowley said at the start of the last season, in the Centre Spot, that their biggest fear was not to keep up with the expectation of the fans. I think you've got it in one.
Coupled with a lack of mentally switching off, over a number of years and the relentless work they put in leads to one thing....burnt out and breakdown.
It's far from good that.
Brendan Bradley
Vital Squad Member
It doesn't necessarily mean it was all flannel. That would be stupendously cynical.
The sentiment was no doubt real, and the intention was probably there. Ultimately, everything has its price.
Sincilbanks
Vital Football Hero
That first season they pretty much lifted the club by it's boot straps on their own. I dread to think how many hours they put in week after week while all the time their families were miles away in Essex being asked to take a punt on their first full time job in football.
We should be eternally grateful that Clive and Bob found 2 people who were prepared to take on the whole monumental task of lifting and improving the playing staff and non-playing staff while simultaneously spending an enormous amount of time in the community and media developing the club profile. I don't think there were two other people in and around Conference football who could have done that in the manner they did it...
Yep i don't think it was flannel, it's just the way they are. The problem is some fans thought it would last forever (despite being told several times it would only be until something 'perfect' came up elsewhere)
Impish
Vital Champions League
Depends what you class as ‘perfect’, I very much doubt Hudders are that.
Skip155
Vital Champions League
True. The only real surprise for me (and it was a big one) is that they moved during the season. I was totally convinced it would be at the end of the season to a job they’d probably signed up to months before.
I guess firefighting Huddersfield and dragging them up the table was just too perfect for them and that’s fair enough. I just hope for them that their methods transfer to that level - they’ve barely been tested above L2.
NottyImp
Vital Football Legend
That was the big surprise for me. I 100% expected them to go at the end of this season, but 99% expected them to stay for it and give it a shot in L1. It seemed the "Cowley method" of building their career.
buckielugger
Vital 1st Team Regular
I don't think any of it was flannel at all.
Genuine throughout.
And deserving fully of a chance higher up.
It may be a wrong choice for them. Only time will tell. But they had clearly decided it was time to move on and have gambled on this move being the one for them.
Yes, timing not ideal for us or for them, and they had obviously been looking to move May/June time but as they didn't get the WBA job (or any other at the time) then their usual close season move got ruled out.
Them moving now has made it harder for us, window has closed, little Appleton can do to alter squad for now, except shift the players around and maybe add a non contract one or two (Gary Hooper has been suggested - he's no doubt used to far higher wages than we run with, but if he is now without a club, you would think any reasonable offer from us would be worth him considering, and it was said he did or does live at Burton Waters).
JAS could get played in the remaining Trophy games I guess.
Anyway, all the best to Michael Appleton.
New era starts at Blackpool. Really looking forward to it.
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79imp
Guest
Great post Sincilbanks.
Whatever anyone thinks of the timing and manner of their departure, no one should EVER forget what these guys did in in 2016-17. We were quite simply transformed in the course of 12 months... crowds quadrupled, on the national and indeed international football map in a way no one could have even dreamed about before... and let’s not forget this was also followed up with our first ever visit to Wembley, a trophy, and then our first football league championship in more than 40 years.
I do get the soreness of their departure, and truthfully I think it’s one the Cowleys may come to regret more than we do. But they should never be seen as anything less than legends in Lincoln for what they achieved. I wish they had stayed for this season, or jumped ship back in May/June. But how often do you get the ‘perfect’ managerial departure? I’d venture pretty much never.
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