We are bottom, the u21s and u18s are near the bottom (I think). It's plain to see that something isn't working. The idea that a club plays the same way throughout the youth system up to the first team is quite unrealistic. The system is ideally supposed to have position ready players able to slot straight in to place when injuries or suspensions occur. God knows who plays at left back in the u21s but if he can't even get a place on the bench when there is no left back available, he really must be ****. This example alone sums it up for me, the state of the club and the direction it's heading
If the Ineos connection is true then we really are f*cked as everything thing they got involved in sports wise turned to sh1te..... Ineos cycling, All Blacks Rugby, Americas Cup, Manure...... they do not have a good track record.....
So, from what l’m reading here, were last because our team is being controlled by an idiot from a far away office who happened to pick us up instead of a Sega remote control. And they wonder why we fans have blood pressure issues and have a weakness to alcohol.
I see where you are going but you didn't go back far enough. Step forward Ray Wilkins your moment has come, Sell Sir Les for £6m. We don't need him when we 've got Danny Dichio and then spend it all on a few duds like Ned Zelic. We never recovered and went from a team that finished regularly in the top half of the 1st division to one that would take years to get back up.
I like Marti a lot - he came in talking about playing exciting front-foot football but this season everything has gone flat. Sad to say I can see him being gone by Xmas. Thankfully Tim Sherwood has probably given up on us now.
My thoughts were they’d use the international break to get rid. I personally wouldn’t but it’s what clubs do. Nobody at the pub agreed they would in a group of ten or so. Some options now in theory. If it did happen I’d like Robins. Expect we’d go for some nonsense like Wagner.
That's my recollection as well. And it was Trevor Francis before then. He recruited Ray Wilkins from their joint brief stint together under Souness at Rangers. A few weeks later, Trevor had been sacked, I think he'd lost the dressing room by then with his strict man-management 'skills' and Wilkins seemed to do ok for the rest of that season with the squad he'd inherited so was kept on for the following year when he took an axe to that team.
Wilkins took over after Francis quit when Rodney Marsh was being lined up as DoF. That was before Christmas in 1994. At the end of that season Sir Les was sold to Newcastle and the £6 million was spaffed on players that weakened the team, Zelic, Osborne and Hateley...
Looks like my old feeble mind let me down again ! Yep , Gerry quit when he thought we were selling Les to Utd. Wilkins came in and Les agreed to stay till the end of the season.
One look at this list probably tells you everything you need to know to explain why we never have a period of sustained success. I realise there are a lot of caretakers in that list but it certainly looks like a revolving door at HQ. The golden period seems to have been between April 1944 and August 1968 when we had only three! Unthinkable. Only 3 (correction 4) in 24 years. Expectations were clearly not as high then, no Not 606 and the seeds of self-destruction of any manager's job security were sown with success, Alec Stock and Neil Warnock being prime examples. How quickly yesterday's heroes become today's disasters. None more so than Alec Stock who took us up into the 1st division for the first time ever with what was basically a 3rd division team plus Rodney Marsh. He lasted less than a month before being given the heave ho. Mart Cifuentes has lasted a lot longer than many on that list but I don't fancy his chances of joining the 2 year club. Marti Cifuentes 31 Oct, 2023 Present Gareth Ainsworth 21 Feb, 2023 28 Oct, 2023 Neil Critchley 12 Dec, 2022 19 Feb, 2023 Michael Beale 01 Jun, 2022 27 Nov, 2022 Mark Warburton 08 May, 2019 01 Jun, 2022 John Eustace 01 Apr, 2019 08 May, 2019 Steve McClaren 18 May, 2018 01 Apr, 2019 Ian Holloway 10 Nov, 2016 10 May, 2018 Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink 04 Dec, 2015 07 Nov, 2016 Neil Warnock 04 Nov, 2015 04 Dec, 2015 Kevin Bond 03 Feb, 2015 12 Feb, 2015 Chris Ramsey 03 Feb, 2015 04 Nov, 2015 Harry Redknapp 25 Nov, 2012 03 Feb, 2015 Mark Bowen 23 Nov, 2012 25 Nov, 2012 Eddie Niedzwiecki 23 Nov, 2012 25 Nov, 2012 Mark Hughes 10 Jan, 2012 23 Nov, 2012 Neil Warnock 02 Mar, 2010 08 Jan, 2012 Mick Harford 15 Jan, 2010 02 Mar, 2010 Paul Hart 17 Dec, 2009 15 Jan, 2010 Steve Gallen 16 Dec, 2009 17 Dec, 2009 Jim Magilton 03 Jun, 2009 16 Dec, 2009 Gareth Ainsworth 09 Apr, 2009 03 May, 2009 Paulo Sousa 19 Nov, 2008 09 Apr, 2009 Gareth Ainsworth 24 Oct, 2008 19 Nov, 2008 Iain Dowie 14 May, 2008 24 Oct, 2008 Luigi De Canio 29 Oct, 2007 12 May, 2008 Mick Harford 01 Oct, 2007 29 Oct, 2007 John Gregory 20 Sep, 2006 01 Oct, 2007 Gary Waddock 06 Feb, 2006 19 Sep, 2006 Ian Holloway 26 Feb, 2001 06 Feb, 2006 Gerry Francis 16 Oct, 1998 25 Feb, 2001 Iain Dowie 28 Sep, 1998 16 Oct, 1998 Ray Harford 05 Dec, 1997 28 Sep, 1998 John Hollins 11 Nov, 1997 05 Dec, 1997 Stewart Houston 16 Sep, 1996 10 Nov, 1997 Ray Wilkins 15 Nov, 1994 04 Sep, 1996 Gerry Francis 01 Jun, 1991 11 Nov, 1994 Don Howe 28 Nov, 1989 21 May, 1991 Trevor Francis 14 Dec, 1988 27 Nov, 1990 Jim Smith 11 Jun, 1985 04 Dec, 1988 Frank Sibley 05 Dec, 1984 01 Jun, 1985 Alan Mullery 20 Jun, 1984 05 Dec, 1984 Gordon Jago 28 May, 1984 05 Jun, 1984 Terry Venables 01 Oct, 1980 24 May, 1984 Tommy Docherty 11 May, 1979 01 Oct, 1980 Steve Burtenshaw 10 Aug, 1978 10 May, 1979 Alec Stock 30 Jul, 1978 10 Aug, 1978 Frank Sibley 10 Jul, 1977 29 Jul, 1978 Dave Sexton 16 Oct, 1974 09 Jul, 1977 Stan Anderson 07 Sep, 1974 16 Oct, 1974 Gordon Jago 06 Jan, 1971 27 Sep, 1974 Les Allen 01 Dec, 1969 06 Jan, 1970 Tommy Docherty 01 Nov, 1968 30 Nov, 1968 Bill Dodgin(Jnr) 01 Aug, 1968 01 Nov, 1968 Jimmy Andrews 01 Aug, 1965 31 Jul, 1965 Alec Stock 01 Aug, 1959 01 Aug, 1968 Jack Taylor 01 Jun, 1952 01 May, 1959 Dave Mangnall 01 Apr, 1944 31 May, 1952 Ted Vizard 01 May, 1939 01 Apr, 1944 Billy Birrell 01 Apr, 1935 01 May, 1939 Mick O'Brien 01 May, 1933 01 Apr, 1935 Archie Mitchell 01 Nov, 1931 01 May, 1933 John Bowman 01 May, 1930 01 Nov, 1931 Bob Hewison 01 Aug, 1925 01 May, 1930 Will Wood 01 Aug, 1924 31 May, 1925 Ned Liddell 01 Apr, 1920 31 May, 1924 James Howie 01 Aug, 1913 01 Apr, 1920 James Cowan 01 Aug, 1906 31 May, 1913
Interesting reading that as it was spun differently at the time. Supporters are always last to know what really goes on...
