Dave L Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I phoned Benny Lennartson last night to ask him if he'd write an appreciation for Brian Tinnion's souvenir testimonial brochure, which he was very happy to do. Then I couldn't get him off the phone! Really nice guy with a wicked sense of humour. He still follows City closely and is rooting for us to go up this year. He's currently helping coach the Swedish national team in preparation for Euro 2004, but has fond memories of his time in Bristol and sends his best wishes to City fans. Just thought I'd pass that on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WillsbridgeRed Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Cheers for that, I really wish he'd come back so we could actually say good bye! He was never given a proper chance I would love to see him back at City, even just to come on at half time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CiderEagle Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I often wonder what went wrong with Benny at City. If you look at his career before and afterwards, he has worked wonders with limited resources, and you can see the reasoning behind his appointment. I know that season was horrible (Wolves, West Brom and Watford at home all stick in my mind) but am I imagining it or did we put a few past a Bolton team that was on their way up at one point ? And on the telly too? Anyway. back to Benny, I was well pleased when his Viking Stavanger team put Chelsea out of Europe, and made sure all the Chelsea t0ssers at work knew it too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thornbury Red Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 He was a victim of circumstance - Ward walked out on us in a fit of pique - the players sulked for a couple of weeks by which time more games had passed us by and more points were lost. He had bad luck with injurys and refereeing decisions and basically never had a chance to show his worth. Shame really but his departure set us back as he was blooding the youngsters just like Danny is now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lita For Congo Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 If Benny would of Stayed, we would be established in Divison 1. Garentueed. He had the ideas, and the brain power to do it, he needed time to adjust yet was sacked. Ah well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NailseaRed Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 He was a victim of circumstance - Ward walked out on us in a fit of pique - the players sulked for a couple of weeks by which time more games had passed us by and more points were lost. He had bad luck with injurys and refereeing decisions and basically never had a chance to show his worth. Shame really but his departure set us back as he was blooding the youngsters just like Danny is now. Did Ward walk out or was he sacked? Was never too sure about that. That was the worst time for us to change managers. Maybe if Ward had gone at the end of the season and Benny had come in then then who knows what he might of done with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thornbury Red Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 As i understand it Benny was bought in as Director Of Football - Ward wanted Ray Harford i think - Ward left saying he wasnt a no2 for anybody and then joined Wolves as a no 2! Dont know if he was sacked or not officially but the players were obviously sympathetic with him cos they didnt perform for a few matches. Bear in mind we had just beaten Bolton 2-1 and they were top of the league! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NailseaRed Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I just could not believe that we had just beat Bolton, AND on Sky and then Ward went, that was one of the best results I've ever seen us get in the league and I really thought it was a turning point. Oh well no point looking back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beezey Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 The thing that annoys me most about that whole situation is the fact that the players sulked and cost us so much. A player who will remain nameless told me how the players were gutted when Ward left and it put the whole place on a downer. Poor Benny had to try and lift a team that was having a problem coping before the whole Ward saga and it took him until the Easter to really start getting the team to believe. Who remembers the Portsmouth away game over the easter weekend ?? City winning 1-0 (I think Adam Locke scored!) Cracking game and I thought we might just make it..........damn West Brom saw that never happened. Anyhow.....Benny would have got us back up, Of that I am convinced. Years ahead in his ideas and plans for the club. I once had the pleasure of speaking to him and he had a real tactical mind. He saw things in players that others didnt see, Brennan for instance. He blooded Matt Hill, Aaron Brown, Jim Brennan at a time when the senior pros should have been doing more. Top man and I would love to see him back at the club as director or the academy or something like that. I think the shape of the side would be so differnt if Benny were in charge, Lita would not be kicking his heels on the bench either!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenchred Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I'll go against the grain here, I thought Benny was a joke, we played #### losing football that no-one at the time appreciated. John Ward was ###t on from a very great height, not only was he the first manager to get us promoted to div 1 at the time, at the present time he is the last one!! What was his rewrd? Players signed he didn't want! And Asked to work with a stranger! Not much of a reward is it, All this talk of if Benny had stayed we would be established in the first by now, why? what reason? He had enough time when appointed to turn our season around - He never, why would he have done any better in the long term? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Man In Black Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I'll admit, at the time I didn't have too much time for him. But in retrospect I can see what he inherited and the little time he had to work with it. At the end of the day, even he would admit that he was brought in as a coach, not a manager Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thornbury Red Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I'll go against the grain here, I thought Benny was a joke, we played #### losing football that no-one at the time appreciated. John Ward was ###t on from a very great height, not only was he the first manager to get us promoted to div 1 at the time, at the present time he is the last one!! What was his rewrd? Players signed he didn't want! And Asked to work with a stranger! Not much of a reward is it, All this talk of if Benny had stayed we would be established in the first by now, why? what reason? He had enough time when appointed to turn our season around - He never, why would he have done any better in the long term? None of which was Bennys fault. Ward walked out on us - unforgiveable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhatWill Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I'll go against the grain here, I thought Benny was a joke, we played #### losing football that no-one at the time appreciated. John Ward was ###t on from a very great height, not only was he the first manager to get us promoted to div 1 at the time, at the present time he is the last one!! What was his rewrd? Players signed he didn't want! And Asked to work with a stranger! Not much of a reward is it, All this talk of if Benny had stayed we would be established in the first by now, why? what reason? He had enough time when appointed to turn our season around - He never, why would he have done any better in the long term? None of that was Benny's fault though was it? Also you're missing out the minor detail that it was WARD who asked for help. he shat himself basically and wanted Ray Harford of all people to come and help him. Then when Benny was brought in as a director of football, he walked. Thats another thing, Benny is a coach not a football manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Ian M Posted March 12, 2004 Admin Share Posted March 12, 2004 I'll go against the grain here, I thought Benny was a joke, we played #### losing football that no-one at the time appreciated. John Ward was ###t on from a very great height, not only was he the first manager to get us promoted to div 1 at the time, at the present time he is the last one!! What was his rewrd? Players signed he didn't want! And Asked to work with a stranger! Not much of a reward is it, All this talk of if Benny had stayed we would be established in the first by now, why? what reason? He had enough time when appointed to turn our season around - He never, why would he have done any better in the long term? Players signed he didn't want???? Ward went off on holiday having given Scott Davidson a list of possible targets to try and buy in his absence. You can hardly blame anyone else when the board actually backed him and bought ALL those on his "wish list". It's also worth remembering that for all our defensive frailties that season, it was Ward who decided that Emerson Thome wouldn't cope well in the English game yet several Premiership clubs would beg to differ. we played #### losing football that no-one at the time appreciated you can't argue against the losing bit but as others have said he was for want of a better term "píssing into the wind" with the players he inherited and by the time he left he'd actually got the team performances right up there even if the results weren't following. I remember one game at St Andrews when after the game a shell-shocked Trevor Francis claimed we'd been the best team they'd faced all season even though they'd won the game (due to some dubious refereeing decisions?) I have no doubt that had Benny continued after our relegation to Div2, (1) Soren would have stayed (2) Pulis wouldn't have come (3) City would have bounced straight back. Oh, and the he was asked to work with a stranger remark.....all I can say is "diddums". People like us in everyday, run of the mill, REAL jobs have to work with strangers all the time.....and it didn't seem to bother him when accepting a position as No.2 at Wolves or as manager of Cheltenham....think of all the strangers he's had to work with since Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucksred Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I'll go against the grain here, I thought Benny was a joke, we played #### losing football that no-one at the time appreciated. John Ward was ###t on from a very great height, not only was he the first manager to get us promoted to div 1 at the time, at the present time he is the last one!! What was his rewrd? Players signed he didn't want! And Asked to work with a stranger! Not much of a reward is it, All this talk of if Benny had stayed we would be established in the first by now, why? what reason? He had enough time when appointed to turn our season around - He never, why would he have done any better in the long term? I'll go against both here_ Benny WAS a ###### joke, but Wardy was a pushover for the players. Remember at the end of the promotion season, and the team did a lap of honor round the Gate, my good lady pointed out that the players didnt give a ######, at the time I said, nah they're knackered its been a hard season, but then we blew Div 1, and I gotta say, it aint just managers who cock it up, and I reckon the players had an easy life under Wardy, followed by continental syle training under Benny, and rebelled. Niether was able to manage the players properly. For me TC, and big Joes first stint were our best managers, and we've not had quite the same since. These two seriously contributed to Citys problems, which Clueless really ###### up for us. Not sorry to see either of them go. Sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Red Rich Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 As mentioned, Benny was a coach and not a manager. And what a coach he was. Remember Jim Brennan? A relative unknown and he turned him into a £1m player. Didnt he give Steve Phillips his chance and first team football? Aaron Brown started playing under Benny as well, didnt he? Matty Hill? He helped guide some of the younger ones in the academy and I think we are still reaping the benefits. The only thing he did that was completly wrong was play Torpey. Nice bloke, cr*p first divison footballer. Ward and Benny together, if Ward had swallowed his pride, would mean first divison football today in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucksred Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 We always blame the manager first, but sometimes its the players who are the problem. As my point in my post... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spud55 Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I always did and always will have a lot of time for Benny. He inherited a shitpit of players who didn't care and most had little ability above division 2 level bar a few, so he scoured our youth system and found the players with the ability, the problem was they all lacked expirence. And what he couldn't dig up he went out and found, Sebok although disliked by a lot of city fans because he instead of kicking players in the air didn't bother and just took the ball of their feet. Obviously a dismal player who only managed to cut it in the bundesligua for 5 years after. his downfall was that he liked intelligent players, which is not what most City fans want, he played torpey, who was the ideal partner for ade, and if Akinbyi was half the finisher that some city fans still think he is, he would have ended up with 30 plus goals puerly from ones Torpey set up, as past form has shown Ade wasn't that good, he had a blip when he scored about 19 goals in the first half of that campgain, then returned to his true form for the ohter half when he netted a monstrous 2, even though Torpey was still laying them on a plate for him. What has he done since, apart from being ridiculed by the football fratornity for being a tallentless monkey ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riaz Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 under Benny we played the worst football I've seen city play! Nuff said! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cider gliders Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Benny a good boss!!!!! It`s a nightmare! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cider head Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Benny a good boss!!!!! It`s a nightmare! YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN!!! ole' benny was a nice man but had no hope of saving us from the drop at that time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andre_The_Giant Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I am sure he's a nice bloke, but people are looking back on his reign through rose-tinted glasses. We played atrocious football under Benny, he spent loads of money on "continental" jokers like Bo Andersen and Vilmos Sebok, and he couldn't command any respect in the dressing room. He has proven himself an adept manager abroad, but he was out of his depth in English football from day one. BS4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
openEnd Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 I know that season was the pits. Side point: What I would give to see DW throw his hat (if he had one) on the floor in anger like him, just to show half the passion Benny displayed would go along way in my book. Or am I imagining it? did BL lean up against the dugout like a cardboard cutout too? U reds!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bcfc seattle Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 As mentioned, Benny was a coach and not a manager. And what a coach he was. Remember Jim Brennan? A relative unknown and he turned him into a £1m player. Didnt he give Steve Phillips his chance and first team football? Aaron Brown started playing under Benny as well, didnt he? Matty Hill? He helped guide some of the younger ones in the academy and I think we are still reaping the benefits. The only thing he did that was completly wrong was play Torpey. Nice bloke, cr*p first divison footballer. Ward and Benny together, if Ward had swallowed his pride, would mean first divison football today in my opinion. So you mean Benny's strong points are DW's weak or non-existent points? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SuttonRed Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 [He has proven himself an adept manager abroad, but he was out of his depth in English football from day one.] Is that cos english football is soooo much more complex than that played by Jonny foreigner? Tripe! Benny was, and is a high quality coach! No i don't have my rose tinted specs on, I said all of this at the time. Ward as I recall said he had run out of ideas a few games into the season and needed help. Benny inherited a squad with no morale and an injury list as long as your arm. If bl**dy Akinbyi could finish we'd have survived aswell Frankly, if we'd have kept him we wouldn't be playing Rushden and Diamonds tonight, we would be playing in division 1. Spud55 summed it up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bucksred Posted March 12, 2004 Share Posted March 12, 2004 Benny a good boss!!!!! It`s a nightmare! I must have been asleep, cos I missed the bit where he was a good manager, when was that then?? That Wolves game, and Bradford still haunt me!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swindon Hater Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 "What has he done since, apart from being ridiculed by the football fratornity for being a tallentless monkey ?" What Ade were you watching son? 23 goals for a bottom of the table side is world class! He was a class act, lacked a good finish but had everything else, pace, power, strength, workrate. And to answer your question, he went to Wolves and scored 17 goals in half a season, before his move to Leicester, which was a disaster, now thankfully for him, and I'm pleased for him, he's back to his best at Stoke City nowadays! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spud55 Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 "What has he done since, apart from being ridiculed by the football fratornity for being a tallentless monkey ?" What Ade were you watching son? 23 goals for a bottom of the table side is world class! He was a class act, lacked a good finish but had everything else, pace, power, strength, workrate. And to answer your question, he went to Wolves and scored 17 goals in half a season, before his move to Leicester, which was a disaster, now thankfully for him, and I'm pleased for him, he's back to his best at Stoke City nowadays! A blip nothing more nothing less, he scored 19 in the first half of the season then sod all in the rest, even though the team were still creating the chances for him, 23 in a bottom side that wasn't making chances would have been good, but 23 in a team that finished bottom because he put much less than half of his chances is not. A good striker would have had many more, Thorpe would have had a field day in that side, he would have payed back the million we payed for him plus interest had he been given tha chance then, as would soren. And Goater, dear god how many goals would he have got, 30 at least with his finishing. Ade back to his best now then, good to see 10 goals from a striker of his apparent class, after over 2/3 of a season is incredible, lets have a big clap for Ade. And we all know just how immense he was for Palace. Heskey has Pace, Power, Strenght and workrate, a world class striker he is not, and i actually like Heskey, because he sets up so many goals, although not scoring many, Ade doesn't score enough and doesn't replace that with assists. I am pleased for him that he is doing better than disasterously at Stoke, but he is not a god of football. Great Post Cynic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest cider gliders Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 I must have been asleep, cos I missed the bit where he was a good manager, when was that then?? That Wolves game, and Bradford still haunt me!! Don`t tell I, tell he young un! We met Benny a few times an thought he was a very nice man! He alway`s made we laugh! It`s ole about opinions, an we respect ole of yours! But in our time watchin` the city we have only ad three bad managers! Peter Doherty was the first an Pulis an Benny were the other two! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
compostcorner Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 lets get this in to perspective, scott davidson calls john ward in to his office and says.. thanks john, you done a great job, but we feel your not good enough to manage in the 1st division, so i"ve got this swedish guy coming over to give you a hand, he knows nothing about english football, but he must be good cos he got a swedish 2nd division team of part timers promoted, and by the way, the swedish guy gets the final say on any football related matters..... so scott davidsons big vision of the future crumbles before him, the swedish guy comes over and gets us relegated, scott does a runner and resigns. i think the whole episode was an absolute shambles, i got nothing against benny, he was put in a position out of his deph, and i know he"s a really nice person, cos while he was in bristol i was his postman, he never tipped me at christmas though the fat b******d Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest uncle john Posted March 14, 2004 Share Posted March 14, 2004 Some facts. John Ward took us to three places OUTSIDE THE RELEGATION ZONE in Division 1. Benny took over, took us to the bottom, and we stayed there. He played Adam Locke in central midfield, Jim Brennan at RIGHT back, Soren Anderson on the right wing, and Steve Torpey ahead of Cramb/Thorpe/Anderson. He wasted 450 000 on Vilmos Sebok, 150 000 on Testimatanu, and 200 000 on Bo Anderson. A ghastly waste of money in the transfer market. Anyone watching the side that season could see the side were shattered in confidence and far worse than they had been under Ward. (O.K, that's not a fact) Ward would have kept us up. And if he hadn't, then we would have had a MANAGER THAT KNEW HOW TO GET CITY OUT OF DIVISION 2. Not like we need one of those or anything. 3 and a half seasons under Wilson, and we are still not out of Division 2. Ward got us out of division 2 in a season and a half. This is probably not an attack on Benny- maybe we should have kept him- but on Davidson's control freaking interference. Anyway, what the club needed after all of that then Pulis was stability, and in fairness to the Wilson era and the sane management of Lansdown, we are stable. Since 1988 we had not managed to keep one manager for more than two years. With the Academy and increased support we are a settled club now, and if we go up this season (as I think we will, in the play offs), we should stay up and be able to bed down as a Division 1 club. I'd rather we'd kept Ward all those years ago, but we are doing O.K now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
England Posted March 14, 2004 Share Posted March 14, 2004 lets get this in to perspective, scott davidson calls john ward in to his office and says.. thanks john, you done a great job, but we feel your not good enough to manage in the 1st division, wrong - Ward said publicly that he didn't know what else to try and that he needed help so Davidson brought in one of the best coaches in Europe - Ward threw his toys out of the pram said he wouldn't be no.2 to anybody, grabbed his money and then went to Wolves as a number 2 - ###### - and has done b#gger all since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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