The definition of insanity.... (and how this relates to Andy Crosby)

[Osh]

1 hour ago, MelbourneValiant said:

I didn't watch. One game doesn't hide the fact we have been crap since the first ball was kicked at the start of the campaign.

That's just silly.

If you think that there's a football club you might fit in better with down the 500

[fuzzyvalefan]

We can disagree on the reasons and where the blame lies but we definitely seem to be sleepwalking our way towards relegation and undoing all the hard work of the promotion season

[PV1973]

56 minutes ago, Osh said:

How do you know that he was the "cheap option" or is that just what you believe. 

By the way, what do you do for a living. ..??

The reason I ask is that AC was appointed by Carol. She (and Kevin) are successful business people; they will have extensive experience of spotting good managers in their business and promoting them. 

I'm just wondering what experience you have of appointing and managing managers to make your pronouncements...?? 

If that’s the criteria for commenting then we may as well shut the forum because none of us have played professional football, been a groundsman, manager, DOF, organised match tickets sales, kit launches etc. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by PV1973

[Warren]

2 hours ago, Wrex said:

Pep, Artera, Kompany, Rob Edwards, Potterchino, Iriola and O'Niel had clearly superior playing careers to Crosby.

Klopp, Moyes, Marco Silva, Howe, Ten Haag, Di Serbia, Emery, Dyche, Ange, Wilder and Nuno didn't really have superior playing careers to Crosby.

Thomas Frank and Roy Hodgson never played professional football at all.

Carrick was a top Premier League footballer but hasn't proved himself in management yet. Mid-table with Middlesbrough in the Championship and beating us 3-0 isn't particularly impressive.

Yes, good points. 

[LancyTony]

3 hours ago, fuzzyvalefan said:

...we definitely seem to be sleepwalking our way towards relegation and undoing all the hard work of the promotion season

You do know we won the last 2 games? That we are now 15 pts off the playoffs and 9 off relegation? Yes - you could point to the poor run we had before these last wins...but you could point to the good run we had before the poor run, which coincided with a freakishly long injury list! We will not get relegated I'm sure! 

[fuzzyvalefan]

We have won the last 2 and no-one hopes more than me that is the start of a great run. But before that we had got 19 points from the first 18 games. 18 games is a much better indication of the quality in this league than 2 games. Multiply that tally by 46 games we get 47 points which is usually relegation. With this team as it is I think we will go down. If we find a good penalty box poacher and another left footed wing back option I think we'll be fine. The question is based on recruitment in those areas do you have the belief that we will get the recruitment right?

[Warren]

It's all there for the squad, Crosby and the coaching staff to prove over the Christmas and New Year period. We can climb back to mid table or fall closer to relegation. Wycombe is a big game in that context. Win, and that leaves them on 23 points and us on 28 points after 21 games. We can aspire to 60 points from there which would be safe. 

In the background is the Winter transfer window. I felt that went very badly last Winter. The left hand side of the pitch becoming so weak opposition teams targeted it. It looks vulnerable again. Needs fixing.

If we can score goals over this coming period we can live with the forward players. But does the loss of Blaster mean someone new is needed in midfield? I think we need to deal to lose 3-4 players and bring 2-3 better ones in. Less is more approach which, without detailed knowledge, I would hope is fundable. 

Edited December 21, 2023 by Warren

[Brian Johnson]

9 hours ago, Osh said:

How do you know that he was the "cheap option" or is that just what you believe. 

By the way, what do you do for a living. ..??

The reason I ask is that AC was appointed by Carol. She (and Kevin) are successful business people; they will have extensive experience of spotting good managers in their business and promoting them. 

I'm just wondering what experience you have of appointing and managing managers to make your pronouncements...?? 

To be fair Osh, managing a football club or spotting a good manager is totally different from bringing in good managers for your every day business.

Prime example is them lot down the road. Billionaires, the biggest employer locally and they can not pick the right football manager to save their lives.

There are many other prime examples of this all the way through football.

[Brian Johnson]

6 hours ago, LancyTony said:

You do know we won the last 2 games? That we are now 15 pts off the playoffs and 9 off relegation? Yes - you could point to the poor run we had before these last wins...but you could point to the good run we had before the poor run, which coincided with a freakishly long injury list! We will not get relegated I'm sure! 

You can not keep using injuries for an excuse of being on a bad run. All teams have injuries and suspensions.

We were really awful against Exeter but got a much needed win which you take everyday and then we played the best football we have done all season against Wigan and fully deserved the 3 points but then we are back to what we have been witnessing for most of the season against Middlesbrough.

 

[Osh]

9 minutes ago, Brian Johnson said:

To be fair Osh, managing a football club or spotting a good manager is totally different from bringing in good managers for your every day business.

Prime example is them lot down the road. Billionaires, the biggest employer locally and they can not pick the right football manager to save their lives.

There are many other prime examples of this all the way through football.

Yes. You could pick examples for and against. So we need to be careful what we wish for, eh...??

As for Carol and Flickers, they knew AC very well and he'd impressed them over the time at the club.

For me - not that I'm worth anything at all, he still has my confidence. He now needs to reproduce what we had against Wigan several times more though, with Arblaster injured, I'm not sure how that happens.

As a club we've got three or four more players that we must bring in from the window (and ship some out)

If AC can't do that then I'm sure Carol will load the gun. She's a clever enough person to know where we're up to, I think 

UTV

[Warren]

In my spectating career spanning 48 adult years now, I've seen many managers come and go at many clubs. Changing managers usually brings no medium / long term improvement. I think our latest change of managers was occasioned by the impact of adverse events in family life on job performance rather than a real wish for change. 

The system PV has played this season has driven me mad at times. Crosby has often not made it work and often made losing substitution / no substitution decisions.

He's also picked many teams with players being handicapped out of their best positions. Massey was one of the few players, picked in a sensible position, who looked up to the level of Middlesbrough on Tuesday. 

At times our play has been stunningly unentertaining - a master class in cross field passing going nowhere. Then compounded by poor marking / mistakes giving away goals we don't look like getting back. 

But despite all that, if it doesn't go badly wrong over the busy spell coming up, I'd stick with Crosby. View all this as learning. Hope his stability as a person can grow into long term management. 

That's partly because I think he's OK as a bloke representing the club well off the pitch. Partly because changing manager et al is also a big risk that mostly doesn't work. The real issue is sign better players - get better results etc. 

Edited December 21, 2023 by Warren

[Bimbleabout]

League form is picking up. If we draw or win Saturday we creep up the table a bit more.

[Guest]

13 hours ago, Osh said:

What was your previous impression of him four days previously...??

Four days earlier I was delighted with the team 

It wasn't any  thanks to him though we were 2 -0 up hammering them at 2-2 after he made subs we conceded 2 goals and looked a mess defensively luckily we looked a threat going forwards and won the game the players did as settled down when 3rd went in thank goodness. 

He just seems to me to not take any responsibility it was his changes that dumped us out the FA cup .

The league cup who in the right mind tries out football a team with better players.

Should have gone mega defensive and told the players block the goal up the fact they gave good players time thread balls through time after time and lets face it he as manager allowed it happen would suggest to me he is out of his depth .

Uche should have started tues for sure we should have turned into a dogfight not a stroll in the park for Middlesboroughs reserves .

Gone now wasn't good enough tues but that's not unusual as tues night more often than not we always turn in absolute atrocious performances resulting in defeats more often than not .

We only had to play well v Middlesboro and lose and folk may have started coming to the games regular again ,we didn't they won't,I'm sure the fella who come from Ireland be flying over every week see us lie down and have our tummies tickled (thats what it looked like to me ).

For that I cannot have faith in a manager who allowed our support to be embarrassed. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 21, 2023 by Devine intervention

[Valiiant]

 

Even if you don't think Crosby has done enough to deserve being sacked yet. I don't see how anyone can make any kind of valid argument that he's shown enough to believe he's the right man to take the club forward. He and we are going through the motions. The club will no get close to where Carol wants it to be with him managing the club, it's as simple as that.

[WV]

12 hours ago, fuzzyvalefan said:

We have won the last 2 and no-one hopes more than me that is the start of a great run. But before that we had got 19 points from the first 18 games. 18 games is a much better indication of the quality in this league than 2 games. Multiply that tally by 46 games we get 47 points which is usually relegation. With this team as it is I think we will go down. If we find a good penalty box poacher and another left footed wing back option I think we'll be fine. The question is based on recruitment in those areas do you have the belief that we will get the recruitment right?

20 games is a much better indicator of the quality in this league than 18 games. We have got 25pts. Multiply that tally by 46 games we get 58 points which is usually mid table. I suppose it depends on your predisposition and whether you ignore the last two games to alter the facts. 

Edited December 21, 2023 by WV