Should he stay or should he go ...

... as the song (sort of) says. Steve Cotterill's future is being discussed on other forums so I thought that we should start a reasoned debate here.

Up to now I have personally been on the fence with this one. I have supported him and I think he did a good job steadying the ship last year, but we don't seem to have moved on, even though he now has his own squad. I am all for consistency and believe that success never came from chopping and changing. That said, you need the right starting point to get the consistency you want.

I just don't like our style of play - I have never liked route one football. Brian Clough once said that if football was meant to be played in the air the sky would be green. He also said that the first pass you think of is nearly always the right one - keep it simple, keep it short and keep it on the ground.

I was never one of those thinking we should be pushing for promotion but I do expect Pompey to play tight, pacy, attacking football and believe this squad should comfortably be top half/mid table. Some say it is as much the fault of the players as the manager but they are his players. So, whichever way you look at it, it must be the manager's fault.

I am afraid it is time to get off the fence - and time for a change.

 

My philosphy has never been to get on the managers back. I support the manager as long as he's at the club and invest full confidence in their ability to get the team playing well and to get the results. As such I do not think Cotterill should go but he has to recognize that his current system isn't working and needs to do something to change it.

It is, I admit, a bit of a blind faith issue for me and I accept that we're not playing well but I do not sympathize with the anti-Cotterill Brigade who call him a worthless, inept manager who isn't good enough for the club. His past record with other clubs is hardly dire and the work he did here last season was certainly competant to say the least.

 

Cotterill out. Simple as. I actually quite like the bloke it just hasn't been good enough this season unfortunately.

 

Saints fan in peace. Be careful what you wish for guys. We know as well as anyone that to keep changing the manager is a recipe for disaster - look what happened to us while that useless clown Rupert Lowe was at the helm.
SC may not be the best manager in the world, but he has only been able to bring the players who could be obtained at modest cost. He had to make some pretty swift decisions pre season just to ensure you could put out 11 players, and one suspects there will not be much money available in January. SC said a short while back that it would take a min of 5yrs to rebuild the club. He may well be right

 

Sainstalive, you are so right and you now seem to have found stability for the future but, more importantly for the here and now, you are playing what even the most die-hard Pompey supporter has to admit is exciting, attractive and winning football. This time last year many couldn't understand why Pardew left and Adkins came in but boy was it the right move by Cortese, whatever the underlying reasons may have been.

The sad truth is that Portsmouth are neither attractive or exciting, nor are we winning. I am not one of the anti-Cotterill brigade and nothing would make me happier for him to be here in five years with an upwardly mobile team playing attractive football. The bottom line for me, though, is that there has to be change. He has the players to turn it around but if he doesn't change maybe he must be changed.

 

Keep him

 

I'm coming from the opposite direction. I didn't like SC at all when he was appointed and thought he was an arrogant ar$e. Right from the start a lot of the posters on the news site were saying he's tactically inept and needed an assistant. I still think he's arrogant......... but, since June and CSI took over a few things have been coming out which makes me wonder if he didn't have to put up with a lot more than we are aware of and a lot of what came over as arrogance, and those wierd interviews, were actually anger and frustration with the board. Was the lack of an assistant due to him or to (spit) Chanrai/Kushner and no funds. He had assistants at other clubs so why not here?

Since that dreadful interview (maybe someone had words with him) he has appeared more humbled and subdued - but over time I've begun to think that he does listen to the fans, just one example, last year the calls to get Benjani back were profuse. This year we have Benjani back.

What concerns me is that this is his team, he hasn't lost the dressing room if the players are to be believed, eg. Lawrence (PFC website players blaming themselves), Mullins, Benjani etc. publicly supporting him (although maybe not Rocha and Kitson) - it might do more harm than good getting rid of right now. He does seem to be able to motivate the players, it's his tactics and playing style which are at fault. Also our disciplinary record is awful. Some of that has got to be down to the coaching staff surely?

Although I don't usually agree with saintsalive...... I do think we are in a rebuilding process and therefore I'd like to see him given more time, an assistant and some better coaching staff!

That's my twopenneth anyway.

 

Oh, and saintsalive, stop winding up the Bristol City fans! They're busy trying to get rid of their manager

 

Come on guys you have to stick by your manager.

If he were to go you have to ask yourselves who would you realistically get to replace him and what would the new manager do that would be so different given that he would have to work with the same group of players. The last thing you want this season is to be relegated and that does not seem likely provided you stick with Cotterill.

You just do not want the instability that a change of manager would bring.

Whatever happens over the next month or so please try and hit some form so that when we come to your place your guys at least try to make a bit of a game of it.

 

Steve Coppell anyone?? Ready to get back into football management apparently. He is known for the good football all his sides play....

 

You have to be realistic about likely candidates. Would going to your club be a good career move for Coppell who I seem to remember buckles under the strain of management very quickly and let us be honest it would be strain from day one.

You need to stabilise your club over this and next season. What you don't want at this time is unrealistic aspirations undermining the efforts of your new owners who so far seem to be doing a good job.

 

Yeah but losing at home to peterborough is unacceptable for Portsmouth football club. That's not being arrogant, we should be beating teams like that all day long at home. Look at Donny and what a change of manager has done for them. O'driscoll did miracles with that club but sometimes you just need a change.

 

As I said, something has to change, but not necessarily the manager. Maybe a decent assistant may be a better idea.

 

Same thing applies there 3rd eye - how attractive is that job at Bristol City to a good manager. They have little or no money so who can he bring in.
never forget guys, all the best managers are us lot on the terraces!!

 

Actually, I've been following this one because their situation is the absolute opposite of ours. Very big squad, (and players refusing to go on loan). Very rich owner who has put in loads of money, plans for a new stadium etc. Coppell walked because "and to quote him" 'I didn't like the environment I found myself in'.

Apparently Coppell is ready to go back into management, not that he expects any Chairman to trust him so knows it's unlikely. However - here's a thought, he could be Cotts's assistant manager

 

Hee hee Wooperts, I've just posted that suggestion on The Snooze site. Just waiting to get lambasted now .

 

I've got it. Simply appoint Steve Coppell as Director of Football, then the other Steve will know his job is safe.....wouldn't he?

 

I have a lot of gratitude toward SC for the job he did last season. As a Pompey fan, with the state the club was in, you have to be thankful to ANY-ONE who was mad enough to take over when he did.

There have been one or two very poor results [Peterborough would have been a win on any-one's 'predictor'] but I think it's a bit harsh to be entering into SC out talk on the back of a 1-0 defeat away to Leeds.

Things do need to start getting more positive on the whole though and, here on the forum, I [virtually] see a lot of heads going down already and discontent on the rise.

So if SC should leave, I think it should be 'by mutual consent' rather than by the sack. He can leave with his head held high and take a position with a lower league club, a level at which he has more experience. As for a replacement; provided he isn't still shell-shocked after the past year at Home Park, how about Peter Reid?