Couldn’t agree more mate, big believer in you never go back in football apart from you Amad always a place for you
A bit harsh and revisionist that (and I’m saying that as someone who was fine with seeing Mowbray go by the time he went). He didn’t have an Amad or a Clarke, as we think of them now, when he started here either. He played a massive part in developing them as players and getting the performances we saw out of them.
And that's a bit revisionist too. Clarke had already been around the block, Spurs, Leeds, and was no 19yo breaking through. Man U had already seen fit to pay £30m for Amad, just wasn't his fault they decided not to play him...Hardly Rigg/Mayenda/Jobe ...........
Look back on the player most thought we were getting in Amad based on the six months at Rangers and their fans’ comments. Clarke had been in the wilderness for years, had made no impact at Spurs, QPR or Stoke and didn’t blow any one away as such in the second half of our League 1 promotion season. Loads of talent in both but it wasn’t there all laid on a plate ready for Mowbray to walk in on day one and benefit from as was implied in the posts I quoted.
Amad himself has said how big an impact Mowbray had on him. The list of players who have improved under his guidance is a long one. It always amazes me when fans dismiss a coach for having had excellent players. As if the coach just picks them and hopes. Mowbray created a structure in which Amad, Clarke, Roberts etc could shine. Every coach we have have in the Speakman era has improved us significantly. Johnson turned us round from Parkinson, and got us playing attacking football. Neil, gave us a tactical edge to win tight games. Mowbray took us to championship challengers and had a massive impact on our young talent. (Beale never happened). Dodds kept the young lads going and learning. Now Regis is moving us on again, or maybe he is just lucky to have Le Fee, Jobe, Neil, Isidor, Mepham etc...
Spot on Mowbray is a good manager, who plays cracking football and most importantly he develops players He isn't great tactically but if he was playing great football, developing players and was brilliantly tactically he wouldn't be managing in the Championship I think he will do well with WBA, the issue is they expect promotion and not sure he will get them over the line. They have a cracking start line up but don't think the depth is great
I was making the point that fans sometimes dismiss coaches as lucky because they have player x or y. Mowbray was supposedly lucky he had Amad. If that is true maybe Regis is lucky and not a goos coach? My point is Mowbray is a good coach who got the best out his players. Regis is doing the same. No luck involved on either coach.
I think moving on from Mowbray was the correct decision even if what happened afterwards was a disaster. But he was exactly what we needed at the time. Some of the football in that season was superb. RLB has taken us to that next level though. He's like the perfect mix between Neils pragmatism and Mowbrays culture of letting players thrive.
I love that RLB seems totally aligned to our vision/model, Neil never was and wanted bang average championship players, Mowbray was somewhere in the middle but he never seemed happy with the recruitment, RLB seems to just get on with it and knows his priority is developing players
It's quite amusing to me that the two clubs Neil has been at since leaving here have both went with similar recruitment to us.
Seems to be a few clubs starting to copy us, 1st time in my life time that we've been the trend setters
I wonder what the Chelsea owners class as a successful season. Currently in 4th but they’ve been really poor of late. Maresca could be under pressure if they drop out of the CL places
He will come under pressure, but he shouldn’t. His character is exactly what they need. I personally thought it was a shocking appointment, but them bits he’s done in flashes this season will become more consistent next year and they will be a proper force. That said, they have alarming drop offs. I actually thought until 2-0 last night they looked good and were co trolling the game. They fell apart after the second.
I am so happy with Regis. I think he is perfect for us. And I think he is a step up on Mowbray for sure. I do think Mowbray had a point on recruitment in his time. I know he is massive on young players, but he would have liked one or two older heads. I know Dack gets thrown back at him, and that is fair. When you look at what Dack did pre injury maybe it was a gamble worth taking. And by all accounts he was very good in the dressing room. I just bet Mowbray looks at the Mepham signing and thinks that is what I would have loved. All about timing though, as others have said we dont get Mepham without the cash injection. Overall I bet a lot of players in our team credit Mowbray with some level of their development. One of the things that I think marks Regis out as a step above is his ability to get a level of consistency. He seems able to puts groups of games together and amass a level of points that at times is better than performances have deserved. Mowbray had better individual games, where we would blow teams away, but Regis seems able to keep a level of momentum. One thing I do worry about, in my more miserable moments, is how long before a club higher up the pyramid tries to get our coach. Been a long time since that worry was a real one.
Carrick under big pressure now, didn't like their January window at all and they've been so inconsistent since he's been their manager
