Sir Alan Buckley

Nobody is a greater admirer of Alan Buckley than me.

When you see previous matches on our twitter feed, I could weep with joy at the quality of football, and also weep at our current position.

As with players we sign, and most other things, we are years too late, to get the very best out of this idea.

However, I still think it IS a good idea to try to kick start an identity and a way of playing (and more importantly winning) matches.

A head coach who agrees with Buckley, and a determination to play the Grimsby way would be a great start.

Winning is what matters, but I think we have more chance of that with this idea than random managers with different approaches.

We have tried everything else, and Buckley is due some recognition, so why not?

Quoted from pen penfras

I'm not sure. At premiership clubs, they seem to be in charge of which players get bought, which seems like a daft idea that the manager doesn't choose who plays for him.

If it's to do with recommending a new manager and Danny Wilson is the best idea he has, then I think he's a bit too out of touch with the current game

With all due respect and the best will in the world, the board don't exactly have much footballing knowledge to pick a manager do they?

Clubs seem to define the job according to the person they give it to. Norwich have Stuart Webber as Sporting Director but he does not Interfere on the playing side although Daniel Farke is called head coach.

I think the point with Buckley is that he is a figurehead for so many fans. Even just being involved at the club would have some effect if only psychological.

Quoted from pen penfras

I'm not sure. At premiership clubs, they seem to be in charge of which players get bought, which seems like a daft idea that the manager doesn't choose who plays for him.

If it's to do with recommending a new manager and Danny Wilson is the best idea he has, then I think he's a bit too out of touch with the current game

I think you present a great point that Alan Buckley is off the pace of the modern game, that was clearly obvious during his third spell as the manager.  But you could say the same about Lenny Lawrence. Not being a manager for a considerable length of time etc.

However, I’ll make the same point I made 10 years ago when Mike Neil left, having somebody with a deep footballing knowledge both of the industry and of the role you are appointing is invaluable.

Having a director of football at our level would be much like having an assistant manager, but he is somebody who can  link the first team to the youth team to the non-footballing side of the football club i.e. the board of directors. I think it would be worth knowing what exactly Lenny Lawrence does with Newport because it appears to be working.

Lawrence's title is 'First Team Management Consultant'.

Quoted from Wrawby_Mariner

I think you present a great point that Alan Buckley is off the pace of the modern game, that was clearly obvious during his third spell as the manager.  But you could say the same about Lenny Lawrence. Not being a manager for a considerable length of time etc.

However, I’ll make the same point I made 10 years ago when Mike Neil left, having somebody with a deep footballing knowledge both of the industry and of the role you are appointing is invaluable.

Having a director of football at our level would be much like having an assistant manager, but he is somebody who can  link the first team to the youth team to the non-footballing side of the football club i.e. the board of directors. I think it would be worth knowing what exactly Lenny Lawrence does with Newport because it appears to be working.

Just for a bit of balance on his last spell, he took one of poorest and cheapest squads to a Wembley final in the season before he was was sacked after 6 games. He also brought players into the squad that went on to play consistently at a higher level that the club did not speculate to keep, thinking particularly about Paterson and Hird. Tactically he was still very sound and made the best of players who were excrement, thinking in particular of Tom Newey who went from useless fullback to very decent ball playing centre half. The season we finished 16th saw a 7 game winning run and our form petered out as the play offs became too much of a stretch.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

Clubs seem to define the job according to the person they give it to. Norwich have Stuart Webber as Sporting Director but he does not Interfere on the playing side although Daniel Farke is called head coach.

I think the point with Buckley is that he is a figurehead for so many fans. Even just being involved at the club would have some effect if only psychological.

Maybe Sir Alan would do it for pocket money, so to speak, which would suit the club finances,but it would be good if he could have an input. He could also be a conduit between the playing side and the board.

I think we do need to do something interesting, to give the fans renewed hope.

If Limbrick might be the answer, if he likes the Buckley mantra of passing football, then job done.

Give him a job as director of tactics and training

Even if Sir Alan is deemed to be off the pace with modern football, just have him on the training ground teaching his pass and move philosophy, he might not be up to date with HR and all the modern PC but in the end football is basically about keeping the ball and putting it in the opponents goal, simples.

My only gripe with A.B is that he has almost become a parody of himself, when you listen to his co-commentary he is so pro "pass and move" its almost to the detriment of anything else..like scoring goals for instance.
There have been games where we have comfortably won and his post match comments would be almost derogatory because the goals weren't fashioned from pass and move style.
Even when the opposition have the ball and passing backwards, sideways in their own half he oozes enthusiasm just because they are keeping the ball even if they are posing no threat at all...."they played the better football"....but they lost 4-0 Alan??

His part one team for me was sensational, maybe because of what we had been served by Lyons and Roberts before him but that football was his best for me,  his part two team very succesful, by part 3 his way was not suited to that era but he wouldnt budge from it.