1987-88 Season - Management
At the end of the season Willie McFaul was awarded and signed a new three year contract. It was just reward for guiding United to their best League position tor over a decade under very difficult circumstances.
A poor start to the season put McFaul under tremendous pressure and rumours persisted that he was to be replaced; with Huddersfield manager Malcolm Macdonald's name often appearing in dispatches. The beleagured Irishman was even convinced that someone in football was "undermining" and "sabotaging" him
Off the pitch he had to deal with a whole set of seemingly disenchanted players who either couldn't get a game or didn't want to play and even on the pitch he had players who were having a go at each other. In the end he had to admit that he had had to warn his players to cut it out
McFaul didn't like to criticise his plyers in public but there were a number of post match dressing room inquests where he let them know how he felt. And occasionally he did use the papers or the programme to make the players aware of his dissatisfaction
Gazza was a particular challenge for McFaul and there were some rumours of a bust-up behind the scenes. Willie alternated praise with criticism to try and get the best out of him and desperately tried to persuade him to stay but it was an impossible task.
All the time though McFaul stuck to his guns of trying to play football, the performances improved and United gradually climbed the table.
A significant turning point in the season came when Colin Sugget stepped down as first team coach (after the League Cup defeat at Blackpool) and was replaced by reserve coach John Pickering. He was a man who worked the team hard but had vast experience and commanded great respect.
At the campaigns end Pickering would be the first ever United coach to be offered more than the season-to-season contract previously given to the coaching staff.
The fans did not turn on McFaul out so the opportunity to chant "Willie Out" was spurned. The Irishman also boxed clever by continually praising the patience and support of the Gallowgate faithful.
Most quite rightly laid the blame at the directors door as a result of Beardsley following Waddle in search of trophies.Chants of "sack the board" and "Seymour Out" where aired on a regular basis and chairman Seymour incensed the fans when he claimed that "no-one would expect Newcastle to beat Liverpool if they were honest" after United had been thrashed 4-1 at home by the scousers.
Stan Seymour would step down as Chairman at the end of the season with Gordon McKeag replacing him. The Gosforth solicitor walking straight into the storm which was just starting to brew as Sir John Hall spearheaded a campain to democratise the club.
Hall wanted a massive shake-up of the Board and a £5 miliion share issue which he claimed would allow fan's to have a stake in the club.
The directors were having none of it claiming that Hall was an opportunist and citing the example of Robert Maxwell who was buying and selling clubs like a man who was spending other people's money (which of course he was).
Hall had the necessary 10% shareholder support to force an EGM but was a long way from the 51% required to overthrow the board and the 75% required to force a share issue. This story was set to continue.