A West Ham fanzine takes a look at former Toon skipper and manager Glenn Roeder:-
In the first of our look at where former West Ham United managers are now, we focus on English boss Glenn Roeder, who was in charge in East London between the years of 2001 and 2003.
Was the Woodford-born manager popular amongst the Claret & Blue Army? What did he achieve during his time at the Boleyn Ground? And more importantly, where is he now?
Glenn Roeder
A young Roeder grew up in North East London always dreaming of becoming a professional footballer and joining up with Arsenal’s Academy in his teenage years.
When things didn’t work out for him at Highbury, the silky defender hooked up with another London club in Leyton Orient, with whom he would appear over a century of times.
Making over 100 appearances was a feat that he managed to achieve at two further clubs during his playing career, Queens Park Rangers where he was captain of Newcastle United, who he later managed.
Sandwiched in between this period was a short loan to Notts County and as his career winded to a finish, Watford and Orient again would be his final two sole playing clubs.
Roeder had enjoyed a very respectable career indeed, making the best part of 600 professional starts in defence and earning a positive reputation along the way.
His time playing finished at the end of the 1992/1993 campaign, where he was also handed his first managerial break as player-manager of Kent club Gillingham.
Having kept the Gills afloat in the Football League, the up and coming manager was snapped up but ex-club Watford, he endured an up and down time at Vicarage Road.
In his early stages in Hertfordshire, Roeder so very nearly led the club to Premiership promotion, although the mess he got them into the season after led to their relegation to the old Second Division after his departure.
The East Londoner was then to take up a couple of more minor roles, working as an assistant manager under Chris Waddle at Burnley and then a coach under Glen Hoddle with England.
This led him to in 1999, his first stint as a coach in the West Ham set-up under Harry Redknapp, two years later, he would be the new man at the helm at Upton Park.
Roeder stepped up into the position of manager following Redknapp’s departure, the move was met with much optimism from the Hammers supporters.
However, they were willing to give him a chance and he duly rewarded them in his first season by enjoying a successful campaign, much like at his previous clubs.
The Irons finished seventh in the 2001/2002 term under Roeder, which bought him time at the club, though he suffered from the old bugbear of second season syndrome the following campaign.
Instead of battling for European football, the East Londoners were now fighting for their lives in the Premiership, sitting rock bottom over the festive period, faced with a very slim survival chance.
As the season drew to a close, Roeder discovered a brain tumour that required immediate medical attention and was forced to leave his role on a temporary basis.
Sir Trevor Brooking stepped in for the short-term, though the damage had already been done and despite an upturn in form, Roeder’s side were relegated to the Championship.
The former Magpie returned a few months later and vowed to help the team to turn things around, although, in the wake of a torrid start to the season in the second tier, he was relieved of his duties in summer 2003.
Roeder waited around two years before taking a backroom role with Newcastle, later being plunged into the caretaker manager position and then eventually being named permanent boss.
Having led the club to Intertoto Cup glory, the first trophy of his playing or managerial career, he stepped down in the spring of 2007 following a below-par season.
His final managerial assignment to date came with Norwich City at Carrow Road in early winter 2007, he would last little over a year, being sacked in January 2009 amid pressure from supporters.
Having not held an official position for six years, Roeder was appointed an advisor for Sheffield Wednesday in 2015, he failed to see the year out before losing his position.
Nowadays, at the age of 62, Roeder remarkably still holds a role within football, managerial advisor to Darren Sarll at League Two club Stevenage, he is approaching two years in the job.
Glenn Roeder may not have been the most popular of West Ham United’s 15 permanent managers in their history, but there can be no denying that he gave a hard act to follow his best shot during his two-year spell.