Burton promotion

[blade too long]

So now he's got the resources. No more excuses.

given time to take effect ... no
hes started by getting back in the play offs, and to the league cup semi
some clubs fans would think that was progressing

 

[BushBlade]

Well, with the usual caveats and exceptions, all manager are good coaches. The point I'm making is that being a good coach alone is not enough to be a good manager. There is more to management than just coaching.
When a new person comes into a club, particularly after the JTW has closed or if there's no money in the pot, his job is essentially a coaching job. Long term, it is a management job which includes things such as long term motivation of players and, very importantly, recruitment.

A manager who succeeds long term tend to be good at all aspects of the job (or, these days, might be supported by a competent DoF) whereas a manager who only succeeds in the short term tends to be good at the coaching side only.

Sorry, I meant say when a new person comes into a club half way through a season after the previous incumbent had failed. I'm struggling with sinusitis at the moment and can't think properly.

 

[blader]

Bristol City have had an exceptional season which to be fair to you ,you predicted at the start of the season. Sometimes things just fall into place ,it will be interesting t see if they can carry this on. The main difference is consistency ,they have had it all season ,whereas we are sporadic with form ,don't forget we beat them at their place. I do think Clough is putting in a long term plan and laying foundations ,also introducing young players into the side. I have said before I think its the spine which has been the problem ,he wanted Howard-Maguire-Wallace-Ogrady ,but due to different factors ended up with a coccyx ,and that's it. With patience I am convinced he will produce.

Whilst I'm inclined to agree with you, I do feel we are a worse side than we were at the end of last season. The worrying thing is that this is a trend, and not a quirk of failed transfers and injuries etc. if we don't get promoted the team needs a total change of approach to matches, however I don't have too much issue keeping it right in the championship as our squad won't be great and it's what we'll need to do to compete. I'd love us to have a transfer window like Bristol City did this coming summer with 4/5 players to get excited about.

 

[Mouth of the South]

Maybe worth looking from this perspective....

If the reports are true and the club has indeed put feelers out about potential replacements for NC (which I don't blame them for at all given the season to date) and it became apparent that managers with proven track records of getting teams out of L1 would be viable (i.e. interested and affordable) options e.g. Adkins, Warburton, Lambert, Coppell, Curbishley (+ managers who have overachieved in their current roles such as Cook, Hill), would it be worth taking the arguably bigger risk of making a change or sticking with NC?

Personally, this year has bored and disappointed me and he's failed badly to build on last year's improvements so I'd be happy to take either Adkins or Cook if we can persuade them (& Chesterfield).

 

[BushBlade]

Maybe worth looking from this perspective....

If the reports are true and the club has indeed put feelers out about potential replacements for NC (which I don't blame them for at all given the season to date) and it became apparent that managers with proven track records of getting teams out of L1 would be viable (i.e. interested and affordable) options e.g. Adkins, Warburton, Lambert, Coppell, Curbishley (+ managers who have overachieved in their current roles such as Cook, Hill), would it be worth taking the arguably bigger risk of making a change or sticking with NC?

Personally, this year has bored and disappointed me and he's failed badly to build on last year's improvements so I'd be happy to take either Adkins or Cook if we can persuade them (& Chesterfield).

I'm assuming from your name that you're based in the south and thus aware of the interest from the west London clubs in Warburton. So I don't think that's a starter. I can't see either Curbishley or Lambert dropping into L1. I know 'Curbs' has been out of work for a long time but I doubt he'd want to re-settle in Sheffield knowing that if he doesn't take us up in one season he'll be sacked. And his football is dull, like Clough's.

Coppell is very much retired and won't be working in the game again.

There's only Adkins who ticks all the boxes; has won promotion from L1, plays decent football, has been at a big club with high expectations so won't shit himself at the size of the task. But he's a bit weird. If he starts reciting poetry at Blades after a defeat he'll get shoes thrown at him.

 

[AlBlade]

I'm not convinced we were in such a good state when Clough took over. We didn't have a first team capable of challenging for promotion and not much of a squad.

Where as now we have a first team who are ..................................................... nowhere near capable of challenging for automatic promotion, and not much of a squad.

 

[Mouth of the South]

I'm assuming from your name that you're based in the south and thus aware of the interest from the west London clubs in Warburton. So I don't think that's a starter. I can't see either Curbishley or Lambert dropping into L1. I know 'Curbs' has been out of work for a long time but I doubt he'd want to re-settle in Sheffield knowing that if he doesn't take us up in one season he'll be sacked. And his football is dull, like Clough's.

Coppell is very much retired and won't be working in the game again.

There's only Adkins who ticks all the boxes; has won promotion from L1, plays decent football, has been at a big club with high expectations so won't shit himself at the size of the task. But he's a bit weird. If he starts reciting poetry at Blades after a defeat he'll get shoes thrown at him.

Yes to being based in the South - I am actually overlooking the Thames as I type.

I appreciate some/most of the names I've listed aren't viable and agree it highly unlikely that we'd be able to attract Warburton, Curbishley or Lambert especially in L1 - I simply ref'd them as they are all names previously mentioned.

I'd be happy with Adkins - his weirdness didn't get in the way when he was getting Scunny and Southampton promoted. Poetry, i grant you, may be one step too far however

Can I ask who you'd go for?

 

[BushBlade]

Yes to being based in the South - I am actually overlooking the Thames as I type.

I appreciate some/most of the names I've listed aren't viable and agree it highly unlikely that we'd be able to attract Warburton, Curbishley or Lambert especially in L1 - I simply ref'd them as they are all names previously mentioned.

I'd be happy with Adkins - his weirdness didn't get in the way when he was getting Scunny and Southampton promoted. Poetry, i grant you, may be one step too far however

Can I ask who you'd go for?

I'd stick with Clough for another year but if that isn't on the cards, I'd be fairly happy with Adkins.

It's just guessing though, I'd have been gutted if we'd gone for some of the managers that have won promotion from L1 recently. And I'd have been wrong.

 

[AlienBlade]

The team this season has been the least stable I've seen it. I honestly think, like Derby, another manager could come in and we'd be a completely different side.

He's brought in some good players, but more who have not worked for one reason or another. I don;t think I've ever seen a manager at the Lane in a position to bring in so many players. Also, with the ability to terminate contracts,

I just worry that, even if we do go up, it would just be several seasons of negative and boring football where we'd finish somewhere between mid table and just above the drop.

I've also seen little in terms of our youth development. Reed aside. If anything, this huge squad have pushed them further down the food chain.

Reed didnt have a look in under previous regiemes... under clough he has managed over 30 appearences... some of the pro's at the club havent even managed that... so I dont think he has been pushed down the pecking order (I think he is being protected) and nutured and its clearly paying dividends given his England call up..

we have also the likes of Kennedy pushing through and would have featured more had it not been for injury, I also remember two or three other lads getting spells for us (other managers werent that bothered)

 

[Cyprus Blade]

I have said before I think its the spine which has been the problem ,he wanted Howard-Maguire-Wallace-Ogrady ,but due to different factors ended up with a coccyx ,and that's it.

I have no problem at all with that - decent spine. But that went the way of the pear last summer when Maguire and O'Grady were no longer options. Its what he did or didn't do when that was apparent that is more the issue. The absence of a proper CH for virtually the whole season affected the way the team had to play and probably accounts for 7 fewer clean sheets this season. The absence of an established CF similarly affected the way the team had to set up.

Wallace was always a "calculated" risk - that he may be fit and fully recover, rather than be restricted to less than a dozen games in a season - I would argue Coutts and Davies are similar calculated risks (sometimes they work, sometimes they don't but to pin reliance on it working is a dubious strategy).In my view the consequences of losing Basham to the defence and no Wallace goes a long way to explaining the 5 man midfield we have played most of the season and the imbalanced squad we have been saddled with. Heaven knows why he didn't sort out CH.

 

[AlienBlade]

For me I think there is a lot of short term thinking and "black and white thinking" by that I mean if Clough is here next season then fans are saying if we dont get promoted then he has to go... what if there are mitigating circumstances... such as the club being docked 10 points for people throwing flares/smoke bombs... (hardly fair to blame that on Clough) or if we have some serious injuries ((like broken legs etc,) to key players.

I think there has been more injury problems within the squad than we have had privvy to, which is a reason behind many of the squad changes from match to match. (you wouldnt advertise certain players are carrying certain knocks if there is a chance they might be needed as they would just target that injury...)

 

[sitwell]

I have no problem at all with that - decent spine. But that went the way of the pear last summer when Maguire and O'Grady were no longer options. Its what he did or didn't do when that was apparent that is more the issue. The absence of a proper CH for virtually the whole season affected the way the team had to play and probably accounts for 7 fewer clean sheets this season. The absence of an established CF similarly affected the way the team had to set up.

Wallace was always a "calculated" risk - that he may be fit and fully recover, rather than be restricted to less than a dozen games in a season - I would argue Coutts and Davies are similar calculated risks (sometimes they work, sometimes they don't but to pin reliance on it working is a dubious strategy).In my view the consequences of losing Basham to the defence and no Wallace goes a long way to explaining the 5 man midfield we have played most of the season and the imbalanced squad we have been saddled with. Heaven knows why he didn't sort out CH.

Sorting it out is such an easy throw away line ,the players have to available ,at the right cost ,want to come etc. He may have thought Butler and Collins were the answer but clearly weren't for one reason or another. They may be available in the summer ,along with a decent striker (although I like the look of Davies) and Wallace may get fit.

 

[Grappler]

Sorting it out is such an easy throw away line ,the players have to available ,at the right cost ,want to come etc. He may have thought Butler and Collins were the answer but clearly weren't for one reason or another. They may be available in the summer ,along with a decent striker (although I like the look of Davies) and Wallace may get fit.

If we are still in the third tier next season, we need Davies or a Davies-type player (big strong and mobile), for sure. Two of them would be even better. I would like a physical six footer in midfield as well, to play alongside Basham (assuming he can get away from being in the back four), and a couple of no-nonsense central defenders.