At whole club level, with the stuff he knows best, academy football he has done well. At first team performance level the recruitment of players and coaches and management of people and relationships in recent times is indefensible.,I currently don’t trust him and Harvey with any summer income. For al his faults, Dack being one of them, Mowbray at least had solid experience of this division. Someone somewhere has to have the experience to ‘quality check’ our choices based on experience of success at this level of football. I wouldn’t appoint Will Still without appointing someone who understands the physicality requirements.
Good post. Speakman has to be questioned about his job, obviously only person to do that is KLD, but his performance the last 18 months has been shocking.
Speakman has come in and put a load of structures in place that just didn’t exist. We have youth teams that are performing well. There is a route for these players to the first team. We’ve a scouting system again headed up by Stuart Harvey who is doing a decent job. But, the last 3 windows haven’t been great as we’ve been pushing up a level. Don’t disagree with Mowbray going but bringing in a replacement was a shambles. For me, he’s got the summer window to set things straight or he goes. There will be sales which mean we can spend more in the transfer market so the proven quality can come in. He’s lucky to get another go at bringing in a good head coach which should see Dodds back to a development role. If he can’t get that right he’s finished.
Bollocks last season and the one before definitely had more positive than negative! Last season had some of the most exciting football we have played for decades! And Niall Quinn, that's hilarious.
aye this is where I am. One too many mistakes for me this season. and throughout I’ve said he gets the benefit of doubt if he shows he’s learning from mistakes. And no evidence that he is.
Very few goals are scored from corners. Something like 3% of corners lead to goals, although it depends what you read and at which point you consider the corner to be over.
For what it’s worth, I still like the model. I like what we are trying to do. And I do still like KLD and genuinely believe he’s got the best intentions despite a few mistakes. Couldn’t care less who the minority shareholders are. But we have executed the model terribly. Strategy is great, but you need to be able to execute otherwise it’s pointless. For the first time in his reign I genuinely wouldn’t mind now if we heard Speakman had left. In fact I’d probably be pleased. That said, I can’t see it happening. I think he’s here for the foreseeable. So he has another window to try to turn things around. His next appointment and this window are (obviously) the most important of his career so far.
Personally, I think this season is just a blip and we'll see more progress next season. The only question mark I have over Speakman is the Jobe situation.
This summer will likely bring in £20m. from sales of some of our better players. That shows that the model is working from that point of view. The rest of this season should be spent sorting the wheat from the chaff, so next season we have youngsters with experience of the league. It’s how we spend the £20m. that really matters. Most on here seem to realise that. I just hope that KS and KLD can bring in a couple of quality additions. More of the same and there could be a riot.
I generally agree with this. I’d like Speakman to stay for the good he does I just think we need another eye on first team matters. Of course Speakman being Speakman he’d be unlikely to agree to that.
That is an issue and maybe the Dodds situation. My biggest issue - and I’m not just talking this last difficult one - 4 windows of failure to provide suitable options up front and three windows of leaving us defensively weak in midfield. He seems stubborn at best, or too single minded or a bit daft. It was inevitable it would come to this, still vulnerable to counter attacks and no fluency of attacking play. He repeatedly refuses to fill clear gaps and I think he ‘knows’ but doesn’t listen.
No doubt there will be another press conference where he is front and center, telling the world thrys re wrong and his way is the best. Scouring the world for the best coaches and players so that we are always forward planning ...... Wide forwards who can be a fluid 9 as he calls it. Load of bull. He was performing better when he wasn't camera hungry and stayed in the shadows, adjusting frameworks at the AOL.
It's possibly wishful thinking, but I think that their strategy is long term. I can see there being an acceptance that we're not ready for promotion and that's why the mythical 'experienced' CF and 6 weren't brought in for big money. In fact, I think Rusyn and Styles are those players but players with international experience that also fit the profile the club are going for. I think we've got a squad full of players with potential, some of whom will come good for us, some of whom won't. As we sell the occasional star, we'll bring in more quality, as long as it fits the profile. We won't go up this season and we might not go up next season, but I'm OK with that. This process, the 'model' or whatever we want to call it, will take time but its the most sensible way to approach the Championship. Its a matter of patience.
Be more than that made. Dan Neil is very very likely to go and a few similar to Clarke will be on the cards.
I only have one question to all those screaming for Speakman to go. Who do you think should replace him? Reasonable suggestions please. Just for the record, I am quite happy with KS despite his obvious errors, of which there are a few. On the whole, the good outweighs the bad. However, his performance review at the end of this season should be interesting, and he will have to come up with a decent plan for the next season.
Even if we are progressing at a rate of knots and are frankly boring to watch these days? Entertainment value has went through the floor. We create bot all now. Strikers, whoever players there isn't good enough. They don't get involved in the play. Seem void of any brillance. Think between the 3 of them there is 3 goals since August. It's a total embarrassment that.
It will depend if KLD sticks around. If he sells for a profit, then new people might want to change the lot.
By his own admission we are failing big time. His words were "we want to build a team to challenge the top 2. No one is happy with play off places" We are 31 points behind the league leaders, in March. That's some regression.
Is Dougie Freeman (sp) at Palace a sensible suggestion? To be honest l, apart from him, Jason wilcox at Brighton and that Ashworth (sp?) I am struggling to name a another director of football