Tony Mowbray - underrated by much of our fanbase?

[Morny]

Neil got Norwich promoted in the same manner he did us... he wasn't there the full season.

That's the thing with Neil it seems. It appears he's a very good quick-fix manager. Come in, sort things out, get on a run and win some important games.

His record of when he's not in "fire fight" type mode is similar if not worse than Mowbrays. There's an idea doing the rounds on here that he's some sort of managerial savant and it's not wholly accurate.

Very much so. Neil had laid the groundwork for last season. Nobody seems to want to admit or accept that.

He was here for six months, played little part in any signings and relied on a lot of players mostly not in our Championship first team for most of the season (Gooch, Wright, Pritchard, Stewart, Embleton).

He done a decent job to get us up from League One, and we should all be grateful, but giving him the credit for us getting to the playoffs last year . You his agent or something?

 

[chriswallace85]

That's the thing with Neil it seems. It appears he's a very good quick-fix manager. Come in, sort things out, get on a run and win some important games.

His record of when he's not in "fire fight" type mode is similar if not worse than Mowbrays. There's an idea doing the rounds on here that he's some sort of managerial savant and it's not wholly accurate.

Possibly true, though the fire fight at Stoke seems to have been beyond him.

He seems most pleased about the side he put together at Preston, yet they never did owt. The again, his 7th and 9th placed finishes with them were their highest finishes in a decade. They've fallen off since.


I think Mowbray's record is pretty poor overall.

He was here for six months, played little part in any signings and relied on a lot of players mostly not in our Championship first team for most of the season (Gooch, Wright, Pritchard, Stewart, Embleton).

He done a decent job to get us up from League One, and we should all be grateful, but giving him the credit for us getting to the playoffs last year . You his agent or something?

I said he laid the groundwork. I wasn't crediting him with getting us in the play-offs.

Gooch made 20 odd appearances for us last season and captained us in the play-offs. Pritch 30 odd. Stewart played a 3rd of the season, scored 10 goals, and was still our top scorer for the season. Embo made 23 appearances.

 

[Morny]

Possibly true, though the fire fight at Stoke seems to have been beyond him.

He seems most pleased about the side he put together at Preston, yet they never did owt. The again, his 7th and 9th placed finishes with them were their highest finishes in a decade. They've fallen off since.


I think Mowbray's record is pretty poor overall.

I said he laid the groundwork. I wasn't crediting him with getting us in the play-offs.

Gooch made 20 odd appearances for us last season and captained us in the play-offs. Pritch 30 odd. Stewart played a 3rd of the season, scored 10 goals, and was still our top scorer for the season. Embo made 23 appearances.

They weren't the backbone of our team though were they, in fairness? They were good contributors but the team was built on other players (and it's a bit disingenuous to try and claim Stewart was part of it, when one of the defining parts of our season was our complete lack of a striker).

Our success last season was built, in particularm, on the way that Clarke and Roberts *really* kicked on, Amad was a revelation and the likes of Hume, Neil, Cirkin, Ballard and (later on) Ekwah really stepped up.

Now, for most of them I suppose you could say that maybes their improvement was the time spent with Alex Neil in the pre-season. I suppose if you think that, then you do think he "laid the groundwork".

I'd disagree personally. His thing doesn't seem to be developing players as opposed to getting results with what he's got. Quite the opposite to Mowbray, regardless of opinions on either.

As for who's the better, it's much of a muchness. Both got very similar records, both failed big time when they got "poached" by someone.

Big difference is in their tactical outlook: Mowbray is all about aesthetics and developing (sometimes to detriment), Neil is all about tactics and the here and now. Possibly why Mowbray has his two promotions automatic, Neil has his two via playoffs.

 

[Jonny]

If you combine Mowbray and Neil together you end up with a very good manager.
And that is what we had for large portion of last season.
Mowbray said he came in and didn't change anything just let the lads go and play.
The players already had the high press, work rate and positioning drummed into them.
Mowbray then let the shackles off and we played a high tempo attacking brand of football.
Very much like a shit version of Liverpool. This season with Mowbray (or Dodds) having more say int the tactics we have went for total possession, no tempo all season.
As shit are stoke were I believe they were near the top for pressing.
All Mowbray had to do was change the system back to what he did last season and I believe we'd have been much better off.

 

[martin_s_buckley]

Surely every slow, turgid, soulless performance under Beale & now Dodds,

has just shown again & again what a great job Uncle Tony did getting basically the same players to deliver fairly consistent (with the odd dip) dynamic, attacking positive performances and results.

He also was an excellent fit for developing the young players.

I wonder if some of those who wanted him out think different now.

I didnt want him out and was surprised when he left. IMHO, he has been our best manager since Keane, and had us playing football that was a delight to watch most of the time.