Franchise F.C v Swindon Town F.C Official Matchday Thread

[Flashheart]

Would we be doing better if we still had Ritchie? Would KMAC be getting the grief he is if we still had Ritchie?

[thepeoplesgame]

Its interesting to read that we looked reasonable playing 4-5-1 but utter shite when playing 4-4-2.

Fans chanting '4-4-2' is pretty embarrassing really thought isn't it? Seems that everyone is a manager these days?

It is a results business though and barring a fluky last minute win over Coventry and a good away win at Yeovil, results under KMac have been pretty shit overall. Throwing a novice manager in at this stage of the season sadly isn't working. Seems like there are elements of good performanced in some matches, but overall, its a bit of a D- so far.

Every comment that we were playing well under 451 has been qualified with the phrase "without creating much" or some variant thereof. And that's the problem, because as Paolo knew and as every fan with eyes can see, we need to create a lot of chances to score goals. We are not a team that can sit and hold a game at 0-0, knowing that we can hit on the counter and score from one of two or three chances created. We need 10 chances to score a goal. And if the new formation is supposed to sure up what was once the tightest defence in the league then, well, that hasn't worked either.

Of course it's not all MacDonald's fault because everything that could have gone wrong at this club since Christmas and New Year has, but in light of that it's hard not to feel that the new manager shouldn't have attempted to at least give the players a sense of continuity on the pitch.

[sonicyouth]

Would we be doing better if we still had Ritchie? Would KMAC be getting the grief he is if we still had Ritchie?

If we still had Ritchie then Black would have presumably not sold up or the takeover might not have been so drawn out and there's every chance Di Canio would still be here.

MacDonald's job should have been to ensure continuity but it seems that we're lacking that in every sense right now, unsurprising given that we've had wholesale changes in the backroom staff and in the boardroom too.

[london_red]

Fans chanting '4-4-2' is pretty embarrassing really thought isn't it? Seems that everyone is a manager these days?

Agreed x100

It is a results business though and barring a fluky last minute win over Coventry and a good away win at Yeovil, results under KMac have been pretty shit overall.

Results have been poor overall, although I would argue the Coventry win wasn't fluky, we dominated them for the whole game.

Also worth bearing in mind KMac has been in charge for a very tough stretch - trips to Yeovil (unbeaten at home in 8 before we went) Doncaster, Brentford and Milton Keynes (3rd best home record in the league) would have been tough even with PdC and Ritchie still here.

That doesn't excuse the poor performances and results at home, but I didn't hear people calling for Paolo's head after we dropped points at home to Orient, Colchester, Coventry and Scunny within a six week period earlier in the season...

[thepeoplesgame]

I didn't hear people calling for Paolo's head after we dropped points at home to Orient, Colchester, Coventry and Scunny within a six week period earlier in the season...

Probably because we also picked up four league wins and beat a team from a higher division in the cup during that same period.

[random_five]

Probably because we also picked up four league wins and beat a team from a higher division in the cup during that same period.

Yeah was going to point that out as well..
Of course their are "excuses" for Kmac, or to be fair,genuine problems that he has had to overcome.. but ultimately it seems pretty clear to me that he isn't good enough to manage STFC and we could even be in trouble next season if we keep hold of him too long.

[Bob's Orange]

Don't forget that it took Paolo a while for us to get going when he took over. We didn't exactly start off the League 2 campaign in style and it looked like we had made a bum choice.

I believe that continuity will pay off given patience (I know Football fans have none). We have to accept that this season has been ruined by the board takeover/embargo/Matt Ritchie sale/PDC leaving shenanigans and any play-off activity now is a bonus.

Next season, KMac can shape his team with his own ideas, his own pre-season, his own players etc. Calling for the manager to leave now is lunacy, are we Blackburn Rovers who change their manager every 10 games?

Its disappointing, but lets support the player and manager for the remaining matches and see what happens. We were spoiled a little under PDC, we have to remember that.

[london_red]

Also worth pointing out (as I think Bogus Dave did on twitter this morning) that it isn't just Ritchie we're missing.

For people saying about how we were tearing teams apart over Christmas we've lost nearly half that side. Devera was out with injury for an extended period, Thompson is now out for the season, and Hollands, Ritchie and Martin have all left the club.

[thepeoplesgame]

Don't forget that it took Paolo a while for us to get going when he took over. We didn't exactly start off the League 2 campaign in style and it looked like we had made a bum choice.

I believe that continuity will pay off given patience (I know Football fans have none). We have to accept that this season has been ruined by the board takeover/embargo/Matt Ritchie sale/PDC leaving shenanigans and any play-off activity now is a bonus.

Next season, KMac can shape his team with his own ideas, his own pre-season, his own players etc. Calling for the manager to leave now is lunacy, are we Blackburn Rovers who change their manager every 10 games?

Its disappointing, but lets support the player and manager for the remaining matches and see what happens. We were spoiled a little under PDC, we have to remember that.

I don't think anyone is calling for him to be sacked with four games to go, just pointing out flaws in his tenure thus far.

Paolo did take time to get everything to click (although there were enough obvious positives for plenty of people on here to back us for the title when we were out at 25-1), but then the start of a new season, and especially off the back of such an abject previous season, is the right time to try to impose a new system or new approach on a team… while there is margin for error.

It may have been appropriate in March if something obviously needed fixing upon his arrival, but it didn't, the club just needed to keep going in the same direction, get over the line, and then reappraise in the summer.

[random_five]

Don't forget that it took Paolo a while for us to get going when he took over. We didn't exactly start off the League 2 campaign in style and it looked like we had made a bum choice.

I believe that continuity will pay off given patience (I know Football fans have none). We have to accept that this season has been ruined by the board takeover/embargo/Matt Ritchie sale/PDC leaving shenanigans and any play-off activity now is a bonus.

Next season, KMac can shape his team with his own ideas, his own pre-season, his own players etc. Calling for the manager to leave now is lunacy, are we Blackburn Rovers who change their manager every 10 games?

Its disappointing, but lets support the player and manager for the remaining matches and see what happens. We were spoiled a little under PDC, we have to remember that.

Difference is PDC came in to a freshly relegated club with only 8 first team players still on the books. Of course it would take a while for him to get things settled.
Kmac joined a side top of the table, with good players, and has turned us into lower mid table standard at best.

[Flashheart]

I don't think anyone is calling for him to be sacked with four games to go,

You don't spend much time on social media then?

[thepeoplesgame]

Also worth pointing out (as I think Bogus Dave did on twitter this morning) that it isn't just Ritchie we're missing.

For people saying about how we were tearing teams apart over Christmas we've lost nearly half that side. Devera was out with injury for an extended period, Thompson is now out for the season, and Hollands, Ritchie and Martin have all left the club.

Of course, no one is saying the situation is entirely MacDonald's fault. The club has been a disaster area since Black withdrew all funding and threatened to throw us on the scrap heap, and as a result the squad is certainly weaker (Hollands, in particular, is much missed).

It may be that MacDonald can build his own squad, find some more clinical strikers, and apply his brand of patient possession football successfully next season. It will probably be good to watch if he does. But the conclusion of this season, with a transfer embargo denying him the opportunity to bring any new players in, wasn't the right time to try those ideas out.

But hey, it's only my opinion, and I'm hardly Arrigo Sacchi.

[Flashheart]

Of course it would take a while for him to get things settled.

He had a whole pre-season.

[thepeoplesgame]

You don't spend much time on social media then?

Thankfully not by the sound of it. To clarify, <b>I</b> am not calling for MacDonald to be sacked with four games to go!

[BruceChatwin]

Every comment that we were playing well under 451 has been qualified with the phrase "without creating much" or some variant thereof.

The 4-5-1 has made us stronger in CM but undoubtedly worse in defence and attack. Since those are the two fundamentals of football it's not really a good trade-off at the moment.

Under the old 4-4-2 we used to pretty much bypass the CM altogether and play balls from defence into the channels where there was always a winger/ one of the two strikers to hold it up then get down the outside of their fullback.

This was where most of our attacking threat came from.

Now when we find ourself in good positions there's no outlet down the flanks and everything has to be forced through the centre. You're basically reliant on a miracle defence splitting pass or a defensive error from a long ball, combined with the equal miracle of Williams actually putting the ball in the back of the net at the end of it.

The loss of form in defence is harder to explain, except to say the ball is in our third of the pitch a lot more than it used to be and our defence is under a much more sustained period of pressure, without the relief of any notable attacks to swing momentum back against the opposition.

The final concern: fatigue. We faded badly in the second half. The players may well claim they're doing the same amount of training as they used to, just in less time, but the evidence is starting to count against that theory from what we're seeing on the pitch.