The real elephant in the room in this managerial conversation is this; on paper, our squad is great - on the pitch, it is ****e.
Deliberately avoided making any proper comments on this fred last night as wanted to sleep on it. I think I'm still in the same position of giving him until the international break so the next 4 games and he'll need to win 2/3 of them. That said if we lose Saturday the pressure and fan noise will be unbearable going into Preston. The problem is I think, what has he actually shown so far that makes me think he'll turn it around? Very little tbh and arguably nothing. We've been poor for basically the whole season and haven't had a single good 90 minute performance in the league. Only 2 wins in 11 is a terrible return for the squad we have and both those wins required a worldy to get them. We look pretty poor defensively and have done most of the season, doesn't seem to be improving. And he's not getting the best out of the attacking talent we have. I have a lot of sympathy of him regarding the striker situation. To go into this season relying on Stewart to stay fit and Downs being up to it is a cock up of epic proportions, even by SR's poor standards. But he's really not helped himself too, he spent the first few weeks of the season saying he didn't want to play a back 3 because we needed a wingers and a number 10. We then went and signed two of the highest rated players in the division in those two positions and he's barely playing them?! 3 games in a row they've both been on the bench, Azaz has had hardly any minutes and Fellows is only being played at WB - despite his comments he's still playing the back 3 at the end of October. Just can't shake the feeling that a lot of the fears about him have come to pass. No experience in this league or of managing a big favourite. Never had to deal with this level of pressure before and to be rather blunt, the job seems too big for him. I've nothing to back this up but I also get the feeling that he lacks a lot of authority in the dressing room and perhaps the players aren't convinced either. Once again this all falls on SR, the vast majority of fans wanted somebody who'd either been promoted before or at least managed in this league. A relatively safe appointment if you will. But they didn't want that, they wanted a clever/hipster appointment and it was ultimately a big gamble, which seemingly has backfired. Again.
Im not gonna lie. I thought the appointment was going to be a decent one. Not spectacular, but good enough. His record in France seemed solid. But there are different expectations of him in this league, with this squad. He can’t organise a solid defence, even with three centre backs. Even Rusk got us looking relatively solid-looking, in the Prem. We can’t score near enough goals. The one time we played a through ball last night, we scored. But then we continue to just play it out wide. The striker issue is not on him, but there are goals all through our attack. He can’t even find a place on the pitch for Azaz and Fellows, which must have the higher-ups scratching their heads.
Yeah, I thought it was a gamble to appoint him and I've not seen much evidence of a tactical wunderkind. The 10 games after the transfer window is up after Saturday and if he changes to a back four and fits 4 out of Fellows, Azaz, Scienza, Adarma and Archer into the team we might get somewhere. Most of the fans can see it but as he did before with playing Adarma as central striker, he sticks with the same failed system. I think that the Liverpool game is the worst thing that has happened this season because he's tried to replicate it against teams that sit back.
Whose telling him this? I've long suspected a "guidance" from those above the manager since SR took over in regards to 3 at the back.
The fact he says "everyone" makes me wonder if he is referring to noise from the fans on socials/forums. Very worrying if he is bothered to read that and take any notice of it.
Have checked out Still's post match comments. Oh dear. They're the comments of a man who is under severe pressure and is beginning to crack.
Lost once? How many games have we won FFS? It's comments like this that are infuriating. Draws are not good enough for us in this league most of the time.
Yeah, regardless of whose telling him this and what noise he's listening to, he needs to be the manager and make his own decisions based on what he feels is best.
Yeah the comment saying the players aren’t critical enough of themselves seems like the start of him blaming them, which only really ever ends one way. Sheff Utd have won more games than us.
Yep. Agree with this, and of course there are grey areas that we are just not privy do, so there will be some conjecture. I also feel for him being shafted on the striker front, as we all know that would have made a difference, and then with some wins and confidence this would have made his job easier perhaps. The striker issue really was a monumentally awful gamble. Utterly naive. I hope he can turn it around as I'm fed up with having to make changes, and god knows who we would go for!
Just said on the other thread, I didn't realise Roerslev was injured, which is part of the reason he's been persisting with the three as we don't have a fit RB. Thing is, despite everything, we're not actually a million miles off, and a solid win would do the group of players (and us) the world of good. I do believe still if we can get one of those over the line (but it needs to be...well...Saturday) then there's a chance of turning it around. Getting harder and harder to justify it though.
I'm still firmly in the sacking him camping is pointless. We have too many problems in the wider club. The club is rotten, and it'd be the same whoever the manager is. We'd still have SR, and they'll just appoint another trendy data-driven manager who won't be much cop. Its what they do.
I’ve mentioned it multiple times before but the thing Martin deserved credit for was turning around the mentality of the players early doors in his tenure. I hoped the late win at Wrexham would go some way to doing that but Still just hasn’t managed it. His post match comments of “we have to climb a mountain to score a goal and the opposition don’t have to do much at all” was pretty damning as well I thought. Almost like “everything is going against us, wtf can I do?!?” When he was appointed I thought that the decision was made as he was building a good reputation in football and we should have the squad to paper over any cracks in his management this year and hopefully he could develop into the manager who may find success with us in the PL, rather than a steady Champ manager who we would be ****ed with if we went back up. The squad is there, I mean even if you discount the more “unproven” players we have a lot of players who have proven to be very good at this level throughout the squad, he’s just not getting a tune out of them for long enough in games. Even the striker issue isn’t as big as people are making out to me with the players we have. The chance Archer missed yesterday he should be getting similar chances a couple of times a game if we played the right way for 90 mins Yes he’s been somewhat unfortunate in some games, Swansea the obvious one but last night if Wood doesn’t make that howler and we score again before HT or even just go into the break 1-0 it could be a different outcome, but it’s the same old Saints that as soon as we concede the players are just like “here we go again”. That is also on the manager. I’m still of the opinion that we have the squad to go on a good run in this league and should still be finishing top 6 when all said and done. We need some wins before the international break to build confidence otherwise I think he’s likely gone. He needs to find a way to keep the 20 minute spells we have in games lasting at least a half.
Im not totally disagreeing here, but we have had fit RBs plenty of times and we still played with a back 3 with wing backs. And also, we did get a win at Sheff Utd. and that for me papered over the cracks. I really dont think the manager is good enough. Not his fault in that sense. What a shower of ****, yet again. I really wish these clowns had never acquired us.
