Should he stay or should he go - poll

[Darren]

Yes, I would, but I'm confident he will turn us round by then.

Why don't we attach just a little blame to some of the useless numpties we have masquerading as footballers?

Because under a half decent manager (D. Wilson), a lot of those said numpties maintained a promotion push last season as opposed to fighting relegation. For example, Weir has exactly the same defence available as Wilson had. It was as tight as the proverbial last season. This season it is shipping goals like a very leaky ship.

Who else do we blame for that except the manager?

 

[Rodley]

Because under a half decent manager (D. Wilson), a lot of those said numpties maintained a promotion push last season as opposed to fighting relegation. For example, Weir has exactly the same defence available as Wilson had. It was as tight as the proverbial last season. This season it is shipping goals like a very leaky ship.

Who else do we blame for that except the manager?

Think you're over complicating the argument Darren!

 

[Guesty]

I wouldn't sack him yet, unlike a lot of people I predicted a relegations struggle this season even before Wilson was sacked (whichever league we happened to end up in). The squad is absolutely dreadful and anyone would flail around trying to get results with the group of players. Last season was derailed by selling our top scorer (despite assertions that it was 'great business'), this season by the sale of our most talented players.

I joked at the time that last season we were top at Christmas, sold our top scorer in January and finished in the play-offs, this year we streamlined the process by going top after our first game then selling McDonald before our next league game! And thus have the subsequent results proved my point. Sacking Weir and having yet another change of direction from the top does no-one any favours and the players are so absolutely fucking dreadful that I doubt anyone we can get in will do much better. We continue to sell anyone with promise, replace them with dross and wonder why the poor bloke on the touchline can't get them playing.

 

[davidpinder]

We're below a team that started with minus 10 points this is a joke now

 

[stannyblade]

I wouldn't sack him yet, unlike a lot of people I predicted a relegations struggle this season even before Wilson was sacked (whichever league we happened to end up in). The squad is absolutely dreadful and anyone would flail around trying to get results with the group of players. Last season was derailed by selling our top scorer (despite assertions that it was 'great business'), this season by the sale of our most talented players.

I joked at the time that last season we were top at Christmas, sold our top scorer in January and finished in the play-offs, this year we streamlined the process by going top after our first game then selling McDonald before our next league game! And thus have the subsequent results proved my point. Sacking Weir and having yet another change of direction from the top does no-one any favours and the players are so absolutely fucking dreadful that I doubt anyone we can get in will do much better. We continue to sell anyone with promise, replace them with dross and wonder why the poor bloke on the touchline can't get them playing.

To be fair playing attacking football creating chances would be enough for me. Cant see it happening though under Weir, Can you?

 

[Moorside Blade]

I would review Weir's position after the Crawley game, in three games time. After all, Crawley does seem to represent a pivotal game for "reviewing managerial positions". I think that Weir really cares, has a good footballing brain but probably can't believe the problems he has inherited. Personally, I would love it to come good for him. However, right now, I would settle for the style(s) adopted (and result achieved) by Warnock at SUFC, Palace and QPR. Whatever your opinion about Warnock, in my view he was exceptional at bringing the best out of players at his disposal, providing entertainment and, overall, achieving results.

 

[Guesty]

stannyblade Maybe not, but getting a new bloke in every 3 months to say 'Forget what you've been doing, we're going to do this now' demonstrably doesn't work.

 

[Moorside Blade]

I would review Weir's position after the Crawley game, in three games time. After all, Crawley does seem to represent a pivotal game for "reviewing managerial positions". I think that Weir really cares, has a good footballing brain but probably can't believe the problems he has inherited. Personally, I would love it to come good for him. However, right now, I would settle for the style(s) adopted (and result achieved) by Warnock at SUFC, Palace and QPR. Whatever your opinion about Warnock, in my view he was exceptional at bringing the best out of players at his disposal, providing entertainment and, overall, achieving results.

 

[Hartley Hare]

I wouldn't sack him yet, unlike a lot of people I predicted a relegations struggle this season even before Wilson was sacked (whichever league we happened to end up in). The squad is absolutely dreadful and anyone would flail around trying to get results with the group of players. Last season was derailed by selling our top scorer (despite assertions that it was 'great business'), this season by the sale of our most talented players.

I joked at the time that last season we were top at Christmas, sold our top scorer in January and finished in the play-offs, this year we streamlined the process by going top after our first game then selling McDonald before our next league game! And thus have the subsequent results proved my point. Sacking Weir and having yet another change of direction from the top does no-one any favours and the players are so absolutely fucking dreadful that I doubt anyone we can get in will do much better. We continue to sell anyone with promise, replace them with dross and wonder why the poor bloke on the touchline can't get them playing.

Yep, pretty much agree with that. I think we should stick with Weir for now, and give him the time to get in some better players with the new resources that are available.

 

[alcoblade]

stannyblade Maybe not, but getting a new bloke in every 3 months to say 'Forget what you've been doing, we're going to do this now' demonstrably doesn't work.

So don't tell them to play it this way or that. Let them get the best from what they've got, and let them evolve.

Its our obsession with being anti hoof that is bringing us to our knees, not not sticking with managers.

I'm not convinced that weir hasn't been given such a remit. There has to be some explanation for the complete dross he's delivering. If he really believes in this shite, we should get rid immediately.

UTB

 

[Guesty]

So don't tell them to play it this way or that. Let them get the moat from what they've got, and let them evolve.

Its our obsession with being anti hoof that is bringing us to our knees, not not sticking with managers.

I'm not convinced that weir hasn't been given such a remit. There has to be some explanation for the complete dross he's delivering. If he really believes in this shite, we should get rid immediately.

ITB

The continued selling of anyone remotely talented. That's the main reason, though not the only one. I'm not sure everyone fully comprehends just quite how bad this squad is.

 

[metalblade]

The continued selling of anyone remotely talented. That's the main reason, though not the only one. I'm not sure everyone fully comprehends just quite how bad this squad is.

The only bit of quality sold this season is McDonald are we really suggesting without him the team is that much worse, for godsake he only turned up in half a dozen games last term.

 

[alcoblade]

The continued selling of anyone remotely talented. That's the main reason, though not the only one. I'm not sure everyone fully comprehends just quite how bad this squad is.

I think many do. Which is why so many are at a loss with the continued use of a formation that demands ability way in excess of what's available. And not employing 2 strikers at any stage of any game is inexcusable given such rubbish form.

UTB

 

[Guesty]

The only bit of quality sold this season is McDonald are we really suggesting without him the team is that much worse, for godsake he only turned up in half a dozen games last term.

But we also lost Blackman last year, as well as releasing a couple of players who, while disappointing in the main, are streets ahead of what we have now. It's been going on for years and the net talent the team as it were decreases after every window.

And yes without McDonald we are so much worse, self-evidently so. In league games this season, 75% of our points have been earned with him in the team, and he's only played one of our seven games!

 

[alcoblade]

But we also lost Blackman last year, as well as releasing a couple of players who, while disappointing in the main, are streets ahead of what we have now. It's been going on for years and the net talent the team as it were decreases after every window.

And yes without McDonald we are so much worse, self-evidently so. In league games this season, 75% of our points have been earned with him in the team, and he's only played one of our seven games!

Lots of truth in that. But remember he's signed about 8 players since, at least two for more than the fee we got for McDonald ( who was anonymous last season).

UTB

 

[metalblade]

But we also lost Blackman last year, as well as releasing a couple of players who, while disappointing in the main, are streets ahead of what we have now. It's been going on for years and the net talent the team as it were decreases after every window.

And yes without McDonald we are so much worse, self-evidently so. In league games this season, 75% of our points have been earned with him in the team, and he's only played one of our seven games!

I do agree to a certain extend but on paper we have a squad of players stronger than last season. I know they are rubbish on the whole but Weir is massively under performing, any manager worth the name should be getting even this dire shower of shit playing a little bit better and even having an occasional shot on goal, not too much to ask surely.

 

[Guesty]

alcoblade The signings before Baxter and Cuvelier (whom I'm yet to see) were signed with whatever table scraps McCabe deigned to release to Weir. Yes of them look poor but we didn't have the money to replace the quality we'd lost. McDonald had many quiet games, yes, but no-one else in the squad could do what he did, losing him made the team poorer, no doubt of that in my mind.

 

[JJ Sefton]

He can fook off.

 

[blader]

Every single time a manager has come in to the club that either wants to or is given a mandate to transform the playing "style" do we go through this. Short sightedness in the extreme.

I do have faith that he will get it right. I accept that this faith could be misguided, but I also firmly believe that someone has got to take the club by the scruff of the neck and shake the shit out of it. This is most likely going to be painful in the short term.

It might well be that we have to go (significantly) backwards before we go forwards.

Cant remember how many times I have said this. Football has evolved. We have not, and are now paying the price. This applies to Utd and England in general.

I watch a lot of La Liga, and not just Barca and Real. They are STREETS ahead of us technically. Streets. Why is this ??

Football is a results business, that is a given. I accept that if someone is trying to turn a sows ear in to a silk purse, it will take more than 6 or so weeks !!!!

Say we are now top of the league, 7 games in, 21 points in the bag. Does this mean we have finally cracked it ???

No of course it doesn't. Thats the kind of perspective I would like all Blades fans to have at the present time. Not easy I know, but that is precisely what is required. I think I know what Weir is trying to do and, if it does actually work, will leave a smile on all our faces. Trust me .

Give the bloke a fucking chance or we will continue to slip backwards in to the dark ages of football that we have seemed to be stuck in for as long as I can remember.

This.

Was going to post a response on this thread, stating something similar, but this is perfect. For f's sake lads, He's had half a dozen games, he had no money (we all knew that) and this 'investment' came after the transfer window, so we can effectively ignore it for now. The guy should at absolute minimum be given until the end of the January transfer window, though until the end of the season IMO. OK, if we are rock bottom by 1 Jan, then change. However, if we are at least out of the drop zone, then give him a window with a bit of money to build his team. Talk about Blackman, Slew, Lowton, Quinn, Evans etc being pulled from under previous managers, the fact is Weir lost McDonald, who's corner I will fight until my dying day, who was the player seen as the focal point of DW's style of play. Once the season has started, how do you recover from losing such a player of that quality? Not easy at all. On paper, he has made some excellent signings, and some blame has to fall to the players. Give him a chance, please!

For years, fans (me included) were moaning under Warnock, Blackwell etc saying "i'm bored of hoof ball, I just want to watch passing football". Well here it is, you can't change that club philosophy overnight, it takes years, seriously. Stoke are doing the same thing, I think they will eventually change their style, but I would not be at all surprised if they get relegated first and return as a 'footballing side'. I am worried that people have been way too caught up in this investment and have gone from "we're shit, skint and got no hope" to "well, we should be walking this league" even though it's exactly the same XI on the field!

I trust DW, and think he should (and will) be given until January. Who else are we going to get, really? Some other no mark, that people will want out after a handful of games. It's a terrible negative spiral, no one has ever succeeded by chopping and changing managers, it's what got us here in the first place. The year we went down from Championship we had 4 managers lest we forget!

 

[Sirius]

I did say give him till the end of the month but the more I think about it the more I think we should get rid now, he will not change or adapt he is the BRYAN ROBSON Mk2

Thanks metalblade. Pleased you agree with my post that Weir would morph into Robson Mk 2

 

[Houso]

I voted that he gets more games, but he's certainly on borrowed time.

I really don't buy that he's had no money. My guess is that despite McDonald going, he's had around a million to spend already if not more.
Baxter - 250k
Taylor - 250k
Cuvelier - 500k

Add to that player fees for players like Brandy and McGinn who won't have come cheap, and then wages for other players and he's definitely had more than the most recent men in the job. And as others have pointed out, he's got the defence from last season that was so tight and the same excellent keeper.

Yes, fair enough, he's trying bring a new style to the club, but he continues with it despite it not being a good fit for the club's current skill level. At least ease it in and be willing to resort to a plan b when needed. I like the players he's brought in (even if the jury is out on Taylor), but something really needs to give.

I don't think we're as bad as some suggest, but confidence is down, form is awful and the manager is making very bad decisions. If this continues, only one of those things can be changed without crossing our bollocks in hope.

 

[brownie4583]

Weir should be sacked immediately and replaced by an experienced manager who knows how to spend money wisely!
We shouldn't have any problems attracting a big name who knows he will have plenty of funds to purchase players,a position most of the managers in the lower 3 divisions haven't got,and would like to have!
If we lose to Preston i can't see him surviving past Saturday night!

 

[mpjacko]

Don't want to called a kill joy but you should get your facts right (see red)

I really thought Wier is /was the man for the job but after watching United this season, I am having second thoughts. I've resisted commenting after games as it's far to early, plus the fact is Weir is not Wilson.

In a normal world, Wier will be given time but now with the new invester, money talks. If KM sees any signs of unhappiness from the investor and talk of making the wrong decision to invest, KM will pull trigger on Wier.

This.

Was going to post a response on this thread, stating something similar, but this is perfect. For f's sake lads, He's had half a dozen games, he had no money (we all knew that) and this 'investment' came after the transfer window Not true. The deal was done before the window closed and money was available but they decided not to spend, . , so we can effectively ignore it for now. See line above

 

[South London Blade]

if he goes there will be trouble...

 

[Houso]

if he goes there will be trouble...

Ah, but if he stays...

 

[scrap]

Who remembers, us having 3 points on a Boxing Day, a few years back. What happened after.

 

[grafikhaus]

Too many of us want to bash the keys like Les Dawson. It's the Bladesfans' Sonata.

So remind us. Which of our fans interviewed, agreed ludicrously generous contracts and added to the litany of crap managers post-Warnock?

 

[Selly]

I voted to give him more time, at which point I had a think about how much more time I would give him, and decided the end of the month.

But then I thought what are we expecting out of the next 2 games??? If we lose both, will that really tell us anything we don`t know already??? I have been critical in the past of relegation threatened* teams sacking managers after losing away at Arsenal/Man U etc.

Chances are we aren`t going to win either of the next 2 with Weir in charge. So for me, you either sack him now, and give the new guy as much time as possible, or you give him until after the Port Vale game (Oct 19th).

One other thought as well, if the plan is Premier League in 3 years, by my reckoning, and barring a remarkable, Bournemouth style turnaround in fortunes this season, we need back to back promotions...

* Lets be clear about this, at this stage of the season we are relegation threatened.

 

[HoodedClaw]

mcGinty, Taylor, Coady, McGinn, Bunn and Johns all Appear to be very poor players or are so poor that they can't even get in this team.

Sorry, but I think the above is a bit unfair. It was stated when Johns and mcGinty signed that they were for the development squad with a view to them hopefully contributing later in the season, particularly McGinty. We've not seen enough of Bunn to really offer a constructive comment, but I personally feel he was only brought in as short term cover from Brandy being suspended. Coady has played nearly every game and McGinn looks a decent player when he's played, I would say defensive midefield may not be his best position though.

The thing that is dissapointing me the most though is the lack of flexibility DW has shown. I can accept sticking to your principles and starting every match with the same formation/tactics. Is the inflexibility of changing during a match that concerns me. Defending a corner when we are losing and we still pull everyone back, chasing a game and we don't put extra players up front, even just to give the opposing defence something else to think about. This worries me.

Talk about Blackman, Slew, Lowton, Quinn, Evans etc being pulled from under previous managers, the fact is Weir lost McDonald, who's corner I will fight until my dying day, who was the player seen as the focal point of DW's style of play. Once the season has started, how do you recover from losing such a player of that quality? Not easy at all.

This worries me too. I understand building your team around a player such as McD, as he could do things the others couldn't, but to have no plan B is bordering on criminal in my book. Surely you have a contingency plan for if/when McD got injured or suspended, given the benefit of the doubt that there was/is such a contingency then why is it not being applied. The turnover of players in the team certainly indicates to me that no plan exists.

I really want him to succeed as we really need a change of ethos and a move into the modern game. So for me it's not about results of the next x number of games, it's more about the ability of DW to be more flexible whether that's in starting formation/tactics or in-game formation/tactics I don't mind.

I will review his performance again at the end of October, if he's still here.

 

[alcoblade]

I understand building your team around a player such as McD, as he could do things the others couldn't, but to have no plan B is bordering on criminal in my book. Surely you have a contingency plan for if/when McD got injured or suspended, given the benefit of the doubt that there was/is such a contingency then why is it not being applied. The turnover of players in the team certainly indicates to me that no plan exists.

.

I think it was known within the club that McDonald was likely to leave. Certainly the low buy out clause was, and the fact that Jacket knew about the buy out clause. To have no plan B for this would be daft. Either way. I'm not convinced he'd have been a great number 10 - and despite the Notts County performance being fresh in everyones mind, they all played well that day. Look what's happened since. That one performance against a piss poor and depleted Notts County team cannot airbrush away a season of McDonald not turning up.

UTB

 

[Ashtonsmashton]

What happens if it's postponed?

well then it's not a game