There is no question in my mind. This is not the first time he has gathered the team and won after a reverse that was not due to his doing. He is a real manager because he can get results with a "depleted" (and that is charitable) squad. He understands his players and respects what they can, and can not do. He even gave glue-pot bound Rob Lee a role that he could undertake effectively today. He understands the game in a way that gives him a mystical status for those of us who have striven all our miserable lives to! And, when the going gets tough, Bobby gets going. And, heaven help and protect us all: he doe not whine!

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2001

Answers

Well, lets see if anyone wants to comment. Perhaps there will be too much celebration going on for the lads and lasses at home to be bothered with the BBS tonight!

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2001

"glue pot???"... surely you want to reconsider that.....

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2001

Well, he's certainly up there with the best. In my lifetime, I would reckon KK did us a canny job, tho whether he would have sustained it is a different matter. He did a great job at NUFC - make no mistake about it - but it was an entirely different role. The only other I can remember in the same class was Joe, Joe, Joe Harvey. I really wich things had worked out differently when KK left. If only YBR hadn't got his scruples. But then again, that's one of the things that makes him what he is. He's not invincible, but he's bliddy close!

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2001

Sounder, all I can say is...................`ONE BOBBY ROBSON!!! THERE`S ONLY ONE BOBBY ROBSON!!!!!!` (:o)))

The man is a marvel and we are just so lucky to have him. (:o)

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2001

different kettle o fish Screach.... Keegan had £200m to build a side worth a championship.... YBR has had the total of about one Alan Shearer in which to work with.....

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2001

Invidious, I think, to compare The Messiah, St Joe Joe Joe Harvey and Young Bobby. They all started from different places with different resources and constraints. YBR's work has only just begun really and I think next season we should see something a bit special, with a side hopefully at least in with a shout of winning something if not actually doing so.

St Joe brought us out of the 2nd division to win a European trophy (THE ONLY NORTH EAST SIDE EVER TO DO THIS!) with the limited resources and ambition of the then board.

The Messiah spent £40m (not £200m Spaarx), saved us from Div 3, got us challenging for the title for the first time in any of our lives and put Newcastle on the World football map. He received backing the likes of which no Newcastle manager had ever had before but he certainly made the most of that.

I don't think these 3 have any contenders and I certainly would not wish to pick between them. Giants.

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2001

It annoys me when people claim KK was lucky because he spent millions. His luck was to inherit as good a bunch of youngsters as you can hope for in Howey, Clarky, Elliot & Watson. The rest of the spending money he earned. He kept us up by buying Kilkline & sheedy, he earned the right to £600k of spending money on Venison & Bez then later Bobby Lee. He then earned the right with his track record to be trusted with money for Cole, Salty & er Robinson. After that, KK was so proven that once he stucj a "KK approved" sticker on a player he could make a profit on any player he bought. I only wish TSM after him had to prove his ability to spot a player before anyone backed him.

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2001

Hell's bells boys. I wasn't trying to compare JJH, KK and YBR. I was simply saying that these were the best managers we've had (IMHO). Each had a different role and did it well. Jonno has the edge mind, as he has (rightly) pointed out that YBR has an opportunity to perform even better.

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2001

Am I missing something, best manager ? in my world the best manager is the one who brought success to his team, fills the trophy cabinet, if you asked a Liverpool supporter who was the best manager it would be between Shanks and Uncle Bob Paisley , a good debate would ensue,

What have we in the cabinet at St James , just what Joe and Stan Seymour put there , no-one except us remembers runners up ,we were the entertainers, oh aye, who says so, wheres the proof!!! We must set our ambitions higher as fans , people on here are saying `we are in a transition period` young players, new players, hey we have been in transit for years , the opportunity is there for Utd to be great, it should be grasped with both hands and not frittered away , whether Bobby can do it remains to be seen , I wish him well, and if the same question arises in 3 years time on this forum, I will say Auld Bobby Robson cos we won the title, won the Uefa , won the FA Cup and won the Northumberland Senior Cup. That`s what its all about "Bliddy Winning"

-- Anonymous, January 20, 2001

The "glue pot" reference was to another thread where some disatisfaction was expressed (before yesterday's game mind) about Bob Lee.

I guess I am tremendously impressed by Mr Robson. I was enthralled by KK and, quite frankly was relieved by what Joe Harvey did for us - it seemed then so many years since we had won anything. (Huh - what did I know!)

I don't agree that managing is just about winning - too many other things enter into the equation that a manager has little ability to influence. What impresses me about Mr Robson is his ability to pick up the hand he has been dealt, and he has had some really poor ones over the last few months, and still get some decent results. Of course, I could be so very wrong. I felt the game against 'Boro was a real turning point - but the poor state of the 'Boro team at that time played a large part in that in retrospect. And, it might just be that, despite all the money they have spent and last years results, Leeds are just a bunch of Yorkshire Puddings - as their league position is starting to show.

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2001

Buff, the thread talks about the BEST manager we ever had. How one measures success is a moot point (is a successful man one on £100k pa or one who has several happy grandchildren?) Surely you can't be serious by only measuring success in terms of silverware? Who is the best manager Rochdale ever had?

To deny that Joe Harvey or Keegan were successful as United managers would be churlish and silly. Robson still has a way to go but he's made a great start looking back at where we were and where we are now. Sure we want to win things but no amount of bluster from us will make it happen.

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2001

Kevin Keegan is still top of my list. He turned a struggling second division club into the top club in the country. We were right up there for two or three seasons. He spent sixty odd million , but left behind a club worth twice that amount.He won nothing?

He put us a the world map as a football club. He won the hearts of thousands of geordies and brought us thousands of fans around the world.

Bobby Robson has done a fantastic job, but is only half way through his task. He will become as big as Keegan was for us but it'll take another couple of seasons.

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2001

KK had the money (in the PL), and tried for instant success. He nearly pulled it off and was a great manager. It was almost as if it was two different teams that KK had. There was the team he brought up and got promoted and then the team that set the PL alight. All this crap about managers needing time to rebuild the team - KK did it while still getting the best of his players who were not part of his long term plans.

BR doesn't have the money, so his buys are more calculated and his team building is more long term, trying for silverware over a few seasons, rather than immediately. Saying that, had Carl Cort, Dabizas and now Shearer not been injured, we could easily still be in both cup competitions and be higher in the league. The PL is not as strong as in recent seasons - highlighted by the points difference between 3rd and 15th place (ie not much), so for us to be in 3rd or 2nd now is not entirely inconceivable.

I wasn't alive when Joe Harvey was boss, so I can't really comment.

For me, it would be ideal for KK to come back here when Bobby retires. He's 68 in a couple of weeks and can't go on forever, as much as he'd like to. If KK was brought in early, as an understudy to BR, he could learn more about the game.

I've got a feeling that we are going to beat the Mackems at the Stadium of Sh**e ( a name thay stole from Benfica). Anyone else have the same feelings?

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2001

well we don't need to go into what I think of KK......

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2001

"Comparisons are odious" (Shakespeare mebbe? Whatever happened to Dr Jon?)

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2001

>>Dr Jon

Bill's brother, I guess? Taakin' of which, did ye knaa Shakespear had a likin' fer Geordie lasses? Tuk a fancy to a lass caaled Anne Haddaway. OK, OJK, cloak, hat and riding britches.

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2001

Jonno, You ask if I measure success by winning, you bet I do and most if not all sportsman will tell you the same , then you ask me who I consider the best manager of Rochdale , do not beleive you asked that friend, my point is >> if I asked most on here who finished 2nd in the men`s 100m final at the not so long ago Sidney Olympics they will be hard pushed to answer, tell you the winner, no hassle ,

From playing football , moving on to coaching , managing a team (albeit amateurs), I played to win, coached teams to win and finally assembled teams to win leagues , cups , friendlies the lot, why I hear you ask, a winning outfit makes your job easier , ensures to a point that your best players are not lured away, (Solano and Dyer) **note Bobbies words on another thread. I have made enemies in my pursuit of success, just gotta be able to handle it,

I find it a bliddy insult that all we can hark on about in the success stakes is a 5-0 result and a draw against Barca , if you buried a time casket at the milenium for Newcastle, it would not have much to show for the 2nd half , lets give the visitors something to show on their tours of SJP , lets move on , Manure are there to be beaten, a lot of so called experts are just giving up the ghost,

Jonno, little story, under the directive of the SFA our 10`s and under team were to encourage sportsmanship etc were to abide by the following-: if a team was winning 5-0, the score would automatically revert to 0-0. Come the end of the game we had put another 2 away this meant we had won the fixture, result being 2-0. Ask any one of the bairns when they were trooping off what the final score was and I guarantee to a boy they would say, we won 7-0 mista. Jeez I have seen them winning 4-0 with minutes to go and playing possession football, not to score, truth is from a early age kids will always compete and look to win medals to proudly show off.

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2001

"Manure are there to be beaten, a lot of so called experts are just giving up the ghost".

Hallelujah, brother buff - and we're just the kiddas to do it!

You're so right - their reign will surely end. They may look omnipotent to many, but when Taggart retires they will struggle to fill his boots and keep it going. We MUST be targeting to be the Club to assume their mantle.

We gave them a hell of game only a couple of weeks ago with a depleted team, and they certainly didn't look omnipotent to me. Strange as it may seem, we aren't that far behind them - what it really needs is a determination from the very top - that is the Chairman - not to accept second best, and to set out right now to overtake them. Believe me, it is achievable.

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2001

Yes boys (?) ManUre are there to be beaten. As are/were all Champions. Nothing is unassailable. Just some things take a little bit longer.

The original posting suggested YBR was the best we've ever ahd. I tried to expand this and introdeced KK and JJH. Each had their own merits.

Then Buffalo Bill said there was no success as good as winning trophies. Fair enough, but Jonno countered with a suggestion that not every team could win, and we should recognise the best (comparative, not exclusive). Yes, in absolute terms, success is measured in prizes. But KK won a lot of prizes (aka acclaimation from "non-Toonsters" - we were eveybody's second favourite team) and JJH won us a European trophy. Sorry, I'll say that again A European Trophy.

Each achieved success. Far be it from me to say who was the best. I'll leave that to better judges. God help me.

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2001

Look peeps - it might be a cutesy debating point, but who really cares whether Bobby is better than KK or JH?

All I know is that we've won nowt since JH lifted the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969 (was it?). I'm bloody fed up with us not being the best: I'm fed up with bleating on about what great supporters we are, despite ----------------- (just fill in the blanks).

I want our Club Management to take up the challenge, to become truly ambitious again, to figure out how to finance that, and to support a bloody fine Manager who is entirely capable of making the Club great, and being totally ready to take manures place on the steps up to the Trophy ceremonies.

We have the fans; we have the passion; we have the stadium; we have the Manager - the real question is do we have the Leadership with the stomach for the really big challenge?

-- Anonymous, January 21, 2001