So... David Pleat. A Polarising Figure.

[sten]

The 'great' players he signed weren't all that great and he signed them on tied contracts that buggered us for years when we went down the leagues. Despite having a passable record at other clubs and one decent year at Spurs I think he was terrible...but I'm mostly swayed in this view by his crap dress sense, crap hairstyle and totally irritating voice. Switch off whenever he's on telly or radio.

[CrosbyKitchens]

The 'great' players he signed weren't all that great and he signed them on tied contracts that buggered us for years when we went down the leagues. Despite having a passable record at other clubs and one decent year at Spurs I think he was terrible...but I'm mostly swayed in this view by his crap dress sense, crap hairstyle and totally irritating voice. Switch off whenever he's on telly or radio.

Back to my earlier point, you don't think that Pleat was the one who negotiated those contracts do you?

If he was allowed to negotiate the contracts, then it comes down to poor management again from the top. Harry Redknapp has virtually admitted he can hardly read! I'm sure Spurs didn't have "arry working on the details. if a club the size of Wednesday allowed the manager (who in most cases will have left school at 16) to do this negotiation it would be criminally amateur.

Edited September 11, 2012 by CrosbyKitchens

[DJMortimer]

The 'great' players he signed weren't all that great and he signed them on tied contracts that buggered us for years when we went down the leagues.

Such as? Carbone and Di Canio are probably the best two players we have had in the last 20 years and the reasons we lost money on them are all down to Dave Richards and Danny Wilson. Similarly, the same two lost us another potential fee and decent player by allowing Stefanovic's work permit status to slip. We profited or recouped the original outlay on major signings like Petrescu (signed by Francis), Blinker, Kovacevic, Pembridge and Degryse and made a handy two million on the declining Hirst. There were also considerable offers for Booth from Leicester and Wolves that were pissed away thanks to the chairman and manager as our Premiership status was threatened.

The signings that really cost us after relegation such as Jonk, Donnelly, O'Donnell, Scott, Hinchcliffe, De Bilde and Sibon were all made after he left.

So, what is this catastrophic financial legacy he left us with again?

Edited September 11, 2012 by DJMortimer

[DJMortimer]

And if we were in such dire straits following Pleat's supposed incompetence, how did we spend something like £12m on the likes of Hinchcliffe, De Bilde, Sibon, Jonk, Cresswell, Thome, Sedloski, Alexandersson in the next two years without making many major sales that I can recall off the top of my head?

[mozzy85]

Are you seriously in doubt as to whether Pleat was better for us than Wilson, Turner and Irvine?

Really?

well what could have those three done with the resources he had??? Just a question.

[DJMortimer]

well what could have those three done with the resources he had???

I shudder to think.

[Guest Fedor]

I knew an ex player who played under Pleat at Hillsborough. Told me whenever we played the likes of Man Utd , Pleat just spoke about damage limitation and keeping the score down to a respectable level.

[DJMortimer]

I knew an ex player who played under Pleat at Hillsborough. Told me whenever we played the likes of Man Utd , Pleat just spoke about damage limitation and keeping the score down to a respectable level.

That worked well in his last game didn't it?

[mozzy85]

I shudder to think.

haha

[Plonk]

Djm what about all the money he spunked away? I'm away so can't research this properly so this is from memory and may be wrong so don't slaughter me! The two boys from posh 1million. Scott oakes 500k and blondeau (possibly the worst player I've seen for us) at 3million.didn't he also pay nearly 3million for booth? May not be right for reasons given but he wasted a lot of money. But agree that richards too must shoulder much blame. Just don't understand your constant defence of pleat?

[sten]

Always thought Carbone flattered to deceive and could never dominate the way a great player can and di Canio could never really have my respect as an italian fascist who played for Pauol not the owls. Brilliant...maybe...team player...not really.

and if you didn't notice the legacy he left us with,well...we're currently fighting to get rid of that monkey from our shoulders. We've been carrying it for mmmm let's see...20 years?!

[DJMortimer]

Djm what about all the money he spunked away? I'm away so can't research this properly so this is from memory and may be wrong so don't slaughter me! The two boys from posh 1million. Scott oakes 500k and blondeau (possibly the worst player I've seen for us) at 3million.didn't he also pay nearly 3million for booth? May not be right for reasons given but he wasted a lot of money. But agree that richards too must shoulder much blame. Just don't understand your constant defence of pleat?

I think Oakes was £350k, Blondeau £1.5m (sold for the same amount a few weeks later) and I'd be amazed if the two Peterborough youngsters were anything like that much. One of them had his career ended by injury, which the manager can hardly be blamed for.

Booth cost £2.75m which was not extraordinary at the time and to be fair he had a decent first season. It was rapidly downhill from there though. By the time we finally got rid of him he was an utter liability. But it should be noted that we could have recouped nearly all our money from Leicester in 1999 had we not insisted on them paying the whole amount up front instead of the usual instalments and a few months later pissed off Wolves by trying to get more out of them than the seven figure sum we had just agreed with Bradford.

And all this has to be offset against the £1m profit on Petrescu (bought by Francis), £1m on Blinker, £1.5m on Kovacevic and £2m on Hirst. It would be interesting to see what the net spend was in his time at the club.

Again though, we see posters in binary mode. You either think Pleat was the worst manager ever or the best, with no middle ground. I've described him as 'arrogant', 'dislikeable' and a 'tailface' (twice). I've criticised his handling of our players and acknowledged that many of them had no respect for him or even downright hated him. And I've demonstrated that we were getting battered in his final season before another manager came in and rescued the situation. All I'm doing is taking patently false statements about him and exposing them for the fairy tales that they are. Bad signings? No more so than most other managers. Inherited a good squad? It was riven by dissent and almost got relegated the season before. The start of our financial problems? The net spending while he was there was modest and we continued to spend freely after he left with Richards and Wilson squandering millions over the next couple of years in their stupidity and mismanagement.

and if you didn't notice the legacy he left us with,well...we're currently fighting to get rid of that monkey from our shoulders. We've been carrying it for mmmm let's see...20 years?!

I have comprehensively demolished that total and utter cobblers on this very page.

Edited September 11, 2012 by DJMortimer

[M Royds]

Always thought Carbone flattered to deceive and could never dominate the way a great player can and di Canio could never really have my respect as an italian fascist who played for Pauol not the owls. Brilliant...maybe...team player...not really.

and if you didn't notice the legacy he left us with,well...we're currently fighting to get rid of that monkey from our shoulders. We've been carrying it for mmmm let's see...20 years?!

I saw Carbone virtually destroy West Ham 5-0 away. Great player who kept us up.

[PopePiusX]

I saw Carbone virtually destroy West Ham 5-0 away. Great player who kept us up.

4-0, but yeah. The penalty where his marker basically got bored with him taking the wee wee all game.

[DJMortimer]

I saw Carbone virtually destroy West Ham 5-0 away. Great player who kept us up.

Of all the things that contributed to the losing of our Premiership status and our financial woes we've got some posters nit-picking about the best two players we've had in the last 20 years by a bloody mile !

[PopePiusX]

Of all the things that contributed to the losing of our Premiership status and our financial woes we've got some posters nit-picking about the best two players we've had in the last 20 years by a bloody mile !

Oh, you go somewhere with your Pleat blow-up doll which you clearly have, you Pleat-lovin' son-of-a-Pleat.

[Guest Mossy]

whats this mole thing a few of you are on about?!?

[Guest ka58]

Of all the things that contributed to the losing of our Premiership status and our financial woes we've got some posters nit-picking about the best two players we've had in the last 20 years by a bloody mile !

I agree with a lot of what you say, but over previous threads we disagree on quite a few things. You're vitriol towards Wilson and Richards is not without any foundation but over the top, likewise the hero worship of di canio and carbone, the latter in particular being no great shakes at Wednesday or anywhere else subsequently.

Pleat did really well in 96/7 with an average bunch, remember we should have got to fa cup semi final that year aswell,an awful whiting ham miss at home in 6th round.

There were a lot of errors from 93/4 season thru to our subsequent relegations which all could be described as a catalyst to where we ended up.

[PopePiusX]

whats this mole thing a few of you are on about?!?

Basically in 94/95 there was a vast amount of disagreement with Francis and his management which was 'leaked' to the press from the dressing room.

Edited September 11, 2012 by PopePiusX

[DJMortimer]

There were a lot of errors from 93/4 season thru to our subsequent relegations which all could be described as a catalyst to where we ended up.

That's precisely why I'm being so outspoken about Pleat. He is on a long list of guilty parties who contributed to our misery of the last 15 years or so. But the share of blame some are ascribing to him is way beyond what is supported by the evidence and common sense. Yes, he is a bit of a thrower, but that is not a reason to misrepresent his time at Hillsborough with fantasy. It is routinely stated that he wasted millions but I've shattered that nonsense. Although it matters little. The debate will start again at some point in the next few months and the same accepted (but discredited) wisdom will reappear.