Listening to MA this evening it would appear that Manning will still be manager for the foreseeable future. Did MA get any questions about the fact that we are in the relegation zone and how do we avoid the drop?
He said we would do everything possible to avoid the drop. I don't remember him giving specifics, but I got the impression we would spend money if we need to.
Eloquent, passionate and to the point, expressing what I'm sure most are thinking. Get her on the board!!
He did refer to money being available for the January window if further reinforcements are needed. Mattsson was not a direct replacement for Núñez, so a creative midfielder could be the first priority and perhaps a creative AM to play beside or behind Sargent. It's possible that Schwartau could continue his development in a more central role and then there's Kvistgaarden as well coming back into the team. Mahovo returning at LB will also strengthen the left side and free up McLean to return to CM. Edit: Apparently Forson has now returned to training and may be available soon.
Here's Attanasio's reply: "I want to start with my approach in reverse order. Of course I view myself as a custodian or a steward. Delia and Michael were wonderful custodians for 20 years, now I'm doing the job. I've done the same at Milwaukee. I take the responsibility very seriously. David was one of Stuart's coaches - so we've had two in Johannes and Liam. In fairness to Ben, he recognised there was some risk that having someone who was not steeped in English football and made a tough decision. It is on his ledger that he made the right choice at first. He rectified that. One of the big things is that switching coaches is not a recipe for success. One of the challenges we had is a debt load coming out of Covid, they did not get the bounce they expected and we had to do a rebuild by bringing in younger players. Bridget asks a very informed question. The easy thing would be for me to sit in California and tell Ben to sack the coach - that would have been popular. I'm trying to do the hard thing here."
Possibly so, but it depends on which Forson returns, as he's looked good at times and struggled at others. At his best, he can be a decent creative CM or AM, but it will depend on whether he can get back to that level.
I personally feel this focus on returning individuals is misguided. For me, the whole system is wrong, and behind that, the imbalanced recruitment. I can't see a player here or there coming back into the team making much of a difference.
I think it is about having a few more players with cutting edge at the top end of the pitch to be more ruthless (hopefully) when we do create chances and in that vein force teams back a bit, I assume the hope is that Kvistgaarden and Forson can aid that. Currently teams are happy to let us have the ball and counter attack as we push forward more desperately as they know as long as they mark Sargent out of the game there is very little goal threat coming from anywhere else other than perhaps Makama
My thoughts exactly. Wright, Kvistgaarden and Diallo have all played a part so far this season without stamping their mark on games. Forson's return seems to be sparking some excitement amongst fans but aside from the incredible scenes in 'that' game, I'm not entirely sure what some are expecting from him when he's finally fit again. Manning sees something in him but he's been a squad player at best previously. Maybe Forson is the key to unlock Manning ball
Kvistgaarden has only started 3 games so far, including the draw at Coventry when he scored our goal and was named MotM. Diallo has started 6 games and provided 2 assists. Considering both are new to this country and the league, those are pretty good starts. Since they were injured, we haven't scored a point. Wright has two starts so far, but he's arguably our best corner taker and he's also been good at through balls, which is something for a DM. Yes, I do think they can make a difference.
