robbiez666
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2009
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just my thoughts on the current situation.
background: I've not been since whilst Warnock was in charge. Been to 200+ games before then from being a kid onwards (moved around so had seasons tickets or just went when I could). I stopped going under Warnock due to the dreadful football that was being played (I resorted to sitting behind the dugout for some entertainment!)
I therefore assume I'll probably be shot down, be told I'm not a proper fan or told my opinion isn't valid. As well as this my Grandad (85) and dad (75) who had been going since they were kids have also stopped.
Why? The quality of football.
Now don't get me wrong, Warnock came in and saved this club after the disaster we call Adrian Heath. He did a very good job with limited resources but seemed to be limited in his tactics and struggled when he finally received financial backing.
anyhow. to the situation today. I don't go but there are obviously ways of watching games and I just can't understand the present situation.
1. How the club is run. Our chairman has done huge amounts for this club. He's stablised and put in place measures to ensure our future and for this I'm eternally grateful. I, like most fans I assume, was excited about the links he was forging with other clubs and the business developments to ensure a steady income outside of the football side. Its reached a point where I'm left wondering what is going on. Despite all the above we seem to lose out on players to "lesser" clubs, are selling players but not really re-investing much of the profits and claiming large wage bills but not being able to compete with other teams on wages. We appear to getting more and more excuses and less and less actual action. I'm concerned where he wants to take the club as there seems to be a distinct lack of ambition.
2.Blackwell: Ok, I was uncomfortable with his appointment but resolved to give him a chance. He started of well but seems to have gone astray. He was always meant to be the moderating influence for Warnock and the one who encouraged more passing football. We seem now to have just resorted to long ball after long ball and he seems to fall out with players very easily. I'm perplexed by our small squad size and the lack of ability at the start of the season to fill a bench. I cannot understand if we're short why youth team players aren't on there. It at least would give them a boost. He seems to have one style of playing and be unable to alter this or make good tactical substitutions.
3. The Players. We seem to be resorting to loaning and buying as many cheap or free players as possible. But were told that we're a very financially well-run club. But I see other teams getting players that will do well for us before us and issues with losing players on financial grounds (where other clubs aren't) I'm perplexed to where he plays players and the kind of players he is buying. For me Jamie Ward is a brilliant talent as a goal scoring striker and whilst he's done brilliants on the wing he's wasted as he's the one player we have with an eye for goal. I'm also confused about the number of wingers we have. How we can sign Reid and not play him.
A grave concern was the lack of cover in attack/defense which everyone could see and the rushed loans of Davies and signing Fortune up a long time after we had him first on trial. The fact we start games with all 3 of our strikers on the pitch and not one on the bench. is the youth team that bad? Why is there no cover? Why are we now buying/loaning players that may do a job for a middling to bottom Championship side but not one seeking promotion? where is the quality not quantity? most of the players we've signed have not added to the team.
How we've managed to sign players of agreed talent and ability (Hendrie, Howard, Cotterill, Reid, Evans, Harper etc) and then they just haven't done it for us (although it's early days for the new lads) why we're signing good footballing players and then not playing football to their strengths.
4. The Fans. there seems to be a distinct split. Those who don't care what football we play as long as we win and are "die hard" fans who go regardless and those who want to see us trying to play good football and ambition. I don't agree with booing players unless they are taking the mickey. I do believe that if fans are seeing a club going nowhere they should try and do something about it.
With the stability and resources of the club, the players we have on our books and the following we have we should be seriously challenging for automatic promotion. It's always going to be difficult to compete with the team that have been relegated but it seems to me that we haven't seriously tried. which makes no sense.
It's my own personal view but I'm not prepared to spend a lot of money going to a game where I don't see my club showing ambition or trying to play entertaining football. Yes, out best recent period was with DB in charge and direct football but the club had no money then and had to play it out of necessity. We were buying players from non-league and they were playing in the top flight. Now we have the funds but we still play the same god awful football but at the same time either buy cheap utility/journeymen or footballing players that don't fit in.
I personally believe that we have the makings of a squad to challenge for promotion but the style of football played, the fact the players are being used out of position and the inept tactical know-how and ability to motivate players of the manager is stopping this.
Our chairman must see this but seems content.
I'm perplexed, saddened and frustrated with the current situation
background: I've not been since whilst Warnock was in charge. Been to 200+ games before then from being a kid onwards (moved around so had seasons tickets or just went when I could). I stopped going under Warnock due to the dreadful football that was being played (I resorted to sitting behind the dugout for some entertainment!)
I therefore assume I'll probably be shot down, be told I'm not a proper fan or told my opinion isn't valid. As well as this my Grandad (85) and dad (75) who had been going since they were kids have also stopped.
Why? The quality of football.
Now don't get me wrong, Warnock came in and saved this club after the disaster we call Adrian Heath. He did a very good job with limited resources but seemed to be limited in his tactics and struggled when he finally received financial backing.
anyhow. to the situation today. I don't go but there are obviously ways of watching games and I just can't understand the present situation.
1. How the club is run. Our chairman has done huge amounts for this club. He's stablised and put in place measures to ensure our future and for this I'm eternally grateful. I, like most fans I assume, was excited about the links he was forging with other clubs and the business developments to ensure a steady income outside of the football side. Its reached a point where I'm left wondering what is going on. Despite all the above we seem to lose out on players to "lesser" clubs, are selling players but not really re-investing much of the profits and claiming large wage bills but not being able to compete with other teams on wages. We appear to getting more and more excuses and less and less actual action. I'm concerned where he wants to take the club as there seems to be a distinct lack of ambition.
2.Blackwell: Ok, I was uncomfortable with his appointment but resolved to give him a chance. He started of well but seems to have gone astray. He was always meant to be the moderating influence for Warnock and the one who encouraged more passing football. We seem now to have just resorted to long ball after long ball and he seems to fall out with players very easily. I'm perplexed by our small squad size and the lack of ability at the start of the season to fill a bench. I cannot understand if we're short why youth team players aren't on there. It at least would give them a boost. He seems to have one style of playing and be unable to alter this or make good tactical substitutions.
3. The Players. We seem to be resorting to loaning and buying as many cheap or free players as possible. But were told that we're a very financially well-run club. But I see other teams getting players that will do well for us before us and issues with losing players on financial grounds (where other clubs aren't) I'm perplexed to where he plays players and the kind of players he is buying. For me Jamie Ward is a brilliant talent as a goal scoring striker and whilst he's done brilliants on the wing he's wasted as he's the one player we have with an eye for goal. I'm also confused about the number of wingers we have. How we can sign Reid and not play him.
A grave concern was the lack of cover in attack/defense which everyone could see and the rushed loans of Davies and signing Fortune up a long time after we had him first on trial. The fact we start games with all 3 of our strikers on the pitch and not one on the bench. is the youth team that bad? Why is there no cover? Why are we now buying/loaning players that may do a job for a middling to bottom Championship side but not one seeking promotion? where is the quality not quantity? most of the players we've signed have not added to the team.
How we've managed to sign players of agreed talent and ability (Hendrie, Howard, Cotterill, Reid, Evans, Harper etc) and then they just haven't done it for us (although it's early days for the new lads) why we're signing good footballing players and then not playing football to their strengths.
4. The Fans. there seems to be a distinct split. Those who don't care what football we play as long as we win and are "die hard" fans who go regardless and those who want to see us trying to play good football and ambition. I don't agree with booing players unless they are taking the mickey. I do believe that if fans are seeing a club going nowhere they should try and do something about it.
With the stability and resources of the club, the players we have on our books and the following we have we should be seriously challenging for automatic promotion. It's always going to be difficult to compete with the team that have been relegated but it seems to me that we haven't seriously tried. which makes no sense.
It's my own personal view but I'm not prepared to spend a lot of money going to a game where I don't see my club showing ambition or trying to play entertaining football. Yes, out best recent period was with DB in charge and direct football but the club had no money then and had to play it out of necessity. We were buying players from non-league and they were playing in the top flight. Now we have the funds but we still play the same god awful football but at the same time either buy cheap utility/journeymen or footballing players that don't fit in.
I personally believe that we have the makings of a squad to challenge for promotion but the style of football played, the fact the players are being used out of position and the inept tactical know-how and ability to motivate players of the manager is stopping this.
Our chairman must see this but seems content.
I'm perplexed, saddened and frustrated with the current situation
)
