Joe Royle or Kevin Keegan

[peoffrey]

Royle, quite comfortably for me. I never really took to Keegan, despite the breathtaking football played in that promotion season.

The thing that's always grated me about Keegan was that we essentially mortgaged our future season-ticket sales to give him such a big warchest and he proceeded to blow much of it on utter shite, dishing out obscene contracts along the way that left us with our hands tied in subsequent years (yes, the board should shoulder some of the blame but he was the once choosing all the dross that others have mentioned already).

That money was a once-in-a-decade opportunity to get some quality and longevity into the squad but it was largely squandered on rubbish, leaving Keegan's successor absolutely nothing whatsoever to work with. Which is pretty much how he leaves all his jobs; there's very little long-term thinking involved when KK's around.

Solid post. Everyone could see Fowler was going to be a mistake and the same with Macken. Fowler especially because David Bernstein got involved and Boardroom politics erupted. Anelka was the only big money signing he got right because his goals kept us in the Premiership - although it's a shame he ended up leaving for a bit less than we paid for him.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Royle, quite comfortably for me. I never really took to Keegan, despite the breathtaking football played in that promotion season.

The thing that's always grated me about Keegan was that we essentially mortgaged our future season-ticket sales to give him such a big warchest and he proceeded to blow much of it on utter shite, dishing out obscene contracts along the way that left us with our hands tied in subsequent years (yes, the board should shoulder some of the blame but he was the once choosing all the dross that others have mentioned already).

That money was a once-in-a-decade opportunity to get some quality and longevity into the squad but it was largely squandered on rubbish, leaving Keegan's successor absolutely nothing whatsoever to work with. Which is pretty much how he leaves all his jobs; there's very little long-term thinking involved when KK's around.

Solid post. Everyone could see Fowler was going to be a mistake and the same with Macken. Fowler especially because David Bernstein got involved and Boardroom politics erupted. Anelka was the only big money signing he got right because his goals kept us in the Premiership - although it's a shame he ended up leaving for a bit less than we paid for him.

he signed some absolute stinkers in his last few years. Vouoso, fowler, mcmanamom, Reyna, negoui, did he sign mills and vassell or was that Pearce? His early signings were brilliant- bercovic and bernarbia stand out.

 

[peoffrey]

Solid post. Everyone could see Fowler was going to be a mistake and the same with Macken. Fowler especially because David Bernstein got involved and Boardroom politics erupted. Anelka was the only big money signing he got right because his goals kept us in the Premiership - although it's a shame he ended up leaving for a bit less than we paid for him.

he signed some absolute stinkers in his last few years. Vouoso, fowler, mcmanamom, Reyna, negoui, did he sign mills and vassell or was that Pearce? His early signings were brilliant- bercovic and bernarbia stand out.

Keegan signed Mills (him and Thatcher as the new full backs) and Pearce signed Vassell to partner Andrew Cole shortly after SWP left for the first time. Nice strike partnership at one point. Complimented each other well. I'm sentimental about those days. I loved Pearce as a player throughout his career and wanted him to succeed.

 

[Citizen Green]

Royle, quite comfortably for me. I never really took to Keegan, despite the breathtaking football played in that promotion season.

The thing that's always grated me about Keegan was that we essentially mortgaged our future season-ticket sales to give him such a big warchest and he proceeded to blow much of it on utter shite, dishing out obscene contracts along the way that left us with our hands tied in subsequent years (yes, the board should shoulder some of the blame but he was the once choosing all the dross that others have mentioned already).

That money was a once-in-a-decade opportunity to get some quality and longevity into the squad but it was largely squandered on rubbish, leaving Keegan's successor absolutely nothing whatsoever to work with. Which is pretty much how he leaves all his jobs; there's very little long-term thinking involved when KK's around.

Solid post. Everyone could see Fowler was going to be a mistake and the same with Macken. Fowler especially because David Bernstein got involved and Boardroom politics erupted. Anelka was the only big money signing he got right because his goals kept us in the Premiership - although it's a shame he ended up leaving for a bit less than we paid for him.

he signed some absolute stinkers in his last few years. Vouoso, fowler, mcmanamom, Reyna, negoui, did he sign mills and vassell or was that Pearce? His early signings were brilliant- bercovic and bernarbia stand out.

As well as Anelka, Distin and van Buyton on loan, overall though I think he made more poor signings than good, and some for big money at the time (Macken £5m, Vouso £4m etc)

 

[jma]

Royle gets some bad press from some people.

I know a few who slaughter him for taking City down to Div 2 and I can't say I was happy that Kinky didn't play during that period. But, let's face it, the club was so fucked up at that point that it kind of seemed inevitable.

To take them from where they were at Christmas in 99 to the Prem in 2001 was staggering. Going through Div 1 with those players was a class season. And it felt that there was a great spirit in that group, with players who really got the club.

I know Joe is an Evertonian, and that will always be his club, but he is also blue in my book and it is a fact that has a lot of feeling for City (couldn't care less about the court stuff, that was about money and business) and always has done.

The promotion season under Keegan was my favourite season for a long time, until recently. Quality stuff, but those players were on a different level to the other teams in the division at the time. That shouldn't detract from Keegan's achievements but he had serious backing to do what he did. His later spending was shocking though. I was seething when Bernstein left due to Fowler and it seemed that Keegan had bought a Premier League sticker book from 1994 and used it to determine his buys.

Still like Kev though. He is a bit mental though. For me, I always said that, even though there is no doubt he is blue and did a lot for the club, Wardle was criminal for letting him blow all that money and gambling with the club's future in that way.

Anyway, some great stuff (and some mistakes) under both. But Joe for me as stopping that slide didn't seem possible at times and back to back promotions is a staggering result at any time under any circumstances, never mind at what was a joke club at the time.

And, although this doesn't count for anything in managerial terms, I view him as a big blue (despite the Everton love).

 

[KPXBLN]

Royle for me, he along with Bernstein stabilised the club after it had been in turmoil for a solid 3 years before there arrival. Yes we had to take the hit of relegation to the third-tier but he then did a fantastic job of rebuilding us which lead to promotion to the Premier League in 2000, an unthinkable feat in May of 1998. In the end we were relegated as promotion to the top flight was still a bit to early for us at that time but it allowed the club to believe in itself once again.

Keegan also did a good job, he was the first manager in the Premier League era to establish us in the league and signed some fantastic players who gave us a bit of our seventies swagger back in those first few years. However in the end he wasted to much money on players who were past there prime and after a last pay day, signings which did damage in the long run. Keegan's best achievement was keeping us in the Premier League ready for the move to the Etihad, something which lead to Sheikh Mansour arriving 5 years later.

-- Wed Aug 08, 2012 6:54 pm --

Both of them 'got' City and left the club in a better state than they found it.

I would say that Keegan got us playing the better football and the 2001/2 season was my second favourite after err... it's slipped my mind.

However, every season under Joe ended in relegation (twice) or promotion (twice) and for that reason he would just nudge it. Those three and a half seasons embodied all that is great and all that is (was) awful about this football club.

I don't agree that Keegan left us in a better state than he found us mate, yes we were in the second tier when he arrived but he spent a lot of money leaving us pretty much skint and had it out with Bernstein over Fowler which lead to Bernstein leaving the club. In hind-site Bernstein was right on that matter and I believe the club would have performed better in the Premier League from 2003 onwards if he'd have got his way.

Agreed. At that point it would have been better to keep Bernstein than Keegan. KK gave us some great memories though. The Arab-Israeli pass process, our highest ever goals scored total, the last derby at Maine Road.... It's a tough call between Royle and Keegan, though Royle shades it on the basis of the resources he had to play with.

 

[fat boy blue]

Tough one ,reading other posts I keep changing my mind .but I will go for KK for the 100 goals & the derby wins .
But thanks big Joe for bringing us back from the brink