Never been so bitter leaving a match in my life, after all that wasted journey and money to watch that absolute pile of pure ****. We were lucky not to lose 8-0 and I swear that's not even an exaggeration... if they weren't just as bad if not worse at finishing than us they would have been, and they would have deserved every single one. We were saved by two McLean v Donny / Harper v Scunny complete calamity misses, some uncomposed whacks over the bar when 1 on 1 6 yards out and 2 top class saves by Mannone. Never before have I seen this defence get ripped apart so many times time after time after time, and that was by, oh yes the bottom placed team in the league with have lost half their starting 11. They pressed us all over the pitch which meant we couldn't play our usual game of pass it round the back, to midfield, back to defence, to the goalie to hoof back to them, we just had to hoof it straight back to them as soon as we got it which brings me on to my next point. I know everyone in here will have a tantrum about this but i honestly think that Barmby should step down into a coaching role and hopefully put his boots back on for a cameo role at the end of the season and let a proper manager take over. He's getting clueless now and it's thrown away te best opportunity we might ever get at getting back to the premier league. We've been **** for ages yet he constantly persists with the 4231 which clearly hasn't been working for awhile and doesn't suit our team. Koren gets injured and surely we HAVE to change formation as there's no one else capable of playing in the hole, yet he persists. Then tonight he shows up a master class of how not to manage a team, first we have a pill of very good central midfielders, Cairney, Evans, McKenna, olofinjana, so he decides to go and put a left back in there, the very left back who should have replaced Dawson games ago as he's just trned to utter ****e and is letting opponents in on goal behind him willy nilly, who was also incredibly lucky not to see a straight red for a foul so clumsy even Krusty the clown would have been impressed. Half time comes and what does he do? Ok he did one thing right by taking daws off and bringing Evans into midfield, but then takes two steps back by bringing off Fryatt - the only person in the team who could come in from that first half with any sort of praise as he was the only player who actually managed to control the ball or pass to a team mate at all. Yet he persist with his stupid 4231 and puts Stewart in the hole as it clearly wasn't working before. 10 minutes pass and still, clear as day, 4231 isn't working, so he brings on a striker. Everyone's thinking ****ING FINALLY 442!!! Simpson comes on the pitch and where does he go? The hole, still that ****ing 4231! Another 10 minutes pass and STILL it's not working for ****, so he comes up with the amazing idea of moving the striker out to the wing and the winger back into the hole, yeah like that's going to work. Then around 75 minutes Dudgeon injures himself but we've used up all our subs trying every person we could in the hole to no avail, so he has to hobble on clutching his hamstring. Finally at around 85 minutes he realises 4231 - the system that's brought us just one measly chance in the entire match - isn't working and goes to 342 (after dudgeon hobbled off) but its too little too late. Even Dowie wouldn't have ****ed up that bad tonight. It wouldn't be so bad if it was a one off, but it's been the same old story game after game for months now with the odd exception thrown in every 10 games or so. He's either clueless or too stubborn to admit he's wrong and his system doesn't work so he constantly persists with it, which is why I've made my mind up and called the jury that he's just not ready yet for football management. We've been going through a bad patch for awhile but he just hasn't a clue how to turn it around, persisting constantly with the same players in te same formation is not going to work if it's not worked in the first place, I can see that, you all can see that, even the 6 year old who sits near me at the kc can see it, yet he refuses to mix things up, just slight personnel changes here and there every now and again. I do love the guy and admire his bravery for taking the task on I really do and am grateful for what he's tried to do but he's just not cutting the butter, and rather than see this continue into next season ending with him either resigning or being sacked, I hope he'll hold up his hands and step down, coach for awhile or possibly take on an assistant role and have another crack at the whip when he's more ready and more experienced. I may have sounded harsh in parts because I'm furious after that game but I've tried to keep calm. I hope he proves me wrong in the next 7 games but I just can't see it happening.
Tonight sounded very dire but it still would be a knee-jerk reaction to sack him, and there would be no way he'd move into a coaching/playing role if he does lose his job. If this run of form continued I'm pretty sure he would reconsider his role at the end of the season anyway. I'm more concerned at the moment about the lack of financial backing in January or what he would be given in summer.
Funny how the ones, who were originally hyping Barmby up are now having a go at him. These things happen. You've just got to get on with it. These results show we're not good enough. Otherwise we'd go up and get tonked week in week out, and that's far more embarrassing.
I don't want him sacked far from it, that's why I hope he steps down to a coaching role or assistant manager at the end of the season unless he somehow manages to turn it around. I want him to stay til the end of the season he deserves the chance to put things right and bringing in another manager now would just disrupt the whole club anyway. Also I sincerely hope I'm on here at the end of the season eating my words, but sadly I just can't see it happening.
What his post match interview does demonstrate is that he knows how he wants the game to be played and will not divert from this by playing a system that to a ceratin extent suits the players at his disposal. I think Nick is a stubborn so and so and I trust his judgement whilst accepting that he his still showing a lack of experience in certain respects - I do like the guy though.. I would however like to see an older head alongside him in the way BH was to PB..
Tonight was the final nail in the coffin for our play off hopes, not strengthening in January has cost us. I think Nick will be a good manager for us, he just needs to swallow his pride and change things when they aren't working and make us go for teams more. Someone with experience alongside him would be perfect for Barmby and the team. There's things we need to work on over the summer, hopefully these can be addressed over the summer and we'll come back stronger next season. If anything, the position Pompey are in offers perspective to our current problems.
I can't actually believe what he was saying in his interview about 'the team losing its shape' ****ing hell, what does he expect when he changes a key position in central midfield and sticks a ****ing left back in their. It's not rocket science Nick. Oh, and we don't have anyone capable of playing in the hole so stop ****ing playing 4231.
We aren't good enough but anybody thinking we need to change the manager without letting him have a full pre-season with his squad needs their head checking- As for the bell-end TWF on here gloating and going about Brown, why don't you get behind the manager for a change and STFU- you know **** all about football
2-0 down at the bottom placed team. We took off our top scorer who's got 11 goals in the league and started the 2nd half with a team who between them have only scored 12 league goals all season, and you could argue it down to 10 goals if you want to allow for the fact the CBs have stuck it in the net at the wrong end just as often as at the right end.
I totally agree with this unfortunately; but it has to be said... if the man who was called up to be England's caretaker assistant hasn't got enough experience then who has? There are things we need to work on; e.g. how to stick a ball in the net but with the right people and actually with a bit of money, we could be a real force to contend with next year! Hats off to Pompey though, like Leicester on Saturday they were simply better
In reply to pingu Pompey were miles better than Leicester were but that's probably more down to us being completely abysmal tonight and making them look so good rather than outright outclassing us. And I've got to say if Barmby keeps the job over the summer and we carry on being **** this season I won't moan about it. In just worried things could get sour and tarnish his reputation here which if you look back through my posts to when he was appointed you will see I was saying the same and expressing my concern about what's pretty much happening now, people are already starting to turn on him ffs! I know my rant in the op looks like I have but I wrote that immediately after getting back to the car with high emotions, but I guess that bit of fire and passion helped get my point clearer rather than waiting til morning. I pray to god that the guys a success here, he's a full fledged city legend and hero and the kind of chap we want around our club for years and years to come be it manager, assistant, coach or even bloody kit man, he's a well respected experienced footballer who will be a vital part behind the scenes for us, which is why if management is a bridge too far for him now I'd rather him step down and safeguard that future here rather than carry on and end up not stepping up to the plate, to get scorned and driven away by the angry numptys we have by the shipload.
i share your frustration, just got back to hull and its nights like tonight you wonder why we bother.... the players didnt seem interested, so why should we? portsmouth where up for a scrap and we appeared to be on the beach already, not playing for 6th spot. 1 shot on target, absolutely pathetic, that was " the response" we where promised after leicester was it??? still nobody shoots, the midfield and striker/s are on different wavelengths, and without koren we just have no clue.. the worst part was definately the lack of fight tho, seemed no passion at all, and most worryingly barmby just stands watching it all with his arms folded, seemingly unable or unwilling to fire them up...
' My old man told me that on the day we played them in 2008, he met his mate in the pub at 8pm and asked why he'd decided not to go to the game. He'd been back 15 minutes and had time to go home and get changed
i confess to leaving after 82 minutes to get a rush on the traffic, and before anybody pipes up with support the lads to the end , you wouldnt go see a film and leave before the end, blah, blah , blah..if the film was that ****, i would burn the ****ing cinema down!!
Was gonna say DJ that's some ****ing time I only got back to Leicester at 10 to 1 although I stayed til the end and had to take a diversion as some clumsy copper rolled his car and left it upside down in the middle of the a46 What pissed me off a bit though is I went for a piss around 35-40 minutes and there were already people leaving then, as if you'd come all that way and pay 25 quid for a ticket to leave before half time!!
