Most important Town manager ever

Is this in our lifetimes? If not the answer is almost certainly Wilf Gillow. When he was appointed in 1924, the board had almost decided we didn't need a manager and they could do just as good a job of finding players and picking the team themselves. We'd been three seasons in Division Three (North) by then, and not showing any signs of winning promotion. Not non-League but most of the clubs we played had been non-League only three seasons before. The standard was poor but with only one promotion place, it was a hard league to get out of. Not only did Gillow do that, he took us up to the first division. Bestall, Glover, Hall, Betmead, Buck, and Tweedy were all signed under Gillow

Whilst I will admit that Hurst has grown on me towards the latter end of the season, he still has a long way to go before being mentioned in the same breath as Sir Alan Buckley !

They’re all important in their own right. I don’t think there’s a comparison to be made here.

I think it's a really, really good question.   I like the use of the term important as opposed to 'best'.

Best manager I've seen is AB.  If for nothing else the style of football he got us playing, when many sides were much more direct and the admiration he won us from all across the footballing fanbase.  Stuff in that first spell especially was just magnificent.  

Applying some context to it.  He took a side back to the second flight that had only left it a handful of years previous.  Two successive relegations were relatively quickly followed by successive promotions under him.  Less than 10 years before we hung on nervously as Exeter prodded and prodded at John Cockerill's two-goal lead, this club was reaching for the top flight.  

Of course the game had changed in that gap.  When we were back in the second flight we were met with money sides like Derby, Wolves and Blackburn.  Newcastle finding their spending power the season after under Keegan.  The playing field had changed a little and now we were more of little old Grimsby.  Low gates, low budget but plucky as hell and definitely not backing down to anyone.

What Hurst has done is something very different.  He's yet to take us to a level I think most of us see as more of a natural position (mid-higher League One).  But the sheer turnaround in 18 months is simply staggering.  Buckley took time to get it right.   Hurst didn't have that luxury this time.  His first 6 months back was spent with the impossible task of reassembling a squad mid-season amidst a dressing room that was carnage, topping it all off with no financial backing at all.   Amazingly he almost pulled something spectacular off.   But what followed is incredible.

A summer of completely rebuilding everything.  From top to bottom.  Change was everywhere and that's a very difficult environment to have success in.  Long term, sure you're building the foundations.  But short term there's probably an expectation that it's a learning environment and you're not going to see on field success.  

To bounce back at the first time of asking, in probably the most competitive fifth tier campaign I think I can imagine, with a budget that doesn't match up to the bigger spenders, with building what was 3 teams in a season, then having that mammoth task in the play-offs....that's beyond significant.

I think history will show us that 1878 taking over the club was a significant period.  Hurst is heading that up and leading the initial charge.  For getting us back to a level playing field at the first time of asking, I think that's arguably enough to make him the most important.  Getting out of non-league is the hardest of tasks, just because of the reduced promotion places alone.  There's mega money in that league again next year.  Whilst I think it's a slightly weaker league, it's still very competitive and no-one is guaranteed to escape (that would have included us).  As a club, could we have survived another 6 years at that level?  That's how significant Hurst has been for us.

Well said DHM, those last 3 games were a subject of comic book heroes

I was going to say Lawrie McMenemy was the best manager, but he left us in Divisions 3 and went of Southhampton .So for me, it has to be George Kerr

George was part of John Newmans coaching staff that was the beginning of the glory days, and after taking over from John, he led the Mighty Mariners to Division Three Champions and a strong team in Division 2.

I ponder and think that Paul has the ability to follow this with in our near future!

It’s a fair question but impossible to answer, too many factors..finances, times, games and leagues changed, footballs changed. And as mentioned above a key factor is who you are working under, I’ve gone on record as saying PH deserves all the credit in the world for working under that regime for 6 years, and ‘achieving’ - some say it wasn’t as we finished miles off- but it was.

And I agree with the comment above - difficult to compare era’s.

Buckley was outstanding in his time, but easy to forget he had his detractors- much like Hurst ..who has had the same. There’s the saying ‘you can please some of the people all the time..’ etc etc ..

In my time, as well as those two I was lucky enough to see the George Kerr and John Newman spells (albeit was young) - and along the years also seen some who’ve had awful times.

Part of the charm of supporting your local side is succeeding against the odds..embracing the good days when they come, riding the bad days..

I do think PH will go down in time as one of the ‘good’ guys, and deservedly so. Some knock his demeanour, his accent, his lack of screaming and shouting on the touch line etc etc - what anyone can’t knock is his ability to produce squads, not a team, that will all buy into the ethos, A manager determined to succeed and improve, relentless, hard working and one who is the right fit, at the right time. In many respects polar opposites to AB - but very similar in other traits.

I’m not going to pick a ‘best’ - I don’t think that’s a fair thing to do in all honesty. They’re all  Part of the journey along the way, as we supporters are.

I actually do think it’s Hurst. Run very close by AB though.

Best manager is a different question and the answer to that in my lifetime will always be St Alan.

Holloway.

i do think you have to look at what chairman they had to work with, in those terms hurst worked miracles.