Baffling squad assembling

[Slim Man]

Who's in charge of that?

If Wilder, why is no one with a football brain at the club saying 'you know what Chris maybe we don't want 6 of the same midfielder', or 'Chris you know it might actually be worth not signing that player who's not completed a full 90 for 3 seasons', or 'Chris I think we might need a bit of creativity in this team?', or 'Chris I think we might need to sign a right back at right back rather than a shit central midfielder who can barely masquerade as one there', or my personal favourite 'Chris do you think we should try and sign some players with pace and athleticism?'

If we here isn't anyone advising him, it's about time there was. Not just Bettis, Hoyland and their jobs for the boys club.
If there IS someone advising him and this is the squad we've got to show for it, they need sacking immediately.

Wouldn't mind if literally every fan bar the Wilder blind spot club saw it coming a mile off.

We have one maverick at the club and if he gets marked out of games like yesterday that's the type of performance we are going to put in.

 

[Nick Jansky]

We are beginning to see the results of one man having far too much power for far too long. We’ll see in due course if lessons have been learned from it.

 

[Bladesman]

Who's in charge of that?

If Wilder, why is no one with a football brain at the club saying 'you know what Chris maybe we don't want 6 of the same midfielder', or 'Chris you know it might actually be worth not signing that player who's not completed a full 90 for 3 seasons', or 'Chris I think we might need a bit of creativity in this team?', or 'Chris I think we might need to sign a right back at right back rather than a shit central midfielder who can barely masquerade as one there', or my personal favourite 'Chris do you think we should try and sign some players with pace and athleticism?'

If we here isn't anyone advising him, it's about time there was. Not just Bettis, Hoyland and their jobs for the boys club.
If there IS someone advising him and this is the squad we've got to show for it, they need sacking immediately.

Wouldn't mind if literally every fan bar the Wilder blind spot club saw it coming a mile off.

We have one maverick at the club and if he gets marked out of games like yesterday that's the type of performance we are going to put in.

Wilder.

Regardless of what you think of these owners what Rosen said about Chris on the podcast the other day is very similar to what PA had said previously.

When it comes to squad building Wilder has his list of targets and will rarely deviate from them. All these players we have signed are all Wilders want list, no one elses.

 

[Roygbiv]

I'm not sure if any club in the league is ran like us with one man essentially controlling the club. Even if we have a successful season, it's completely unsustainable. The worrying thing is the board seem to have looked at the Selles debacle and just gone "get Wilder back to do everything again" rather than restructure the club. We can sack Wilder again but the club isn't set up for any manager to be successful and I don't know what it's going to take for that wake up call to come

 

[Bladesman]

I'm not sure if any club in the league is ran like us with one man essentially controlling the club. Even if we have a successful season, it's completely unsustainable. The worrying thing is the board seem to have looked at the Selles debacle and just gone "get Wilder back to do everything again" rather than restructure the club. We can sack Wilder again but the club isn't set up for any manager to be successful and I don't know what it's going to take for that wake up call to come

I do think Rosen wants to change that structure but he is likely aware it needs to be in a more subtle fashion. BUT PA also wanted to do similar and all he got back was arguments with Wilder.

I am not sure how anyone does it while Wilder is here and I have said the time to do it was under Hecky.

 

[Nedski]

We need a strong-willed experienced yet modern DoF who won't be scared to challenge Wilder and tell him NO WE DONT NEED ANOTHER OVER THE HILL BRITISH GUY THAT YOU CAN SHOEHORN IN TO A POSITION HE'S RARELY PLAYED IN.

Wilder's DNA runs deep in the club and two short lived managers (Slav and Selles) showed it isn't going to be an easy process.

 

[Deadbat]

I do think Rosen wants to change that structure but he is likely aware it needs to be in a more subtle fashion. BUT PA also wanted to do similar and all he got back was arguments with Wilder.

I am not sure how anyone does it while Wilder is here and I have said the time to do it was under Hecky.

Why should it need to be subtle? Wilder is not going to be here in 3 years. He might not be here in 3 months at this rate. We have had years to sort this but failed. Abdullah has to take a lot of the blame as does Bettis who said at the forum last year they didn't need a DOF. He talked about him and Shieber, Hoyland, Allen. Sadly I think he is protecting his own job. Maybe I am wrong but we are run like no other club as Roygbiv said above. Its like a Sunday league set up.


Him and Shieber know little about football recruitment. Bettis has admitted he's just an accountant. Yet despite this admission has ever addressed it or advised Abdullah or Rosen etc to change this vital infrastructure and get a/some football people in above the manager.

Gulp, even them across the city did that as soon as the new owners came in.

If Hoyland/Allen are quite involved in identifying targets then their success rate is frankly appalling and the board should have moved them on.

They have identified old, slow, unfit players who have no resell value and have not improved us. Worryingly I think Wilder is the one who is earmarked the signings as most are players been here before, thus not being scouted (maybe they should have watched Rothwell, Choudhury etc for previous clubs and realised they were not close to players of 2 years ago in form/fitness).

I just fail to see how they have not brought in a technical football side/people who can oversee recruitment. If Wilder goes, who then identifies the targets? If its the people (assume Hoyland/Allen) that identified Chong Matos, McGuiness etc, then we really are in trouble.

The fact they have not done this says a lot about their (including Abdullah before) naivety and lack of awareness how this business works. Rosen admitted they dont know about a lot of the nuances and how football worked. So bring people in who do! No guarantee any DoF or technical football advisor/s will work of course. You have to get the right ones but we have to try and move away from being run like a Sunday league pub side.

Maybe they wait till Wilder does go but unless they are afraid of upsetting him - but got rid of Knill? Seems like they are frightened over what happened with Selles and their experience with Bord - so just went back to what the club did before with one man running it all with all the power to do what he wants.

We really need a new modern progressive coach, a new scouting team and football people above them to see us move into 2026, not like we are still operating in the 80s with a manager, a couple of his pals finding players and a CEO that is almost like a club secretary overseeing a junior club - doing the raffle, overseeing tickets/merchandise and helping with the 1st team too!

 

[ben1987]

I'm not sure if any club in the league is ran like us with one man essentially controlling the club. Even if we have a successful season, it's completely unsustainable. The worrying thing is the board seem to have looked at the Selles debacle and just gone "get Wilder back to do everything again" rather than restructure the club. We can sack Wilder again but the club isn't set up for any manager to be successful and I don't know what it's going to take for that wake up call to come

100%

If he was the best manger in the world, a key man dependency would still be ridiculous.

What if he got run over by a bus?

Big, multi million pound business actively try to avoid a key man dependency. We’ve got one of the biggest possible now.

And like NJ said, we’re seeing results now of one person having too much power for too long

 

[Slim Man]

I'm not sure if any club in the league is ran like us with one man essentially controlling the club. Even if we have a successful season, it's completely unsustainable. The worrying thing is the board seem to have looked at the Selles debacle and just gone "get Wilder back to do everything again" rather than restructure the club. We can sack Wilder again but the club isn't set up for any manager to be successful and I don't know what it's going to take for that wake up call to come

The fan base is hugely to blame for that

 

[Greasy Chap Butty]

I think Rosen specifically said in his interview that this one of the things they were re-organising.
He said they hadn't realised how far Wilders tentacles reached in every aspect of the club (interesting turn of phrase), and they were putting new processes in place.

 

[PrestwichBlade]

We are beginning to see the results of one man having far too much power for far too long. We’ll see in due course if lessons have been learned from it.

I was largely ok with the Rosen interview, but my one worry was when he mentioned about the profile of the squad and that Chris had told them it lacked experience (or words to that effect) and this needed to be the focus. I wouldn't necessarily disagree we needed to add some experience, but it feels to me it's gone too far the other way . It also tells me that they are just taking what Wilder says at face value

 

[Benitachel]

Why should it need to be subtle? Wilder is not going to be here in 3 years. He might not be here in 3 months at this rate. We have had years to sort this but failed. Abdullah has to take a lot of the blame as does Bettis who said at the forum last year they didn't need a DOF. He talked about him and Shieber, Hoyland, Allen. Sadly I think he is protecting his own job. Maybe I am wrong but we are run like no other club as Roygbiv said above. Its like a Sunday league set up.


Him and Shieber know little about football recruitment. Bettis has admitted he's just an accountant. Yet despite this admission has ever addressed it or advised Abdullah or Rosen etc to change this vital infrastructure and get a/some football people in above the manager.

Gulp, even them across the city did that as soon as the new owners came in.

If Hoyland/Allen are quite involved in identifying targets then their success rate is frankly appalling and the board should have moved them on.

They have identified old, slow, unfit players who have no resell value and have not improved us. Worryingly I think Wilder is the one who is earmarked the signings as most are players been here before, thus not being scouted (maybe they should have watched Rothwell, Choudhury etc for previous clubs and realised they were not close to players of 2 years ago in form/fitness).

I just fail to see how they have not brought in a technical football side/people who can oversee recruitment. If Wilder goes, who then identifies the targets? If its the people (assume Hoyland/Allen) that identified Chong Matos, McGuiness etc, then we really are in trouble.

The fact they have not done this says a lot about their (including Abdullah before) naivety and lack of awareness how this business works. Rosen admitted they dont know about a lot of the nuances and how football worked. So bring people in who do! No guarantee any DoF or technical football advisor/s will work of course. You have to get the right ones but we have to try and move away from being run like a Sunday league pub side.

Maybe they wait till Wilder does go but unless they are afraid of upsetting him - but got rid of Knill? Seems like they are frightened over what happened with Selles and their experience with Bord - so just went back to what the club did before with one man running it all with all the power to do what he wants.

We really need a new modern progressive coach, a new scouting team and football people above them to see us move into 2026, not like we are still operating in the 80s with a manager, a couple of his pals finding players and a CEO that is almost like a club secretary overseeing a junior club - doing the raffle, overseeing tickets/merchandise and helping with the 1st team too!

I agree entirely with what you are saying. Who would you suggest we should replace Wilder with?

 

[Revolution]

The fan base is hugely to blame for that

Why are we?

 

[KMC-1889]

I was largely ok with the Rosen interview, but my one worry was when he mentioned about the profile of the squad and that Chris had told them it lacked experience (or words to that effect) and this needed to be the focus. I wouldn't necessarily disagree we needed to add some experience, but it feels to me it's gone too far the other way . It also tells me that they are just taking what Wilder says at face value

From that podcast my guess is that the new owners are content to ‘tank’ the next couple of seasons and just do enough to keep our heads above water while they reorganise the club, get alternative investment in and go again.

 

[Blademan89]

We are run like a Sunday league set up with the 1 lad whos mates with everyone as the manager and picks team night before on pub table coaster.

Same lad has to collect subs, attend league meetings, pay referee, take training & organise the Xmas do and presentation.

 

[Grumpy Fat Sod]

As an aside, we nullified top of the table swansea easily with a midfield 5
352
Just do it. It suits the squad we have. Cut off others ability to overrun us in the middle
Surely this is obvious

 

[R&WStripedBlood]

We are run like a Sunday league set up with the 1 lad whos mates with everyone as the manager and picks team night before on pub table coaster.

Same lad has to collect subs, attend league meetings, pay referee, take training & organise the Xmas do and presentation.

Take training? Where’s the evidence? Don’t they just rock up in the car park an hour before kick off. Looks like it to me. Although I have to say this squad would grace ANY Sunday league across Europe, but that’s as far as it goes.

 

[Sean Thornton]

We are beginning to see the results of one man having far too much power for far too long. We’ll see in due course if lessons have been learned from it.

Clough having Brannigan on a lead?

 

[steve26272]

Who's in charge of that?

If Wilder, why is no one with a football brain at the club saying 'you know what Chris maybe we don't want 6 of the same midfielder', or 'Chris you know it might actually be worth not signing that player who's not completed a full 90 for 3 seasons', or 'Chris I think we might need a bit of creativity in this team?', or 'Chris I think we might need to sign a right back at right back rather than a shit central midfielder who can barely masquerade as one there', or my personal favourite 'Chris do you think we should try and sign some players with pace and athleticism?'

If we here isn't anyone advising him, it's about time there was. Not just Bettis, Hoyland and their jobs for the boys club.
If there IS someone advising him and this is the squad we've got to show for it, they need sacking immediately.

Wouldn't mind if literally every fan bar the Wilder blind spot club saw it coming a mile off.

We have one maverick at the club and if he gets marked out of games like yesterday that's the type of performance we are going to put in.

His reply is

‘What happened the last time you moved me on lads? Well? So look, you will buy me players who fawn over me and ‘love the gaffer’. Irrespective of whether they are slow, injury prone or just shite.
Now go get me a div 1 unwanted DM so I can play him at RB, and no I’m not shitting you….. and yes, when it goes tits up I’ll blame the players even tho I coach them all week, fuckin legend me’

 

[Nagima]

The imbalance of the squad is baffling alright, the bigger issue that is wrong is that Wilder and coaches don't really know how to use what they have. I have said previously that the formations used are more apparent when we don't have the players to play them.

442 requires 2 up front that are very mobile and hard to track. We get Cambell and Bamford and sometimes Cannon. BBD while effective with the ball at feet and has pace is weak defensively, and does not have the drive, fitness and will power to get stuck in. RND isnt the quality passer to play ball to feet so he swings it down the line mostly.

Donovan has worked so hard for the last two games. I am wondering what kind of shitshow we would be facing if was not there. Yesterday he put in 4 big tackles winning 3 of them. You can figure out yourselves how many of the rest of the team did.

442 requires your back four to be in sync and be able to adjust if one has gone forward. With communication with midfielders being important. We cleared a ball from a corner for Donovan to chase, a Norwich midfielder took off to get there first and got there just in time near the sideline, if you looked closely you would see that a CB had sprinted to be 5 yards away on goal side if Donovan got through. How many times do we see Tanganga or Kitchings do that.

The engine room has not been the same since Vinny left. The only player to trouble Vinni was Bellingham. Vinny had the pace, anticipation and power to dominate a game. Arblaster and Peck flourished alongside him as he provided the cover for them to play and offered an energy which inspires.

Peck is too right footed and this has been figured out Riedewald is too slow, Philips isn't fit and will get sent off with some of his tackling. Arblaster looks lost. Rothwell hides from the ball.

My biggest worry is what are they doing in training. If that us how you play then that is how you train. Play across the back to a fullback or a wide player who has dropped back. Carry it up the wing until closed down and turn back then go sideways and go up the other side. Rinse and Repeat. At one point Peck and Cannon I think, had to slow down on the left side near the box until McCallum arrived with his left foot to try cross the ball. How many times did you see Norwich slow it down up front.

 

[SwitchBLADE Smiles]

The running of the club is far too big a job for 1 man. We need to seriously invest into the back room side of things and bring Wilder some support in.

If he’s not willing to accept the support, then we need to be looking elsewhere for a manager to manage the team rather than the club.

 

[Back post bob]

We are beginning to see the results of one man having far too much power for far too long. We’ll see in due course if lessons have been learned from it.

I couldn't agree more Nick and your sentiment lessons have been learned not only sums up our beloved club but everything that is wrong in our country currently that includes all political parties and the people in charge.
Hopefully I never have to listen to that phrase face to face because someone will get a punch in the face.

 

[Nick Jansky]

Clough having Brannigan on a lead?

Yep, but that was two ownerships ago.

 

[Back post bob]

The imbalance of the squad is baffling alright, the bigger issue that is wrong is that Wilder and coaches don't really know how to use what they have. I have said previously that the formations used are more apparent when we don't have the players to play them.

442 requires 2 up front that are very mobile and hard to track. We get Cambell and Bamford and sometimes Cannon. BBD while effective with the ball at feet and has pace is weak defensively, and does not have the drive, fitness and will power to get stuck in. RND isnt the quality passer to play ball to feet so he swings it down the line mostly.

Donovan has worked so hard for the last two games. I am wondering what kind of shitshow we would be facing if was not there. Yesterday he put in 4 big tackles winning 3 of them. You can figure out yourselves how many of the rest of the team did.

442 requires your back four to be in sync and be able to adjust if one has gone forward. With communication with midfielders being important. We cleared a ball from a corner for Donovan to chase, a Norwich midfielder took off to get there first and got there just in time near the sideline, if you looked closely you would see that a CB had sprinted to be 5 yards away on goal side if Donovan got through. How many times do we see Tanganga or Kitchings do that.

The engine room has not been the same since Vinny left. The only player to trouble Vinni was Bellingham. Vinny had the pace, anticipation and power to dominate a game. Arblaster and Peck flourished alongside him as he provided the cover for them to play and offered an energy which inspires.

Peck is too right footed and this has been figured out Riedewald is too slow, Philips isn't fit and will get sent off with some of his tackling. Arblaster looks lost. Rothwell hides from the ball.

My biggest worry is what are they doing in training. If that us how you play then that is how you train. Play across the back to a fullback or a wide player who has dropped back. Carry it up the wing until closed down and turn back then go sideways and go up the other side. Rinse and Repeat. At one point Peck and Cannon I think, had to slow down on the left side near the box until McCallum arrived with his left foot to try cross the ball. How many times did you see Norwich slow it down up front.

Absolutely spot on you missed the long ball we keep hitting nothing wrong with it but you need players like Deane and Agana to pressure opposition defences with strength and pace to make it work.

 

[Deadbat]

I agree entirely with what you are saying. Who would you suggest we should replace Wilder with?

That's not my job.

Worryingly I wouldn't trust those at the club to identify anyone either.

However, that's not to say I agree with the 'there's noone better than Wilder in our position' that some continue to adopt.

I want my team to be coached, well organised, drilled, with a clear pattern of play and system. When your own manager says 'we have no clear identity' then that is a huge concern after having a whole pre season and indeed much of end of last season to plan for this.

 

[Blademan89]

Absolutely spot on you missed the long ball we keep hitting nothing wrong with it but you need players like Deane and Agana to pressure opposition defences with strength and pace to make it work.

Not only do we go route one, we do it to strikers that are not target men or never been close to being one, neither are out wide players.

Its not even long balls to get behind defence either (even if we did we dont havd the pace), its just straight kick, straight into a defender which is meat n drink for them, unless its cooper thats kicking then it could go anywhere.

Also whats concerning is when we plant it on 6ft + defender's heads to mop up we do not pick up the 2nd ball that comes down.

 

[Trigger]

I agree we’re buying the same type of player -defenders who cannot defend and defensive midfielders who can neither defend nor pass a ball worth shit.
Absolutely awful yesterday against an average side.
In the bus on the way back, Brooks must have been thinking’Thank God I’ve not got to suffer another season at the Lane with that shower’.

 

[Cheeky Blade]

It’s down to the owners.
The current lot, PA and even back to McCabe.

When Wilder first came in it was like a gift because he took everything on and it worked up to the covid season.

With the returns it hasn’t worked so well yet our owners were still happy to employ Wilder and be ‘hands off’… ‘let Wilder do it’.

End of the day the question is ‘who is the boss?’

The answer is Wilder.

 

[Gin&Juice]

Wilder has it made. Like a dysfunctional mafia family, or buying your bored/alcoholic partner a Gin bar to run.

Best mate as CEO.

Owners who have no idea, and are wowed by some cunt and his powerpoint. So fuck knows what they can grasp from this.

No one above him making any other decisions, literally has the keys to the fucking club. No intelligent, respected footballing people in director positions or scouting.

His own Josef Goebels esque friendship group on social media, whipping fans up in a frenzy if we even hint at deciding to change things.

An old guard of miserable bastards being our most vocal fans. Any criticism of Wilder is met with a strawman defence of “knows the club” and “his past successes.”



Clubs going down in a tailspin. Too late to react, as always. This has been going on since 2021. Wasted money, cult of personality bullshit, one dimension in all aspects.

I’m fed up with this club. Always been the same since the late 70’s. No modernity.

Fuck Bettis off. Cut off this umbilical cord of Bladey Bladeness and League 1 (2016) management.

Message to the owners:

Get a proper functional, and experienced bunch making decisions. Take that pressure away from yourselfs and hire people who know what they’re doing with proven success to run the club. That will take the bulk of cost, come up with a long term strategy, don’t shit yourself because “Wit_xx” decides whether it’s successful or not, if we don’t see immediate results.

Fucking invest in scouting networks, take a leaf out of whoever is running the academy, because for the last 10 years they’ve been doing a better job than whatever shit we have in the first team.

FITNESS FITNESS FITNESS. Fuck players off who think they can take the piss on the clubs money. They’re professionals ffs, the culture is rotten to the core. It’s a massive and glaring issue. Every other club looks so much athletic compared to ours.

Hire a manager who has a plan B and is ambitious enough to take is forward, backed by a strong as fuck structure upstairs.


WEVE NOT HAD ANY SUSTAINED TOP FLIGHT SUCESS SINCE 1976.

 

[wavy-blade]

even rotherham have Steve McClaren in the background ................... Let's just stick with Wilder


No only joking , yes we need some other representation for the daily running of the club !!!