Yes. I realise that you have a profound opposition to Adams indelibly etched into your psyche, but the bottom line is his FA youth cup win was an almost perfect demonstration of tactically outplaying superior opposition. I know, I know, senior games are different. But in the five games I watched (and watch them all I did), he demonstrated good awareness to recover the situation against Liverpool (and arguably merited a draw) who are much, much superior opposition to us and secured an impressive draw against Chelsea. In all the other games, his substitutions at least showed he was trying to understand how to change the game, rather than Hughton's like-for-like substitutions on the 80th minute. We were outclassed by Man U and Arsenal, which happens, you have to shrug your shoulders. Frankly, though, we completely outplayed Fulham for most of the game despite it only being his first game in charge. A cheap goal conceded and poorly performing strikers (plus a couple of outstanding saves) denied him a draw or win that we, without a shadow of a doubt, deserved.
Whilst not massively in favour of NA being appointed manager, I feel we should at least give the guy a chance to show how he can motivate the players (something which CH was unable to do!!). I'm sure when we play Watford, the fans will be TOTALLY behind him and the team I wonder if Sky will show the Ipswich game????
i do not have a 'profound opposition to adams' at all, i just don't think he should be our manager at such a crucial time. his fa youth cup win is most certainly not a gauge of how he will do in first team football. cup football is a different beast, especially at that level. we did not play the style of football the board have requested. the fulham game was no different to most away games last season. what was not good was he played players out of position and when we were chasing the game he actually made us more negative. the liverpool game was a tactical disaster, suicidal from the start. man united were totally there for the taking but we sat back. arsenal was a non event so i'll let him off there while chelsea, i agree, he did well but failed to push us forward in the final ten minutes. his subs were no different to any hughton would have made. in fact, i'd argue they were even more bizarre than his at times. it was a tough end to the season so of course its difficult to gauge but i have seen or heard absolutely nothing to suggest he is even a half decent manager, let alone a good one. he imbeds literally no confidence in me as a fan. i sincerely hope he proves me wrong or else we'll spend a long, long time recovering from this episode. i'll still get behind him and the team as soon as the season kicks off - every fan should.
I really can't see any reason why they wouldn't, It will be moved to sunday lunchtime anyway to keep the old bill happy, and surely a bit of spice of a derby game will attract them.
I'm struggling with how you think the bold statements don't back-up that you have a profound opposition to him as manager. I already accepted that the youth team cup win is not a good measure, but it's better than no measure at all. I think you are grossly exaggerating the last five matches (I won't deny the Liverpool start was a tactical disaster, though at least he was trying something new - Lambert did the same thing, but he nearly rescued that situation). But I don't think we're going to get anywhere there, so we're just going to have to let that lie and agree to disagree with how we measure those last few matches. You've already admitted we've know idea how the season will go, that he inspires "literally no confidence" in you is, to say the least, astonishing, given that you accept that he did well in the Chelsea match. For me, it's not really about Adams - the moment I felt a lot better was when the board appointed a team of very experienced pros around him. To say I am positive about the season would be a lie, but I'm certainly not as negative as you are - "don't see it happening" you won't hear from me. I will believe it can happen until it doesn't. I appreciate also that you were not happy with the treatment of Hughton and a lot of what you have written mirrors what was being said about Hughton (I wouldn't call it your "revenge", that would be a little strong but that's how it comes across...) For me, we are favourites for a good reason. We have an uncomfortable number of unknowns - manager, managerial system, playing squad for next season, etc. But because they're unknowns, I don't see any good reason for pessimism.
Adams was thrown into those last five games without any preparation, Supers. I do think that there is an element of gamble about his appointment, but I think it's one McNally and the Board have considered carefully. It isn't based on a couple of interviews, as they've known Adams for years and know what he's made of. Any new manager would be a gamble, but if Adams does well and grows with experience, it could turn out something like Lambert or Rodgers at Watford. We won't know until the season gets going but I trust McNally and the Board's judgment in this. I suspect this is where we may differ.
"AT SUCH A CRUCIAL TIME" key words, ignored if we had been a championship club for the previous two years or more, i would have no complaint about giving a young english manager a chance. but we've just come down from the premier league and should be attempting to bounce back immediately and by appointing someone with no wins and next to no experience, we are gambling on our future. the gamble might pay off but it would have been a far lesser gamble to appoint a manager who had recent or maybe more importantly successful experience of getting out of this league. there's never any guarantees. we are not guaranteed to fail with adams in charge, nor would we have been guaranteed to go up had someone else taken the reigns, but we've needlessly gambled at a time when we didn't need to and that has royally f**ked me off. i hope more than anyone that we strike lucky but as i've said above, i've seen nor heard anything to suggest we will. all relegated teams are consistently made favourites to go back up. it means little at this stage. you say we have many unknowns - that is precisely my point - we could have had less unknowns had we not gambled like this. also, hughton certainly has nothing to do with this. i, like others, had grown tired of him and was fully behind removing him at the end of the season.
They weren't ignored. I read them, I just don't see them as particularly important. We are at no more crucial a time than any other change of manager we have had in the last six years. Any new appointment is a gamble - that's why I explained the reason I felt more comfortable was the appointments they have made with Adams. The board have accepted it is a risk and have mitigated that risk. Adams has far less control over the club than Hughton did. They are also familiar with him and a lot about new managers is ensuring smooth transition - that's the one thing we've got. We would not have fewer unknowns had we appointed a "solid old head". If anything, it would have dangerously raised expectations IMO. We've also no idea the extent to which the managers you have in mind were reasonable prospects. You say you've seen nothing to say we'll strike lucky - you've also seen nothing to say we won't. I really don't understand this mindless pessimism. Come on, you know as well as I do that relegated teams are made favourites for a reason - because they statistically have the best chance and tend to have the best squads. That is undoubtedly true. It's only meaningless insofar as it doesn't mean we can predict WHICH relegated team will do well. There are numerous reasons for positivity. A novice manager does not outweigh any of them.
Just appeared on twitter, doesn't sound like he wants out! Robert snodgrass ‏@robsnodgrass7 1m More Interesting fixtures .... Both leeds games on a Tuesday is disappointing , Saturday elland rd is great atmosphere aswell
My birthday is on August 31st and 3 points against the binners on the 23rd would make a great early birthday present for me.
A bit of a pisser that I will be in Cuba on holiday at the time of the Old Farm! The only live streaming out there is a quick slash against a Palm Tree!
look on the bright side guys, we could do you a favour by beating you and giving McNally an excuse to dump Adams. you could possibly get whotun back then.
Before they play us in August, Ipswich also have a Capital Cup first round tie against Crawley to play aswell, so hopefully that will play to our advantage with their players having to play that extra game. (City are already in the second round)
i doubt that match will have any bearing jedi, given its happening 10 days (at least) before our clash
I literally cannot believe the groundless pessimism from some people on here. The fixture list should be a time for optimism and excitement, not a thinly disguised excuse to trot out tired old negative views on the recent developments at the club. We know Neil Adams hasn't won a game yet. It's a fact. Get over it. Is this a crucial time for the club? Well, it's important but no more so than any other season. Personally, I don't think the sequence of fixtures has any significance at all, particularly in a 46 game season. We are one of the favourites to win the league because we will have one of the best playing squads, one of the largest transfer budgets and one of the highest average attendances. I for one am extremely optimistic about the coming season, I see no reason whatever not to be. There is not a single club in the division I would rather be a supporter of.
