Here we go, Smith, Sturrock, Williamson or Adams

[Aaron D.]

Smith was a very good manager, as well as being fantastic character. An Argyle legend.

I've put Sturrock as No 1 because I think the man is a bit of a football genius.

But you could make an equal case for Dave Smith- his achievements were at a higher level and he nearly took Argyle into the top flight. He signed some classic players.

Adams is doing well so far- but he can't yet rank above Sturrock and Smith.

My thoughts too.

Me too.

After a decade in the doldrums (fa cup semi excluded), he made some fantastic signings and transformed the team in the 85-6 season. After Argyle's infamous 4-3 defeat at Reading in December, we dropped from 2nd to 10th by February. He re-signed Tynan and we climbed the keague again playing some great football to finish 2nd behind Reading. The next season we were so close to the promised land. I think we were in third place at Easter afrer winning at pompey before we fell away to just miss out on the play offs.. (Thats all from memory!, hope it serves me right).

My two favourite seasons and the reason he's above Sturrock mk1 and Adams for me. However, if DA gets us promoted and consolidates in the Championship I might reconsider......

 

[buck197]

I can’t put Williamson on a list with Dave Smith And Paul Sturrock as they were both awesome managers of Argyle where Williamson inherited a team and let it fall apart imho. DA is still a work in progress.

 

[Kentishgreen]

I’m not quite sure how DA cannot be ranked and is a work in progress when according to an earlier post quoting stats from GOS DA has been manager for 129 games and Sturrock for 157. I know there is a way to go but it’s not exactly a million miles away either!

 

[lunarjetman]

Its hard to separate Dave Smith and Paul Sturrock.

What made Dave Smith so popular was that his teams played exciting football. He used to say "the best way to defend is to attack" which is something you don't hear too often these days. There was a real vibe around Home Park in those days.

Paul Sturrock was a really clever manager who knew how to organise his teams and get them highly motivated. If you hear him speak, you realise that his knowledge of football is incredible. A very highly respected character.

Both of these managers made great signings for the club on modest budgets. And both were successful at multiple clubs.

They are the best in my time supporting Argyle.

 

[Misco]

I'm rewriting history a little with this, but Sturrock basically won two division titles in 3 years.

Sturrock tied Williamson up for a 1ft putt on a par 5 for birdie. I can't give Williamson credit for that championship win.

So, for me Sturrock is a double championship winner. So by default he hits first place.

1. Sturrock
2. Smith
3. Adams (and would need to be in the mix for a division title next season to usurp Smith, but will still not match Sturrock)
4. Williamson.

 

[rsp4]

Sturrock mk1
Adams
Smith
Bobby.

If Adams gets us into the championship then he would move ahead of Sturrock mk1. Sturrocks team when we went into the championship was superb but DA could emulate that and I didnt think I would be saying that back in October

 

[willgreen78]

Smith was a very good manager, as well as being fantastic character. An Argyle legend.

I've put Sturrock as No 1 because I think the man is a bit of a football genius.

But you could make an equal case for Dave Smith- his achievements were at a higher level and he nearly took Argyle into the top flight. He signed some classic players.

Adams is doing well so far- but he can't yet rank above Sturrock and Smith.

My thoughts too.

Me too.

After a decade in the doldrums (fa cup semi excluded), he made some fantastic signings and transformed the team in the 85-6 season. After Argyle's infamous 4-3 defeat at Reading in December, we dropped from 2nd to 10th by February. He re-signed Tynan and we climbed the keague again playing some great football to finish 2nd behind Reading. The next season we were so close to the promised land. I think we were in third place at Easter afrer winning at pompey before we fell away to just miss out on the play offs.. (Thats all from memory!, hope it serves me right).

My two favourite seasons and the reason he's above Sturrock mk1 and Adams for me. However, if DA gets us promoted and consolidates in the Championship I might reconsider......

Same here. That squad he put together just slipped so easily to life in division 2. Still remember the first two away games that season where we looked really impressive. Bradford (2-2) and Hull (3-0). You just knew it was going to be a special season. It was only a poor run in the last two months that meant we missed out. The rest of the season were right up there.

What was more impressive was it was practically the same team. I think only a couple of players came in that summer.

 

[Clarke B]

Williamson definitely. Won the title in his first match !

 

[Mike E]

Can't understand why Williamson is on the list at all. All he did was inherit a promotion winning team and almost take it back down.
Why is there no mention of Waiters or Warnock.

 

[Kentishgreen]

I think the OP cited four recent SCOTTISH managers not who are your favourite recent managers.

 

[Mike E]

Ok delete Warnock, Waiters was Scottish.

 

[jespafc]

Bit difficult having seen all four. Obviously Sturrock has to be no 1 having been one of our most successful managers ever. Also had the pleasure of meeting him on holiday recently.
Williamson is obviously 4th being one of our most inept managers ever.

I think Williamson takes unfair stick, he kept us up with one of the smallest budgets in the division in our first season in the Championship and he made some decent signings . He was actually a better manager than Luggy at that level imo. Luggy has a lot to answer for in making some terrible expensive signings when he came back for his second spell that contributed to our downward spiral.

Agree about Williamson. He receives way too much undue criticism in my view. It was a very difficult time to manage Argyle given the legacy he had to follow and in his first season he did a good job. To call him one of the most inept managers ever is off the mark and suggests a lack of appreciation for the task in hand.

 

[Kentishgreen]

I was there in the Williamson era. Don’t forget he signed Taribo West and I’ll never forget his comments after he was forced to play Capaldi after he’d dropped him ie “ if I knew he could play like that I would have picked him before” That’s some of the reasons I think he was inept and I certainly wouldn’t put him ahead of any of the other three.

 

[esmer]

I think people's view of Williamson depends on your opinion of the quality of the players he inherited and whether enough of them were up to Championship standard. My view is that he had serious rebuilding to do for our promotion team was very much greater than the sum of it's parts and overall I think Williamson did a decent job and never deserved to be sacked, although there was a rumour going round that he was sacked for non-football reasons.

 

[Ted]

Williamson can feel hard done by.

He kept us up, and granted the second season was awful, HOWEVER; as we know, people at the club were against him and the rumours about him (unfounded) sealed his fate. It was a witch hunt in the end.

I will never forget us replacing Cocko with West. Must be one of footballs greatest backfires. On paper it was a terrific signing, on the pitch it was embarrassing.