Alex McLeish

Eddie

Well-Known Member
Like most of you guys I’m just going through a lot of our classic games, just watching the Lovenkrands final, and remember that when Mr McLeish arrived he won the first 5 trophies available to him.Does he get the credit he deserves?
 
I don’t think he does.

When he arrived, we were being dominated by the scum. Wee Dick, for all his abilities, had absolutely no answer to MoN and had spent a fortune on rubbish like Konterman.

When Big Eck arrived he righted the ship, gave us confidence we could take them on and win and gave us 2 unforgettable last day League wins, all whilst being forced to downsize from the madness of Advocaat’s overspending.

Sure, there were some low points (such as the 11 matche streak without a win) but on the whole I think he did an excellent job and handled himself with the dignity which is as sadly lacking from some of his successors.
 
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No he doesn't. A cup double, a treble, last 16 of the CL, helicopter Sunday. Won the same amount of honours as Martin o Neill with a fraction of the budget and wage bill. All the while downsizing due to high levels of debt thanks to Murray and Advocaat.

But people tend to focus on ten games without a win midway through the 05/06 season (some of those games including creditable draws in the CL) and his assistant leaning against the dugout a lot.
 
Tainted by eventually coming 3rd in a 2 horse race and playing some of the dullest football ever witnessed at Ibrox up to then.

I think, thankfully, history will judge him more like the OP, however.
Also reached the last 16 of the CL which was a phenomenal achievement for a Scottish side.
 
Like most of you guys I’m just going through a lot of our classic games, just watching the Lovenkrands final, and remember that when Mr McLeish arrived he won the first 5 trophies available to him.Does he get the credit he deserves?

Can someone with a better memory than me fill in the blanks for me. Winning the first five trophies possible can't be accurate as winning the CIS cup happened before the league finished. I'm assuming to use that terminology that it's of the understanding the league was out of his hands by the time of his appointment, but as early as league cup final day?

I have a terrible memory for points etc. What was the league situation in terms of difference when Eck arrived?
 
One of my heroes growing up as a boy, don't care that he played for Aberdeen, capped 77 times for Scotland, an absolute legend, also had the privilege of meeting him when he was Scotland boss, I was steaming, he put up with my slabbering pish :D
 
O'Neill was being wanked off both sides of the border as future Man Utd manager and tipped for big things, yet as far as I am aware Big Eck won more cups than him head to head and got nowhere near the praise.

He was frustrating at times, but when it went right, by god did it go right
 
Like most of you guys I’m just going through a lot of our classic games, just watching the Lovenkrands final, and remember that when Mr McLeish arrived he won the first 5 trophies available to him.Does he get the credit he deserves?
Not only did he win the first 5 trophies but he did it while downsizing the squad saving the club millions a year
 
He played quick and decisive football against a Martin O team of giants... and beat them comfortably.
i just remember grumblings at the time although I could be wrong. The Inter Milan game to get us in to the last knockout stages always sticks in my mind as a tactical masterclass. Bob Malcolm was outstanding that night.
 
He doesn’t.
Without a lot of money he turned the tables on a Celtic side tyat ripped the much coveted (and over rated imo) dick advocaat team a new backside. He quickly found the answer was a great success for a period of time.
 
He got the best out of Advocaat's players, but when he started to buy/introduce his own players it didn't work out so well.
I realise that was partly down to the lack of funds he had, but he was still able to spend £6 million on the likes of Arteta and £4.5 million on Barry Ferguson, Thomas Buffel (£3m), Kyrgiakos (£2.5m) as well as picking up guys for free like Boumsong from Auxerre, Frank de Boer from Galatasary, Prso from Monaco, Emerson from Atletico Madrid.

I liked him as our manager, but at the end it was pretty awful football to watch.
 
The key to success is finding your opponents weakness and exploiting it. Eck done that, pace and technique against the direct and physical O'Neil side, they couldn't cope
 
He will always go down as one of our successful managers due to treble
also decent first record with national team
 
People go on about it was awful to watch etc I’d much rather be winning playing ugly football than nice football getting pumped, Walters sides never played silky football it was all about the results at the end of the day.
 
Alex is a true blue. Becoming Rangers boss was a dream come true for him. It was massive downsizing, from 50 million to 17 if my memory serves me correctly. And still he delivered.
 
The Hibs defeats really done him. The atmosphere in the stadium after the Sproule game was horrific.

I remember the good times more, some of my best moments as a fan. The 2 final days and the Lovenkrands cup final being the best.
 
Split his tenure into 2.

December 01 - May 03 : He could do no wrong. Europe was his only blip.

June 03 - May 06 : An absolute shit show.

Eck gave us the highest of highs but the lowest of lows as well.
 
He won trophies!!

Something our recent managers haven't been able to achieve.
 
Can someone with a better memory than me fill in the blanks for me. Winning the first five trophies possible can't be accurate as winning the CIS cup happened before the league finished. I'm assuming to use that terminology that it's of the understanding the league was out of his hands by the time of his appointment, but as early as league cup final day?

I have a terrible memory for points etc. What was the league situation in terms of difference when Eck arrived?
league cup was played in march back them rather than earlier in the season as it is now. league was to far to peg back when he arrived.
 
Alex McLeish is one of Rangers most successful managers. He is responsible for some of the club's greatest triumphs. The 2002 Scottish Cup Final thread is testimony to that.
 
Sussed O’Neill out to the point where he used his wife’s illness to bail out of Scotland, when in my mind he was just a bad loser.

No surprise to see O’Neill went on to win nothing outside of Scotland.
 
league cup was played in march back them rather than earlier in the season as it is now. league was to far to peg back when he arrived.

Thanks mate. I guessed it was something like that.
 
Split his tenure into 2.

December 01 - May 03 : He could do no wrong. Europe was his only blip.

June 03 - May 06 : An absolute shit show.

Eck gave us the highest of highs but the lowest of lows as well.
He did better at the start of his time as manager, but that second period still included winning the league (Helicopter Sunday) and getting to the last 16 of the CL. Some games were horrendous in fairness and his time was up by the end, but overall I think he did a magnificent job and was definitely underrated.
 
If he doesn’t it’s because we eventually went off a cliff edge, went a shocking number of games without a win and finished 3rd in a two horse race.

I’ve got loads of time for McLeish but his tenure can be split into two half’s. The sublime and the ridiculous. He really did do a wonderful job early doors, above and beyond what any of us expected, but when we went down we nose dived horribly and he seemed to lose control.
 
Agreed, a very good record, but it was awful to watch at times... questionable tactics, (Marvin Andrews at centre forward!) Signed some absolute dung, Emerson, Ostenstad, Capucho, albeit on a restricted budget....

If he doesn’t it’s because we eventually went off a cliff edge, went a shocking number of games without a win and finished 3rd in a two horse race.

I’ve got loads of time for McLeish but his tenure can be split into two half’s. The sublime and the ridiculous. He really did do a wonderful job early doors, above and beyond what any of us expected, but when we went down we nose dived horribly and he seemed to lose control.
 
Agreed, a very good record, but it was awful to watch at times... questionable tactics, (Marvin Andrews at centre forward!) Signed some absolute dung, Emerson, Ostenstad, Capucho, albeit on a restricted budget....

Got to the stage where we couldn’t buy a win against the tarriars too and we generally went into OF games expecting to get pumped.
 
Started well but got worse and worse as his time wore on
Hung around for a pay off
His "Alex McLeish fans" comment said a lot about him
At the end of his tenure watching Rangers contravened UN guidelines on cruel and unusual punishments.
 
Like most of you guys I’m just going through a lot of our classic games, just watching the Lovenkrands final, and remember that when Mr McLeish arrived he won the first 5 trophies available to him.Does he get the credit he deserves?


He definitely doesn't mate.

Especially if you remember we were downsizing at the time and he got nothing close to the budget Walter and Advocaat had.

He was also up against the best Celtic team since Stein's era.
 
People go on about it was awful to watch etc I’d much rather be winning playing ugly football than nice football getting pumped, Walters sides never played silky football it was all about the results at the end of the day.
We weren't winning though, we finished 3rd behind Motherwell.
 
It's frustrating that big Eck has had me at both sides of the emotion spectrum


He was brilliant at times and got the best out of the players Advocatt couldn't.

I've had some of the best days being a rangers fan under him.

He became clueless at times and playing 424 and lovenkrands left wing was terrible to watch.

I still have a great option of him and glad he came in as if we continued with Advocatt we would be wiped the floor with the team from the scum. It was arguably their best side for 25 odd years at the time and possibly the best side they will have in my generation. But still they couldn't touch us. Even watching that game last night we played some lovely football. Just remember 2 goals they scored were from set plays.
 
Will remember the good times and block out the terrible ones! Came extremely close to making the last 8 in the champions league. Something that other managers with better squads have not managed.
 
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