Five In Twenty Six

This post is all about the period 1966 to 1992. Twenty six years by my calculation. During which time five men held the office of manager. Yes..........only five!!

Back in those days (which were, roughly speaking, the first half of my Canary supporting life) managers were given time to build a team. There was much less chance of a quick exit from the club, either by choice or by getting the sack. I guess looking back, it meant being a football supporter was a lot less complicated. Nowadays, watching the gaffer-go-round is a huge part of the fun, provided of course your team are not involved. We didn't have that forty years ago. Nor the worry of a good manager lasting just a short while.

I don't think supporters were any less demanding, but there was always a sense that once an appointment had been made, you were kind of stuck with it, at least for a season or two.

Nor do I think managers were any less ambitious. Two of the five Norwich bosses of this period went on to manage bigger clubs.

But there was always an air of loyalty surrounding these things ......managers to clubs ..........and supporters to managers. Not just at Norwich, but generally at all clubs.

I will do a much more in depth post about each of the Norwich managers in due course, but for the record they were :

Lol Morgan 1966-1969
If I am honest I barely remember this guy, but when I first became aware of the Canaries, circa 1967/1968, he was in charge. I don't think he was ever particularly famous outside of Norwich, Huddersfield, Rotherham and Darlington (the middle two as a player, the latter as a player manager) and had taken over from the legendary Ron Ashman. I do remember Morgan being replaced however - my first exposure to the club changing their manager - and although I was only 10, I recall there was great anticipation of better days ahead.

Ron Saunders 1969-1973
And the much awaited appointment was..................err Ron Saunders. A centre forward of some repute but with a managerial CV that contained only a stint at Yeovil Town (non league in those days) and Oxford ( just 12 games in charge at the end of the 68-69 season - though it should be said he secured 6 wins!!). Saunders was to go on to be a magnificent manager for the club. The full story will be told another time. But without doubt Norwich made Saunders. And as far as I am concerned, Saunders made Norwich.

John Bond 1973-1980
My favourite manager ever. Chalk and cheese with Saunders, Bond was a larger than life character who brought charisma and opinion to Carrow Road. Never far from the headlines, he took the club into the limelight on a regular basis for the first time in history and was responsible for some of the most exciting and ambitious signings the club has ever known. Norwich became synonymous with attacking football, cigars and sheepskin coats.......and it was brilliant !!

Ken Brown 1980-1987
Bond left a legacy when he moved on to Manchester City........Ken Brown, his friend and chief coach, who had followed him here from Bournemouth. Brown was a quiet manager in comparison to Bond, but ultimately achieved more. A very popular man, gentleman Ken went on to be one of the club's most successful managers, and was responsible for signing numerous Canary legends.

Dave Stringer 1987-1992
Promoted from reserve team coach after the Board sacked Brown, former player Stringer presided over a period that saw Norwich firmly established in the top tier of English football (two FA Cup semi finals and 4th place in a season when the 'double' was a possibility). Stringer was Norwich City through and through, a hard man as a player and manager. And being a player I watched through much of his professional career, his appointment to manager made me realise I too was getting old !!

The years that followed saw regular comings and goings from Carrow Road. In fact, the next five appointments after the departure of Dave Stringer (Mike Walker twice, John Deehan, Martin O'Neill and Gary Megson) lasted not twenty six years, but less than six.

Suddenly, the world of football management had changed.

pictured : John Bond in typically ebullient mood


[This post (which was in fact the first ever posted on Sing Up The River End!) has been revised and updated, and was first published on the 17th of January 2010]
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