It makes perfect sense that people are being more positive and getting behind the new manager,theres really nothing bizarre about it. Hughton was fired after a seasons worth of what many felt was dissappointing unentertaining football, and ineffective management. He brought in his own players and had the whole pre-season to prepare, and he failed to get the performances from the team and players that many fans, and seemingly the board, expected of him. The judgement placed on his and the teams performance was a cumulative response to his form, nicely summarised by EPL index here http://eplindex.com/52199/chris-hughton-sacked-deserved.html Neil Adams is new. He is now managing players who he didn't choose. He is working without the luxury of time, or indeed a fair chance of staying up. He deserves, as any new incumbent does, the chance to show us what he can do, and our support in helping him do that. Think of it as the equivalent of the presidents first 100 days in office if you will. Rather than laughable, i see that as an admirable quality in folks, and if its predictable, that can also only be a good thing. Finally, we may only have the 3 games left in the premier league. With the removal of Hughton our future as a club and a footballing outfit seems much more open for change. Until there is evidence to the contrary, i think its right that people take the minor positives of our last two performances and use them to fuel their support and desire for the club to do well.
I'm all for people taking positives from our games, it's what I always try to do at least, however why couldn't these same people take any kind of positive from the games when Hootun was in charge because it really wasn't all bad and with a touch more fortune at different stages this season (fewer man of match performances from opposition keepers to start) we would be home and hosed by now. Of course I'm behind Neeyull Adams, absolutely 100%, I'm just highlighting some pretty fundamental inconsistencies that are going on
We scored 2 good goals against the top team who absolutely destroyed us the last few times we played them, just seeing goals from our boys is positive. How many have we scored on the road all season? I can think of a handful .
i know what you mean, and i feel the crux of your bafflement at the new found ability of many to find the positives comes from your personal belief that Hughton wasn't that bad, and so isn't being fairly compared. Hughtons record over an average season was 35 points. Now that might be relegation numbers one season, staying up numbers a next. What it isn't was conclusive proof that he was getting the job done. As such for a lot of people it comes down to whether you place greater importance of his achievements (11 clean sheets this season, that unbeaten run) or his failures this season (52 goals conceded, 9% conversion rate, failed to equalise a Premier League match in 2014, only one substitute all season has managed to score or assist a goal, joint lowest goals scored) as to what value you placed on his work at this club. (pretty obvious where i ended up going on this one.) Neil in his early tenure looks to be trying to address many of the problems i had with hughtons outlook on the game. I think thats the case for many here. Its going to be too little too late, but its nice to see us having a go, and having watched the youth team with the FA cup at SB, i know that underdog spirit and tenacity are two things Neil has and gives his teams. That chelsea youth team were technically miles better than our lads, but his approach to the game still turned them over nicely. Also he made tactical changes against liverpool, so much so that twice brendan rodgers tried to readjust to counter. I never felt hughton was one for the mid game tactical jousting, so that for me is a almost forgotten treat to be seeing again. Each to their own i guess, but regardless of whats been said, and who liked/hated hughton, the one thing for sure is that hes not coming back, so lets all hold hands and skip merrily into whatever challenges will accost this great club in the near future together!
If that's how it comes across that's not what I meant at all. Everyone's allowed there opinion but it seems with Munky & myself our views seem to rub each other up the wrong way & I don't think it's ever going to change. So we'll have to agree to disagree on most things to do with CH. Same applies with yours and my views also ?
Look, Hughton's gone can we just draw a line under the subject and move on ? It really makes no sense to keep bickering on about the rights and wrongs of it all. At the end of the day, regardless of our opinions we all want City to succeed do we not ?
Absolutely chippy! I may disagree with a lot that you say, but after your kindness with the Big Dunc programme, I could never stay mad at you!
Totally agree mate, you know we've been allies all the way through this horrible saga, just irks me when this thread appears aimed primarily at us ! I'm a city fan through and through so when people start bleating on about how we should have sang and clapped at the ****e we've been fed this season and it's our fault he's been sacked for all the negativity my blood starts to boil and the red mist decends. But I'm not willing to fall out with anyone on here as far as I'm concerned he's gone we move on.
Me! I agree with the sentiment Munky's OP tbh. Many fans hatred of Hughton blinded them against any positive performances and right now Neil Adams hasn't had that problem although in fact in terms of results and performances they have been quite similar to one another.
I think you mistake hatred of Hughton for dislike of his style and tactics! I don't think one person has stated a hatred for the man? As for positive performances they were few and far between DM. What makes you think we'd have been better off keeping hold of him against these last few games when he couldn't beat the teams below and around us ?
From past performances against high end opposition and also under pressure Hughton got results so I'd back him to do it again. Anyway there is no reason why Adams can't keep us up though.
He got results when certain scenarios were met, we were at home, didn't concede first and the opposition put in an average to poor display. When none (or even 2 of the 3) of the above applied he VERY rarely got a decent result in the two years here. He was only any good if these criteria were met which just prove the inability to adapt to situations, if it didn't work then it just didn't work. That was it. Whilst I don't agree to the sacking at the time it was done, there has been a massive shift in attitude and to say otherwise is just plain stupid, really stupid. The players want the ball, the interchanging is much quicker because the players are moving and there are now numbers involved in the attacks. Its a little bit frantic and desperate admittedly, but at least they are now genuinely trying to score goals rather than hoping to because the risks are being taken.
Munky, I think you are exaggerating the level of optimism that people feel now that Hughton has gone. Speaking personally, I feel we have a slightly better chance of staying up now, but I still think it is very small. For me, the General's post expressed well what we critics of CH feel. Too little too late. As for some of the more bullish stuff, I think it's bravado. The bravado of a person who knows he's probably doomed and is doggedly whistling. And I think that's a good thing. Better than the sense of frozen impotence that had settled over the club. And yes, there were similarities to previous games in the two defeats since Adams came - it will take a long time to change the influence of two years. I also agree with Carrabuh that at times there has been something a little desperate about our play in the last two games. But I also agree with him that there seems to be a noticeable change in attitude among the players and, even if this doesn't deliver the points we need, it bodes well for the future.
At the time of his sacking, with us 5 pts clear of the bottom three with 5 games to play, I thought we´d shot ourselves in the foot, and I would definitely have stuck with him, come what may, until the end of the season. McNally may have thought he had no choice, but it was still a very questionable decision. The Fulham performance did nothing to make me think differently, and the way Fulham approached that game, it´s not entirely unthinkable that we could have gone there with Hughton and got a dull, depressing 0 - 0 draw, which viewed in the cold light of day, would have made our position now, just a little bit safer. But I must say the 2nd half performance against Liverpool was encouraging, whether they can reproduce that for the next three games, and whether it will give any points, remains to be seen. No-one will ever know whether we would have stayed up or gone down with Hughton, and only time will tell what will happen with Adams, but if it´s a straight choice between staying up with dull, depressing football, or going down with adventurous football, I´d rather have the first. I´m sure I´m in the minority in that respect, but I´d much rather, if we were going to rethink the manager position, that it be in the Premier League and not in the Championship.
Wasn't sure where to put this and didn't think it warranted a new thread, so here it is. This year hasn't started well for us, as we are all too aware: please log in to view this image EDIT: impressive stuff from Palace.
