Agree. The problems are that may tip us the wrong side of FFP this season, possibly relegation would be a bigger financial hit. The other is would they offer the job to Warburton and would he take it.
The lack of tactics yesterday was quite unbelievable for a manager at this level. Playing a left back (who hasn't really played for us yet) at right back was just asking for trouble, especially considering that you have 2, yes 2 on the bench. Kakay was obviously dropped for his spat with Ainsworth at Leeds on Wednesday night. We played a back 4 and then the rest of the formation was anyone's guess! Midfielders instructed to try stop play rather than playing themselves. Their movement or lack of it was nothing short of embarrassing, quite amateur at times. For such an enthusiastic and optimistic guy, Ainsworth is a very negative coach, setting up to not concede over trying to score. Every game is about not trying to lose first and foremost. Some might agree that's the correct path but it's plain to see that it doesn't work for us. It leaves any attacking players totally isolated. Who are they hoping Armstrong flicks a header on to? There's nobody within 20 yards of him. Poor old Larkeches confidence will be totally shot at thanks to playing him out of position and with nobody Infront of him to offer protection! Ainsworth is guessing, guessing how to set up, how to stop the opposition, how to neutralise their threats. How's about you set us up with an identity a plan and tactics to win a game rather than worry about what the opposition will do. I honestly believe there are hundreds of people out there, many sat in the stands who could get a finer tune out of this set of players. Because Ainsworth used to play for us is not a good enough reason to give him a 3 year contract. Infact it's ridiculous. The board/owners are to blame for all this fiasco. Briatore would have called him an idiot and been shot of him a long time ago.
Lots of people ask, "who else would come to us'. It's not a good enough reason to continue a fall to league 1. The question should be 'who else would come to us in league 1'. We have more chance of getting someone with a bit of nous in the championship but that has to be now, not in 3 or 4 weeks time.
And even the back four didn’t know whether they were man marking or zonal marking as the ease which Blackburn passed around the defence for the first two goals showed. Usually I just shake off these continued losses and crap performances but yesterday was something of a benchmark for me, a new low. And it still wasn’t as bad as Watford according to Terry! It’s embarrassing to be associated with this farce. I’m dreading the next home game, I have three very good friends who are all Foxes attending, with extensive pre and post match refreshments planned. They could well get double figures. If it wasn’t for the lads being there I don’t think I’d go, if Ainsworth is still manager. For masochists only https://www.skysports.com/watch/vid...-0-4-blackburn-rovers-championship-highlights
I am certainly not paying hard earned money to watch that ****e. I can see better football at my local amateur team.
It’s so farcical that I almost want to put my fingers in my ears and chant lalalala … but you’re absolutely right Bob. And to be fair to you, you’ve been saying it for months. It has to change now while the break is on. If the board doesn’t already have at least a replacement or two in mind then they’re incompetent too.
Good and certainly very valid points. I am trying to focus my frustrations on being constructive in this turbulent and painful period. Certainly there is no obvious easy solution. I personally believe that we missed a real opportunity in not promoting MW to the position of DOF (replacing Sir Les) instead of sacking him. This would have provided the continuity of style that we desire and he may have had a better influence even if the Beale and Critchley appointments were made, which at the time for me were logical! I believe that MW was interested the position and this may have been one the reasons for his departure. But as devils’ advocate, what if we did appoint MW and breach FFP rules? Would we only get a small points deduction? If so, would this be worse than doing nothing or another bad appointment? I personally admire MW and believe that he made a great job with his resources, and made real improvement year to year. Sadly, we failed when we made the push for promotion. But take a look at how many times Brentford failed before they were finally promoted, plus where they are now compared to us? Plus how do we envisage our respective near futures? Which model seems better? I recommend going down the road of doing it patiently and correctly, rather than any ad-hoc panic decisions of crisis management. This may mean going to MW and saying that we made a big mistake and we would like to take him back. Who knows, he might like and cherish the challenge? He might even be able to pull it off? I would take the chance. But then again, what the hell do I really know and who am I to give advice.
Too many unknowns to be able to pass reasonable judgement. My feeling is SLF was scapegoated but, objectively and more obviously, GAs glaring record speaks for itself.
That tunnel is very tight. Not sure he’d be able to fit through it these days otherwise I’d have gone for Steve Evans.
You are a more generous man than I. Ferdinand was DoF for 8 years, which saw at best inertia and more likely a steady decline in all aspects of the playing side of the club. Ainsworth may not have been his decision, but he contributed massively to the situation which lead to the decision being made.
We can’t really know what impact Ferdinand was having on the club, beneficial or otherwise. I do feel though that he was instrumental in getting the club's finances back into a sustainable position - something that isn't popular with fans, of course. What we can be certain of is that Ainsworth's appointment has made performance on the pitch visibly and painfully worse. I think the summer signings - presumably strongly influenced by Ainsworth in the absence of a DoF - have been good for a club in our financial position, with no transfer fees and no loans, and I think that a more tactically astute manager/coach could at least prevent us getting relegated with this squad. Ainsworth isn't up to the job and Ferdinand knew this.
It seems to me that Ferdinand's remit would have been as much to do with getting the club to a sustainable financial position as it would results on the pitch. Don't forget that one of his first actions was to get rid of Redknapp. Don't forget also that we were top of the league this time last year.
As little expertise as he has running the football side he can’t have much on the finance side. We got lucky selling Eze when we did and missed out on some big/bigger fees with Osayi-Samuel, Manning, Dickie and others not being sold when the price would have been good. Wasn’t that what the other guy was for? I’ve genuinely forgotten his name.
When Ainsworth came in, I don't think anyone else would possibly have taken the job. Critchley was a real low and we looked like a team with no prospects. Ainsworth came in with the best intentions for trying to help us out. It just hasn't worked out, unfortunately. I wouldn't think about disrespecting him with a boo. My blame will always be with the owners/board. Ultimately, they sanction all appointments and decide the general direction of the club. They have been offered success on a plate and have snatched success away from the jaws of victory on so many things. Twice they have been in the premier League. Twice they could have looked for sensible stability. They've even sacked managers when things were working. They couldn't get us a decent kit for years. We could make a massive list of things they got wrong. We need them out, really. But again, who would come in? We are a totally undesirable club, staring at relegation, totally crowded out in London by bigger clubs. I don't know where from, but I'm hoping at some point soon we'll have a young manager with fresh ideas who is tactically strong. Where this manager will come from, I have no idea. Maybe a manager from outside the UK, like Spain, Portugal, etc.? Whoever we get next, we'll only be able to attract a higher quality manager by flashing the cash. No good manager is going to take the job on just because it's challenging.
I said this about Holloway at the time... he was making small improvements. Although we finished in the same position 2 years in a row, we actually had more points in the second year. I was happy for that to continue, for us to try and get into a better financial position and maybe pick up some decent signings here and there. Ollie was certainly a better man manager. But the fans were always asking for more and more and more, with both Warburton and Holloway. Now we are in this ditch, everyone looks back at those times with Warbs and Ollie and wishes they could go back!
True. We always seem to think that “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence”. But this has led us a merry dance of “one step forward and three steps back”. Indeed, “hindsight is a wonderful thing”, but “we have made our bed and need to sleep in it”. Now I have run out of proverbs to this reply. To summarise, we have messed things up badly and now we are where we are!
