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Forgotten Saviour - Lennie Lawrence

Weegie AddickWeegie Addick
edited January 2007 in General Charlton
Whenever the discussion comes up about naming things after past legends, Lennie never gets mentioned. Yet without him, I doubt we'd still have a club to support. Got us into the top division when we moved to Selhurst and kept us there long enough for Alwen & co to come into the board room and start the campaign to get us back to the Valley - surely this should make him a very big hero?
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Comments

  • 19051905
    I agree, but he got an extremely warm welcome at the recent city addicks meeting. He was also able to remind us just how close we were to extinction..................
  • Weegie AddickWeegie Addick
    Out of interest, did anyone at the CA meeting ask if he wanted anything named after him??
  • LenGloverLenGlover
    [cite]Posted By: Weegie Addick[/cite]Whenever the discussion comes up about naming things after past legends, Lennie never gets mentioned. Yet without him, I doubt we'd still have a club to support. Got us into the top division when we moved to Selhurst and kept us there long enough for Alwen & co to come into the board room and start the campaign to get us back to the Valley - surely this should make him a very big hero?

    Fair point.

    I guess Jimmy Seed and Alan Curbishley get considered firstly because of their longevity (although Lennie must have done 8 or 9 years) and secondly because of the relative success of the team during their tenures.

    As you say though had Lennie not done what he did we may well not have a team to support today.
  • MCSMCS
    I have a huge respect for Lennie did for Charlton, he is up there with the legends imo
  • Chirpy RedChirpy Red
    I've nothing against him, in fact always liked him. However the one time I met him he was a bit "off".
    In our first time in the Prem, Wimbledon at home, snowy night. Remember it?
    Anyway I was on some corporate bash there. At half time I met him in the loo. I said to him how much the ground as a whole had changed a bit since his day. For the better of course. He replied: Yeah maybe, but at least we played football when I was here. Then he pulled up his flies and walked off. Don't think he washed his hands actually.
  • Curb_ItCurb_It
    he asked us not to repeat stuff on here about what he said that night but i think he is the forgotten man.

    I dont think anyone asked taht particular question no. Plenty others.
  • AFKABartramAFKABartram
    He was superb for us, and i get the feeling he believes he didn't get the respect he deserved.

    But those around at the time know the value.

    Very much old school compared to the modern day manager, we could do with a little bit of the old Houdini magic coming our way though !
  • mascot88mascot88
    He will always be a hero to me...... he was my first charlton manager......

    I remeber a game against coventry when we had had a terrible run of things and it was the year we went down ... and as he came on to the pitch to the dug out we all gave him a standing ovation at the beginning of the match .... still remeber that like it was yesterday was very young then......

    I think because football wasnt in the limelight then and because it was less high profile he is a bit the forgotten man...

    I met him once at eltham when I was a nipper and it was brilliant to meet him and humph again at CA......

    great night....
  • RothkoRothko
    edited January 2007
    Wrong thread!
  • KetmanKetman
    Loved Lennie Lawrence, Great Manager took over at possibly one of CAFC's lowest Ebbs, took us to the promised land in no time & kept us there before the in-evitable Relegation. Top Geezer !
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  • AddicktedAddickted
    He'll never be forgotten by me.

    I'm thinking of starting a campaign to name the East Stand Upper Tier, "Sir Lennie's Four Rows"
  • BlackForestRedsBlackForestReds
    I only met him once...in the immediate aftermath of the Millwall 2-CAFC 2 match where we were two up with five mins to play.

    On reflection not the best time to ask him what went wrong...
  • The Prince-e-PaulThe Prince-e-Paul
    he will always be my first charlton manager that i felt fondness towards. i can remember signing
    'oh lennie lawrence,
    lennie, lennie, lennie, lennie lawrence'
    on the terrraces as young lad. it's not the greatest of chants, but it's somehow part of my earlier years and i guess you never forget them. was gutted when he went to boro.
  • Off_itOff_it
    [quote][cite]Posted By: Addickted[/cite]He'll never be forgotten by me[/quote]

    Comment. Couldn't have put it better.
  • Oggy RedOggy Red
    As someone said on here, there would be no club today without Lennie Lawrence.

    In 1984, when we were minutes away from being anihilated by the Inland Revenue, Lennie somehow kept his small band of loyal clubmen, free transfers and kids pulling together. At that time, I believe we had only 13 senior pros.
    For much of the season we were aroud 6th in the table although we de did fall away in the last few weeks.

    The next season, we played our 'last' match at The Valley in September, and miraculously won promotion.
    For 4 years Lennie 'Houdini' Lawrence kept us in the top flight against all the odds.

    I don't believe he ever played professioal football - he was a PE teacher for Christ's sake.....!

    But 'at the end of the day' (as he always said) Lennie, leader of men and a Mr Motivator and rescuer of lost causes - you were a miracle worker.

    Lennie 'Houdini' Lawrence - Charlto Legend!
  • Henry IrvingHenry Irving
    They should name the South Stand after him.
  • Off_itOff_it
    [cite]Posted By: Henry Irving[/cite]They should name the South Stand after him.

    That's a good idea. Do you know anyone on the board who could maybe raise it as a suggestion? ;o)
  • T_C_ET_C_E
    I`ll alway`s remember that piece of film where Lennie was talking on the phone,
    when we got a stay of execution, there were tears in my eye`s that day for sure.
  • bingaddickbingaddick
    [cite]Posted By: Weegie Addick[/cite]surely this should make him a very big hero?

    I totally agree. He comes third in my "best managers" hall of fame behind Curbs and Jimmy. I would love to see him back at the valley in some kind of capacity. I still picture that film of him receiving the phone call in 1984 telling him that we had been saved. The thought of that day still makes me break out in a cold sweat.
  • MCSMCS
    For some reason yesterday as it was my b'day i wanted to watch the centenary dvd, so i did! It was quality, saw that bit when Lennie takes the call, he was quality he was, ol lennie!

    Great dvd mind, if anyone aint seen it, its well worth the money, well worth it.
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  • lancashire ladlancashire lad
    From 50 years of support there are two people who,to me, stand head and shoulders above the rest, they are Lennie for building a team in the most adverse conditions and taking them to the top and Richard Murray for bringing the club back to the Valley and building the club to its present size.
  • Henry IrvingHenry Irving
    To be fair Richard wasn't Chairman when we came back, it was Roger Alwyn but Richard's contribution has been immense.
  • Henry IrvingHenry Irving
    [cite]Posted By: Off_it[/cite]
    [cite]Posted By: Henry Irving[/cite]They should name the South Stand after him.

    That's a good idea. Do you know anyone on the board who could maybe raise it as a suggestion? ;o)

    Over my dead body
  • KetmanKetman
    Perhaps when your tenure has finished Henry we can re-name the South...sorry Jimmy Seed stand the Henry Irving Tribute stand ?
  • Henry IrvingHenry Irving
    edited October 2008
    I think they have a suitable toilet block lined up for that. ;-)
  • Smokin IceSmokin Ice
    Lennie will always be the true and only Houdini of his era. For those that know era, Lennie and his team not only secured promotion after switching "home", but also secured and maintained first division status in adversity... whilst still playing entertaining football.
  • StigStig
    A legend really. Also, whenever he's on the telly you can tell that he still has genuine affection for the club, not like some past Charlton people who either ignore us or slate us.
    [cite]Posted By: Chirpy Red[/cite]In our first time in the Prem, Wimbledon at home, snowy night. Remember it?

    Yeah, "sing when it's snowing, you only sing when it's snowing".
  • GoonerhaterGoonerhater
    As far as im concerned he is a legend. what he did under the circumstances was stunning -- people can twat on about curbs , but Lenny with the valley gates padlocked the Wolf on the front door step kept it together. He kept us going on that awful day when the scum bags gave us that shitty peice of paper and he got us in the top flight. against all the odds -- the total piss take by everyone at Shitout park and the rest of the footie World we went up. That result at carlisle and the weekend was such a great feeling and truely one of the best weekends of my life. Thanks Lenny -- Legend !

    I know he is involved with footie but id love to see him back in some way.
  • JohnnyH2JohnnyH2
    Until someone can come along and show me otherwise the best Manager we have had in the 30 years I have been supporting the club. To get the remains of the shambles of a team that we had at the back end of the 84/85 season to then re build the team from top to bottom and get us up without even having a home ground to play at was a miracle.

    To then keep us up with all the handicaps of not having a home ground brought with it was just brilliant on his part and the fact he has not got a part of The Valley named after him is a sad reflection on the club. May have been one of the old school but will always be a true Charlton great in my eyes,
  • bingaddickbingaddick
    [cite]Posted By: Goonerhater[/cite]I know he is involved with footie but id love to see him back in some way.

    Me too GH.
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