Billy Ayer or neil critcley legends but which one is best

Love them both , don't see the need to pick

They are from two very different era.

Billy gave us pride and passion back when we were on our arse. You could tell it was life and death for him and that's what Pool fans hadn't seen for a long time.

Critch is probably the best coach we have had in my lifetime. The fist pumping stuff is secondary
 
Billy’s passion was second to none I always remember in my early programme selling years not a game went last when he would come up to meet and ask how I was doing . He’s litters talk to me for twenty mins a gentleman and a legend . Pitt the scum sacked him got alladyve in and started spending loads of money
 
Seasider53 said:
Love them both , don't see the need to pick

They are from two very different era.

Billy gave us pride and passion back when we were on our arse. You could tell it was life and death for him and that's what Pool fans hadn't seen for a long time.

Critch is probably the best coach we have had in my lifetime. The fist pumping stuff is secondary
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Agree.
Moreover, it would be "better"
 
It all depends on your interpretation of “legend”
As poolseasider states you should only judge a manager after his career.
Billy Ayre was only manager for 4 seasons so from a longevity point of view he can’t be classed as a legend although he does hold the record for the longest winning run.
Although Critch has achieved promotion he is still in his infancy as a manager so it is far too early to label him as a legend.
What about Holloway? The magic 10 and got us into the Premiership. That is surely legend material but due to the nature of his departure he wouldn’t get a mention from a lot on here.
And what about Joe Smith? Longest serving manager ever with a very good track record. Surely he must be regarded as a legend?
 
Seasider53 said:
Love them both , don't see the need to pick

They are from two very different era.

Billy gave us pride and passion back when we were on our arse. You could tell it was life and death for him and that's what Pool fans hadn't seen for a long time.

Critch is probably the best coach we have had in my lifetime. The fist pumping stuff is secondary
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This.
 
Having only meet Billy fleetingly and having never met Critch, but looking from the outside in, that look cut from the same cloth.

Both first first and foremost good men with decency and integrity running through their core.
They are both passionate and show it in different ways and are humble in how they always put the success down to the team.

I think the fact Billy worked under a different regime, having one hand tied behind his back, kind of makes his success even more remarkable.

Winning at Wembley after being so close the season was an extraordinary feet of motivation and tactical ability, given how hard it appears to sustain the motivation for play off losers.

Billy was my first hero, I loved seeing him being carried by our fans at Cardiff, what a man. His death hurt like he was a family member. The applause 10 years on showed how highly he was regarded by those of us a certain age - he earned it

Neil Critchley, will become a club legend, he's going to get us to the top flight and we know that, this time, it will transform our club.

I sincerely hope in 30 years time, there will be middle aged men and women who will talk wistfully of his first season being played behind closed doors due to a long forgotten pandemic. They will talk of the joy of being there in the second leg playoff and winning at Wembley (again). They will discuss his first pumps, the North being a wall of noise, beating the Nobbers home and away and how special a time it was being a Seasider as he and the new owners removed the stains and hurt caused by the previous owners.

When he does that, he will rightly be loved for the ages and join the ranks of greats of this fabulous club.

Edited to add. I've just read on Wikipedia, that's it's 20 years since his death on 16th April; be nice if we could do a rendition at Billy Ayre's Tangerine Army at WBA on the 15th.
 
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Hate this post Unfair lol
I love King Billy , loved when he ran across the pitch , applauding the fans
I like Neil as well , different decades , different owners as well
maybe Neil is slightly lucky what so far he has been given
Billy worked under penny’s
 
I see them as very similar, they both connect with the fans in a way no other managers have, Holloway and Grayson were both successful but never had that factor, it's difficult to describe really.
 
Eternaloptimist said:
It all depends on your interpretation of “legend”
As poolseasider states you should only judge a manager after his career.
Billy Ayre was only manager for 4 seasons so from a longevity point of view he can’t be classed as a legend although he does hold the record for the longest winning run.
Although Critch has achieved promotion he is still in his infancy as a manager so it is far too early to label him as a legend.
What about Holloway? The magic 10 and got us into the Premiership. That is surely legend material but due to the nature of his departure he wouldn’t get a mention from a lot on here.
And what about Joe Smith? Longest serving manager ever with a very good track record. Surely he must be regarded as a legend?
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Joe Smith, although not our era has to be the greatest Blackpool Manager due to his achievements. 3 FA Cup Finals and League Runners Up.
No-one comes close.
 
Eternaloptimist said:
It all depends on your interpretation of “legend”
As poolseasider states you should only judge a manager after his career.
Billy Ayre was only manager for 4 seasons so from a longevity point of view he can’t be classed as a legend although he does hold the record for the longest winning run.
Although Critch has achieved promotion he is still in his infancy as a manager so it is far too early to label him as a legend.
What about Holloway? The magic 10 and got us into the Premiership. That is surely legend material but due to the nature of his departure he wouldn’t get a mention from a lot on here.
And what about Joe Smith? Longest serving manager ever with a very good track record. Surely he must be regarded as a legend?
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And Gary Bowyer deserves a mention

Such tiny attendances, more then likely little or very tiny budget, working under that regime at that time of all times must have been so difficult

Even if we were not there what bowyer did for our club is very important. A different managerial appointment that season could have seen us non league by that May

Remember reading he also dipped into his own pocket for a training facility for the boys at one stage
 
Bend it like Suddick said:
Joe Smith, although not our era has to be the greatest Blackpool Manager due to his achievements. 3 FA Cup Finals and League Runners Up.
No-one comes close.
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Agree about Joe Smith being the greatest. The only other manager who comes close is Ian Holloway. Perhaps Critch will do so eventually but I suspect he will be poached before that can happen.
 
Billy Ayre had a great connection with the fans, as a person, he was the best Blackpool has had since Mortenson. I can't remember if he
ever got approached when he was at Blackpool with a big-money move to manage another club, but if he did, he didn't take it. He was also sacked when he was still highly popular with fans, but it was his tragic battle with illness and the fact that he still turned up to support the team as a ordinary supporter that cemented his legend status.

However as a manager it has to be Holloway, who managed to deliver for three seasons the best football in my lifetime.

Critchley will be ranked with Grayson as a good manager that took the first opportunity to leave for more money, but at least he managed to jump ship succesfully unlike the previous person we had from Liverpool.
 
Holloway had no loyalty towards Blackpool fans at all.

We propelled his career upwards and he came to us grateful for a job and on a high.

I can always get managers leaving, but his chat at the headlands about how he made a mistake leaving Leicester and never leaving us in the same way was an insult to our intelligence at the end of the day.

He was always aware of what the Oystons were about which is why he doesn't slate them now. He knew the deal and milked it. That‘s all fine, but lets not pretend otherwise.
 
poolseasider said:
This type of question only should be asked at the end of a manager's career not during his tenure.
There is actually nothing to stop NC pissing off and doing a Holloway or Grayson for example at some point so for me it's King Billy, could he be replaced by Critch we'll wait and see.
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Good money to be made in predicting the future 👏👍
 
Ian Holloway is the best manager we have had in my lifetime. Played attacking football that was a joy to watch, 433 up and at them. Don't blame him for leaving, who could work long term under the Oystons?
 
Lala said:
Holloway had no loyalty towards Blackpool fans at all.

We propelled his career upwards and he came to us grateful for a job and on a high.

I can always get managers leaving, but his chat at the headlands about how he made a mistake leaving Leicester and never leaving us in the same way was an insult to our intelligence at the end of the day.

He was always aware of what the Oystons were about which is why he doesn't slate them now. He knew the deal and milked it. That‘s all fine, but lets not pretend otherwise.
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Don't agree at all.
 
Lala said:
Holloway had no loyalty towards Blackpool fans at all.

We propelled his career upwards and he came to us grateful for a job and on a high.

I can always get managers leaving, but his chat at the headlands about how he made a mistake leaving Leicester and never leaving us in the same way was an insult to our intelligence at the end of the day.

He was always aware of what the Oystons were about which is why he doesn't slate them now. He knew the deal and milked it. That‘s all fine, but lets not pretend otherwise.
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Perfectly put, couldn’t agree more.
 
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