does AA have left in his locker before the board act on what most of us are thinking? Dont get me wrong, I have always liked and admired Awfs, he has taken the flack in the past, stood in when required and operated under some extremely difficult circumstances........ I never wanted him appointed personally, he did us proud last season and got the players fighting to stay up, but that is a totally different scenario to building a new squad to go forward. His task was simple, 7th place or above and considering the playing budget we have should not be unreasonable. My self, was just hoping for some exciting footy, effort and commitment from all and anything finishing top 10 would be stability on going. The reality is, the pressure lid has boiled, you can feel the tension just walking into FP now, the expectation has flipped from one of excitement and hope to that of doom and expected defeat, it transpires form the terraces to the pitch all too easy, and pretty much in most games I have seen this season, if we dont have hold of that game with a comfortable lead the game flips, the panic sets in, the tension builds and were done for. We play for results, its a results sport and with out such we are nothing, fodder capitulating to the dark side of the FL, the conference, where we must not venture, if L2 is a hard nut to crack the conference for most is a cast iron locker many dont get out of! I thought long and hard about the game yesterday, whilst making that long drive home.......I can only see one answer........for what ever reason, most likely a combination of many he has lost the courage and ability to get those lads on side, so with a heavy heart......Andy Awford, we thank you for your hard work and loyalty, its time to move over my friend. BP
After Wycombe away [cant sack the bloke if we lose there!] we are at home to Hartlepool and away to Dagenham & Redbridge. Any-thing less than 4 points from those 2 games and he'll be [ok just for the saints fans] skating on very thin ice.
After that 7 game run at the end of last season I can understand why so many fans thought he should be given the job permanently, but equally many didn't want the job given to him for when this exact scenario played out. I just think nobody expected it to come around so quickly. Some were even suggesting to the directors that his contract should have a clause letting him go back to the Academy if it didn't work out. To be honest I think he would have gone if he hadn't been given the job after keeping us up last season - he was interviewed when Guy left before Ritchie Barker was given the job, it seems that he believed he could do better. It started going wrong so quickly as well, so people were saying it was having to play with Guy's & Barker's players, give him time, let him build his own squad, then he'll come good. But it has unravelled so quickly. His stubborness, his tactics, his substitutions, his tinkering etc. has left people baffled. That post match video was painful to watch, he looked shattered. I agree it's time for him to go, but why do we keep acting as a nursery for rookie managers? Since the prem years only Steve Cotterill really had experience. Barker had some but most of it was based on taking up a previous manager's team, similar to Awfs, the last few games of a season. I think I'm inclined to think he should be left in post until the board sort themselves out and look at what the club really needs - which may well be a very experienced Director of Football appointed, with a well devised strategic plan in place, before appointing a new manager. There are still 20 games to go, it isn't a certainty that we'll drop to one of the relegation spots.
It looks as though the decision could be made tomorrow (Monday) night at the board meeting. http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/pompey/awford-to-learn-pompey-future-1-6541697 Sad. Sad. Sad.
He has it appears the backing of the younger players at the club, who he has nurtered through our academy, into the first team. Two examples from before and after yesterday's game, were Jack Whatmough entering the ground about an hour before kick off, who when asked by a Pompey fan whether he was playing or not, just politely replied that he wasn't in the squad, and then whilst sitting in the Hovertravel waiting room at around 5.45 pm, young Dan Butler walked in to travel back to the I.O.W., and when questioned about the match by some rather frustrated Pompey fans, refused to criticise Awfs or his tactics. I must admit, that if Jack is fit, then why on earth would you name a paceless clown like Ben Chorley on the bench ahead of him
I think that he'll be gone before we exit Feb - I do feel sorry for him, as I did Guy but we can't carry on as we are - BP is right regarding the atmosphere at FP - there is an underlying sense of doom - and it must transmit to the players - even when we go 1-0 up there's just a sense of waiting for the inevitable equaliser - we have a top 10 team on paper and a budget that must compare to the bulk of the teams in the division yet we look like strugglers at home - fortress fratton it isn't currently.
100% agree. If he was capable of turning it around he would have done so by now. However, we have seen other manager's do it before so it isn't outside the realms of possibility. Just very doubtful.
He's going to stay for ages. The reason the board is being so slow in acting is because of having got rid of Barker and Whittingham, they don't want to create a reputation of Portsmouth just discarding managers and going through them quicker than a red hot poker through butter. Feel sorry for the board, it's a bit of a lose-lose situation, the only way they can save some face is if Awford resigns (not going to happen) and the next managerial appointment is an inspired one (called Adkins).
Interesting suggestion about Adkins. There was a time when our clubs were closer in circumstances when the idea of an ex manager joining the other would have caused uproar. The home fans would not want him due to the previous association and the previous club's fans would see it as treason. I think that there is sufficient distance between us that it wouldn't cause too many ripples. Maybe. I hve to say that it's just wishful thinking though; Askins is a proven manager at L1/Championship level. Why would he want to drop to L2???
I think Nigel Askins would jump at the chance of pulling one over Sarfampton, if the sides ever met, especially after the shocking way he was sacked by Cortese, after lifting the team through 3 divisions.
I am the voice of dissent. I believe a manager should remain in place for the duration of his contract and be judged at the end of that contract by how the club had progressed and what steps he has taken to achieve the club's aims. As such I will always advocate keeping the manager regardless of any results or league position. That's just my philosophy. I dont see how a club can hope to progress when the manager's job will always be in question. If managers had set-terms and job security there would be less of a trigger-happy culture in football and one might suggest this could lead to less spending and better long-term business plans for clubs.
The real problem comes when the club falls out of the football league, which we are still in danger of doing as we're only 2 points above the drop. The loss of funds can create more problems than getting in a new manager.
