Joe Royle - has he been acknowledged enough?

[daveoswald]

Think joe has got a lot of credit in the bank, Gillingham and the Blackburn promotion game are some of my highlights watching City in terms of experience. Don't think his playing days were exceptional, but did score some memorable goals , league cup semi against middlesbrough, as a 14 year old on the Kippax that night, stands out.

 

[Keeper!]

Very decent man, a very good player before injuries took their toll and a very decent manager.

Was he underappreciated, a big no from me.

He was decent and that was his reputation.

 

[andyhinch]

BIFFO

 

[bluemoon32]

Great bloke

 

[johnnytapia]

Panick on the streets of Moss Side

Manchester City Football Club Plc v Royle | [2005] EWCA Civ 195 | England and Wales Court of Appeal (Civil Division) | Judgment | Law | CaseMine

Get free access to the complete judgment in Manchester City Football Club Plc v Royle on CaseMine.

www.casemine.com

 

[SidJames]

My issue with Royle was refusing to come and manage us earlier, before we had slipped down the league. I am convinced his style of management was right for us and the premier league then. When he did come he was right for us and the championship but not the EPL. Top flight football had changed and he hasn’t.

Rather than stay with his beloved Oldham he perhaps could have pushed us onto European qualification and ended our trophy drought a decade before than it was. As the game developed we would have moved him on for a more progressive man (Arsène Wenger???)

Don’t get me wrong I loved his tenure with us, but things could have much better.

I know, I am letting my imagination get the better of me and if my aunt had boll…etc. However success is as much about timing and circumstances as it is about talent and I am convinced that was a lost opportunity to avoid a lot of city heartache and enjoy city success in my youth! We could still have today’s success as well!

I hear what you are saying.

I think he was emotionally attached to that Oldham side, he created from scratch. He got them punching above their weight.

Taking off my blue tinted Specs, Depressingly we simply were not that attractive proposition back then. A big Club that was known more for the off field drama.

I think his suing the Club left a lasting impression on many fans. Partly the reason he never gets the recognition from some fans.

Another Man who deserves recognition is Bernstein, he was a fantastic chairman and steadied the Ship. He put our House in order. Making clear plans.

 

[bigstanhibbert]

When City used to train at what is now Cheadle Town's ground near the cemetery, a few of us young City fans used to cycle there and watch in school holidays.

One day when we got there, only 3 players were on the pitch, Joe C in goal, Skipper crossing, and Big Joe R heading.

We 3 or 4 were tasked by the players to collect any balls that weren't on target,it must have lasted about 25/30 minutes. But we were, for only a small time, part of the team, part of City. Young kids loving the interaction with our heroes, listening to their conversations.

When it finished the ONLY one to come and say thank you was Big Joe Royle, treated us with so much respect. Who knew we could cycle home that fast to tell our story.

Great bloke, for City both as a player and manager, a man who kept his cool when we needed it. Part of our history and hopefully one we respect forever

 

[Corky]

Bernstein on Royle May 2001 ""Joe has done a very good job for us over the previous two years and the last thing we need is unnecessary change. We will not be changing the position of manager".

I suppose he got his comeuppance when Keegan edged him out the club 2 years later, after being appointed in May 2001.

 

[bongsblue]

When City used to train at what is now Cheadle Town's ground near the cemetery, a few of us young City fans used to cycle there and watch in school holidays.

One day when we got there, only 3 players were on the pitch, Joe C in goal, Skipper crossing, and Big Joe R heading.

We 3 or 4 were tasked by the players to collect any balls that weren't on target,it must have lasted about 25/30 minutes. But we were, for only a small time, part of the team, part of City. Young kids loving the interaction with our heroes, listening to their conversations.

When it finished the ONLY one to come and say thank you was Big Joe Royle, treated us with so much respect. Who knew we could cycle home that fast to tell our story.

Great bloke, for City both as a player and manager, a man who kept his cool when we needed it. Part of our history and hopefully one we respect forever

Used to do exactly that, but back in the days of Joe and Malcolm. If you got there early then we got the chance to fill the baths under the stand, cut up the big bars of soap etc and, when the players finally turned up, there was a small hut where they used to gather pre training and we used to make tea and toast for those team members who wanted stuff like that. Used to watch sessions mainly under Malcolm's jurisdiction, only saw Joe a few times. As a star struck kid it was an amazing experience but all the players, bar one Derek Jeffries who gave us a bit of lip, for which he was chastised by Buzzer, were really approachable and friendly and were more than happy to sign anything we asked them to as my autograph book testifies.

 

[Zapcity]

Remember Joe Royle being a decent player in a good City side that came 2nd in the League and won the League Cup .
Goalscoring record for us was okay if not particularly spectacular (had a goal disallowed in the 76 league Cup Final at Wembley though didn't he!).
As others have said ,once he actually got it together as our manager he helped to pull us out of the shit, and halted the decline. The Gillingham and Blackburn games will always be remembered very fondly, as much as anything for the spirit and camaraderie of the players and fans. In the former case it was also ofcourse the shear importance of winning that game.
We weren't ready for the Prem in 2000/2001 and were always going to go down.
Royle I believe took us as far as as he could at that point and fans generally accept that.
Under Keegan we kicked on considerably. There may have not been individual games to compare with the emotion of the above 2 but we were playing better football .
City were also a much better team under Keegan, proved by the margin by which we won the 1st Division (or whatever it was called) and how comfortably we coped with the Premier league when we got there.