A Closer Look at Roeder

By Scott R
May 10 2006

Message Board regular Scott R takes a closer look at Glenn Roeder and his past managerial record.

As message board regulars are probably aware, I have expressed serious reservations about Roeder’s ability to manage this club on a permanent basis. Despite the fantastic job he’s done as care taker his history, lack of experience in general and lack of big club experience are major worries for the supporters of a team who’ve seen countless managers thrown on the scrap heap.

Now that the appointment seems inevitable it would serve us well to look at the details of Roeder’s time with previous clubs (West Ham in particular) for indications of how he will handle life in the big seat.

There’s not too much to say about Gillingham. The club was in serious difficulty at the time eventually ending up in administration. Roeder arrived as player manager and over saw a poor return in his first season.

At Watford Roeder actually steered the club to its most successful season after the original era of success with Turnip Taylor. He was actually removed from his post in February and so wasn’t actually in charge during the clubs relegation. Another club with problems and again, difficult to judge how many of them were down to Glenn.

Roeder’s next return into management was the much more famous appointment as manager of West Ham in a situation that shares many similarities with the Newcastle one. Appointed into the permanent role after acting as care taker (while at the club as academy directory).

It wasn’t a move widely appreciated by West Ham fans, just as it is unlikely to be appreciated by Newcastle fans this time round. Supporters of both clubs demanding a bigger name appointed to the job.

There are some significant differences though. Roeder was immediately confronted with the opposition of wild card Paulo Di Canio who would go on to haunt him through out his managerial career.

The player was initially critical of the appointment mainly aimed at the board but it could have only seriously undermined Roeder’s position

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"They kept telling me how much they valued my input and experience.

"After all, I've won Serie A titles and European trophies and I have played for Juventus, Milan, Lazio and Celtic.

"I told them what I thought and they did the exact opposite. They listened to some of the young players at the club instead.

"At the end of last season Paul Aldridge asked me what I thought of Glenn.

"I said he was a great coach and he should definitely stay on as an assistant.

"But I also said I thought we needed an experienced figure. I still believe that."
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This time round, publicly at least, Roeder appears to have the support of the squad and various senior squad members have spoken with praise for the job he’s done.

The other difference is early results. At Newcastle Roeder has already overseen a sterling return averaging well over 2 points per game from his time in charge. A point haul that would see us placed between 2nd and 4th over a full season. His start at West Ham was little short of calamitous by comparison.

Following 1 win in the first six games (ironically that solitary win came was a comprehensive drubbing of Newcastle) West Ham went down to consecutive 5-0 and 7-1 defeats against Everton and Blackburn. The knives were out among the West Ham faithful and for many would stay out until he was removed.

Roeder then did what he has turn for Newcastle and reversed the season with West Ham ending in a healthy 7th place albeit 12 points behind the final European qualifiers Chelsea.

The next season, by comparison, was disastrous for West Ham. A terrible start to the league ended with Roeder collapsing with illness and West Ham relegated despite a late revival.

Was it just Roeder’s fault? Perhaps there is a clue in the clubs transfer activity, or lack of it. West Ham, despite the 7th place finish, failed to add to their squad and instead off loaded a number of fringe players.

As Newcastle fans are familiar with injuries so to did they affect West Ham’s start. Kanoute was out for a 1/3 of the season, as was Di Canio at the same time, Sinclair struggled with fitness and form and the rising talent Carrick suffered with an ongoing groin strain. The best teams in the world suffer when their best players are missing or suffering with poor personal performances. After getting them back into the first team West Ham’s form did, indeed, improve. Despite the terrible start Roeder was awarded manager of the month following West Ham’s revival in March 2003. The award panel was complimentary of the turn around

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"They have gone four games unbeaten and only conceded two goals in their last five. His coaching ability and determination have served him well this season and there can be little doubt he will be doing all he can to guarantee The Hammers Premiership survival."
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This trend continued under Brooking’s 3 game reign. Too little, too late as it turned out.

42 points proved insufficient for safety and West Ham were relegated, a mere 10 points off 8th place Southampton by the end of the season which reflects an extremely tight mid table and relegation place battle.

Following relegation and his departure Di Canio aimed a number of broadsides at Roeder. Their relationship had been consistently poor. A public touchline bust up and Di Canio being benched indicative of how things had gone.

He claimed

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In a clear dig at current Hammers boss Glenn Roeder Di Canio said: "They frequently arrive on the scene unprepared on a psychological level, they don't know how to manage players and they are especially unable to help young players evolve.

"Also training sessions are frequently badly planned. For example I have personal training sessions in days when the manager says there is no training."

On the issue of Roeder's future the former Celtic star went on: "I wish him only to not obtain a third relegation in his career and I shall also give him this warning: all the people who told him to drop me will be the same people to tear him to pieces if things end badly for West Ham this season."
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He also claimed

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‘The club is falling apart.'

'Everyone knows I would have stayed for a lot less. Now look . . . Trevor Sinclair, Joe Cole and Freddie Kanoute have been sold,' the 35-year-old said.

'After Harry Redknapp was sacked and Roeder a man with no personality replaced him, I predicted this would happen.'

"I'm not Nostradamus. I was crucified for speaking my mind - but the facts are proving me right.

"It's painful to see West Ham in this situation."

"If he had not dropped me last season, we would have stayed up.

"How could anyone think the side was better off without me?

"Most of the blame must go to the manager. He placed personal problems he had with me ahead of the club."
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Throughout his West Ham tenure Roeder endured almost unending criticism from West Ham supporters who offered a level of abuse rarely seen in the English game after his house was vandalized by angry fans.

This provoked harsh criticism from Alex Ferguson who has frequently spoken in support of Roeder during the latter’s managerial career.

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"I bet there's a lot of guilty people down at West Ham after what has happened to Glenn. I didn't know his house had been attacked the night before that game, what's it coming to?”

"Even though West Ham beat Middlesbrough I understand Glenn was getting abuse from some supporters during and after the game - that's disgraceful.

"Unfortunately we associate these things with South America. We've had referees being shot over there, supporters getting killed and even the Colombian player Pablo Escobar after a World Cup.

"And when you see these things happening in English society you start to worry don't you? It's very sad because Glenn is a good lad who has conducted himself fantastically well during a difficult season for him and West Ham.

"He's never hidden - he puts himself out there in the technical area and stands up no matter what is happening with his team.

"He did that at Old Trafford this season when we beat them 6-0 in the FA Cup. That takes bravery and courage and that's why I respect him."
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Ferguson wasn’t the only manager to offer public praise to Glenn. Gerard Houllier, who had his own experiences with serious illness, was another.

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"Glenn is a very dignified man and I hope he makes a very quick recovery.
People might laugh when we say this, but football is our life - it is what drives us

"I like Glenn as a man and as a manager. He has always remained dignified and decent, despite the pressures of a very difficult season.

"He is a manager who has always supported his players, which I like, and the players can help Glenn now by winning matches. This will help him feel a lot better.

"I have had the opportunity to speak to Glenn on the phone during the season and I send him my very best wishes and hope he is well again soon."
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"I have a lot of sympathy for Glenn because he came up against a very strong Liverpool side.

"I know what it means to go through a difficult run because I had something similar happen to me two months ago.

"I shall go and talk to Glenn because he is always very dignified in the way he conducts himself. I shall tell him that he has the ingredients to keep West Ham up."
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So what does this tell us about what we can expect under Roeder? It is difficult to talk in absolutes but praise from Alex Ferguson shouldn’t be entirely ignored. It implies that with the right ingredients Roeder may have the personality to lead us to into a successful era. Thanks, it has to be said, in large part to Souness Glenn has acquired a squad of top quality professionals and though perhaps he lacks the experience a manager needs, his coaching is clearly first rate. He has instilled confidence and organization into the Newcastle squad.

The worry, and nothing in his managerial history offers much in the way of hope, is how he will react when things go wrong. On the training ground he could turn that round, there is little doubt about it. But can he handle big players who aren’t happy with their or the teams form? Can he handle a Chairman who tends to overreact to fan discontent and media garbage? Can he identify the players a big club needs to take them to the next level when he isn’t working with them, day in and day out?

Despite the good start any long term optimism is probably a little irrational. In many areas his skills are untested and we all know that Newcastle will test him. Will he be able to cope under the immense pressure that will be brought to bear when results start to go awry (as they inevitably will. The best managers in the world can’t escape that)? It is important not to over react to the opinion of West Ham fans. Their own conduct paints them in a less than flattering light and, at the end of the day, they are cockneys.

It’s possible that his West Ham years (which can only be described as a fierce introduction into top flight management) may have given him the experience he clearly lacked when he first managed there. It may be that his brush with death has given him a perspective that will allow him to cope with any hardships. He has certainly said the right things in the media since taking over and nobody can argue with the results.

So it’s with a shrug of the shoulders, a prayer to the gods and a good luck to Glenn that we’ll spend the summer and next season seeing exactly what he is made of. I for one, hope he proves his critics wrong. First under the microscope – his transfer targets.