How impressed are you with BMcD's return to the club?

[Longhorn1970]

isn't the real problem here that lots of people didn't support the return of McDermott because he wasn't the big/expensive/famous name they were after - and as a result they're not prepared to give him any time or any flexibility whatsoever?

I think some people considered it a backward step and signalled a lack of ambition, the results don't help either ...

[Nameless]

Lest we not forget a club is about the fans who pay their money, when a non footballing owner pushes the panic button mid season the fans are entitled to be disgruntled and the board should sit up and listen ..

Not sure anyone pushed a panic button, Clarke wrote his own death notice, was told what he needed to do to regain confidence and failed to do it. The inevitable happened.

And what exactly are you wanting the board to do ? A few people think Brian should work instant miracles, and it's taking longer than they think it should. So what sort of panic button are you wanting pressed ?

[Blackbag]

I don't think I've ever read such drivel in my entire life. What are you on about?! "I see the club as conservative vs non-conservative"?!

You're completely over-analysing everything here - it's just football, no need to make it into the pretentious drama you're trying to. Back to your padded cell.

Attacking someone who was passively airing a harmless opinion is a more conclusive sign of madness, tbh.

I get what he is saying. You either play freely without fearing making a mistake (football flows better, skill level goes up, you try more things, are more adventurous, feel more confident etc) or you play with caution and try to avoid making mistakes (you are more disciplined, play I but are playing with fear and a lack of freedom and adventure).

Our fans love to jump on a mistake. We bash players for not trying to make a killer pass, and then bash them when they try and it doesn't quite come off.

In fact, paradoxically, the same fans who slate McD for his conservative tactics are the ones slating players and discouraging them when they try something special.

Go figure.

Lest we not forget a club is about the fans who pay their money, when a non footballing owner pushes the panic button mid season the fans are entitled to be disgruntled and the board should sit up and listen ..

Wow . I agree with Longhorn ...............

[No Fixed Abode]

Lest we not forget a club is about the fans who pay their money, when a non footballing owner pushes the panic button mid season the fans are entitled to be disgruntled and the board should sit up and listen ..

Not sure anyone pushed a panic button, Clarke wrote his own death notice,

No he didn't. He didn't make the news public.

[Longhorn1970]

If McD is so shit, why are people expecting him to achieve more in 12 games than the last two 'better' managers did in close to 3 years?

Most people seem to think the last two managers were shit. They're hoping McDermott is better. Some of us have *yet* to see any real evidence.

And, as I seem to have no credibility anyways I might as well go the whole way and disagree with everyone, I think it's impossible to really know if Adkins could have turned out to be a good manager because of the circumstances. He took over a team in a tailspin then had to negotiate his way through a club in turmoil. Clarke picked up a poor team, got massive backing to assemble a good squad, then ruined it with bizarre decisions and poor judgements over talking to Fulham. McDermott has a good squad and a stable club. After 12 games there's little sign of addressing the problems left by Clarke - problems which by and large are in the domain of the manager, not the club structure. I hope he turns it around.

Fulham asked permission to speak to SC, the club agreed. Why is everyone so hung up on SC having a chat with them, this goes on in football. What didn't help was the nonsense reported in the media which everyone bought into. SC had massive backing ?? He had no budget and was clearly told to reduce the wage bill. All things considered I would happily have the problem he left "7th position" ...

[No Fixed Abode]

Careful Longhorn, you share the same opinion as me. You must be a troll too. I'm sure Ian will clarify this.

[Longhorn1970]

Lest we not forget a club is about the fans who pay their money, when a non footballing owner pushes the panic button mid season the fans are entitled to be disgruntled and the board should sit up and listen ..

Not sure anyone pushed a panic button, Clarke wrote his own death notice, was told what he needed to do to regain confidence and failed to do it. The inevitable happened.

And what exactly are you wanting the board to do ? A few people think Brian should work instant miracles, and it's taking longer than they think it should. So what sort of panic button are you wanting pressed ?

if you think we're in a better place now that's great ...

[Nameless]

Lest we not forget a club is about the fans who pay their money, when a non footballing owner pushes the panic button mid season the fans are entitled to be disgruntled and the board should sit up and listen ..

Not sure anyone pushed a panic button, Clarke wrote his own death notice,

No he didn't. He didn't make the news public.

Non secateur there.

Making the news public was irrelevant....................

[Nameless]

Lest we not forget a club is about the fans who pay their money, when a non footballing owner pushes the panic button mid season the fans are entitled to be disgruntled and the board should sit up and listen ..

Not sure anyone pushed a panic button, Clarke wrote his own death notice, was told what he needed to do to regain confidence and failed to do it. The inevitable happened.

And what exactly are you wanting the board to do ? A few people think Brian should work instant miracles, and it's taking longer than they think it should. So what sort of panic button are you wanting pressed ?

if you think we're in a better place now that's great ...

You and the other bloke love your non related follow ups don't you !
Whether we are 'in a better place' or not makes no difference. What are you expecting the board to do that wouldn't be far more of a panic measure than sacking a manager who wasn't committed and failed to deliver what was clearly asked of him ?

[Blackbag]

Not sure anyone pushed a panic button, Clarke wrote his own death notice, was told what he needed to do to regain confidence and failed to do it. The inevitable happened.

And what exactly are you wanting the board to do ? A few people think Brian should work instant miracles, and it's taking longer than they think it should. So what sort of panic button are you wanting pressed ?

if you think we're in a better place now that's great ...

You and the other bloke love your non related follow ups don't you !
Whether we are 'in a better place' or not makes no difference. What are you expecting the board to do that wouldn't be far more of a panic measure than sacking a manager who wasn't committed and failed to deliver what was clearly asked of him ?

How does your boyfriend put up with you

[Extended-Phenotype]

Kinda enjoying the irony of people attacking the board for 'pushing the panic button' on Steve Clarke in the same breath as advocating 'pushing the panic button' on Brian McDermott after just 12 games.

Not quite seeing the logic behind assuming we'd still be in 7th if SC was still in charge, either.

[Extended-Phenotype]

Definition of troll is to keep repeating the same flame pretending people haven't addressed their problem with it.

SC asked to speak to Fulham, a team not that much better than us, a short while into his commitment with us in which he cleared out the staff, moved players on and spent wedge on his own vision. Some are okay with that, some aren't and think he should be seeing his commitment through some of the way before considering jumping ship at the first opportunity.

Don't think its worthy of endless repetition.

[Ian Royal]

Just put aside the Brain bashing for one minute.

We have owners who:

- Interfere with players coming in/out
- Interfere with the colour of the kits (An all red away kit was in the early stages of production when Sasima decided she wanted pink)

I just can't see how any success can be obtained when the club is managed in such a way. Let the manager manage! Let his fate be determinded by whom he brings to the club and whom he allows to leave the club! And don't make our players wear that atrocious colour again! And stop writing songs! Just do your bloody knitting and lay off the Caraboa!

I genuinly like Brian, but he's got an impossible job here.

1) all owners interfere with signings, they're paying. The issue is when they don't involve the manager. We've no evidence that happened.
2) who gives a flying one about the away kit?

I think the song is funny. And there's nothing wrong with the kit.

[Ian Royal]

isn't the real problem here that lots of people didn't support the return of McDermott because he wasn't the big/expensive/famous name they were after - and as a result they're not prepared to give him any time or any flexibility whatsoever?

I think for 99% of people on this forum, it's just a side they have taken in an old argument. It's just old scores being settled rather than actual rational opinion.

If you thought Brian should have been sacked, you supported Adkins whatever. If you thought Brian was hard done by, you slated everything Adkins did. When Adkins went the Bri fans were more supportive of Clarke until he pissed everyone off. Bri comes back, and it's just forum user A rekindling his ruck with forum user B.

It's lame.

I thought Bri should go, supported Adkins but couldn't argue with his sacking, didn't like Clarke and now support Bri. So it's not quite that clear cut.

[howser]

With only Blackburn and Charlton below us int he "last 8" form table at what point will our position become, shall we say worrying, and what should happen if or when it does ?? Obviously our away game at Charlton will be a big marker for the remainder of the season.

[Longhorn1970]

Careful Longhorn, you share the same opinion as me. You must be a troll too. I'm sure Ian will clarify this.

[Ian Royal]

With only Blackburn and Charlton below us int he "last 8" form table at what point will our position become, shall we say worrying, and what should happen if or when it does ?? Obviously our away game at Charlton will be a big marker for the remainder of the season.

Our position becomes worrying if we are consistently accruing less than a point a game or we slip down into 19/20/21 territory.

McDermott has one tough game of the first ten left. Ideally you want to see a strong start from a new manager. It hasn't happened, but we've not got any worse, maybe marginally better and there are definitely elements of our games that have improved. Once the first ten is out of the way, I'd be inclined to write that off and then want to look at seeing an improvement in results over the next 5-10 games. If we're still not picking up many wins and knocking at about a point a game, I'll start to get concerned.


But really, we're out of options even if he does do badly. We've rolled the dice on improving on Adkins and failed. We've pushed a manager who wasn't dedicated enough to us and was performing badly. We need some continuity desperately. We simply can't just keep changing manager every season. It's not a winning formula. We know Brian can work well in our set up and in the Championship. So we have to give him at least next season as well. I can't see him relegating us, but even if he does, I'd be tempted to give him six months in League One to see if he can build some confidence and momentum and get us back stronger.

Sometimes a relegation can turn a struggling club around. Obviously you risk not bouncing back and stagnating at a lower level. But it can certainly pay off. Look at Saints, Leicester, Norwich...

[Blackbag]

I was fully behind Clark even after speaking to Fulham and personally didn't want him sacked . But when he was I was hoping for Pearson or a look in to lower leagues for a young upcoming manager . Brian I think was a step backwards although we all enjoyed the promotion season because surely if he was any good why did he not get a job at another team not counting Leeds as they don't keep anyone but Huddersfield or a league one team somebody like that . I hope I am wrong and he does us proud but cant see it early days though not yet Brian out .

[Extended-Phenotype]

isn't the real problem here that lots of people didn't support the return of McDermott because he wasn't the big/expensive/famous name they were after - and as a result they're not prepared to give him any time or any flexibility whatsoever?

I think for 99% of people on this forum, it's just a side they have taken in an old argument. It's just old scores being settled rather than actual rational opinion.

If you thought Brian should have been sacked, you supported Adkins whatever. If you thought Brian was hard done by, you slated everything Adkins did. When Adkins went the Bri fans were more supportive of Clarke until he pissed everyone off. Bri comes back, and it's just forum user A rekindling his ruck with forum user B.

It's lame.

I thought Bri should go, supported Adkins but couldn't argue with his sacking, didn't like Clarke and now support Bri. So it's not quite that clear cut.

Yeah, regretting saying 100% now.

Oh wait, I didn't.

Reeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaddddd.

[howser]

Cheers for that objective view Ian, no hiding I was disappointed when M cDermott came back, but we are where now, rightly or wrongly there are no other options. My heart of heart tells me that one convincing 2-0, 3-0 win will do wonders for the confidence..I hope this is the case of heart ruling head for once, I have been around and following this club for over 50 years and have revelled in the last 10+ years, really don't want to go back to the FA Cup first round and Johnstones trophy days ........