Ray Graydon

[Sweepy]

The man who was inexplicably sacked by Warsaw after bringing them first division football has left Bristol Rovers.

The departure is clouded in mystery. The Brizzle rivals site express their sorrow that it didn't work out for him, despite the fact "he tried", yet he pulled them up to mid-table after they looked certs for the Conference last season.

Could Graydon be the man to reverse the slide at Griffin Park?

 

[Brentford Bob]

No.

 

[Sweepy]

No.

Oh well, time to give up then.

What shall we call the new team? Brentford Town? AFC Brentford? FC Brentford?

 

[JTofBFC]

More like the bloke who is replacing Graydon at Rovers, Steve Cotterill.

Probably get a host of suggestions that we couldnt afford Cotterill. How much money do you think Bristol Rovers have? If we had acted and got rifd of Downes weeks ago we would have been in the race to get Cotterill.

Just goes to show that there are candidates out there. We don't have to settle for somebody who will take us down.

 

[kendo]

perryman was touted in the paper today for the rovers job.

 

[bees66]

No to graydon

 

[Brentford Bob]

What shall we call the new team? Brentford Town? AFC Brentford? FC Brentford?

That's what we'll be doing if someone like Graydon gets the (currently non existant) job.

Bristol R P 81 W 22 L 37 D 22
Walsall P 199 W 79 L 71 D 49

Hardly earth shattering is it? And I don't think he'd work for less than £40k a year either?

I'll admit to starting to have doubts about WD but Graydon is not the answer!

 

[JTofBFC]

I'll admit to starting to have doubts about WD but Graydon is not the answer!

I agree.

(there I said it...........!!)

Cotterill, Perryman, Westley, etc etc. Anyone but Downes or Graydon.

 

[scaramanga]

Perryman is an arrogant tosspot.

 

[bees66]

Westley

:yes: He can bring his money with him to.

 

[JTofBFC]

Perryman is an arrogant tosspot.

Thats helpful. Thanks.

And Wally Downes is.......................................

 

[Sweepy]

Perryman is an arrogant tosspot.

He might be a serial killer as well, or an evil paedophilic monster.

All the above is irrelevant - what I want to know is if he can halt the slide at Griffin Park.

 

[Wee Dave]

Graydon?

Sack Downes and advertise the job. Let's do it that way, eh?

 

[scaramanga]

Wally Downes is a top geezer, lovable rogue, all round good bloke. I think he should be sacked now, but i'd rather share a beer with him than Perryman.

 

[Sweepy]

Why the opposition towards Graydon?

He got Walsall promoted (twice?) and got sacked because they struggled in Division One. Correct me if i'm wrong, but didn't we used to sneer at teams like Walsall? How much further are we going to sink?

Yes, it didn't work for him at Bristol Rovers, but Gary Thompson wasn't exactly turning things around there either, was he?

People are claiming Graydon wouldn't work for £40k, but we can afford Thompson as a #2, so thats the fiscal argument out the window. And managerially was he really that bad?

 

[AB]

Graydon's record at Bristol Rovers is not great, but you'd have to be a loon to criticise what he managed in his time at Walsall.

Walsall P 199 W 79 L 71 D 49 doesn't sound earth-shattering until you look at what these 199 games included. Namely, finishing as runners up to Fulham in getting promoted to div 1, some way clear of 3rd place if I recall rightly- so really they were the champions of the teams who didn't have megabucks. Followed by relegation from div 1 (oh to be thinking of relegation TO div 2, rather than from it!), which I'd imagine swells the number of defeats on the record (plus a couple of seasons of midtable div 2- wouldn't that be nice- as he built the team). Then another season of promotion back up to div1, including beating Reading at the MilStad. My memory is that he had Walsall above the relegation spots in div 1 when Walsall ditched him. Possibly he wasn't ambitious enough!

When you think that he also did this within the financial constraints (for which, read sensible and prudent business management) of a small club like Walsall which achieved all this while turning in a profit (as it has done for 10 years), I can't believe that people are dismissing him as a decent candidate.

On the other hand, Cotterill DID take Cheltenham up through non-league and into div 2 (via the play-offs). But then he had a disastrous spell at Stoke (he's known by their fans as Quitterill)which he followed up by being futher over-promoted as assistant manager at Sunderland. One positive I suppose is that he does have a penchant for teams that play in red and white stripes.

 

[Jimbee]

Why the opposition towards Graydon?

He got Walsall promoted (twice?) and got sacked because they struggled in Division One. Correct me if i'm wrong, but didn't we used to sneer at teams like Walsall? How much further are we going to sink?

Yes, it didn't work for him at Bristol Rovers, but Gary Thompson wasn't exactly turning things around there either, was he?

People are claiming Graydon wouldn't work for £40k, but we can afford Thompson as a #2, so thats the fiscal argument out the window. And managerially was he really that bad?

You seem to be overlooking his far more recent and relevant record at Rovers for some reason.

 

[Amsterdam Bee]

Graydon is the first name that I have heard that would be a good idea as a possible replacement.

Though again, people are strangely overlooking his performance at bristol...

 

[BenMoses]

what about Bob Booker?


I'll get my coat

 

[Deleted member 2202]

Yes to Graydon...Definitely yes to Cotterill

 

[Gee Bee]

Another guy who has proved himself at our level is Brian Law. Didn't do so well at Bradford, but they went into Administration shortly after he joined. Apparantly he and Cotterill have had interviews for the Southend job.

 

[Edmundo]

Do you mean Nicky Law? Brian Laws is the Scunthorpe United manager. Nicky Law did quite well at Cheaterfield, but that was the season they were docked nine points. Can't remember whether he had anything to do with the offences.

 

[Gee Bee]

Do you mean Nicky Law? Brian Laws is the Scunthorpe United manager. Nicky Law did quite well at Cheaterfield, but that was the season they were docked nine points. Can't remember whether he had anything to do with the offences.

Correct Ed, I do it just to see if you are watching.
He was not part of any of the Chesterfield wrong doings.

If we were managerless, I would defo put him on a short list.

 

[West Wilts Bee]

Graydon

It has to be Perryman, but by the time we wake up he will be employed by some other club.

 

[Wee Dave]

If we were managerless

We are.

I must say though that I find this talk of who'll replace Wally a bit harsh. I'm up for sacking him, because I don't think he's up to the job. But he's a decent enough bloke and making plans to move in and shag his wife is a bit off

Let's sack him and advertise the job. THEN we can speculate.

WTF is the point of speculating about future managers when we still have one? We don't even know if any of them would touch us with a bargepole.

 

[Pete the Bee]

No way to Cotterill, that weasel would do to us what he did to Stoke if he heard a whisper of interest from someone bigger.

Graydon's okay, but why not aim higher?

 

[AB]

Higher than Graydon? A manager who in recent years has achieved 2 promotions to div 1 on limited money with an unfancied team getting our sort of gates sounds high enough to me. They played decent passing football too.

 

[Gee Bee]

No way to Cotterill, that weasel would do to us what he did to Stoke if he heard a whisper of interest from someone bigger.

What bollox!!
If you were offered a chance to better your career (it was at the time) would you not take it?
The fact of life is whether it a player or manager, it is their job and if they want to succeed in their profession, they must have ambition to play or manage at the highest level. If they don't they won't succeed at the lower levels.

 

[Sweepy]

Higher than Graydon? A manager who in recent years has achieved 2 promotions to div 1 on limited money with an unfancied team getting our sort of gates sounds high enough to me. They played decent passing football too.

You're wasting your time. Anyone who is not convinced that change is necessary obviously has a skull far thicker than that of you or me.

These people think a man should be condemned because he couldn't get the mighty Bristol Rovers any higher than mid-table. Yet, for a percentage of a five-month salary, they will not support Wally's departure. Obviously the survival of Brentford FC is not worth a £10,000 pay-off to a useless clot.

I am starting to think a minority on here are happy for Clownes to remain because he is a "good drinking buddy and generally an alright sorta bloke" than a good manager.

I say bring in Graydon/Perryman/Cotterill before it's too late and they're snapped up. Give them until the end of the season, and if they keep us up, reward them with a 1/2 year contract.

 

[AB]

To be honest, I'd be happy to give the RIGHT manager a contract to the end of next season. Relegation would be terrible for us, but it might be something we soon have to accept. If that is the case, we can't bury our heads in the sand and say "no it'll kill the club, we can't think of it". We will in those circumstances have to work out what can be done to survive if we do go down.

Go down with the right manager in place, someone who can start next season's rebuilding NOW and we're better off than if we go looking in close season and the new guy does his learning for the first 3 months of next season. We can also work out who out of today's squad will still be here (although tbh, apart from the return of the loanees and Hunt probably going on a free to Reading, who else is worth anything to anyone on current form?).

If the new manager at least gets the players motivated right and playing decent football, we'll get better and more appreciative crowds than we are likely to get if we flounder and hoof it down as we appear to be.

I feel sad for this, because I have tried to be fair to Wally in the past, but it is looking a bit grim now. Either way, the Board need to act to retain their support and to show that they aren't fulfilling Noades' prophesy of a bunch of idiots taking us down and out.

 

[Gee Bee]

Obviously the survival of Brentford FC is not worth a £10,000 pay-off to a useless clot.

£10K I think you will find it will be nearer £25K!!
He ain't on £25K a year, thats about the average of all playing staff which includes Juniors. That said I'm not convinced we will stay up with current coaching staff including WD, but its the mysterious Thompson I'm concerned about, what value does he add? If WD were sacked would he be put in temporary charge!!?

I hope not.

 

[Jimbee]

These people think a man should be condemned because he couldn't get the mighty Bristol Rovers any higher than mid-table.

Isn't that why he has left Bristol Rovers? Don't mosstt people want Wallyl out for the same reason? Ray Graydon is a man who is approaching, if not past, retirement age and you want him hired based on a few good seasons with one club. I want someone with a longer-term decent track record I'm afraid.
I think Perryman has to be re-considered as a short-term optiion.

 

[Snappy]

Should Wally leave us, I think Ray Graydon would be a step sideways rather than forwards.

He may have a decent track record with cash-strapped clubs, but the fact that he failed at Bristol Rovers with fans calling for his head because of negative tactics, and that he's getting on a bit now anyway, wouldn't be the right move IMO.

 

[homerbees]

Personally a man i would like to take over would be Billy Dearden, did a good job at Mansfield set the basis of their team although took the Notts County job. Has done fairly well, as he's been unable to sign players for 18 months or something like that.

 

[Gonads2]

No way to Cotterill, that weasel would do to us what he did to Stoke if he heard a whisper of interest from someone bigger.

At the moment I don't give a sh*te if a half decent manager wants to come here, make a name for himself and piss off at the drop of a hat.
For 'anything bigger' to come along, our hypothetical new manager would have to be doing something right to generate interest elsewhere, call me negative, but I would settle for that at the moment

 

[Snappy]

Personally a man i would like to take over would be Billy Dearden, did a good job at Mansfield set the basis of their team although took the Notts County job. Has done fairly well, as he's been unable to sign players for 18 months or something like that.

Didn't he quit because he didn't have any money to spend though?

 

[The H]

Graydon's record compares favourably with

Wally:
Brentford P89 W28 L40 D21

 

[alikat]

Graydon's record compares favourably with

Wally:
Brentford P89 W28 L40 D21

Are you SURE we've won that many under the wally??!!

I suppose that a high percentage of those were when Forzoni was still here and having an impact on the team.

 

[homerbees]

Didn't he quit because he didn't have any money to spend though?

It wasnt not having money to spend, i think he couldnt sign anyone for the 2 years he was there as they was in administration.

 

[The H]

Wally since Derby County...

P48 W12 D12 L24

48 pts............

 

[1 Jay Tabb]

What about Terry Venables? He is a proven manager at the highest level and can get teams out of sticky situations like us remember waht he did to Middlesbrough a few seasons ago? He could take us over from downes he probaly wouldnt want to join us, we probaly couldnt afford his wages. Or he could work alongside downes like he did with Bryan Robson like he did at Middlesbrough. Just a thought?

 

[The H]

:grey:

 

[bees66]

:grey:

:crazy1:

 

[nocoat]

what a debut....

:grey:

lol rofl

:yes: Yes yes, a very original piece, I like the way you used colours and emptiness to really accentuate what we all thought!

 

[SQUELCH]

billy deardon! r u real? he's absolute pants far worse than downes.

for f@cks sake give the job to geoff taylor, someone who knows what position to play the players and who the players would like to play for.

 

[scaramanga]

What about Terry Venables? He is a proven manager at the highest level and can get teams out of sticky situations like us remember waht he did to Middlesbrough a few seasons ago? He could take us over from downes he probaly wouldnt want to join us, we probaly couldnt afford his wages. Or he could work alongside downes like he did with Bryan Robson like he did at Middlesbrough. Just a thought?

There's a few on here who wouldn't like a QPR supporter on board even if it was El Tel.

 

[Brentford Bob]

for f@cks sake give the job to geoff taylor.

rofl rofl rofl rofl rofl

You keep saying that. Are you related?

 

[homerbees]

billy deardon! r u real? he's absolute pants far worse than downes.

for f@cks sake give the job to geoff taylor, someone who knows what position to play the players and who the players would like to play for.

Yeah your right, Billy Dearden is nowhere near as good a manager as Wally Downes

Geoff Taylor now thats a cracking idea for a new manager, lets get someone with no managerial experience but someone who the players would like to play for. Im sure the players would like to play football for Stevie Wonder but that doesnt mean he would do anything for us.

 

[bees66]

Geoff Taylor now thats a cracking idea for a new manager, lets get someone with no managerial experience but someone who the players would like to play for. Im sure the players would like to play football for Stevie Wonder but that doesnt mean he would do anything for us.

Is you saying Taylor had no experince like?

Also have you seen Wonder's wife?

 

[Sweepy]

Wally since Derby County...

P48 W12 D12 L24

48 pts............

That is pathetic. And to think that Graydon's superior record was achieved with:-

1. Walsall - who he toiled with in Division One. It must be Walsall's highest placing for decades.

2. Bristol Rovers - A club on its knees and heading for the Conference after the dismissal of Gerry Francis and some other useless twa't, whose name escapes me at the moment.