It's NOT the manager

[west_yorks_blade]

And here's me thinking that in the managers eyes, exhibit A is also exhibit D

Ok if you want a new exhibit D I give you ...

Connor fecking salmon.

 

[PeteBlade]

So what had Adkins done to deserve any credit... I'm not advocating that he should be fired, I just haven't seen what he's done so far

Here? Not a lot. But I believe he's been hampered all the way.

But you don't just become shite overnight.

 

[Bartleby]

it is a bit the managers fault.

You're right, it is a bit. There's summat gone wrong at a higher level that is the bigger problem I am convinced, and maybe that is cascading down and having an effect, but the players today were woefully short on confidence, the ball wasn't sticking at all.

 

[Slim Man]

So what had Adkins done to deserve any credit... I'm not advocating that he should be fired, I just haven't seen what he's done so far

Just look at his CV.

 

[Blade56]

The absolute best choice we could have gone for in my opinion.

Wasn't JFH and Rob Page in the mix?

 

[SwissBlade]

Here? Not a lot. But I believe he's been hampered all the way.

But you don't just become shite overnight.

Yes he's had "challenges" but he's hardly done anything at the lane to even give some hope.

Lets talk fitness, it's my huge bug bear today. Adkins highlighted this in June/ July as being an issue.. Yet he's not addressed it. Not in in the slightest..

 

[SwissBlade]

Just look at his CV.

At United. Prior experience got him the job. What has he done since he arrived...

 

[Slim Man]

Yes he's had "challenges" but he's hardly done anything at the lane to even give some hope.

Lets talk fitness, it's my huge bug bear today. Adkins highlighted this in June/ July as being an issue.. Yet he's not addressed it. Not in in the slightest..

It's been a problem for years that, properly annoyed me how unfit we are.
It's the players lack of professionalism for that I think. So excited for this clear out in the summer.

 

[sheffielder]

The manager can't get a free ride just because of what's happened before.

Those players aren't leaving everything on the pitch so why aren't they performing got him?

His subs make no sense either. Everything we make a sub we lose shape, then more shape and you end up with no performance


Now put that in your own professional world and and how you would perform?

 

[Deleted member 1486]

He's been allowed to sign two players on a permanent basis. For the entire season.

... Thank god!

 

[Bartleby]

I wish I could point out what's going wrong, its just so puzzling.

Owner - has put in £M's and whilst he's protected his investment somewhat the cash is still flowing.

Manager - what a CV, still think deep-down he is about as good as we can get in the 3rd division but:
signings made have been poor [not BS]
lack of signings in key positions have been poor [where are the c/h's?]

Fans - say no more

Club - best in the land


I really have this gut feeling that the clear out at the end of this season will be a turning point.

I agree with you that it's puzzling but my doubts are creeping in and making me think that this clear out will not be the magical answer we are all pinning our hopes on. Summat is wrong big time behind the scenes I think. Wish we could get a serious overseas investor in, we are surely a fanstastic prospect.

 

[PeteBlade]

Yes he's had "challenges" but he's hardly done anything at the lane to even give some hope.

Lets talk fitness, it's my huge bug bear today. Adkins highlighted this in June/ July as being an issue.. Yet he's not addressed it. Not in in the slightest..

My major concern is that we'll sack Nigel Adkins and end up with a worse manager who will still have to cope with the restrictions put on them by this board and he'll do even worse.

I'm by no means saying he's perfect or defending decisions he's made like continuing to play William Henry Foulkes 's son Connor Sammon.

I'm just genuinely worried we'll blame him for our board errors and we'll end up getting someone worse in.

 

[jodman]

Just look at his CV.

I have to take umbridge with comments of this ilk, football is inundated with managers who have had success early in their careers but then failed to recapture that success in subsequent jobs. Two of which (Robson and Adams) have played a major part in our decline, others that immediately come to mind are Peter Reid, Kevin Keagan and David O'Leary.

For the record, i would persist with Adams; but his past achievements should have no bearing on whether that happens or not. His performance has been poor thus far, but we have tried the quick fix on many an occasion and it has never paid off. I do wonder, based on the tone of his interviews and his tweet the other day, whether he will take the decision out of our boards hands and cut his losses.

 

[Jehovah]

If we had apppointed Phil Parkinson in the off season and were in exactly the same position we are now, there would be multiple threads calling for his head. Im not saying this is all Adkins fault, but he must take a lot of the blame for how poor and unbothered we look.

 

[Santos]

As frustrated as we all are at the moment, we need to remember that it's not Adkin's fault.

Yes he makes mistakes, yes he will start players that we don't agree with, yes his tactics may confuse at times.

But the problems at this club start much higher than the manager.

Wilson, Morgan, Weir, Clough, Adkins. And that's simply since relegation.

They aren't all incompetent. (Even if there's a good argument that Weir maybe).

Our issues begin and end with the people who incompetently run this football club.

What would be the point of losing yet another manager ( with the best CV of ANY since Warnock) to get yet another one in who would have to work under these owners.

The men at the top have sent us into the wilderness and that's where we'll stay until some or all if them leave.

We were here long before they arrived. We'll be here long after they've gone. We are this club.

Something has to change. And it isn't the manager.

He shouldn't be sacked but he's been pretty poor so far

1. Signs (mostly) crap
2. Plays (mostly) crap
3. Resources which 90% of the league would die for
4. 10th in the league

Must up your game Adkins and I don't mean your PR prattle

 

[grafikhaus]

So what had Adkins done to deserve any credit... I'm not advocating that he should be fired, I just haven't seen what he's done so far

Adkins needs to be given more time. Stick with him and we may yet see his (so far invisible) managerial capabilities. In Division Four.

Seriously, I'm not advocating the sacking of yet another poor manager. The board would only appoint somebody even worse. For so-called 'businessmen' they don't realise that some spending now to get into the Championship would be self-financing. 5k extra on the gates, more TV money etc. Or is McCabe a throwback to the days when 't'local lad made good' (or got lucky) and thinks a football club can be run in the same way? If so, pissing off a large and loyal customer base is not the way to go.

 

[Kevincarterversion2.0]

Its the board and people in charge at the club are responsible. Adkins needs time, but he doesnt help himself with signing has-beens like Woolford and Hammond, and playing players out of position (Baxter on left etc.).

I'm not sure i have much faith in a clear out - because I'm not sure the board will sanction many transfers back into the club. But time will tell.

 

[FriethBlade]

So Pete you accept you were wrong about Clough cus I agree it's the board not the manager.

However, for all this talk about how crap the squad is that Adkins took over Clough took it from 2nd bottom to 2 semis and the play offs. Adkins has 'strengthened it' and we are 10th !

I agree getting rid of him isn't an option but why do we keep making the same mistakes of bringing in aging, slow, highly paid players ? We need something we can believe in otherwise this apathy will worsen .

 

[Deleted member 875]

I understand the point you're making but I think it's the other way around, especially this season. It's the manager that has to take the majority of the blame. He's brought in Woolford, Edgar, Hammond and Sammon. Alright Sharp's hasn't been as bad but four out of the five have been out and out mistakes. That clogged up the squad even more and prevented us signing what we didn't in the aforementioned players in January. The fee we paid for Sharp and the wages we'll be paying the other four isn't exactly a low amount of money, and I'd wager it's more of an expenditure than most of the other teams in this division. Probably Wigan and Coventry as obvious exceptions. Without taking away from the board's obvious failings, Adkins is getting away with a lot more than he should be by the supporters in my opinion.

I think with Adkins he should have gone when the mass protests started after losing to Millwall at home a dozen games in to the season.

 

[Liaminho9]

I still don't understand why we let Clough do the released/retained list if we knew we were going to sack him 2 weeks later

 

[BushBlade]

The harder a job is, the more likely you are to make mistakes.
Some clubs seem to be set up to help a manager thrive, other clubs seem to change managers regularly, with little effect.
Clough walks into Burton and they're still top, JFH goes to QPR and he's just managed to get his first home win.
Klopp has been raved about for the past few years. Done nowt at Liverpool. Is he now shit? A yesterday's man?

 

[Bladesince59]

I wish I could point out what's going wrong, its just so puzzling.

Owner - has put in £M's and whilst he's protected his investment somewhat the cash is still flowing.

Manager - what a CV, still think deep-down he is about as good as we can get in the 3rd division but:
signings made have been poor [not BS]
lack of signings in key positions have been poor [where are the c/h's?]

Fans - say no more

Club - best in the land


I really have this gut feeling that the clear out at the end of this season will be a turning point.

 

[Bladesince59]

I just hope we have that clear out. But I have an awful feeling that most of the dross will stay.

UYB

 

[Tazzy]

don't see the point of getting rid of the manager he now knows what shit he has too work with. And get rid at the end of the campaign .
A new manager will give players time to prove them self again not what anyone needs
I still think we have a flicker of hope for the play offs. if not we build again and go next year

that's my 2 bobs worth

 

[BushBlade]

I still don't understand why we let Clough do the released/retained list if we knew we were going to sack him 2 weeks later

That indicates 'we' didn't intend to sack him. Was the decision made jointly or did one party persuade the other party to agree, against their better judgement? What the hell was said at the meeting they had that led to them sacking a manager they had complete faith in only a few months earlier?

It reminds me of when Spackman was appointed. MacDonald was on record saying it wasn't his choice but that of the majority of the board so he'd agreed to it. Then, it seemed as soon as Spackman failed to keep us in the top two, MacDonald felt he'd been proven right and started flogging our players to get his money back.

So, were both the Prince and KM both clear that Clough had to go? Were they both completely happy that it was the correct decision?

And were they both completely behind the appointment of Adkins and are they still 100% behind him?

 

[chipsncake]

Here? Not a lot. But I believe he's been hampered all the way.

But you don't just become shite overnight.

He was shite when he arrived, ask the Reading fans.

 

[Grappler]

That indicates 'we' didn't intend to sack him. Was the decision made jointly or did one party persuade the other party to agree, against their better judgement? What the hell was said at the meeting they had that led to them sacking a manager they had complete faith in only a few months earlier?

It reminds me of when Spackman was appointed. MacDonald was on record saying it wasn't his choice but that of the majority of the board so he'd agreed to it. Then, it seemed as soon as Spackman failed to keep us in the top two, MacDonald felt he'd been proven right and started flogging our players to get his money back.

So, were both the Prince and KM both clear that Clough had to go? Were they both completely happy that it was the correct decision?

And were they both completely behind the appointment of Adkins and are they still 100% behind him?

I agree, I don't think the intention was to sack Clough, something blew up leading up the meeting/stand off, where Clough and the club parted ways.

 

[PeteBlade]

He was shite when he arrived, ask the Reading fans.

They're going great guns since he left.

 

[BushBlade]

I can't help but think in today's climate Bassett wouldn't have survived getting us relegated when he first joined. After all, he was shit at Watford so that proved he was finished.

 

[Bartleby]

For the record, i would persist with Adams; but his past achievements should have no bearing on whether that happens or not. His performance has been poor thus far, but we have tried the quick fix on many an occasion and it has never paid off. I do wonder, based on the tone of his interviews and his tweet the other day, whether he will take the decision out of our boards hands and cut his losses.

I was thinking the same thing, but about Adkins