Gunn

[lake district canary 4,875]

I know I probably shouldn''t - but on the other hand, it is relevant.   The thinking behind the Gunn appointment - and yes I know it didn''t work blah blah blah, was not far off what the thinking is for us now imo.

We can all - I hope - appreciate that appointing someone that will take the club forwards is something of a lottery.   The disappointment of the Lambert era was that it didn''t lead on to anything - the management team just up and left. The situation might have been better if Culverhouse had stayed, or someone had been groomed to take over from within the set up at the time - thus ensuing continuity.   It didn''t happen so the board had to rethink - and try another strategy that they hoped would work long term.  That hs led to nothing either so we were back at square one. 

So we are back to a Gunn type situation - with club stalwarts being given the task of trying to create something sustainable and long lasting.   Gunn, Crook, Butterworth and Deehan actually looked - on paper - quite reasonable - a great PR man in Gunn, loved by the players and a figurehead as manager. Crook as an excellent coach.  Butterworth as defensive coach/assistant and the DOF, if you like, in Deehan.   Now I know, history tells us it didn''t work - but it could and maybe would have, given time.   It was not as ludicrous as some people made out. 

If you go back to Stringer - he was an able coach steeped in the club tradition - much like Adams - and was a success, with an assistant also already at the club in David Williams. 

So the system CAN work.   So before all the people that have shouted and moaned about the situation get too worked up, at least try and see the bigger picture at work.   Any club works best if they have consistency and continuity - it worked for us in the 70''s - 90''s, it worked for Liverpool, Arsenal and Man Utd with their long time managers.  That is what we need as a smaller resourced club. A consistent approach leading to continuity.  Lambert walked before we could achieve that, Hughton failed to do the same.  The logic behind the decision to appoint Adams an Co - given who was available from outside the club - is absolutely sensible. 

Give it time. 

[Power Hamster 0]

The problem is, LDC, nobody is prepared to give it time any more.

Not even Man Utd, it turns out.

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="lake district canary"]Give it time.[/quote]You should be given time. [;)]

[Molly Windley 76]

Could you please quantify how long we should give it as "time" is a tad vague.

[Katie Borkins 1]

Wish I had a gun right now.

[lake district canary 4,875]

[quote user="Power Hamster"]The problem is, LDC, nobody is prepared to give it time any more.

Not even Man Utd, it turns out.[/quote]

That is why strength of will is important - the strength to ride the storm and see it through - something the board tried to do, but gave in, in the end.

[CJ 1]

[quote user="Power Hamster"]The problem is, LDC, nobody is prepared to give it time any more.

Not even Man Utd, it turns out.[/quote]

That is the problem and I am afraid Delia et al are living in the past, the cosy keep it in the family days are gone. The competition has upped enormously since those days, even our budget these days is way beyond the likes of Stringer could conceive.

There are foreign investors in so many clubs like QPR , Cardiff etc who are willing to just pour money into a club to reach the Premier League.

Look at Leicester invested in club year after year to eventually achieve promotion with wages no doubt Delia would turn pale over

[The Plastic Finder General 0]

Couldn''t be bothered to read it. It will be the same old trolling "optimistic" guff. You need to understand LDC, there''s no streams now, you won''t see City again. Wait until tomorrow afternoon and pick a new team. Then you can start hectoring Derby/QPR fans as to how they should support their team.

Jog on, there''s a good plastic.

[Surfer 1,547]

Wages... blah blah, competition blah blah, foreign owners blah blah .. at the end of the day it still comes down to good players, form and tactics.

We have a very good squad - especially compared to the others in this league - we need to quickly get into our stride and be capable of adjusting to the different styles of the teams we''ll meet.

Time will tell is NA is a manager capable of doing that but let''s not pretend that it''s rocket science....

[Paul101 196]

two words

mike walker

[The Plastic Finder General 0]

Two more:

Depressingly underwhelming

[Barclay seats 4849 the 3rd 0]

Never mind..... "give it time "

Just "give it a rest " you plastic Tw*t

[Drazen Muzinic 1,509]

[quote user="Paul101"]two words

mike walker[/quote]

Two more words...

Different Era

Football wasn''t the same in 1992.

Would we have compared what was happening at that time to 1970?

[Icecream Snow 777]

When McNally sacked Gunn, he said it wasn''t about the 7-1 defeat, but reeled off a list of reasons about Gunn''s approaches to matches, from his tactical build up to his after match analysis. Presumably McNally feels Adams doesn''t have these flaws. 

[Citizen Journalist Foghorn 0]

Give what time? With the parachute payments this next season is out best chance of getting promoted.

I fully expect a Top 6 finish. Anything less is a complete failure.

[Year of the tiger 69]

Mike Walker may be a different era as is Dave Stringer but the complaints I read are exactly the same as we''re made then.

[Paul101 196]

so if we go with most people arguments

then Brendon Rogers and Roberto matinez would never have been given jobs by Swansea

[Donkey dangler 0]

[quote user="Citizen Journalist Foghorn"]Give what time? With the parachute payments this next season is out best chance of getting promoted. I fully expect a Top 6 finish. Anything less is a complete failure.[/quote]

Agreed, with our level of resources next season anything less than a Top 6 finish is a failure.

 

[Dubai Mark 0]

I certainly understand where you are coming from on this LDC, and a similar internal promotion approach has certainly worked years ago with our club. Until very recently I was certainly fully behind a long term appoach, which is the main reason why I didnt want CH to go, feeling more change would be wrong in the long term. But, then I had a change of mind on it and now really believe that, right now, considering where our club is in terms of finances and squad we should have simply appointed a manager for the sole purpose of just getting us back up, and then review the situation later. There is just so much at stake that I am now really doubtful whether a long term, long lasting approach works, sure for the Academy side of things yes, but at first team level, really not sure.  

[Dubai Mark 0]

I need to add, that despite my doubt, I am happy to see how it goes as NA is actually a very brave choice by the City board. 

[Happy Clapper 0]

I buy in to the idea of a management group and developing a style of play through the youth set up right through to the 1st team

It''s a good model for a club of our size and I see Neil as a guy that can help deliver it with success.

The full management team is not in place yet, maybe the reservations of some posters will be allayed when it''s all revealled.

[AndyCanary 0]

Isn''t using Gunn as an example of why an inexperienced manager could work like using Malaysia as an example of a country that could be good at finding stuff lost at sea?

[Paul101 196]

Gunn is a good example of promoting the Press PR agent

not a coach

[lake district canary 4,875]

[quote user="Dubai Mark"]I certainly understand where you are coming from on this LDC, and a similar internal promotion approach has certainly worked years ago with our club. Until very recently I was certainly fully behind a long term appoach, which is the main reason why I didnt want CH to go, feeling more change would be wrong in the long term. But, then I had a change of mind on it and now really believe that, right now, considering where our club is in terms of finances and squad we should have simply appointed a manager for the sole purpose of just getting us back up, and then review the situation later. There is just so much at stake that I am now really doubtful whether a long term, long lasting approach works, sure for the Academy side of things yes, but at first team level, really not sure.  [/quote]

The idea of building with a long term aim is essential for a club like ours imo.   Adams may well have been seen by the board as a long term appointment and the man to give us success on the pitch.   It''s a big ask, one that Hughton couldn''t live up to, but Adams is reportedly going to have a Technical Director to help.  Who that is could be critical to the long term plan. 

A short term manager might have worked - a Warnock maybe - but presumably the board weighed all this up in the last few weeks and decided on a longer term strategy again.   Gunn was an attempt to establish a Norwich style dynasty - Lambert could have created a dynasty if things had gone well behind the scenes and he had stayed on - Hughton could have been the man to establish long term success, if he had got everyone working together.  Adams is the next on the list - with a TD and strong management team he could be the man.

[Badger 2,750]

I can understand some of the reservations people have and share them. I also take on board the point that some have made that it is a different era from when this model worked successfully for us. Nevertheless, I agree that this is a brave decision and could prove a wise one. We know that there is no guarantee with whomsoever we were likely to obtain as manager - there is risk in whatever we did. Perhaps appointing someone that they know well and clearly rate is less of a risk than appointing someone that will come in without a real knowledge of the players and club? As has been stated (and I think most would agree) that anything outside a top six finish would be seen as a failure. Any incoming manager would know that his career and reputation would know that depend upon making an instant impact. It is the type of thinking that encourages short-term thinking and all eggs being placed firmly in one basket.I think it sensible that clubs of our size* and type need to establish an identity and way of doing things that is consistent and ingrained to maximise our many advantages whilst mitigating some of our weaknesses.In any case, the decision is made, the die is cast and we all have to hope that it works. Endless rumination and moaning is not going to help anyone, nor will huge impatience at the start of next season. Anyone that has been involved in a decision making process knows that choices are often more complex than they seem; there is no perfect solution. Ultimately a decision has to be made and it can only be in everyone''s interest to try to make it work, whatever reservations exist. * Not "little old Norwich." Norwich are a big club - certainly well inside the top 20% imo, but realistically not in the biggest 5%.