Fresh into the Championship, Ole got 8 points from his first 6 games this season, Slade has got just 4 points from his last 6 - that should tell us something. Ole started the season with huge expectations on his shoulders and proved to be his own worst enemy with his bizarre selection policy. After those first six games, the seventh was Norwich at home when for the first 30 minutes we saw probably the best half hour of football from City that I've witnessed for years. It then went pear shaped and we let them put 4 past us in the second half. That was a watershed for him and was compounded by that horrible home defeat by Middlesbough that sealed his fate after just 8 games. It all seemed so easy to solve - get rid of him and get someone in to sort it out. So we got Slade, and after a honeymoon period when in all honesty we scraped 4 home wins, it has got progressively worse. Give me time he says - FFS after the poor Young/Gabbidon interlude that culminated in the Blackpool debacle, the guy's had 15 games to get his team sorted and understand what's required for this division - how much time was Solskjaer given? I'm not in anyway saying OGS was the right guy but he was ditched early - may have been too early? Slade is a journeyman manager with no real credentials at all to bring to the party. In my opinion he is a hopeless case at this level and should be seen as a failure. Seems hard I know, but if Solskjear deserved the boot, then so does Slade. He keeps on about us being in 17th place when he joined us, but in reality we're no better off and heading back there (or worse) for all the bullshit he pours out. Nice guy but no cigar - time to pull the plug if Tan/Dalman/Choo have the balls to go for it. One final point and it's only my opinion - I reckon we'd be in closer touch with the playoffs with OGS still here, and what's more, enjoying the games more as well.
Both are woefully out of their depth at this level...you all know my feelings about MM, but sacking him seems all the more idiotic, bearing in mind the clowns we've had since. One thing I would say, though, Ole & Slade's tenure would have been a lot easier had the club appointed an experienced & respected No. 2.
Feels a bit like the choice between a dog **** sandwich or baguette doesn't it? Ole had his chance, he was backed in 2 windows and bought in very little that improved our situation. He chopped and changed so much the players didn't have a clue what the plan was week to week. Slade came in, massively simplified things and got a bit of a response. You correctly highlighted at the time we were not winning well. I defended Slade as he'd solved the immediate problem and started getting results. Since then Slade has taken us downhill at a genuinely alarming rate. He's looked totally out of his depth, he's written off players with obvious ability as surplus and signed players from Rotherham and Millwall. His absolute insistence to persist with poorly performing players in a non effective tactical setup is destroying any hope I had this L1/L2 journeyman manager might be a rough diamond waiting for his big chance.
I agree with some of what's been said but not all. Skillful players? What did Daehli and Morrison actually do to show that they were better than the others? For Daehli I can think of 2 things (goal at West Brom and playing in KWJ at Fulham) but not much else. Although undoubtedly talented to a degree, for a teenager he lacked pace and while he could beat a player he couldn't leave him in his wake and ended up trying to beat him again plus others who crowded him out. With his stature and build he's not going to get much quicker. Yes, he's a Norwegian international and has had good performances for them but that doesn't mean he can shine in the Championship. I see he hasn't played for Freiburg yet but they could be on a mid-season shut down. Morrison - flattered to deceive very occasionally. From what I saw of him he was good at weaving patterns across the pitch but rarely tried to take on the opposition directly towards their goal. Looks like West Ham want to dump him and take a financial hit, after he has had several opportunities out on loan, all of which have made no progress. He clearly has attitude problems which no manager is showing a willing to take on. Of the others, Velikonja, Eikrem and Berget need no explanation. Cala and Guerra had something about them but we don't know what goes on, on the training ground and behind closed doors. If they bring nothing to the party then best they go otherwise their influence can be disruptive. Of those still with us, someone on another thread said Maynard should get a chance before ALF. Maybe he will although (and I feel sorry for the guy) he is not the same player since his last injury at Millwall. He has lost that bit off pace of the mark that is needed in his role. It is unfortunate for him and us as I understand he is a good guy to have around the team. Kimbo and Fabio I hope remain in Slade's plans but for god's sake they must be played in their best positions. Kimbo in particular looks a shadow of what he was 2 years ago. Confidence shot to hell by the look of him. Overall OGS's signings were very poor and he must take much of the responsibility for where we are now. A jumble of a squad, no shape, tactics, organisation and fitness. He had to go. While of the school that says Slade needs more time, that is now wearing thin with me. He has said there are 3 more to come in. He has got 12 days I think to achieve that unless he is waiting for Prem cast offs under the extended emergency loan window (does that still apply?). Once he has "his squad" then there can be no more excuses. Correct me if wrong but until this season weren't Orient, under his tenure, playing good, pressing football? That is what I would like to see us doing but he needs the right type of player to do that. I think Revell and Malone (despite his mare last Saturday - if selected it will be interesting to see how he copes with Adomah tonight) will fit the bill so the last 3 jigsaw pieces must be fit, energetic and enthusiastic. An ability to hold and control the ball won't go amiss either. I can't see VT dumping him before the season end unless things go drastically wrong in the extreme. I also think we will keep our heads above the relegation water as those at the bottom are almost sunk without trace. However, if he wants to be with the club next season he needs to show VT and us that he has the makings of a squad that can be a force again in 2015/16. One more random thought, 2/3 years ago other teams used to worry about playing us - Bellamy, Burke, Chopra, Bothroyd, Whiitingham and even Millar and Helguson. Now we worry more about the opposition players and how we will cope with them. That is a radical change which plainly shows how our fortunes have slumped.
I'll explain my point with an example. Emanual Adebayor - he was/has been a total cast off whilst other managers turn him into one of the PL's best strikers. It looks (from the outside) like Slade has walked in and ****ed off everyone foreign. I find it hard to believe one of Guerra, Daehli, Burstaller, Eikrem, Cala, Kimbo couldn't do a job. WOL (I know) seem sure Kimbo is on his way. It's about managing the resources at your disposal not just clearing the decks involving more cost to the club and bringing in new once again at further cost.
I must agree with Stevo on this one Bluey. Nobody knows how good or bad these guys could have been because Slade made it quite clear they weren't "his players" and didn't want to use them. Now you could take that as being strong and single minded in approach and I'd have no real problem with that, but he's failed to do anything other than favour those he does see as his sort of player and excluded variation from our game. As a result we have gone backwards and the assumption by many is that you have to go backwards before going forwards - I just don't accept that. I personally think that it's very poor management skills and we are seeing the results of a one trick pony type of manager with no idea how to change his approach towards his team and tactics to suit what he had available to him. I've never wished our team to lose a game and I'm not going to start now, but in my opinion it wouldn't be a disaster if we were thrashed tonight in the overall interests of the club.
I think nobody expected this league to be easy. We (Norwich) thought we were going to run away with it back in October. Now we have had a great run and we can't even get back in the play off positions. You almost came back at our place on Saturday but it looks a big gap to sixth. The only consolation is if anyone puts a late run together they could be well set up for the play offs. Good Luck Lads.
Thank you for the good wishes, our manager and players form mean there is only one direction we can leave the Championship from this season. I believe we should be able to scrape the 15 -20 points needed to avoid that fate though.
Makes no difference which one of these clowns were in charge. Two of the worst managers in our history.
I said on a thread elsewhere, the statistics show that only Hibbett has a better win %age than Slade. Ole GS - 30%, Slade - 46.6%, Hibbett 47.3%. Slade better than Jones and MM.
Those wins include daylight robbery at Watford, a rubbish L1 side in the cup, clinging on against 10 men against Reading and against a Forrest side that have won 3 in 20, then beating the worst Fulham I've seen. You must agree from watching his side play that stat is very deceptive and a figure that is an absolute certainty to decline?
This is beginning to look like a joint attack Stevo......... I'll just have to add this - it's getting worse not better. We got to our current mammoth total of 34 points with a 1-0 win at home over a very poor Fulham side who if they carry on like that will drop back onto the trap door places. After our game last night, the game in hand that the others just below us have could put us further in the ****. Before that Fulham game you need to go back to Watford away for a win. Even there we were totally outclassed by the home side, and stole a win with an ALF tap in - they should have murdered us. Since then we've taken very lucky single points from a couple of draws against Rotherham and Charlton. That's 5 points from 27 - exactly the same as Malky at Wigan and sure relegation form. Apart from the current bottom 3 I've already mentioned on another thread, Fulham and maybe Charlton who are in freefall, I can't see any other teams in this division playing as consistently poorly at the moment as us. That's why something has to change or we'll join them down there.
Just shows what you can do with statistics. I'm expecting Slades %age to converge on Ole's. it would be interesting to see the %age loss stats as I'm sure MM and DJ would fare much better because of the draws they got. Average points per game would be a better stat.
Never mind joint attack, if we don't start disagreeing about something soon people will start accusing us of being our boards answer to the Dillgaf multiple personality disorder that afflicted the jacks a while back.
I never expected anything from the last 2 away games. The scorelines flatter City big time. In fact I didn't expect City to beat Fulham, ands certainly don't expect them to do anything but lose to Derby. Time must surely be running out for Slade after his appalling record at City. To think he was a game or 2 away from the sack at lowly Orient but still City took this lower league journeyman. The club and the job are just too big for him. Solskjaer was a joke; an inexperienced manager who was given his head completely in trying to stave off relegation from the hardest league in european football. Madness as was the appointment of this latest clown when there were experienced managers like Hughton and Clarke out of a job. City should survive this season. However to save us all more angst and dismay at the appalling football being served up, this clown should be sent packing back to where he came from NOW.
I wonder how much Tan paid Roeder for his consultations and advice over appointing Slade. I remember loads of the Norwich guys saying at the time that anything Roeder recommends would turn to **** - looks like they were spot on.
