BarberSaint

Someone asked which manager I did like. In a roundabout way, how would the present incumbent have this team playing: Flowers Dodd Osman Ruddock Benali Le Tissier Case Cockerill Wallace Shearer Wallace ? Someone's mentioned the value of new personnel. How about this? RM "So, new fella, what's your name?" DM "Diego". RM "Welcome Diego. How good are you at passing back to the goalie from the opposition penalty box?" DM "Que?" RM "Ah, I see we'll need to put you in the reserves for a year or two before selling you on the cheap." RM, turning to the other new player: "So, what's your name?" Pele "Pele" RM "Pele what? McTavish? Did you once drink some Irn bru and so are eligible to play for the best team in Scotland, like me?" Pele "Just Pele" RM "Not Scottish by ancestry or desperation, eh? I can't see you'll ever play international football. Anyway, how many times have you dallied on the ball in your own area before being robbed by a hungry forward who wants his win bonus?" Pele "Er...none" RM "Right, it's off to Goztepe with you then!"

This might be a long post. I haven't liked a lot of our managers (in part at least): Adkins, spouted platitudes and buzzwords, Pochettino came across a bit smug, Koeman lost too many games when we should have finished far higher, Hughes was dour, Pelllegrino useless, I liked Puel until I had to watch the borefests, etc). Quite liked Selles, but he was crap. Doing alright now, though so good luck to him. I think we should have made Jones our press officer. I don't like spreadsheet managers: Ralph or the current person who has no redeeming features - see some Swansea fans' views, for example and so on; why is there a cult around the 'celebrity' of a football manager/coach? He should be invisible and the players and games the focus. I can see nothing that demonstrates in real-life, living, football that "If you do X, then Y will happen". Unless it's a case of saying that keeping the ball in your area is great because that's the danger zone for your team and where the opposition want the ball to be, preferably with them as it helps with the scoring goals bit of the game, as does our desire to help them out by giving them the ball occasionally so they don't feel left out. Perhaps the club did take on that person's request that we be nicer to opposing fans and teams and so have implemented this 'philosophy' to show what a caring club it it is? Sometimes there's a case for dropping someone down in standard to allow them to 'improve' but usually, and after a certain level you usually improve by playing in a more demanding fashion/league. So I don't understand those who say that e.g. "Bednarek has been improved by ...x" when all that was done was that he was playing against worst players who helped make him look average. At best. I can't see how he'd improve by playing at half-speed or against someone who can't jump or whatever. I didn't like the comment after Cardiff that went "..but I have to consider..." because it negated all the work done in winning an entertaining game that was clearly between two 'lesser' or reserve sides and everyone saw that, but they saw a lot of things besides. I cannot understand the idea of playing 'his way'. What is it? What makes it special and unique and guarantees success above all else while entertaining everyone and getting them off their seats? As far as I'm aware he hasn't invented football, he hasn't invented tackling etc. He hasn't adapted keeping the ball in such a way that hasn't been done ever since teams started doing it probably before Cruyff and total football. I can see some benefit in video analysis of previous performances. I'd So, I don't like him. I don't know what 'magic' he possesses that no one else does and apart from smelling bullshit, I can't see much in any of all this 'theory' that isn't anything different from what's gone before and what happens in a park game on a Sunday. I'll read the rest of the posts on this but is there any chance that everyone could stop blathering on about him 'adapting'? He won't, he's said it innumerable times and your blinkered insistence on ignoring this gets annoying. Changing a formation to 1-2-3-4 vs 2-4-3-1 doesn't change the way teams play if the instruction is always 'do not pass the ball more than 5 yards'. Let's wait and see if he tries to ensure that players who can play are allowed to not play and not made to follow his 'philosophy'.

He should definitely start from here on in. Too good not to and he isn't likely to be here too long like a couple of others. Mind you he's on a five year contract so we might get to see him play more and get even better but to do that we have to stay up: he'd be wasted in a lesser league. I think it really has to be a starting 3 in midfield of Fernandes, Ugochukwu (who should be encouraged to play his own game as he's very good) and Downes (who is the worst of the three and probably adequate at this level, but no more). That is actually a pretty good midfield and left to play football it'll take care of itself.

Just my late thoughts on the games vs Lazio and Getafe. First time I'd seen this lot live. Lazio Wood. Very poor on the ball and otherwise I think it's questionable if he's a professional-level player. I cannot see why he was signed based on that showing. Manning. Poor. Edwards. Slow but seems to read the game well and looks very consistent. Seems to have a lot of promise. I think he'll do well. Dibling. Plays with head up. Always looking around. Receives the ball well and shields it and directs players as to where the ball should go. Knows what he wants to do before he gets the ball. Can use his right foot well but heavily favours his left. See no reason to not play him at this level. Looks perfectly at home and seems to just like football. Brereton. Apart from the goal, did very little. Can't say much. Charley. (obviously now irrelevant). Moves forward and into space but then gets isolated. Does look to pass the ball in the direction of the opposition's goal. Getafe. Boring and very closed-down game. We seem to have no forward impetus at all. KWP. Same as. Poor defender, ok going forward. Sugawara. Not bad. Presume he played in the first game as well. Not sure how he is at defending. I like defenders who defend. If they can play then that's a big bonus, but if they can't defend they shouldn't play. Harwood-Bellis. Slow. On that showing, saw nothing to excite me. Armstrong. When he got away the once I didn't think he'd score, I thought he'd miss. Lacks precision and speed of thought but does make a lot of runs off the shoulder that aren't picked up.