The ‘be patient’ brigade

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Houston_Blade said:
It’s not my job to propose anything. I’m venting.

Unfortunately I don’t have a Time Machine.

The only option now is to sack Hecky, despite the fact he’s been dealt a shit hand by his superiors. There’s no guarantee that it will work and if it were me I’d keep him as we’re pretty much nailed on to go down and he might do something next season.
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Kind of see your point. However for me the choice is

Keep Hecky,
Have no chance of winning any matches, we end up finishing on 9 points and officially become the worse side to ever play in the PL.
Also many of the players are mentally scarred at becoming a laughing stock where there's no tactics and no effort.
That kind of season can easily lead to a spiral where we're down near the relegation places next season in the Championship.

Or change the manager..to anyone half decent,
We start performing like a half decent Championship team, compete better, have some tactics and a game plan.
We end up finishing the season on 22 points, still relegated but well above the Derby record. Also the players morale is still intact because we went down fighting and had some good highlights in the season with some memorable wins over Man Utd, Liverpool etc.
 
crazyblade1889 said:
Completely lost what your point is? Recruitment hasn’t been good and we acted late in the summer? If that’s it, then no shit Sherlock!
It’s what we do from here which matters and sacking Hecky won’t have an impact as it’s the same players.
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I know what you're trying to say but it's proven time and time again. Change manager and a team can be transformed.
Not just results but effort, skill levels, style of play and tactics.

There's loads of example.

Remember when Howard Kendall replaced Dave Bassett.
It was like a miracle, all of a sudden out players looked comfortable on the ball playing a calm, short passing possession football style.
Kendall brought in Gordon Cowans who was a revelation for us, never realised how good he is, a real education watching a player use his experience
to constantly move into position to receive the ball, then make simple short passes. They often say football is a simple game and he made it look so easy.

And more recently Wilder at Boro, initially playing decent but always losing.
They change to Michael Carrick and instantly go on a long winning streak,

Our team is fully of average to upper level Championship level players
So why are we consistently playing like a league 1 team is playing a PL in the cup?

Today on Sky, the commentator Dawson after 25 minutes said "Sheffield United have not got going yet. Fulham are dominating and a goal is inevitable"
I think the manager should bear some responsibly for that, he prepares the team and controls the tactics.
 
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Snowflake said:
Not my suggestion at all. It was the indication given at the outset by the owner/board.
They didn’t say write off this season but acknowledged that relegation was a possibility and therefore planned accordingly.
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A lot of speak these days about football club culture and the one coming from the top of the club since Hecky was given that massively long contract has been building for some unlikely youth filled future. The culture of it doesn't matter for now we are planning for the future isn't ideal. Hecky himself tried to reframe it pretty quickly but that's what they ownership/board said.

With sharp, Stevens, mcgoldrick gone and Egan, Davies, bash out for months that young squad is all we have now and frankly I don't think it's anywhere near good enough for play offs in the championship let alone premier league.
 
Berkshire Blade said:
A lot of speak these days about football club culture and the one coming from the top of the club since Hecky was given that massively long contract has been building for some unlikely youth filled future. The culture of it doesn't matter for now we are planning for the future isn't ideal. Hecky himself tried to reframe it pretty quickly but that's what they ownership/board said.

With sharp, Stevens, mcgoldrick gone and Egan, Davies, bash out for months that young squad is all we have now and frankly I don't think it's anywhere near good enough for play offs in the championship let alone premier league.
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..but will those same players be ready for promotion after a season in the PL and a year’s training to improve them ???
 
I really do not know where we go from here. Was Hecky watching the same game as me????? I am 70 next year, and even I could have scored the chances Fulham missed!!!!!! Seriously, if we are to believe it, Hecky got the targets he wanted. He sets up the team to play, formation, tactics. He has to bear the responsibility when its not working, end of. The players are a shadow of their normal selves, he has to change things, or go. Before you say it, Wilder is not the answer, I so wish he was .
 
Berkshire Blade said:
How do you dramatically change the tactics/system with the small squad built for one system? We need a manager who can install pride, fight and stubbornness into the side. I don't think Hecky is going to do that now. We let in 3 today it it would have been more against a clinical side.
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Totally agree,Sheffsteel echoes my views. A change can't be any worse in the current situation. I want to see some fighting spirit as all do. Lacklustre at present and like rabbits in the headlights.
 
chesblade said:
They are his mate's, they saw what is probably career ending injury .just look at the photos. If you think that didn't affect them then you don't understand
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Go and win it for him then ffs
 
Sheffsteel said:
Kind of see your point. However for me the choice is

Keep Hecky,
Have no chance of winning any matches, we end up finishing on 9 points and officially become the worse side to ever play in the PL.
Also many of the players are mentally scarred at becoming a laughing stock where there's no tactics and no effort.
That kind of season can easily lead to a spiral where we're down near the relegation places next season in the Championship.

Or change the manager..to anyone half decent,
We start performing like a half decent Championship team, compete better, have some tactics and a game plan.
We end up finishing the season on 22 points, still relegated but well above the Derby record. Also the players morale is still intact because we went down fighting and had some good highlights in the season with some memorable wins over Man Utd, Liverpool etc.
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I said we should keep Adkins because we wouldn’t get anyone decent so what do I know?!
 
sitwell said:
That doesnt suit the narrative though, only trusty played better.
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He was our best midfielder but he still lacks the speed, power and physical size to compete in the PL. 3 years ago he played well as part of a well drilled and functioning midfield trio, now he looks like the best of a bad bunch on the ball without the physical capabilities to be effective off the ball.
 
Proper Blade said:
Unfortunately our fate was decided a long time before the season started. As soon as we sold Ndiaye we turned a challenging summer of recruitment into an almost impossible task.

It's going to be a long slog of a season where we get outrun and outplayed by stronger and superior teams. Teams that have actually been invested in. Ran by chairmen who at least have a tiny bit of ambition.

I have nothing more to say about the Prince. It has just been mistake after mistake after mistake. I lay no blame whatsoever at the door of the players or management - they have been thrown under the bus by a board who aren't fit for purpose. It was obvious last season, it's even more obvious now.
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3 seasons in prem a mistake???
 

Pompey_Blade said:
Best if you just accept this season is a write of. As depressing as it is, I have accepted since the palace game. It embarrassing that we have purposely not even tried to make an effort to compete this year. But not worth getting worked up over. Doesn't matter what manager we have. We are just so un-competitive. The prince has no intention to sell either so don't hang out for that.
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At last one other person who realises and states the prince ain't gonna sell. Thank you.
He's playing games.
Also he will not change the managerial situation either, as some are looking too.
So I'm hoping with the relegation the management and players can knit themselves into strong footballing and combative unit with the intention of carrying it into next season for a more than good chance of promotion.
Rather a yo-yo club than a mediocre slide into oblivion.
 
Houston_Blade said:
At what point does patience run out and we accept that the board have conspired to completely fuck this season up with their dealings just before the season started?

We are completely and utterly out of our depth and there is an acceptance at the club that this is the case.

Next week we’ve had more international breaks than we’ve got points.

I know there’s not much we can do about it but surely the most clappy of clappers can see that this was caused by not doing business early enough and subsequently not doing the right business.

Leicester’s sub left back is our first choice, Norwood is still in the side getting strolled past by much stronger and faster players. Our forward line is starved of service and incapable of producing for themselves.
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I'm not sure they've "conspired"🤔.Failing but not intentionally surely.

I worked for a firm doing regular refurbs at the Lane,also supplying furniture and fittings.

The budget was always minimalist let's say,looking for used rather than new.
Perhaps that's a reflection of how little we can compete in the big league and perhaps its our expectations that need adjusting.

I'm not defending performances,I like Hecky but the tactically defensive mindset seems to be under-utilising Hamer and Archer's natural talents who must by now be wondering if they made the right move.

Could it be one of the reasons of many that explains our seeming demise🤔.

If Wilder came in he would need to employ his philosophy of "getting a pint from a half pint pot" so we can overachieve in a league arguably a stretch too far.

Burnley came roaring into the Prem having dominated the Championship last season but are looking every bit as frail.
Luton have some spirit seemingly. Less expectation on them perhaps but can they maintain it I wonder.
If the three promoted sides are relegated on fewer points than past averages,is that evidence of an ever widening insurmountable budgetary gap and no matter who comes in or if we stick with Hecky,we're still shafted.

It sounds like most of us would be happier if our application returned along with a change of shape/plan.

Lack of leadership features too, on the pitch it seemsand yet another contributing factor.

Money,or lack of, appears to be at the crux of it all.
I still doubt we "conspire" as a club to be skint🤔.

All of which of course is less relevant than the wellbeing of Bash.
Imagine how gutted he feels today.
Perspective is everything 🙏👍.UTB.
 
Houston_Blade said:
We’ve all swallowed the ‘well run club’ crap for that long that we’re happy to go up and come back down again without even trying.

I’d prefer to do what Forest have done and at least when it all comes crashing down they’ve had a bit of fun.
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"Well run club crap"😳
Isn't that the basis of any potential success for any business?
Just because we're in the entertainment industry doesn't automatically entitle us to have our "fun" at the clubs expense when it all comes "crashing down".
Staggering.
 
Don’t want to hear about “pre season means nothing” anymore either. Seeing us perform like that this pre season I knew it’d be a complete fuck up from day one.
 
Houston_Blade said:
Portsmouth fans still have an FA cup and Europe
To reminisce about.

No one gets to their deathbed and says “Now then sonny, can you remember all the years we were a well run club and made a profit”.
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Remember the 6 seasons in league one? If we spent like Forest the result would be far worse and for far longer when it all came crashing down.
The money needed now to compete in the top division is at such a level it’s a threat to us even having a club if we went down that route.
 
gordoncharles said:
I'm not sure on what basis so many people think this team would "struggle" in the Championship?

We lost one player that it was impossible to replace - admittedly he was far and away our best player and the reason we got automatic promotion, but McBurnie/Archer is still a formidable Championship attack.

Despite this attempt to re-write history the squad we currently have is (Ndiaye apart) better than the one we were promoted with, with more quality and depth. I've never said it would be good enough to stay up but it's better than the shambles that has been displayed in the last 3 games.

Without confidence this side can achieve nothing and that will only come with good results. We were possibly denied that today by the freakiest goal you can imagine - but who am I kidding? Not myself. We were second best. Maybe a point there would have stopped the rot but I doubt it as we concede chances far too easily and don't look much like scoring. Any salvation we may have is at home but without good results we won't have the confidence to play as we can.

So the only hope is to change the manager, and sooner rather than later. That may not work but we can't keep employing the same formation and tactics and expecting things to turn out differently. We went through all two years ago already. A change may be the shot in the arm needed to get some better results.

The problem with this I, personally don't have any confidence either - but mine is in whether the people running the club have any clue who they would appoint if they made the only realistic decision they can make. They should have some names ready to go. I doubt it though.
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This team won’t be playing in the championship next season it will be frees kids and end of career players
 
In terms of the broader picture, I've got all the patience in the world for Hecky. It's an unrealistic ask, with the resources, backing and stability (or lack of!!!) that he's been given.

In terms of the here and now, I'm impatient with the 3-5-2. Go to a 4-4-2 or 4-5-1. The lack of options and squad depth, the number of injuries, the amount of times the midfield are being overrun and the defense exposed. Something has to change. You have 3 adult fit centre halves at the club. Play two, rest one.

Wes, Bogle (without an alternative), Anel, Trusty, Thomas or Larouci.
Souza and Norwood to sit.
Hamer and Slimane.
McBurnie and Archer/Traore.
 
ATL Recs said:
This team won’t be playing in the championship next season it will be frees kids and end of career players
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I agree. Other posters were saying (and have on other threads) that THIS team isn't good enough for the Championship.

That statement is very wrong.

However, that's not to say that many will still be here at the start of next season.
 
Houston_Blade said:
Portsmouth fans still have an FA cup and Europe
To reminisce about.

No one gets to their deathbed and says “Now then sonny, can you remember all the years we were a well run club and made a profit”.
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They very, very nearly didn't have a club.

Who knows how many local businesses went unpaid because of their bankruptcy.

Still worth it?
 
Panini said:
They very, very nearly didn't have a club.

Who knows how many local businesses went unpaid because of their bankruptcy.

Still worth it?
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Is it the fans issue to worry about the financial health of the club or just expect to be entertained and compete on the pitch?

I have an interest in finance because that’s what I do for a living, if I didn’t then I really wouldn’t give a shit.
 
biggiesablade said:
Do me one favour. Explain Bovril to an American and tell me what they think please.
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You’d need to explain it to me first, it’s up there with Hendo’s on the ‘things I don’t get the fuss about’ scale!
 
Houston_Blade said:
I’d question that strategy. With a bit more outlay last time we’d have had Watkins instead of Mousset. We haven’t taken any learnings from that debacle.
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Do with have the money to learn from it? With a smaller spend we ended up in severe financial difficulty. Of course, we may have stayed up and got the reward, but we may have ended up going bust. Speculating with other people’s money is easy.

People talking about late preparation this season fail to grasp that we were simply skint, and in need of sales to fund purchases.
 

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