Source: FOOTYMAD
Remember The Mess Lawrenson Made At The Toon
Chris Hughton says he is not tempted to appoint a specialist striker coach to help the development of his forwards. And can you remember the 'defensive coach' we had in Keegan's days? Chris Hughton: “It’s not something I’ve considered. “Perhaps you would like to do more individual coaching than we have done but when you have the amount of games you have, it’s difficult to do it.” To jog the memory ... during Kevin Keegan's first spell as manager of Newcastle, he took stick weekly from television pundit Mark Lawrenson on Match Of The Day. 'Mr Happy' (who was last seen to smile in 1986) constantly hit out at Keegan's team saying the defence was a mess. Keegan answered back: "If he can do any better ... let him get off his TV couch and see what he can do on the Newcastle training pitch". So Lawrenson became defensive coach ... for a while ... but the players didn't take to him. One told me at the time: "I don't doubt he was a good footballer, but he is the most depressing man I have met in my life!" Lawrenson was a defender in the Liverpool and Irish football teams of the 1980s. Despite being born in England, he played for the Republic of Ireland due to his mother having been born in Waterford. As Keegan once said: "There are those who are born to manager ... and there are those not good enough who sit in a TV studio and tell them where they are going wrong".
