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Bobby Roberts, if memory serves me right he was not at the last game of the season when we where relegated as he went on a coaching course, I may be mistaken but it's in the grey matter that it happened that way.

Apart from that a draw between Law and Lyons, both of them a pair of thick fornicators.

Nowhere near as bad as Newell or Law.

Newell - ill never forgive him for the lost 6 years

Sorry to say this. But Neil Woods.

I think Marcus was trying to achieve something, and it didn't work out for him, maybe too much too soon? (as suggested by many)

Nicky Law has to be the worst, no idea, no personality, and poor signings :-/

Has to be law what the f*ck was he doing here in the first place ???

Nicky Law or Mike Newell for me.

Has to be Law or Lyons. If memory serves me right Law got the sack from Bradford after getting them virtually relegated and then coming to Town for the last 12 games of the season and doing the same here.

Wasn't Brian Law the manager when we went top of the Championship? The day before England won 5-1 in Germany. i will take that version of failure anyday.

Quoted from TownSNAFU5

Wasn't Brian Law the manager when we went top of the Championship? The day before England won 5-1 in Germany. i will take that version of failure anyday.

Law not Laws!

Lennie Lawrence wasn't it?

I think Bobby Kenedy.

MB achieved his target for the season of league safety so must be ranked as successful. Whether he was a genius or out of his depth we will never know because his reign was cut short before he could really prove himself.

The worst ever must be Woods and Groves, it is really tough to choose between them.

It was the right decision to let MB go.
His problem was he came in all guns blazing and a head full of ideas (could fit plenty in that head) which Fenty made the mistake of letting him run with.
Maybe if he had taken time to look at what he had and steadily changing things to his way then things may have been different.

We have had a lot worse here though.
I will have to say Newell..

Hard to say because the circumstances were different for each of them but Newell must be in with a fighting chance of first place. Nicky Law was poor, Neil Woods was out of his depth.

Lenny Lawrence probably gets a special award for wasting the most money. Most of the others were trying to save an already sinking ship. Even Bobby Roberts was on a hiding to nothing and Bobby Kennedy actually assembled most of the team that gave McMenemy his promotion the following season.

My nomination has to be Lyons because he inherited a decent position with good players who knew how to play football and he deliberately taught them how not to play the game. So we started off on a slide that only ended with Buckley Mk1.

Think Bignot deserved more time.

This thread and poll is a joke... right?

So many bad managers but i'd plump for Lyons because not only was he totally useless as a manager, he actually thought playing himself up front was the answer. He was a proper clueless manager.

Lyons without any shadow of a doubt - runner up Newell. In third place Bignot.

He will go down as a massive failure but Neil Woods is the worst manager in the history of football. Nobody comes close

Quoted from ginnywings

So many bad managers but i'd plump for Lyons because not only was he totally useless as a manager, he actually thought playing himself up front was the answer. He was a proper clueless manager.

Maybe, but I will never forget his first game in charge at home to league leaders Portsmouth. There was an incredible atmosphere, we won, and to hear Alan Ball still ranting at his players over half an hour after the game finished was priceless.

Groves was just as clueless but managed to pass this off as the ITV digital fault

Neil Woods, at least all the other candidates didn't lead us into the abyss in a poor league.

Quoted from promotion plaice

Neil Woods, at least all the others candidates didn't lead us into the abyss in a poor league.

Mike Newell had set us well on the way though.

Quoted from MarinersOnTheUp

This thread and poll is a joke... right?

Just wanted to get the thoughts of the fishy as I still don't understand why he got the boot

Quoted from ginnywings

So many bad managers but i'd plump for Lyons because not only was he totally useless as a manager, he actually thought playing himself up front was the answer. He was a proper clueless manager.

I agree Ginny, that sticks out in my mind too. Play himself up front even though we had Kevin Drinkell on the books and 2 England U21 strikers in Gary Lund and Paul Wilkinson.

He'd taken over a team that had finished 5th in what is now the Championship and left us with an awful team that got relegated.

Around that time, not sure if it was during his reign or just after, but we had given the Pontoon to the away fans and home fans were sat in the Osmond. Seeing Hull fans jumping around in that stand when they had scored just didn't seem right.

Also remember sitting in the Osmond during one game when were getting beaten by Bristol City at half time something like 3-0 and our form had been awful for the previous year. The guy who operated the tannoy must have had a sense of humour cos he played the Bee Gees track 'You Win Again' at half time.

Definitely Lyons down as our worst manager for me for the way he destroyed that team.

Quoted from realist

Maybe, but I will never forget his first game in charge at home to league leaders Portsmouth. There was an incredible atmosphere, we won, and to hear Alan Ball still ranting at his players over half an hour after the game finished was priceless.

Groves was just as clueless but managed to pass this off as the ITV digital fault

He still managed to keep us up the previous season though realist so not completely clueless. Bringing in Andy Todd made a huge difference, and wish we'd been able to see what difference Martin Pringle would have made.

Neil Woods while a good coach particularly with youth players didn't cut it as a manager by a long shot, some of the worst games I can remember were under his tenure we looked all over the place lots of terrible loan signings and while everything was going wrong around him he just stood there on the sidelines with no ideas.

Mike Newell came in with a good reputation and had experience but what we got was like a washed up drunk who didn't give a toss about the club and just turned up to pick up a pay cheque. I guess he did keep us up for one season when it looked hopeless.

Quoted from realist

Maybe, but I will never forget his first game in charge at home to league leaders Portsmouth. There was an incredible atmosphere, we won, and to hear Alan Ball still ranting at his players over half an hour after the game finished was priceless.

Groves was just as clueless but managed to pass this off as the ITV digital fault

I remember being there, night game if I remember, I was a wee young lad in the Pontoon.

Quoted from Cayman_mariner

I agree Ginny, that sticks out in my mind too. Play himself up front even though we had Kevin Drinkell on the books and 2 England U21 strikers in Gary Lund and Paul Wilkinson.

He'd taken over a team that had finished 5th in what is now the Championship and left us with an awful team that got relegated.

Definitely Lyons down as our worst manager for me for the way he destroyed that team.

Remember too that Wilkinson, Lund & Drinkell plus Gary Henshaw and John McDermott and all three Moore brothers came through a youth system that was based on players being comfortable on the ball and playing the game the way it should be played.

Watching the first team play lump ball at BP was bad enough but the saddest thing I remember from those days was watching Lyons' youth coach, whose name I forget, drilling school kids in exactly the same whack the ball methods and choosing first year pros from them on the basis of physique. That's why Lyons set us back years as a club and was by far the worst and most damaging manager we've ever had in my day.

What is scary going through this thread is that we've only had four managers (Buckley, Hurst, Laws? and Slade) in the past thirty odd years that have been relatively successful or decent. A sad indictment of the calibre of manager the board have appointed in that time.

Neil woods by a country mile . Although the board are as much to blame for giving him way too much time

If the poll was for best PR manager then Bignot would win, we waited years for a manager to actually engage with the fans it's been done to death on here many of times, and then when we finally get one he gets the sack for results being average in his first 5 months.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Remember too that Wilkinson, Lund & Drinkell plus Gary Henshaw and John McDermott and all three Moore brothers came through a youth system that was based on players being comfortable on the ball and playing the game the way it should be played.

Watching the first team play lump ball at BP was bad enough but the saddest thing I remember from those days was watching Lyons' youth coach, whose name I forget, drilling school kids in exactly the same whack the ball methods and choosing first year pros from them on the basis of physique. That's why Lyons set us back years as a club and was by far the worst and most damaging manager we've ever had in my day.

Was it Terry Darracott?

Quoted from Cloudy

Was it Terry Darracott?

No Cloudy, Darracott was the reserves manager & assistant, this was another bloke who came in with them.

Ron Rafferty.

You don't half talk a lot of sense.

I agree 95% of the time with your postings.

Because of the squad he inherited, and the way he misused them, Lyons.

Newell without a shadow of a doubt

Have to agree with the other oldies. Lyons. Took on a great squad and turned us into useless hoofball merchants. If there's one thing worse than a goofball team, it's an unsuccessful hoofball team.

Lyons (spit) took apart a great side that could have got promotion under a good manager, some say he was told to reduce the wage bill, but you don't do that by taking all the throw ins free kicks and corners, Lyons thought the ball was his.

Law was a waste of skin and oxygen a boardroom error that wasn't to be their last.

Neweel assembled the worst sorry excuse for a group of players we have ever seen, Woods fault was he couldn't motivate them enough to keep us out of the drop zone.

One of the biggest problems we have had is a poor ineffective Chairman who thought the cheap option was the only option. Now the seat is vacant, what other business would leave such a vital role empty.

Quoted from cannylad68

Ron Rafferty.

You don't half talk a lot of sense.

I agree 95% of the time with your postings.

BUT

The other 5% is rubbish ;D

Mike Lyons by a country mile. He thought he was Roy of the Rovers. He was more like Charles "Charlie" Charles!
Saw him and the lads on the urine in Pier 39 after an away night game just after he signed. I had a little chat with him and implored him to get us out of that league. He promised he would. He kept that promise. :o

Oh, for the younger ones who don't know who Charles "Charlie" Charles was.....
https://youtu.be/y4CXY6TVBMc

Neil Woods for me, honourable mentions to Lyons, Newell and Law

Lyons by a mile, after he got the push from us he went on to manage Everton reserves. We played them and he brought a selection of 1st team players to DO US OVER. He He they lost.

Quoted from Badger57

Mike Lyons by a country mile. He thought he was Roy of the Rovers. He was more like Charles "Charlie" Charles!
Saw him and the lads on the urine in Pier 39 after an away night game just after he signed. I had a little chat with him and implored him to get us out of that league. He promised he would. He kept that promise. :o

Oh, for the younger ones who don't know who Charles "Charlie" Charles was.....
https://youtu.be/y4CXY6TVBMc

Thanks to that Badger, I've just 'wasted' two hours watching Harry & Paul videos with my son.

Anyone remember Don McEvoy?

Mick Lyons-still getting sacked on a regular basis in Australia-he would get Chelsea relegated out of the Conference.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Thanks to that Badger, I've just 'wasted' two hours watching Harry & Paul videos with my son.

:) lol Might have to do the same, when they were good, they were very good indeed. That sketch still makes me laugh!!! :)

Newell for me. He left a huge squad lacking in any discipline and professionalism. The club was in a total mess at the time and his reign lasted far too long. He left a total disaster for Woodsy, who couldn't turn it round in time. It's crazy how we didn't win for 25 games but still had a sniff of staying up on the final day.

Quoted from arryarryarry

Anyone remember Don McEvoy?

Yes I do, we went on a long run without a win and he made 6 or 7 changes every week,

When the board sacked him they picked the team to play at Scunthorpe,

With all the right players playing in their right positions,

We won 3-0 !!!!!!!

Quoted from Badger57

Mike Lyons by a country mile. He thought he was Roy of the Rovers. He was more like Charles "Charlie" Charles!
Saw him and the lads on the urine in Pier 39 after an away night game just after he signed. I had a little chat with him and implored him to get us out of that league. He promised he would. He kept that promise. :o

Oh, for the younger ones who don't know who Charles "Charlie" Charles was.....
https://youtu.be/y4CXY6TVBMc

Great video
Just wondering if Russ could use it in the classroom to benefit a couple of our current players - e.g.:
Will Finny the right wing demon - did anyone notice the two-rootedness? Sublime control and a clear end product - maybe Tombola could pick up a few tips...
Also Macca could learn what a protected species keepers are nowadays, and the true meaning of dominating the 6 yard box
Anyway, thanks for the video

Maybe not the worst town manager ever but Ron Ashman's appointment must have been the most disappointing when he followed Lawrie Mcmenemy. After the excitement and progress made in Mcmenemys two year spell this heralded a complete reversal

Quoted from MKmariner

Maybe not the worst town manager ever but Ron Ashman's appointment must have been the most disappointing when he followed Lawrie Mcmenemy. After the excitement and progress made in Mcmenemys two year spell this heralded a complete reversal

That was a strange one wasn't it? Ron came from Scunthorpe where he'd had a lot of success and he was headhunted by the board to replace McMenemy. After leaving Town he went back to Scunthorpe and did well again.

One reason he didn't make much at BP maybe was that some of the McMenemy team like Tees were towards their sell-by and a step up to a higher division was too much but it was a good squad still even after Brace left. McMenemy had signed Phil Hubbard and Bobby Smith, and Jack Lewis (remember him?) was knocking in goals so the loss of Tees and Brace wasn't as noticeable as we expected. Ashman brought Frank Barton from Scunthorpe but like Smith he never performed the same as he had at Scunthorpe. Ron was no mug as a manager, he was the one who gave Jim Lumby his chance. It was weird how things just didn't gel for him.