Vintage Claret And Amber

[numpty]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/s...aret-amber.html

 

THEY are Britain's hottest bosses.

 

Four Scots who've taken English football by storm this season.

 

Alex McLeish, Billy Davies, Owen Coyle and Paul Lambert - award-winning gaffers, men in demand.

 

All are at the top of their game - all with different approaches to management, but all with one remarkable thing in common.

 

All four crossed paths at Motherwell in the late 1990s. Big Eck was cutting his teeth in management with Davies, Lambert and Coyle all playing under him.

 

Rangers star Lee McCulloch remembers those days fondly.

 

Back then the former Fir Park kid was taking his first tentative steps in football.

 

McLeish put him on his first pro contract while part of his YTS duties included cleaning Davies' and Lambert's boots.

 

Coyle, quite simply, was his footballing mentor.

 

McCulloch - who is doing his own coaching badges - is delighted to see all four riding high down south.

 

Here he gives the inside story on the managerial messiahs who helped shape his career...

 

McCULLOCH ON McLEISH: "He's the man, simple as that. He was the one who took me off my YTS contract a year early and handed me my first professional contract - I will never forget that.

 

"He is one of the best managers I have ever worked for.

 

"His man-management skills are incredible and quite simply, you want to go that extra mile for him.

 

"For me, our win against France in Paris when Alex was Scotland manager just sums him up. I was in the team and no one gave us a hope in hell.

 

"But the belief the gaffer instilled in us was incredible.

 

"I genuinely think we could have beaten anyone that night.

 

"France battered us but we were determined to hang on.

 

"Alex was a fantastic defender in his day so he worked a lot with the boys at the back. We were such a solid unit in Paris.

 

"That result will go down in history. It's one of the greatest wins Scotland have ever achieved and no one can ever take it away from us.

 

"You have to give the boss most of the credit for the way in which it was achieved.

 

"Even at Motherwell I knew he was destined for bigger and better things. He left nothing to chance and was always on hand to offer advice and help.

 

"Motherwell was his first job in management but he did well there, leading the club to a second-place finish one year.

 

"I wasn't at Rangers when he was in charge but you only have to look at his record there too.

 

"I know a lot of people who thought he'd find the going tough in England but he's done an incredible job at Birmingham.

 

"After last night's FA Cup win that's 13 games unbeaten.

 

"It's a club record and make no mistake, bigger clubs will be watching his progress.

 

"Alex can be the next Sir Alex or Walter Smith if he wants.

 

"He still has a long way to go to match the achievements of those two but he's certainly on the right track.

 

"I would not be surprised to see him lead Birmingham into Europe next season.

 

"I know the aim was survival at the start but deep down the gaffer will be wanting more."

 

McCULLOCH ON DAVIES: "Wee Billy was great for me too.

 

"He came in after Alex and I was delighted to see him confirmed as manager at the time.

 

"He was great friends with Lambert. They would travel in together every morning so it doesn't really surprise me to see them both doing so well.

 

"It's Billy's attention to detail which sets him apart from the rest. He's obsessed with football and every aspect of the game.

 

"I used to clean his boots at Well and that was great because he was someone I'd always looked up to. He gave me a lot of good advice and it was Billy who converted me from a midfielder to a striker.

 

"He wanted a target man to play alongside John Spencer and I think that first season I finished as top goalscorer.

 

"He has done a remarkable job in his first year at Notts Forest. The club was heading towards League One when he took over.

 

"Now they are second in the Championship with their sights on the Premiership.

 

"I don't think there's any doubt he'll achieve promotion this year.

 

"He's been there before with Derby and knows what it takes.

 

"Billy should be managing in the Premiership."

 

McCULLOCH ON LAMBERT: "Lambo is a great guy, a great character. People see him as dour but he's got an incredible sense of humour and I was the butt of a few of his jokes when I was cleaning his boots at Motherwell.

 

"He's very much like Billy in terms of management style. They are both driven to succeed, both completely obsessed.

 

"I don't think either guy turns off and that's the kind of drive you need to be successful.

 

"Look at where Norwich were when he took over.

 

"They'd just been hammered 7-1 by his Colchester side.

 

"They've gone from 22 to second, he is manager of the month.

 

"Like Billy he was always interested in the coaching side.

 

"He left for Borussia Dortmund but during the winter break he'd come back and take the training.

 

"He did his badges in Germany so that gives him a different perspective from everyone else."

[El Grew]

Strange but true. Cue music ............ Welcome to the Twilight Zone.

[Frazzie]

Funny, when I watched Billy Davies' Nottingham Forrest demolish West Brom the other week, I realised that there could be four ex-'Well players managing in the Premiership. I haven't sat down and thought about it, but given the number of overseas managers down there now, there can't be many teams who could make such a boast.

[Tartan_Special]

Never mind all that!

 

What about that picture of Lasley?

 

Grrrrrrrrr lol its about as bad as Mcghee's efforts