Just in case you needed more reminding about what a great manager he has been for us. Check out these stats. please log in to view this image 1st season is very impressive seeing as we were bottom of the pile when he came in but those points would still see us sitting 5th in this seasons table and 6th in last seasons table (after 27 games) What a man! please log in to view this image
Sometimes it's the right man for a club at the right time. In many ways he's the exact opposite of how SOD managed - just what we needed - many were underwhelmed by his appointment, but thank god someone on the board saw his qualities
I hope WHEN we go up next season, if as it will be, harder and tighterin games , we dont start our usual 3-5 games and start slagging Cotts and the players off though!!!!!!
You are very right to advise caution next season, assuming we do go up. However, remembering how efficiently we did our recruiting last summer, I fully expect that Messrs Cotterill and Burt already have a good idea on who would fit in with the squad, availability, cost. I have never known a summer like it for such positive work in the transfer market and it is significant that Cotterill's only blip, El Abd, was signed in the January window, so perhaps not so much thought/care as the summer arrivals.
But West Ham struggled against that system, even Sky commented that it's difficult to defend and attack against but you need the correct players to be able to do it. So I'm not to worried about the formation, all I am worried about is if we lose a few and we will that the fans don't start saying "told you so" and that they "never wanted him"
I watched Burney v WBA earlier and we'd have given both teams a run for their money. The standard was generally awful. Teams that go up on the crest of a wave often do well in the next division up......
just listening to 606 on the radio, and a Leicester fan when asked who he would like, to replace pearson, instantly said cotterill,...nooo
IF we go up I can't wait for the players that Cotterill will recruit. We can also take heart from the performances of the clubs who went up last season.
A vast improvement to the drab we had in when GJ was sacked that's for sure........ Completely agree with smhbfc, "Sometimes it's the right man for a club at the right time" SPOT ON!
and lets not listen to Robinson and that rubbish he was spouting about how we have a much bigger budget. The players Cotterill has signed are all Division 1 players. They were the best in our Division, but still Div1 and so the wages are comparable. Even our loan signings are mostly from Championship clubs (Wolves and Fulham) unlike MKDons and Swindon with their Chelsea, Arenal and Tottenham imports. I think Cotterill has out-managed both of those clubs by finding the right people and signing them permanently. We are building for the future, not just for a quick jump into the Championship and down again.
Assuming we are going to do this, I see any top ten position in the Championship next season as a huge success. I would imagine our big push for the big time would be the season after, when Cotts has had a chance to do what he did last summer and bring in some serious performers. There are a number of players at the club who can go the distance with us - i'm thinking Freeman, Korei Smith, Little, Agard, Bryan, Cunningham, JET, Ayling, Williams, Fielding, and yes, even Flint. But the cloth is thin, and there is room for a bigger squad. So I think he will retain the above if he can, and replace the others with Championship/lower Prem quality. This will be a much harder task than what he achieved last summer, but I feel Cotterill is becoming an irresistible force and I can see him pulling some fancy strokes.. Time will tell
As I said in the previous thread, I think this was partially to do with the fact that we took on Cotterill as a manager and not a head coach. Cotterill has clearly had more say in the squad he wants to build when compared to those before him. McInnes had little to work with, and was limited to youth, hence his talk about using the academy, the five pillars bollocks, and so on. SOD was hired because he was a good coach, but also a yes man. He had as much say as McInnes (not much). I believe Cotterill said he wanted to manage the team and not coach it, and despite the "five pillars" being mentioned around the time of his appointment he signed a number of older players to bolster the squad, alongside pushing a positive mentality. Everyone since GJ has left to succeed elsewhere. Millen has been solid for Crystal Palace and the fans love him. McInnes went back to Scotland and is doing even better than he did before, good enough to be able to land another job in the Championship if he wanted. SOD joined the England setup, and is apparently doing well there. For me, it's hardly surprising. It's also hardly surprising that when SOD was suffering people were pointing their fingers at the board and not him as such. While each manager we've let go much take their own share of the blame, I think the reason we've struggled is down to the board. After SOD failed, the fans turned on the board and the owner, and because of this they put their trust in Cotterill. Thankfully, this trust has been repaid. If we get promoted this season I believe that the board need to repay this trust even further by giving him some real funds to play with in the transfer market. He's not had the chance to play with a real transfer budget, but I reckon if he boosts the squad with a mixture of top young talent and experienced players we could probably manage a mid-table finish next season and look strong enough to stay in the league.
Not sure I agree you the managers sacked here, Palace normally lose when it's just Millen holding the fort, McInnes is still managing in a Micky mouse league, possibly the worst top flight league in Europe and not really sure what SOD is doing for England setup. Head Coach, Manager, not sure it makes a difference.... Cotts has signed good players, playing them where he sees fit and it's working....that's it!.....Right place right time... I remember Pulis being rubbish everywhere he went, including us.....one break with Stoke and the rest is history.....That's football.
years ago there was the Anglo Scottish cup, and it did provide for a few extra games and "revenue" it was so important I forget what it was like, although I recall we won it one year against a Scottish premier league club? actually did a google and yes it was against an ALEX FERGUSSON side St Mirren, After losing the cup to city moved on to Aberdeen for 8 years then Scotland for a term then had a some reasonable success with a team up north for 27 years or so! my point is yes, SCOTTISH football might lag a bit after the top half a dozen teams or so but how many Scots manager are there ! McInnes could still prove to be something..... coppout didn't, Millen did well as caretaker but not as manager, SOD was not really furnished with resources.. GJ, well I think he went to early Yeovil have one of their easiest half a dozen match's at the moment, and GJ managed to get a couple of good players in that he had been harping on about for month's to lead the attack for goals.... so yes great we have SC but yes we had potential that slipped through in my book .......
We certainly did win it against St Mirren. However both of us were in the First Division. Us in England and St M in Scotland. Too long ago to compare.
