Hart and McP gone - Bodin in charge til end of season...

[Don Rogers Shop]

Think Wray is a west ham fan so could explain the downes one

[Arch Stanton]

Don't know much about Downes as a coach/manager, but wasnt he a member of the original Crazy Gang^TM?

I seem to remember him being a good player in an early 1980's ZX Spectrum football management sim type game.

[reeves4england]

I don't want to think what sort of headlines the Adver might come up with.

[OOH! SHAUN TAYLOR]

Hmmmm....Wally Downes...bit of a thug isn't he? Could be just what we need in Div 4 I suppose

[pauld]

How so? I agree with the point about Lawrence/Trollope, as soon as Lenny buggered off Rovers did indeed nose dive.

As I've said elsewhere, Lawrence left around the same time the money did. Wovers got right in the shit financially (they still are) which was apparently one of the reasons he left (and why they later had to sell Lambert) leading to Trollope having to manage on fuck all resources. So you may well have it backwards - i.e. that the lack of money both did for Trollope and forced Lawrence out (cos they couldn't afford him or he bailed), rather than that Lawrence departing exposed Trollope as useless by himself. Seem to remember reading somewhere that Trollope's entire budget to strengthen his squad for this season (ie including additional wage expense as well as transfer fees) was low five figures and that was after they'd sold Lambert. A lot of managers would struggle under those conditions.

[pauld]

Think Wray is a west ham fan so could explain the downes one

Link's just as likely to be via Reading isn't it? We seem to have good contacts at the more plastic end of the M4

[Arch Stanton]

As I've said elsewhere, Lawrence left around the same time the money did. Wovers got right in the shit financially (they still are) which was apparently one of the reasons he left (and why they later had to sell Lambert) leading to Trollope having to manage on fuck all resources. So you may well have it backwards - i.e. that the lack of money both did for Trollope and forced Lawrence out (cos they couldn't afford him or he bailed), rather than that Lawrence departing exposed Trollope as useless by himself. Seem to remember reading somewhere that Trollope's entire budget to strengthen his squad for this season (ie including additional wage expense as well as transfer fees) was low five figures and that was after they'd sold Lambert. A lot of managers would struggle under those conditions.

Hmmm, this is cogent reasoning that my brain can't cope with after a few beers, so are you saying Wise is better with or without Poyet? 

[RobertT]

I'll wade in on the Wise one.  Just because Poyet has done a good job, everyone's gone off on this "it was all down to Poyet" route.  Tis bollocks.  Under Wise we played a very distinct tactical game which does not resemble Poyet's Brighton set-up.  Wise played it narrow and had the winger tuck right in when the ball was on the opposite flank with the aim of pressuring the ball - at all levels, players tend to play worse balls under pressure and that is magnified at L2 level.  If they did get around the pressure, it needed a long cross field ball, which allows the team to drift over and recover positions in time.  It was taken lock stock and barrell from his Wise's time at Wimbledon.

Poyet may have been behind some of it, he seems an intilligent chap, but just because Wise can be a bit of a prick and chased the cash by taking his odd role at Newcastle, it's wrong to suddenly sweep away what he very evidently did bring to us at the start of that season.

[DiV]

What arriba said re: Bodin.

He's been coaching at Town for the best part of 10 years now...

[pauld]

Hmmm, this is cogent reasoning that my brain can't cope with after a few beers, so are you saying Wise is better with or without Poyet?  

Not saying either really. Nor am I saying Trollope is better without Lawrence. Just trying to redress the balance a little on what I think is an unfair assumption a lot of people seem to have jumped to about Trollope. As Rob T has so admirably done for little Mr Wise. Who knows? Maybe Trollope's success was all down to Lawrence and the fact he was cut off at the knees financially was a coincidence. Or maybe he's a damn good manager who just needed Lawrence to guide him a little as an older head while he found his feet initially and he then got completely sabotaged by the Rovers' board's financial ineptness just when he could have really pushed them on. I certainly don't know either way, just trying to point out it may well be a bit more complex than the easy conclusions a lot of people have jumped to.

We seem to have developed a habit in this country of writing young managers off the first time they falter, rather than allowing them the time to make mistakes, or allowing for circumstances beyond their control. Seems like the first time something goes wrong, whether it's their fault or not, they're written off as shit and no-one wants them. And that simplistic mentality (not having a go at you Arch, it's a more general point) seems to apply as much in the boardroom as in the stands

[Iffy's Onion Bhaji]

I get the impression that Trollope is a very good coach. What would concern me though is whether he is more than just that. We had Malpas here who was supposidly a good coach. That didn't make him a good manager though.

The obvious concerns over Bodin would be the lack of experience of any manager role within the football league.

Not sure about other potential candidates but I know a few have mentioned Richard Money. If what i've heard from Luton fans is true i'd want to steer clear of him personally.

[RobertT]

From speaking to him, Malpas knew his stuff, just seemed utterly incapable of getting players to doing anything bordering on coherence on the pitch.  Conversely, I always though Sturrock was a bit basic and limited when discussing anything football related, yet had a good record managing at this level.  It's oft stated that the lower down you go, the more basic you need to make it for the players.  Think that's why the Wise tactics worked and why teams with lower budgets often do well when the odds seem stacked against that being possible.

[flammableBen]

What happened to Martin Ling? I remember his name being bounded about last time (or the time before)?

Ling-Bodin Super team?

[pauld]

What happened to Martin Ling? I remember his name being bounded* about last time (or the time before)?

*I think you mean "bandied"

Did a good job at Orient, fucked up at Cambridge is the executive summary. Although bearing in mind my previous comments, not that familiar with the situation at Cambridge but from memory they had a fair amount of boardroom turmoil, so may not have been down to him

[flammableBen]

*I think you mean "bandied"

What have I told you about patronising me with this shit. I actually meant bounded. As in "to bound". His name was leaping around all over the place. Like a special school puppy. You could say that it was "being bounded about"

I believe this is your second warning Paul. Don't think you are immune just because the last time the trust did anything was with your face on the back of the adver.

I've banned DV for less. And more.