Common Denominators (Ever Presents)

[Duncan Edwards 2,236]

We were ridiculed for sacking Hughton when outside of the drop zone so I reckon there''s a fair chance the media would think we were mental if we sacked a manager on target to hit 90 points a third of the way through the season.

Should we hit game 20 and look like achieving less than 75, the axe will get sharpened. For us to get to that point we''d have to take 5 points at the most from our next 6 games.

Could happen I suppose but...

As an aside, how many sackings have proved "successful"?

Gunn, Adams, Grant?? Hamilton??

Guess it depends on how you measure it.

[lake district canary 4,531]

People keep saying football is a results driven business.  In that case, AN is doing the business.  If such time comes and we drop down out of the bottom six, then questions could be asked...........but seriously, one point off second place?   There is room for improvement, that is clear, but results wise, we are there or thereabouts.  Get positive....we know what happens when too many people off the pitch get negative - it reflects on the pitch, as sure as night follows day.

[lake district canary 4,531]

err...top six.  [:$]

[westcoastcanary 173]

I hope Bill Punton never said that in front of Alex Ferguson [8-|] Yes managers, like the rest of us, are prone to become stale. But then so are players, and not just in ones and twos because staleness is infectious and dispiriting to others. To take an example, since Martin O''Neil''s departure in March 2013, Sunderland have had 5 different full-time managers and one caretaker and look where they are. There are plenty of similar examples. 

[nutty nigel 7,535]

Well to be fair he was talking on the wireless at the time of Worthy Out so not sure what the exact words were. But his point was well made. 

I think back to grassroots where there''s no money involved the manager is more important than the players. Once a team are playing for nothing it''s all down to the commitment of the manager who often spends all week trying to get 11 players together. If you have a good one you keep him even if he falls out with the players. Teams often fold when a committed manager leaves. I guess at the top those things are reversed.

[westcoastcanary 173]

Myself I see a lot of virtue in the continental system where managers are effectively limited contract first team coaches and the longer term strategic planning, player recruitment and football infrastructure etc. are the responsibility of Directors of Football and Technical Directors. Our top clubs are slowly moving in that direction, but as Parma keeps reminding us, football in our country remains light years behind in so many respects. As for football in such outposts as Norfolk, my mind is constantly being caused to boggle [:D]