Is it the right time to sack the manager ?

[Linden Jones' Tash]

PV doing the heavy lifting? Feels like a PR smokescreen to me.
KJ is more likely to have the high level contacts needed for these kind a deals...

[Hound]

PV doing the heavy lifting? Feels like a PR smokescreen to me.
KJ is more likely to have the high level contacts needed for these kind a deals...

Not sure Eddie is really a PR for Pauno as such. Depends how heavy his involvement has been tbh

Sounds like Dann and Halilovic were very much Pauno signings. Agree the Chelsea lads seems more agent level on the face of it

[Stranded]

Yes, the Chelsea loans may have had some involvement from another party but as I've said elsewhere is it really a massive leap to think VP sold the club and how he sees the team playing this year to them in order to seal the deal.

He is also on the transfer board at the club so would have an active role in identifing and recruiting targets as part of this job.

[Westwood52]

This transfer window reminds me of our last season at Elm Park (?), when in one swoop we signed 7 (?) players.That didn’t work.
That said we have on paper signed better quality players this time round,and had to do something.I don’t believe we have acquired players in an organised structured way,and think there is a bit of panic buying in this window.I am sure Pauno didn’t want to proceed in this way and would have preferred some cherry picking;however his job is on the line and he had no choice.
While we have been screaming out for a LB for months,the key signings I believe despite their ages ,are Dann and Drinkwater.Can Dann sort out the defence ? Is Drinkwater still England quality ?If the answer too both questions is yes;then we may still have a season. I am really excited about the QPR game.Can we be solid at the back and can Drinkwater tear a hole in the fake hoops.Fingers crossed.

[Stranded]

This transfer window reminds me of our last season at Elm Park (?), when in one swoop we signed 7 (?) players.That didn’t work.
That said we have on paper signed better quality players this time round,and had to do something.I don’t believe we have acquired players in an organised structured way,and think there is a bit of panic buying in this window.I am sure Pauno didn’t want to proceed in this way and would have preferred some cherry picking;however his job is on the line and he had no choice.
While we have been screaming out for a LB for months,the key signings I believe despite their ages ,are Dann and Drinkwater.Can Dann sort out the defence ? Is Drinkwater still England quality ?If the answer too both questions is yes;then we may still have a season. I am really excited about the QPR game.Can we be solid at the back and can Drinkwater tear a hole in the fake hoops.Fingers crossed.

I disagree, this all feels pretty well planned out within the restrictions we have been given to add much needed depth/competition for positions where we very clearly needed it. The only places where a late change of tack has been needed were a new CB and a striker (if Carroll or AN Other signs) due to poor form and injury.

You look each deal and they make sense:

TDB and Drinkwater - competition/replacement for Laurent/Rinohmota - means we aren't reliant on the latter two playing week in week out, we may even sell one.
Hoilett - experienced competition for Ejaria (if he is ever fit again)
Rahman - much needed LB
Halilovic - right sided midfielder filling the hole left by Olise/Meite
Dann - steady hand to right the defensive ship

Given we weren't even able to really sign anyone about 4 weeks ago that is a very targetted list and from the snippets from some of the signings, the club and VP in particular have been keeping in regular contact with them. VP has also said in the past that he wanted more experience to supplement the younger talents we have - you can't argue that the signings of Dann/Hoilett/Drinkwater (and poss. Carroll) meet that criteria, Rahman is still a good age, Halilovic is still 25 and TDB is a younger player.

I like the way we have approached this window with our restrictions, it just seems fast due to the (for us) relatively small window we've had to work in.

[Sanguine]

Pauno has just signed players to mould into what he think will work. If we sack him a new manager has to come in and make work what

Loans and one year contracts will result in us being in the same position next summer. Though possibly in an even worse position if first team regulars depart. There's no long term strategy at board level. The same reason the other clubs under ownership have failed. Mismanagement.

The other strategy available to us is not to sign anyone, and to play the kids.

On the question posed in the OP, if you'd said to me a few weeks back that we'd end the transfer window with Rahman, Halilovic, Drinkwater, Hoilett and Dann in our ranks I'd have laughed heartily. The Board has 'backed' Pauno as much as it can within our current situation, so he needs to have some time now to make it work.

On the bigger picture, if we finish comfortably mid-table this season it'll have been a successful one given the FFP cloud hanging over us. I'm guessing that isn't a level of 'success' many contributing here would aspire to, but I also think that it is realistic. I'm not sure, to be honest, why anyone would expect more. I don't think it is too extreme to say that the club is teetering on the brink of financial collapse. Let's be careful what we wish for.

[Stranded]

Pauno has just signed players to mould into what he think will work. If we sack him a new manager has to come in and make work what

Loans and one year contracts will result in us being in the same position next summer. Though possibly in an even worse position if first team regulars depart. There's no long term strategy at board level. The same reason the other clubs under ownership have failed. Mismanagement.

Yep the club has been mismanaged terribly and we are reaching what us hopefully the nadir. This embargo may be the best think to happen to us as it shows that there is potential quality out there for next to nothing, in football terms.

If Hoilett, Dann, Halilovic (as the perm signings) are on the full whack we can spend then Moore's alleged wage is still about 10k pw more. Crazy.

[Millsy]

IF ​a manager is crap the time to sack him is always ASAP.

Some of us feel he has already proven to be crap, some think he needs more time.

Annoyingly you can't judge him on this season (much), you have to go by what you think of him last season.

If Coppell had a start like this after the 106 season (let's assume it was in the champ for argument's sake) we'd all rightly point to the circumstances and give the guy a break (I hope).

The worry is for many of us he's consistently shite and getting worse since the opening few games and are seeing the same mistakes being made now.

While I was totally put off him last season, and only saw him get more and more inept I am still open to giving him a chance with the new signings coming in. As I said at the end of last season, by Xmas we'll know and he probably needs that much of a chance at most. And perhaps 2-4 more games at least.

[Millsy]

This transfer window reminds me of our last season at Elm Park (?), when in one swoop we signed 7 (?) players.That didn’t work.
That said we have on paper signed better quality players this time round,and had to do something.I don’t believe we have acquired players in an organised structured way,and think there is a bit of panic buying in this window.I am sure Pauno didn’t want to proceed in this way and would have preferred some cherry picking;however his job is on the line and he had no choice.
While we have been screaming out for a LB for months,the key signings I believe despite their ages ,are Dann and Drinkwater.Can Dann sort out the defence ? Is Drinkwater still England quality ?If the answer too both questions is yes;then we may still have a season. I am really excited about the QPR game.Can we be solid at the back and can Drinkwater tear a hole in the fake hoops.Fingers crossed.

I disagree, this all feels pretty well planned out within the restrictions we have been given to add much needed depth/competition for positions where we very clearly needed it. The only places where a late change of tack has been needed were a new CB and a striker (if Carroll or AN Other signs) due to poor form and injury.

You look each deal and they make sense:

TDB and Drinkwater - competition/replacement for Laurent/Rinohmota - means we aren't reliant on the latter two playing week in week out, we may even sell one.
Hoilett - experienced competition for Ejaria (if he is ever fit again)
Rahman - much needed LB
Halilovic - right sided midfielder filling the hole left by Olise/Meite
Dann - steady hand to right the defensive ship

Given we weren't even able to really sign anyone about 4 weeks ago that is a very targetted list and from the snippets from some of the signings, the club and VP in particular have been keeping in regular contact with them. VP has also said in the past that he wanted more experience to supplement the younger talents we have - you can't argue that the signings of Dann/Hoilett/Drinkwater (and poss. Carroll) meet that criteria, Rahman is still a good age, Halilovic is still 25 and TDB is a younger player.

I like the way we have approached this window with our restrictions, it just seems fast due to the (for us) relatively small window we've had to work in.

I might be wrong but I believe these signings are all Serbian Orthodox like Pauno is. Seems a bit fishy to me.

[Snowflake Royal]

Eddie said earlier these are firmly Paunos signings. He’s talking to the players, doing most of the work. These are Paunos signings that he’s working hard for and he’s managed to seal four in five days. Takes a lot of dedication and commitment to pull that off, he’s doing a job that usually three different men are appointed by the club to do because Pang is useless when it comes to footballing affairs- alarming as he’s supposed to be the one in charge of replacing Pauno if he goes and selling the project to them!

I’d give him until the next international break now, we can’t sack him after he did all that and alienate the signings that he’s convinced to join.

What a shambles. Might explain the shambles on the pitch though if he doesn't have time to do any training because he's sorting out transfers.

Not convinced by his selections. Very hit and miss imo.

[Nameless]

Eddie said earlier these are firmly Paunos signings. He’s talking to the players, doing most of the work. These are Paunos signings that he’s working hard for and he’s managed to seal four in five days. Takes a lot of dedication and commitment to pull that off, he’s doing a job that usually three different men are appointed by the club to do because Pang is useless when it comes to footballing affairs- alarming as he’s supposed to be the one in charge of replacing Pauno if he goes and selling the project to them!

I’d give him until the next international break now, we can’t sack him after he did all that and alienate the signings that he’s convinced to join.

What a shambles. Might explain the shambles on the pitch though if he doesn't have time to do any training because he's sorting out transfers.

Not convinced by his selections. Very hit and miss imo.

Many managers don’t do much on the training pitch, it’s why they have a team of coaches around them. It’s just not even a ‘thing’ to be worried about.
And considering for almost all his time here we’ve been operarpting with a threadbare squad he’s not had much of a ‘selection’ job to do.

[Millsy]

Eddie said earlier these are firmly Paunos signings. He’s talking to the players, doing most of the work. These are Paunos signings that he’s working hard for and he’s managed to seal four in five days. Takes a lot of dedication and commitment to pull that off, he’s doing a job that usually three different men are appointed by the club to do because Pang is useless when it comes to footballing affairs- alarming as he’s supposed to be the one in charge of replacing Pauno if he goes and selling the project to them!

I’d give him until the next international break now, we can’t sack him after he did all that and alienate the signings that he’s convinced to join.

What a shambles. Might explain the shambles on the pitch though if he doesn't have time to do any training because he's sorting out transfers.

Not convinced by his selections. Very hit and miss imo.

Many managers don’t do much on the training pitch, it’s why they have a team of coaches around them. It’s just not even a ‘thing’ to be worried about.
And considering for almost all his time here we’ve been operarpting with a threadbare squad he’s not had much of a ‘selection’ job to do.

I've been a harsh critic of Pauno since last season's f**kup and wouldn't be sad to see him go even then let alone now, but to be fair to the guy he will have quite a lot to do to prepare a team presumably. Surely a manager doesn't just leave all training and direction to coaches and simply spend 3 minutes picking a formation and selection on the day. Surely he has to be on the pitch watching players in training to develop his gameplan even if it's the coaches who lead the sessions. I've heard he spends a lot of time scrutinising videos of the opposition before every game so he can come up with a plan.

I'm not currently a fan as I say but if what tiagoilori says is true, fair play to the man for sorting all this out on his own, it's definitely going to have an impact on his ability to focus on games, if only the stress of not knowing whom he's allowed to sign. I'd be happy to give him till Xmas now based on that, now that stress is mostly out the way.

[Nameless]

What a shambles. Might explain the shambles on the pitch though if he doesn't have time to do any training because he's sorting out transfers.

Not convinced by his selections. Very hit and miss imo.

Many managers don’t do much on the training pitch, it’s why they have a team of coaches around them. It’s just not even a ‘thing’ to be worried about.
And considering for almost all his time here we’ve been operarpting with a threadbare squad he’s not had much of a ‘selection’ job to do.

I've been a harsh critic of Pauno since last season's f**kup and wouldn't be sad to see him go even then let alone now, but to be fair to the guy he will have quite a lot to do to prepare a team presumably. Surely a manager doesn't just leave all training and direction to coaches and simply spend 3 minutes picking a formation and selection on the day. Surely he has to be on the pitch watching players in training to develop his gameplan even if it's the coaches who lead the sessions. I've heard he spends a lot of time scrutinising videos of the opposition before every game so he can come up with a plan.

I'm not currently a fan as I say but if what tiagoilori says is true, fair play to the man for sorting all this out on his own, it's definitely going to have an impact on his ability to focus on games, if only the stress of not knowing whom he's allowed to sign. I'd be happy to give him till Xmas now based on that, now that stress is mostly out the way.

It’s a big job, he’s got to be on top of lots of stuff and undoubtably it would have been good to have Nicky Hammond (currently between jobs I believe) around hitting the phone’s right now. But it’s a short, intense period and he knows better than anyone what he needs. I really don’t think it will have any impact on training, odds are he’ll be pitchside on his phone multitasking !

[SouthDownsRoyal]

Eddie said earlier these are firmly Paunos signings. He’s talking to the players, doing most of the work. These are Paunos signings that he’s working hard for and he’s managed to seal four in five days. Takes a lot of dedication and commitment to pull that off, he’s doing a job that usually three different men are appointed by the club to do because Pang is useless when it comes to footballing affairs- alarming as he’s supposed to be the one in charge of replacing Pauno if he goes and selling the project to them!

I’d give him until the next international break now, we can’t sack him after he did all that and alienate the signings that he’s convinced to join.

Agree

Pauno IN

[Snowflake Royal]

Eddie said earlier these are firmly Paunos signings. He’s talking to the players, doing most of the work. These are Paunos signings that he’s working hard for and he’s managed to seal four in five days. Takes a lot of dedication and commitment to pull that off, he’s doing a job that usually three different men are appointed by the club to do because Pang is useless when it comes to footballing affairs- alarming as he’s supposed to be the one in charge of replacing Pauno if he goes and selling the project to them!

I’d give him until the next international break now, we can’t sack him after he did all that and alienate the signings that he’s convinced to join.

What a shambles. Might explain the shambles on the pitch though if he doesn't have time to do any training because he's sorting out transfers.

Not convinced by his selections. Very hit and miss imo.

Many managers don’t do much on the training pitch, it’s why they have a team of coaches around them. It’s just not even a ‘thing’ to be worried about.
And considering for almost all his time here we’ve been operarpting with a threadbare squad he’s not had much of a ‘selection’ job to do.

Selection of transfer targets, not the team, though some of that has been questionable obviously.

If he wasn't doing any coaching, he needs to roll his sleeves up and chip in to sort out the mess his defensive coach is currently making.

[Lower West]

Eddie said earlier these are firmly Paunos signings. He’s talking to the players, doing most of the work. These are Paunos signings that he’s working hard for and he’s managed to seal four in five days. Takes a lot of dedication and commitment to pull that off, he’s doing a job that usually three different men are appointed by the club to do because Pang is useless when it comes to footballing affairs- alarming as he’s supposed to be the one in charge of replacing Pauno if he goes and selling the project to them!

I’d give him until the next international break now, we can’t sack him after he did all that and alienate the signings that he’s convinced to join.

What a shambles. Might explain the shambles on the pitch though if he doesn't have time to do any training because he's sorting out transfers.

Not convinced by his selections. Very hit and miss imo.

Pang is the owners puppet nothing more. Desperation signings in the run up to the transfer window says it all. Pauno has obviously been instructed to get bodies. The club is a complete shambles. The great club I knew is sinking before my eyes.

[Snowflake Royal]

Remember when we were the poster club for being well run?

Good old 2002 ish to 2010 ish.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Mmmmmm wherever did it go wrong?

Comrade

[Snowflake Royal]

Mmmmmm wherever did it go wrong?

Comrade

If I had to pin point a moment, it would be one of these.

On the playing side
Not meeting Sidwell's contract expectations in 2006.

Kitson's injury v Middlesbrough.

Shorey getting an England call up

On the management side
Not having the expertise / ruthlessness to sign good enough players post 2006/07, the side had done too well and Coppell had too much faith in them.

On the ownership side
Madejski realising how expensive the PL was and resenting it

The 2008 financial crash wiping out a third of Madejski's fortune as we had to deal with relegation.

But the real omnishambles seems to have been selling to Zingarevich.

With the point of no return without huge pain the buyout by the Yongge's and appointment of Gourlay.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Yeah, the Russian weasel did it for me.