New Grimsby manager

Michael Jolley - former Cambridge student who was an investment banker until 2014, managed the University team before landing a job with the reserve team at Burnley and had a brief spell getting a team relegated in Sweden.

Bit of a baffling choice - must have sold himself well to the Grimsby board but then again most investment bankers are full of crap and have the gift of the gab.

Could have been worse..... they could have appointed an Irish plasterer.

Good choice in my book. Young intellectual theoretical manager. Maybe would work well with an older head but good use of technology and tactics. I think given time he'll do well. The second favourite Holt looked good as well

I would gan mad if we hired him like, absolutely FURIOUS.

A student indeed, must have been cheap.

And no I haven't jinxed the Grimsby game as we should be fired up for this one.

Grimsby fans are reacting like they’ve pulled off coup of the century.

Reading the responses on twitter without reading the announcent you’d think they’d appointed Pep Guardiola.

Compared to Russell Slade they have. That lad Jolley spent a few years at Burnley then managed some club in Sweden where he did pretty well so he's not a complete novice

Markovitch wrote: Compared to Russell Slade they have. That lad Jolley spent a few years at Burnley then managed some club in Sweden where he did pretty well so he's not a complete novice

He got 15 points from his 16 games in charge. Whatever planet you're coming from, that is by no means doing "pretty well".

When Jolley took over the team were winless, had 4 points from the opening 12 matches and were firmly rooted to the bottom of the league table. Despite gaining their historic first ever Allsvenskan win in Jolley's first home game in charge, he found himself with little scope or time to improve AFC's weak squad and poor levels of fitness.

In spite of this, AFC embarked on a remarkable run of results from August onwards under Jolley gaining 12 points from the next 8 games at a rate of 1.5 points per game including eye catching wins against the likes of IFK Göteborg and runaway Champions Malmö FF. The victory over Malmö FF in particular provided the biggest shock of the season in Allsvenskan and showcased Jolley's innovative tactical thinking as well as his ability to upset the odds with an inferior group of players. This victory, and the tactical approach used by Jolley has been the subject of considerable analysis within the coaching community.

From his wiki page so his mum could have written it but he was offered the chance to stay.


He is also on the sex offenders register which got him fired from Stirling Uni and Falkirk so lets give him a warm Paddock greeting tomorrow

I used to live next door to Mr Jolly. Looked a bit like Peter Sellars.

Markovitch wrote: When Jolley took over the team were winless, had 4 points from the opening 12 matches and were firmly rooted to the bottom of the league table. Despite gaining their historic first ever Allsvenskan win in Jolley's first home game in charge, he found himself with little scope or time to improve AFC's weak squad and poor levels of fitness.

In spite of this, AFC embarked on a remarkable run of results from August onwards under Jolley gaining 12 points from the next 8 games at a rate of 1.5 points per game including eye catching wins against the likes of IFK Göteborg and runaway Champions Malmö FF. The victory over Malmö FF in particular provided the biggest shock of the season in Allsvenskan and showcased Jolley's innovative tactical thinking as well as his ability to upset the odds with an inferior group of players. This victory, and the tactical approach used by Jolley has been the subject of considerable analysis within the coaching community.

From his wiki page so his mum could have written it but he was offered the chance to stay.


He is also on the sex offenders register which got him fired from Stirling Uni and Falkirk so lets give him a warm Paddock greeting tomorrow

Sounds like it's either him or his family. Couldn't do anything about fitness or crap players. Managerial genius who turned things around only to be hit with the sucker punch of injuries and suspensions... definitely written by his biggest fan.

They got relegated by 11 points...

Interesting/funny story I got told a few weeks back.

Lad at MK Dons told me their new manager (youth coach at MK Dons I think then moved into the FA before returning,no senior experience) walked into dressing room first day, sat all the pros down and declared “this is how we are going to play” and put on the England U17 World Cup final.

This is without even seeing a training session with his players.

Senior lad asks “gaffer, what if we are 1-0 down on a cold Tuesday night at Walsall and the pitch is not conjusive to playing out from the back?”

Manager “we are playing out from the back, this is our philosophy, anyone ignores this won’t be in my team”

Lost about 6 on the bounce didn’t he?

I’m all for giving new coaches a chance but surely they have to know the division? Or at least decide how you are going to play when you have assessed your personnel?

pie wrote:

Markovitch wrote: When Jolley took over the team were winless, had 4 points from the opening 12 matches and were firmly rooted to the bottom of the league table. Despite gaining their historic first ever Allsvenskan win in Jolley's first home game in charge, he found himself with little scope or time to improve AFC's weak squad and poor levels of fitness.

In spite of this, AFC embarked on a remarkable run of results from August onwards under Jolley gaining 12 points from the next 8 games at a rate of 1.5 points per game including eye catching wins against the likes of IFK Göteborg and runaway Champions Malmö FF. The victory over Malmö FF in particular provided the biggest shock of the season in Allsvenskan and showcased Jolley's innovative tactical thinking as well as his ability to upset the odds with an inferior group of players. This victory, and the tactical approach used by Jolley has been the subject of considerable analysis within the coaching community.

From his wiki page so his mum could have written it but he was offered the chance to stay.


He is also on the sex offenders register which got him fired from Stirling Uni and Falkirk so lets give him a warm Paddock greeting tomorrow

Sounds like it's either him or his family. Couldn't do anything about fitness or crap players. Managerial genius who turned things around only to be hit with the sucker punch of injuries and suspensions... definitely written by his biggest fan.

They got relegated by 11 points...

Lets hope he gets Donald Ducked tomorrow then

Don't think he takes charge until after tomorrows game. He will probably be watching from the stands, so long as it is not the stand where the schoolkids sit they will be fine.

What crime/s did he do then - odd that they have taken him on after the Crewe stuff if that is the case.

Imagine the rumours of how he got the job if we had took him on....

munchymagic wrote: What crime/s did he do then - odd that they have taken him on after the Crewe stuff if that is the case.

Imagine the rumours of how he got the job if we had took him on....

Did you hear the mystery voice on the sports hour on Radio Cumbria Munchy? Mate was gonna phone in and give Barry Bennall as the answer

I take it going forwards Grimsby won't be playing 4 4 f#cking 2then!

beefsister wrote: Michael Jolley - former Cambridge student who was an investment banker until 2014, managed the University team before landing a job with the reserve team at Burnley and had a brief spell getting a team relegated in Sweden.

Bit of a baffling choice - must have sold himself well to the Grimsby board but then again most investment bankers are full of crap and have the gift of the gab.

Could have been worse..... they could have appointed an Irish plasterer.

Haha it's a bit of a stretch to call a fixed income trader from Sheffield an investment banker. If he was from London he'd be called a barrow boy. Does show though he's a quick thinker and good talker.

Maybe banker was a wee bit tongue in cheek?

Markovitch wrote: Maybe banker was a wee bit tongue in cheek?

Does that mean both managers are bankers?

Markovitch wrote: Good choice in my book. Young intellectual theoretical manager. Maybe would work well with an older head but good use of technology and tactics. I think given time he'll do well. The second favourite Holt looked good as well

Youre [censored] joking its know it all tossers like this who are ruining the game

Always quite liked Grimsby but i hope this cut takes them down and is sacked and never heard of again.

Markovitch wrote: Compared to Russell Slade they have. That lad Jolley spent a few years at Burnley then managed some club in Sweden where he did pretty well so he's not a complete novice

Russell Slade is a proper manager but give him the managers office and you have to give him the whole club he will decide which secretaries to sack and who you buy the beer from but unfortunately for him there are a decreasing number of owners who.ll put up with his like.

A former boarder once told me a story that a week into a new job his owner was getting pissed off at him [ and he was thinking hed done the wrong thing too ] so he just sent the owner a text reminding him how much it would cost to remove him and how happy that would make him [ i believe in the end he lasted nearly 3 years and saw off the owner ]

My business partner was a part time director for a club with a proper manager, my friend sadly was killed in a car crash in January. His club has a manager who managed in the Premier and at international level. This guy simply keeps everything in his head. They have a transfer committee, why do you want to sign a player, 'because I think he's good'. That's it, no tactics, no analysis, no statistics just good old 1950s management and the fans hate the manager.

Another guy I worked with bought a club. He interviewed a young manager when they were about to drop out of the Championship. The guy came in and said something along the lines of 9 of your last 15 goals conceded have come from this position and showed them a video that proved it. He then said to solve it you need to 'abc'. To do that this player is available on a free transfer and he has the skill set to solve the issue. His club is now in the play off positions and is having the season of their lives. They have a full analytics division staffed by 25 volunteers and the analysis if the games drives the training and match preparation

Ignoring technology, tactics, training regimes for flexibility etc has all been left with long shorts and Woodbines at half time. Whether this guy can translate his technical ability to leadership and motivate the team we will see but dinosaurs who live by instinct belong in the past

Markovitch wrote: My business partner was a part time director for a club with a proper manager, my friend sadly was killed in a car crash in January. His club has a manager who managed in the Premier and at international level. This guy simply keeps everything in his head. They have a transfer committee, why do you want to sign a player, 'because I think he's good'. That's it, no tactics, no analysis, no statistics just good old 1950s management and the fans hate the manager.

Another guy I worked with bought a club. He interviewed a young manager when they were about to drop out of the Championship. The guy came in and said something along the lines of 9 of your last 15 goals conceded have come from this position and showed them a video that proved it. He then said to solve it you need to 'abc'. To do that this player is available on a free transfer and he has the skill set to solve the issue. His club is now in the play off positions and is having the season of their lives. They have a full analytics division staffed by 25 volunteers and the analysis if the games drives the training and match preparation

Ignoring technology, tactics, training regimes for flexibility etc has all been left with long shorts and Woodbines at half time. Whether this guy can translate his technical ability to leadership and motivate the team we will see but dinosaurs who live by instinct belong in the past

In your opinion. in mine bigger better and harder trumps everything else

You can have the best player in the division and all the analytics you want but it wont do you much good if my hitman has just put him in an ambulance and hes on his way to hospital tho is it ?

And if you really think the likes of Bob Stokoe wouldn't out think these " modern " managers then your sadly mistaken a set of players who.ll run thru brick walls for a manager negate all your analytics and modern thinking everyday.

Your right Barry thats why West Brom are top of the premier league and not Man City.