Evans was allowed to overspend when he (just) kept us up. We couldn't afford to keep doing that. That's why he left. He wasn't sustainable. We had to overspend to fund the Warnock miracle (including if reports are right a sizeable bonus for the man himself as well as big wages for people on short term deals). We couldn't afford to maintain that expenditure and that's why Warnock didn't stay. This time we have tried to do it differently. We haven't burned money on overpaid has beens who bring no added value and either can't or won't give their all for the club. Personally I like what we have tried to do. We may well go down but if we do we will go down in good shape, with a core of players who are a good age, who are better for having had a season in The Championship, and some who have a real market value. I would go as far as to say that we are now in better shape than at any time since Tony Stewart became Chairman. I'm looking forward to next season already. If someone offers Warne a better job and/or more money I wouldn't blame him for leaving, but otherwise I think it would be crazy not to stick with him.
When Evans was good he was very good. Anything else is just hearsay, speculation and conjecture. He took the bull by the horns and lifted us out from the basement to the penthouse suite even though his trousers were a sight for sore eyes at Wembley.
Anyone else got any stories to tell?
I'll start talking about my dissertation on the schwarzwald and its impact on the space around it if not.
Evans did say just before he left that he wanted to be allowed to sign more players and made it clear post-departure that he and Stewart didn't see things the same way when it came to moving the club on. Of course the precise reasons for his departure were never really made clear. Neil Warnock made it clear that he wanted a chance at another promotion and that he didn't think we had the muscle to make that a realistic prospect. Both Warnock and Evans got good results, but in The Championship both relied to a large extent on older players with top level experience who were approaching the end of their careers and weren't likely ever to become assets of ours in the transfer market. In my opinion that isn't a good strategy for the longer term. Warne has gone about it differently, perhaps borne of necessity. We may have to take a step back but in my opinion we are in better shape for the long run.
The trouble is we are coming up against teams like Swansea with there budgets wish we had there money I for one don't want to see us in debt and my guess FPL would come down on us heavier than they have done with Bolton if the chairman wants to stick with Warney with our budget for div 1 we need a rallying cry tell us we are going to go for it next season all I want is something to look foreward to.
I'll be amazed if Warney gets offer of a bigger club than us. Think he's here cause he's cheap & TS can install his league 1 budget on him even though we are for now in the championship. Evans wanted more so he went. Jackett couldn't work within our budget. But we have a club not in breach of the fair play league. I'm happy enough with Warney but it's got to be a 2 yr plan min'. More business like in recruitment. Any players given longer contracts got to be considered good enough for the championship. If he gives Potter another contract I'll know something isn't right. He's had 18 months now on the sick only difference from the real world he's getting paid full money.
Its been fairly obvious all season and indeed in L1. This is a manager who does not possess many of the normal cultural talents. He brings something of himself which is laudable but I dont think he quite has the overall ability to manage a club. Its little point speculating about what we dont know. One can only go on results. The results last season were unconventional but got us there. I suspect I was as surprised as most to see us rise into the playoffs and then hit tip-top form at the right time. What we can say is the recruitment and management of the team has been quite poor. It is results and thats that. One cant compare Evans to PW, but one doesnt need to. The fact is Evans did a much better job and PW who I dont have to compare to anyone at all has done a not good enough job.
Its not like he and we the club havent been here before. We can now say we have a lot of experience at this level over recent seasons. I think its fair to ask why the club hasnt progressed and I think its fair to be unhappy it hasnt when set against the very real opportunities the club has had and the statements coming from the club.
So, for a brand new manager and one that has a lot to learn he has done a decent job, but the results have obviously fallen short of what we should expect. To expect anything less than survival is quite frankly odd. Does PW have the ability to learn? I dont know. My experience tells me that talent is quite easy to spot and what you dont have you cannot produce. There is a legitimate question about his resources but this is just about negated by his self-declared management ethos, his many declarations of knowing who he wants and how to get them and getting his pick of support staff. In a very real sense, he is absolutely rooted in the results the team have produced.
The real frustration for me is the constant patronising of the players that seem to me a rather adept attempt of letting himself off the hook.
The boys can't give anymore I can't ask for anymore They are playing well beyond themselves individually We know we aren't as good individually we have just probably played a side that is man for man much more talented than us We are learning we just need something to turn our way That's football I think we probably did enough to win
I know he is not the only manager to say such drivel but he is our team's manager.
On balance I would replace him simply because he has not delivered. The argument for keeping him seems to be based on a lack of hope and quite a bit of fear.
I cant say it is unusual in this situation. Just look at Man utd and Man city. Lots to write home about but dismal failures in many ways. The appointment of OGS will probably be a huge mistake and probably deserves to be. It was a decision made under duress. clambering fans and media not able to step back and really calculate. Still, how many times has TS told us we had 50 applicants and they professionally vetted everyone and had several rounds of interviews and he was sure hed got the right man...time to let a Women have a go . Indeed, since many fans seem so supportive of PWs unconventional ways then lets be the first pro club to employ a Black Transgender male to female manager. At least it will distract from the results...Oh!!!!!!!!
-- Edited by ian on Saturday 20th of April 2019 09:17:42 PM
To cut a long story short, ian, you are saying that we need a trans woman manager who is black? Isn't that discriminating against people who are not black? We're still trying to kick racism out of football. I'm not sure some of the neanderthals out there are ready for change. If you know what I mean?
Phil Parkinson not a bad shout. Can't see costing much to buy his contract out. I want a manager who goes on ability, doesn't do the old pals act.
I rate Parkinson at this level upper league 1, lower championship. Right experience. If a manager like that comes along we can get got to consider it. Warney know he's working to a league 1 budget but he's made strange decisions this season. Started with releasing Price then resigning him on a 2yr contract, why? Giving Wood a 2 yr contract, why? He tried to loan Forde out at the end of the summer window but didn't happen. Now we've got a player back in the side so limited don't think he'd show much in non-league football. Now he's talking about giving Potter another contract who was past it when he came here, not played any 1st team football for nearly 18 months. I want some forward thinking for next season. Can Warney give us that? But I'll be there next season as I have been for over 50 years.
-- Edited by gwru on Sunday 21st of April 2019 11:21:11 AM
Don't forget he loaned out the totally incompetent Ihiekwe and then, astonishingly brought him back to play at a level that he is totally unsuited to. What a disaster that turned out to be!!
'As a manager, you cannot ask anything more than what my lads are giving. To hang in as we did for that time, I'm really proud of them.
We might need two wins and a draw. It's difficult to see where we're going to get a break. The fans have been amazing all season and that helps the manager. They know I am doing my best. We're all trying to punch above our weight'.
Paul Warne after the hard-to-take defeat at Swansea? No - Neil Warnock after Cardiff lost at home to Liverpool today. A game in which Cardiff missed at least one sitter and Liverpool were aided by a questionable refereeing decision.
The parallels between our season and Cardiff's season are uncanny. Both were newly promoted. Both were strong favourites to finish in last place. Both stuck with the vast majority of the players who took them up. Neither have the financial clout of bigger and more illustrious rivals. Both depend on set pieces and a more direct style than their competitors. Both have done a bit better than expected and with a handful of games to go are in the final relegation spot needing at least a couple of wins from the last three games.
I would think that most Rotherham supporters would think that Warnock has done a great job at Cardiff for them to still be alive and kicking at this stage. The man himself seems to think that they have done all they can. I think they probably have, and I think we have too. I think if Warnock wants to stay at Cardiff and try to get them back up, they would be mad to get rid of him and I think that the same applies in S60 for us and Warne.
I'm not going to fall into the trap of comparing Warnock and Warne, but let's face it we can't afford a Warnock. and the last thing we need is to bin off all the progress we have made and have our seventh re-boot in four years or whatever it would be and get in some bloody journeyman from the football merry-go-round.
Glenn. Don't think Ihiekwe is that good. His athleticism frequently gets him out of trouble but his positional sense is awful and his costing us goals.
Splinter - interesting how opinions differ. I rated him highly in League 1 and put his brain-freeze against Scunny in the play-off semis down to a one-off that could be coached out of him. Since he's been back with us, I think he has been superior to Semi in that CB position. He's athletic and has a no-nonsense approach when the ball needs to be cleared from danger. I think him and Robertson are our best CB pairing. However, I respect that others may not agree.
Ihiekwe not been totally convincing but who else have we got for midfield apart from Ajayi who along with Robertson are our best pairing in central defence. When Evans & Warnock kept us up they got the defence right.
