Steve Coppell

[whitycity]

I recollect john maddocks proclaiming Brian horton as the next bill shankley....strange times indeed..

 

[Sheikh Rattle n Roll]

So what year did Dave Bassett turn City down?..... I remember whoever he was managing at the time was playing Bury at Gigg Lane and at the end of the game he made it clear that he wouldn't be joining City.

 

[Blue Streak]

The night of the Coventry game (was the day John Maddocks had been driving South to appoint a new manager) every man and his dog thought it was Gerry Francis. Horton was spotted and photographed in a Redtop on the balcony of one of the Platt Lane Executive Boxes.

After the game (and before all this came to light) we had a candlelight (or in my case fag lighter) sit down protest on the Kippax before proceeding to storm the back of the Main Stand.

John Maddocks was a **** and Swales last throw of the dice.<br /><br />-- Tue Aug 03, 2010 3:19 pm --<br /><br />

So what year did Dave Bassett turn City down?..... I remember whoever he was managing at the time was playing Bury at Gigg Lane and at the end of the game he made it clear that he wouldn't be joining City.

1996. Remember it well. He was manager of Palace.

 

[pedigreeblue]

hmmm - so "stressed" was what they called the little incident then was it....

That's a myth. There was no "incident". As a 1990s ITK, I can tell you that categorically. Makes me laugh how many people repeat this baseless rumour as gospel. It's a bit like the one about Franny owning Kinkladze's registration, so if the player left, all the money would go straight into Lee's pocket. I must have heard that one from ten different people at least, but it was also a complete fabrication.

Coppell took the job even though his wife didn't want him to because she was happy based in the south. After he'd accepted the position, she then refused to move north and was threatening to divorce him. City offered him compassionate leave to go and sort his marriage out but he refused it.

All of this is true, and is hinted at in Blue Moon Rising by Andy Buckley and Richard Burgess, published in 2000. That book is the best behind the scenes look at City from about 1993 to our promotion back to the Prem under Royle. However, it's almost certain also that Coppell refused the compassionate leave and insisted on quitting instead because he realised he'd been misled as to just how bad things were at the club, and he realised that he'd never be able to achieve the aim of promotion, the possibility of which had led him to take the job.

There was a more credible rumour at the time that Coppell was refused permission to bring in two layers who'd have cost a total of £500K because FHL didn't rate them and to make changes to the coaching staff (he'd promised on his arrival that, apart from bringing in Phil Neal, he'd work with the existing staff, but he supposedly decided quickly that changes were needed). However, I can't confirm categorically whether or not this story is true.

Anyway, ask yourselves this. If there had been an incident of the sort rumoured that involved Coppell and he left as a result, why did the club give him a settlement agreement requiring him to keep silent about his time at the club in return for £50K.

As for how I felt about it, I was shocked more than anything - Kendall's departure also came out of the Blue, but the big thing about that one was that we lost a manager who many people, including me, thought would deliver real success. With Coppell, it seemed to be a confirmation of the fact that the club was declining more rapidly than anyone had thought possible: if we couldn't hold onto a manager for even five weeks, we must really be in the sh!t!

I have a few boxes of 'Blue moon rising' in my warehouse, happy to sell for £1 a copy + postage or someone make me a offer for the lot. All brand new. Perhaps best to message me on here.

 

[Anonymous]

Hated Coppell before, during and after.

A rag and a scouser, what more contemptible a combination could you want?

 

[M18CTID]

The night of the Coventry game (was the day John Maddocks had been driving South to appoint a new manager) every man and his dog thought it was Gerry Francis. Horton was spotted and photographed in a Redtop on the balcony of one of the Platt Lane Executive Boxes.

After the game (and before all this came to light) we had a candlelight (or in my case fag lighter) sit down protest on the Kippax before proceeding to storm the back of the Main Stand.

John Maddocks was a **** and Swales last throw of the dice.

-- Tue Aug 03, 2010 3:19 pm --

So what year did Dave Bassett turn City down?..... I remember whoever he was managing at the time was playing Bury at Gigg Lane and at the end of the game he made it clear that he wouldn't be joining City.

1996. Remember it well. He was manager of Palace.

Apologies for being pedantic, but it was John Maddock, not Maddocks. John Maddocks was our club historian at the time and by all accounts a very nice bloke which is in stark contrast to the kind of person John Maddock was! Apparently this confusion with their surnames led to poor John Maddocks coming in for a bit of stick from some blues as they were getting him mixed up with Maddock.

Two things that make me laugh about Maddock was that before Horton was officially unveiled he claimed that the new manager was a "reputable" name. No offence to Brian Horton but he'd only ever managed Hull (where he was eventually sacked), and Oxford where he did a competent enough job without ever ripping up any trees. So when Maddock announced that we would be getting a "reputable" manager we were all led to believe it would be a far more established name than Horton.

Something else that I found highly amusing was, in the immediate aftermath of the Reid sacking, a question put to him by a reporter. It was along the lines of what Maddock had done in the game to warrant waltzing in to a football club and start sacking people. The response Maddock gave was hilarious:

"I'll have you know that when Ron Atkinson was offered the manager's job at Manchester United, the talks were held at MY house!"

 

[SpiritofBurnden]

I'll never forget following that season from here as a 10 year old. Crazy, crazy crazy. Five men taking charge of the first team in one season, ridiculous!

At the end of the previous season, I was more than hopeful that we'd storm to promotion in first place, regaining our rightful place in the top tier. It was pretty painful to see Bolton manage that achievement, especially given how far behind us they finished the previous season.

Doesn't feel all that long ago, but there's been a world of change since!

...and to cap it all we won the title at Maine Road that season.

 

[BTH]

Was you drinking that day as Purley is in Croyden

Saying Purley is part of Croydon is like saying Hale is a part of Wythenshawe.

Hmm, this sounds like a job for rickmcfc!

 

[matkil]

I have been working in Croydon today, and it makes Wythenshawe look like Hale. A truly miserable place.

 

[Phuk Tifano]

I have been working in Croydon today, and it makes Wythenshawe look like Hale. A truly miserable place.

Did you see much evidence of the Croydon facelift, i.e. girls with ponytails so tight that their eyes touch their ears (as modelled by Kate Moss, the town's most famous export)?