[Archived] Bowyer's Linkedin Profile

[AllRoverAsia]

I see Bowyer is back in the MB spotlight ...... thanks in no small part to the Luton Keeper and the Luton fan who Would't give the ball back.

Good luck to Blackpool and Bowyer in the Final.

[RV Blue]

Just now, Silas said:

I'm afraid I have to disagree with your disagree. 

I think Bowyer's tenure is looking worse as the years go on and you have the benefit of hindsight. Such a massive opportunity lost, and looking at our current predicament could really be seen as a massive turning point IMO, that set us down the wrong path. 

For example, the 2014/15 season he had a squad of:

Tom Cairney-                     Champ team of the year 2017. 20 million price tag.

Josh King-                          16 Prem goals 2017. 15 million price tag.

Shane Duffy-                      Just been promoted to Prem 2017.

Rude Gestede-                  20  Champ goals that season.

Jordan Rhodes-                 21 Champ goals that season.

Paul Robinson-                  Still played a few Prem matches in 2017.

Marcus Olsson-                 Played a full season 2017 in a top 10 Champ team.

Ben Marshall-                    Still scoring goals and getting assists in the Champ.

Craig Conway-                   Playing way better back then, with a yard extra pace.

Alex Baptiste-                     Played half a Champ season 2017 in team that finished 11th

Grant Hanley-                    Errrrrrr, failed at Newcastle, but International regular.

 

And with that squad at his disposal, Bowyer failed to "compete", and I mean compete at any time over the course of the season to even get in the Top 6 let alone think about the top of the table. That is an absolute travesty when you look at some of the squads that have competed at the top of the table this season, i.e. Reading, who may still yet go up. 

And to blame it on Willowe as an excuse to get him off the hook is weak. If anything, that highlights his deficiencies to me. We had a very competent squad that was strong enough in most areas - defence, wings, strikers - and yet it was let down week after week by the middle of the field. And was not addressed despite the supporters screaming about it game after game. 

FWIW, I like GB,wish him all the best, and hope he has a great day out at Wembley and comes back successful. He also did a lot of good at Rovers, and helped steady a massively listing ship during stormy times. But I also won't ever have it that he did anything other than fail in the grand scheme of things when you think of the opportunity we had back then, and realistically how far away we were from achieving success in the form of promotion. 

Judge, Rochina, we should have bloody signed Dave Jones as well, criminal letting him go to Burnley. King will be going for way more than £15 million, closer to £30 imo.

[Silas]

Just now, RV Blue said:

Judge, Rochina, we should have bloody signed Dave Jones as well, criminal letting him go to Burnley. King will be going for way more than £15 million, closer to £30 imo.

Dave Jones, had forgotten about him. Got a shock when he came on for Wednesday other night in playoff. Hardly recognized him now he has hair. 

Yeah, slipped through our fingers and then went on to be pivotal in getting burnley promoted didn't he. 

On the same note, am also pretty sick seeing the Michael Keane hype at the moment and thinking about what could have been. Although to be fair, I think he saw the shambles of our club at the time and figured I want no part of that, and who can blame him. 

[JHRover]

Bowyer wanted to sign Michael Keane after his loan spell. He wanted Venkys to back him with the £1.5 million or whatever it was that United wanted (not a lot of money). Venkys refused and a few weeks later he joined that lot. Now he's being linked with a return to United for mega money.

 

[Batman.]

Tom Cairney £20m? Josh King £30m?

I knew upgrading to sniffing Industrial Strength Paint Stripper would backfire...

[JBiz]

Got to say, still find the double standard stark with GB. His main criticisms being based around not getting us promoted and/or wasting our best squad.

All this whilst I hear so many opinions say that managers/players are irrelevant under this ownership. 

If I had a choice of one person to praise since big Sam walked through the door, it would be GB. The stability he created after the original wolves had been shown the door was key to halting further decline, his work needed building on but the club went into cut mode.

Good luck GB, it would be a miracle to see Blackpool return to the third tier so quickly, after what's gone on. Hopefully we have someone as skilled and dedicated if we drop through league one the same way.

[Tony Rover]

I've said before he was promoted way above his station at the time, in the end he didn't get us up and the axe fell. Everything goes back to Venkys though, if you don't have the proper foundations then eventually its all going to come tumbling down. There were a few bright spells under Bowyer but trying to see that under Venkys is like polishing a turd, it'll never be pretty.

[den]

 His work sure did need building on because the football was absolutely dire and we were heading downwards. Don't forget he inherited a far better squad than people think, he wasn't forced to sell anyone that he wanted - and he was allowed to bring in around 35 players of his own choice, at a time when the club desperately needed more than stability, and at a time when the playoffs were eminently achievable. Many fans saw his appointment as the last true chance of getting back up to the PL.

He gave us stability apparently (which I don't accept), but what good did that do us?

[JBiz]

Just now, den said:

 His work sure did need building on because the football was absolutely dire and we were heading downwards. Don't forget he inherited a far better squad than people think, he wasn't forced to sell anyone that he wanted - and he was allowed to bring in around 35 players of his own choice, at a time when the club desperately needed more than stability, and at a time when the playoffs were eminently achievable. Many fans saw his appointment as the last true chance of getting back up to the PL.

He gave us stability apparently (which I don't accept), but what good did that do us?

35 players in, how many of those replaced the legacy of poor signings that nearly put us in the third tier at the first time of asking? How many "portugeezers" or 35k a week jobsworths did he sign?

How many huge contract gambles needed paying off? There are certainly "cons" to go with the "pros" but judging the value of his work by the side of the coin "didn't get us promoted" is ignoring an awful lot.

Lets not forget that we sold Cairney and Rudy in the season that he was fired. Not many managers would've kept us pointing forwards with those decisions made from above.

Its maddening to read now, it was frustrating back then! 

[JBiz]

Just now, Tony Rover said:

I've said before he was promoted way above his station at the time, in the end he didn't get us up and the axe fell. Everything goes back to Venkys though, if you don't have the proper foundations then eventually its all going to come tumbling down. There were a few bright spells under Bowyer but trying to see that under Venkys is like polishing a turd, it'll never be pretty.

In the perfect scenario he'd probably still be our reserves/u23 manager. He is obviously good enough for that, and whilst I agree he should've never been given the job, I still think he did well in the circumstances.

[Mattyblue]

When we had a set of decent players he had us bobbing along in mid table. As soon as the players began to depart we quickly fell down the league, ending in his sacking. Not sure how people are then coming to the conclusion that 'we'd never have gone down under him'. 

Lot of time for the bloke, however for me he didn't have what it takes to take a team to the top 6- though considering he was allowed to 'learn his trade' at a Championship club, he may now have the tools.

[DE.]

Have said it before, but as far as GB is concerned he succeeded on a personal level by performing well above what could realistically be expected of him, but ultimately failed to get us where we needed to be when we still had a chance to get there.

The stability argument is somewhat flawed imv, at best you could say Bowyer helped keep the wolves from the door and allowed Venky's and their associates to drain a little more out of the club before @#/? really hit the fan. That period of stability got us nowhere. Not GB's fault - none of this is - but his much heralded stability meant nothing beyond slightly delaying the inevitable and keeping the pressure off Venky's for a couple of years, so why bring it up as a positive?

Once the taps were turned off and GB had to operate in the loan/freebie market we went on a severely downwards trajectory. Again, not Bowyer's fault, but let's not pretend there's a good chance he would have stopped this from happening. We were going to end up in League One whether GB was at the helm or not. I'm glad he was removed as it would have been cruel to see him relegate us. I don't think he would have quit. 

 

[den]

Just now, Biz said:

35 players in, how many of those replaced the legacy of poor signings that nearly put us in the third tier at the first time of asking? How many "portugeezers" or 35k a week jobsworths did he sign?

How many huge contract gambles needed paying off? There are certainly "cons" to go with the "pros" but judging the value of his work by the side of the coin "didn't get us promoted" is ignoring an awful lot.

Lets not forget that we sold Cairney and Rudy in the season that he was fired. Not many managers would've kept us pointing forwards with those decisions made from above.

Its maddening to read now, it was frustrating back then! 

Players being paid off had no bearing on Bowyer. 

[47er]

Look at what's happened at Huddersfield and Reading. Nothing spectacular there at either club to think they'd be this close to the Holy Grail. Competantly managed, consistent without being brilliant, both have shown its not that hard to get out of the Championship. even Burnley managed it under Coyle's management.

Yet we did not get anywhere near it in 5 years and Bowyer managed for more than half of it. 

[JBiz]

Just now, den said:

Players being paid off had no bearing on Bowyer. 

Didn't it result in us having to sell players, a lower budget and eventual embargo?

This is the point I'm making Den. Managers can't or don't want to work under the owners, yet GB is criticised for underperformance "despite" the ownership mistakes prior to him having to take the reigns. 

[Silas]

Just now, Biz said:

All this whilst I hear so many opinions say that managers/players are irrelevant under this ownership. 

 

 

Just now, Tony Rover said:

 Everything goes back to Venkys though, if you don't have the proper foundations then eventually its all going to come tumbling down. There were a few bright spells under Bowyer but trying to see that under Venkys is like polishing a turd, it'll never be pretty.

Whilst all this is true regarding Venky's as the ultimate culprits responsible for the demise of the club, I don't think it should undermine the validity of criticising or critiquing other personnel at the club. 

We all know Venky's are prize plums, but should that exempt GB from criticism for being a good player recruiter but limited coach and tactician? Should it stop us calling out Steele for all his howlers, Lowe for being distinctly average, or Best and Duffy for basically just being dicks? 

The one thing that has happened at Rovers over the last half a decade is the players have got off scott free because of the Venky situation. The managers still seem to have copped a fair bit of flak, but many players have got away with murder. 

Even this season, regardless of having a chump like Coyle in charge, we have still managed to go down to League 1 with a wages budget in the top 10 of the league I think. So we have made a few more millionaires to achieve another heartbreaking relegation. 

A LOT of players have let this club down massively over the last few years, and largely gone under the radar whilst doing it. Venky's have been a great shield for many to hide behind. It all still angers me. 

[JHRover]

Bowyer did a good job despite Venkys. If he hadn't had his hands tied by the Indians then who knows what he might have been able to do.

Its all well and good referencing the number of players he brought in, but that was essential owning to the number of players that had to leave. Of course he got some wrong. Even with a blank chequebook some players will turn out to be duds but he got the most important ones right and in normal circumstances the value he brought to the club in Cairney, Gestede, Duffy, Marshall etc. should have set the club up for years to come. It isn't his fault that the conmen in India decided to sell them all off and trouser the cash.

How much freedom did he really have? I'd suggest getting rid of Best/Etuhu/Campbell was essential and they needed replacing regardless of who the manager was. How much cash did he get for transfers in 2 years? A couple of million at most? Not a lot of money and not enough to demand promotion. The wage bill was eyewatering but a legacy of Kean and Singh not Bowyer's behaviour.

Put it this way, I'd have the bloke back in a heartbeat if Mowbray walks this summer. The only man who managed to put something in place under these crooks that worked and had us on some sort of even keel for a couple of years. Before Bowyer we were heading to league one and since Bowyer we've ended up there.

No other manager has come close to doing what he did here. And no other manager will. They got lucky with him because he was already at the club and managed to make the step up and handled the job.

Kean, Berg, Appleton, Lambert, Coyle couldn't do it, for a variety of reasons which all come back to the owners. My money is on Mowbray following Lambert and throwing in the towel before things unravel even further.

To survive as manager of this club for 2.5 years whilst keeping it in the top half of the division and working for Venkys whilst assembling the squad Bowyer did is outstanding work.

If nothing else he restored some pride in the club and turned attentions away from the crooks and towards his good young squad for a while. The only time in the last 7 years I've been able to put Venkys to the back of my mind and concentrate on what happened on the pitch.

The fact that it was built on debt and was unsustainable wasn't Bowyer's fault. Venkys used his good work in the transfer market to claw some money back and made him into the fall guy by sacking him just as they began stripping the place bare.

Good luck to Bowyer. He's showing now at Blackpool in tough conditions that he's not just an overpromoted coach. A top man, worked wonders here despite Venkys and I hope to see him back at Rovers one day when we are liberated from Venkys. He deserves a chance to work here Venky free.

[Mattyblue]

Interesting to look back, to a man it was 'time for him to go'. Bit different to the narrative being spun on this thread...

 

 

[den]

Just now, Biz said:

Didn't it result in us having to sell players, a lower budget and eventual embargo?

This is the point I'm making Den. Managers can't or don't want to work under the owners, yet GB is criticised for underperformance "despite" the ownership mistakes prior to him having to take the reigns. 

Not sure I follow you Biz. 

The club was a shambles for sure - and yes, some high earners had to be offloaded during his spell in charge. None of those players were being picked for the first team though because Bowyer obviously didn't rate them or want them. He didn't have to sell anyone he didn't want to sell and he was backed to the tune of 35 players of his choice. Honestly, I fail to see what else he could have asked for or expected.

[JHRover]

Just now, Mattyblue said:

Interesting to look back, to a man it was 'time for him to go'. Bit different to the narrative being spun on this thread...

 

 

I've admitted in the past that I respected the decision to sack him when we did on the basis that we were swiftly replacing him with Lambert/Irvine and coming out of the embargo. Whilst I wasn't pushing for him to go, when he did and it appeared there was a proper plan in place to appoint a highly respected replacement immediately, lift the embargo and back that manager I was pleased.

Like at any club difficult decisions sometimes have to be taken to try and push the club on and at the time I hoped/believed that the decision to replace Bowyer with Lambert was a sensible and well thought out decision.

If I'd have known in November 2015 that actually it was all a sham, that they weren't going to back Lambert or communicate with him, that they were going to allow Lambert to quit at the end of the season and that their only plan moving forward was to cash in on players and starve the club of funds then I would have been against Bowyer's sacking. I still believe that even with the sales we've had if they had been honest with Bowyer about it (rather than selling Cairney from under his feet without prior notice) and had tried to work with Bowyer to reduce the budget and profit on players, then we would still be in the Championship now.

[arbitro]

1 hour ago, AllRoverAsia said:

I see Bowyer is back in the MB spotlight ...... thanks in no small part to the Luton Keeper and the Luton fan who Would't give the ball back.

Good luck to Blackpool and Bowyer in the Final.

There was karma alright for the idiot who refused to give the ball back with Blackpool scoring in the fourth minute of additional time. The Blackpool player was actually grappling with the numpty pretty much in the stand.

[JHRover]

Just now, den said:

Not sure I follow you Biz. 

The club was a shambles for sure - and yes, some high earners had to be offloaded during his spell in charge. None of those players were being picked for the first team though because Bowyer obviously didn't rate them or want them. He didn't have to sell anyone he didn't want to sell and he was backed to the tune of 35 players of his choice. Honestly, I fail to see what else he could have asked for or expected.

More money to spend? He got about £2 million max in 2 years which he spent on Marshall, Evans, Cairney, Gestede, Duffy and Conway = outstanding business by any measure.

Beyond that and the essential pay-offs money for players was in short supply. It seems Bowyer had to fly to India with a begging bowl to persuade Desai to stump up for those players and she only agreed on the basis that they would increase in value which she has subsequently had back with interest.

If we look at Aston Villa or Derby and the dosh they've thrown at it for results similar to Bowyer's time in charge I'm not sure how anyone could demand promotion.

If we'd have finished 3rd both seasons and lost in the play-offs would Bowyer have failed? Because the outcome would have been the same, and Venkys would still have run out of credit and stripped the place bare.

Beyond money there's the logistics. Lord only knows how many players Bowyer wanted to sign of good quality that either Venkys wouldn't sanction or wasted weeks waiting for answers like everyone else has at the club. If we'd had decisive owners or power at Ewood we might not have had to scrape the barrel with the likes of Chris Brown.

[onlyonejackwalker]

Congratulations to Blackpool and Gary Bowyer. Best of luck in the play-offs.

No I don't want him back, but have no problem him doing well elsewhere.

[JBiz]

1 hour ago, den said:

Not sure I follow you Biz. 

The club was a shambles for sure - and yes, some high earners had to be offloaded during his spell in charge. None of those players were being picked for the first team though because Bowyer obviously didn't rate them or want them. He didn't have to sell anyone he didn't want to sell and he was backed to the tune of 35 players of his choice. Honestly, I fail to see what else he could have asked for or expected.

JHR pretty much covered it. Most of those big wage players weren't picked because they weren't good enough and/or had motivational issues due to compromising contracts dished out aplenty before hand.

He had a couple sold from under him also - Cairney the best example (also his signing and also potentially off to the prem this summer).

In terms of what he asked for expected, that's not the point. GB is often blamed for wasting our chances of returning quickly, it's quite easy to see that those who signed the stupid Best, Murphy, Etuhu, Berg, Appleton, 6x nobody portugal players et al contracts are responsible for that and more damage.

Whilst I can give credence to those who believe that we mightve been stripped of Venkys sooner had we gone down, you can't blame GB for that. He actually halted the rot that set in deep for some time - which is why it's no surprise to see him do something similar with Pool.

 

[chaddyrovers]

If we could go back 18/19 months ago to when he was sacked because they were major going invested in a promotion push and wanted a manager with that on his CV. 

but the money never came then Lambert left and Coyle was appointed. And we all know that was a shambles. Only the appointment of Mowbray give the fans some hope. 

Bowyer finished in the top half in his 2 full seasons. Yeah he build a really good squad that should have got promoted tbh but didnt. 

But he made some very good signings during his time here. 

But I think he would have kept us up if he was in charge this season. Mowbray almost did after all the mess under Coyle