I can respect the preference for an old fashioned type manager. I don't agree with it but I can respect it, unlike the unfounded sniping.
i think there is room for both in all honesty, there is nothing wrong in taking a more modern approach and it would be stupid not to make use of all the tools available now, i mean in the days of 'shoot' and 'MOTD' being the only football on television bar the FA cup final and world cup games, stats seemed to be limited to who was higher in the league and how many goals scored...with sky/fifa came the multi camera angles, super high quality slow/stop motion replays, listing every ability and keeping track of every aspect of a players game, some might still find it a bit invasive and over critical while others accept it as a way to improve their game. the old style manager is probably best suited to the lower divisions as a lot of players could do with that arse kicking at times, there is plenty of talent but some seem to lack the effort or the push needed to make the next step but once the higher reaches of the championship and the grail of the premier are reached, i think ego's will not allow a manger to 'talk down or shout' at them in quite the same way (and to this day i firmly believe this was, in part, the reason the peter ried squad fell apart so drastically) plus the mental transfer fees/signing on fees/wages many players get now means a club cannot really take a chance on having an unhappy recruit who gets a lip on and refuse to play as they still get paid (ALA Rodwell) and can seriously disrupt a squad.
I'd pretty much agree with all of that! Both approaches have their places. I just don't want to see us going back to the days of managers writing the team sheet out on the back of a cigarette packet.
If they succeeded then I would forgive them! I'm not against the digital approach, I believe that the best old style managers did a similar thing but using their analogue gut calls. I am just bemused by how, under whatever approach, we ended up with a team and performance like we did at Lincoln.
I only wish I could have forgotten! It is just that only the current owner that has a long term plan.
