new it would get into a saga of worst managers I have known .. As a manager it can be very difficult to get rid of poor staff ( who usually think they are great ) A good manager is unlikely to be your friend as are "nice" people likely to be most successful in business. There is a requirement to try to keep a distance perhaps, this is why people promoted from within a team to manage a team often don't actually do as well as if they had taken the role in a new company.

Knowing where you stand and honesty are very important .. oh I could go on and on.. post about the subject matter not your saga of good and bad, much more interesting