Not sure what to think!

[Indy 3,471]

The usual pro-board all raving and trying to convince everyone this would be an exciting appointment......when in reality they know about as much as the rest of us about Neil, his style or who he is!

Then you have the overtop negative lot who wanted a high profile manager who would never consider City in the championship.....we are a moderate sized club with limited budgets people.

In all reality the board have no doubt done their homework and decided that Neil has the right potential and his work ethic, personality and ambition to match the boards requirements and exlectations.

Like me I hope that should Neil get the job everyone will get onboard, gice him a huge welcome and get behind the club for the rest of the season. The best chance of us getting into that top 6.

Personally I have my reservations as I do believe as shown we have some big egos here (Wes, Bassong to mention a couple) who will need to be motivated and buy into a young manager with very little experience.

That said l have taken note of the so called accies fans comments and hope that what they say is right and maybe he might just have that personality where he can sort out the experienced players, develope the youngsters and organise our squad into a TEAM.

So all my doubts which will be there as with all of us, this might be a very good match for our club, a young hungry talented manager with ambition, rather than an old tired manager who has been here before and only really motivated by the money.

Could just be a gem of an appointment by MacNally & the board.........Looking forward to actually seeing Alex Neil in the flesh and wearing our badge.

Good appointment? Time will tell, but I hope he signs as our next manager after giving everything some thought.

[Katie Borkins 1]

[quote user="Indy"]Like me I hope that should Neil get the job...[/quote]Are you schizophrenic?

[Paul101 190]

Did read somewhere today that the board have given MacNally total control over the new manager

In the same way he did in league one

[Buh 0]

Captain. I''m getting a reading 4.76 on the chastised football hipster meter from this OP

[Indy_Bones 444]

[quote user="Indy"]In all reality the board have no doubt done their homework and decided that Neil has the right potential and his work ethic, personality and ambition to match the boards requirements and exlectations.[/quote]Just like they did their homework in ''Scouring Europe'' and somehow coming to the conclusion that Neil Adams was the best choice available from out of the 200 or so top flight teams across the continent, not to mention all those managers not currently in roles or acting in positions like DOF etc...Just like they did their homework in selecting Peter Grant and Bryan Gunn despite neither ever having managed a team before (much like Adams hadn''t either) whilst clearly ignoring other potential options all of whom had more relevant experience and background than either of them.Our board''s recruitment policy has been akin to a train wreck at times, and were it not for the solitary shining light that was Paul Lambert (and to a lesser extent Worthington in his earlier years with us) it would be a complete disaster when viewed overall.At the minute I wouldn''t trust our board to guide a seagull to the coast, never mind pick the right manager to actually get us back into the premier league anytime soon...

[Dibs 0]

[quote user="Paul101"]Did read somewhere today that the board have given MacNally total control over the new manager

In the same way he did in league one[/quote]

Yes, Delia has given him some pocket money to find a new mamger and not to spend it all at once.

[Buh 0]

Captain! The chastised football hipster meter just went off the scale! Taking evasive manoeuvres!

[Katie Borkins 1]

Make ready the "I Told You So" self-righteous cannons for 5pm on Saturday.

[Buh 0]

Raising "I hope I''m proven wrong" shields!

[Indy 3,471]

Indybones matey, I can understand your redervations but do you really think we have a massive que wanting the managers job.......more likely we have a pick of Robinson, Phelan, Holt or maybe Warnock. So given a limited pool the board no doubt have done their work....you might not have any faith and justifiably listing their failures, but we have to get behind the new manager as its not his fault he isn''t your first choice......hell I''m sure we would all want Fergie or Mourinho.

[Indy_Bones 444]

Do I think we have a massive queue waiting to be offered the manager''s job here - no.Do I think that we are a relatively attractive proposal for all but the very best managers, and should at least make an effort to approach proven, slightly higher profile managers than we''ve traditionally touted over the last 20 years instead of simply opting for a huge gamble on a virtually unknown rookie manager - absolutely.I''d rather we spent 2-3 weeks approaching people like Bento or Guidolin (or whoever of their standard/experience) and THEN go for someone like Alex Neil if they simply aren''t interested, instead of purely making a rash and potentially catastrophic decision from the get-go.I''d rather speak my mind, potentially be proven wrong and have to apologise for my initial thoughts, than simply say nothing and then have the nerve to complain when things may not go right...

[Indy 3,471]

How do you know that MacNally hasn''t already approached higher profile managers and got knocked back?

I would think MacNally has been in this job long enough to warrent some confidence in making this choice.

I believe there has been a behind the scenes work being done since the introduction of Phelan.

This might just be the best option and fit for this club.....could be that simple.

[PurpleCanary 6,381]

[quote user="Paul101"]Did read somewhere today that the board have given MacNally total control over the new manager

In the same way he did in league one[/quote]I haven''t seen that. Two entirely unsurprising things have been reported in the last couple of days. That Smith and Jones do not get involved in the day to day running of the club, and that McNally was leading the search for the new manager. Not that he was in control of the final decision as to who that might be.

[Indy_Bones 444]

[quote user="Indy"]How do you know that MacNally hasn''t already approached higher profile managers and got knocked back? [/quote]Oh, come on.Do you honestly think that in the 2 days since Adams resigned, (and that we''ve apparently arranged for Alex Neil to have an interview) that McNally has made genuine approaches to managers such as those I''ve suggested?If we''d genuinely approached any decent name in football there would

have been actual news reporting on this, even if it was just to say that

we''d been turned down or that the approached manager just wasn''t

interested in the role at present, but it''s been absolutely nothing

until Alex Neil arrives for an interview today.It''s blindingly obvious that McNally had a clear target in his mind ready for when the Adams appointment inevitably went t*ts up, and that the whole ''scoured Europe'' statement was complete BS because the board simply do not want to pay more than two bob a week for a replacement manager, and certainly not the relatively strong wages that a respected and proven manager from the continent would demand.

[Buh 0]

Captain! we can''t repel personalised Dortmund shirts of this magnitude!

[Indy 3,471]

Do you think Adams resigned? Could it be mutual agreement and been on the cards for a few weeks? Could it be that approaches for managers in jobs have been declined by the clubs so no approach is allowed?

I don''t know I don''t sit on our board or talk with MacNally. But I''m sure as a professional running our club he''s been more proactive than maybe you give him credit for Indybones.

[Indy_Bones 444]

[quote user="Indy"]But I''m sure as a professional running our club he''s been more proactive than maybe you give him credit for Indybones.[/quote]Tell me again how such a professional somehow thought that Adams was apparently the best candidate across Europe for the managers job???

[Dibs 0]

Not sure either.

There doesn''t seem to be a lot of difference between Adams and Alex Neil.

Both had success with youngsters, both new to management, both too young to take on a club like Norwich and initials the same. ;).

Just slightly underwhelmed if this comes off.

[Indy 3,471]

I get the feeling Indybones you have had enough of the board & MacNally?

Would you like to see a change in ownership?

[Indy_Bones 444]

[quote user="Indy"]I get the feeling Indybones you have had enough of the board & McNally?

Would you like to see a change in ownership?[/quote]Actually I wouldn''t tbh.Despite what others think, I still have a lot of respect for Delia and MWJ for having the guts to put millions of their own money into the club and try to get us somewhere at times on a very limited budget. Bowkett is a proven businessman and McNally is still miles better for this club than dross like Doomcaster ever was.The key problem is that there seems to be a massive blindspot in their performance when it comes to managerial recruitments, and it''s the thought of having yet another potential flop in the vein of Grant/Gunn/Adams that''s making me so frustrated on this occasion.I thought we''d got rid of all that ''prudence with ambition'' nonsense, but here were are again ignoring higher profile and vastly more experienced managers who may or may not be interested (even if you ignore the suggestions I''ve made, there''s still a hell of a lot of potential managers out there with a hell of a lot more relevant experience than Alex Neil), whilst instead focusing on the cheaper, unproven gamble.Alex Neil could be the next Alex Ferguson or he could be the next Neil Adams - it''s a complete lottery, and considering the standard of players and level we are at, I''d rather have an experienced set of hands in charge than someone who could quite easily upset the applecart and instead of 1 sulking player (Bassong) - we could have 20...

[Tumbleweed 106]

I''m with Indy, the Bones version on this one. I still, just, trust McNally, but this seems like just such a huge gamble to take when we have seen one massive gamble just fail. How many times do you have to gamble before your number comes up? We all know that''s a mugs game.

I really think we underestimate ourselves. Obviously we are not Champion''s League contenders but we have a good squad, a full stadium, stable owners, a reasonably high profile in the English game, a good environment and no debt. We won''t be winning the prem but we could be solid prem club in the mould of Stoke or , now, West Ham. I think we are an attractive proposition and a good entry point for a European manager who the top clubs would not want to risk.

The lists bandied around have indeed been populated by some uninspiring names. but in there, including IB''s own suggestions, are some little nuggets who you would have thought to be less of a risk. I really do not understand why we would not seek a proven manager with some of the same qualities that Neil allegedly possesses. Why Alex Neil over Mark Warburton who is already in the Championship for instance?

And one final point, some have argued that many of these other names, like Rosler, have "failed" elsewhere. We know the vast majority of managers have failed somewhere. One could, if being slightly obtuse, argue that Alex Neil hasn''t failed because he hasn''t yet been in management long enough to do so.

If McNally really thinks that this is the way to go then so be it and he is in the business and I am not. Nor do I know anything about Alex Neil or Hamilton Academicals. But that doesn''t stop it being a very very strange, verging on, in my view, a reckless decision.

[Felixfan 53]

None of us know whether this will be a success, but perhaps we should just roll the dice and see what comes up.

[portman_king 0]

[quote user="Felixfan"]None of us know whether this will be a success, but perhaps we should just roll the dice and see what comes up.[/quote]That''s all McNally did with Lambert and he got a double six, yet many are professing him to be some kind of football demi-god; he isn''t.As I said yesterday and a couple of other posters on here, it seems a very reckless decision to put arguably the most critical 12-24 months of your club''s history in the hands of someone who''s never managed in England and is a complete rookie.So what if he doesn''t suffer fools gladly? Does that mean they''ll all of a sudden want to play for him? Your team of egos will simply go the other way and instead of having one or two unhappy, hurt egos you''ll have a team mutiny on your hands of Neil doesn''t deal with it well.As that chap Shaun on Canary Call said about Neil Adams - what does Alex Neil have on his CV that will inspire his players? why not go for someone who''s won trophies at this level and has the instant respect of the dressing room?

[Indy_Bones 444]

[quote user="Felixfan"]None of us know whether this will be a success, but perhaps we should just roll the dice and see what comes up.[/quote]How many other clubs if they were in our position would genuinely ''roll the dice'', or rather how many would show a bit of common sense and bring in someone with relevant experience instead - even if it was only for the short term whilst they chose a stronger long term appointment?We are NOT some struggling League 1 club with a relatively average squad who''s looking to shake things up, we''re a club with a good squad, great fans, a supportive board, financially secure and who just spent the previous three seasons in the Premiership so why don''t we start acting like it and instead of going for some virtual unknown from the depths of Scottish Football, set our targets at a better level and approach some genuinely impressive names with genuinely relevant experience (instead of merely pride that they managed to beat Celtic 3-0 at one point...)

[Reggie Strayshun 0]

Goddammit..... I go away for 3 days and all hell breaks loose during that time. Adams jacks it in, There is a rumour that Phelan has the job. Then Warnock''s name is tossed into the mix, and finally some guy from Hamilton, that, if we''re all honest, we''ve never heard of, is seemingly on the point of taking the position.Someone said once that a week is a long time in politics. Well 3 days is a long time in the politics of Norwich City !

[Indy_Bones 444]

[quote user="Reggie Strayshun"]finally some guy from Hamilton, that, if we''re all honest, we''ve never heard of, is seemingly on the point of taking the position.[/quote]What''s even more bizarre Reggie is that generally speaking many fans seem quite happy to go along with this, despite the outcry over Adams and his lack of experience, plus the previous debacles with the likes of Grant and Gunn!The world has gone mad (particularly in the NCFC boardroom and on here it would seem)!

[Indy 3,471]

I''m not happy about it Indybones but there comes a point when you have to look at the options.......

Warnok, Sherwood, Phelan, Robinson..... are any of them really what you want.

Is a coach from a European league going to know whats required here....will they want to move to a mid sized championship club with all the upheval on a chance the they could be sacken in 3 months?

I think there comes a time to say whoever is in the job we will never all be happy.

Neil might be hungry for success.....he might get rid of a few players who have the egos and he might well just be the right fit for us.......Howe failed with Burnley and has only had success with Bournmouth....yet people would like him here....same type of manager on paper as Neil.

I''m happy to a point but have doubts as we all will but I''d rather a young dynamic manager hungry than an old has been whos been sacked 8 times.

[Indy_Bones 444]

[quote user="Indy"]Is a coach from a European league going to know whats required here....will they want to move to a mid sized championship club with all the upheval on a chance the they could be sacken in 3 months?[/quote]And my argument in response to this is that I''d rather actually try to find out and give them that opportunity, than to take what I consider to be a much bigger risk in appointing yet another manager with little to no real experience.My father used to work in sales (he was a VERY successful salesman as well) and I always remember a key phrase that he tought me when I was younger:"If you don''t ask - you don''t get", and I''ve taken this philosophy with me into my own life. If you don''t ask a girl out - chances are you won''t get anywhere with her, if you don''t ask your boss for a raise - chances are you won''t get one anytime soon, and if we don''t bother asking a better quality of candidate if they want to manage our club - we''re never going to appoint anyone of that level bar from freak luck such as happened in the case of Lambert.As the other phrase goes "It''s better to shoot for the stars and miss, than to shoot for a pile of dung and hit..."

[Tetteys Jig 851]

I''m not going to pretend I know more than David McNally at recruiting a football manager, (he''s got 3 of his last 4 right including Hughton who was just kept too long) so i''m just going to sit back and hope it works out okay.

I am glad we didn''t just plump for Warnock or some other has been.

[Indy 3,471]

My response is still the same...how do you know that Macnally hasn''t already sounded out a few from Europe but their club stopped him or they were not interested.

I''m finding it hard to agree with you given the amount of foreign managers who fail here.....

But that said I have major doubts but can''t bash the club if this appointment is made.