Towdlad, that may well have become our strategy with Lee Gregory but I'm not sure Millwall are that keen to sell anyway even though his contract has only another 12 months to run. Maybe they see his potential goalscoring feats as being more valuable to them as they have another go at getting into the Championship. We shall see!
-- Edited by mellowmiller on Saturday 30th of July 2016 12:40:26 PM
Agree with OP and many points in here including brads incisive communication.
I agree that Neil warnock revealed quite simply how to manage in all aspects.
Refern was very bad at everything and is not a manager. I never had any optimism or support for his appointment.
Evans did a good job .
Stubbs is not any of them. He isn't as weak as red fern. He isn't as organised as warnock. He isnt as disorganised as Evans.
He has made mistakes and yet has a specific plan. He should be much nearer than he is. He has the benefit but as some including towdlad have said he will be judged on results. Quite right.
Here is my benchmark. If we aren't several.points clear of the bottom 3 by mid January he has to go.
-- Edited by ian on Sunday 31st of July 2016 04:47:11 AM
It is deja vu all over again.
Give a young manager with good ideas a three year contract. Sell him to the supporters. Talk about the medium and long term plans. In Redfearns case he had next to no room to manoeuvre in the short term because of the closed transfer window but in Stubbs case build expectation by talking about having money to spend. He might have more than we have had before, but it is still relatively little compared to the teams we are pitted against.
If the club has done anything wrong it is to build too much expectation. It is right to have ambition. But that ambition is unrealistic it backfires.
I feel for Stubbs already. The fans expect free flowing football and a season free from relegation fears. Ian's last post says it all. We are already thinking in terms of when to sack him.
Let's be realistic. Nothing will alter the fact that relative to our rivals we have a small budget and therefore more difficulty securing the players who would be able to keep us mid table. It can be done but it won't be easy. Give the man time to do his job and don't put him under too much pressure. Give him some support (in the true sense of the word). Be understanding of the constraints he is working under. Give him targets of course, but judge him fairly.
Neil Warnock is a canny operator. I suspect even he doesn't know how we stayed up last season and I suspect he also knew that the chances of getting the sort of results he got but over the course of a full season were close to nil. To follow Towlads Blacksdder theme, at times under Warnck we had more luck than a one footed Irish rabbit with a bunch of heather who is professor of luck at Harvard. That is not to decry what he achieved and of course there was more to it than that, but it was a short term phenomenon and unlikely to be repeated. That is probably the real driver behind him leaving.
The way to move the club forward is not to keep signing players with one year max left in their legs, nor to change the manager every few months because we haven't performed miracles. Given the parameters that we have to operate within the key is stability. I would rather us be Burnley than Blackburn. I say now that if we end up sacking Stubbs within the next year we will like Blackburn, Leeds and others be at risk of becoming a bit of a modern football joke.
Smiler 100% agree. Stability, signs of improvement and 4th from bottom would make me happy. With the emphasis on improvement. Our budget is in the bottom 3 you can be sure of that so you can't ask for much more at this stage. One brick at a time will build a solid foundation.
It's not like any of us lack realism - if you've supported us for long enough you know we aren't ever going to be rich. It's been said numerous times now but the problem is the inconsistency between the words and actions of thr club. I understand the need to play things up a little to try and drag in a few more STH but it goes over the top when we talk about premiership ambitions and now we write off 10% of the season because bargains will be available at the end of August, and then it will be January and then emergency loan system and then...
No one's unrealistic if you are an avid football fan.
I like most here on this thread respect the job and cir***stances .
Stubbs should be sacked I agree if he fails to meet goals and targets agreed. Tony will do that and he will be the first to back any manager and reward them.
Warnock got the points because he radically altered the style and mentality of the team. The evidence was there to see. Redder 's had a few good outings but showed no depth.
Redders had to go as he was appaling. If stubbs performs like redders he will go to. Stubbs has a slight pedigree advantage over redders and he is firmly in the potential shop window and his time here will largely make or break his career. I'm sure he knows that. That's the real bread and butter cir***stance he faces.
Poor managers are not difficult to spot once they have had half a season and good ones are darn obvious. Ones with potential (just like players and women) not so easy. You pays yer money...
-- Edited by ian on Sunday 31st of July 2016 11:52:13 AM
Yes we have to strike a fine balance. I agree with Fliker and we mustn't expect too much too soon. My concern though is if we continue to occupy the 4th from bottom slot each year we stand to lose those few extra STHs NewYorkshire mentions. The expectation is there, that this season will be better, but if the results and style of football prove otherwise the trust of the fans (and theres non more fickle than Rotherham supporters) will soon disappear.
