David Flitcroft: Yes or No

[singingiiiffy]

Reg must without a doubt want Flitcroft to stay as anything above a relegation battle is a huge welcome step

At the end of the day i want us up, hopefully flitcroft can turn it around. Power as a football fan can see the shit on the pitch for himself. be good to get him back on the radio and ask him about playing style etc

[Reg Smeeton]

Reg must without a doubt want Flitcroft to stay as anything above a relegation battle is a huge welcome step

Some truth in that... I've zero trust in Power, he's gradually taken us backward during his tenure, I had hoped that appointing Flitcroft and in SSP's words " giving him the keys to the CG" might halt the decline.  Clearly we're now in a dangerous place, I'll be very fearful that Power will make another pig's ear of a replacement, if he opts for that. I don't think Flitters will take us down.

[pauld]

As things stand we've won more games than we've lost, and have a positive goal difference. Only 3 sides have scored more than us and oddly of those sides only 1 has scored, a dodgy pen against us. It's obvious that things aren't great atm, certainly not helped by injuries, but I've seen enough to think that Flitters should get the window. The alternative would probably be back to Power, Brady and TT, getting in a bogof deal on more Feruz, Colkett, Dabo style acquisitions.

Think that's a fair point tbh Reg, and main reason why I wouldn't join calls for Flitcroft to go - as Town fans we should all know that whenever you find yourself saying "Well it couldn't get any worse", it very much could and probably will. Don't think Flitcroft will get us back up, but I don't think he'll take us down either. Whereas another stint of the Power Way in this division frightens the crap out of me

[BambooToTheFuture]

I don't know why, however we're not privy to what happens in the background.

As regards Flasher and his Exeter example... they are of course the very epitome of why you don't sack the manager.  Last season at the same stage as us 21 games in their record was W 7 D 3 L11... 24 points happily in the Conference mix. They hadn't won a single home game, which added to the previous season was something like 1 win in 17.

Their fans wanted Tisdale out... they stuck with it and ended up in the Wembley PO, the corner turned in Jan when they had a nice little run of 7 straight wins. Did they do something in the window   I don't know, maybe PV as our south-west correspondent can help.

Hmmm but with Tisdale he's been there...a good while. I know that raises your point in case but my counter would be and it's a tad harsh "What has he actually achieved there?"  The Exeter fans must be itching to be a sustained League One team. They must look at Burton Albion and feel almost cheated. History (to date) will say that Tisdale has kept Exeter as a L2 club (with a brief foray into L1). Don't get me wrong, I like Tisdale but he is a L2 manager.

[Reg Smeeton]

Hmmm but with Tisdale he's been there...a good while. I know that raises your point in case but my counter would be and it's a tad harsh "What has he actually achieved there?"  The Exeter fans must be itching to be a sustained League One team. They must look at Burton Albion and feel almost cheated. History (to date) will say that Tisdale has kept Exeter as a L2 club (with a brief foray into L1). Don't get me wrong, I like Tisdale but he is a L2 manager.

Exeter are a Trust run club, they spent 5 years in the Conference. There are similarities with us, namely their demise was at the hands of dodgy owners, which brought Admin and the existence of the club called into question.  They lucked out by getting Manure in the Cup taking them to a replay... that generated the funds to clear the CVA.

Their more wise heads amongst their fan base probably realise that they're doing OK, to be run sustainably and retain league football.  They've even generated enough for some modest ground redevelopment.  Outside of some wealthy individual wishing to come in and bankroll us, theirs is the sort of model we could look at if League football is to continue at the CG.

[Batch]

be good to get him back on the radio and ask him about playing style etc

Except it wouldn't, because rightly he'd stick by his man regardless of private thoughts.

"Ya know Shaun, yeah I'd like us to play better, but so would Dave. He's got the job of getting us up and it don't really matta how he does it. Listen, we are close to the playoffs and Dave will have the tools to do the job. We know what we need and we'll do our business early in January"

[RobertT]

I get the worry about things could be worse, they could.  Last seasons team would be lower.

My belief is that the current squad is better than we are producing and they are largely producing based on Flitcroft's demands.  Therfore my belief is that someone else could do better with what we have and I worry that Flitcroft can indeed make it worse as well.  his penchant for making his stamp on things, combined with having no actual plan beyond get it forward worries me.  The Taylor debacle, and it is one, is of his own making.  The Barnet result was largely of his own making.  Basically he is a very poor mans Sam Allardyce.  His mere presence as Manager now grates on me.

I would also state - we have been utter shit all season, in every game, in terms of style.  It's fucking awful.  I can take substance over style, but we are just playing a game of chance when we step on the pitch.  Only two games come to mind where we have looked in "control" - FGR away in the league and Dartford in the FA Cup.  Every other win has been by small margins in the game, no control.  Every defeat bar Barnet and Crawley have been the exact same the other way around.

Flitcroft moaning about defending set pieces - we got both our goals against Colchester via the same bloody route.  We create jack shit, Elsnik being the exception.  Knock it forward feed of the scraps, hope for a free kick or corner.

Tails-  I was saying we were shit and lucky when winning, we are shit and a little unlucky now we are losing.

[Reg Smeeton]

I get the worry about things could be worse, they could.  Last seasons team would be lower.

So who do you think Power would bring in?  Who would you like to see come in? 

[tans]

Except it wouldn't, because rightly he'd stick by his man regardless of private thoughts.

"Ya know Shaun, yeah I'd like us to play better, but so would Dave. He's got the job of getting us up and it don't really matta how he does it. Listen, we are close to the playoffs and Dave will have the tools to do the job. We know what we need and we'll do our business early in January"

Not forgetting the usual ‘we woz after him but he cost more than a tenner so i said fuck that’

[digby]

I get the worry about things could be worse, they could.  Last seasons team would be lower.

My belief is that the current squad is better than we are producing and they are largely producing based on Flitcroft's demands.  Therfore my belief is that someone else could do better with what we have and I worry that Flitcroft can indeed make it worse as well.  his penchant for making his stamp on things, combined with having no actual plan beyond get it forward worries me.  The Taylor debacle, and it is one, is of his own making.  The Barnet result was largely of his own making.  Basically he is a very poor mans Sam Allardyce.  His mere presence as Manager now grates on me.

I would also state - we have been utter shit all season, in every game, in terms of style.  It's fucking awful.  I can take substance over style, but we are just playing a game of chance when we step on the pitch.  Only two games come to mind where we have looked in "control" - FGR away in the league and Dartford in the FA Cup.  Every other win has been by small margins in the game, no control.  Every defeat bar Barnet and Crawley have been the exact same the other way around.

Flitcroft moaning about defending set pieces - we got both our goals against Colchester via the same bloody route.  We create jack shit, Elsnik being the exception.  Knock it forward feed of the scraps, hope for a free kick or corner.

Tails-  I was saying we were shit and lucky when winning, we are shit and a little unlucky now we are losing.

I totally agree with all of the above ! In patches, where we played a bit of football instead of hoofball, we've looked quite decent and created a few chances. I've then thought that Flitcroft would see that too and the next game would be different but.............hoof !!   

[ferret]

I get the worry about things could be worse, they could.  Last seasons team would be lower.

My belief is that the current squad is better than we are producing and they are largely producing based on Flitcroft's demands.  Therfore my belief is that someone else could do better with what we have and I worry that Flitcroft can indeed make it worse as well.  his penchant for making his stamp on things, combined with having no actual plan beyond get it forward worries me.  The Taylor debacle, and it is one, is of his own making.  The Barnet result was largely of his own making.  Basically he is a very poor mans Sam Allardyce.  His mere presence as Manager now grates on me.

I would also state - we have been utter shit all season, in every game, in terms of style.  It's fucking awful.  I can take substance over style, but we are just playing a game of chance when we step on the pitch.  Only two games come to mind where we have looked in "control" - FGR away in the league and Dartford in the FA Cup.  Every other win has been by small margins in the game, no control.  Every defeat bar Barnet and Crawley have been the exact same the other way around.

Flitcroft moaning about defending set pieces - we got both our goals against Colchester via the same bloody route.  We create jack shit, Elsnik being the exception.  Knock it forward feed of the scraps, hope for a free kick or corner.

Tails-  I was saying we were shit and lucky when winning, we are shit and a little unlucky now we are losing.

I thought as much myself when he said that post-Colchester.

Our last 5 goals have all come from Taylor set pieces, and have (almost) all been cheap - they include a corner which went straight in, and one of those bizarre 90s video 'blooper' goals, where the Grimsby keeper completely missed a routine header back from his own player. It's another reflection of how things have swung from one extreme to the other - we didn't used to score 5 a season from set pieces.

The only other goal which we've scored during the 5 defeats is a 30 yard screamer (Anderson vs Grimsby) - so we'd be going back over a month to find our last routine goal from open play.

Again, Flitcroft cannot be exempt from criticism for this.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

The 2 goals at Yeovil, I reckon.

[Reg Smeeton]

I thought as much myself when he said that post-Colchester.

Our last 5 goals have all come from Taylor set pieces, and have (almost) all been cheap - they include a corner which went straight in, and one of those bizarre 90s video 'blooper' goals, where the Grimsby keeper completely missed a routine header back from his own player. It's another reflection of how things have swung from one extreme to the other - we didn't used to score 5 a season from set pieces.

The only other goal which we've scored during the 5 defeats is a 30 yard screamer (Anderson vs Grimsby) - so we'd be going back over a month to find our last routine goal from open play.

Again, Flitcroft cannot be exempt from criticism for this.

Most goals in English football are scored by set plays or errors... look at Man City on Saturday, first goal the Turk heads in a corner, 4th goal Dier and Loris fuck up and Sterling can walk the ball in. The 2 in between there was some football, but this is reckoned by pundits to be the best team ever seen in England.

[ferret]

Most goals in English football are scored by set plays or errors... look at Man City on Saturday, first goal the Turk heads in a corner, 4th goal Dier and Loris fuck up and Sterling can walk the ball in. The 2 in between there was some football, but this is reckoned by pundits to be the best team ever seen in England.

I don't think that we should be shrugging our shoulders and accepting that a standard goal from open play should be a rarity. It wasn't earlier in the season, and it wasn't last season.

The Man City comparison is not entirely relevant because they average about 3 goals a game. It's pretty obvious that not all of those goals are going to be works of art.

[RobertT]

So who do you think Power would bring in?  Who would you like to see come in?  

I don't follow the leagues below us sufficiently to answer - that's the job of a Chairman.  Challinor is a possibility but his rise could be entirely down to resources rather than ability - even then you'd probably manage to get 6-12 months of a boost just from the confidence it must be giving him as a Manager.  He might not want to move, but you could at least try.

Basically someone on the rise, not someone bobbing around.  Although, to be fair, I reckon any of the other Managers in this league could do no worse, but I'd go and push for someone making their mark.