Mark McGhee

[RJs Tankard]

I've been reading a few interviews, and I don't think I've ever seen so many players publicly state that they didn't like, or see eye-to-eye, with a manager.

Don Goodman stated that he didn't see eye-to-eye with him, and claims McGhee didn't even speak to him for 6 weeks.

Dougie Freedman has made it very clear that he couldn't stand McGhee whilst he was at the club and it made him hate his time with us.

Kevin Muscat had a fall out with him.

Even the mild-mannered, very calm, Andy Thompson has said that they had several arguments and they didn't get on.

There's a couple of other players too, but I can't remember who they are at the moment.

Does anyone know why he was disliked by the players so much? Was there any incident between the squad and manager that I've forgotten about - or was it just a case of him being a stubborn, miserable git that was difficult to work with?

 

[singwolf_1]

McGhee walked away from Reading and then Leicester. He should not have been let anywhere near our club.

How the club could have appointed someone as flawed as him still boggles the mind!

 

[Adrian_Monk]

He kept coming out in the press slagging other teams off and they rose their game against us.

 

[Jonzy54]

These days the players tend to report directly to Compton for training.During the time of McGhee they reported to Molineux and went there by mini buses.I can't remember which player it was but he ordered everyone back on the mini buses and left the player behind after a row.The said player had to walk back to the ground.I wish I could remember who it was.

 

[Alex Rae The Substitute]

Didn't we poach him from Leicester City only for them to go and get O'Neill and subsequently spend nearly a decade in the Prem and go on to win the League Cup?

Oh how it could have been had we seen the potential in O'Neil at the time!

I've always thought had we gone up between 1993-1997 we'd have had enough financial clowt back then to secure ourselves in the Prem with SJH's millions. That was before the real gulf in finances started to develop between the Prem and the football league.

 

[Vietnam Wolf]

McGhee walked away from Reading and then Leicester. He should not have been let anywhere near our club.

How the club could have appointed someone as flawed as him still boggles the mind!

I remember some daft comments that he had a 'special' relationship with old red nose Ferguson. All I can remember was Fergie offloading his useless son on us - who used to make my blood boil every time I watched him. The only saving grace that he wasn't quite as bad as Corica.

He was also a stubborn, miserable git [as RJT says so eloquently] plus a shallow, disloyal, "succeed whoever you stab-in-the-back" ********.

PS - apart from all that I'm sure he was a very nice man

 

[Lou Pine]

I remember some daft comments that he had a 'special' relationship with old red nose Ferguson. All I can remember was Fergie offloading his useless son on us - who used to make my blood boil every time I watched him. The only saving grace that he wasn't quite as bad as Corica.

I remember the comments also, although I thought Ferguson was signed by Taylor?

 

[bridgnorthwolf]

I saw Andy Thompson in a café not long after he left us and was playing for Tranmere and he said he just couldn't get on with McGhee at all and that's why he left.

 

[bridgnorthwolf]

I remember the comments also, although I thought Ferguson was signed by Taylor?

Turner signed Darren Ferguson.

 

[Lou Pine]

Turner signed Darren Ferguson.

Good point! It must have been one of his later signings, around 94?

 

[WalsallWolf]

I actually had high hopes when he took over. I think everyone did, those hopes soon vanished.

 

[bridgnorthwolf]

Good point! It must have been one of his later signings, around 94?

Yeah, January iirc

 

[Lou Pine]

Darren Feguson, Turner's "death rattle".

 

[Wagstaffe Was Magic]

Turner signed Darren Ferguson.

He also signed Chris Marsden at the same time . . 2 left footed midfielders! Could never understand the need to sign the 2!!!

Am I right in thinking that Cookey was still with us at that time another left footer and Geoff Thomas also, similarly a lefty?

I seem to remember a match, was it the FA Cup quarter final in 94 where 3 of the midfield 4 were left footers, looked totally lopsided!

Bizarre.

 

[oldgold4ever]

Yeah, January iirc

Yes we had a double header at home to Palace in the cup and then the league. Turner signed Furgeson & Marsden in the week between the games

As for Mark McGhee, they should have put the goalposts on the halfway line. The ball was endlessly passes across the halfway line, enough to bore anyone to sleep. A couple of great day memories under his management were the 4-2 win at the Hawthorns - our last victory there, followed by the 2-0 success at home & Deano's thumping header.

For everything good McHee did there was always a more notable negative. Remembering the success at the Hawthorns is tempered with his semi-final team selection against Arsenal when he dropped Bull & Keane in favour of the useless Clarrige

 

[Vietnam Wolf]

Darren Feguson, Turner's "death rattle".

Yep - sorry my memory playing tricks

 

[loopy lupine]

When he came, McGhee was touted in the media as "the new Fergie" - and he was they type of manager we needed at the time, young, enthusiastic with some limited success at smaller clubs and was replacing someone who who was deemed to play archaic football with out of date ideas (sound familiar?). It's easy to say with hindsight that we shouldn't have appointed him, however at the time, it was seen as a master coup in getting him (again, the similarity is quite striking!)

His biggest fault in my view (he had a few!) was his constant need to wind the opposition up, making team talks for opponents easy - just pin these comments up in the dressing room gives the opposition all the motivation it needed and would never give any respect to any opposition.

His transfer dealings where bizzare too. Steve Corica, he labelled as a superstar, Zelko Kalac, signed, paid for, but couldn't get a work permit, his mad scramble on deadline day to sign any player who wasn't cup tied (although this may have been SJH's input more than MM) so they could play in the FA Cup semi final.

His team selections were sometimes baffling, no more so than the semi final against Arsenal - the second biggest disappointment in my Wolves watching days (see bolton away for biggest!) - to leave Bully and Robbie Keane on the bench in favour of Claridge and Robbie Slater was criminal enough, but to not bring them on in time to make a difference to the game when it was clear that Arsenal where there for the taking was almost insane!

I had high hopes for Mark McGhee when appointed, but was let down by him more than any other Wolves manager in my time (yes, more than Hoddle!).

 

[long ball man]

Mark McGhee was appointed as Wolves manager in succession to someone viewed as being a nice bloke and labelled as favouring a more 'direct' style of play.

Sound familiar?

 

[saturday boy]

He also signed Chris Marsden at the same time . . 2 left footed midfielders! Could never understand the need to sign the 2!!!

Am I right in thinking that Cookey was still with us at that time another left footer and Geoff Thomas also, similarly a lefty?

I seem to remember a match, was it the FA Cup quarter final in 94 where 3 of the midfield 4 were left footers, looked totally lopsided!

Bizarre.

Would we be lopsided with two right footers? I think your being leftist.

 

[Surrey Wolf]

he signed zelko kalac the keeper from reading that never got a work permit to play for us & we had to pay a load of compensation for tapping him up

 

[The Professional]

He nearly got up the first season in charge- so close until Barnsley became world-beaters at the end (typical!!!!) of that season. Still can't believe to this day we didn't go up that season.

Then SJH made the Golden Tit statement, and that to all intents and purposes, was the end of McGhee.

 

[Deleted member 3751]

He also signed Chris Marsden at the same time . . 2 left footed midfielders! Could never understand the need to sign the 2!!!

Am I right in thinking that Cookey was still with us at that time another left footer and Geoff Thomas also, similarly a lefty?

I seem to remember a match, was it the FA Cup quarter final in 94 where 3 of the midfield 4 were left footers, looked totally lopsided!

Bizarre.

Nothing wrong or bizarre about having three left footed players in a midfield four - just the same as if we had three right footed players in a midfield four.

McGhee promised much and failed to deliver big time. His arrogance didn't help one bit and he lost the support of some very good players. Freedman and Goodman spring to mind. Seem to remember Goodman scoring twice in a (I think) 3-1 win over Reading towards the end of the season and everyone in the ground knew he was going to be on his way because the manager didn't like him.

 

[Big Mack]

He nearly got up the first season in charge- so close until Barnsley became world-beaters at the end (typical!!!!) of that season. Still can't believe to this day we didn't go up that season.

I put that down to McGhee spurring them on by making comments along the lines of "The Premier League would love Barnsley to go up as they'll see that as a guarenteed six points." Like others have said, he used to wind up our opponents every week.

The nail in his coffin for me was when he flicked the v's at the away suupport at Charlton when his subbing of Goodman was met with boos. (The same game he took so many players to that Bully, Keane and a few others had to come and sit in the away end!!)

 

[Mugwump]

He used to wind teams up by simply telling the truth. Problem is, it used to wind up the opposition. I remember him coming out and saying Birmingham were very average when Barry Fry was manager. He was right, but it never helped us.

 

[singwolf_1]

I actually had high hopes when he took over. I think everyone did, those hopes soon vanished.

There have been 3 managers I have never wanted at wolves right from when the rumours first surfaced.

The first was McGhee - my issue with him was that he had walked away from Reading AND Leicester after pledging his future to each of them in turn. I saw this as a major character flaw. There were many on the Wolves List calling for O'Neill and Warnock. I wanted the Robson/Hibbitt dream team. Once appointed, I did want him to succeed. The FA Cup semi was the final straw - Arsenal was ripe for the taking! I still remember screaming obscenities at the TV.

The second was Hoddle. I just didnt think he was right for Wolves. No other reason.

The third was Mick. I was wrong about him.

 

[singwolf_1]

I remember some daft comments that he had a 'special' relationship with old red nose Ferguson. All I can remember was Fergie offloading his useless son on us - who used to make my blood boil every time I watched him. The only saving grace that he wasn't quite as bad as Corica.

He was also a stubborn, miserable git [as RJT says so eloquently] plus a shallow, disloyal, "succeed whoever you stab-in-the-back" ********.

PS - apart from all that I'm sure he was a very nice man

He was a miserable git wasn't he? And he had a knack for winding up the opposition!

 

[Saltyjim]

McGhee's major plus point when he first got the job was that he wasn't Graham Taylor. After enduring some horrible football under Taylor culminating in a dreadful scoreless draw against 10 men Charlton it was initially refreshing to watch us pass the ball.
Unfortunately at home we found it very difficult to break down teams, but the following season our stellar away form looked like it was going to gain us promotion until a nightmare run of 5 away games around Easter which only gained us 1 point. Coupled with Barnsley's late rune it meant we missed out.
As others have mentioned McGhee had a gift for putting his foot in his mouth and doing the oppo's teamtalk for them. The following season our league form was crap and he probably only saw the season out because of our Cup run. He should have been sacked the second he handed in the team sheet at Villa.

 

[Adrian_Monk]

He didn't just say teams were average, he said they were a poor team and we should be rolling them over. Arrogant $$$$$.

 

[Mugwump]

He didn't just say teams were average, he said they were a poor team and we should be rolling them over. Arrogant $$$$$.

He was right though

 

[Dewsburywolf]

He didn't just say teams were average, he said they were a poor team and we should be rolling them over. Arrogant $$$$$.

He was right though

In that we should've done but by stating it he just fired up every opposition team to do exactly the opposite

 

[we8wba]

yes he never got the wins when it mattered but bit harsh to moan at mcghee for being bad manager

we could quite easily got past palace in that 2nd leg before they scored and changed entire tie all ifs and buts .... but who knows what could happened had we managed pull round that tie

mcghee failed in the end his sole aim was promotion but he was no worse than others around that period for me!

 

[Dr Wolfenstein]

Yes we had a double header at home to Palace in the cup and then the league. Turner signed Furgeson & Marsden in the week between the games

And they totally bossed the midfield on their debut.

 

[Ponty]

He used to wind teams up by simply telling the truth. Problem is, it used to wind up the opposition. I remember him coming out and saying Birmingham were very average when Barry Fry was manager. He was right, but it never helped us.

He went on to add something along the lines of "I'd expect to beat them 9 times out of 10". Guess which one of the 10 the result was?!

He was the managerial equivalent of Adam Proudlock - a promising start leading to massive over-confidence and arrogance with increasingly little to back it up. $$$$$$!

 

[oldgold4ever]

And they totally bossed the midfield on their debut.

Certainly agree in the case of Marsden. He was class. Just a shame he upset sir Jack

 

[albell]

I've become unimpressed with a number of our managers over the years due to performances and results but McGhee is the only manager in my time that I have genuinely disliked.

I've never felt that way before but towards the end I would have actually wanted us to lose a game if it meant he got the boot.

 

[loopy lupine]

Certainly agree in the case of Marsden. He was class. Just a shame he upset sir Jack

That's a very selective memory you have there... Marsden was a talent, undoubtedly, one of the most talented I've seen in a Wolves shirt, however he wasn't fit to pull the jersey on after his "shenanigans" and was rightly booted out of the club at the earliest opportunity.

 

[Deleted member 4152]

He nearly got up the first season in charge- so close until Barnsley became world-beaters at the end (typical!!!!) of that season. Still can't believe to this day we didn't go up that season.

Then SJH made the Golden Tit statement, and that to all intents and purposes, was the end of McGhee.

He was asked in a press conference who did he think Sky would prefer in the perm, Barnsley or Wolves? Instead of giving the correct answer, which would of been 'I have no idea, why don't you ask Sky?' he stated 'ohhh Wolves absolutely, bigger club fanbase etc.' This enraged the barnsley team so much they pinned it o the dressing room door and went on an unbeaten run.

Mghee was/is a horrible man and he makes m blood boil!

 

[vega recollection]

mcgee was just part of the 1990's problem at wolves.we had an unproffesional setup which brought several players of dubious talent or integrity to the cluub,for me the general malaisewas demonstrated over the sale of robbie keane,in2000(?).

 

[bridgnorthwolf]

he signed zelko kalac the keeper from reading that never got a work permit to play for us & we had to pay a load of compensation for tapping him up

Kalac was from Leicester, signed together with Corica.

Went on to play in the Champions Leagur for AC Milan, despite having a reputation for being absolutely useless.

 

[Apocalypse Now]

I actually used to like the way he said "Birmingham are a very ordinary team".