The pundits who were against Grayson sacking.

GrahamwantshisOates

Well-known member
There were several who were disgusted at the sacking of Larry.
I think that Brett Ormerod and Charlie Adam were dead against it.

Have they changed their opinion now ?

If not,where would we be now.
Would we be anywhere near the Play offs this season.

What are your opinions.
 
I think Ollie also went on record against Grayson's sacking at the time, but he was full of praise for Critchley at Wembley!

Personally I don't think Grayson would have got us in the play-offs as his negative style of football just didn't suit our players.
I agree Grayson was well passed it when he was appointed

i could see the logic of his appointment but i think it was one that wasn’t thought through.

This Critch/Calderwood side could potentially be the best we’ll see for along time
 
I was utterly against the appointment of Grayson and was disappointed at the time as it felt when we were just stepping into a new era we went backwards. That being said though I wasn't calling for his head but I also wasn't against his sacking.

With hindsight it was a masterstroke, and a bold move by Sadler considering he wasn't even a year into his ownership.
 
I was utterly against the appointment of Grayson and was disappointed at the time as it felt when we were just stepping into a new era we went backwards. That being said though I wasn't calling for his head but I also wasn't against his sacking.

With hindsight it was a masterstroke, and a bold move by Sadler considering he wasn't even a year into his ownership.
I could have written that myself Peel, exactly my thoughts although towards the end i did unfortunately release a couple of volleys towards Grayson. Mr Sadler will have a ruthless streak make no mistake, you dont get that far in business without having one.
 
Happy with his appointment and happy with his sacking.
Same! I defended him for longer than many based on his track record but was at least a couple of drab home games into "enough's enough" territory by the time he was binned.
 
It’s all well and good Brett, Charlie and Ollie defending him but it’s not them paying to watch that complete shite every week.
His previous posts he had been absolutely awful (Sunderland and Bradford) yes they were both clubs with issues but for me that doesn’t give him a free pass to be as clueless and inept as you want.
 
Grayson was a car crash of an appointment. Saddler himself said he was looking to take the club into the future but then appointed a past manager and oh boy was he past.
A car crash ....hardly. He was successful here , at Huddersfield , Leeds and particularly PNE. He then managed 2 basket case clubs in Sunderland and Bradford City who continue to struggle. No , it didn't work out second time but for me it was a reasonable appointment at the time.
 
How will he do at Fleetwood?

Probably a limited budget and a loan move for Ethan Robson. He can bring in Nuttall too. Must be one of the worst signings ever for such a fee
 
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I was happy enough with his appointment.

I thought at the time that we sacked him too soon.

I have no problem with Larry and I always think the criticism he receives on here from some is a bit harsh, I'm struggling to see any big problem in leaving us to go to a far bigger club in Leeds and as the manager of Preston he should be delighted when Preston beat Blackpool.
 
I'm all for giving managers time but it was clear as day he didn't have a clue what he was doing and it was time to say bye bye.

I think it was Wycombe away, when the helicopter landed on the pitch and the match kicked off an hour late - I couldn't work out if we were playing a back 3 or a back 4, and if we were playing 1 or 2 up front. He played a clearly unfit Thorniley, and I think we were 2-0 down within 20 minutes. Just a shambles.
 
A car crash ....hardly. He was successful here , at Huddersfield , Leeds and particularly PNE. He then managed 2 basket case clubs in Sunderland and Bradford City who continue to struggle. No , it didn't work out second time but for me it was a reasonable appointment at the time.
If he’d have continued here we’d be 2 divisions from where we are now.
 
A car crash ....hardly. He was successful here , at Huddersfield , Leeds and particularly PNE. He then managed 2 basket case clubs in Sunderland and Bradford City who continue to struggle. No , it didn't work out second time but for me it was a reasonable appointment at the time.
Why are Bradford a basket case club?
He had one of the biggest budgets in the league at Sunderland and their fans say he’s clueless but I suppose they are all wrong.
 
Why are Bradford a basket case club?
He had one of the biggest budgets in the league at Sunderland and their fans say he’s clueless but I suppose they are all wrong.
Bradford went into administration twice in a few years and have never really recovered.

Anyone who watched 'Sunderland till I Die' will tell you what a basket case they are.
 
What, 15 years before he was appointed?
Yep, but haven't really recovered, it's fair to point out that Grayson wasn't sacked but just walked away. He does deserve more respect than he gets despite his second tenure with us, over 120+ games as a player and then got us promoted from League One for the first time in 30 years, also bringing in Parkes set the foundation for Holloway's success.

Like I said, not the same man who was here the first time, don't know why and he had to go, but let's not pretend he wasn't a vital part of the history of this club.

 
I'm never a fan of going back to past manager, so was disappointed by his appointment. However, I was more than happy to trust Sadler and give him the benefit of doubt, and for the first few months it seemed we'd do well. But it started to go downhill and i'm not entirely sure Grayson knew how to halt the slide to be honest, at least it didn't seem like it to me. I was pleasantly surprised Sadler decided to change things, which goes against my normal thinking of giving a manager plenty of time. But I think the big money signing of Nuttall was a significant factor in SS's decision.
 
I'm never a fan of going back to past manager, so was disappointed by his appointment. However, I was more than happy to trust Sadler and give him the benefit of doubt, and for the first few months it seemed we'd do well. But it started to go downhill and i'm not entirely sure Grayson knew how to halt the slide to be honest, at least it didn't seem like it to me. I was pleasantly surprised Sadler decided to change things, which goes against my normal thinking of giving a manager plenty of time. But I think the big money signing of Nuttall was a significant factor in SS's decision.
SS has said that it was because there was no long term strategy and not so much results.
 
I was happy enough with the appointment, given his track record in League One and his previous with us. I'm sure Sadler was thinking the same. Hindsight tells us that was probably heart over head.

I thought it was a strange time to sack him when he'd just been spending in the January window, but again with hindsight, it was the right call as thr football style was very poor and we didn't even have the results as compensation.
 
I was fairly happy with his appointment and wasn't overly concerned with his recent past at a few 'Basket Case' Clubs and I could understand why SS made the appointment. It felt like a fairly safe pair of hands and a manager who had a good track record at achieving promotion from L1. I was supportive of him and felt he deserved at least the time he got to try and develop his team.

I'm not entirely sure what went wrong with Grayson at Blackpool... Given the timing of our change in form, I suspect there was a disconnect between the new CEO and Grayson and it became obvious that something needed to give. On reflection I really think that Grayson has probably 'had his day' as a manager. He never really cut it in the Championship and so either way, he was only really ever going to be a means to an end, rather than someone who could really build and develop the club. In the end I was glad he went and consider that we were fortunate to have a decisive team, who knew what they wanted.

In terms of Critchley, I was concerned and critical (after initial performances).... In truth, I was concerned as to exactly who was pulling the strings in terms of our transfer activity and whether Ben Mansford was maybe too involved in that process, perhaps seeing himself in a sort of DOF role and I really didn't want Blackpool to end up an experiment in that respect. Fair play to the Club and the Board and Management Team however. They appear to have sorted the recruitment process and in fairness they probably hadn;t had enough time to get to grips with that properly until the January window, so my criticism was premature. To that extent at least at the time, I wondered whether it was Grayson or Mansford that was the issue...

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, however and the ability to not only dodge the Grayson Bullett, but manage to then pass him on to fuck up Fleetwood, couldn't possibly have worked out better really. Hopefully he will do as good a job as Agent Simpson did for us at PKE.
 
I was fairly happy with his appointment and wasn't overly concerned with his recent past at a few 'Basket Case' Clubs and I could understand why SS made the appointment. It felt like a fairly safe pair of hands and a manager who had a good track record at achieving promotion from L1. I was supportive of him and felt he deserved at least the time he got to try and develop his team.

I'm not entirely sure what went wrong with Grayson at Blackpool... Given the timing of our change in form, I suspect there was a disconnect between the new CEO and Grayson and it became obvious that something needed to give. On reflection I really think that Grayson has probably 'had his day' as a manager. He never really cut it in the Championship and so either way, he was only really ever going to be a means to an end, rather than someone who could really build and develop the club. In the end I was glad he went and consider that we were fortunate to have a decisive team, who knew what they wanted.

In terms of Critchley, I was concerned and critical (after initial performances).... In truth, I was concerned as to exactly who was pulling the strings in terms of our transfer activity and whether Ben Mansford was maybe too involved in that process, perhaps seeing himself in a sort of DOF role and I really didn't want Blackpool to end up an experiment in that respect. Fair play to the Club and the Board and Management Team however. They appear to have sorted the recruitment process and in fairness they probably hadn;t had enough time to get to grips with that properly until the January window, so my criticism was premature. To that extent at least at the time, I wondered whether it was Grayson or Mansford that was the issue...

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, however and the ability to not only dodge the Grayson Bullett, but manage to then pass him on to fuck up Fleetwood, couldn't possibly have worked out better really. Hopefully he will do as good a job as Agent Simpson did for us at PKE.
Pretty much the same feelings. 4th and accruing points after beating Fleetwood in the December and was looking forward to seeing some sensible January signings, like a left winger to give the team more balance apart when not playing wing backs. But then injuries hit and form took a tumble and nothing seemed to be going right. You could tell they wanted to move to a head coach structure and to make the managers role redundant after Ben Mansford came in as CEO. I don't think that was ever going to be Simon Grayson. He might have accepted the role in name only but there'd have been a clash somewhere. David Dunn coming in on the support staff seemed to be the final throw at it.

Lost his way a bit and it was getting frustrating but I still didn't want him sacked, just to know what was going on. And I don't think we really got that clarity until last November with the structural changes we have now. Which seemed to be an acceptance that you can't go in half-arsed on a DOF-style football set up because it leaves gaps that a manager would normally cover for you.

I don't think Grayson will f** up Fleetwood. They might not be all bells and whistles if the money is tight but he should be able to put a team together than can get solid results, if his head is in doing that. He's been just about everywhere else in pressure situations so it's a job now without expectancy. The nobbers might even come calling again if the fella they've put in charge doesn't work out.
 
He probably won’t totally fuck Fleetwood up, but so can hope 😂👍

I just think that when you start to draw the comparisons to where we are now, what feels like a far more intelligent and modern manager, Grayson kind of feels like a manager that football has left behind.

In fairness, I was very much an advocate of the approach we are trying to develop at the Club even before Sadler arrived on the scene as it hopefully delivers that consistency / resilience and long term developmental planning that is needed in a world where Managers / Coaches can come snd go... My main concern was that with Mansford (at least initially) we seemed to be playing at it, rather than committing to the right people in the right roles.
 
Thought it was an OK appointment at the time but let's face it summer 2019 was a disaster we brought in a load of crap(not including loans) and an outdated coach.
 
He probably won’t totally fuck Fleetwood up, but so can hope 😂👍

I just think that when you start to draw the comparisons to where we are now, what feels like a far more intelligent and modern manager, Grayson kind of feels like a manager that football has left behind.

In fairness, I was very much an advocate of the approach we are trying to develop at the Club even before Sadler arrived on the scene as it hopefully delivers that consistency / resilience and long term developmental planning that is needed in a world where Managers / Coaches can come snd go... My main concern was that with Mansford (at least initially) we seemed to be playing at it, rather than committing to the right people in the right roles.
I think if you need a manager to just manage for you then his CV backs him up now. It's when you tie everything up in one guy like Burnley have with Sean Dyche without thinking about who or what comes next that the problems can start. So even now we've moved to a head coach structure and everything is going well I hope there's still an awareness of who is out there who can help maintain that if needs be.

For Ben Mansford I think it was hinted at in the fans meeting just before the HOFO appointment that it was starting to be recognised that there's a lot that needs sorting beyond just football. And his expertise is better pointed towards the legal loose ends with Oyston and talking to the council about development projects.

I thought it was a lot calmer January just gone where every outbound made sense (a tidy up of what had gone before) and every inbound played a part in promotion. Nothing went to waste and long may that continue.
 
Given that Terry McPhillips announced his resignation on 6th July 2019, so close to the season’s start, I think Grayson was a reasonable choice to immediately restore stability within the playing side, as he was appointed the day after. Being available he was an obvious quick choice.

OK, so it did not work out and after taking only 4 points from his last 9 games, one can understand why Sadler could not risk waiting any longer than mid-Feb. However that period of 7+ months with Grayson enabled Sadler to sort his management strategy out and, no doubt, he had been thinking about the Critchley move which was possibly not altogether easy. And not entirely the first choice either, we believe.

So, Grayson filled in for a while without really getting his mojo back which is a shame for him personally. However, the club really does know where it’s going now and the management team has developed the confidence to implement the big plan. Let’s hope the plan survives when it meets the enemy next season.
 
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I was one who preferred Evatt to Critch to replace Boring Grayson
Still think Evatt will prove to be a good manager, but I have to admit now we got a better deal with Critch
 
I wasn’t happy with the appointment personally, but I had it explained that it was a safe pair of hands, which made sense. However it didn’t quite work out, but this season has taught me one thing, patience is important!
So who knows with more time and backing it could of worked out? We’ll never know. Don’t look back always forward! The future’s bright the future is Tangerine 🍊.
Remember patience ! Oh and extra backing and time from the owner was vital too😜 !

UTMP Once again. 🧡🍊⚽😁👍
 
I remember listening to Radio Lancs at the start of the season and Alan Nixon backed up by the presenter Andy Bayes absolutely laying into Blackpool Football Club for the amount of players we'd brought in and let go. Too much change too quick they said.
Wonder what their take on it is now ?
 
I appreciated he was a name in the management business and that meant something at the time because we had become so desperate as to take anything as a positive by then.

But it quickly became evident we needed to move forward not backwards. Grayson is part of our rich tapestry, but not a progressive choice at that juncture.

We then took a punt on a relatively unknown, but I’m sure the research on NC’s pedigree and potential had been done.
It was still a brave punt, but look where it’s taken us 😌
Hats off
#onlythebrave
 
Was hugely underwhelmed with his arrival but not mad about it. I don't think a former manager should ever be taken on for a second term really.

It didn't need a football expert to see it had completely failed and he had to go.
 
I was happy enough with the appointment, given his track record in League One and his previous with us. I'm sure Sadler was thinking the same. Hindsight tells us that was probably heart over head.

I thought it was a strange time to sack him when he'd just been spending in the January window, but again with hindsight, it was the right call as thr football style was very poor and we didn't even have the results as compensation.

Wiz

No problem with your views but surely if you feel that "the football style was very poor" and that "we didn't have the results as compensation" then that's nothing to do with hindsight ?

You formed those opinions at the time of Larry's sackings and not afterwards.
 
I only managed the first episode of Sunderland till I die but there's a part where they lose a game and Larry is interviewed and says "I guess I thought the players were better at playing football than they are"

He's done well overall to be fair (taking us, leeds and PNE) up to the championship, very decent player too.
 
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