When we have a better Goal Difference! Anyhoo its pretty depressing for both of us but even more so for your lot given the superior squad of players that you have at your disposal! There's an Open Top Bus parade booked to celebrate this momentous achievement around the Town Centre!
I don't think you can call our squad superior. Now we have flooded it with non-League Germans. Maddison, Gunn and Hanley are probably the only superior players. I think both squads are pretty even now. Especially when Gunn and Maddison go. Enjoy your parade. You fans need something!
I wouldn't mind Frank Lampard alongside a wiser head. We have always been known to give young untested former players a chance. SIr Alf, SIr Bobby, George Burley but I guess that was when we lived in far more enlightened times as a football club. I just dont want a retread like Sherwood, Coleman, Mclaren etc..We have been most successful when we have taken a chance on a young'un.
Didn't know Lampard had been linked to jobs. Would you have been happy if you appointed Gerrard? That was a strange move. I'm not sure he knows what he's got himself into there.
Lampard is currently 3rd or 4th favourite according to the bookies! I wouldn't have minded Gerard and I agree that he is on a hiding to nothing at Gers! We would have given him the ideal opportunity and possible springboard for his management career. He will be seen as damaged goods when he fails in Scotland.
Personally, not great. I think fans seem pretty split. Sort of feels a bit like a "Let's see where we are by Christmas, and re-asses."
The bookies favourite for the past week has been Paul Hurst.. probably fueled by the owner saying he wouldn't appoint anyone until the beginning of June and Hurst himself not ruling himself out or committing himself to Shrewsbury next season.. Would possibly be a choice that gets the most positive reaction and offends the least amount of fans as well, given the outrage at some of the 'rumours' that have been doing the rounds.. though we all know some people will love a good moan at anything. Also, George Burley has submitted his application so we could be jumping in the Delorean and revisiting 1998 all over again.
If we were looking for a manager I'd try and tempt Clough away from Burton as an option and give him an interview. He seems a very good manager, and is use to working with no money or resources at Burton.
I think it's hard to separate Farke's performance from the performance of our "new approach". For example our inability to score goals. We started the season with two very competent strikers, but neither of which fit the Webber/Farke long-term model. One has since left, and the other appears to be phoning in performances, longing for a summer move. Had SW/DF compromised their footballing principles and played to Oliveira's strengths, would we be looking at a play-off spot right now? And next season when we simply must have an appropriate striker, will the support players have benefited significantly from playing this season to suit the strengths of a striker we don't yet have? In defence, we've been dreadful from set pieces and I think Farke really can be blamed for that. Whilst in general our squad lacks height and muscle, there's been times when despite having 3 tall CBs and 6ft + Tettey and Vrancic on the pitch, we've been beaten far too easily at corners. It's amazing the amount of times a new manager goes into a club leaking goals and tightens them up defensively through proper coaching. Farke needs to step up in this area. On paper a back 5 of Gunn, Lewis, Hanley, Klose and Pinto should have been pretty much as strong as anything in this division. Reality has been rather different! Farke still has my support for now. This was always meant to be a multi-year project which has meant this season's squad have been transistional. When a few more holes in the SW/DF Masterplan have been filled then that excuse will start to sound quite hollow if things don't improve.
Good post DH. I was reading one report on the EDP website and it highlighted how Klose struggles against imposing strikers and has done all season - would Raggett have fared better??? IMO - I'd REALLY like to see some of the Under 23s be involved in pre season, otherwise they'll go off to other clubs for next to nothing/free and all the hype of SW/DF 'giving youth a chance' will be 'dead in the water!!!' #allwearesaying
