Luggy's book

Sir Francis Drake wrote:

I'm not so sure that Coughlan was found out by the CCC. I see it as being caught by Old Father Time. Much the same can be said for Friio.

The pair of them were experienced wise old heads, or at least heading that way, when they arrived. They were both at the height of their prowess when we were in Div 4 (or whatever it was called in those days). After that decline slowly but surely set in. For a couple of years it didn't matter because even slightly past their best they were still very good but time and tide wait for no man and all that.

Just ask Forest fans what they think of Friio as a player... The answer is probably unrepeatable but he was, and remains, one of our very best ever. OK so that probably says something about the relative expectations and histories of the two clubs but had Friio rocked up there 4 years earlier I'm sure they would now have a different view of his contribution.

In contrast Coughlan is revered at Sheffield Wednesday and pretty much everywhere else he played after leaving us - and I am not forgetting that those clubs were all playing at sub-CCC level.

In fact his departure from Argyle was a bit of an odd one. All sorts of rumours of him and Bobby Williamson not rubbing along nicely but then again given that one was an Irish catholic and the other a Rangerman that was always going to be a tricky relationship.

While I am on the subject I remember Coughlan's debut match. We were playing Shrewsbury for whom Mick Heathcote had signed in the closed season. Sure enough they had a coming together leading to an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation. Coughlan didn't take a backward step and it was Heathcote who moved away. "He'll do" I thought. And he did. With knobs on.

please tell me your not silly enough to believe that are you?

It was three shrews players not just heathcote he was toe to toe with.
Just the player we needed.

There are some players that just can't manage the next step up in level. Kevin Hodges was another. A world beater out wide in the lower league, but just couldn't cut it the same after promotion. Hardly went past a player once in the higher division. And I seem to recollect the same applied to Cocko in the championship, just found a bit wanting, straining to keep up.
I also remember Williamson having a spat with him, and that may well have affected him somewhat I guess. Nothing like a new manager to upset someone's form on the pitch. Some managers just don't get certain players. It seems almost arbitrary, and probably chemical. No different than a lot of workplaces where poor new line managers/supervisors fall out with established staff.  
Sturrock 2 seemed to return with a chip on his shoulder, and totally and unnecessarily decimated our whole midfield, if not the entire team, regardless of those that wanted to move on in any event. A touch arrogant, and most disappointing. Bad, bad management, and not a small input into the financial woes. How many millions from the player sales were wasted by him within 12 months.
Just as some players can't make the next grade up, the same applies to managers. Sturrock plainly couldn't handle good championship/premier players as witnessed at Southampton. A lower league my way or the highway corporal. Which was surprising, given the flambouyant type of player he was. Not a patch on Holloway or Warnock who both can certainly handle the championship better than most. But then up into the premiership, and they themselves suffered a little, whereas Pulis seemed to thrive there. Horses for courses.

Given that Sturrock inherited a team full of good players, how many of Holloway's players was Sturrock playing 12 months after he came back? 6 months even.

I've got as far as him joining Sheffield Wednesday. We've had 20 forgettable pages on Argyle, a bit of intrigue about the early days aside where he was wondering what sort of club he'd tipped up at and thinking of resigning when Dan left but no real insight into his methods or struggle whatsoever.

The Southampton era is a rewrite of histopry, it was apparently all Rupert Lowes fault and he wasn't sacked. Apparently he left of his own volition because he couldn't work with Lowe but he definately wasn't sacked OK? Very little mention of the fact that the players didn't respect him other than a mention that "some had the directors ear" and the egg stain incident was brushed over too. He wasn't out of his depth, he just decided the Premier League wasn't for him and he wasnt sacked.

I expect I'll find out why he found he could work with Keith Todd and not Rupert Lowe as I read on. Or maybe not

Hugh Watt wrote:

I've got as far as him joining Sheffield Wednesday. We've had 20 forgettable pages on Argyle, a bit of intrigue about the early days aside where he was wondering what sort of club he'd tipped up at and thinking of resigning when Dan left but no real insight into his methods or struggle whatsoever.

The Southampton era is a rewrite of histopry, it was apparently all Rupert Lowes fault and he wasn't sacked. Apparently he left of his own volition because he couldn't work with Lowe but he definately wasn't sacked OK? Very little mention of the fact that the players didn't respect him other than a mention that "some had the directors ear" and the egg stain incident was brushed over too. He wasn't out of his depth, he just decided the Premier League wasn't for him and he wasnt sacked.

I expect I'll find out why he found he could work with Keith Todd and not Rupert Lowe as I read on. Or maybe not

That lifelong Argyle fan Keith Todd

Hugh Watt wrote:

I've got as far as him joining Sheffield Wednesday. We've had 20 forgettable pages on Argyle, a bit of intrigue about the early days aside where he was wondering what sort of club he'd tipped up at and thinking of resigning when Dan left but no real insight into his methods or struggle whatsoever.

The Southampton era is a rewrite of histopry, it was apparently all Rupert Lowes fault and he wasn't sacked. Apparently he left of his own volition because he couldn't work with Lowe but he definately wasn't sacked OK? Very little mention of the fact that the players didn't respect him other than a mention that "some had the directors ear" and the egg stain incident was brushed over too. He wasn't out of his depth, he just decided the Premier League wasn't for him and he wasnt sacked.

I expect I'll find out why he found he could work with Keith Todd and not Rupert Lowe as I read on. Or maybe not

Luggy pissed of the coaching staff and the players due too his inability to manage/coach higher tier players in a higher league to the point they demanded he was removed even James Beatitie at the time was Southampton's top striker handed in an ultimatum . He was sacked that much is true.

The way I saw it, they obviously employed the wrong bloke and needed to get rid of him ASAP and in such a way not to make it look like Rupert Lowe dropped a massive clanger.

One things for sure, he was never linked with another job at that level, something he puts in part down to his illness. Despite him not actually going public with it until 2008

Hugh Watt wrote:

The way I saw it, they obviously employed the wrong bloke and needed to get rid of him ASAP and in such a way not to make it look like Rupert Lowe dropped a massive clanger.

One things for sure, he was never linked with another job at that level, something he puts in part down to his illness. Despite him not actually going public with it until 2008

Exactly so playing the disability card here is a non starter.

i just read the extract on the farm.

So poorly written, it really does read like a 16 year old on work experience at a tabloid newspaper. Even the facts are wrong.

How can Sturrock claim credit for 'Plymouth's highest ever finish' of 10th in the second tier, when a) it was Holloway's team, not his b) the team was 4th in the table when he was appointed, 10th by the end of the season, and eventually 24th once Sturrock's signings were across the pitch.

ejh wrote:

i just read the extract on the farm.

So poorly written, it really does read like a 16 year old on work experience at a tabloid newspaper. Even the facts are wrong.

How can Sturrock claim credit for 'Plymouth's highest ever finish' of 10th in the second tier, when a) it was Holloway's team, not his b) the team was 4th in the table when he was appointed, 10th by the end of the season, and eventually 24th once Sturrock's signings were across the pitch.

It wasn't Argyle's highest ever finish anyway, there were quite a few better ones in the past.

ejh wrote:

i just read the extract on the farm.

So poorly written, it really does read like a 16 year old on work experience at a tabloid newspaper. Even the facts are wrong.

How can Sturrock claim credit for 'Plymouth's highest ever finish' of 10th in the second tier, when a) it was Holloway's team, not his b) the team was 4th in the table when he was appointed, 10th by the end of the season, and eventually 24th once Sturrock's signings were across the pitch.

It's known as 'rewriting history'.

There's a lot of it about.

Anyone not put off by this thread and still thinks they fancy buying it would do well to read the free sample here.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

It really is terribly written and paints Luggy out as having a massive chip on his shoulder. I reckon he's about to retire and has knocked this out as a kind of valedictory statement.

hugh out of interest who where is 3 trusted sidekicks?

Angry wrote:

hugh out of interest who where is 3 trusted sidekicks?

Sloop, Summerfield, Coughlan.

BBC1 wrote:

Angry wrote:

hugh out of interest who where is 3 trusted sidekicks?

Sloop, Summerfield, Coughlan.

thought it was but the wat he has written that book it could have been anyone lol

Luggy's comments just show how all history is subjective, depending on who's drawing up a chair to relate it. It's been a frustration all my life. Now I sorta laugh at it and understand it for what it is. Further manipulation of the present by those with the inclination to do so. Almost innocent some would say, a bit like re-branding a product. Anybody waiting for a definitive book on the Argyle bollux of the last 10 years is going to wait a very long time.
No such thing as empirical unbiassed history. Apparently Jimmy Saville never existed, and the Indian sub continent lurved the Brits, and still do.

I don't understand how he failed to scout Steve McLean. Why would he need to when he played for him for two years?

Moving inoto parody now! He's just been sacked by Sheffield Wednesday. Apparently this was due to the directors wanting to reduce his budget but deliver a more open style of play. He then goes to report without comment that his last game was a 4-0 defeat to Colchester.

To be fair the Wednesday fans were furious that he'd gone. And the board at the time were seriously unpopular.

I've finished the book. He gets a job at Swindon, there's a few pages on that. Tips up back at Plymouth, finally he admits something as being his fault. He didn't scout Walton or MaClean, he should have told Stapleton about his Parkinsons which did affect his ability to manage at that time. The Seip stuff we know about and theres an amusing but brief story on Mpenza. Bizarrely the author allows Stapleton a few pages to contradict Sturrock over Seip and once again complain he was sidelined by Todd, nothing on why he didn't resign from the board if there was no point his being there.

There's a bit on Southend and i mean a bit and absolutely nothing on Yeovil.

Its probably the worst book I have read in recent times, totally devoid of insight. Its fleshed out every chapter by Nealesque "yes, boss" contributions from Summers, Sloop and Cocko. But otherwise its like listening to bitter bloke in a pub blaming everyone but himself for his failures. Which is a shame because I am sure there is more to the man than that.

He knew MacLean from his Sheffield Wednesday days so that scouting bit is bollocks if you ask me.

Angry wrote:

He knew MacLean from his Sheffield Wednesday days so that scouting bit is bollocks if you ask me.

He did well for him at Wednesday, but his form went into free fall at Cardiff. They couldn't believe we were prepared to pay £500,000 for him and also pay him £8,000 a week

I remember Maclean taking a lump out of the dug out in one game when he was subbed. We gave him a load of grief over that, a right bad tempered little twerp. He just couldn't accept how poor he was. Happy days. I remember Sturrock always being a manager to take a flyer on someone with an injury, or supposedly past their best. None of those flyers worked second time round. I couldn't believe how bad his judgement was.

As to those ludicrous wages, I have often wondered with so much money involved, how many managers employ mates on astronomical wages, then receive a private backhander from said individual later on. It's so open to abuse. Even easier with agents in the middle. Victimless crime, fill yer boots.
That sort of scam was one of the many celebrated ways of beating the capital embargo in South Africa in the last days of apartheid. A film industry suddenly appeared from nowhere for rich people wanting to get out with their money intact would set up a film company to make a blockbuster that ended up a Brent budget Shepperton flea pit filler, get in crap actors for a zillion a minute, out of the country would go the capital, to be collected by the rich producer later in America or wherever, who would then give the failing actor a small fee, and keep the zillions.

I can remember watching Maclean in a friendly with my brother in law, who knows next to nothing about football.

Maclean scored a routine corner/header but otherwise looked as ordinary as any semi professional footballer playing for £50 if they get man of the match, and a few pints courtesy of the club in the clubhouse after the match. It was a slow paced affair which I suppose didn't help make much of an impression on the neutral observer.

My brother in law was absolutely flabbergasted when I told him that player was rumoured to be on £6,000 a week. I didn't realise it was £8,000. So stunned he sat there in silence while he took that in.