Branfoot.. Did you know..?

[Whitey Grandad]

I remember he tried to lob the keeper but the ball ended up nearly in the exec boxes high up above the goal.

That was it! Some of us have long memories.

[CB Fry]

Strange. I thought I was comparing Jermaine Wright to Jhon Viafara and making a comparitive comment about 2 shiite managers being unable to judge and use their best team.....:rolleyes:

 

Suppose logical thought is lost on you........

 

 

Errr, what you were comparing was the decision of

 

one manager to pick Paul Moody over our greatest ever player in his prime

 

with

 

the decision of another manager to pick one nondescript midfielder over another nondescript midfielder.

 

I don't recall exactly when Jhon Viafara became an indespensible, undroppable Southampton Football Club legend that the notion of not playing him is comparable, in your eyes to Branfoot's exclusion of Matthew Le Tissier.

 

But of course that's just typical you.

 

Zero perspective, zero logical thought, zero grasp of anything apart from petty outbursts and f uc kheaded overreaction. No perspective, no insight, no clue.

 

Rant, rant, rant, rant, rant.

 

Yeah, not selecting Viafara is comparable to dropping Matthew Le Tissier.

 

Get a life.

 

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Robsk II]

Well come now CB Fry - don't you recall the countless goals and assists that Viafara offerered over the course of his long, loyal career with us? For god's sake, he virtually kept us in the Premiership single handed.

 

Oh.

[Dalek2003]

As the years go on, I think the reaction Branfoot still gets is pointless.

 

He never got us relegated

 

 

Well said.I think he did a good job under difficult circumstances.

[Fowllyd]

I remember seeing a shortish interview with Branfoot a few years after he'd left Saints, in which he imparted two great pearls of wisdom: that Matt Le Tissier could never be considered as a great player; and that the only way to play football was 4-4-2.

 

On the subject of Le Tiss, he said that in order to be considered great you had to play for a big club and tackle back - neither of which applied to Matty. He cited Shearer as an example of a player who'd done these things, and also George Best - did he do much tackling back then? On the 4-4-2 formation being the only way to play, he cited the great AC Milan team of that time; this rather ignored the fact that said team was stuffed with great players, who could have played in any formation you liked and still been great. In fact, for their countries and other clubs, most of them did just that. A few years later, in 2002, Brazil won their fifth World Cup - what was their formation again? Looked very mich like 3-4-3 to me. So which one of Rivaldo, Ronaldo or Ronaldinho was a secret midfielder?

 

The whole interview merely served to show Branfoot's thinking and limitations in all their stubborn intransigence and inflexibility; reading it, I could only recall with sadness how Saints' reputation slid from being an attractive, attacking side to being a bunch of long-ball cloggers during his time in charge. If you consider that to be a good job under difficult circumstances then that's up to you - I certainly don't.

[dubsaint]

Branfoot?

 

He just proves that on so many occasions we had a chance to appoint a decent manager and we appointed pure sh1te.

and ask yourself who was responsible for all those poor decisions

[Gemmel]

Well said.I think he did a good job under difficult circumstances.

 

 

When are you starting the bring back Branfoot campaign?????

 

Utterly, utterly clueless

 

 

And yes to dismantle a cracking team that played real football, to turning them into relegation, hoof ball fodder, must have been very hard.

 

Difficult circumstances??????????????

 

Please resign from teaching the youngsters, what chance will they ever stand:smt048

[St Landrew]

I was getting myself in a holiday mood until I read the word "Branfoot" and it`s taken the edge off things! It brought back things from the dark recesses of my mind. I might need some councilling!

 

Your councilling is to have repeated viewings of Matt Le Tissier's two outrageously superb goals against Newcastle United, and to watch Branfoot tell Paul Moody to sit down until the smile gets back on your face.

 

Then you can go on holiday..!

[St Landrew]

I remember seeing a shortish interview with Branfoot a few years after he'd left Saints, in which he imparted two great pearls of wisdom: that Matt Le Tissier could never be considered as a great player; and that the only way to play football was 4-4-2.

 

On the subject of Le Tiss, he said that in order to be considered great you had to play for a big club and tackle back - neither of which applied to Matty. He cited Shearer as an example of a player who'd done these things, and also George Best - did he do much tackling back then? On the 4-4-2 formation being the only way to play, he cited the great AC Milan team of that time; this rather ignored the fact that said team was stuffed with great players, who could have played in any formation you liked and still been great. In fact, for their countries and other clubs, most of them did just that. A few years later, in 2002, Brazil won their fifth World Cup - what was their formation again? Looked very mich like 3-4-3 to me. So which one of Rivaldo, Ronaldo or Ronaldinho was a secret midfielder?

 

The whole interview merely served to show Branfoot's thinking and limitations in all their stubborn intransigence and inflexibility; reading it, I could only recall with sadness how Saints' reputation slid from being an attractive, attacking side to being a bunch of long-ball cloggers during his time in charge. If you consider that to be a good job under difficult circumstances then that's up to you - I certainly don't.

 

Completely blinkered British football thinking by Branfoot. MLT didn't come under the GB umbrella of a great football player. Yet in the same era, they all gasped at Brazilian players. And Pele himself said he would have MLT in an England national side. Because Matty broke the bloody stiff British mould, he couldn't be included. Yet Cruyff never tackled [what anyone would call a proper tackle], Best never properly tackled, Pele never tackled... need I go on..? Great players don't need to tackle. They get others to do that while they do what others can't - which is create, score goals and win games. Branfoot was a complete and utter pr!ck and I hope he now realises it.

[um pahars]

Well said.I think he did a good job under difficult circumstances.

 

Is there an avater for GGGGGGRRRRROOOOAAAAAANNNNNNNNN?

 

What next Dalek, "well at least Mussolini made the trains run on time" (sic), or, "well Hitler did at least bring on the idea of motorways" (sic)?

 

I don't hate Branfoot, he doesn't consume me, but I think it's going just a little bit too far in suggesting he did a good job (in whatever circumstances)!!!!!!!!!!

[Whitey Grandad]

I don't hate Branfoot, he doesn't consume me, but I think it's going just a little bit too far in suggesting he did a good job (in whatever circumstances)

I agree, I don't hate him but I do resent him for depriving us of le Tiss for a large part of the season. It was a privilege to watch him even when he had a bad game. The football was awful too. There were fans under the West Stand complaining that they never saw the ball because it was up in the air for 90 minutes.

[the stain]

Branfoot?

 

He just proves that on so many occasions we had a chance to appoint a decent manager and we appointed pure sh1te.

and ask yourself who was responsible for all those poor decisions

 

Several different people? God? Thatcher?

[dubai_phil]

I went to one game during the Branfoot era and it was like watching somebody else play on a pin-ball machine. After that went back and played Saturday afternoon football until he went and we started to play football again.

 

I understood his thinking - it worked for Wimbledon - just that it was the most short sighted and stupid thinking possible and showed a lack of understanding of what we stood for as a club post Ale-House Brawler days

[70's Mike]

The one good thing about Branfoot was that because of him "the spirit of southampton" really started , he and the board at the time gave the whole crowd a focal point they all agreed on

[Whitey Grandad]

The one good thing about Branfoot was that because of him "the spirit of southampton" really started ' date=' he and the board at the time gave the whole crowd a focal point they all agreed on[/quote']

Another good thing was that because of him the crowds dwindled and we were able to get two seasdon tickets in the East Stand Upper smack on the halfway line.

[mynameisthehulk]

Well said.I think he did a good job under difficult circumstances.

 

 

I'll ask you the same question I asked Dicko (and didnt get a response to), how many games did you see under Branfoot?

[Thedelldays]

I'll ask you the same question I asked Dicko (and didnt get a response to), how many games did you see under Branfoot?

jesus...if anyone remembered how many games they saw when branflake was in charge right now, i would eat my own arms....how many years ago was that???????

[mynameisthehulk]

jesus...if anyone remembered how many games they saw when branflake was in charge right now, i would eat my own arms....how many years ago was that???????

 

Rhetorical question to be honest, I dont want to know the exact number of games they saw TDD, I am in fact suggesting they saw none.

[benjii]

We used to rule Winchester College at hockey. They were gash. Stuffings galore.

[Deano6]

Is there an avater for GGGGGGRRRRROOOOAAAAAANNNNNNNNN?

 

What next Dalek, "well at least Mussolini made the trains run on time" (sic), or, "well Hitler did at least bring on the idea of motorways" (sic)?

 

 

I agree, these sentiments are sick.

[tpbury]

Your councilling is to have repeated viewings of Matt Le Tissier's two outrageously superb goals against Newcastle United, and to watch Branfoot tell Paul Moody to sit down until the smile gets back on your face.

 

Then you can go on holiday..!

 

Always good to drop some homonymic pedantry in.

 

I've said before that I watched most of my live football under Branfoot's team. I didn't know an awful lot about football, still don't. What I do know is that his was cack.

[mynameisthehulk]

Always good to drop some homonymic pedantry in.

 

I've said before that I watched most of my live football under Branfoot's team. I didn't know an awful lot about football, still don't. What I do know is that his was cack.

 

I saw most of my live football under Nicholl and Branfoot. I think most of us agreed at the time that Nicholl had taken us as far as he could, Branfoot however took us backwards. This is what has annoyed me about some of these "well at least he didnt get us relegated" replies. Its clear that these are from JCL types who didnt see the transformation from quality football with poor defensive tactics to the worst type of football, from the worst type of players. I notice that neither Dicko or Dalek2003 have replied to let me know they saw loads of games under Branfoot and that I dont know what I am talking about. He was the worst manager in Saints history, worse than Wigley, Burley and Harry roled into one. Those 3 might have been shocking in a number of respects but none of them turned us into dreadful hoofball merchants, none of them repeatedly refused to play one of the best players in the world because he wasnt a dreadful hoofball merchant. None of them gave Jimmy Case a free while he still had something to offer the team and brought in Terry Hurlock who never had any ability at all. None of them sold the most acomplished British striker in recent history and replaced them with Dixon and Speedie, with the arrogance to state Dixon would score more goals (he scored 2 for us, in total).

[gmc]

Didn't Branfoot sign Terry Hurlock? Nuff said, surely?

[Alucard]

Branfoot?

 

He just proves that on so many occasions we had a chance to appoint a decent manager and we appointed pure sh1te.

and ask yourself who was responsible for all those poor decisions

 

No I can't guess the answer. I give up who?

[NI76]

As the years go on, I think the reaction Branfoot still gets is pointless.

 

He never got us relegated

 

As has been said a few times on this thread, clearly a comment from someone who wasn't watching Saints whilst he was in charge. We would have been relegated had he not been sacked when he was.

 

One of the many things that sticks in my mind re Branfoot was an interview in a footy mag (might have been 4-4-2) when they asked 100 top flight managers around Europe who was the best free-kick taker they'd ever seen.

 

Most of the answers were Platini, Cruyff, Gazza etc and Branfoot's was.......Micky Adams! Just about sums him up.

 

The other thing I remember is Radio 5 interviewing Mick Channnon when Branfoot was sacked and the interviewer asking what he thought the reaction of the fans would be. The interviewer was expecting a diplomatic answer and Mick said something along the lines of "they'll be dancing in the streets of Southampton"! He was spot on in my case.