Dave Jones will need all the luck he can muster - especially working for Madaric. Dave's last season with us was geared for success at all costs because he knew he was out if we didn't go up. Short term expediancy rather than team building. To be fair, there was no point in any other policy for him that year. Just look at the players he brought in for his last season's hurrah. Apart from Bellers and Heaton, the rest were pure desperation rather than inspiration - here they are. Stephen Bywater Jason Brown Danny Drinkwater Jay Emmanuel-Thomas Martin John Dekel Keinon Andy Keogh Lee Naylor Seyi Olofinjana John Parkin Chris Riggott J. Lloyd Samuel I very much doubt Madaric will cut him as much slack - so good luck Dave.
Morning Sparkey Thats a frightening list. I might print it off as reminder that when things get bad, they can be a lot worse tbf to Brown, he didn't get a game and Riggott looked ok in his one (?) game... as for the rest I wonder if we'll see a move to the Owls for Parkin and Naylor (DJ seemed to like him)?
Hi H - You're right about Jason Brown not getting a chance with us. DJ signed him on loan and then thought Bywater was a better option. You're also right about poor Chris Riggott - had a lot of time for the guy cancelling his own contract with us because he knew he couldn't make it. He did only have the one start. I watched him against Cov and he looked pure class until he went off in the second half never to return. The rest on the list were poor choices in hindsight, but at least he got rid of Capaldi and Feeney..........
Sparky, some of those you mentioned were no where near the standard needed but I don't think it was desperation. I just wonder if DJ was instructed NOT to buy players as they would be on contracts that any new manager would find difficult to move unwanted players on. Having said that, I recall plenty of praise for Drinkwater, Ollie and Riggot prior to injury. I also recall praise for JET, Parkin and Keough, none of them brilliant but they did the job and were never slagged off for not giving their best. JET ran off at the mouth and alienated most bluebird fans so not so popular now. Surprised to see DK in your list tbh. Naylor has played well as and when called upon this season, can he turn it around and get the same type of recognition currently heaped on Huds? The remainder on your list were poor to say the least. DJ seemed to lose his way in his last season but he still moved us forward every season. So try and remember the good as well as the bad. Expectations are not as high this season because Malky had to start from scratch but if we do not finish in an automatic spot Malky has failed to move us forward. A fantastic first season thus far but failure to bring in players during the January window and only Liam Lawrence in the current loan window doesn't instill confidence. Work in progress but some great football being played but the size of the squad does concern me, I hope I am wrong but this month will be make or break and we need fresh legs ASAP.
Taff - that was a list of the ones he brought in in his last season - some such as Ollie on times were better than others as you say, but overall a sad indictment. I'll always thank DJ for battling through the "debt years", but despite the rubbish posted about him not having a budget to spend (he had plenty of money), he chose badly. Like I said earlier, Riggott was a gamble that didn't pay off. Perhaps if it had and we hadn't sent Gerrard to Hull, we might have got up. As for Andy Keogh - sorry, but I never saw anything in the guy except an impression of a headless chicken.
Sparkey. Keogh couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo but he did keep on running and running and running I think that was what most of the fans liked about him. Not sure Gerrard would have helped us get promoted but he certainly would have been better here than Hull during that season.
Taff - Andy Keogh's signature tune? [video=youtube;H6LVI1gDswg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6LVI1gDswg[/video]
Quote from Taff the fish...... "Keogh couldn't hit a barn door with a banjo but he did keep on running and running and running I think that was what most of the fans liked about him." Well that explains why I liked Forest Gump and Cohen Griffiths...
Stephen Bywater Jason Brown Danny Drinkwater Jay Emmanuel-Thomas Martin John Andy Keogh J. Lloyd Samuel please log in to view this image
I think to include 'most fans' and 'like' in the same sentence as Keogh is a bit of a stretch. That list really does sum it up, but none of us will ever know the transfer policy DJ had to work his last season under. I don't agree with the "we've gone backwards if we don't get auto's" either. We'll start next season with an energetic, talented, young squad, all of who have at least 2 more seasons with the club. That's a much better state than at the start of this season.
keogh was a nothing player, i didnt like him, sure you warm to players who give 100%, but that has to be within reason, if you are crap but giving 100% thats still crap which ever way you dress it up..and i dont like crap players.. the rest of them arent any better, i dont think you will ever come across a worse set of signings the list of players malky has signed however.... gunnarsson miller kiss, gestede turner taylor earnshaw cowie conway.. almost all have been successes..
Stevoldinho, Keogh did have his fans regarding his work rate so not much of a stretch. A few of the players mentioned had a purple patch whilst in the city shirt but due to later poor performances they are deemed rubbish! The comments made by the board and Malky when he signed was they were there to move the club forward ergo an automatic promotion spot is moving us forward. Less points on the board is a step backwards not forward movement. Next seasons squad is unknown, there could be a wholesale clear out or some tweaking of the current squad. The squad for next season will be dictated how we finish in the final championship table. If we're promoted then signings will be needed to strengthen the squad and that will mean a number of squad players moving on. If we are not promoted then clearly the squad is not good enough and have done brilliantly well thus far but ultimately they have failed and we have made a step backwards not forward.
Anyone spot my deliberate mistake on my list of Dave's 2010/2011 imports? I clean forgot that we had Rambo on loan from Wenger for a month. Probably more because Wenger wanted him fit rather than Dave's persuasive powers, but at least we did have a gem for that month.
With some of the youngsters coming through, another half dozen players of the right calibre (as good as we've got or better) would give us the depth for another push. Earnie is likely to leave of his own volition, Parkin's contract is up and if we can move Keinan on, there is little 'dead wood' left. What we need in the summer is to bring more in than we let out. The likes of Gusted, Mason, Ralls, Gunnar, Kiss and Turner will all be the better for another pre-season under their belt. Looking at the closing pack, the play offs will be a stretch this season. Big game tomorrow. March will be a season defining month.
Of course we will have moved forward if we miss out on the play offs. Dave Jones left the playing squad in a right mess. We finished 4th but thanks to his loans and allowing players worth millions leave on frees the squad of players we were left with wouldnt have finished 14th. Whatever happens we have the foundations to build and players tied under contracts who are worth millions. We also have young players like Ralls who have been given their chance. Jones should have been sacked at the ground where he now manages. Sadly for us he was allowed to continue. The collective groan when Jay Bothroyd went off injured to be replaced by Kelvin Etuhu is something I will never forget. It was if 40,000 of us knew that was the end as Jones had no idea tactically. However even though I think hes a poor manager his treatment of Adam Matthews was unforgiveable. I had to laugh yesterday. Jones quoted in the press saying friends had asked him why hed dropped a division. He hasnt dropped a division. He was out of work . This club started moving forward the moment Jones left!
Have to disagree Hilts (you knew it was coming). Dave Jones was sacked because he did not get us to the premiership. Under his tenure we achieved a better points tally every season including his last season. Dave Jones, as do, most managers tries to bring in new players every season. I can't believe you still believe the players were let go was because of DJ. Bothroyd was off after his England performance (he may have stayed if we got into the premiership), Burkie wanted to be near his family, so was never going to stay (Birmingham is nearer Glasgow than Cardiff!) All the loan players were going back to their clubs at the end of the season as everyone knows. Chops was sold to Ipswich for non-footballing reasons (imo). The board ultimately decides what are acceptable contracts to offer players and what to pay in transfer fees. So to continue stating "Dave Jones left the playing squad in a right mess." is not an arguement. We all thought it was DJs last season, as he had lost the plot, but it must be remembered he was backed by the board in all his requests/decisions. This bodes well for Malky when he hits a rough patch as they do seem loyal and are prepared to give the manager enough time. DJ isn't the best manager in the world but to say the club started to move forward when he left is quite frankly outrageous and coming from you makes me think someone has hacked your account! FA cup final, successive plays offs and the highest points tally in this division ever is not moving the club forward? I believe the club knew DJ was never going to be in charge after 2010-11 season ended and being astute business men would not allow any permanent signings so they would have no dead wood for the incoming manager to deal with. As stated earlier I do see it as a failure if we do not improve on our points total for the season or achieve promotion via the auto-spot, I even concede promotion via the play off would be an improvement, because it would be. Anything less is a failure to move forward. The fact we have an exciting manager and players with a never say die attitude is fantastic and great to see, but the statistics will reflect failure this season if we do not achieve promotion or more points on the board come season end.
I won't see this season as a failure if we don't go up or end up with less points than last year. Progress should include what goes on off the pitch as well as on it. We're moving forward as a club even if the footballing side takes a blip. Sometimes you need to take a step back to take two forward. The ethos of the club and its staff has moved forward. The financial position of the club looks to be moving forward. The fabric of the club, with 1MCC and other initiatives, is moving us forward. As we've repeatedly said, DJ steered us through some difficult times and took us as far as he was able. For whatever reason, MM inherited a weakened squad, has taken a step back, stabilised the squad and brought in some exciting younger players on longer term contracts. You can't say that has taken us backwards. At some point you reach your highest level, but I don't think we have yet, and the last steps are disproportionately hard (deminishing returns). From then on, you're struggling to stay where you are or you fall away. Are Man U's seasons always disappointing, because when you've won the league, the cup and the champions league any thing else is failure? I still feel there are a couple of more steps forward for us results wise, though maybe not this season.
I can't forgive DJ for failing to get promotion with Bellers in the team. That was a once in a lifetime chance to have a top top class experienced Prem striker in his prime playing with 100% commitment for a championship club! If a few of that signings list had been a little better and given CB a bit of support DJ would be a PL manager this season. If MM had retained CB, Bothroyd, Burke, Chops, Mathews, Oli and had Ramsey on loan for a month (plus the option to bring in another 6 or so players!) then anything less than promotion would be failure. What I will say is that in the same way Taff rightly points out it is wrong to judge DJ on his final season, it is also wrong to judge MM on his first rebuilding (although most opinions are very positive). I don't think we'll get promoted, I'm pretty sure we'll miss the playoffs this season, but I'm already really excited about what Malky can achieve with a few more signings along the lines of what he's done already.
