Aberdeen FC Managers

[rocket_scientist]

As an auld cnut  Fergie is No1 and Turnbull is No2. no one else apart from mibbe McNeill comes close and he wasn't here long enough to judge

 

Actually you guys have convinced me to reassess.

 

Turnbull was indeed a better manager than Smiffy ever was. I was guilty of ranking the football, not the man. You're both right. Christ I never liked the man.

 

Even after the stunning 4-0 or 4-1 win away at the old Dunfermline ground (November 90) when Smiffy accompanied Jess (who was amazing) for his interview, whilst we thought at the time it was good management, looking out for the teenage prodigy, there was something creepy about him.

 

As a manager, no question, Smiffy was a fud. I've got it wrong by rating the football more than the man. Jocky Scott was a good man and the double act did produce awesome football but in a rating of managers, Smiffy is nowhere near good enough to sit that high up my table, whatever the contribution of Scott and despite how good the teams were.

[ayrshire_don74]

Finding the criticism if Hans a bit weird, maybe as I was a teenager then and he was my favourite player, he was great in the run in 91, sure he was a surly tit but he was far and away the best player in the team. Not only did he provide goals but go back and look at the interplay and assists he contributed.

 

As for shipping him out and replacing him? Doubt it

[Elgindon]

My interest in the Dons started during the Bonthrone era,when we were in a pretty sharp downward trajectory,crowds

dwindling,poor signings etc.McLeod turned things upside down.A bit of a loony,but just what we needed at the time,and as said brought back King joey.Could argue he laid the foundations,for the McNeill/Fergie foundations.

  I think thats all he had in his locker though,one of those guys that could make an impact,before fizzling out after a year or two.

Agree with the Smiffy/Scott combo being up there,rather than Smithy alone.Some great football early on

[TheDeeDon]

I couldn't put Smith/Scott in at number 2, as to me they under achieved. They squad they had during their era was the best I have ever seen.

 

I cannot vote McLeod, as don't remember him at all, McNeil I only have vague memories and heard good things about him.

 

Fergie

McNeil

Scott/SMith -

God

Mcinnes

Calderwood

Broon - His footbal was torture and after match interviews bizarre

Porterfield

Aitken

Ebbe

Paterson

McGhee

AlexMiller

 

 

[BigAl]

There is no denying Turnbull's contribution to the good ship AFC but original poster started with Ally. If you include Turnbull you would also require to include Bonthrone

[scotfree]

Ally MacLeod 9

Billy McNeill 2 

Alex Ferguson  1

Ian Porterfield 8

Alex Smith and Jocky Scott 3 

Willie Miller 7

Roy Aitken 11       

Alex Miller 14       

Ebbe Skovdahl 10   

Steve Paterson 12 

Jimmy Calderwood 5

Mark McGhee 13 

Craig Brown 6   

Derek McInnes 4

 

I feel sorry for Ian Porterfield. He really was in for a hiding for nothing.

[Ten Caat]

Whoever got the gig after Fergie was on a hiding to nothing. Porterfield had done fairly well with Rotherham and Sheffield United winning promotions with both taking Sheff U from old 4th division to 2nd division in 3 years but Aberdeen in the mid 80s was a completely different level to that of where he had been operating.

To me he was a cheap option and totally inappropriate to the rebuilding job required at that time. when Man U appointed Fergie and Knox, their board was horrified (and amazed) to find out that Knox had been earning substantially more as our assistant manager than Ron Atkinson had been at the time of his firing.

With the CWC team pretty much all gone by 87 bar McLeish and Miller and Simmie we needed someone of an equal stature to Souness who was building the first decent squad at Ibrox in nearly 10 years. At that point we were capable of matching their spending and could fairly easily outspend Celtic. He got Nicholas fairly cheaply but his other signings were on the whole disasters, players only suitable for English lower leagues who wouldn't have improved a St Mirren or Hibs far less us.

I felt at the time we should havr tried to get Davie Hay off Celtic whose time there was coming to an end and was treated disgracefully by the Celtic board.

However Porterfield it was and by the time Smith and Scott got appointed the huns were a mile ahead of us, we could compete in cups but over a long season we just weren't strong enough.

Could still greet about 90/91 though. 25 years later it still hurts...

[DollyLongstaffe]

Porterfield's main problem was he was a cautious guy who couldn't make the transition to a team expected to win things in a league dominated by 2 or 3 sides.  You could see he was bewildered by the stick he got after draws especially.  For most clubs in most leagues, an away draw is a good result and a home draw a disappointment but not a disaster.  For a club hoping to be champions in a two horse race, every draw (except maybe away to your main rivals) is is a bad result and a home draw is a real body blow.  He couldn't grasp that and kept sending out teams primarily set up to not lose.

 

I agree he was on a hiding to nothing though.  Even Fergie could see the writing was on the wall and that the financial gap was widening to the point that a better manager wasn't going to be enough to close it.

 

 

[PompeyDon]

Porterfield was a cheap option, wonder if he would have been appointed had Chris Anderson had not been taken from us, earlier that year.

[TheDeeDon]

On the subject of Fergie leaving 30 years ago, who were the main candidates at the time to replace him? I think I heard Sandy Jardine being mentioned, but was there anyone else seriously in consideration for the job?

[PompeyDon]

I do recall Sandy Jardine being mentioned quite a bit.  Considering McNeill had just been relegated with Man City and knowing his wife's love for their short time in the North East (nae sectarian bullshit) we might have got him back, after all he laid a lot of the ground work for Fergie.  Also, as we were paying more than Man utd were paying Atkinson, a wee bit of imagination could have got a lot better than Porterfield.

[dons8321]

Yes opinions are different from facts. I don't think we're too far away from consensus.

 

I was one of the unfortunate 3,200 at Ibrox in May 91. When the teams were announced before kick off, the gasps were audible and the incredulity tangible. That was the day Smiffy died, not just in my eyes.

 

I emigrated to Australia that summer so missed the freefall that was the start of the 91/92 season and was delighted to hear of his sacking and like all of us at the time, just expected Miller to walk us to glory, which he nearly did a couple of times despite him proving to be an inept man-manager in due course.

 

Even though weirdo Smith was credited as being our manager during his tenure, we all knew what a cracking job Jocky Scott was doing and so I'm happy to see the original poster express them as a double act. History since proved that Smiffy wasn't the good driver he thought he was, as you correctly stated and like an even worse balloon (of orange complexion and persuasion), never went on to anything remotely close to success post AFC and for many of us, totally expectedly.

 

The quality of the football was so good with Jim Bett pulling the strings and Davie Robertson in particular being at his very peak, the best LB we ever had, it was a wonderful period, particularly the last dozen games leading to that disaster at Ibrox, totally self-inflicted by the arsehole manager.

 

Turnbill did a great job. Henning Boel and Jim Hermiston were full backs who could play football. Bumper Graham and Joe Harper were crowd favourites. Davie Robb provided fire and passion. Martin Buchan was a class act. It was a great era but we never felt we were close to being the best in Scotland, even though we had become highly competitive. The team that Smiffy presided over and Jocky Scott kept the eye on WERE the best football team in the country and in my view, played some of the best stuff we have ever seen in terms of the beautiful game. Agree with all you said. Just ranked it differently for reasons stated above.

 

It's a bit much to blame Smith for 1991, especially if you credit Jocky Scott with "running" the team until that day.  I can't think of any manager who'd have gone gung ho when we were top of the league needing a draw to win it.  And blame attached to the absolute sitter we missed before half time.  And no mention of McLeish going missing when Hatley assualted Watt and going missing again when he scored.  Nah it was all Smith's fault

Back on topic - 1 - Ferguson, 2 - Turnbull, 3 - Smith/Scott, 4 - McInnes, 5 - McNeill

[rocket_scientist]

It's a bit much to blame Smith for 1991, especially if you credit Jocky Scott with "running" the team until that day.  I can't think of any manager who'd have gone gung ho when we were top of the league needing a draw to win it.  And blame attached to the absolute sitter we missed before half time.  And no mention of McLeish going missing when Hatley assualted Watt and going missing again when he scored.  Nah it was all Smith's fault

Back on topic - 1 - Ferguson, 2 - Turnbull, 3 - Smith/Scott, 4 - McInnes, 5 - McNeill

 

You obviously weren't there at Ibrox.

 

And who's crediting Jocky with all the good stuff and Smiffy with all the bad?

 

It wasn't "gung ho" to pick the right team. He didn't, as we all expressed before kick off.

 

So take your ignorant insults and stick them up yer arse.

 

When Jocky walked out, we didn't have long to wait to see how bad Smiffy was on his own.

 

They had a winning formula together but ego got in the way, as it always does.

[dons8321]

You obviously weren't there at Ibrox.

 

And who's crediting Jocky with all the good stuff and Smiffy with all the bad?

 

It wasn't "gung ho" to pick the right team. He didn't, as we all expressed before kick off.

 

So take your ignorant insults and stick them up yer arse.

 

When Jocky walked out, we didn't have long to wait to see how bad Smiffy was on his own.

They had a winning formula together but ego got in the way, as it always does.

 

Gosh you are a sensitive soul.  Firstly I was at Ibrox that day.  Secondly you said "Smith was credited as being our manager during his tenure, we all knew what a cracking job Jocky Scott was doing".  Yes, we all agreed that we'd have picked a different team but we're supporters my point being that managers, especially those needing 1 point to win the league, will have a different mind set.  Can't see where I insulted you, I disagreed with you  that's all, but I bow to your superiority

 

[rocket_scientist]

Gosh you are a sensitive soul.  Firstly I was at Ibrox that day.  Secondly you said "Smith was credited as being our manager during his tenure, we all knew what a cracking job Jocky Scott was doing".  Yes, we all agreed that we'd have picked a different team but we're supporters my point being that managers, especially those needing 1 point to win the league, will have a different mind set.  Can't see where I insulted you, I disagreed with you  that's all, but I bow to your superiority

 

Why would you "bow to superiority"?

 

Is it not normal to clarify the area of dispute first? Only a shrinking wet wank would give up so quick.

 

They WERE a double act. They produced TOGETHER.

 

It was telling that Scott walked out that day in May.

 

But you preferred to defend Smith and blame the players, including one of our best servants.

 

McLeish hated Smith.

 

History after May 91 proved Smith was fucking shit.

 

What redeeming qualities did he have to compel you to defend him so strongly?