Think it's a bit unfair on old Russ seeing as he did keep us in the league for the past 2 years and we even had half an eye on the play offs last year
No offence 4ever, but "Old Russ" is a dinosaur who accepted a ****ty job from Tan way above his abilty as a manager. Our finishing spot last season was in spite of him not because of him. He was instrumental in dulling down the football at this club and eventually also the supporters who paid to watch it on the pitch. I don't dislike him as a person - I don't know the guy - but as a football manager he's an also ran never achieving anything other than mediocrity. EDIT........by the way 4ever, Happy Christmas...............
Fug me Sparkey pal, you insult the turkey at a particularly sensitive time of year....for them at least! Merry christmas! One dancing man for each bollock!
Terrible sparky absolutely terrible to pick on someone who is unable to defend themselves. Im guessing yuo left your xmas spirit at the sportsmans bar? Cracking brekkie in Olivias today
Have to agree with you there 4ever. Can't say I was a fan of Slade, but he did OK in trying circumstances. I think it will be another season or so before the mess left behind by MM and Ole are finally unravelled. Slade did a lot to balance the books while keeping us at the right end of the table. Trollope muddied the waters with some of his signings and his game plan (or lack thereof) and left us firmly at the wrong end of the table. Hopefully Warnock will be around long enough to at least lay the foundations and get us pointed in the right direction with Tan allowing him to complete a full roots to branches overhaul of the playing side of the club. What has sadly been lacking for too long is an identity and style of play for the club. Hopefully Bellamy can help address this failing in harness with Colin creating a vision and roadmap for the club. I have no issue with us not getting promoted in the next year or two as long as we see progress on and off the field.
Masky - I'm with you pal - we must both be nuts. Sorry remote, but you and 4ever are glossing over the fact that Slade was responsible for dumbing down the football at City to the point of alienating a swathe of fans who couldn't stomach his inept brand of football. What you can't blame him for Tan's instructions to pare the squad down in the interests of book balancing, but he inherited a squad of players who were capable of far more than they actually achieved even without those he was told to get rid of. His playing style and even his persona were mind numbing - what a difference in Warnock whatever others might think about Colin's approach to the game. Slade is the perennial lower league journeyman manager who has never won anything and never will. He has only ever been appointed by clubs with failing regimes at the helm. I mentioned on another thread that he would never get a progressive club to take forward even at League 1 level and the significance of his last two appointments are symbolic of that. Two of the most hopeless and out of touch club owners in Duchatelet and SISU at Charlton and Coventry clutching at straws - two clubs who are crying out for change at the top. Anyway, happy Boxing Day and a prosperous New Year to you both........
The club has always has the identity of the players fighting on the field with the fans fighting off it to help them, by trying to move away from that with Trollope's "modern" approach by passing it around and not pressing at all we started alienating fans again and plummeting, with Warnock i feel we have a manager who fits the club, he fights for his players and the fans and expects the fans to do the same
Spot on there 4ever. Trollope was a disaster that followed a manager who, if not quite a disaster, was utterly clueless how to take a club forward especially at this level. Some might say that he wasn't appointed by Tan to do that - just tread water whilst the financial side was sorted. Well tread water he did and thank God he is history and we have Warnock for this season at least. He should be able to repair the damage done by Trollope in those 11 games he was in charge, and we have to thank the likes of Dalman and Choo for taking action relatively early instead of sticking their heads in the sand. Maybe it was an admission to Tan that they got it wrong appointing Trollope in the first place - whatever, we can only be grateful that we now have a manager who is at the very least capable at this level.