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Managers
Way back in the mists of time when
Andy Harrow was our manager and the Cowden Fanzine was 'the Blue Brazilian', a table was
printed giving the success in statistical terms enjoyed by every manager Cowden ever had.
I thought it was time we updated this to see just where the subsequent incumbents of the
hot seat come within the roll of honour. The table below details each manager's record and
a % success rate is computed (on the basis of 2 points for a win in order to ensure a
level playing field) – League matches only included.
| NAME |
P |
W |
D |
L |
Points |
% Success |
| Bill Hodge |
39 |
29 |
4 |
6 |
62 |
79.49 |
| Joe Parker |
9 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
13 |
72.22 |
| Bert Paton |
5 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
6 |
60.00 |
| Pat Stanton |
17 |
8 |
4 |
5 |
20 |
58.82 |
| John Clark |
65 |
29 |
17 |
19 |
75 |
57.70 |
| John Brownlie |
152 |
65 |
43 |
44 |
173 |
56.91 |
| John Dougary |
244 |
110 |
50 |
84 |
270 |
55.33 |
| Jimmy Richardson |
38 |
16 |
10 |
12 |
42 |
55.26 |
| Andy Rolland |
44 |
16 |
14 |
14 |
46 |
52.27 |
| Sandy Paterson |
371 |
156 |
69 |
146 |
381 |
51.35 |
| Pat Wilson |
111 |
41 |
30 |
40 |
112 |
50.45 |
| Scott Duncan |
266 |
111 |
46 |
109 |
268 |
50.38 |
| Andy Matthew |
231 |
93 |
46 |
92 |
232 |
50.22 |
| Archie Robertson |
133 |
49 |
32 |
52 |
130 |
48.87 |
| John Young |
22 |
7 |
3 |
12 |
17 |
48.64 |
| Joe Craig |
60 |
23 |
12 |
25 |
58 |
48.33 |
| George Sweet |
90 |
37 |
11 |
42 |
85 |
47.22 |
| John Blackley |
31 |
10 |
9 |
12 |
29 |
46.77 |
| Harry Colville |
144 |
50 |
33 |
61 |
133 |
46.18 |
| Frank Connor |
57 |
21 |
10 |
26 |
52 |
45.61 |
| Hugh Wilson |
60 |
20 |
14 |
26 |
54 |
45.00 |
| Willie Fotheringham |
56 |
18 |
14 |
24 |
50 |
44.64 |
| Jimmy Mitchell |
36 |
13 |
5 |
15 |
31 |
43.06 |
| Tom Steven |
62 |
18 |
14 |
30 |
50 |
40.32 |
| Bobby Baxter |
110 |
33 |
22 |
55 |
88 |
40.00 |
| Craig Levein |
52 |
16 |
8 |
28 |
40 |
38.46 |
| Paddy Dolan |
38 |
11 |
7 |
20 |
29 |
38.16 |
| Dan McLindon |
40 |
9 |
8 |
23 |
26 |
32.50 |
| Willie McCulloch |
23 |
3 |
8 |
12 |
14 |
30.45 |
| Dick Campbell |
12 |
1 |
4 |
7 |
6 |
25.00 |
| John Reilly |
26 |
4 |
5 |
17 |
13 |
25.00 |
| Sammy Conn |
24 |
4 |
4 |
16 |
12 |
25.00 |
| Archie Buchanan |
22 |
4 |
2 |
16 |
10 |
22.75 |
| Andy Harrow |
51 |
5 |
8 |
38 |
18 |
17.65 |
Thus still at the top of the tree is
Bill Hodge who as chairman also acted as Manager in 1938/39 when Cowden were Division 2
champs – maybe an example for Gordon McDougall perhaps? "Injun Joe" Parker
was a short-lived but successful manager way back in 1906 while Messrs Paton and Stanton
enjoyed some success in their brief stints at the helm. John Clark too has a good record.
Cowden's great managers are all there with their abilities being reflected in their
longevity in the post. Sandy Paterson leads the way with a phenomonal 371 games followed
by Scott Duncan, John Dougary and Andy Matthew. George Sweet was the Manager of the Royal
Bank of Scotland in Cowdenbeath but still proved a better football manager than most of
the recent Cowden bosses. John Brownlie is of course riding high at 6th in the table.
This of course makes it all the more galling to
note the dismal records of his successors. Tom Steven has the 11th poorest record but this
still puts him ahead of Craig Levein currently just 9 places above the bottom. One rung
lower is Paddy Dolan then we have the real dross. John Reilly and Sammy Conn are firmly in
the relegation zone with only 2 managers who could surpass their ineptitude. Indeed, Sammy
and Reilly are so bad they rank equal in the Hall of Shame with Dick 'I've never been a
failure' Campbell. Finally, still at the bottom is poor old Andy Harrow – way out of
his depth and with a record that would suggest he would be a natural to manage the English
cricket team.
Craig Levein's overall record therefore is nothing
to write home about. However, I read (in the Sunday Sport?) recently that the chairman is
going to make available cash for him to strengthen the side next season. Cowden as
millenium champions – stranger things have happened (albeit I can't immediately
recall any). Anyway, next season looks like make or break for Craig. Let's hope we see him
heading up towards Andy Matthew in the table rather than heading for 'harrowing'
experiences at the bottom of the pile.
We're always on the lookout for your comments or questions on Cowden games from the past. Where possible, Dr O' Rak will come up with an answer to your Cowden related trivia. If you have any Cowden trivia that you would like researched, drop an email to webmaster@blue-brazil.co.uk
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When
you follow a club such as Cowdenbeath that has failed
to deliver regular cup or championship glory, it
is easy to forget how good the good times were and
how really bad things have got. Our very
own club historian Dr O'Rak is always there in your
time of need to give you that piece of well-researched
information which put the LEG in LEGEND.
