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lake district canary

Adams + Neil = success

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Its been a fascinating season - difficult in some ways for those of us away with less tv coverage - but finished with two of the best week''s in recent memory.   But it also started with just about the best start we have ever had, too, with 23 out of 30 points in the first ten games, 7 wins and 2 draws - well on target for promotion.  So a grand start encouraging us to think we could actually achieve the dream of promotion straight back to the top flight.  Even the next few games, when results were less impressive, we were creating chances, but poor finishing and some bad luck in front of goal meant that the lack of goals cost us. Even the odd defensive lapse wouldn''t have been so difficult to put up with if the goals had gone in at the right end enough. 

The Middlesbrough away performance showed that confidence had really dropped and that the performance levels were not what they should have been.   There had been signs right from the beginning of the season that the results, although good to get us top of the table, were a little bit flaky, with the first goal often against us and then us having to fight back.  Losing away to Forest after that Middsbro game was discouraging too - because we appeared to have the game won - and the defensive lapses continued.  That spell of poor results and shipping goals (Middsbro/Forest/Brighton/Reading twice) really cost us in the promotion fight, even with some terrific wins in the next few games (Millwall, Huddersfield, Wigan) and the superb performance against Derby away, things were looking precarious, when other teams above us were doing so well, making missing even the play offs a distinct possibility. 

Adams gave us a good start and I will always believe that his tenure was very important for us - the main thing was getting a positive mindset after the previous season - and he did that. His tactics did appear to the outsider as perhaps a bit limited and maybe wasn''t strong enough with the players in getting them to perform, but nevertheless  a very important part of our success this season. 

Cue Alex Neil.  What an impact he made - right from the beginning.  The Bn''mth game - when he had hardly got south of the border - proved instantaneously  that here we had a man of stength and character.  To win that game from the position we were in was remarkable and was the catalyst for the rest of the season. Very few set backs meant that top place was possible again, even up to the last few games.

That brings us back to those last two weeks - beating our neighbours and then that fantastic day at Wembley.  A season never to be forgotten. Fantastic goals, ups and downs, management changes, players returning from the cold a wonderful final and promotion. 

A season of two halves. Some angst along the way, but nevertheless, one of the best. Thanks to both Adams and Neil for the success.

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Anyone + Neil = success

1 win from 10 of the easiest games on the fixture list almost cost us dearly. Not just relegation form but bottom of the league form - in fact I doubt Blackpool had a sequence of just one win in 10 games at any stage.

NA was as bad as AN was good. Simple as that.

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Adams gave us a good start and I will always believe that his tenure was very important for us - the main thing was getting a positive mindset after the previous season - and he did that. His tactics did appear to the outsider as perhaps a bit limited and maybe wasn''t strong enough with the players in getting them to perform, but nevertheless a very important part of our success this season.

Another change of tune ? What has happened to " it was all the fans " fault Hootun failed ?

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but nevertheless a very important part of our success this season.

A VERY IMPORTANT part of our success? WTF are you on mate?!

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[quote user="Lessingham Canary"]There was already 2 other threads running with jokes, now we have 3 ![/quote][:D]

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Adams + Neil = we just got promoted.
Too much more Adams and we probably wouldn''t have been promoted, such was the nature of the league.

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1/2 Adams + 1/2 Neil = Playoffs

Any more Adams would probably have = No Playoffs,

Any more Neil would probably have = Automatic Promotion

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All rather predictable! LDC makes several valid points in an upbeat manner and the majority immediately try to tear him to shreds.

I think Neil Adams'' contribution was excellent. Signing Cameron Jerome for £1.5m was something of a masterstroke. His decision to stand aside for the benefit of the club was timely and admirable. Be interesting to see what position he''ll be given for next season...

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I do see where you are coming from Lakey, but feel that the good start we made was more by luck and actually having the best squad in the league. The problem was that the players clearly didnt believe in him unfortunately, and hence the performances started to suffer through lack of confidence in their leader as the season progressed.

That said, when you look at how the other two relegated sides did in the first part of the season, we did perform better and, yes, a couple of "his" (maybe) signings were excellent.

Neil Adams, like Bryan Gunn, good man and player for the club, huge mistake to be made manager, and I just hop that the Board have learnt their lesson now..................actually looks like they have , as we now have a fantastic young Manager.

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Anyway, on a serious note: Adams did very well until his gameplan and tactics were figured out, and then he had no "plan B" which meant half-decent coaches were able to turn our one-dimensional approach to their advantage by nullifying the attacking threats and then waiting for the chance to overload a stretched defence in a counter-attack.

Neil has demonstrated admirable tactical knowledge and flexibility and has turned the players into a team in the truest sense. It''s a C+ for Adams, A* for Neil.

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[quote user="Highland Canary"]Massive mistake to appoint NA but the board got away with it in the end. Just.[/quote]Have you figured out what your relentless moan is going to be next season?

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[quote user="mrs miggins"]"His decision to stand aside for the benefit of the club was timely and admirable."

Had to laugh at that :)[/quote]

You didn''t ''have to'' laugh at that Mrs Miggins - you chose to and that''s fine.

The point I am making is some managers seek to maximise their £ financial reward by stringing out their tenure until the decision to terminate is made for them. Neil Adams didn''t do that - he pressed the ejector button just in time. Of course he may have been strongly encouraged to do so, however he still made the decision. We''re all driven by self-interest and Neil Adams appears less focussed on personal financial gain in favour of the general well-being of the club.

That''s what I find admirable...

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I see what you''re saying, he could''ve said; ''no i''ve got a contract and you''ll have to sack and compensate me'' but he didn''t.Just how admirable is this?

The manager who''s asked to resign doesn''t have the option to carry on in most cases. If they are asked to resign and don''t, then they are simply sacked.

What I don''t know about this whole scenario is if he used the agreement that he''d retain a job within the club next season as a bargaining tool, therefore I shall not speculate on this particular element of the deal, yet I would still question how admirable it was to agree to resign instead of being sacked and cutting your ties with the club Bryan Gunn style.

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Oh man we had a 10 pager on this quite recently, it didn''t go too well.

From my perspective Adams failed as a manager. Some good results at the start of the season still included some questionable performances (the win over Blackburn at home springs to mind) and once the momentum ran out he couldn''t turn it around. From October through to his sacking we played 14 league games and one in the Cup. We won 4 of those games, taking 17 points from a potential 42 and going out to lower league opposition in the FA Cup. Of the 4 wins, one came against 10 men and two came against teams who were eventually relegated. Within those as well were some incredibly poor performances- Reading home and away spring to mind.

He bought in two very good strikers but the rest of his signings were average at best. It was noticeable that despite bringing in 8 players (9 if you include McGrandles) only one of them started in the play-off final. On top of that he loaned our best defender out to a promotion rival.

The way Neil got such great results out of basically the same squad just shows how poorly he did in my opinion.

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[quote user="Bor Bor Bor"]It''s weird how Adams + Neil = success but Neil + Adams = mediocre.[/quote]

^^^^^^^ Says it all, can we move on to something less pointless !

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[quote user="Lessingham Canary"][quote user="Bor Bor Bor"]It''s weird how Adams + Neil = success but Neil + Adams = mediocre.[/quote]

^^^^^^^ Says it all, can we move on to something less pointless ![/quote]
Why do you think it''s pointless?

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lake district canary wrote the following post at 05/06/2015 4:29 PM:

Adams gave us a good start and I will always believe that his tenure was very important for us - the main thing was getting a positive mindset after the previous season - and he did that. His tactics did appear to the outsider as perhaps a bit limited and maybe wasn''t strong enough with the players in getting them to perform, but nevertheless a very important part of our success this season.

The fool needs medical help asap - he is clearly deranged

With the most experienced squad in the League and a transfer spend of over £17M Adams led us to 11th in the table

He was a one trick pony who had no plan B

The Board were saved by Mc D''s gamble in appointing Alex N - top man

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[quote user="Bor Bor Bor"][quote user="Lessingham Canary"][quote user="Bor Bor Bor"]It''s weird how Adams + Neil = success but Neil + Adams = mediocre.[/quote]

^^^^^^^ Says it all, can we move on to something less pointless ![/quote]
Why do you think it''s pointless?
[/quote]

I''m saying your post summed it up perfectly Neil + Adams = mediocre, so why go on about Adams anymore, the thread is pointless, not you !

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I thought that''s what you meant, don''t worry about that. I was just asking why you felt the thread was pointless, without offering any observations of my own in case it is perceived as me leading you because you are incapable of drawing your own conclusions.

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[quote user="Newton"]lake district canary wrote - Adams gave us a good start and I will always believe that his tenure was very important for us - the main thing was getting a positive mindset after the previous season - and he did that. His tactics did appear to the outsider as perhaps a bit limited and maybe wasn''t strong enough with the players in getting them to perform, but nevertheless a very important part of our success this season.

The fool needs medical help asap - he is clearly deranged

With the most experienced squad in the League and a transfer spend of over £17M Adams led us to 11th in the table

He was a one trick pony who had no plan B

The Board were saved by Mc D''s gamble in appointing Alex N - top man[/quote]

The point that you miss is the start of the season - which everyone can surely say was positive - and we desperately needed positive after such a bad previous few months - AND WE GOT IT FROM  ADAMS.    Mackay wouldn''t have done it and I don''t believe Lennon would have done it.  That is why I think Adams was so important to the course of the season.  Yes, it fell apart a bit - but the right steps were made to correct it.  It was the combination of Adams and Neil that got us promoted.  So imo - and I don''t believe its a pointless thread for the above reasons.  Adams + Neil = success.  Its a fact, its the story of the season, whether you like it or not.

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LDC - With Lennon we''d have avoided the nonsense of the playoffs, Hooper would have scored for fun and we''d have won the league. But Wembley was more fun than 85 or 75:-)

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Highland. This Lennon obsession is getting ridiculous now. There''s no evidence to even suggest Lennon would have done better than Adams and Neil. there''s no evidence to suggest that Lennon would have done better than Neil. In fact there''s no evidence to suggest he would have done better than Adams. There''s no evidence to even suggest Hooper would have scored more goals under Lennon.

Its all in your head buddy. Lennon spent the season scratching around the basement with Bolton. Bolton, who are either the height of his ambition or the only team who''d take a chance with him.

The nonsense you are referring to was 3 brilliant play off games culmalating in probably the clubs best day ever. I don''t always subscribe to the binner taunts that are sent your way. I think its more likely you''re the deluded scot who calls canary call. But you certainly give a passable impression of both.

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