The new manager thread.

[Batch]

Wellens confirmed (Twitter)

https://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/2018/november/wellens-joins-as-new-manager/

[1989Monkey]

Now lets get behind him!

[horlock07]

Now lets get behind him!

Sadly for many that will be with a knife grasped in their hand.

[horlock07]

Wellens confirmed (Twitter)

https://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/2018/november/wellens-joins-as-new-manager/

Some quotes and shit, although no scarf photo, just someone spraying all over the pitch...

https://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/2018/november/wellens-joins-as-new-manager/

[1989Monkey]

Sadly for many that will be with a knife grasped in their hand.

Unfortunately that is the nature of our fan base at present. This won’t be easy for him to begin with but he was a leader as a player and I expect a leader off the field. He will be delighted woth the talent we have in midfield and if he can sort the strikeforce out in January then we could have a sniff of the playoffs still

[Batch]

I'm dead against this appointment as it stands. madness.

But you have to cut the guy some slack and give him the season to see what he's about.

It's going to be very difficult to significantly lift us before January with the squad we have.

I don't think we'll go down, so playing players in position, dropping non performers and injecting some pace and purpose to our attack is what I'll judge him on.

a last concern is that this is Power saying 'I've tried it with proper established managers, but it's not worked so it's back to the Swindon way (the Williams model)'. time will tell

[RJack]

I'm dead against this appointment as it stands. madness.

But you have to cut the guy some slack and give him the season to see what he's about.

It's going to be very difficult to significantly lift us before January with the squad we have.

I don't think we'll go down, so playing players in position, dropping non performers and injecting some pace and purpose to our attack is what I'll judge him on.

a last concern is that this is Power saying 'I've tried it with proper established managers, but it's not worked so it's back to the Swindon way (the Williams model)'. time will tell

I agree with you Batch.

Personally if he hasn't got us promotion wrapped up to League One by end of January I'm going to boo the fuck out of him

[Reg Smeeton]

I disagree with your Cooper assessment. I think there was meddling from Williams/Power, he had a strop, Power relented and handed over total control then hung him with his own rope at the first opportunity. I've based this on snippets of info I remember at the time.

To be fair, Cooper wasn't too bad; In fact excluding the caretakers I think Williams was his only major mess up. Even then it probably fitted his buy em cheap and stack em high recruitment policy.
--
I do think thought that they are hamstrung by our constantly last minute recruitment. But that's another argument.

The one thing that fucked Power over more than any was the change in loan rules.... not being able to get in short term loans to paper the cracks of not having a decent squad, to cover injuries and suspensions.

In the Cooper/Ling/Williams season, we'd have gone but could get in an El-Abd, Louis, Gladwin. The following Willaims season, we couldn't and went down.

Last year Power stretched the budget a bit so the squad was better, but even then we'd have short periods of not having a full bench etc.

This season, with a reduced budget and something of an unbalanced squad, being able to get in a couple on short term loan woulld have been ideal.

Of course it's the same for all, which is why Div 3 and 4 owners, are lobbying for a change back to the old rules of emergency loans.

[Sippo]

I'm dead against this appointment as it stands. madness.

But you have to cut the guy some slack and give him the season to see what he's about.

It's going to be very difficult to significantly lift us before January with the squad we have.

I don't think we'll go down, so playing players in position, dropping non performers and injecting some pace and purpose to our attack is what I'll judge him on.

a last concern is that this is Power saying 'I've tried it with proper established managers, but it's not worked so it's back to the Swindon way (the Williams model)'. time will tell

Genuine question. Who would you have appointed?

[Flashheart]

This won't be popular, but looking back....

Mark Cooper 2013–2015 - In post for c.2 years, did OK then things essentially ran their course, fans got on his back and Power responded and got rid.
Lee Power 2015 (caretaker) - Short term and a bit shambolic while tried to find someone.
Martin Ling 2015 - -Appointment that was welcomed by fans and seemed a really good fit, went to shit through no fault of anyone.
Luke Williams 2015–2017 - Would never have got the job if the Ling thing hadn't gone tits up, was an interesting and risky appointment, although could be said to address our fans clamour for young  upcoming managers, went tits up, fans got restless and sacked, although Power was possibly a bit too loyal in dragging it out*.
David Flitcroft 2017–2018 - Manager who had record of success in this division, given a budget and fucked off at the first availability;
Matt Taylor 2018 (player-caretaker) - Only one game, who knows, filled a gap.
Phil Brown 2018 - High profile and I imagine didn't come cheap, has record of success albeit a while back, allowed to bring staff in and also sign some players, hardly a cheap uninspiring option.

So out of that only 3 have been sacked and in every case at the time when the fans were calling for their head, then immediately slating Power for adhering to their calls.

BTW that's 7 managers in five years (Which is a bit shit but sadly par for the course in modern football), so looking back to the Black/Fitton era when everything was wonderful, that's also 5 years and we had 7 or 8 managers in that time, I don't recall the same level of fuss then?

* Interesting that many berate chairman of other clubs for being too trigger happy in that thread and then berate Power for not being so, its almost like the guy cannot win.

Out of all those, I think we can only really call Power at fault for Williams. Not so much for the appointment itself, but the handling of it (or lack thereof) when things needed fixing. I reckon we'd still be a L1 team (at least) had Power pulled the plug at the right time and appointed a proper manager (Not Sherwood).

Wellens is more of a risk, but I almost see him as an untried new manager.

[Batch]

genuine answer, don't know. how can I answer that without knowing budget, managerial salary expectations and interested parties.

I'd persist with Brown if Richie Wellens is the best we can attract. I think power had it right in type of manager, just didn't work out. I assume we can't afford a safe pair of hands, which haas left us to a massive risk.

In fact its the risk that is the main issue. Oddly I'd be more at ease with this if we were in L1 with the L2 safety net.

Its akin to a tightrope walker doing another high rope with no safety net. Last time he fell off he says because the rope was wobbled by someone. This time its well secure so it'll be great. He may be right, but ...
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this shouldn't be confused with not hoping he does well. of course I do.

[Batch]

I agree with you Batch.

Personally if he hasn't got us promotion wrapped up to League One by end of January I'm going to boo the fuck out of him

That's the opposite of what I said.

[4D]

Just need someone to get em to shoot, on target would be a bonus too.

[Flashheart]

I assume we can't afford a safe pair of hands,

Brown was a safe pair of hands. At least he should have been. And Flitcroft.

[Batch]

yeah, and we are still safe in division 4 . and I think we'll continue to be this season.

this has much more potential to blow up in our faces