The Steve Coppell/Phil Neal months

[Mark - TheBlue]

coppell and frontzeck? what rumours?

it was just a shower of shit mate ;)

Nothing to drop the soap over

 

[Citizen52]

Probably was a breakdown of some sort tbh, think he was having some marital issues and was finding the pressure too much at the time.

 

[mancmackem]

Were also rumours that Franny promised him transfer funds, which turned out to be nothing like the figures mentioned pre contract so he left.

 

[There is a Light]

I saw Phil Neal at a football tournament a few years ago. I was wearing a City shirt and asked him how he found life at Maine Road. He was very complimentary about the club and said if any set of fans deserved a bit of success, it was us.

However 11 years on, he was still absolutely seething about Coppell. The first he knew about Coppell leaving was when he turned up at the club and a journalist stuck a microphone under his nose asking for his reaction.

I even ribbed him about his part in the Graham Taylor documentary and he took it in good spirits.

I remember it well that Neal left with good grace at a time when he could have really stuck the boot in with the club was on it's knees already. He didn't have a bad word to say about us despite leaving after about three months of madness which can't have done his reputation much good. If I remember rightly, no-one was exempt from stick in those days as well, caretaker or not. I always respected him for his stance as it would have been easier for him to slate the shambles of a set up which was in place at the time.

He was poor up until Clark took charge but at that point literally no-one would touch the managers job with a barge pole. Ball was sacked, Coppell walked, Bassett turned us down and Graham used us as a pawn to get the Leeds job. Dark, dark times.

For the record, was the full list of managers that season.. Ball, Hartford, Coppell, Neal and Clark? Or have I forgot someone? Was Tony Book involved somewhere amongst all of that?

-- Sun Jul 03, 2011 10:00 pm --

It just never seemed right did it?

 

[disley blue boy]

didn,t coppell drop bristol city in the shit as well,what was his excuse for that one

 

[mancmackem]

That managers list is right, we had 5 managers that season which must be a record!

 

[Citizen52]

didn,t coppell drop bristol city in the shit as well,what was his excuse for that one

He did indeed. I was just going off something hinted at in a book i'd read. Perhaps his heart just wasn't in it or he seems to be indecisive at times. We'll never know now anyway.

 

[Motty]

coppell and frontzeck? what rumours?

it was just a shower of shit mate ;)

Nothing to drop the soap over

Just Googled it and surely, it can't be true? Surely not?

 

[GazM]

I remember it all too well. No-one would touch City at the time (I only wish Clark had said no given the amount of sh*te players he signed). WRT Coppell his line at the time was that the job was bigger than he'd imagined & there was no way he could turn it around.

 

[bluewigmcfc]

i heard it was a big misunderstanding coppel tripped while in the shower area and his pants fell down and the german broke his fall , coppel was in pain and thrashed about abit and it was blood that was dripping from his Mouth nothing else . Innocent accident that could happen to anyone .