[Archived] Did Graeme Souness get enough credit?

[Bigdoggsteel]

Discuss.

I don't think he did. Looking at us now languishing in the championship. What would we do for another Graeme?

Our recent history seems to bypass the fact he got us promoted and won a trophy.

Why isn't he spoken about in legendary terms? 

[Rover_Shaun]

Because his end wasn't under the best circumstances. Still the 2nd most successful manager since 1928 though.

[tomphil]

He is in my eyes but he did really lose the plot in the last 12 months and was courting himself for other jobs which left a bad taste in a lot of mouths. Souey would have been useless without a very big budget to work with though as his main strength was attracting big players and massaging or stamping on big ego's. 

He should be held in very high esteem now though as history books say he was one of our best ever modern day managers. 

[47er]

Yes he got enough credit.

[islander200]

Souness did a good job But he also got a bit lucky that he walked into a job with three of the best young attacking talents in England in Dunn,Duff and Jansen.Be forever grateful for the promotion,league cup win and bringing in Brad friedel and Tugay.But he lost the plot toward the end and he did waste a lot of money..Amoruso,Ferguson and Grabbi to name 3

[Bigdoggsteel]

But he got us huge success. Is not what it is all about? 

[islander200]

Just now, Bigdoggsteel said:

But he got us huge success. Is not what it is all about? 

And he got credit for what he done.Imo if he had stayed as manager that season we probably would have gone down.

Falling out with Dunn,Cole,Yorke.Apparently Duff was keen on staying at rovers Souness wanted the money.

[Bigdoggsteel]

How did he get credit?

[Bigdoggsteel]

34 minutes ago, islander200 said:

Souness did a good job But he also got a bit lucky that he walked into a job with three of the best young attacking talents in England in Dunn,Duff and Jansen.Be forever grateful for the promotion,league cup win and bringing in Brad friedel and Tugay.But he lost the plot toward the end and he did waste a lot of money..Amoruso,Ferguson and Grabbi to name 3

I liked amuroso

[blueboy3333]

12 minutes ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

I liked amuroso

So did Souey. He said something along the lines of Amo's critics were just jealous of his looks. In fairness he was a dish. Similar physique to me. I've got better shirts.

 

[blueboy3333]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2409672/Rovers-run-riot.html

Amo's debut. Happier times. Nearly 14 years ago.  

[cmb211087]

4 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

How did he get credit?

I don't know what answer you expect to get from that? You clearly think he didn't, others think he did. Unless you think he should have his own statue next to Jack to show credit then what exactly should we be giving him?

[dingles staying down 4ever]

The one who didn't get enough credit was Phil Boersma, Souey's right hand man. The wheels of Souness' reign only started to come off once he had to step down and Terry Darracot replaced him.

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

A great manager for this club imo....the Promotion Season and League Cup win are still happy and vivid memories.

[Bigdoggsteel]

5 hours ago, blueboy3333 said:

So did Souey. He said something along the lines of Amo's critics were just jealous of his looks. In fairness he was a dish. Similar physique to me. I've got better shirts.

 

I hope yours have buttons 

[Claytons Left Boot]

I liked the promotion team under Souness almost as much as the championship winning team under Kenny. The fact that Dunny, Duffer (my all time favourite Rover), Taylor and Johnson came through the junior ranks made it very sweet.

I used to watch the youth teams down at Brockhall in those days and I remember telling a mate of mine about David Dunn and that he would be in the first team within twelve months and he was.

I will never forget the League Cup win against Spurs and the exciting, attacking football we played epitomised in that away win, coincidentally, at White Hart Lane when we absolutely put them to the sword.

Ok, Graeme lost the plot towards the end but every manager has a shelf life with the exception of only one or two and I think he just about got the credit he deserved. There's one thing for sure, if he came on the pitch at half time, he would get a rousing reception.

 

 

[AllRoverAsia]

Souness brought good success to Rovers and has my respect for that. 

Did he get enough credit?  Probably and was also presumably paid well. 

At the end he walked out on us but by then it was best for all as he had gone rogue.

Without Souness there would have been no Tugay to grace Ewood, no Friedl and no Cole or even Yorke. 

[1864roverite]

LEGEND in my view,

[DE.]

Depends what you mean by "get enough credit" really. From who? Pundits? Our fans? The club? Opposition fans? The redtop media? 

Most Rovers fans I speak to hold Souness in very high esteem, just below Kenny Dalglish. Short of a yearly thread on the anniversary of his appointment lauding his accomplishments or creating a 'Graeme Souness - LEGEND' forum to discuss our our undying admiration of him I'm not sure how we are supposed to 'give him credit'?

[Bigdoggsteel]

Interesting posts. I really liked our team under him as well. I just never really hear him mentioned much by rovers fans. Looks like he is held in high esteem though 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I thought he did a great job in the early days. Great team and some great football. It's a shame but it all went badly wrong at the end. He'd have been fired if he hadn't have left because he was taking us down.

As a player he was the real deal, a terrific competitor who could play. I remember him taking on Roma's Brazilian midfield trio in a European Cup Final and playing them to a standstill.

[47er]

4 hours ago, cmb211087 said:

I don't know what answer you expect to get from that? You clearly think he didn't, others think he did. Unless you think he should have his own statue next to Jack to show credit then what exactly should we be giving him?

Good of him to point out his own question is a dud though! 

[rog of the rovers]

Did a fine job, which will only get more appreciated as time goes on.

As mentioned, he benefitted (and also helped nuture) from the 'Holy Trinity' at that time in Jansen, Duff and Dunn.

Brought Tugay and Freidel to the club, Berg and Hughes' leadership was invaluable, Cole was sensational for 18 months, then helped keep us up the following year. Signed David Thompson, who earned an England call up under Souness! 

Got us out of Division One, won the Worthington Cup, played in Europe. What we'd do to have those times back now!

[bellamy11]

I used to have the ITV coverage of the Worthington Cup final on VHS and must have watched it dozens of times at uni.

 

From pre-game (paraphrasing):

"You've won 26 trophies as a player and a manager, now you find yourself in a relegation battle and in the final of the cup. Where would this rank?"

"You've just said something that makes me believe we'll stay up."

"What?"

"I've won 26 things".

 

The guy was a winner. He knew what it took to get us up (a difficult task even if you have quality players) and to get through cup matches. His team was tough to watch by the end, for some reason getting dismantled by Leicester sticks out, but he signed some of my favourite ever players and my memories of his team are some of the best I've had as a Rovers fan - and given how things are looking at the moment will probably be the pinnacle for a long, long time now. Big fan of GS.

[tomphil]

9 hours ago, Bigdoggsteel said:

I liked amuroso

A character he was but if you rated him as a player you've got serious judgement problems

 He was dire in his position, way out his depth in the Prem.