The Alan Ball era

[FantasyIreland]

Useless,horrible,little ****.

RIP

 

[Corky]

Didn’t realise Bradbury was ever at Burnley.

He was on about the 1997 friendly for City under Clarke, Ball had long gone, but we played there in 1995 too under Ball when Swan went through the back of Walsh and the standing longside still existed.

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

Slow news day is it?

Jesus Christ.

Delete thread.

 

[Johnny Mars Bar]

The best thing about Alan Ball btw was the Wonderwall Kinkladze chant.

 

[DontLookBackInAnger]

people will probably point to Pearce but for me this was the worst of times. A literally unbelievable appointment of a person with an average (at best) managerial eecord

What WAS Franny thinking???

At best average record..... I would question that he was an historically poor manager almost everywhere he was(with historical lows during or right after at Blackpool, Stoke, Exeter and City), what is remarkable is that he kept getting jobs. However, in reflection I think what followed showed that it wasn't the choice job, we as supporters might have thought it was.
Personally the only time I have felt anywhere near as despondent was when we appointed Hughes... but in fairness Hughes was 100 times the manger Ball was and I didn't rate him much!

 

[melrose40yarder]

It was just over a season, not an era.

Felt like it

 

[LongsightM13]

Doomed from his very first meeting with the players, one of whom later told me that Ball pointed at them all individually, including the gobsmacked senior pros, and said “you’re shit, you’re shit, you’re shit” etc.
“You know why? Because you haven’t got one of these” and pulled out his World Cup medal.
Then said “AB doesn’t take any shit from anybody”
To which one young player, admittedly not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, put his hand up like he was in school and asked “Who’s AB?”

 

[LongsightM13]

People say that the club now doesn't get or understand us as fans and the connection isn't there any more. But I remember our ironic chant of 'Alan Ball's a football genius' being turned into an official t-shirt, sold in the club shop and them getting him to sodding model it!

That was a mocking chant started by Forest fans iirc when we made Jason ‘Pineapple’ Lee look like prime Van Basten during one particularly miserable performance at their place

 

[Bilboblue]

Awful, awful times. Think we had to wait until October until we actually won a game, Bolton at home if I’m right. People who have only ever known us being good should be given a dvd of that season to remind them to never take it for granted.

Correct, and I missed it, going to an Oasis gig at Earls Court that night.

First thing Noel said when he came on stage: "fucking hell, we've won a game, I can't believe it!"

 

[Brewster's millions]

Remember commiserating with a mate, pissed up, when Ball’s appointment had just been announced as we knew that we were going to be relegated.

The other memory was half way through the season, convincing myself that I would boycott the home games in protest until Ball was sacked. My willpower snapped about an hour before the next game and ended up sprinting down Yew Tree Road to try to make the kick off. Must have been mad.

Felt dreadful at the time but little did we know that worse was to come in the form of Coppell, Neal and Clarke. Shocking.