Cloughenomics

[Bladesway]

Hats off to Nigel Clough. Not just tactically (he is the first manager we have had in years that has led me to believe managers make a difference again) but in the way he conducts his business, the fact he has a plan B, C and D and the way he sets up shows he has actually thought about how to play against the opposition.

He did the first part making us tough to beat and shoring up the back. The players he has brought in have more or less improved what we have and those who didn't went back from where they came. He has improved a brittle and lifeless midfield with the injection of Scougall into there. Murphy and Flynn look twice the players they did under previous managers (although fair play to those who saw to get them in).

Up front is probably the only place I can level any criticism at. Personally I wanted to see a quick striker alongside Porter etc and we haven't got that. However, in a true the whole is greater than the sum of the parts he has got Porter scoring and those around him contributing.

He has been smart in the loan market, invested in youth in the right areas, but got experience into the right places as well. Generally this team seems to be improving week in, week out.

Finally, he seems to get good players to come to us when they wouldn't generally entertain clubs in our Position. Brayford is a great for instance. Far better than anything else at this level and should be playing Championship at least. However he knows Clough and came to us.

The above is probably all the reasons you need to why we have a chance of staying up. I have to say even up to a couple of weeks ago we looked earmarked for the drop. Now the team has some confidence, plays nice football where needed, uses the wings rather than just humping through the middle for everyone to run onto and in general looks like it is going forward for the first time this season.

Well done Clough and your team for giving us hope.

 

[georgebernardshaw]

Good post, good sentiment - it's nice to wake up on a Saturday and look forward to three o'clock nowadays

 

[mattbianco1]

Bladesway Agree with your post mate.

My ONLY gripe with NC so far is his late substitutions. Don't get me wrong it worked against Forest as Porter scored twice but i like to see a substitute get at least 15-20mins to give them a good opportunity to make a difference.

For that reason, i can only give NC a 9.999999999 out of 10.

 

[SwissBlade]

One thing with Clough is that he hasn't raced out into the loan market to get players. He's worked with the players he inherited. From Robson to Weir they were too quick to bring in players before moving players out.

Clough spent time assessing the large squad, giving many a chance and most have taken it. Only then has he gone and bought or brought in loanees to enhance the squad.

The double swoop of Harris and. Brayford was a stroke of genius, bringing them in at the same time changed our set up over night. It enhanced our attacking options and gave us a formidable counter attack which we haven't seen for years.

The midfield looks vibrant, busy and dynamic now. Flynn and Murphy have come on leaps and bounds and Scougall coming in there has meant that we have an attacking element which doesn't get exposed as Doyle/ McGinn and Coady can sit whilst the Scottish trio bomb on, aided by the two fullbacks.

Upfront, yeah we need a natural goal scorer. I was pleased that Porter has had a chance and whilst it's not perfect, he does a job either in the 90 or from the bench. But what I really liked on Sunday was Baxter. We didn't play to his strengths all game on Sunday, but second half, particularly later on we got the ball to him better. He's excellent with his back to goal, ball at his feet.

Baxter also knocks the ball about well and has good vision. All of this means that Baxter can slot in on the wings or through the middle if one of the Scottish trio wants to make a move forward. We saw this with Murphy and Scougall. I'd like to also see Coady and Baxter having the confidence to swap too.

It makes us very hard to defend against and whilst we need discipline, defenders hate to keep changing which Man they mark

The Clough transition is well under way

 

[SwissBlade]

Bladesway Agree with your post mate.

My ONLY gripe with NC so far is his late substitutions. Don't get me wrong it worked against Forest as Porter scored twice but i like to see a substitute get at least 15-20mins to give them a good opportunity to make a difference.

For that reason, i can only give NC a 9.999999999 out of 10.

I'm the opposite. He starts his side to win games. His best side for that game. And he has faith in them. Why change someone who's fit and slotted in well. Baxter was blowing out of his arse on Sunday so the change was at the right time and it changed the game in many ways as Porter got different chances.

 

[GRUMPY BLADE]

Bladesway Agree with your post mate.

My ONLY gripe with NC so far is his late substitutions. Don't get me wrong it worked against Forest as Porter scored twice but i like to see a substitute get at least 15-20mins to give them a good opportunity to make a difference.

For that reason, i can only give NC a 9.999999999 out of 10.

What would have happened if the pen was given on 70 mins?

 

[mattbianco1]

What would have happened if the pen was given on 70 mins?

Baxter would've taken it

 

[jezzablade]

Hats off to Nigel Clough. Not just tactically (he is the first manager we have had in years that has led me to believe managers make a difference again) but in the way he conducts his business, the fact he has a plan B, C and D and the way he sets up shows he has actually thought about how to play against the opposition.

He did the first part making us tough to beat and shoring up the back. The players he has brought in have more or less improved what we have and those who didn't went back from where they came. He has improved a brittle and lifeless midfield with the injection of Scougall into there. Murphy and Flynn look twice the players they did under previous managers (although fair play to those who saw to get them in).

Up front is probably the only place I can level any criticism at. Personally I wanted to see a quick striker alongside Porter etc and we haven't got that. However, in a true the whole is greater than the sum of the parts he has got Porter scoring and those around him contributing.

He has been smart in the loan market, invested in youth in the right areas, but got experience into the right places as well. Generally this team seems to be improving week in, week out.

Finally, he seems to get good players to come to us when they wouldn't generally entertain clubs in our Position. Brayford is a great for instance. Far better than anything else at this level and should be playing Championship at least. However he knows Clough and came to us.

The above is probably all the reasons you need to why we have a chance of staying up. I have to say even up to a couple of weeks ago we looked earmarked for the drop. Now the team has some confidence, plays nice football where needed, uses the wings rather than just humping through the middle for everyone to run onto and in general looks like it is going forward for the first time this season.

Well done Clough and your team for giving us hope.

I agree but the striker thing is something that any manager would have a difficulty in solving. The problem is you want a good finisher so you look to the higher divisions. A good finisher in the higher division does not want to drop down, if they were a good finisher in the higher division and on from they would be in the first team as they are like gold dust. So the best we could hope for from a higher division team is an out of form striker looking for games. We have Miller (who is in that position). The Pigs got lucky with Whickam as he is just off the pace in the Prem but no Prem striker is going to come to league 1. So do we get a striker that is just off the pace in the Championship? therefore a league 1 player who hasn't been getting many games. It is the hardest one to accomplish and its not as easy as saying just get in a striker. You can't just walk into a striker shop and say "I'll have that one". So I have no problem with Clough at all he is doing a better job than I had hoped and I was glad to see him in as he has tremendous experience, and turned Derby around until they turned on him. I think the Derby board will live to regret that.

 

[Northyorksblade]

Good post, good sentiment - it's nice to wake up on a Saturday and look forward to three o'clock nowadays

It's all going to come crashing down tomorrow isn't it

 

[blade too long]

It's all going to come crashing down tomorrow isn't it

wondered where the in born pessemism had gone

 

[Bladesway]

It's all going to come crashing down tomorrow isn't it

I thought that as I wrote the post, but you have to look at where we were and where we are. We were doomed and relegation was nailed on. Now we are in the 1/4 finals of the cup, we are improving and we have some players who we have some faith in. The shit like Marlon King is a distant memory and the team appears to be going in the right direction. Doesn't mean we won't lose on Saturday or that we won't get relegated but at least you feel that the players going out on Saturday want to play football and give it some welly. Clough and his team must take massive credit for that.

 

[upton blade]

Turning point in our season when we signed Harris and Brayford imo...and coincidentally Murphy and flynn flourishing with better full backs.
Looking forward to seeing who comes in and who leaves in the summer. .

 

[Pinchy]

I'm the opposite. He starts his side to win games. His best side for that game. And he has faith in them. Why change someone who's fit and slotted in well. Baxter was blowing out of his arse on Sunday so the change was at the right time and it changed the game in many ways as Porter got different chances.

I agree. I just don't understand the idea of making a substitution for its own sake. Those who howl for player X to be brought on after 70 minutes might well have been saying "Get fucking X off, he's shite, if X had started the game.

Substitutions have their place, but they are not the Lost Ark of the Covenant. When I'm assessing the comparative qualities of managers "use of substitutes" is on page 10 of 10, next to last paragraph.

 

[itsinyerblood]

Good post everyone!

Let's hope we beat Brizzle and collect another vital 3 points. I'd exchange everything for those vital points between now and the end of the season. Don't get me wrong, if we can make progress in the cup as well, bonus! But we all know the priority, remain in this awful division until Nigel has a summer where he can bring in whatever missing pieces he feels we need, then, and this is the theory, we should be ready to move forward and take this division by the scruff of the neck.......oh upton blade, you forgot to mention Scougall fella, sure it was an oversight, but the little 'un has proved to be a significant player for us, and next season he'll play with better players, so he's a shoe-in for me, one very talented lad.

What I find so pleasing has been the re-emergence of Howard in goal. Maybe the questions we all asked about this position have been answered. He's looked like a very solid player who keeps it simple yet commands his area, well done mate, long may it continue.

 

[boo radley]

I'll say again. If a cup final win meant we went down and a loss meant we'd stay up. I'd take the cup final glory. You will eventually get a promotion, is there anyone still alive who remembers the last time we won it?
Unfortunately that is not a choice we have.
Miller the forgotten cup hero.

 

[Bladesway]

I'll say again. If a cup final win meant we went down and a loss meant we'd stay up. I'd take the cup final glory. You will eventually get a promotion, is there anyone still alive who remembers the last time we won it?
Unfortunately that is not a choice we have.
Miller the forgotten cup hero.

Or we win the cup, get in the play offs and get promoted. When was the last time that happened?

 

[The Glasshouse Blade]

I echo what most are saying this is not only an excellent opening post but a great read throughout, and its great to have our confidence boosted to entertain threads like this.
This is why I virtually stopped reading Bladesmad in favour of this forum, I've just look dover there and the petty squabbling goes on.
So great thread lets have more of them.

 

[SandyMcBlade]

When people say it takes three years for a manager to build a team, I can see where their coming from, but what they don't say is the supporters also have to see definite progression happening in those three years if you want their backing.
How obvious the improvement is has got to depend on how bad the team was playing to start with, and lets face it we where pretty dire when NC took over.
NC in the time he's been here has shown there's more to being a manager than having a big check book, it helps obviously, but even if you were to buy up the best players in the division, unless you can get them playing as a team to their strengths you've got nothing but a big wage bill ..

And for me NC is doing just fine.

 

[alcoblade]

If I didn't want Ryan's babies so much these days, I'd want Nigel's.


UTB

 

[UnitedBlade]

It's not just the Cloughenomics it's the Cloughilosophy as well.

 

[BornOnShorehamStreet]

Or we win the cup, get in the play offs and get promoted. When was the last time that happened?

Exactly! First time for everything!

 

[gavtheblade]

I agree with the miller instance,ok he has not set the world alight since his return from a horrible lay off,but the lad has ability that we all know about.
And at our disposable.
Use him.

 

[bartman]

What would have happened if the pen was given on 70 mins?

I must admit that I am struggling to think of a game under NC where an earlier substitution was needed

 

[upton blade]

Yes I forgot aboot scoogs ...looking forward to the game tomorrow for a change. ..

 

[Bulletnut]

Bladesway me old mucker, your OP said it all. We're not safe yet, we're far from a good side but Cloughie's shown enough so far to get this old sceptic feeling like we finally got a bloke in charge who's his own man and who knows what he's doing. I actually enjoy listening to his post match interviews. He's a football man, not just a bloke in a suit but a knowledgeable fella and I think if we stick with him we could have exciting times ahead.

It was a huge ask to get us out of the shit that we were in but he looks like he might just do it. A couple of astute signings and loans and we suddenly look like a team again. He has us on a great cup run and we're winning a few important games so good luck to the bloke. In Clough we trust.