TheBrownBottle Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) Forgive me folks, I’ve never started a thread before. With the news re KK, I’m curious to see where everyone would sit re best managers you’ve seen the club have. I was alive for Arthur Cox and Jack Charlton but have no memory of them. I think the only rules I’d set are: 1) you need to have seen them in action 2) they’re permanent managers Here are mine - admins feel free to shut me down if this isn’t a worthwhile topic3 #1 - KK (emotive and where we were when he picked us up and where he left us) #2 - Howe (many things point to him as #1, I just can’t quite bring him there. In short form, Howe should have a statue, KK should have a stand) #3 - Robson (did a tremendous job, should’ve ultimately been removed a few months earlier than he was) #4 - Benitez (obviously a genuine elite manager, shafted by the fat cunt) #5 - Hughton (just love the man, given the bullshit he had to deal with - was also spot-on politically ) #6 - Jim Smith (built a side that was capable of promotion, fell at the last hurdle, all went wrong after that) #7 Willie McFaul (isn’t going to worry ‘greatest managers lists’, but loved the club and was dealt a shit hand) #8 Glenn Roeder (hardly a managerial great; but loved the club and did a canny enough job when he was there) #9 Alan Pardew (I know some would put him lower, but given the circumstances hardly did the worst of jobs. Seems like to talk about us in an alright fashion, unlike some of the cunts who’ll follow) #10 Ossie Ardiles (‘Ossie’s babes’ were fun to watch even if they were shit, and a hard man to hate) #11 Kenny Dalglish (football was awful; played his own son; defended the indefensable with Shepherd/Hall. Still; there were good signings and a cup final) #12 Ruud Gullit (obvious cunt; did sign a couple of useful players; did reach a cup final) #13 Steve McClaren (I always hated the oleaginous cunt, but even with that he inherited a shit team rather than destroying a good one) #14 Steve Bruce (plastic Geordie, my father (who used to work with his at Parsons) told me he his own dad couldn’t be arsed with him when he was at Man Utd; enough said) #15 Graeme Souness (do I need justification?) Edited January 8 by TheBrownBottle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 #1 King Kev, there’d be none of this without him. #2 SBR - classy.. impossible not to respect him. Sorted out a mess and gave us some fantastic years. #3 Eddie - has probably had things at his disposal the first 2 could only have dreamt of but he saved us from almost certain relegation and given us air to breathe so we could go on to do the things we’ve done since. Right up there in the conversation. #4 Rafa - he just got it. Knew what we needed and repeatedly kept polishing turds. Sad the way it ended. Someone I’d have loved to have seen backed properly. Honourable mentions Roeder & Hughton. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GideonShandy Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) Showing my age . . . Keegan Howe Robson Harvey Benitez Hughton Cox Smith McFaul Roeder Pardew Gullitt Dalglish Ardiles Allardyce Lee Charlton Dinnis McLaren Kinnear Souness McGarry Bruce Edited January 8 by GideonShandy Forgot Allardyce and Kinnear Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
McEwan Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 3 hours ago, TheBrownBottle said: Forgive me folks, I’ve never started a thread before. With the news re KK, I’m curious to see where everyone would sit re best managers you’ve seen the club have. I was alive for Arthur Cox and Jack Charlton but have no memory of them. I think the only rules I’d set are: 1) you need to have seen them in action 2) they’re permanent managers Here are mine - admins feel free to shut me down if this isn’t a worthwhile topic3 #1 - KK (emotive and where we were when he picked us up and where he left us) #2 - Howe (many things point to him as #1, I just can’t quite bring him there. In short form, Howe should have a statue, KK should have a stand) #3 - Robson (did a tremendous job, should’ve ultimately been removed a few months earlier than he was) #4 - Benitez (obviously a genuine elite manager, shafted by the fat cunt) #5 - Hughton (just love the man, given the bullshit he had to deal with - was also spot-on politically ) #6 - Jim Smith (built a side that was capable of promotion, fell at the last hurdle, all went wrong after that) #7 Willie McFaul (isn’t going to worry ‘greatest managers lists’, but loved the club and was dealt a shit hand) #8 Glenn Roeder (hardly a managerial great; but loved the club and did a canny enough job when he was there) #9 Alan Pardew (I know some would put him lower, but given the circumstances hardly did the worst of jobs. Seems like to talk about us in an alright fashion, unlike some of the cunts who’ll follow) #10 Ossie Ardiles (‘Ossie’s babes’ were fun to watch even if they were shit, and a hard man to hate) #11 Kenny Dalglish (football was awful; played his own son; defended the indefensable with Shepherd/Hall. Still; there were good signings and a cup final) #12 Ruud Gullit (obvious cunt; did sign a couple of useful players; did reach a cup final) #13 Steve McClaren (I always hated the oleaginous cunt, but even with that he inherited a shit team rather than destroying a good one) #14 Steve Bruce (plastic Geordie, my father (who used to work with his at Parsons) told me he his own dad couldn’t be arsed with him when he was at Man Utd; enough said) #15 Graeme Souness (do I need justification?) #3 Robson was replaced with #15 Souness, so why should Robson have been removed earlier (to give Souness even more time as manager)? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nucasol Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Torn between Souness and Bruce as worst manager. Will echo @TheBrownBottle and still the dismantler in chief Souness as worst ever. The damage he did was the catalyst for us dropping away just as the financials got lucrative enough to bake in the Sinister Six as the powers in the league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomYam Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 In my lifetime we've had 4 great managers (KK, EH, SBR, JH and 3 good ones (Cox, Benitez, Hughton). Roeder gets a pass. The worst years were the Gordon Lee-Richard Dinnis-Bill McGarry farrago 1977-1980 which ripped the cub apart. Even worse than 1988-92 and the dismal Ashley years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewel Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Keegan number 1 for me. Never loved a manager, or any figure associated with Newcastle Utd Footbal Club, more than this fella. And I don't think I ever will Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
macphisto Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 3 hours ago, Lucky said: #1 King Kev, there’d be none of this without him. #2 SBR - classy.. impossible not to respect him. Sorted out a mess and gave us some fantastic years. #3 Eddie - has probably had things at his disposal the first 2 could only have dreamt of but he saved us from almost certain relegation and given us air to breathe so we could go on to do the things we’ve done since. Right up there in the conversation. #4 Rafa - he just got it. Knew what we needed and repeatedly kept polishing turds. Sad the way it ended. Someone I’d have loved to have seen backed properly. Honourable mentions Roeder & Hughton. What has Howe had at his disposal that the other two did not? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jewel Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Our capitulation in 95/96 still hurts to this day. If it wasn't for that, there would be absolutely no doubt who the number 1 on this list would be. Never mind a statue or a stand, if we'd won the league, they could have named the stadium after Keegan, and I'd have no qualms with it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fak Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 32 minutes ago, McEwan said: #3 Robson was replaced with #15 Souness, so why should Robson have been removed earlier (to give Souness even more time as manager)? Binning Robson was the right decision at the wrong time. Replacing him with Souness was the wrong appointment at any time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobbydazzla Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) I love Keegan, absolutely love him and I know how important him coming in and taking us on that wild ride was. I was a teen at the time and had just started going to matches so it was my baptism into this mad club. But when it came to the crunch, he bottled it. Blew what should have been an unassailable league winning position and he got outsmarted by Fergie. Largely because of Keegan’s heart on sleeve personality. Keegan was responsible for some of the highest highs and also the most protracted crushing low in my time following NUFC. So I’m putting Howe marginally above Keegan. But it’s neck and neck. Howe also came in when we were doomed, brought good times back, turned it around in a sustainable way and actually won us a proper trophy. Sir Bobby was good and had so much passion for club. But I never felt he had the steel to take on Fergie or Wenger. He was just too nice and old compared to them. I was emotionally disengaged from NUFC during Rafa so don’t have strong opinions. He’s better than most others. And I absolutely despise Bruce and Souness with every fibre of my being. The rest are all either mediocre nice guys, arseholes (Pardew) or bad (Gullit, Dalglish, McClaren) and I can’t be arsed to list all of their names. Edited January 8 by bobbydazzla Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holloway Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 King Kev and Eddie joint top for me with Sir Bob after that. I suspect Eddie will become numero uno in time but he falls somewhat behind the other two in character, they were both massively endearing personalities. At the bottom is the mess Bruce by some distance, he actually repulses me, I can't even look at him. I'd have to go for Gordon Lee over Sourmess, purely on his decision to peddle Supermac, my first ever hero. I remember him coming out with some pompous twaddle along the lines of 'there'll be no superstars in my team'. I was 14 and fucking ruined for months,watching him bang in a hat-trick on his debut for Arsenal Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trx345 Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Born early 90s, so too young too appreciate Sir Bobby fully. 1) Howe 2) Rafa 3) Hughton Worst by a distance would be Bruce. Never felt so much apathy for the result as when he managed us. Bournemouth away that covid season, and Everton away when Graham Jones managed us are the only 2 games I've positive memory of. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Icarus Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) On 18/03/2025 at 18:35, Kid Icarus said: The way I see it, Keegan was the inventor, the blueprint is his, but as an engineer he had flaws. Whereas Howe has refined Keegan's blueprint and is a master engineer. There's a clear line between the two imo, Howe's basically like a streetwise Keegan. This is basically my view on it. I think Howe is the better manager technically, but with Keegan it goes way beyond that and all of that stuff can't be ignored. They're 1 and 2, no one else comes remotely close to them, and I don't care what order anyone wants to put them in because they're both worthy of being number 1. Edited January 8 by Kid Icarus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mosstef Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 I think you are all forgetting how John Carver saved us from relegation in 2015.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Butcher Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 1) Howe 2) Keegan 3) SBR Loved Rafa, but that love died when he left for China. I understand that's not the common view, but that's how it is for me. Absolutely despised Pardew here, but looking back he did a fantastic job getting us 5th with that squad. Never hated Bruce here as much as other people did, but that's probably more down to me being so detached at the time. Couldn't really give much of a fuck during his reign. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Novocastrian Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 KK is our Shankly, Busby, Bill Nicholson. He has no peers and will always be my absolute hero. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wormy Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) I think you've actually gotten yours near-identical to mine tbh. A couple of re-jigs and removals to account for my first memories being under KK. 10 hours ago, TheBrownBottle said: #1 - Keegan - still just about above Howe for the raw emotion and where the club was when he arrived vs when he left #2 - Howe - another cup or two, or some proper title charges and I may start considering a swap (or I'll just have a 1a and 1b) #3 - Robson #4 - Benitez #5 - Hughton #6 - Roeder #7 - Pardew #8 - Gullit - slightly ahead of Dalglish by virtue of not directly dismantling KK's side and having the decency to resign when he knew he was out of his depth #9 - Dalglish #10 - McClaren #11 - Souness #12 - Bruce - his disgusting attempts to fool everyone that he genuinely cares about the club like he was some local lad coming home, crying genuine abuse on the back of some cabbage jokes, his pointless son coming to his defence every other week, his chumminess with pundits meaning we had to get lectured every other week - nah, he's a piece of shit and will forever be rock bottom Edited January 8 by wormy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Choppy Chop Chop Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Harvey (for nostalgic reasons otherwise he'd be four) Keegan Howe Hughton Robson Benitez Cox Smith McFaul Roeder Gullitt Dalglish Ardiles Lee Charlton Dinnis McLaren Pardew Souness McGarry Bruce Carver Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovejoy Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 4 hours ago, McEwan said: #3 Robson was replaced with #15 Souness, so why should Robson have been removed earlier (to give Souness even more time as manager)? We wouldn't have appointed Souness had Bobby been let go that summer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geogaddi Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) 1. Eddie 2. Keegan 3 . SBR Has to be Eddie for the trophy win alone and that's before you get into everything else he has achieved here. Then again the club wouldn't be where it is now if it wasn't for Keegan. Rafa is loved because he went up against Ashley rather than what we achieved on the pitch but he was happy enough to drop us for a big payday in China . I don't buy into the bollocks that he left because he felt he couldn't achieve anything else here as he wouldn't have gone to some football backwater if that was the case . Bruce by far the worst and that's because he pretended he was a nice guy but he was nothing but a sneaky horrible cunt . I don't mind Pardew anywhere near as much as others at least he knew he was a cunt and we finished 5th and had a couple of other mid table seasons under him . He always speak well of us in the media now. Edited January 8 by Geogaddi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AyeDubbleYoo Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) Will always be Keegan emotionally but almost inseparable from Howe now. Love Bobby as a person obviously but I feel those two are the clear best. Rafa was great but I can’t really separate that era from Mike Ashley so ruins it a bit. I knew Ashley would eventually fuck it. Edited January 8 by AyeDubbleYoo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superior Acuña Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 8 hours ago, TheBrownBottle said: Forgive me folks, I’ve never started a thread before. With the news re KK, I’m curious to see where everyone would sit re best managers you’ve seen the club have. I was alive for Arthur Cox and Jack Charlton but have no memory of them. I think the only rules I’d set are: 1) you need to have seen them in action 2) they’re permanent managers Here are mine - admins feel free to shut me down if this isn’t a worthwhile topic3 #1 - KK (emotive and where we were when he picked us up and where he left us) #2 - Howe (many things point to him as #1, I just can’t quite bring him there. In short form, Howe should have a statue, KK should have a stand) #3 - Robson (did a tremendous job, should’ve ultimately been removed a few months earlier than he was) #4 - Benitez (obviously a genuine elite manager, shafted by the fat cunt) #5 - Hughton (just love the man, given the bullshit he had to deal with - was also spot-on politically ) #6 - Jim Smith (built a side that was capable of promotion, fell at the last hurdle, all went wrong after that) #7 Willie McFaul (isn’t going to worry ‘greatest managers lists’, but loved the club and was dealt a shit hand) #8 Glenn Roeder (hardly a managerial great; but loved the club and did a canny enough job when he was there) #9 Alan Pardew (I know some would put him lower, but given the circumstances hardly did the worst of jobs. Seems like to talk about us in an alright fashion, unlike some of the cunts who’ll follow) #10 Ossie Ardiles (‘Ossie’s babes’ were fun to watch even if they were shit, and a hard man to hate) #11 Kenny Dalglish (football was awful; played his own son; defended the indefensable with Shepherd/Hall. Still; there were good signings and a cup final) #12 Ruud Gullit (obvious cunt; did sign a couple of useful players; did reach a cup final) #13 Steve McClaren (I always hated the oleaginous cunt, but even with that he inherited a shit team rather than destroying a good one) #14 Steve Bruce (plastic Geordie, my father (who used to work with his at Parsons) told me he his own dad couldn’t be arsed with him when he was at Man Utd; enough said) #15 Graeme Souness (do I need justification?) Obviously minor but... Gullit gave Paul Dalglish his debut. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
deejeck Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 Keegan, Howe, SBR, Rafa. Special mention to McFaul - certainly not the greatest, but as a young supporter I'll never forget the wonderful buzz I got from the 87/88 season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Icarus Posted January 8 Share Posted January 8 (edited) Go on then: Keegan Howe Robson Benitez Hughton Roeder Gullit Dalglish Souness McClaren Allardyce Bruce (I'll take everyone's word for it, I checked out) Pardew Weirdly, this doesn't always necessarily match up with my dislike for them. eg I disliked Dalglish and Souness way more than McClaren, but think of McClaren more as a hapless nugget than anything else. Edited January 8 by Kid Icarus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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