EX-Manager: Simon Grayson

[Kato]

Kjører over Forest

[Woody]

Dagens overaskelse,Grayson med dobbelbytte etter 64 min

Da ligger de fortsatt under.. Kampen vipper ikke på 1-1 fot da hadde han ikke byttet.

Det er riktig,ligger fortsatt under

[Ian Baird]

Ringreven Grayson ga seg i cupen nå, opprykk betyr mer.
Preston ligger på en trygg fjerdeplass nå = play-off = klink opprykk.

[Kato]

Ringreven Grayson ga seg i cupen nå, opprykk betyr mer.
Preston ligger på en trygg fjerdeplass nå = play-off = klink opprykk.

Ble vel noe sånt som 31-6 i avslutninger. Overkjørsel, og ran.

[Ian Baird]

Poeng gjennomsnitt pr kamp

Grayson: 1.73

McAllister: 1.66

Blackwell: 1.47

Warnock: 1.46

Wise: 1.35

McDermott: 1.23


Velkommen tilbake Simon, når det måtte passe!

[Ian Baird]

Utvidet liste. Poeng gjennomsnitt pr kamp (3p for seier og 1p for uavgjort)

Revie: 1.84
Grayson: 1.73
O'Leary: 1.72
McAllister: 1.66
Wilkinson: 1.59
Bremner: 1.52
Graham: 1.49
Blackwell: 1.47
Warnock: 1.46
Wise: 1.35
Vennables: 1.31
Clarke: 1.25
McDermott: 1.23
Reid: 1.00
Clough: 0.86

Kun Don Revie med bedre stats enn Grayson.

[Promotion 2010]

Utvidet liste. Poeng gjennomsnitt pr kamp (3p for seier og 1p for uavgjort)

Revie: 1.84
Grayson: 1.73
O'Leary: 1.72
McAllister: 1.66
Wilkinson: 1.59
Bremner: 1.52
Graham: 1.49
Blackwell: 1.47
Warnock: 1.46
Wise: 1.35
Vennables: 1.31
Clarke: 1.25
McDermott: 1.23
Reid: 1.00
Clough: 0.86

Kun Don Revie med bedre stats enn Grayson.

Bare måtte Ian:

  https://mobile.twitter.com/robhaighcad/status/454156051378880512/photos

[Ian Baird]

Utvidet liste. Poeng gjennomsnitt pr kamp (3p for seier og 1p for uavgjort)

Revie: 1.84
Grayson: 1.73
O'Leary: 1.72
McAllister: 1.66
Wilkinson: 1.59
Bremner: 1.52
Graham: 1.49
Blackwell: 1.47
Warnock: 1.46
Wise: 1.35
Vennables: 1.31
Clarke: 1.25
McDermott: 1.23
Reid: 1.00
Clough: 0.86

Kun Don Revie med bedre stats enn Grayson.

Bare måtte Ian:

  https://mobile.twitter.com/robhaighcad/status/454156051378880512/photos

Really NICE!

[Torpe-do]

Hadde alltid sansen for Grayson.

Men nå koser han seg vel med Ridsdale i Preston.

[GeirO]

Går vel ikke an å sammenligne saus og kanarifugl, dvs. Leauge One og Premiership......litt ulik motstand.

[kongsmo]

Premiership er vel en division mitt i mellom det eller 

[Asbjørn]

Simon Grayson intervjuet foran møtet med Manchester. Han representerer jo Preston, men 2/3 av artikkelen omhandler jo Leeds

http://www.telegraph...y-trainers.html

Simon Grayson is a good manager, who has troubled Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Harry Redknapp in the FA Cup, but even such a diligent professional succumbs to superstition. During his time as Leeds United manager, Grayson credited a lucky pen, waterproof jacket and even car-wash for his Cup exploits. Now reviving Preston North End, Grayson takes on Manchester United in the Cup wearing his lucky trainers, pinched off the club masseur.

Louis van Gaal’s Deepdale dossier needs a couple of pages on superstition. Oh, and post-match wine protocol. United’s esteemed manager will be invited for a drink by Grayson but there may not be red wine as Grayson, a lifelong Leeds fan, drinks only white. Oh, and if Van Gaal could bring a map of his native Holland. Grayson needs some tips for when he embarks on a charity bike ride to Amsterdam.

Superstitions first. “We had a bad January and the kit-man had not taken my trainers to the Sheffield United game,’’ explained Grayson, sitting in the board-room of the League One club on Thursday. “So I picked up a pair of one of the masseurs - his best trainers - and I wore them. We won the game and I’ve worn them the last three games. I’ve hijacked his trainers. He’s looking for a new pair.

“I am superstitious. At Leeds, I got my car washed on the way to Elland Road, we won, and I just carried that forward. We won every Saturday at home for about eight games. It makes no difference but it makes me feel better.” Grayson then found the pen and kept it in his pocket for a draw with Wenger’s Arsenal. He also drew with Redknapp’s Spurs and famously oversaw a victory over Ferguson at Old Trafford.


“There are other members of my staff who are superstitious but are in denial,’’ continued Grayson. “Glynn Snodin denies he’s superstitious but he does the same things when we’ve won games but says: ‘Oh no, I was going to do that anyway.’ He’ll wear the same suit. He had the option the other day to wear his tracksuit or club suit to Chesterfield, and he said: ‘I’ll just wear my own suit again.’ I went: ‘That’s got nothing to do with you wearing it at Sheffield United and Coventry?’ Glynn said: ‘No! It just looks smarter.’ He’d not worn it all season. He’s in denial!”


Grayson cannot wait for Monday. “Van Gaal is a special manager, who has a worldwide name in the game like Sir Alex. It makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up to get the opportunity to pit my wits against him because of his aura and reputation. I’m competitive. I want to beat Van Gaal, who’s managed at some of the biggest names in world football, Barcelona, Ajax and Bayern Munich. It’s a fantastic opportunity to try to outdo another manager who has been far more successful than myself.

“I will definitely invite him for a drink afterwards. Whether he accepts is another thing but I hope he will. It’s an English tradition. All the other times I’ve been involved against top teams, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United, we’ve always been in for drinks or the opposition have come in: Harry Redknapp, Sir Alex, Rafa Benitez (with Liverpool in the Carling Cup), Wenger.

“When you’re in a room with Wenger, you ask him one million and one questions in a 15-minute period. Wenger’s one of the best managers in the world and I want to gather any knowledge from him to make me better. We just talked about his training sessions, the level of intensity in them, but ultimately Wenger said: ‘It’s a lot about the recruitment of players, the better players you have makes your job a lot easier’.

“Van Gaal’s got the better players than me. Who’s got the hardest job? Well, I wouldn’t mind picking up his salary and having that choice to pick between £250,000-a-week players compared to £1500-a-week players. When you look at Van Gaal’s bench, there’s Marouane Fellaini £20m-plus, Juan Mata, Ander Herrera. The list is endless. When you throw those names together it is a daunting prospect.

“Manchester United have probably got one of the best squads in Europe that is slightly under-achieving. They should be pushing for top position but are a bit behind Manchester City and Chelsea. But it’s only a question of time before they do it. It’s probably taking Van Gaal a little bit longer to implement his philosophy, get a system of playing and get the players in that he really needs. I’m sure somewhere down the line it will prove successful for him.

“I expect them to play a strong team against us. This is all they’ve got to play for. They’re not going to win the Premier League. When foreign coaches come into the English game, they underestimate what the FA Cup, and possibly League Cup, means to the opposition. When you look in Spain, there’s seeding (in the Copa del Rey). Van Gaal would never have thought in his wildest dreams that he’d be playing at the Abbey Stadium against players he wouldn’t know. I’m sure he wasn’t at Chesterfield watching us on Tuesday night.

“Van Gaal would probably know the name Preston North End but maybe doesn’t know as much about the background of what the club has done in the past. But I’m sure he’ll have done his research on the club, the players, and all the fine details that has made him into the manager he is. I’m sure he will be very respectful towards us on Monday night.”


Grayson was at Old Trafford on Wednesday to watch Van Gaal’s side defeat Burnley and exchanged a few words with Ferguson, now a club ambassador. “He was entertaining people just before the game. I’m sure he’s missing the game but enjoying the other side of it now. The game with Manchester United (Leeds’ 1-0 victory in 2010) seems like yesterday. I remember being in Sir Alex’s office, remembering how humble and how complimentary he was, saying how well we’d done and that we deserved to win. He said: ‘You’ve got to go on and make sure you get promotion because I backed you at the start of the season! No pressure!’ I had that thought going through my mind for the rest of the season.

“I don’t think we did take Sir Alex a bottle of wine. I don’t drink red wine because I’m a Leeds fan and we only drink white. When it’s Leeds-Manchester United, of course I get involved in the rivalry. It’s different as Preston manager. I want to win the game for myself but also for the players and supporters of Preston North End. Deep down, I know I’ll be having all of Leeds cheering us on to achieve that target again.”

Monday will also be an emotional occasion because Deepdale will be remembering Sir Tom Finney who passed away a year ago on Saturday. “When I came to the club, it was one of the first things I asked was ‘could I go and meet him’,’’ recalled Grayson. “I knew he was in a home and was unwell. But I wanted to have the opportunity to say that I’d actually met Sir Tom Finney because of the stature he had not just in Preston but worldwide with people putting him on the same pedestal as Messi and Ronaldo.

“It was nice to have a picture taken with him, to listen to him and it’s a memory I’ll always have. He told me a few stories about playing for England against Italy (scoring twice in Turin in 1948) and being offered the chance to go to Italy (by Palermo). He could have increased his money 10-fold, probably even more. But Preston turned it down. He said: ‘All right, no problem, that’s your decision, I’ll go back to playing football and doing plumbing as well.’ That was the humble man he was. It was a brief experience meeting him but a fantastic one.”


Grayson was one of the pall-bearers at Finney’s funeral at Preston Minster. “It was a great honour to be asked. It showed with the turnout what the man meant to this city, to the club and to football in general. Everyone was there from all walks of life. It was a tearful but joyful experience.”

The 45-year-old Yorkshireman loves clubs that cherish their past. “I do embrace all the history. Leeds and Blackpool have fantastic history and tradition, icons of football. Some managers like to put all that in the background, take down pictures of famous pictures, and live for the moment. I say to the players: ‘Try to be a part of a new history, and be ones to have your pictures on the wall alongside these greats. Don’t dismiss history, use it as an inspiration’.”

Preston are a League One club with huge ambitions. “It is a Premier League stadium here. We are one of the few clubs around that are debt-free, that own the ground, own the training ground, and have an owner (Trevor Hemmings) who is willing to back us if we get into the Championship.

“It’s been a difficult few years since relegation (in 2011). No team has a divine right to go back up but we are working hard, the owner has got his mojo back in terms of backing the manager and doing everything I’ve asked him to do. There was no chief scout, no IT department, no fitness coach, no masseurs when I came into the club (in 2013) but I’ve asked for these things and we gathered them as we’ve gone along.

“Anybody I work with after Karl (Oyston at Blackpool) and Ken (Bates at Leeds) is going to be a dream. Working for Karl and Ken made me a better manager in terms of (dealing with) how they work: controversial, stubborn. It was a fantastic grounding working with them.

“I don’t see much of the owner because he’s based in the Isle of Man. He just lets me get on with the job and that’s all you want as a manager. There can be too much input from people above who don’t necessarily know what they are on about.’’

He talks to Peter Ridsdale a lot. “He’s an advisor to the owner because obviously the Football League rules are that he can’t be running a club,’’ said Grayson, referring to Ridsdale’s disqualification from acting as a director for seven years following the liquidation of a company he owned in 2009. “Peter’s good. I work with him and John Kay, the chief executive. We make all the decisions on football.’’

As a former Leeds player and manager, and lifelong supporter, Grayson remembers well Ridsdale’s chairmanship at Elland Road when they overspent as they “lived the dream”, using Ridsdale’s phrase, in chasing Champions League glory.

“I talk to Peter about what went on at Leeds,’’ continued Grayson. “I said: ‘You obviously took the goldfish with you when you left Leeds.’ I was looking for the goldfish on my first day I went there. I said: ‘I would love to have been given some of the money you spent at Leeds.’ When people look back, it was an unbelievable period for Leeds, and would many Leeds people change what happened in that particular era? They wouldn’t. They loved the era but the other side of it is they’ve suffered the consequences since.”


Grayson made only three appearances for Leeds before being signed in 1992 for £50,000 by Brian Little at Leicester City and fully flourishing under Martin O’Neill. “Martin was very much in the Brian Clough mould. He was a fantastic man-manager and motivator. We wouldn’t see much of him on the training ground but as soon as he walked in on a Thursday, training was lifted.

“He would do the most eccentric things. When you think you’re going to need a couple of hard sessions after a poor result Martin would take you away for two or three days to Bournemouth. He relied on the spirit of the dressing-room to get results at times. That’s something I’ve learned.

“He was just a character. He could be aloof but the next minute he’s having a laugh and a joke and having a drink with you in a bar. I rang him out of courtesy to say I was leaving to go to Aston Villa (in 1997). It was going to a tribunal and Brian Little wanted me at Villa. So I rang out of politeness. I just wanted to say that I’d just been Player of the Year, we’ve just won the League Cup but I want to go to Villa. I got the message back from his secretary: ‘He can’t talk to you now but basically f*** off’. Two months later, he tried to buy me back.

“He’s a real, genuine football person who’s made up for his players doing well as managers. He’s always said to me: ‘I follow your clubs, I’m really pleased how you’re doing in your career’.’’

Grayson likes to absorb advice from all managers and will be picking Van Gaal’s brains on Monday, not least about short-cuts through Amsterdam. “I’m sure he could tell me a few places to visit. I’ll mention that after the game.” On June 12, Grayson sets out from London to cycle to Amsterdam in aid of Prostate Cancer UK after his close friend, Steve Garbett, died last September from the disease.

“I met Steve when I was 17 on a course doing my coaching badges. We remained friends, he’d come and watch me as a player and a manager, give me advice and he did some scouting for the FA. It was a really sad moment last year. It was quite spooky at his funeral; his coffin was carried out to The Killers’ ‘Human’. The next morning I woke up at 6am to drive to training, started the car and the radio station was playing that song. I looked up to the skies and said: ‘Forget your song, Steve, get me three points at the weekend.’

“I think about him before kick-off. I’ll think about him on Monday before the game. With Steve and Sir Tom up there, both looking down on us, it might help us get a result.”

[Ian Baird]

Grattis med nytt opprykk mr. Grayson. Ikke overraska.

Alt du tar i blir til gull, for han som mener noe annet, må enten være dum eller full.

[Promotion 2010]

Grattis med nytt opprykk mr. Grayson. Ikke overraska.

Alt du tar i blir til gull, for han som mener noe annet, må enten være dum eller full.

Første som klarer 4 opprykk fra tredje nivå: Blackpool, Leeds United, Huddersfield og Preston!   

[Trulsaren]

Grattis med nytt opprykk mr. Grayson. Ikke overraska.

Alt du tar i blir til gull, for han som mener noe annet, må enten være dum eller full.

Lurer på om naboene våre i Huddersfield sier det samme?

[Ian Baird]

Grattis med nytt opprykk mr. Grayson. Ikke overraska.

Alt du tar i blir til gull, for han som mener noe annet, må enten være dum eller full.

Lurer på om naboene våre i Huddersfield sier det samme?

Nei, Grayson rykker "bare" opp ca. halvparten av sine forsøk. Men, han klarte ett opprykk der også da!

[Josch]

Simon Grayson: 4 opprykk

[Gufrias]

Bare å slutte seg til gratulantene.

Og for de som mener at "dette er hans nivå": Etter admin har vi aldri vært så nær opprykk til PL som da SG var manager. Til tross for Ken Bates' "dyrt ut, billig inn"-politikk.

Om han bare hadde kunnet organisere et forsvar, og holde et lag i form etter nyttår...

[TK20]

Gratulerer! Trist du ikke er hos oss lengre, pga ettellerannet med dama til Andy O'Brien.

[B_Ød]

SG.....my man 

[Hobben]

Gratulerer Simon! Ønsker du en dag returnerer til Leeds! Vår beste manager på mange, mange år!

[h.b]

Gratulerer Simon! Ønsker du en dag returnerer til Leeds! Vår beste manager på mange, mange år!

Drømmen din er gått i oppfyllelse. En gang neste sesong 

[Josch]

He-he
Hukommelsen er kort for noen. SG er plutselig blitt en skikkelig gromgutt!! Husk at dette er  League 1 nivå.
Han har ikke gjort  det SÃ... vanvittig bra i ch.ship med  Leeds, Blackpool og  Hudds.

[p0ndus]

He-he
Hukommelsen er kort for noen. SG er plutselig blitt en skikkelig gromgutt!! Husk at dette er  League 1 nivå.
Han har ikke gjort  det SÃ... vanvittig bra i ch.ship med  Leeds, Blackpool og  Hudds.

Enig, eneste området han kanskje kunne bidratt nå, måtte vært om han ble konsulent m.h.t det offensive spillet.

[Promotion 2010]

He-he
Hukommelsen er kort for noen. SG er plutselig blitt en skikkelig gromgutt!! Husk at dette er  League 1 nivå.
Han har ikke gjort  det SÃ... vanvittig bra i ch.ship med  Leeds, Blackpool og  Hudds.

Enig, eneste området han kanskje kunne bidratt nå, måtte vært om han ble konsulent m.h.t det offensive spillet.

Ã... kaste innpå en drøss men angripere på slutten av en kamp man desperat trenger poeng er neppe noe managergrep. Gøy for publikum kanskje og en satsning, men IKKE noe annet.

SG kunne aldri organisere et lag. Denne heltestatusen som noen gir ham er vel drøyt.

3.divisjon - ja, men 7.plassen året etter i Championship var et skikkelig blaff! 

[p0ndus]

He-he
Hukommelsen er kort for noen. SG er plutselig blitt en skikkelig gromgutt!! Husk at dette er  League 1 nivå.
Han har ikke gjort  det SÃ... vanvittig bra i ch.ship med  Leeds, Blackpool og  Hudds.

Enig, eneste området han kanskje kunne bidratt nå, måtte vært om han ble konsulent m.h.t det offensive spillet.

Ã... kaste innpå en drøss men angripere på slutten av en kamp man desperat trenger poeng er neppe noe managergrep. Gøy for publikum kanskje og en satsning, men IKKE noe annet.

SG kunne aldri organisere et lag. Denne heltestatusen som noen gir ham er vel drøyt.

3.divisjon - ja, men 7.plassen året etter i Championship var et skikkelig blaff! 
[/
Og kaste inn en mengde angripere mot slutten av en match kan vel strengt tatt ikke beskrives som noe annet enn et managergrep , om enn ikke alltid det smarteste. Likte dog innstillingen til Grayson.

[Gufrias]

He-he
Hukommelsen er kort for noen. SG er plutselig blitt en skikkelig gromgutt!! Husk at dette er  League 1 nivå.
Han har ikke gjort  det SÃ... vanvittig bra i ch.ship med  Leeds, Blackpool og  Hudds.

Enig, eneste området han kanskje kunne bidratt nå, måtte vært om han ble konsulent m.h.t det offensive spillet.

Ã... kaste innpå en drøss men angripere på slutten av en kamp man desperat trenger poeng er neppe noe managergrep. Gøy for publikum kanskje og en satsning, men IKKE noe annet.

SG kunne aldri organisere et lag. Denne heltestatusen som noen gir ham er vel drøyt.

3.divisjon - ja, men 7.plassen året etter i Championship var et skikkelig blaff! 

Vet ikke om 7. plassen var et blaff, jeg. Vi lå lenge på playoffplass sesongen etter også, men poengfangsten stoppet da Howson ble skadet og senere solgt.

Da Grayson ble sparket 1. februar lå vi på 10. plass, men sesongen endte på 14.
Sesongene etterpå har gitt plasseringene 13, 15 og 15 - dog under veldig turbulente forhold.

Så selv om Grayson hadde sine mangler, gjorde han det bedre enn etterfølgerne.

[Sydhagen]

Var for at vi sparket den karen her, men....savner ham.

Sprudlende offensiv fotball med blemmer bak. Idag har vi kun blemmer bak...

[Dennis]

Var for at vi sparket den karen her, men....savner ham.

Sprudlende offensiv fotball med blemmer bak. Idag har vi kun blemmer bak...

Var enig, men savner han selv.

Vi har ikke vært nærmere PL siden Simon måtte gå. Og det med mange spillere fra League One og selve gnieren som sjef.

[sportcarl1]

Var for at vi sparket den karen her, men....savner ham.

Sprudlende offensiv fotball med blemmer bak. Idag har vi kun blemmer bak...

Var enig, men savner han selv.

Vi har ikke vært nærmere PL siden Simon måtte gå. Og det med mange spillere fra League One og selve gnieren som sjef.

vem vet han kanske snart blir entledigad och ledig från Preston som igår förlorade hemma mot Blackburn