you're absolutely right rob - things could be worse - much worse. however, there always comes a time when mistakes come home to roost and i think many of the more recent mistakes have taken their toll on our fan base, possibly because some of them could have been easily corrected, but also one line, which i suspect will keep coming back to haunt mr bowkett: "we scoured europe and neil adams was the outstanding candidate." now whether you think that the sentiment behind that statement is pure make believe or like me, true, but with a disappointing conclusion, it will hang over this boards heads for a long time.
Collectively Delia, WJ, DM and Bowkett can hold a proportion of the Buck, more so than Adams in my book. If I was offered an aspirational position in my company that I could do elements of and felt I could learn the rest as I went, vast pay rise, would I decline it? Not on your nellie! (For the record whether ready or not I wouldn't have applied if I thought I had no chance of being able to do the job) So in picking someone to do a job, a very important job, without the track record or experience we can say that they have taken a very big risk? Would anyone denigh that? To compound that risk, they have mystifyingly given him a 4 year contract! Exactly how many suitors were they expecting might come and pinch him??? So for these decisions and as highlighted by other they are most certaintly culpable. However whilst they are far from perfect, look at other clubs and the changes to owners and managers and how often do these appear to turn out for the best? The club is in rude health (off the pitch) and whether it is perceived as by luck or judgement, DS and MWJ have played an enormous part in that. So I think better the devil you know for now. That said, if anyone comes in to buy the club I would not be to upset if they went either, It as with managers comes down to will you get a better one? And to that nobody ever knows! (It might be argued however that in Adams case it would be hard to find worse, for pitys sake some would even take Hootun back!) Bah!
I hope they're learning some hard lessons about talking to the press. When all was rosie twitter accounts and openness seemed a good idea, but "relegation worse than death" and statements about "being remiss not to have ideas on other options...." should perhaps be kept within the boardroom walls. These statements raised a degree of expectation of action and increased pressure in my book and then the failure to act, was always going to draw criticism. Bah!
I don't know much about Bowkett, but he seems to me to be the one most liable to say something utterly stupid.
Don't forget the little gem " well, we finished 12th in our first season back in the top flight, and 11th this season - so I'd expect a top ten finish next year" That's another one for within the four walls of the boardroom - and nowhere else!!
i actually think alan bowkett is an excellent chairman. i've no serious qualms with him or mcnally, despite the odd blooper of a soundbite. they've both done very good jobs overall for the football club and they both deserve some credit for our current financial situation. both men still have serious credit in the bank (so to speak, and literally!) as far as i'm concerned. smith and wynn jones less so but as mentioned earlier, things could be a lot worse. i do however feel we are at a crossroads and if the football side of things doesn't improve vastly in the very near future, ALL the board will be under siege and i think heads will roll.
But will they be the right heads? As you say neither Bowkett or McNally on face value should be near the front of the queue. That said we can't possibly know for sure how much involvement they had in appointing Adams. Bah!
Agreed. I didn't mean to imply that Bowkett has done a bad job - as I said I don't really know, but given where we were in 09 I think he must have done. As you say, though, it's the "bloopers". Mind you, McNally did similarly with "fate worse than death".
