D
Deleted member 1486
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I realise posting this today of all days makes this a loaded question but, one year on (almost), what do we think of Blackwell?
For me, when Blackwell rolled (back) into town he ticked all the right boxes, or rather; he ticked the box that was required of the new manager: that box read "My name is not Bryan Robson". I think if the appointment had been made in the previous summer, and Blackwell had got the job when Warnock had departed, he would have been met with far more hostility (or at least apathy). But, to give him credit were it's due, he lifted the team and club when it was needed. I don't think Blackwell was ever going to be a universally popular appointment but I think even the most critical fans would have said he deserved a second season at the end of last season.
This season was a real chance for Blackwell to build on his first few months. I believe the squad he inherited was stronger than the team that finished 18th in the Prem (only just over a year earlier lets not forget) and he was given the opportunity to build on that with transfer deals. It seems rather ironic saying this now but I'm not even sure expectation was particularly high at the start of this season when you consider the squad of players, certainly not in my house. I certainly wasn't expecting us to walk the league and I don't know anyone who was saying we would/should. All these things combined made the managers job, in August, an enviable position.
Six months(ish) later and here we are; strangely round-about where I expected us to be (in the league table) but at the same times miles away from where I expected us to be (on the pitch). I've seen some fans (presumably the ones who don't go every week) say we're fickle for complaining. I'd disagree, it's not about league position, it's not about the piss-poor performances of some of the players and (for me) it's not a personal crusade against Blackwell. Yes, we are currently in a play-off place, but we've got there playing some of the most inept, frustrating, clueless football I've ever witnessed. And, it's all Blackwell's fault. He keeps telling us that he has a plan, if that plan is to fool the rest of the league into a false sense of security by playing god-awful football then he's a master tactician. Maybe he's waiting for the play-off/fa cup final before unleashing a practised Brazilian-esque performance of passing and movement so he can spring a "told you so" moment? I'm not holding my breath.
He may be a fairly decent coach (although the static hit-and-pray "style" we play would suggest otherwise) or assistant, but manager? Sorry, I just don't see it.
In all seriousness, I don't expect us to ping it around like Arsenal. I don't care whether we play passing football, go direct or even hoof it to a target man as long as we're effective in some meaningful way and this is where Blackwell fails in my humble opinion. It's not the difficult things we're getting wrong (we're not even trying difficult things!), it's the simple things; passing (none existent - at most in a match we play 3 or 4 passes before someone hoofs it in the general direction of the opposition goal), movement (nobody off the ball seems to move to help out the player in possession until the section of the crown nearby shouts at them), absolutely insane tactics (I'll come to that in more detail in a moment) and possession (or rather; waste of... the reason for this is obvious. see lack of movement, passing, tactics, etc).
The reason Beattie went from being a free-play goal scoring machine to (mostly) only scoring from the penalty spot/free kicks is because of Blackwell's tactics. He needed either crosses from outwide (which wasn't going to happen with Blackwell's tactics/team selection - see below) or he needed someone to play off him. In the end he got neither and was expected to chase hit and hope balls for 90 minutes with Sharp falling over or running offside next to him or even worse two out of position players in a 4-3-3.
Regardless of the tactic the choice of wide players has just been crazy. Right footed Webber playing against the left touchline... just... why? Inevitably he'd get to the full back and either cut inside forcing him to run into a brick wall of centre-backs or he'd end up near the corner flag on his weaker foot. Combined with a lack of movement from other players he never has a choice except to take players on. Webber gets a lot of stick because he always looks like he's trying to do too much and that's because he is! He is forced to because of the way he is being played! On the other side of th pitch, anyone unfamiliar with the squad wouldn't believe that it was probably our best covered position; we've got/had Dyer, Carney, Gillespie, Cotterill, Hendrie and Webber who could all have played there. I'm actually starting to warm to Halford a bit because he does always put a shift in, but he's not going to use trickery/pace to get past defenders to get balls in from byline. Which is what we need. Oh and while I'm on this topic, wtf did Blackwell move Killgallon into the left midfield today? That was just bizarre. There didn't even seem to be a game plan to hoof the ball to him, he just stood there with his hands out looking confused.
People have been talking about the midfield (or rather lack of one) since before the season started. But you know what? It's a pointless discussion. You know the enduring shot of Wimbledon where you see the crowds heads swinging left to right as they follow the flight of the ball during a rally? That's our midfield as the ball is lumped up from our defence to the opposition keeper to pick up and hoof back again. Repeat ad nauseum. We could have Kaka and Messi in midfield and they'd both look useless.
I can't remember the exact game but midway through the first half of the season the media kept bringing up the fact that we'd never won a game (or was it won a point? I forget) when we had gone a goal down. I know that unenviable record has since been broken but the fact it was highlighted is evidence that Blackwell cannot motivate his team and has zero tactical nous. He seems completely unable to change the pattern of a game. When things are going badly he rarely makes a change at all (!!!) and when he does it seldom results in anything positive (not even chances, let alone goals). His choice of substitutes are mind boggling. Not just today but all season. Think back to all the times when Stokes, Henderson (pre-Beattie-gate) or Spring were brought on. I know we're not privy to injuries and fitness levels and I realise the manager has to keep one eye on the next match, but it's his judgement call and when it goes wrong the man in charge has to take the blame. Harsh but that's reality in all walks of life not just football. Southampton aside, it's very very rarely gone right for him this season. He has no plan B, there's nothing in the locker when things go badly.
And, finally, signings. The old cliché goes that a manager lives and dies by his signings and Blackwell's have been, on the whole, awful:
Halford; As above, puts in a shift but other than a long throw it's difficult to justify him over someone who'll get crosses in from deep.
Dyer: Started a couple of games before he was due to return from his loan spell. Looked decent and had pace which we'd been screaming for. Why wasn't he tried earlier? Why wasn't he kept? Why did we sign him in the first place when we'd just bought Cotterill?
Cotterill: Again, the mind boggles. Looked decent on loan so we sign him and never start him. He now looks like he's lost all his confidence and doesn't even look like a viable sub.
Henderson: The jury is out. Looked OK against Norwich. Otherwise hasn't set the world on fire (although has been injured). Needs to get his act together, getting sent off and missing today's game was unforgivable given he's already missed three matches for a red.
Spring: I don't know what the question was but Spring was never the answer. Don't remember him doing anything of worth at all.
Stokes: See Spring
Howard: Has been awful, how he gets in the team above Hendrie is anybody's guess. He may have the silky skills of Zidane but I suspect we'll never find out because he'll be completely anonymous in every game he'll ever play for us. Does he deliberately position himself so he's not available for a pass? You know those modern TV graphics which show where the ball has travelled during a match? The big gap in the middle is where Howard played.
Lupoli, Ward, Bromby: Would be unfair to comment except to say that Lupoli looked the business today, so of course Blackwell takes him off (to a chorus of "you don't know what you're doing" from those around me).
Sorry for the essay, it never started out as one but typing became somewhat cathartic after what's been a bad day.
To finish I'd just like to say, I'm actually a big believer in sticking with the manager. I've always thought a manager should have a few seasons to impose himself on a club before the club gets rid. That said; Blackwell isn't the man to move this club forward. If anything the home performances are becoming more erratic and clueless and this second half of the season was always going to be harder than the first half (Reading and Wolves excepted). Blackwell needs to go.
UTB.
For me, when Blackwell rolled (back) into town he ticked all the right boxes, or rather; he ticked the box that was required of the new manager: that box read "My name is not Bryan Robson". I think if the appointment had been made in the previous summer, and Blackwell had got the job when Warnock had departed, he would have been met with far more hostility (or at least apathy). But, to give him credit were it's due, he lifted the team and club when it was needed. I don't think Blackwell was ever going to be a universally popular appointment but I think even the most critical fans would have said he deserved a second season at the end of last season.
This season was a real chance for Blackwell to build on his first few months. I believe the squad he inherited was stronger than the team that finished 18th in the Prem (only just over a year earlier lets not forget) and he was given the opportunity to build on that with transfer deals. It seems rather ironic saying this now but I'm not even sure expectation was particularly high at the start of this season when you consider the squad of players, certainly not in my house. I certainly wasn't expecting us to walk the league and I don't know anyone who was saying we would/should. All these things combined made the managers job, in August, an enviable position.
Six months(ish) later and here we are; strangely round-about where I expected us to be (in the league table) but at the same times miles away from where I expected us to be (on the pitch). I've seen some fans (presumably the ones who don't go every week) say we're fickle for complaining. I'd disagree, it's not about league position, it's not about the piss-poor performances of some of the players and (for me) it's not a personal crusade against Blackwell. Yes, we are currently in a play-off place, but we've got there playing some of the most inept, frustrating, clueless football I've ever witnessed. And, it's all Blackwell's fault. He keeps telling us that he has a plan, if that plan is to fool the rest of the league into a false sense of security by playing god-awful football then he's a master tactician. Maybe he's waiting for the play-off/fa cup final before unleashing a practised Brazilian-esque performance of passing and movement so he can spring a "told you so" moment? I'm not holding my breath.
He may be a fairly decent coach (although the static hit-and-pray "style" we play would suggest otherwise) or assistant, but manager? Sorry, I just don't see it.
In all seriousness, I don't expect us to ping it around like Arsenal. I don't care whether we play passing football, go direct or even hoof it to a target man as long as we're effective in some meaningful way and this is where Blackwell fails in my humble opinion. It's not the difficult things we're getting wrong (we're not even trying difficult things!), it's the simple things; passing (none existent - at most in a match we play 3 or 4 passes before someone hoofs it in the general direction of the opposition goal), movement (nobody off the ball seems to move to help out the player in possession until the section of the crown nearby shouts at them), absolutely insane tactics (I'll come to that in more detail in a moment) and possession (or rather; waste of... the reason for this is obvious. see lack of movement, passing, tactics, etc).
The reason Beattie went from being a free-play goal scoring machine to (mostly) only scoring from the penalty spot/free kicks is because of Blackwell's tactics. He needed either crosses from outwide (which wasn't going to happen with Blackwell's tactics/team selection - see below) or he needed someone to play off him. In the end he got neither and was expected to chase hit and hope balls for 90 minutes with Sharp falling over or running offside next to him or even worse two out of position players in a 4-3-3.
Regardless of the tactic the choice of wide players has just been crazy. Right footed Webber playing against the left touchline... just... why? Inevitably he'd get to the full back and either cut inside forcing him to run into a brick wall of centre-backs or he'd end up near the corner flag on his weaker foot. Combined with a lack of movement from other players he never has a choice except to take players on. Webber gets a lot of stick because he always looks like he's trying to do too much and that's because he is! He is forced to because of the way he is being played! On the other side of th pitch, anyone unfamiliar with the squad wouldn't believe that it was probably our best covered position; we've got/had Dyer, Carney, Gillespie, Cotterill, Hendrie and Webber who could all have played there. I'm actually starting to warm to Halford a bit because he does always put a shift in, but he's not going to use trickery/pace to get past defenders to get balls in from byline. Which is what we need. Oh and while I'm on this topic, wtf did Blackwell move Killgallon into the left midfield today? That was just bizarre. There didn't even seem to be a game plan to hoof the ball to him, he just stood there with his hands out looking confused.
People have been talking about the midfield (or rather lack of one) since before the season started. But you know what? It's a pointless discussion. You know the enduring shot of Wimbledon where you see the crowds heads swinging left to right as they follow the flight of the ball during a rally? That's our midfield as the ball is lumped up from our defence to the opposition keeper to pick up and hoof back again. Repeat ad nauseum. We could have Kaka and Messi in midfield and they'd both look useless.
I can't remember the exact game but midway through the first half of the season the media kept bringing up the fact that we'd never won a game (or was it won a point? I forget) when we had gone a goal down. I know that unenviable record has since been broken but the fact it was highlighted is evidence that Blackwell cannot motivate his team and has zero tactical nous. He seems completely unable to change the pattern of a game. When things are going badly he rarely makes a change at all (!!!) and when he does it seldom results in anything positive (not even chances, let alone goals). His choice of substitutes are mind boggling. Not just today but all season. Think back to all the times when Stokes, Henderson (pre-Beattie-gate) or Spring were brought on. I know we're not privy to injuries and fitness levels and I realise the manager has to keep one eye on the next match, but it's his judgement call and when it goes wrong the man in charge has to take the blame. Harsh but that's reality in all walks of life not just football. Southampton aside, it's very very rarely gone right for him this season. He has no plan B, there's nothing in the locker when things go badly.
And, finally, signings. The old cliché goes that a manager lives and dies by his signings and Blackwell's have been, on the whole, awful:
Halford; As above, puts in a shift but other than a long throw it's difficult to justify him over someone who'll get crosses in from deep.
Dyer: Started a couple of games before he was due to return from his loan spell. Looked decent and had pace which we'd been screaming for. Why wasn't he tried earlier? Why wasn't he kept? Why did we sign him in the first place when we'd just bought Cotterill?
Cotterill: Again, the mind boggles. Looked decent on loan so we sign him and never start him. He now looks like he's lost all his confidence and doesn't even look like a viable sub.
Henderson: The jury is out. Looked OK against Norwich. Otherwise hasn't set the world on fire (although has been injured). Needs to get his act together, getting sent off and missing today's game was unforgivable given he's already missed three matches for a red.
Spring: I don't know what the question was but Spring was never the answer. Don't remember him doing anything of worth at all.
Stokes: See Spring
Howard: Has been awful, how he gets in the team above Hendrie is anybody's guess. He may have the silky skills of Zidane but I suspect we'll never find out because he'll be completely anonymous in every game he'll ever play for us. Does he deliberately position himself so he's not available for a pass? You know those modern TV graphics which show where the ball has travelled during a match? The big gap in the middle is where Howard played.
Lupoli, Ward, Bromby: Would be unfair to comment except to say that Lupoli looked the business today, so of course Blackwell takes him off (to a chorus of "you don't know what you're doing" from those around me).
Sorry for the essay, it never started out as one but typing became somewhat cathartic after what's been a bad day.
To finish I'd just like to say, I'm actually a big believer in sticking with the manager. I've always thought a manager should have a few seasons to impose himself on a club before the club gets rid. That said; Blackwell isn't the man to move this club forward. If anything the home performances are becoming more erratic and clueless and this second half of the season was always going to be harder than the first half (Reading and Wolves excepted). Blackwell needs to go.
UTB.
