I appreciate that this isn’t a popular or easy topic to write upon, and because of his unfortunate health issues, whilst in charge of us, it could be deemed controversial, but I feel it is time for me to share my opinions of Glenn Roeder.
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I recently wrote about Harry Redknapp, and didn’t find much good to say about him in a somewhat scathing attack on one of the characters of the game. Looking back I realise I didn’t really mention how much I feel it is important for us to have a character or two in the game. Paolo di Canio and Jose Mourinho both have a fiery continental temperament that brings an eager camera crew to the dugout. Ian Holloway always has a ready quip that journalists have their pencils poised for. Glenn Roeder……… Well he just didn’t have anything going for him.
The year was 2001, and after the unexpected dismissal of Harry Redknapp, West Ham were looking for a manager. Plenty of names were bounded around, but deciding to appoint from within the club, West Ham gave the job to Glenn Roeder. Roeder’s managerial pedigree wasn’t great. In his two previous managerial roles, he left Watford with them bottom of the division, and in his earlier position as boss of Gillingham, lost 22 out of 35 competitive games. Unsurprisingly, his appointment as West Ham manager raised many supporters’ eyebrows, but very few hopes.
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Now, many, if not most, West Ham fans are always happy to give a new manager a chance to prove themselves; the fact that Roeder’s credentials weren’t exciting, didn’t start him off on a good foot. Proving himself would be a big ask but with financial backing helping him make the shrewd signings of David James, Don Hutchison and Tomas Repka, plus players such as di Canio, Defoe, Carrick, Joe Cole, Schemmel and Kanoute amongst others in the squad there was no reason to think, even without the recently departed Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard jr, that the future should be anything less than secure.
The first season under Roeder saw us finish seventh, a fact that all West Ham fans saw as an over-achievement when the start of the season and the performances throughout were called into question. The next season we weren’t so lucky, and when the players we had at our disposal are considered, Roeder’s time at West Ham can only be considered to be a disaster. Now, I know he went through a dreadful health ordeal whilst at the club, and I would wish that on nobody, but ultimately that didn’t come into the relegation dogfight that we were part of.
However, as much as the pang of relegation is anguishing, it’s not for that I hold a grudge against Roeder. The reason is I feel he is disrespectful, and on occasions made the club a laughing stock.
First example: Whilst embroiled in a scrap at the wrong end of the table, Roeder allowed his personal feelings towards one of our most influential players to scupper our survival chances. After a public disagreement with Paolo di Canio, Roeder decided that no man was bigger than the club and that Paolo was to be dropped for the rest of the season. Admittedly, Paolo is a hero of mine, but if Roeder could have shown some of the passion our Italian maverick was showing, instead of dropping him as a personal grudge, maybe, just maybe, we would have stayed up. If, as I stated, no man is bigger than the club, then what is best for West Ham should have come first. Internal action should have been taken, but not to the detriment of the side. Something Trevor Brooking discovered in his brief sojourn.
Second example: After the disaster that was relegation, West Ham were hosted by Rotherham United in a league game on 24th August 2003. This proved to be Roeder’s last game in charge of West Ham. As if a 1-0 defeat and abysmal performance wasn’t bad enough, Roeder made the decision that Rotherham’s changing rooms and facilities weren’t good enough, therefore making the team get changed at the hotel. Veteran, close-season signing Rob Lee admitted his dismay at such a preference and with Rotherham boss Ronnie Moore admitting that it had been a prominent part of his team talk, Roeder was out of a job, embarrassed and tail between legs.
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Final example: 14th September 2006. After taking over from Graeme Souness, our former boss Roeder had been recently appointed as new Newcastle manager. Under Pardew, West Ham were in a slight dip and welcoming Newcastle to Upton Park. At full-time West Ham had lost 2-0, Tevez had hit the bar and the fans were not happy. The main focus of the anger, once again, was Roeder. Though nobody can bemoan a manager a victory, it was a bit much for Roeder to deliberately come out and wave to the fans. At first Roeder, blamed the West Ham fans for barracking him about his illness. If that is the case then those West Ham fans should be disgusted. However, he soon went back on those comments, saying it was the travelling Geordie fans who were the recipients of the wave.
So these are my opinions. As I’ve pointed out previously, this has nothing to do with his illness and I hope and pray he does make, or has made a full recovery. But with a personality that failed to inspire confidence from day one, I feel Roeder was always going to fail. Unfortunately, with his strange and disrespectful decisions not helping, he only became his worst enemy and the catalyst for his own downfall.
Or am I just harsh?
Peace out
Smudgy
@TheRobTTaylor32
Nope … not harsh at all. Health issues notwithstand, the guy was a douche and completely overmatched. I don’t wish ill will on him … I just wish I had never heard of him.
He was hapless, hopeless & clueless & those were just his good points.
The worst manager ever to manage top flight English football club.
Roeder was west ham thru and thru, check all the facts he WAS let down by the club and the fans. Through reading a few of your other posts i assume your of a similar age to me Ive had seasons with the old man since I was 5 and grew up watching idolising and loving di canio and I agree Paulo should never of been dropped BUT the guy had an f’in brain tumour. The clue is in the name it affects your judgement and clouds your thinking. We’re lucky he didn’t stick David James up front and repka in goal.. Even after the bloke took loads of stick got us relegated and we’d lost half our squad he still said he had ‘unfinished business’ and would give it another go to take us up. Yes he turned out to be a crap manager and yes he should never of got given the job but being a fan would you take it if offered, would you fight back from a tumour and put your health at risk to get us promoted? Yes coz your west ham like me and like roeder. Would avram Sam or Harry of know they’d stick around until they got given the tictac and a payoff. Anything done after the season we finished 7th and before the season we were in the champ should be forgiven he was ill and not a great in experienced manager. Which isn’t a winning combination.
I wouldn’t wish an illness like that on anyone and I admire his courage, fight and tenacity. However, he was equally as bad when managing Newcastle after he returned from illness which suggests his poor judgement, awful communication skills and total lack of charisma had nothing to do with the tumor. I appreciate what you say about wanting to put things right & get us back up but he still refused to accept or acknowledge his own obvious limitations as was evidenced by the mess he made of the Newcastle job.
Who cares about Newcastle your missing the point ray. I’ve put in my initial comment he was a crap manager with little experience. But what I’m saying is he was diagnosed with a full blown brain tumour in April meaning it would of been there developing for the majority of the season. It’s unfair to judge that season or his management skills in it. I like his bravery honesty and commitment to west ham and almost 10 years after his stint as manager we’re putting out poles slagging him off there is no need. This is a bloke that loves west ham and wanted to do a good job for us so what he wasn’t capable lets all get over it. I have more respect for his love of west ham and his will / want to do well for us than I have dislike / hatred toward him for taking us down with a comfortable top 10 side.
Rossi, maybe we’re talking at cross purposes and both misunderstanding the other a little. Unlike Roeder, I know I’m not the greatest communicator! 😉 I acknowledge all that you say about his commitment, love of the club and desire to put everything right but I can’t accept that it all went wrong solely because of his illness. That’s why I make the Newcastle connection. He was equally as bad there after he had recovered from the illness.
You’re right though, it’s probably time to wish him well and move on.
I think he was actually worse than Avram Grant. The squad that he took down should have finished in the European places and was one of the strongest in recent years. To get relegated was truly shocking. Our relegations since then have been with much weaker squads and I’ve not been anywhere near as disappointed as I was that season. If his health was the cause of this then the Board should have taken action earlier. Unfortunately they chose the cheapest possible option after showing the door to Redknapp. The result was fairly predictable.
I think most boards would go for the cheapest option after someone like harry
This man was a disaster.
I spoke to Harry after he left, harry said he had basically been putting the cones out at chadwell heath, 1 month later he’s manager.
This summed up Brown at the time, cheap option that we have never recovered from.
If you see the squad he took down, forget di canio even without him we had half the england team playing,plus half the england u21’s.
He was clueless, not just for us, he took Watford to the brink after us.
Remember the forward line, Defoe,Kanoute,Les Ferdinand (singned in Jan) Sinclair.
Midfield -Moncs,Cole,Carrick,Lomas plus others.
Gaolkeeper -James (egland keep).
You could keep going.
That relegation cost us millions in transfers.
Defoe a couple of million, Carrick a couple. Spurs sold Carrick for £20m 11/2 years later and gave them the launchpad to get better, defoe still banging them in usually against us!
I could rant for hours about how he put us back 20 years, wasted the best squad we probably ever had. What ever you say about Harry he would have kept us up in his sleep!
His illness can happen to anyone at any time,no one wishes bad on someone.
But it came to one person. Terry Brown looking to do things on the cheap, the biggest mistake the club has made in my 35 years as a season ticket.
apart from that he was great !!!
Unfortunately the fact the man was very,very ill has allowed all of our judgements in the matter to be clouded.
The facts are that he was totally out of his depth and should never have been anywhere near the managers office in a million years!
The club are to blame for hiring him in the first place and then dithering when the clubs health plummeted as quickly as the managers. It would have been better and kinder if there had been an early, quick dismissal.
All thoughts about illness aside he was guilty of taking one of the most talented West Ham squads into relegation and almost oblivion and for that he should never be forgiven. An honest toiler but despite ll his efforts still managed to be a worse manger than grant! Think that says it all!
When you think about it we have had some right disasters of people running the how over the years! Where do you begin?
My dream team of west ham management is…. Harry and the egg in charge of finance! Brown in charge of pr and supporters man management! Duxbury transfers and Amin! And finally grant and Roeder in charge of first team affairs and tactics! Truely a dream team!