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Sooty57

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Posts posted by Sooty57

  1. Posted

    I must admit that when Ben Knapper was appointed I was one of those advocating keeping Wagner for a short while, thus giving the new boy time to get his feet under the table and seek a suitable replacement before the January transfer window, However, the past few games have shown just how utterly desperate the situation has become. Whether it is poor tactics, poor man management, or whatever, something has obviously gone very wrong in the squad. To surrender a two goal lead in two games in the space of a few weeks, and play so poorly even when scraping a win, is unforgivable.

    The players seem to be totally bereft of self-belief and, while not the best squad in the division, should be doing a hell of a lot better than they are. I'm all for giving Neil Adams or another interim manager the reigns until a suitable replacement can be found. 

    p.s. after Stoke lost to QPR last night I jokingly suggested to my friend that we swap managers. It wouldn't cost anything other than a couple of bus fares, and neither team could be any worse. He has forbidden me from going within 50 meters of any board members.

  9. Posted · Edited by Sooty57

    4 minutes ago, Chichcan said:

    I'd have thought he already knows who he wants and it won't just be some unemployed manager, but a coach somewhere (maybe Arsenal) that has what Knapper's looking for. 

    If that is indeed the case, I have absolutely no problem with Wagner's departure. I just don't want fan disquiet to force the new guy into a position where he feels obliged to make a knee-jerk appointment.

    • Like 3

  11. Posted · Edited by Sooty57
    typo

    Right, here we go, tin hat on and ready for the flack. Before we go any further, I do NOT for one moment think that David Wagner is the manager to take this club forward BUT........

    Even the most yellow and green bespectacled fan would have to admit that we are hardly the most exciting prospect for an even half-decent manager with ambition. This is particularly true if, as many continually insist, we have bought rubbish players for the past few seasons and the board won't make any funds available to improve the squad, and will probably have to sell our best players to survive. Grabbing the first out of work manager with any sort of history has not worked before, so why do many seem to think it will work now? 

    We have a new sporting director starting on Monday, who we hope will be a great asset to our club going forward. Do we really want to force him into such a major decision this early in his tenure, just so we can slag him off when/if it goes wrong? Our downturn in form seemed to largely coincide with injuries to key players, most of whom are on the way back soon. This division is so tight that a decent run can shoot you back into playoff contention very quickly, at which point the managerial job seems a lot more attractive.

    Would it not be better to hang on the Wagner at least until January, which would also give Ben Knapper a better chance to assess the best course of action to move the club forward?

    • Like 2
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  16. Posted · Edited by Sooty57

    As soon as a manager takes his team up from Championship to PL and starts to experience a dip in form the accusations start to fly that they were a good Championship manager but have been 'found out' in the PL. A few games in and I have already heard Vincent Kompany accused of this. Just a few off the top of my head that have had this said of them are Daniel Farke, David Wagner, Frank Lampard Wayne Rooney, and many, many more.

    Surely this is a very simplistic argument that ignores the massive gulf in the size and quality of the playing squads they are up against. Maybe it's more a case of trying to win a Grand Prix in a sports car.

    Look what a sh!tshow Newcastle were. Have they improved so much because Eddie Howe took charge, or because a Saudi resident came in with a blank cheque book? And no, I'm not advocating the sale of NCFC to the Saudis. 

     

    • Like 1

  17. Posted

    1 hour ago, hertfordyellow said:

    I think there will be a lot of people who will forget the initial years of success in the role and focus on the last few seasons, which have seen a number of mistakes. 

    It will be a mixed legacy in my book...

    1. In his first few years, his no nonsense drive for better standards saw the facilities and academy set up improve in a major way. Knapper has 99 problems but facilities ain't one.
    2. He defined a footballing philosophy and brought in the Farke to deliver it. His use of German markets in recruitment was very successful.
    3. Under his stewardship, we saw probably the most joyous season in the last 30 years IMO.
    4. Post Brexit, his proactivity in setting up operations in South America has and will reap dividends.
    5. The recruitment in Premier seasons was very poor. I understand it is hard to spend beer money in a champagne bar but even with that in mind, he gave Farke a poor set of cards to play.
    6. Once his methods were questioned, his behaviour became childish and in some ways cowardly. The no nonsense approach became more of a hinderance after this point.
    7. The football philosophy left with Farke and it is hard to see consistency in approach in the last two seasons.
    8. He previously sold players at good prices but this last season has seen some fire sales and selling at the wrong time.
    9. His exit from the club has been bizarrely drawn out but it's hard to tell whether that is a board problem or a Webber problem. He leaves the club in crisis, if he takes the credit for the Farke years, he ultimately has to take substantial blame for the current predicament.

     

    Can't argue with any of that, although I guess some will.

  19. Posted

    You seem to be forgetting the master stroke he pulled at CR a few seasons back when he turned the game around by pulling the fuse in the floodlights to take the sting out of our attack and give his team a much needed break.

    If he's got any more tricks like that up his sleeve then he may be our man.... it doesn't look like we can rely on the players to do the job.

  20. Posted

    10 minutes ago, cambridgeshire canary said:

    I don't know if I was supposed to be working and someone saw me sunbathing on the beach..

    I'm no fan of Webber, completely the opposite, but I am sure if you were on a business trip, and had the opportunity to take in an event that particularly interested you, you would consider it grossly  unfair if you were told that you could not go because you had to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

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