Yeah, it didn't work for us. Again, yes, and I've no idea what you mean at the end because all the credible evidence points to him being allowed new players but choosing not to sign them.
To be fair lets not all jump on TWF, i was the only person on these forums who ever defended Nicky playing the 4-2-3-1, now he's gone your all lovers of it! Lets just hope Brucey understand the way we where playing and how good it could of being.
That's true, I argued with you on it a bit and I have changed my stance since based on what has since come out regrding the situation at the time.
Errr, no you weren't! I have always stated that 4231 is the way forward and opposed those who simplistically say "We'll need to play 2 up front and be more attacking!"
We didn't score alot of goals with that 4-2-3-1 formation though did we, couldn't we play a diamond 4-4-2 with Evans as a defensive midfielder and Koren (preferably) in the attacking midfielder position, then two strikers?
We didn't score a lot of goals because the 3 didn't do their job properly and support the one. It was a personnel issue NOT a strategy issue.
If they weren't doing their job properly then why didn't Barmby change them? Or just tell them to get their act together? Was he incapable of doing his job?
I don't think the formation you suggest really exists outside of FIFA. I see a lot of people suggest it but in real life it just couldn't happen. You'd essentially have one midfielder, and he'd be totally overrun against a midfield 2 or 3 on the opposing team. My personal view on that system was that it worked at first, but after 3-4 months of the same 11-12 players playing every single week they just got knackered and everything went to ****. The team's performances in general became very poor over that time especially compared to the standard they set in the months before, and with no new players brought in it just wasn't possible to keep that level of performance up. I don't think it's a coincidence that once the tuesday games and long-distance away trips stopped, our form picked up again. Change them for who exactly?
Why do you assume he didn't do those things? I accept we as fans do know what goes on behind the scenes, however you seem to be determined to blame Nick Barmby for everything.
Throughout March he never used Garcia, and as you've said yourself used the same players week in and week out. He didn't have to do that, he chose to. Well if he did he didn't do a very good job. I'm determined to blame Nick Barmby because it was Nick Barmby who was the manager, so it was his responsibility. He picked a formation that evidently didn't suit his players and refused to change it. Unless that's not his fault? You seem to think his only job was to stand on the sideline in a coat that was too big for him and be "one of our own". As you haven't listed anyone who is/was generally quite good, I've no idea what you're talking about.
so if we've got on to blaming managers for results. Which manager was to blame for our appalling run of not being able to win away from home in the PL, when said manager had not had any trouble signing the players he wanted.
Not really. Nobody gave us a cat in hell's chance of staying up in our first PL season, and Brown overachieved by keeping us up. I believe he could have kept us up again, but even if he hadn't he'd have still overachieved. He was a victim of his own success. If you're trying to defend the "hometown hero's" record, it's probably not a good idea to compare him to our greatest manager ever, don't you think? Try comparing him to Molby, Parkinson, Dowie or Pearson instead.
But at the same time Barmby/Pearson overachieved by finishing 7th when everyone had us odds on to finish around 12th, so that 'overachieving' point isn't really valid. Truth is they both threw fantastic oppurtunities away.
So if the manager doesn't change things when they're going badly and they're called Nick, it's the managers fault, but if they're called Phil, it's not the managers fault. I suppose if they're called Phil, it's Adam Pearson's fault? Adam made him pick **** players, in **** formations and lose almost every game for eighteen months. You're so blinkered and full of ****, you really should be embarrassed, you sound like Tickler.
You dont pick a system and then make the players fit it, you pick the system that best suits your players. If it didnt work he shouldve adapted it until he signed the players that could make it work.
Spot on. If Nick had been born somewhere else he would have got massive stick for his poor managerial decisions.
