• The forums will be unavailable for a few hours on Saturday 6th June, when they do return they will initially be in a degraded state with some features missing, but normal posting/reading will be possible. The main website will not be affected by these updates.
    New user registrations are currently disabled.
    Some other features of the forum are also currently disabled.

What was your expectations when McMenemy first took charge?

The Club (Cowie) paid him a huge amount to get him to Sunderland and people were ridiculously optimistic when he arrived. His record was however so poor when he was with us that there was obviously something very wrong from the start behind the scenes. His policy of brining in older experience players didn't pay off and was scorned by journalist and fans alike. It's ironic when you think of the impact that Granit Xhaka is having on our team today and how he's hailed as the league's "signing of the season"

I should imagine that the extent of both the Cub's and fans expectations didn't help and the ill feeling which that generated just seemed to add to a vicious circle of under performance on the pitch and decline.

Rather predictably it all ended in tears and I believe that Laurie got a rather expensive car out of it

The old fella will be 90 in July - I hope he's in good health.
 

Messiah, flew home from Greek Islands, landed at Gatwick Saturday morning, mate drove us into London, flogged my Vauxhall Cavalier all the way home, delays meant I arrived at 3.20pm so didn’t go, no SKY, no FIRESTICK, listened on Clubcall or summat, thought the defeat was teething problems, he was an unmitigated disaster.
 
Last edited:
Im wrang oni said:
my dad knew him as a lad, said he was a shit footballer and mag so didn't have high hopes. turned out worse than he expected.

couple of years ago I got talking to a couple on holiday who recognised my accent an said they had been close friends with Lawrie. A bit awkward when I had to tell them I wouldn't accept any nice words about him.

Only Moyes out ranks him as a Sunderland villain imo.
Click to expand...
Moyes was awful and is up there but he did inherit an absolute disaster off the field and a chairman that wanted out. McMenemy had the most support imaginable for a relegated side and left in disgraceful fashion. He’s easily the worst villain in my history of supporting the lads. Grayson, Coleman, Ross, and Parkinson were utterly shit but not villains in the same way, just shit and ill equipped to manage us.
 
Scorer said:
Moyes was awful and is up there but he did inherit an absolute disaster off the field and a chairman that wanted out. McMenemy had the most support imaginable for a relegated side and left in disgraceful fashion. He’s easily the worst villain in my history of supporting the lads. Grayson, Coleman, Ross, and Parkinson were utterly shit but not villains in the same way, just shit and ill equipped to manage us.
Click to expand...
moyes is the one i dislike the most out of all the managers we've had in my time watching us. not one redeeming feature. even that bloke we had beale(?) wasn't as dislikeable as moyes.
 
Lord Potts said:
The Club (Cowie) paid him a huge amount to get him to Sunderland and people were ridiculously optimistic when he arrived. His record was however so poor when he was with us that there was obviously something very wrong from the start behind the scenes. His policy of brining in older experience players didn't pay off and was scorned by journalist and fans alike. It's ironic when you think of the impact that Granit Xhaka is having on our team today and how he's hailed as the league's "signing of the season"

I should imagine that the extent of both the Cub's and fans expectations didn't help and the ill feeling which that generated just seemed to add to a vicious circle of under performance on the pitch and decline.

Rather predictably it all ended in tears and I believe that Laurie got a rather expensive car out of it

The old fella will be 90 in July - I hope he's in good health.
Click to expand...
Cowie had a Roller, it ended up on it'e roof .
 
I thought at that time that the world was me "Lobster". Once a few stories came out from lads who had done work for him up here at his home, very, very much less so. It seems that he was a right tight arse and wanted work doing for him be cause he was "Laurie Mc"
 
Oh dear. Like most others, at the time, I thought he’d be our saviour and easily turn the club around. Turns out he was clueless…
 
I was only a nipper. I remember how much he was hated in the immediate aftermath via my long gone dad

He's one of a post war handful where there's never been a reappraisal of his time here. Even Moyes gets a little bit of leeway at times

A watered down Thatcher situation when he passes. Or is that too unkind?
 
Ohnonotagain said:
Moyes, Mac, Wilkinson, Beale, Dodds.
Click to expand...
I'm guessing there's been a Sunderland Hall of Shame thread before but I'd agree with this top four. Probably replace Dodds with Rodwell. For me Dodds should never have been given the top job. Had he not his legacy would have been much better as I'm sure he had something to do with Jobe rocking up and the subsequent profit.

Common theme with the rest. All thought they were bigger than the club... ...well maybe Beale was just a clueless twat. Top three successful elsewhere just didn't give the SAFC job any respect. Unforgiveable.
 
Thatheaderman said:
Was 18 and couldn't believe we got him.

Quickly went downhill and hated the kernt. Was there with the white hanky shite and so angry I would have smothered the twat with it.

Worst manager we have had, bar none
Click to expand...
Ha ha I was also there for the white hanky thing.. me Dad was going ape shit stood next to me. I was just a bairn and couldn’t understand how we were so bad. We just got to the milk cup final the year before so everyone thought we’d come straight back up with Lawrie Mac at the helm.

I’ve tried everywhere to get footage of that dodgy pen in the last game of the season against Stoke where I think Eric Gates was “fouled” by his old mate Mick Mills and we got the Penna that set us in our way to safety. I can still see it in my minds eye at the Fulwell (might be wrong it is 40 years ago).
 
Scorer said:
Moyes was awful and is up there but he did inherit an absolute disaster off the field and a chairman that wanted out. McMenemy had the most support imaginable for a relegated side and left in disgraceful fashion. He’s easily the worst villain in my history of supporting the lads. Grayson, Coleman, Ross, and Parkinson were utterly shit but not villains in the same way, just shit and ill equipped to manage us.
Click to expand...
Agree. Although what I would say about Moyes, to justify my ranking him higher than Lawrie, is that we were on a high under Big Sam, having relegated the Mags, and he sucked the life out of us from day one. I've said before I think the bloke was clinically depressed when he joined us after two high profile fails. Turned Khazri and Kirchoff from being key players to outcasts in favour of a host of his previous players well past their best. I'm guessing he had nothing to do with the N'Dong and Chelsea centre half signings but I think his dabs were all over Pienaar, Lescott, Annicebe, Gibson and McNair & Love(?). Notably something he's not repeated since. Took the pi$$ and damaged the club way more than Lawrie did imo. At least some of his signing played a part in getting the club promoted under Dennis Smith.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top