Jack Ross, the good ...

[Nig]

Was still backing him up until yesterday.
He won't be going anywhere until the takeover is sorted either way.

But I've lost faith now,
when he goes i wish him well but unfortunately its not good enough here.

 

[rooch 3]

Christ don't want Pulis here, if you think the football's terrible now just ask the Boro fans about his style of play makes Jack Ross look like Pep.

The real question that needs asking is would you prefer to be at the bottom of the championship or happy in prem mid table ask Stoke fans?

 

[cumbrianmackem]

The real question that needs asking is would you prefer to be at the bottom of the championship or happy in prem mid table ask Stoke fans?

Seriously I'd rather stay in this league than have that Neanderthal manager anywhere near this club.
The Pulis's of this world are out of date as was Roy Keane after he left us.
Footballers either superstars or mediocre won't be treat other than with kit gloves.
And by the way if we think we're in trouble think OGS at manure won't have a settled night in bed after that disaster up the road.

 

[MKmackem]

He must go. It’s absolutely appalling, and even when we win it’s laboured and usually is us hanging on at the end.

However, I do think he has been let down badly by the recruitment team.

Last season Stevie Wonder wearing a blindfold could see we lacked any kind of pace throughout the side, and we were weak as piss and got bullied. We were crying out for pace and a bit of power right through the team. Willis is the only one who fits this bill. We still have a team full of players with zero pace and who get bullied by any player over 6 foot.

Everyone knew Oviedo would be away this summer, regardless of division. Plans should have been made about replacing him, especially when in June we let Reece James leave. James was steady enough, no world beater even at this level and IMO no great loss. However, despite knowing Oviedo was away and having 3 month to sign a replacement for James, we still ended up panic buying a left back from Leeds who nobody has heard of and the Leeds fan ridicule for being so ****. And unfortunately I can’t see Hume being a professional footballer for very long.

Ross seemed like he had his heart set on playing 352 this season. After losing Matthews, Oviedo and James (all of which would fill that wingback slot quite well) we started the season with Gooch and O’Nien filling in at RWB, and the lad we signed to play right back squeezed in to play centre back. Does Ross have no say in transfers? Do they not liaise with him and ask him what formation he is looking to play or what style he wants to play, and sign players to fit that? Because of the 352 being a nightmare, and Hume being canny poor/injured, we end up with the lad who we signed to play right back but squeezed in at centre back playing at left back, and an advanced midfield player at right back. Shambles.

In midfield, I’ve already mentioned us lacking that bit of physicality and ability to move. Yes we signed Dobson who does seem to provide us that bit of energy, but he doesn’t seem very good. The rest of our options are all much of a muchness. Nobody who can really get about the pitch and impose themselves on the game. They’ll all pick the ball up and play some nice 10/20 yard passes sideways or backwards, but that’s about it.

McGeady played through the last 6 weeks of last season with a broken foot because we were so desperate. He is STILL playing injured because we did not sign any wingers. We have Gooch, who sadly will never make it above this level IMO, Maguire who again will never make it above this level and is better as a number 10 anyway due to having zero pace, McGeady who is clearly very unfit and Watmore, who seems to be ruined by injury. At least at the end of last year we had Morgan. Is this failure to sign wingers because Ross wanted to play 352??

Strikers - yes losing Maja was a blow. However, had Wyke been fit at the start of last season would Maja have even got a look in? Our policy when signing strikers appears to be look at who’s scored goals in this league previously. Wyke is horrendous, up there with James Vaughan in being the worst forward I’ve seen play for us. At least the likes of Altidore and Prica were ****e at a higher level. Grigg just doesn’t look interested, and tbh he is living off scraps. Scraps of ****. Dragged through ****. Does not excuse his lack of effort mind, but whatever style of football we play does not suit Grigg.....so why did we spend so much on him?

So yes, Ross has been let down by recruitment. Badly I’d say. How much of a say has he had in these? I’ve no idea. But whoever is in charge of recruitment should be following Ross out of the door.

HOWEVER.....

We do not look organised and we do not look fit enough. We have no style of football other than turn up and hope our better players turn up and drag us through. That IS something Ross certainly can control and influence. We are blowing out of our arses after an hour, so who is in charge of fitness? We look all over the place defensively. Ross spoke about wanting 20 clean sheets, after his obsession with them last year. We have 0. We don’t have the players to play out from the back. Our midfield don’t seem to want to get their foot on the ball and test the opposition, or drive forwards with the ball. We have no pace to use a ball over the top, or to get the ball and run at opposition defenders. If teams even slightly press us, we **** ourselves and lump the ball forward to whichever of our weak, slow forwards we’re playing this week and then the ball comes straight back at us.

Ross has been let down. But he’s also let himself down. Managers in this league with smaller squads full of lesser players with budgets a fraction the size of ours can get their teams organised and attempting to play football. Ross has been in charge for around 80 games, and I’ve still no idea what he wants to do with this squad. For me, he should have gone straight after the playoff final. And he certainly should not be given another game to show everyone how out of his depth he is here.

Time to go, Ross, Coton and Hill.

It's starting to become embarrassing, being played off the pitch week in week out. No heart, no desire and no ****ing idea !!!

 

[MKmackem]

No more experiments for me... we can’t afford to take punts on up and coming managers. We need to get out of this league... I know he’s not everyone’s cup of tea but I would go with Pulis for a couple of years with someone in mind to take over thereafter and Pulis becomes DoF... his knowledge would be immense

I'd rather poke my eyes out with blunt stick than watch the **** Pulis puts out every week...

 

[MKmackem]

Amazing how much info you can write on a toffee wrapper

Or on the head of a match...

 

[Nads]

What about Slavisa Jokanovic?

Built 2 excellent, attacking minded sides at Watford and Fulham.

2 daft sackings, Watford coz the Pozzo’s are off their tits and Fulham as players were bought he didn’t ask for and the team was disjointed as ****.

Knows the way out of the Championship should we land there, gets his team pressing oppo which is what a lot of us want to see.

He’s managing in Qatar, I doubt he’d be hard to poach.

It’s a strong, viable thought for me.

 

[Ozzymac]

What about Slavisa Jokanovic?

Built 2 excellent, attacking minded sides at Watford and Fulham.

2 daft sackings, Watford coz the Pozzo’s are off their tits and Fulham as players were bought he didn’t ask for and the team was disjointed as ****.

Knows the way out of the Championship should we land there, gets his team pressing oppo which is what a lot of us want to see.

He’s managing in Qatar, I doubt he’d be hard to poach.

It’s a strong, viable thought for me.

He'd be earning a shed load more in Qatar

 

[monty987]

the Bristol rovers away game falls on the next international week, so is that getting called off and why not now.

 

[Nads]

He'd be earning a shed load more in Qatar

No doubt. But there’s always the hope he’s interested in the challenge.

Doubt he’s skint.

 

[Brainman]

It will be interesting to see how Ross and the players react on Tuesday.
Throwing caution to the wind would be nice.
As nobody really cares if we win or lose.
Try something different Jack. Go for it.
Not holding my breath.

 

[Nads]

It will be interesting to see how Ross and the players react on Tuesday.
Throwing caution to the wind would be nice.
As nobody really cares if we win or lose.
Try something different Jack. Go for it.
Not holding my breath.

1-1

 

[Sunderpitt]

Atm Ross is taking a lot of stick, a lot of the criticism is merited imho.

However will he get it right? The problem with chopping and changing managers is that, as had been said, you may get a short term new manager bounce, but you end up with a motley crew or rag bag and Bob tail group of players. As the different managers plan on their own particular formation/tactics strategy..and only get a part way through implementation. Neither fish nor foul, or neither use nor ornament, you could say. Which is what happened to us.

I only listened to and read about the game on Saturday, have not seen it, but even Ross is saying it was the worst ever.

So what happens? Nothing atm I suspect until the 'takeover' does or does not resolve. We do not have a game to bounce back...so the bad ordeur is going to linger.

 

[Zak's Dad]

Atm Ross is raking a lot of stick, a lot of the criticism is merited imho.

However will he get it right? The problem with chopping and changing managers is that, as had been said, you may get a short term new manager bounce, but you end up with a motley crew or rag bag and Bob tail group of players. As the different managers plan on their own particular formation/tactics strategy..and only get a part way through implementation. Neither fish nor foul, or neither use nor ornament, you could say. Which is what happened to us.

I only listened to and read about the game on Saturday, have not seen it, but even Ross is saying it was the worst ever.

So what happens? Nothing atm I suspect until the 'takeover' does or does not resolve. We do not have a game to bounce back...so the bad ordeur is going to linger.

The problem for me is that he's already been given enough time to prove that he won't or can't turn it around.
After the January transfer window there was a huge thread over the road where people pointed out that he hadn't brought in any players with midfield presence, or pace in attack, and therefore his tactics were effectively tied to the same risk averse line up of packing the midfield with slow defensive players whose only task appeared to be to protect the back four. And who couldn’t get up to join the attack - let alone make runs past the strikers.

You could - word for word - have the same conversation now. 10 months after the first one, and another transfer window later.

He's really struggling now because the opposition have sussed him and are planning accordingly - and yet he's still refusing to alter a failing game plan.

All the evidence points to him not 'coming good' or 'turning it around'. And I refuse to believe that another manager won't be able to hugely improve performances and results with the same squad.

 

[Sunderpitt]

The problem for me is that he's already been given enough time to prove that he won't or can't turn it around.
After the January transfer window there was a huge thread over the road where people pointed out that he hadn't brought in any players with midfield presence, or pace in attack, and therefore his tactics were effectively tied to the same risk averse line up of packing the midfield with slow defensive players whose only task appeared to be to protect the back four. And who couldn’t get up to join the attack - let alone make runs past the strikers.

You could - word for word - have the same conversation now. 10 months after the first one, and another transfer window later.

He's really struggling now because the opposition have sussed him and are planning accordingly - and yet he's still refusing to alter a failing game plan.

All the evidence points to him not 'coming good' or 'turning it around'. And I refuse to believe that another manager won't be able to hugely improve performances and results with the same squad.

I certainly agree with the point that we do not seem to have a game plan, other than give it to Mcgeady

We are not scoring enough goals, poor strikers and poor service to them..not enough chances created

 

[flandersmackem]

I'd rather poke my eyes out with blunt stick than watch the **** Pulis puts out every week...

Cos' watching Sunderland right now is like watching Barcelona....

 

[MKmackem]

Cos' watching Sunderland right now is like watching Barcelona....

Who knows what the answer is flanders...

We need someone to shake these players up and spark them into life. I believe we have the players to piss this league, but we don't have the manager to implement it.

 

[The Norton Cat]

Who knows what the answer is flanders...

We need someone to shake these players up and spark them into life. I believe we have the players to piss this league, but we don't have the manager to implement it.

Don't the players have to take some responsibility for that? They are playing for arguably the biggest club in League 1. Shouldn't that be enough motivation? Wouldn't that be enough motivation for you?

I certainly agree with the point that we do not seem to have a game plan, other than give it to Mcgeady

We are not scoring enough goals, poor strikers and poor service to them..not enough chances created

Is that Ross' game plan? Or is that the easy option for players who are overawed, out of their depth, or simply not up for it? A Roker Report article (and I'm not saying they're the fount of all knowledge) a few weeks back was of the opinion it was the latter.

Anyone read 'Living on the Volcano'? Interviews with football managers. Brendan Rodgers says in there if a British manager doesn't spend the entire game effing and blinding and screaming at the players, he's no good or doesn't care. If a foreign manager is calm and quiet and shows little animation he's considered educated or intelligent. When I read that, I immediately thought of the way Jack Ross is described.

 

[Zak's Dad]

I certainly agree with the point that we do not seem to have a game plan, other than give it to Mcgeady

We are not scoring enough goals, poor strikers and poor service to them..not enough chances created

Agree with both points regarding the attack, and when you add in that we concede too many clear cut chances and goals despite having a very defensive set up at the back.
With the only plan appearing to be:
Buy more centre half's
Hope the goalkeeper is our MOTM again

It all adds up to a failing set up easy to defeat.

When you look at that through the lens of:
Our failing game plan hasn't changed in one year and two transfer windows despite spending three times the rest of the league ague combined and performances and results are slipping?

There's only one conclusion staring us in the face.

 

[clockstander]

The problem for me is that he's already been given enough time to prove that he won't or can't turn it around.
After the January transfer window there was a huge thread over the road where people pointed out that he hadn't brought in any players with midfield presence, or pace in attack, and therefore his tactics were effectively tied to the same risk averse line up of packing the midfield with slow defensive players whose only task appeared to be to protect the back four. And who couldn’t get up to join the attack - let alone make runs past the strikers.

You could - word for word - have the same conversation now. 10 months after the first one, and another transfer window later.

He's really struggling now because the opposition have sussed him and are planning accordingly - and yet he's still refusing to alter a failing game plan.

All the evidence points to him not 'coming good' or 'turning it around'. And I refuse to believe that another manager won't be able to hugely improve performances and results with the same squad.

One decent defensive midfield player, with a covering option, would have solved the problem, yet none of them could see it, thats my worry, Jack and his staff are clueless about what is needed, and fall between the two types of team that would see us go up, we have an awful weak disjointed mixture, and cant seem to sort it out, he looks more perplexed now than the day he started.