Barry Hunter

[bedforddiamond]

Not wishing to name drop etc.. lol but was sat with Barry tonight at Wembley for the Spain game, he sends his best wishes to everyone at AFC R&D he is now European Scout for Man City (did'nt do bad for himself did he)! I asked him if he wanted to return to management, he said not on your life, flys around Europe for the Sky Blues, get's all his bills paid on time (unlike some places he's been) and doesn't have that day to day pressure of management.

Top bloke Barry, recognised me straight away and loved his time at RDFC.

[ChorltonV]

oh yeah, Top Man, glad he has a comfortable easy life, isn't it just dandy how things turned out after he sent our club spiraling out of the league and onto the path of oblivion.

[Biggles]

Slightly unfair on Barry, yes he was not a great manager but the Trust had the chance to ditch him but bottled it which led to Barry staying put and Paul Hart arriving which was when the greater damage was done.

[therushden]

if he'd have played himself in defence that season and we didn't have that clown, jamie young, dropping the ball in the net every other game, we'd have stayed up easily.

[Bob's Bitch]

oh yeah, Top Man, glad he has a comfortable easy life, isn't it just dandy how things turned out after he sent our club spiraling out of the league and onto the path of oblivion.

I'm not having that. Barry was a great manager IMO, we were very unlucky to go down that year, 45 points was ****ing loads compared to what other teams have gone down with in recent seasons. Plus he was responsible for a few fantastic memories (3-2, Orient and Billy Sharp's Boston hat-trick) and managed a team with a great spirit and fight, something that wasn't seen again until JE's team. We should've kept him on for the first Conference season.

[ChorltonV]

Hunter was the manager when we were relegated from the football league, regardles of him being 'a nice bloke', he was a failure.

[Bob's Bitch]

Kept us up in 2005, was unlucky in 2006 and he should've been given a chance in 06/07, it would've been a lot cheaper as well I bet. Leo Fortune-****ing-West, I don't think I remember ever actually seeing him play for us, he must've been on a big wage as well. :evil:

[BartonRaz]

Kept us up in 2005, was unlucky in 2006 and he should've been given a chance in 06/07, it would've been a lot cheaper as well I bet. Leo Fortune-****ing-West, I don't think I remember ever actually seeing him play for us, he must've been on a big wage as well. :evil:

Billy Sharp kept us up in 2005, and that was a fluke. I don't honestly think Hunter knew when he signed him what he'd turn out to be. (Not to mention the fact that Kidderminster and Cambridge below us were pathetic).

Despite the fact he took us down I don't actually think he was that bad a manager. Certainly others irked me more - Ernie the Milkman and Garry Hill for two. We were teetering on the brink as a club at that point and I don't think he would have had the resources other managers had, and it was inevitable we'd go down. In my opinion he did well to get 45 points with what was an awful awful team.

As for Leo Fortune-West, i remember him playing away at Crawley in what was one of the worst RDFC performances ever. They had about 4 contracted players a week before the game and just about managed to get a squad out, yet still beat us. That was our first game back in the BSP. Considering the circumstances of that game it's odd to look at how both clubs have gone in such drastically different directions.

[ChorltonV]

Barry was a great manager

hmmm

[wewantourdarbyback]

Barry wasn't a great manager, however he poured his heart and soul into the job.

The celebration when Gier scored against Orient say everything.