...........................under Ole right now than we are under Slade. An over-bold statement that we're never going to be able to prove, or a fair shout as a guess? We took 8 points from the first 5 Championship games of the season and also beat Coventry and Port Vale both away from home in the first and second rounds of the Capital One Cup. Then we played the best half hour of football I've seen at the CCS for a long time to go 2-0 up against Norwich before capitulating in the second half. That was followed by a very poor performance from start to finish against Middlesbrough - and that was it, the end for Ole. Premature or not, and some would say it was at the time purely because of the huge expectation level, his successor has been far from an ideal replacement. Would Ole have eventually got more out of his players as the season progressed rather than the dismal fare we've been treated to since from Slade and his chosen "inner circle" of players? Financial implication to one side for a minute, when we look at those players who've been ignored and disposed like Guerra, Dahli, Ravel, Cala and Kimbo only to be replaced by the likes of Revell, O'Keefe and Malone, surely things would be a lot brighter if we'd persevered with Ole and given him a chance for a little longer? Maybe just hindsight talking, but the alternative we've witnessed after his departure has been truly appalling.
Don't need the benefit of hindsight to have made your prediction. Sacking OGS was essential as the team was in a mess. The problem was the lack of ambition and thought in choosing his replacement. To appoint a lower league journeyman to a cub of this size which was in the PL the previous term, and with no experience of managing players of the quality and standing as those at the club was foolish, and insulting to the fans. City have gone backwards, and are now just another championship club going through the motions of winning a few, losing a few and drawing a few.
Agree with Nin on this. OGS had lost the plot (and the dressing room) so had to go. As for the players shown the door the only one I would like to have seen more of was Guerra. With his record in Spain I'm sure he could have done better for us given the chance. But then again ALF and latterly Doyle have good records elsewhere and done little/nothing for us. I'm of the belief that is not necessarily their fault. No ball in/around penalty area, no chances for strikers.
Can't argue with that Steve. Accept Macheda can't head a ball to save his life so keep it on the ground. Simples!!!!
I still want an explanation from Shrek why he took off Macalaney just as City looked like they might score a 2nd.
Look guys - you should really stop arguing on here........... OGS lack of experience was showing big time juggling the team around like that, but those first 8 points from 5 games was a decent start despite his madcap team selections. A settled starting 11 is always what you aim for and it just could have happened given some more time. Having said that, the decision to get him out after the Middlesbrough showing was brave and should have proved ultimately correct - the fact is it hasn't. The question I posed still hasn't been answered - would we be higher up the table now, and moreover in with a chance of the playoffs with Ole rather than Slade? C'mon guys, don't duck the question. One things for certain, if the Ole "lost the dressing room" charge is true - I don't believe that anyway, it's too big to lose - Slade's dressing room is a darn sight worse off for being found. It typifies average in every respect. There is no character, leadership nor flair in there, and they're being led by a ****ing hasbeen who in fact never was. How the hell we ended up with Slade I just don't know. Stevo - Macheda is not all bad - it must be only when I watch him...........
Quack, quack!!! No. We would be languishing even further down the table. Straight enough for you, Judy fan? Come on Sparks, don't hold back, speak your mind!!!! Lol!!!
I disagree Bluey - now there's a surprise!....... I reckon by the law of averages, Ole would have got it right with little more than a dozen games more. We'd be challenging top 6 even if not already in it. On the other hand and by the law of averages again, Slade is worse than average.
All ifs ands and buts. We will never know if Ole would have fared any better than Slade. Would we have been higher up the table if Jones and Macheda had played regularly and enjoyed the kind of service Bothroyd and Chopra enjoyed. Again we will never know. What we do know is we have our worst manager since the days of Durban, Neal and Osman. We are going nowhere with this excuse of a leader.
Spot on DJ. Sparks, hope I'm not banned for disagreeing with you. Would be in another place. Some good discussions taking place. Definitely more lively here than a few weeks ago with thanks to Sparks and others for promoting yhe debates.
Higher up the table, I certainly believe we would be. Slade is clueless. Ole was, perhaps, let go too soon. However, he brought in his own back room staff. Slade had Young hoisted upon him, would he have fared much better with his own choice of number 2? I have a fair idea not, but who knows?
Neither manager is good enough. I think Ole would probably be around the same place in the table but maybe for different reasons. Rather than a load of League 1 and championship players we'd have a load more Norwegians and an unsettled starting 11. It's mental that we didn't even talk to Pulis, who probably would have been a perfect fit for us.
I disagree.. I think we would be roughly exactly where we are now with Ole. Two managers completely out of their depths in one of the most, if not THE most competitive league in the World.
I'll have my final say on this one (unless someone argues ). Sorry if it's a bit on the long side, but this is the way I see it. Ole had a baptism of fire coming in to replace Malky under the circumstances at the time. Despite the media hype that surrounded Malky's dismissal, in all truth we were starting to struggle well before the 0-3 Southampton debacle that ultimately brought the end for him. Ole was definitely the wrong guy to replace him, but he was shoved into the limelight and looked like a startled rabbit on the big stage. He made some questionable (but low cost) January acquisitions but failed to arrest the slide. The rest of that season is history, but remember, that was the Premier League. For the start of this Championship season he'd brought in Manga and Morrison at the back, Pilkington and Adeyemi in the middle, and Guerra, Macheda and Le Fondre up front. Admittedly he was his own worst enemy swapping players around every game, but such was his embarrassment of riches (allegedly), he needed to establish his "best 11" and was given 7 league games to do that before being turfed out. The more I look into to it the more I think it was a premature decision based on the super-high expectation levels at the club, by fans and in the media. Since then, Slade has had 27 games at this level and still can't get it right. He has no idea how to put together a winning combo. He's marginalised and alienated some some decent players, then brought in some very average at best recruits to replace them like Ravell, Malone and O'Keefe. There are other dubious traits to his management as well. I don't believe Fabio has been injured to the extent that Slade would have us believe, and where the hell is Adeyemi? Ole got 9 wins from his 30 games in charge and Slade has also got 9 wins from his 27, but it's worth remembering over 20 of Ole's games were in our Premier league season whereas Slade has never faced that sort of opposition. Slade has to be deemed a failure if Ole was seen in that light and suffered the inevitable as a result. Replacing Ole wasn't necessarily the wrong thing to do, but replacing him with Slade was.
Our biggest failing over the last 2/3 years has been the lack of goals. I find it strange that strikers get a fair share of goals before they come to City and the same after they leave. In that time we have had 3 managers and all have had the same problem. To me the one thing constant is centre mid-field Whitts & Gunnar. Until these two are shown the door things won't change.
