Stabbed In The Back

[Isabella Duke]

What I find really amusing about all this is that all the while the Lennon fans on this forum were supporting Lennon and abusing anyone who dared speak against him - the current manager and senior players were plotting against him to get him removed.

So, will all the Lennon fans - faraway saint especially - now come out and apologise to everyone they abused?

What are they going to do going forward now that they know that the current manager stabbed the man they so dearly loved in the back?

All those Lennon fans are now completely humiliated and totally discredited. They are to be laughed at for ever more.

As always, I have been proved correct. Lennon was clueless. The current manager, the players and the BoD could all see it. And they stabbed him in the back and got shot of him.

We are now left with a deeply divided forum where the Lennon fans who abused fellow supporters have been shown up to be a shower of cunts.

[E=Mc2]

What I find really amusing about all this is that all the while the Lennon fans on this forum were supporting Lennon and abusing anyone who dared speak against him - the current manager and senior players were plotting against him to get him removed.

So, will all the Lennon fans - faraway saint especially - now come out and apologise to everyone they abused?

What are they going to do going forward now that they know that the current manager stabbed the man they so dearly loved in the back?

All those Lennon fans are now completely humiliated and totally discredited. They are to be laughed at for ever more.

As always, I have been proved correct. Lennon was clueless. The current manager, the players and the BoD could all see it. And they stabbed him in the back and got shot of him.

We are now left with a deeply divided forum where the Lennon fans who abused fellow supporters have been shown up to be a shower of cunts.

Your bid to bring us together has left me in tears.

[div]

The fact that so many are saying on fora and social media that they'd like to have known before Saturday that Danny was leaving tells it's own story imo - many regret not having the opportunity to give Lennon the ovation he deserved - not for the season just ended, but for the 4 years at the club, and most importantly the cup win.

Danny got a round of applause from most of the home fans at the end of the game on Saturday and he stood and waved.

I'm not sure how different the farewell might have been had we all known for definite that he was going ?

[div]

Also worth pointing out that Hearts decided to punt Gary Locke three months ago, and they never told him until after the season was over either.

Football is a bad old business.

[FS]

Like most fans I've signed a lifetime contract to support the club.

Did you get a free Parker pen with that ?

[Stuart Dickson]

What I don't understand is why St Mirren fans expected different from their club and their board of directors? History is simply repeating itself and I guess the way these things are handled won't change until you get a new board of directors.

12 years ago the same St Mirren board grossly mishandled the sacking of Tom Hendrie. Then, a St Mirren legend, was first undermined by his Assistant Manager John Coughlin who fell out with Hendrie to the extent that the two no longer communicated with each other. The St Mirren board undermined Hendrie by removing bonuses that were pledged to players and finally the Official St Mirren website took it upon itself to ridicule the manager of the club even publishing a post match interview where one of the Official site team sneered at the manager and at his comments. The Official website then went on to claim that they were sounded out by George Campbell and that they had informed the board of directors that their opinion was that the fans wanted Hendrie out. The club then proceeded to put Hendrie on garden leave and tried to force him to resign from the club in order to get out of paying him the terms he was due under the contract he was working under. It was a nasty, underhand way to treat a manager who had genuinely turned the club around from being perennial First Division relegation struggler's and who had been hailed just months previously as the "new Alex Ferguson".

Of course few will need reminded how successful John Coughlin was to become as St Mirren manager.

Today we see something similar at Paisley, proving that few at the club have learned any lessons. Danny Lennon achieved moderate success in his time as club manager, winning the Scottish League Cup for the first time in the clubs history. Yet over a period of time it seems at various different levels people were conspiring against him from his assistant, by senior players within the club, and it seems also by the board of directors themselves who clearly opted not to back their manager. And now they have appointed the Assistant Manager. The only improvements this time round is that the Official website appears to be better controlled these days, and that there is no need to force Lennon to leave because his contract has run out.

Now whilst my personal opinion of Danny Lennon was that he was more of a "nice guy" than a good football tactician I can't help but feel that the boards obsession with succession planning is a major factor in why St Mirren are failing to progress. If you constantly promote from within then you are effectively incentivising and encouraging rebellion within the ranks from players, coaches and the Assistant Manager. In many ways I pity Tommy Craig. He's onto a loser no matter how this works out, especially when Teale and Goodwin decide they are ready for the managers post.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Stuart Dickson

[Lord Pityme]

You've gone from saying Directors to "senior figures" speaking to the press about Danny's time being up, go on you're obviously in the know so name names.You're talking about BoD involvement in Lee Mair playing (or not). I'm no Lee Mair fan particularly but he was playing OK before he got injured.Are you suggesting the BoD were telling Danny who to pick??Things happen in and around football clubs all the time but not everything needs a conspiracy theory.

Come on Lee Mair was playing ok before he got injured? That was two games. He was a great pro and Danny rightly identified that he was picking up a wage he couldn't,t earn. Mair decided to stay and claim a wage, then go the fan boys fighting his cause to get picked, along with certain Bod members.

He got picked and surprise, surprise he,s injured and lacking form. But that,s Danny,s fault, the briefings against him start by senior figures (given the only senior figures are a Bod members) known to all.

Why do I need to name names? Because they haven,t got the guts to admit this to the support and Danny himself..!

There's no conspiracy theory.... It's fact!

Results were poor, Danny got pushed, that's business.

But the cowardly shit stirrers have tried to insult our intelligence by dressing up otherwise.

[oaksoft]

What I find really amusing about all this is that all the while the Lennon fans on this forum were supporting Lennon and abusing anyone who dared speak against him - the current manager and senior players were plotting against him to get him removed.

So, will all the Lennon fans - faraway saint especially - now come out and apologise to everyone they abused?

What are they going to do going forward now that they know that the current manager stabbed the man they so dearly loved in the back?

All those Lennon fans are now completely humiliated and totally discredited. They are to be laughed at for ever more.

As always, I have been proved correct. Lennon was clueless. The current manager, the players and the BoD could all see it. And they stabbed him in the back and got shot of him.

We are now left with a deeply divided forum where the Lennon fans who abused fellow supporters have been shown up to be a shower of cunts.

Deary me do you just open your mouth and let your tonsils rattle in the breeze without engaging your brain at all?

Lennon fans?

Plotting?

Stabbed in the back?

Apologise?

Humiliated?

Discredited?

Clueless?

Shower of cunts?

Maybe this sort of language plays well in the school playground but it's a bit pathetic from an adult TBH.

[Dave The Buddie]

After SG interview last night it only furthers my suspicions as when asked what was the new managers targets he said the same as DL's. If you have a manager hitting targets set then why let him go. If it is to try and kick us on as a club then get a new management team in to do so.

It has been poorly handled but I do wish the management team well of course I do but I don't agree with the appointment or how it has been handled.

[WeeBud]

Come on Lee Mair was playing ok before he got injured? That was two games. He was a great pro and Danny rightly identified that he was picking up a wage he couldn't,t earn. Mair decided to stay and claim a wage, then go the fan boys fighting his cause to get picked, along with certain Bod members.

So he was playing OK then, which board members said he had to be picked??

He got picked and surprise, surprise he,s injured and lacking form. But that,s Danny,s fault, the briefings against him start by senior figures (given the only senior figures are a Bod members) known to all.

You said he was playing OK now he was lacking form?? What briefings by which Directors??

Why do I need to name names? Because they haven,t got the guts to admit this to the support and Danny himself..!

Some fairly big irony there!!

There's no conspiracy theory.... It's fact!

Those aren't facts just your speculations.

Results were poor, Danny got pushed, that's business.

Agreed.

But the cowardly shit stirrers have tried to insult our intelligence by dressing up otherwise.

Some more irony there!

I agree that there are things that could have been handled better but if, as you suggest, so many people were out to get Danny we need to wonder why??

I liked him and wish it could have turned out better but that's life.

Edited May 14, 2014 by WeeBud

[E=Mc2]

Deary me do you just open your mouth and let your tonsils rattle in the breeze without engaging your brain at all?

Lennon fans?

Plotting?

Stabbed in the back?

Apologise?

Humiliated?

Discredited?

Clueless?

Shower of cunts?

Maybe this sort of language plays well in the school playground but it's a bit pathetic from an adult TBH.

Now hold on Oaksoft.

I suspect Isabella is still to start school, so I think you are being unfair.

[Soctty]

Danny got a round of applause from most of the home fans at the end of the game on Saturday and he stood and waved.

I'm not sure how different the farewell might have been had we all known for definite that he was going ?

I just think the response would have been more vocal with the knowledge that his time was definitely up, more thanks would have been given. A thank you from the club via the public address system for all he's done for the club, for the historic cup win, would have provoked a more enthusiastic response, and would have been more acceptable than the short statement two days later.

Like I said, it is time to move on, and to be fair to Danny, he was as classy as ever. A few steps onto the pitch to applaud the fans once the players' lap of honour was done, and that was him away.

[div]

I just think the response would have been more vocal with the knowledge that his time was definitely up, more thanks would have been given. A thank you from the club via the public address system for all he's done for the club, for the historic cup win, would have provoked a more enthusiastic response, and would have been more acceptable than the short statement two days later.

Like I said, it is time to move on, and to be fair to Danny, he was as classy as ever. A few steps onto the pitch to applaud the fans once the players' lap of honour was done, and that was him away.

Another way of putting it was that the fans were too scared to sing "One Danny Lennon" on Saturday in case it was mistaken as being a big show of support !

Danny will always be a big part of the history of the club, much in the same way that Alex Smith was. He was also bagged a year after winning a major incidentally.

It could all have been handled better, Danny is a nice guy, and he's done some good things with the club. He will go on to get plenty of offers elsewhere too and in fact I will be amazed if Willie Wonka isn't going to approach him about taking on the Morton job.

[beyond our ken]

Some ridiculous paranoia on this thread and some of the statements are blatantly stupid.

It's hardly a surprise, given the choice between becoming the manager or being out of a job, that Tommy Craig would choose to become manager.

It's not as if this is the first time in Scottish football that an assistant has taken over from a manager....

I'm not sure I appreciate why the board think that this change will make so much difference to the fortunes of the team as TC Goodwin and Teale were all there last season obviously but we'll just have to wait and see...my fingers are crossed! And best of luck to the new management team!!!

I think the second part of your post kind of sums up my feelings, this is not enough of a change-if change really were needed. What we are geting is a more of the same approach. it is also safe to say that Tommy Craig does not have the best reputation for loyalty, etc and there will be people who both hurt for Danny and feel that the wrong people are being rewarded for the wrong behaviour. With all of that being said and as an unequivocal supporter of wee danny, I am beginning to think that he may well have deserved to go if there was such discord in the back room and he failed to be ruthless with those responsible. That wouldn't happen with a truly top manager.

It could be that DL went to the board and expressed a desire to deal with the malcontents and didn't get the back-up he needed, i would have got my coat at that point,. I daresay DLhas learned a lot this season and learned even more over the last few days. Alex Smith said something in the press about having to watch those around you once you find success and i am afraid that this might be what we have witnessed here.

For what it is worth, and much as it pains me to say, i had a certain respect for Craig levin's approach at the press conference the other day. Laying things out the way he did makes it clear that there is a new approach required at Hearts and it puts to bed any speculation. hardly anyone is talking about Gary Locke now-compare that to the pretty wimpy, dragged out proceedings at St Mirren this last week and it is easy to see why so many people are upset.

[Hambud]

...and while you are at it, see how much of a gentleman the Sellic fans think big Thommo is...

is there any reason that they hate Thommo other than he played for their ugly sister?

I know why the ugly sisters hate Wylde for leaving them, the others hatred for Thommo just based on him playing for them?

[beyond our ken]

What I find really amusing about all this is that all the while the Lennon fans on this forum were supporting Lennon and abusing anyone who dared speak against him - the current manager and senior players were plotting against him to get him removed.

So, will all the Lennon fans - faraway saint especially - now come out and apologise to everyone they abused?

What are they going to do going forward now that they know that the current manager stabbed the man they so dearly loved in the back?

All those Lennon fans are now completely humiliated and totally discredited. They are to be laughed at for ever more.

As always, I have been proved correct. Lennon was clueless. The current manager, the players and the BoD could all see it. And they stabbed him in the back and got shot of him.

We are now left with a deeply divided forum where the Lennon fans who abused fellow supporters have been shown up to be a shower of cunts.

Proof, if it were needed, that intellectual pygmies enjoy fishing trips.

Even for you, this is a very transparent wind-up

[Fitzy87]

there was some singing at the POTY do on saturday.... Whether that was just drunken or actually supporting is up for debate.... But obviously Mr Gilmour chose to ignore

[Hambud]

Danny Lennon wasn't stabbed in the back. He was given a fixed term contract which both he and the club honoured. He knew, as did everyone else, when that arrangement was due to expire.

Prudence is good.

maybe he was raging that he'd actually had to see out his contract unlike others at the club.

[Fitzy87]

What I find really amusing about all this is that all the while the Lennon fans on this forum were supporting Lennon and abusing anyone who dared speak against him - the current manager and senior players were plotting against him to get him removed.

So, will all the Lennon fans - faraway saint especially - now come out and apologise to everyone they abused?

What are they going to do going forward now that they know that the current manager stabbed the man they so dearly loved in the back?

All those Lennon fans are now completely humiliated and totally discredited. They are to be laughed at for ever more.

As always, I have been proved correct. Lennon was clueless. The current manager, the players and the BoD could all see it. And they stabbed him in the back and got shot of him.

We are now left with a deeply divided forum where the Lennon fans who abused fellow supporters have been shown up to be a shower of cunts.

I have heard from a few people today, that the players are raging that TC got the job.

They wanted someone completely new in

[Stuart Dickson]

Another way of putting it was that the fans were too scared to sing "One Danny Lennon" on Saturday in case it was mistaken as being a big show of support !

Danny will always be a big part of the history of the club, much in the same way that Alex Smith was. He was also bagged a year after winning a major incidentally.

It could all have been handled better, Danny is a nice guy, and he's done some good things with the club. He will go on to get plenty of offers elsewhere too and in fact I will be amazed if Willie Wonka isn't going to approach him about taking on the Morton job.

Aye - after being similarly undermined by senior players and his board of directors. And when his Assistant Manager tried to deal with the issue with one of the senior players the Board of Directors found against him and sacked him immediately. When Smith was finally dismissed he was replaced by the two senior players who had caused the most ructions in the dressing room - and we know how successful that was too.

Until the club start to learn the mistakes of history it's always going to go badly.

Edited May 14, 2014 by Stuart Dickson

[Seaside Nipper]

He's gone, Gus went before and all that blah de blah...my that rolled on a fair bit.

Let's deal with the here and now and get on hoping for the best , player wise, performance and team result wise.

Potentially a fairly weakened SPFL next season in terms of Diddy Club provences, let's see if we can stamp some authority on things next campaign.

I'm more optimistic that we can do this today than I was before DL was removed of his duties.

Anyway, life goes on, change happens at football clubs all the time, why can't St Mirren fans look for the good in some things, even just for some of the time.

On that note , it's adieu from me, bring on the golfing, get the passport stamped and some freedom from Scottish fitba and indudge in long balmy afternoons in the beer garden.

[Isle Of Bute Saint]

For what it is worth, and much as it pains me to say, i had a certain respect for Craig levin's approach at the press conference the other day. Laying things out the way he did makes it clear that there is a new approach required at Hearts and it puts to bed any speculation. hardly anyone is talking about Gary Locke now-compare that to the pretty wimpy, dragged out proceedings at St Mirren this last week and it is easy to see why so many people are upset.

Danny got the opportunity to manage a top flight club. Danny served his full contract term therefore the board held their part of the deal. Danny was not sacked. Can't get my head round everyone spitting the dummy out. Should point out I was all for Danny getting a new deal also but I certainly don't think he was treated badly.

For me Tommy Craig is a smart move along with Goodwin and Teale and look forward to the close season to see who stays and comes in. Then the excitement of the new season to see if our new management team can push forward. Certainly wont judge anyone before a ball is even kicked.

[Big Yards]

Anyone heard who the 4 men who appeared with gilmour at the stadium yesterday were?

[Bud the Baker]

What I don't understand is why St Mirren fans expected different from their club and their board of directors? History is simply repeating itself and I guess the way these things are handled won't change until you get a new board of directors.

12 years ago the same St Mirren board grossly mishandled the sacking of Tom Hendrie. Then, a St Mirren legend, was first undermined by his Assistant Manager John Coughlin who fell out with Hendrie to the extent that the two no longer communicated with each other. The St Mirren board undermined Hendrie by removing bonuses that were pledged to players and finally the Official St Mirren website took it upon itself to ridicule the manager of the club even publishing a post match interview where one of the Official site team sneered at the manager and at his comments. The Official website then went on to claim that they were sounded out by George Campbell and that they had informed the board of directors that their opinion was that the fans wanted Hendrie out. The club then proceeded to put Hendrie on garden leave and tried to force him to resign from the club in order to get out of paying him the terms he was due under the contract he was working under. It was a nasty, underhand way to treat a manager who had genuinely turned the club around from being perennial First Division relegation struggler's and who had been hailed just months previously as the "new Alex Ferguson".

Of course few will need reminded how successful John Coughlin was to become as St Mirren manager.

Today we see something similar at Paisley, proving that few at the club have learned any lessons. Danny Lennon achieved moderate success in his time as club manager, winning the Scottish League Cup for the first time in the clubs history. Yet over a period of time it seems at various different levels people were conspiring against him from his assistant, by senior players within the club, and it seems also by the board of directors themselves who clearly opted not to back their manager. And now they have appointed the Assistant Manager. The only improvements this time round is that the Official website appears to be better controlled these days, and that there is no need to force Lennon to leave because his contract has run out.

Now whilst my personal opinion of Danny Lennon was that he was more of a "nice guy" than a good football tactician I can't help but feel that the boards obsession with succession planning is a major factor in why St Mirren are failing to progress. If you constantly promote from within then you are effectively incentivising and encouraging rebellion within the ranks from players, coaches and the Assistant Manager. In many ways I pity Tommy Craig. He's onto a loser no matter how this works out, especially when Teale and Goodwin decide they are ready for the managers post.

My recollection of the bonus saga from that era is that the players asked for and got an increase in bonuses providing they were in the Top 3 - tough luck.

The sacking of Hendrie was one of those situations no-one came out of smelling of roses - he initially appeared to resign and then seemed to change his mind for whatever reason. The Board who were looking to minimize compensation eventually paid him in full with the proceeds from an away cup tie against Celtic.

**********

I don't think the Board had any option but to promote Coughlin when Hendrie left they probably couldn't have afforded to pay off both, but was anyone surprised when MacPherson took over from Coughlin?

**********

I see Tommy Craig as an interim figure who if things go right will see out his contract and retire from the game at 65 and how many can say that - so no need for pity there.

Aye - after being similarly undermined by senior players and his board of directors. And when his Assistant Manager tried to deal with the issue with one of the senior players the Board of Directors found against him and sacked him immediately. When Smith was finally dismissed he was replaced by the two senior players who had caused the most ructions in the dressing room - and we know how successful that was too.

Until the club start to learn the mistakes of history it's always going to go badly.

Deal with the issue!

[beyond our ken]

He's gone, Gus went before and all that blah de blah...my that rolled on a fair bit.

Let's deal with the here and now and get on hoping for the best , player wise, performance and team result wise.

Potentially a fairly weakened SPFL next season in terms of Diddy Club provences, let's see if we can stamp some authority on things next campaign.

I'm more optimistic that we can do this today than I was before DL was removed of his duties.

Anyway, life goes on, change happens at football clubs all the time, why can't St Mirren fans look for the good in some things, even just for some of the time.

On that note , it's adieu from me, bring on the golfing, get the passport stamped and some freedom from Scottish fitba and indudge in long balmy afternoons in the beer garden.

Re the bit in bold-with 12 teams in good standing and nobody starting on a points deficit, i would suggest that next season's campaign could be even harder than last year. There will certainly be more competition for the kind of player saints can afford