Agree Westlake which is why for the life of me I don't understand why we don't just get rid of Mick now and get a new manager in, so they can start to shape the squad for next season, decide on which players to keep etc. At the moment it doesn't sound like Mick particularly cares as it won't be his problem. I can only think we must have someone who is in a job already lined up to take over in the summer. Because the noise I've heard coming out of Portman Road so far this year has been pathetic and one of complete chaos. As I said toward the end of last year I though bar the boring football and I thought we were in quite a good position to push on. However it seems like noone has got a strategy on how to move this club forwards and Mick doesn't seem to care!!
Nightmare scenario,we rally slightly and Mick's given another's year contract extension resulting in us continuing to drift aimlessly
I truly hope that doesn't happen. ST sales will be down again for sure if it does, leaving us with even less cash to strengthen.
Perhaps £50 mill is a bit steep - but with signing on fees / agent fees / wages so on so forth they wasted an absolute packet and bar Wickham did very little in the way of getting ££££ back in. £2 mill Martin, £3.5 mill Leadbitter + Edwards, £1 mill plus for Priskin, £2 mill for sodding Taylor, the list goes on on and on. Norris / McAuley. Poor Mick gets £400k tops pretty much, with the transfer market going through the roof and we're expected to compete. Now his football is utter gash however he's at least kept us in this division and for the most part we have outperformed many a club who have spent more than us. However, if he goes whatever I've got to the point now where I'm rapidly losing any expectation in us doing anything. 14/15 January + this January are absolutely disgusting and if I were in Mick's position I'd probably want to throw the towel in about now. From going under the radar to seemingly needing to offload players - and we know we're going to get worse ones in............. what the hell are we supposed to do the rest of the season!?!?!? There is an argument to pay Mick up now, get someone new in - however who in their right mind would accept the job with us seemingly offloading players, getting worse ones in? Also, they are likely to want 6 / 7 / 8 new ones in and as we know players are far more expensive in January. On the basis we go for loans / frees and the odd fee - the summer is our bread and butter so really there's little point in sacking Mick now - nor would he deserve to be given the constraints he's working under. I will say this though - IF Mick is to stay for next season, it would make a hell of a lot more sense to announce it A S A P so players are more likely to work. I can well imagine many are ' Meh ' from now on in knowing we've got enough to stay up due to points gained. Just beyond annoyed that this season, due to the pathetic nature in which this club is run, COULD turn into 16/17 v 2..............
So the question still stands, who is really to blame? You can argue that ME hasn't given any funds to MM to strengthen the team, but there are plenty of other teams out there with less resources than us who are playing more exciting, and more enjoyable football. MM is the one that asks for these players and it's MM's tactics. So for me, it's all down to MM and the coaching staff. These are not all highly experienced players, we have many youngsters in the first team, players that have been coached by MM, TC et al. Whenever we get the ball in defence, we either lump it forward, or sideways pass it a few times, panic, then hoof it upfield. We don't have anyone in the team that can comfortably hold onto the ball. Our movement off the ball is non existent, which is why we just lump it. Football should be so simple, pass and move into space. When we do pass, it's like a hot potato, no one wants to keep it - and again, thats all down to the coaching. It would be interesting to see what a new manager would do with our squad, but, unfortunately i doubt we'll ever know, as when someone does take over from Mick, he'll want a clearout and start afresh.
I don't buy this idea that we are unattractive to anyone taking over MM's position.I'm certain there are several young,progressive coaches who would relish the chance to work with the resources,both existing squad and youth coming through and the overall setup at PR.Imagine the kudos of taking on the role,getting the team playing more attractive football and easily putting an extra 4,000 onto the gate on a regular basis.
As stretchy says, it's not difficult to train in pass and move. This was made so clear when I watched the Fulham game. Nobody touched the ball more than twice and they moved as soon as they released it.
Probably. hopefully true Big Al! Just look what young Lee Johnson has achieved at Bristol! Very innovative, using modern coaching techniques, screens to educate players during drills, drones ffs! A million miles from our old carthorse! And he buys £450 bot wine to sit, listen and learn from his Prem peers after an entertaining game! Rather wished I lived at Bristol!
He's also forked out an unbelievable amount of money to assemble a squad that is competing at the right end of the table.. Yes he may be a good coach and is achieving success, but Brizzle have spent a fortune to afford him that opportunity.
The game plan is Mick's fault, clearly. It's garbage to watch, uninspiring, and I get many hate it. I like the ball on the deck, playing it I like nothing more than playing the good stuff. I agree with all some of the ' passing ' we do is utter garbage......... really should be doing better with that. That being said, ballers cost ££££ and we don't operate wage / transfer wise on a top 14 budget. If we try to get players to match sides, with better players and play the game the same way .......... we'll win some sure but we'll lose more than we win. That is the only reason I've been happy enough to support Mick vocally throughout his time here. However - he's been stitched up by Evans for a THIRD TIME and I think he's losing the plot with mission impossible which is us 1- Gets us to the top 2 going into the new year 14/15. We're clear as day in need of a bit of class. Do we throw caution to the wind and go for it? Do we f***. Sears was a great addition, Fryers painful. Chaplow tried - however wanted to play it on the deck more than he was allowed and there goes that. 2- 16/17. Mick assembled a relatively decent squad however we sell Murphy RIGHT at the end of the deadline..... sign Best and that was pretty much that...... 3 - January 2018........ We're well placed going into Jan, now he's having to offload for fun and we all know we'll get far worse in. Mick WILL leave in the summer which judging by what we're doing this January I'm more than happy to accept. I think Mick's tried his damndest here - it's not going to happen and allow someone else to have a go 18/19. Sure, we're very much likely to - * Play the game a much more attractive way. * Get LOADS of stay aways back, season tickets will be boosted massively and Portman Road will be a much happier place at the start of 2018/19. * See more kids given a chance - Dozza back etc. However, if they get ' backed ' or completely stitched up by this owner - whom I DO feel sorry for. He's released the purstrings at a good time, got his fingers badly burn't by three complete r******s - seen that we lose a fortune year upon year - which is probably a good way around tax but that's for another day.......and has totally changed his approach to the running of the club. So lets see what changes under the new gafa which is surely a certainty next season. You never know, perhaps Bart/ McGoldrick WILL stay Jan, we'll add 3-4 keep the squad together and have another try this season. Oops, just spat my drink out laughing / soaked the keyboard as that clearly WON'T happen this season. 16th, here we come. YIPPPEEEEEEEEEEEE
Lee Johnson is an absolute tard. He's not remotely innovative, he's being heavily backed by a chairman desperate to get Prem footy. If he was with us and the budget we operate under, we'd be bottom 3.
I agree the current squad can play to a much higher standard of football (otherwise there's no hope for us!) While we do have several players here who don't look comfortable with the ball at their feet, mostly defenders, it could derive from working under McCarthy and his coaching team's training methods. We also have an academy that is starting to bear fruit and, thankfully, look technically competent due to Bryan Klug's effective, and often underrated good work. As has been pointed out above, a new manager would likely want to bring in new players, and, having watched this currently lot over the past few years, I can completely understand that. I've said it a few times lately, so apologies if I'm starting to sound like a stuck record, but I truly believe we need a defensive overhaul. I'd get rid of Iorfa, Smith, and Chambers. I'd look to identify new full backs. I think Knudsen has massively improved over the past couple of seasons, but, like the others mentioned, I don't think he'd adapt to a more attractive style of football. We need wingers, and I think a new manager would identify that issue very quickly. Where we do have an abundance of ball playing quality is in central midfielder (when everyone is fit). The likes of Huws, Bishop, Downes, Nydam, Skuse (really impressed me this season), and Adeyemi all look comfortable with the ball at feet and can pick out a pass. Offloading Moore and McGoldrick (not sure if he will sign a new contract anyway) will free up space for a pacy striker, which is something we need. I think Westy makes a good point above regarding McCarthy's luck in the January transfer window. Last season aside, he usually oversees a strong first half of the season (2nd in 2014/15 seems a distant memory now) but Evans has repeatedly failed to back him sufficiently and often allowed players to leave. I think there is one certainty this summer and that is McCarthy will leave. Evans rates him and was content putting in minimal investment in the playing squad and knowing he'll get a fairly stable squad capable of the odd play off push. But that thinking has been proven wrong for the past couple of years and he surely would have noticed attendances slipping. McCarthy doesn't seem overly bothered about staying. He's demeanour in the dug out, his press conferences, and his sly digs at the supporters all point to a lack of motivation and long term planning and that's starting to reflect on the pitch.
Precisely and Other people's opinion should not be treated contemptuously in such a dismissive manner
To be fair Yorkie Westy comes from the Bristol area and so he knows the background to Clubs in that area far better than we do, and having been to Ashton Gate on several occasions ive seen the before and after of millions being ploughed in there, Christ when i first went to Ashton Gate away supporters didnt even have backs to their seats! Everyone entitled to their opinion on here and it doesnt matter whether everyone agrees or not, that way we get good debate. On a personal note i met up with Westy at Reading a few seasons ago and hes light years away from how you describe him, hes ITFC to the core and a valued contributor to our board of many years standing, and let's face it there's not many of us left now.
Ok on the strength of your judgement I retract my statement and offer any apologies that are due Maybe it's the way I read it
My own pennyworth,I don't appreciate the use of derogatory terms like "tard" which I assume is abbreviation of ******,thought that sort of language died out along with such obscenities as spaz and mong,but maybe that's me just being an old fuddy duddy.
Going off topic here, but why should people not use certain words because some people find them derogatory or offensive (which is just subjective anyway)? I have no issue with those words being used, as long as they aren't directed at people with a disability (or to describe their disability). There's too much PC going on, and in any case, whatever happened to sticks and stones.....?
