No No No No That doesn't stop me from having knowledge of the game, plus that's my opinion. It's the same as you having an opinion that Del is the right man for the job. I could say, what qualifications do you have to express your opinions. And with your knowledge of the game, what has Del achieved that makes him the right man? The fact is, I have played, I have ref'ed, I have managed and i've been a massive fan of football for all my life and attended a hell of a lot of games (including England). Not much football goes on telly that I don't watch, I study it, you could call me obsesive and I don't really care wether you concede this argument or not! and I've never said that I have spent more money WATCHING city more than you have I?
The thing is I have never said Del is the right man for the job! This is a presumption that everyone has made. Im a firm believer that given time he COULD turn it round. What I am against is this constant changing managers to short stop the problems in football clubs. Like you I played when I was younger and folowed city since i was 6. But for some reason because my sons preferred it I then coached rugby and got my badges to coach kids, but that was nearly 13 years ago and things have changed now so could not just pick it up. What I object to is if someone is not of the same opinion as me does not necessary mean "they know nothing" as you like to put it. Just they have a different opinion to me.
Ok, so with your knowledge of football, what has Del achieved that makes you think he COULD turn it around??
15 months at the helm is long enough. Actually in the modern game 15 months in charge is bloody amazing.
I believe and as I said it is my opinion right or wrong. That we will have a academy to help us in the future. The way we played at the beginning of the season was exciting and flowing attacking football that was a pleasure to watch. We then hit a problem which I don't believe HE knew or knows how to stop the rot, as the players became scared again. For some wierd reason we seem to play better away from home, not saying the results are better just we seem afraid again, exspecially at home. All of our past few managers seem to rely on players that have let down their predecessor's We have bought better in Heaton Cunningham Baldock Davies All better than we had and then the others: Anderson I feel is one for the future. And that seems to be the problem with some fans. It's to hell with the future we want it now. Morris I don't know why he was bought at all, and I lay hat one firmly on Del Foster I think brought in as a stop gap panic buy, when we are on top plays ok but wayward passing. Pearson the same but worse. But does like big games, just needs to be told that all games are big. Very inconsistent. Then you have the loans and short contracts, which are always going to be a gamble as it proves unless they are young up and coming they are players their own team don't want. Will he turn it around I don't know, is the future with the young players looking better IMO yes. The biggest problem I see is if he does go. Who would come here that will not be a gamble? We are not a exciting prospect for managers. Look at Cardiff who have the new ground and playoffs for the past few years took a gamble on McKay and looks to be paying off apart from yesterday's result and against us they have been very hard to beat. But they themselves never had high class managers banging their door down for a job. This is why I think we will struggle without Del, it's just who is the alternative. But I am a glass half full person so if it happens will support the next manager as well.
The position we are in the league IMO is down solely to Del, wether we stay up or go down it's been a dreadful season. His prefference is 442 formation so long as he has the right defenders, more or less saying he's clueless with anything else. He continues to play Fontaine, even though he is slow and his distribution of the ball has always be dire at best. The confidence in the players are and have been low for months now and IMO that's mainly down to the manager, pure panic hence the reason we hoof it. He's brought in a few decent players again IMO nothing to write home about ( I like Davies but always starts on the bench), worse is he hasn't managed to get them playing as a team, I imagine partly down to Del consistently changing the starting line up....as Redprintt would say, It's the hokey cokey. We've had long discussions regarding the academy which has been well drawn out so not worth going over again.. I did say at the beginning of the season, it was going to be a long struggle and it seems that's the way it is.....for me wether we stay up or go down, I have zero confidence in Del for success at our club.
I agree on Fontaine, never in a million years is he a captain let alone a good player. I have also said for ages now that Elliott has lost it and been told that I don't know what I'm on about and that he should be the first one on the team sheet. but as I say these are my opinion's There are a few players that should never play in the team and I disagree with Del's selection a lot of the time. Ie Fontaine, Elliott Kilkenny and his own players Foster and Pearson. Edwards should be playing over Foster all day long not out at Yeovil. I have always thought against other peoples opinion that Woolford is better than we think, if you watch some of his wayward passes they look abysmal or are they really where a player should be? Which always seem to be in space. Albert I feel great at going past players but never much at the end. He don't find space to attack players stands around waiting for the ball. You see I don't just watch the game I watch the players to see what I would be doing if I was out there. Hence the reason I sit in the dolman to look down on players and I wish management would employ someone to do. Davies as you say should be if fit always playing alongside Baldock they won't get a partnership going unless they keep at it. And these are things that Del needs to do to improve us which is the reason that I do worry about him. And I think his subs are always reactive never proactive. But at the end of the day he is the manager of the club I love so I just cling on to the fact that things can change, look at Millwall
A manager who's been there and done it. Knew his weak areas in the team and bought GOOD players .. mciness is in-experienced and couldn't buy a good player if he tried to.
That last point is all nonsense, so Baldock, Davies, Cunningham are ****e are they ?? So in actual fact HE CAN buy decent players but yeah he has also bought in poor players, just like our past managers FACT
You will find all the bad signings he made will over shadow the good ones. Millen brought in good players and look what happened to him, its even more embarrassing that millen was a better manager than del boy
In order:- 1). you have publicly said, on many occasions, that anyone who plays 4-4-2 is effectively an imbecile who is out of touch with modern football. Perhaps you would like to debate that one with some successful premier league managers. That you personally dislike this formation is fine however, it works for better managers than you. As for clueless with anything else, what formation did we against Boro then...? 2). Fontaine, no argument from me... 3). No, the hoofing started years ago under Johnson when he ran out of ideas and SOMETIMES continues to this day. This is largely due to the lack of ability of the person mentioned in 2) above who will revert to type when put under pressure... 4). The team thing is, I believe, a mix of the old and the new. Players who have an idea they are leaving soon will not be pulling the same amount as others however, as I have said before, you can't clear out a whole squad in 12 months so you have to use them but I think that these players have just about come to the end of the rope...
I don't know where you get that from Prem, I have NEVER said "that anyone who plays 4-4-2 is effectively an imbecile who is out of touch with modern football" Don't know where you got that from...wrong person mate....the only thing I've said that as a manager you should be able to adapt to any formation. (I do remember someone on here who used to rattle on about not playing 442, can't remember who though...but not me mate) I agree that Hoofing did start with GJ, with IMO his biggest mistake, when he bought Adebola.......but with 3 managers on, should we still be playing that? The idea was to bring a manager in to progress from what GJ had left.......IMO it's all gone backwards. Like others have said, Del picks, Fontaine, Elliot, Killkenny etc.........He's the manager, he's picked the team, there are others available.......sorry mate, 2 wins in 15+ games is nothing other than relegation form, Del has been here long enough to have got us to a much better position.......makes no difference to me now, wether we stay up or not, IMO he's out of his depth and needs to go.
Well I was pretty sure it was you with the 4-4-2 comment however if I am wrong then I apologise and withdraw that statement... Lets test the "others available theory then, firstly identifying DM signings DM players Heaton - available for selection Foster - available for selection Wilson (M) - not sure of availablity Wilson (D) - loan to January, not match fit (?) Cunningham - just back from lengthy injury Bates - short term signing to January, available for selection McManus - loan to January, available for selection Elokobi - serious injury, out all season Pearson - available for selection Morris - out injured Anderson - available for selection, Danns - loan to January Baldock - available for selection Davies - available for selection The rest Gerken - available for selection Carey - available for selection Fontaine - available for selection Nyatanga - out injured (?) Carey - out injured Wilson (J) - available for selection Bryan - available for selection Amadi-Holloway Kilkenny - out injured (?) Woolford - out injured (?) Skuse - out injured Reid - away on loan Elliott - available for selection Adomah - available for selection Stead - available for selection Taylor - available for selection Where are all these "others available"....?
I keep being told that we have a great academy, are you telling me, we don't have any players there that are as good as Fontaine?? As for the 442 debate, I'm not 100% sure but have a feeling it was AD.......but I could be wrong.
" As for the442 Debate, i'm not 100% sure but have a feeling it was AD......but i could be wrong" Yep your wrong, a 100% wrong, it wasn't me, never discussed DMs formations, i did once say my favorite tried and trusted formation was 3-5-2, but you have to have the right players to play that way, something we don't possesses at the moment. So sorry to say Onefor, your wrong for a change, we can't say that very often can we.
I apologise AD mate.....there was someone on here and I don't think it was in Dels time in charge, that used to rattle on about 442. IMO if you're a good manager you can get your players to play in any formation, these are the things you try out on the trainning ground....you should also be able to switch when it isn't working out.....I accutally think that GJ was fairly good at that..
I was (luckily again!) away for the weekend. Another home game goes by that on paper any team wanting to remain in this division needs to have won, and yet again we have capitulated whilst Peterborough and Wednesday both won away from home. I dont want Del to go, but we need to buck the trend with this bloody abysmal home form and quickly, because at this rate it will cost us our place in the Championship come May.
I have family up from Essex over the hols and we usualy take in a City game at AG. This is the first time in years I am actualy having second thoughts about taking someone as I feel it will be a wee bit embarressing to watch City V Posh at a cost of £30..............sad sad times.
No problem Onefor, and i agree with your last statement, although i'm in the Alan Dicks school of thought, if your good enough you should be able to play in most positions, i'm afraid at this moment in time our players are not quite up to it, do you blame the players, or do you blame the manager, thats another debate i suppose.
