Summer Rebuild

[Sutekh]

I'm usually very optimistic about new managers but this guy will fail 100% and it's so clear.

Yes it's so obviously 100% clear.

And who got that shed load of dross to more than be a match for Arsenal, yes it was a big game, so a part of the work should be done if you're a half decent player, but still takes time to organise and get the team playing in an appropriate manner to be able to match up with one of the big 4/5 teams in the country.

Quite clearly the jury is out on Clarke and should remain so until the summer is over and we're 15 or so games into the new season then we can properly judge (unless the club totally fails to support the management in the transfer window of course).

[sandman]

I'm usually very optimistic about new managers but this guy will fail 100% and it's so clear.

Yes it's so obviously 100% clear.

And who got that shed load of dross to more than be a match for Arsenal, yes it was a big game, so a part of the work should be done if you're a half decent player, but still takes time to organise and get the team playing in an appropriate manner to be able to match up with one of the big 4/5 teams in the country.

Quite clearly the jury is out on Clarke and should remain so until the summer is over and we're 15 or so games into the new season then we can properly judge (unless the club totally fails to support the management in the transfer window of course).

This.

[tidus_mi2]

Had a Southampton fan telling me we shouldn't have sacked Adkins and that Clarke would fail because he's an assistant manager, not a manager.

He completed ignored me telling him performances under Adkins had been steadily declining, which cumulated in the 6-1 defeat while Adkins has shown promising signs, although it being painfully clear we lack a decent goal-scorer.

[Baggie192]

Baggie, would you trust him to build a to re-build a team for you?

This is actually horrific. It's like watching a car that's about to smash into the one in front because the driver isn't looking. You just know it's going to happen and they seem oblivious. This really is like predicting the future and I just know Clarke is going to mess this up.

He will spend what little money we have on total dross which will leave the new owners reluctant to spend in the future.

Clarke bangs on about us not having an end product yet he conveniently forgets that we are also conceding silly goals and have kept very few clean sheets during his tenure. Ok we're not getting smashed by six anymore but have things really improved that much.

I'm usually very optimistic about new managers but this guy will fail 100% and it's so clear.

He did mate Anelka, Vydra, Amalfiltano Anichebe, Lugano, Popov and Sessesgnon were all his signings. The fact Big Vic and Sess are the only two left says a lot. Rumour has it Barnsley wanted Saido who was in the u-21s at the time on Loan at Christmas. Clarke's sacking put paid to it after Anelka was sacked, Mel had to play him out of necessity he scored more than Anelka, Vydra and Popov combined

[Lacoste]

oh help

[Baggie192]

oh help

Soz

[Royalcop]

He did mate Anelka, Vydra, Amalfiltano Anichebe, Lugano, Popov and Sessesgnon were all his signings.

I'm interested to know to what extent they were 'his', i.e. did he have full control over transfers at the time, I thought you had a DoF set up at WBA? In any case our scouting system will be different to West Brom's so just because Clarke is blamed for some poor signings there doesn't necessarily mean those mistakes will be repeated here.

[Lacoste]

He did mate Anelka, Vydra, Amalfiltano Anichebe, Lugano, Popov and Sessesgnon were all his signings.

I'm interested to know to what extent they were 'his', i.e. did he have full control over transfers at the time, I thought you had a DoF set up at WBA? In any case our scouting system will be different to West Brom's so just because Clarke is blamed for some poor signings there doesn't necessarily mean those mistakes will be repeated here.

Errr

Yakubu, Knight, Appiah,

[Royalcop]

I don't think you can judge him on those short-term, stop-gap signings; the Yak got us past Derby, Knight is a squad-filler and Appiah looks promising if very raw. Knight and Appiah were also signed outside the transfer window when availability of players is greatly reduced.

[Baggie192]

He did mate Anelka, Vydra, Amalfiltano Anichebe, Lugano, Popov and Sessesgnon were all his signings.

I'm interested to know to what extent they were 'his', i.e. did he have full control over transfers at the time, I thought you had a DoF set up at WBA? In any case our scouting system will be different to West Brom's so just because Clarke is blamed for some poor signings there doesn't necessarily mean those mistakes will be repeated here.

Every HC since Roy Hodgson they've all had the final say. In fact I think it was only RDM who didn't and that was because he didn't have all his badges. He had input though. Pulis wouldn't have come if he didn't

[Ian Royal]

Had a Southampton fan telling me we shouldn't have sacked Adkins and that Clarke would fail because he's an assistant manager, not a manager.

He completed ignored me telling him performances under Adkins had been steadily declining, which cumulated in the 6-1 defeat while Adkins has shown promising signs, although it being painfully clear we lack a decent goal-scorer.

I can't help but feel Steve Clarke is the defensive coach Nigel Adkins desperately needed.

[RoyalBlue]

Had a Southampton fan telling me we shouldn't have sacked Adkins and that Clarke would fail because he's an assistant manager, not a manager.

He completed ignored me telling him performances under Adkins had been steadily declining, which cumulated in the 6-1 defeat while Adkins has shown promising signs, although it being painfully clear we lack a decent goal-scorer.

I assume you mean Clarke has shown promising signs but I would love to know what they are. Some comical signings in the transfer window (so whose fault is it we are still lacking a decent goalscorer?!) , an inability to keep clean sheets and score goals (worse than under Adkins) and, even though we haven't lost 6-1 we have still had some pretty heavy defeats and some humiliating/embarrassing performances.

I don't think you can judge him on those short-term, stop-gap signings; the Yak got us past Derby, Knight is a squad-filler and Appiah looks promising if very raw. Knight and Appiah were also signed outside the transfer window when availability of players is greatly reduced.

F*ck me! We signed Yak for just one goal in one game then? Who is to say others couldn't have scored that anyway. Knight is more of a rubbish bin filler than a squad filler and the fact anyone can claim Appiah looks promising just demonstrates how rock bottom our standards have become.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

whose fault is it we are still lacking a decent goalscorer?!)

The board quite obviously! Or perhaps also Adkins for selling Alfie & bringing in Cox? Who in Jan is going to let a decent striker go for peanuts? It's all very well moaning about not having one but none of us know what real options we had.

The club knew all along Murray was going back in Jan. So why weren't moves being made to replace him? Clarke wouldn't have even been in the job at that point.

I really hope we have some decent scouts in place this summer!

[Esteban]

whose fault is it we are still lacking a decent goalscorer?!)

The board quite obviously! Or perhaps also Adkins for selling Alfie & bringing in Cox? Who in Jan is going to let a decent striker go for peanuts? It's all very well moaning about not having one but none of us know what real options we had.

The club knew all along Murray was going back in Jan. So why weren't moves being made to replace him? Clarke wouldn't have even been in the job at that point.

I really hope we have some decent scouts in place this summer!

More concerning for me is that we have allowed Federici, Pearce and Karacan's contracts run down. Those three will cost us far more to replace than to renew. And to think we wasted money on Yakubu and Knight, when we had good young players at the club already.

Not all Clarke's fault of course, but he's definitely lost some of his shine .

[RoyalBlue]

whose fault is it we are still lacking a decent goalscorer?!)

The board quite obviously! Or perhaps also Adkins for selling Alfie & bringing in Cox? Who in Jan is going to let a decent striker go for peanuts? It's all very well moaning about not having one but none of us know what real options we had.

The club knew all along Murray was going back in Jan. So why weren't moves being made to replace him? Clarke wouldn't have even been in the job at that point.

I really hope we have some decent scouts in place this summer!

The owners and the board were to blame for us losing ALF.

Maybe strikers are difficult to find in January but were the piles of shyte that were Yakubu and Appiah really the best we could find? If so, why the f8ck waste any money on them (I don't believe Yakubu played for peanuts, despite the fact that was all his performances were worth)? ! We would have been better off trying the likes of Stacey earlier.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

TBF the club said they couldn't discuss contracts until safety was secured. Now they know they are playing championship football I'm sure they'll start putting budgets together.

I reckon Clarke will keep Pearce & Karacan if he can. Federici is absolutely replaceable IMO & I'm not that bothered about him going. I suspect all 3 of them are on mega bucks though which doesn't help. Saying that, no one else will be stupid enough to pay it so we might yet stand a chance!

[Ian Royal]

whose fault is it we are still lacking a decent goalscorer?!)

The board quite obviously! Or perhaps also Adkins for selling Alfie & bringing in Cox? Who in Jan is going to let a decent striker go for peanuts? It's all very well moaning about not having one but none of us know what real options we had.

The club knew all along Murray was going back in Jan. So why weren't moves being made to replace him? Clarke wouldn't have even been in the job at that point.

I really hope we have some decent scouts in place this summer!

Cox scored 8 goals under Adkins, hard to criticise him for a signing he was getting the goods from when in charge.

[Nameless]

Not sure about this Baggie fan
It was widely reported that Pulis only joined after WBA agreed to change their transfer policy and allow the manager control.
Prior to that the chairman pretty much kept coaching and transfers separate and expected the manager to deal with the squad he was given.
Not that it's a big deal, what Clark may or may not have done elsewhere matters little.
As does yet another user account created by a regular WUM

[MmmMonsterMunch]

whose fault is it we are still lacking a decent goalscorer?!)

The board quite obviously! Or perhaps also Adkins for selling Alfie & bringing in Cox? Who in Jan is going to let a decent striker go for peanuts? It's all very well moaning about not having one but none of us know what real options we had.

The club knew all along Murray was going back in Jan. So why weren't moves being made to replace him? Clarke wouldn't have even been in the job at that point.

I really hope we have some decent scouts in place this summer!

The owners and the board were to blame for us losing ALF.

Maybe strikers are difficult to find in January but were the piles of shyte that were Yakubu and Appiah really the best we could find? If so, why the f8ck waste any money on them (I don't believe Yakubu played for peanuts, despite the fact that was all his performances were worth)? ! We would have been better off trying the likes of Stacey earlier.

TBF I can't argue with much of that. In hindsight he could and probably should have turned to the yoof. But he'd only been in the job what a month at that point? Pretty harsh to judge him on the Jan dealings IMO.

[MmmMonsterMunch]

whose fault is it we are still lacking a decent goalscorer?!)

The board quite obviously! Or perhaps also Adkins for selling Alfie & bringing in Cox? Who in Jan is going to let a decent striker go for peanuts? It's all very well moaning about not having one but none of us know what real options we had.

The club knew all along Murray was going back in Jan. So why weren't moves being made to replace him? Clarke wouldn't have even been in the job at that point.

I really hope we have some decent scouts in place this summer!

Cox scored 8 goals under Adkins, hard to criticise him for a signing he was getting the goods from when in charge.

He had a purple patch for the first 2 months and then dried up. If he was doing that well Adkins wouldn't have been booted.