Adkins -what next?

[Royal Rother]

Fair enough. Would have Adkins here in a heartbeat though.

I jest of course - although I do seem to recall you were very positive about his appointment until relatively recently...

Feel free to slap me down if I'm wrong!

[Froomes]

Things are looking a bit rubbish right now but I said at the start of the season I'd be more than happy with mid-table finish and a group of our youngsters being well-blooded. For me that would be a better season than a near miss / play-off loss.

Looks like it's panning out that way so (as someone who doesn't go to games so has a minimal frustration of current performances) I don't have much of a problem. 6-1 isn't nice but I suspect there'll be some harsh but useful lessons learned from that experience.

I'm not suggesting there's an easy solution but the best way a club of this size can really progress is become largely self-sufficient for players and selling them on. Blocking their progress by bringing in players from outside in the chase for promotion year on year at the expense of financial stability is folly.

I don't really care much whether Adkins stays or goes myself, but I do rate stability in the managerial position highly, and when times are hard a lot of patience is required.

That's in very short supply in the football world these days.

I agree with the first paragraph completely, sadly not too many of the youngsters are being blooded though. Cooper is in simply because Pearce has been horrific, Tanner, Kuhl etc rarely feature after some early season promise. It now looks like they were only played because our injury problems were so catastrophic rather than being used to get some much needed experience. In all honesty most of them would have benefited from a season out on loan...

As for 'learning useful lessons' from a 6-1 humiliation I wouldn't hold my breathe seeing as Adkins clearly learnt nothing from our equally humiliating 6-0 loss to Peterborough last year!

I would be ok with a mid table finish if I even remotely thought we could push on next season but that isn't the case, under Adkins reign we've gone backwards and if we carry on our current trajectory WE WILL end up in league one.

[Royal Rother]

But football is about emotion & passion.....that's why fans follow their club to the ass end of nowhere on a Tuesday night in December.

Yep, but there's a value in taking the emotion out of it. The Board of clubs need to do that for sure. Difficult when they are in the thick of it of course - which is sometimes why outside consultants will be called in to review things and report back.

(Bit far-fetched but I vaguely wonder whether that was Roy Keane's job at Villa... i.e. to report back on Lambert.)

[Bob1871]

We have been bad at home but even worse away.

Adkins should have gone after Bournemouth away, you could see then that the team just gave up, didn't want to fight and looked like conceding every time they had the ball. Same again yesterday!

Lots of calls then to give him a chance and big players will be back from injury. McLeary and Williams both played, our injury table doesn't look anywhere near as bad. Yes the players have to take some of the flack but ultimately the tactics aren't working and that is only one persons fault.

If we don't get rid of Adkins soon we are going to be pulled into a relegation battle!

[MmmMonsterMunch]

Fair enough. Would have Adkins here in a heartbeat though.

I jest of course - although I do seem to recall you were very positive about his appointment until relatively recently...

Feel free to slap me down if I'm wrong!

Well doesn't that kind of prove my point then? I was very pro-Adkins but his tenure has been a disaster & he isn't very good at his job.

Anyway RR you're not answering any of my questions...... Why are we getting worse? I totally agree about stability but do you not think the guy has had a decent stint to show what he can do?

At what point do you say "This isn't right and we need to make a change". When the gates drop below 10k? When we are in the bottom 3?

I'm in disbelief about your statement about it being a mid table season TBH. We're dropping like a stone.

[Royal Rother]

Disbelieve all you like MMMmmm, I don't mean to go all Snowball on you but look at the facts below.

Things are looking a bit rubbish right now but I said at the start of the season I'd be more than happy with mid-table finish and a group of our youngsters being well-blooded. For me that would be a better season than a near miss / play-off loss.

Looks like it's panning out that way so (as someone who doesn't go to games so has a minimal frustration of current performances) I don't have much of a problem. 6-1 isn't nice but I suspect there'll be some harsh but useful lessons learned from that experience.

I'm not suggesting there's an easy solution but the best way a club of this size can really progress is become largely self-sufficient for players and selling them on. Blocking their progress by bringing in players from outside in the chase for promotion year on year at the expense of financial stability is folly.

I don't really care much whether Adkins stays or goes myself, but I do rate stability in the managerial position highly, and when times are hard a lot of patience is required.

That's in very short supply in the football world these days.

I agree with the first paragraph completely, sadly not too many of the youngsters are being blooded though. Cooper is in simply because Pearce has been horrific, Tanner, Kuhl etc rarely feature after some early season promise. It now looks like they were only played because our injury problems were so catastrophic rather than being used to get some much needed experience. In all honesty most of them would have benefited from a season out on loan...

As for 'learning useful lessons' from a 6-1 humiliation I wouldn't hold my breathe seeing as Adkins clearly learnt nothing from our equally humiliating 6-0 loss to Peterborough last year!

I would be ok with a mid table finish if I even remotely thought we could push on next season but that isn't the case, under Adkins reign we've gone backwards and if we carry on our current trajectory WE WILL end up in league one.

Sorry to be a bit clinical about it but I can't go along with that.

On the 8th November we were 5 points above the relegation zone.

On the 29th November we were 6 points above the relegation zone.

Today we are 7 points above...

The gap between us and 6th place has only grown from 7 to 10 points over that time.

I am in no way disputing the assertions that performances have been dull, uninspiring and downright shite at times but the trajectory is not as bad as you seem to think.

[From Despair To Where?]

This season reminds me of 1997/98, similar lack of spark and fight and a manager who seems similarly unable to lift the team.

This squad is way better than the one Bullivant had relative to the rest of the division and whist i've been broadly pro Adkins, I now believe that we need a new approach and a new face at the helm as the squad is more than good enough.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

You are talking purely in terms of points away from the bottom 3 though RR.

What about the trajectory of:

1) Defending / conceding goals
2) Fan displeasure
3) Effort from players
4) General performance
5) Attendances at home & away games

ALL OF THESE ARE ON THE SLIDE. Please do not try to suggest otherwise or you will make a lot of rational posters pretty damn angry seeing as you are not watching the games......

[Bob1871]

You are talking purely in terms of points away from the bottom 3 though RR.

What about the trajectory of:

1) Defending / conceding goals
2) Fan displeasure
3) Effort from players
4) General performance
5) Attendances at home & away games

ALL OF THESE ARE ON THE SLIDE. Please do not try to suggest otherwise or you will make a lot of rational posters pretty damn angry seeing as you are not watching the games......

Exactly this. I went to Forest, Brentford and Bournemouth away. I won't go to another away game whilst Adkins is in charge. Cost you a fortune and get nothing from the team, the games we have won away the reports seem to say we were lucky!

Hopefuy Adkins will be sacked soon so I can go to Fulham!

[semtex1871]

Ok, so let's imagine that Atkins does lose his job and we then get relegated under the new manager and fail to get out of League 1 for a couple of seasons.....what then?

#NewManagerOut all over Twitter?

It's never a simple case of replacing the manager...there are always issues with squad and infrastructure that need to be addressed too.

We know there is no money available and that JM & NH are not going to let any manager do things their own way.....I simply don't see that the manager is the issue here.....

[MmmMonsterMunch]

Ok, so let's imagine that Atkins does lose his job and we then get relegated under the new manager and fail to get out of League 1 for a couple of seasons.....what then?

#NewManagerOut all over Twitter?

It's never a simple case of replacing the manager...there are always issues with squad and infrastructure that need to be addressed too.

We know there is no money available and that JM & NH are not going to let any manager do things their own way.....I simply don't see that the manager is the issue here.....

evening Nigel

[Royal Rother]

You are talking purely in terms of points away from the bottom 3 though RR.

What about the trajectory of:

1) Defending / conceding goals
2) Fan displeasure
3) Effort from players
4) General performance
5) Attendances at home & away games

ALL OF THESE ARE ON THE SLIDE. Please do not try to suggest otherwise or you will make a lot of rational posters pretty damn angry seeing as you are not watching the games......

Err, come on, please don't insult my intelligence. Froomes said "if we carry on our current trajectory WE WILL end up in League 1", so I think the points away from the Bottom 3 is a tad more relevant (in context) than attendances, fan displeasure etc. etc...

[Royal Lady]

You are talking purely in terms of points away from the bottom 3 though RR.

What about the trajectory of:

1) Defending / conceding goals
2) Fan displeasure
3) Effort from players
4) General performance
5) Attendances at home & away games

ALL OF THESE ARE ON THE SLIDE. Please do not try to suggest otherwise or you will make a lot of rational posters pretty damn angry seeing as you are not watching the games......

Err, come on, please don't insult my intelligence. Froomes said "if we carry on our current trajectory WE WILL end up in League 1", so I think the points away from the Bottom 3 is a tad more relevant (in context) than attendances, fan displeasure etc. etc...

But I thought the fans not being behind the players affected performances?

[MmmMonsterMunch]

Since when did not getting relegated to the third tier become our yardstick for success FFS?

Come on RR......in the nicest possible way you're starting to fcuk me off a bit now.

[Royal Rother]

You are talking purely in terms of points away from the bottom 3 though RR.

What about the trajectory of:

1) Defending / conceding goals
2) Fan displeasure
3) Effort from players
4) General performance
5) Attendances at home & away games

ALL OF THESE ARE ON THE SLIDE. Please do not try to suggest otherwise or you will make a lot of rational posters pretty damn angry seeing as you are not watching the games......

Err, come on, please don't insult my intelligence. Froomes said "if we carry on our current trajectory WE WILL end up in League 1", so I think the points away from the Bottom 3 is a tad more relevant (in context) than attendances, fan displeasure etc. etc...

But I thought the fans not being behind the players affected performances?

Not bad.

[sandman]

Since when did not getting relegated to the third tier become our yardstick for success FFS?

Come on RR......in the nicest possible way you're starting to fcuk me off a bit now.

Why are you bothering? He doesn't watch the games and is one of these pompous "I watch Non-League cos hate the modern game" bores. He has nothing to offer on this subject. It's like getting into an argument with kes or frimboloid over the way we're playing.

[Royal Rother]

Since when did not getting relegated to the third tier become our yardstick for success FFS?

Come on RR......in the nicest possible way you're starting to fcuk me off a bit now.

Only because I'm batting your points back with interest.

Listen, I have no interest in falling out, just putting across views from that different perspective I spoke about.

[Royal Rother]

Since when did not getting relegated to the third tier become our yardstick for success FFS?

Come on RR......in the nicest possible way you're starting to fcuk me off a bit now.

Why are you bothering? He doesn't watch the games and is one of these pompous "I watch Non-League cos hate the modern game" bores. He has nothing to offer on this subject. It's like getting into an argument with kes or frimboloid over the way we're playing.

[leon]

And he supports Arsenal.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

Nice edit there RR.

You're not offering anything to the debate...you can wax lyrical about managerial stability all you like. Most sane people understand the concept of managerial stability & believe in it. But most of us can see this guy is fcuking shit at his job.