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Out-of-options Di Canio fears relegation
           
           


  PAOLO Di Canio hit out once again at Swindon Town’s failure to lift the transfer embargo hanging over the club after his side slipped to a 2-1 defeat at Crewe last night.

           

http://www.thisisswindontownfc.co.uk/news/headlines/10002591.Out_of_options_Di_Canio_fears_relegation/?ref=rss
           
           
           

Sorry, but shut up.

yawn

Change the record, Paolo.

Jeez. Someone stick a muzzle on him!

He moans that they are over worked and tired yet rarely ever gives them a day off. Hmmm.

WTF is this supposed to mean?

“We spent a lot of energy without scoring. I’m not worried because if the club doesn’t care we have to save the season."

All of the strikers at the club, with the exception of Storey, were bought by you, Mr Di Canio.

If you were able to buy another one tomorrow, would it be the right one? The one who can score regularly?

Maybe he reads the thisis section?

He's being a tit if he's blaming the board for the embargo. But where did he say anything about relegation?

He is boring me now. As said above, he signed all the forwards at the club, if they are not scoring goals he should have signed someone else! He also says he needs a creative midfielder, BOSTOCK?!?!

My growing problem the PDC is that he seems to need the best players in the division to win the division. Sure that makes it a hell of a lot easier but i'd like our manager to improve our players, to make the sum of all parts better than the individuals. He's got a squad most other managers in this division have said they are envious of!

We're seventh, its not a bad start to the season. We should be higher given the points dropped at home this season.

I'm in the camp thats not bothered where his future is anymore. Swindon is bigger than PDC and his rants are repetitive and tedious.

Your squad, Paolo.  Your players.  You have been backed by the Board to an extent that has not been seen at this club in decades.  (Infact, you could argue that the generous backing is what has caused the embargo in the first place.)

The scattergun approach (sign 3 players and hope that one works out) has to stop.  Yes, we have injuries.  But injuries happen at every football club.  They are part of the game, sadly, and they are the main reason we have a squad system.  At the start of this season - as we were all rubbing our eyes in disbelief at the depth of the squad that you had been able to assemble, with cover in every position - there were e-mails flying around showing 2 separate, credible starting line ups that we could field from that squad.  It's time to use the squad now.

The embargo argument is a red herring.  I believe that you are a good manager.  But you will only realise your potential if you start accepting that you bear some of the responsibility when the squad that you put together and the starting XI that you picked do not deliver.  Talk of having to 'save the season' two months before Christmas, and while we are 7th in the table, is frankly pathetic.

If Palace or Ipswich were to come in I wonder how much compo we'd get?  He must have 2 years left on his contract.

Way too early for that.  This season will still come good.  But Paolo needs a reality check.

I included the surrounding bits so you could see the context such as it is. It's just hack amateur psych games with the board and not very convincing at that. It might work with a squad of (comparatively) young inexperienced footballers, I don't see it working on Patey.

It's also not terribly encouraging to the younger players he brought in to know that actually they're not being included on merit, just as part of a crap psych-out to get an even bigger budget. He was bemoaning last night that Crewe have first-team ready players coming through from the Academy whereas we don't. Well, maybe they encourage and nurture theirs a bit better than this?

I am fully behind Paolo in 99% of the things he does and says but please Paolo don't be a fucking fool. Shut up and get on with your job instead of moaning about things that are, in the main, of your causing.

I have to say, last season was probably one of my favorites over the 45 years of following the Town, the footy was ok but the buzz around the club and the support was the best for ages. A lot of this was to do with Paolo.

But I have to say that he is beginning to get on my nerves, as someone earlier said, his players, his team. He's been backed to the hilt and we were apparently the 'Manchester City' of Division 2 last year.

Shut the fuck up and do your job, or shut the door behind you.

FFS !!!

We have a squad which must be the envy of a lot of, if not most, of the managers in this league and in my opinion could hold their own in the Championship.

So Paolo - stop tinkering, manage the players correctly, as much as possible keep a consistent team and stop the "buy 5 keep 1 mentality"

He's a fucking tool. Must be doing the players' heads' in.

I am starting to feel that he got us out of the doldrums of L2 and that will do, and if he fucks off then so be it

This team is entirely his making... if he hasn't got what he wants, it's his own doing. I can't be bothered to listen to him for the time being, it's tedious and irritating.

I think the "relegation" quote wasjust a Paoloism to emphasise the point.

I also think William, Collins, Benson and even Rooney have goals in them. We just need 2 of them to fire at the same time (and not be injured) to take the pressure off each other.

Might as well scrap the youth team whilst di canio is boss.

Yes, because players like Nathan Thompson don't get a look in.

he's a 3rd year pro and has only recently been given a chance. Di canios comments will do nothing for the confidence of the youth lads. The youth set up was in danger of getting scrapped during last pre season.the board decided to keep it going

But he has been given a chance.

and was already a pro when di canio took over.

At 21 he is hardly a youth team player.

Swindon haven't been good at bringing youth players through. Would have been interesting to see what might have happened if Paul Bodin had got the managers job.

Agree 100% with the general tone of the posts and especially Arriba on the youth team. Paolo needs to tone down this rhetoric if he wants to move on to bigger things, he's in danger of making himself extremely unattractive to chairmen.

Talk about relegation is just flat out embarrassing.

I reckon he'll get his chance in a caretaker capacity soon enough!

Thompson is a product of the youth team which works directly against any suggestion of scrapping the youth set up.

How many teams have youth players in their first 11? Storey is 18 and L Thompson is 17 yet we are expecting to see them play regularly? What other youth players do we have that people think should be getting game time but aren't?

Tell that to di canio then as it's him who is dismissive of the youth set up.

Don't think anyone said the younger ones should be playing regularly. If you need to utilise them to cover injuries you should expect that it is a learning experience for them and try to build them up, not just write them all off as shit.

FWIW, I would like to see Storey getting more game time - he would provide that turn of speed missing while Williams is injured.

Oh yeah, and if Bostock isn't injured and isn't playing, why do we have him? He is surely the creative midfielder of which PdC speaks.

And another "Oh yeah", PdC makes a big deal about how fit he gets his players with all the extra training, so 2 games a week for a couple of weeks shouldn't be an issue.

So asides from Storey (who did get game time yesterday) who else is there?

What other youth players is Di Canio ignoring when they should be playing?

We have a first team squad (i.e with squad numbers) of 25 and that's not including Rooney, Risser, Caddis or Cox. That only includes Storey and Thompson from the youth team (it also includes Smith, who is unlikely to play ever) but it really should be enough to get us through a few injuries.

But who else from the youths should be playing?

People are moaning they aren't used enough so they must have some in mind that should be getting game time.

The youth team manager for a start, I would speculate. Bodin is clearly far outside the inner circle, and there doesn't appear to be any constructive dialogue around youth development. Unless you know otherwise.

Maybe you can name a youth team player that should be getting more game time. We have Storey (who is on the fringes), any others?

Actually I was making a different point. I don't even think there should be as many youth team players in the squad as there were last night, given the number of players PdC has bought, but he (rather too forcibly) admits that its enforced rather than through any youth development policy. I think even you would be hard-pressed to find an occasion when he has mentioned an interest in bringing through youth.

Nobody is saying the youth lads should be playing yet. The majority won't make it but to dismiss all of them is wrong and will do nothing for their confidence.
Harry Grant from last year is a prime example. Was a second year scholar and a good one at that. Never looked at by Di canio in training or youth games and released. Given a 2 year pro contract at Sheffield Wednesday.
I would personally have had him around the first team squad before Louis Thompson who was only in his first year. At least to have a look even if in the end wasn't deemed good enough.

Swindon will always bring the odd lad through if they are given a shout and do no worse than other clubs in our position. Crewe buck the trend and to compare to them is never going to be fair,which is what Di canio did. No lower league clubs compare to them. They put alot more into their youth set up,thats how they operate. Their kids will get a chance as their fans know that is how they are and the pressure wont be as great. clubs like us don't gamble on youth as results are everything and managers risk their jobs on results.

You mention one lad that wasn't offered a contract. What about those that were?

What more do people expect?

Should he be lauding up the youth system when we currently have only one (18 year old) prospect that may be ready for first team football?

Honest question..... what more do people want?

What about them? Storeys touch isn't good enough in Di canio's opinion and i don't know what he thinks of Bedwell but he slated them all as a group last night.

You use the not signing of one player to say PDC doesn't give a shit about youths while ignoring the fact the he did offer contracts to others. A tad selective isn't it?

Have you read his quotes from last night? The contracts may have been given the from above for all i know but I know he doesn't watch the youths. He is dismisive of the youth set up and you've defended it up the thread. You've kinda gone full circle in this thread..

you've misquoted me above too as i don't think he should have signed him,my point was that he didn't even look at the lad.

The embargo lifted.

Surely Benson would have put away 1 of our many chances last night? He is surely our most natural finisher?

Is he injured or out of favour?

If he is not looking at youths then why are some of them getting contracts?

Seem to recall reading he had a dead leg.

Boardroom pressure and the fact that Bodin and our youth set up is respected by them at least. This is the same reason that there is still a youth set up here.

Adver said he was fit, so it looks as if this was PdC choosing to rest him, as he previously said Benson can't cope with consecutive games.

BBC Wilts said dead leg. Fiiiiiight.

Fucking hell!
 
If it was that easy to lift the embargo it would have been done by now so clearly it isnt.  

PDC doesnt give a balls about the youths. The fact he's never seen them play, the fact he dismisses them at every chance he get, his treatment of Bodin last year.  Now Bodin may well have not been good enough to cut it in league 1, but seeing his shipped out on loan to Torquay and Crewe while we were treated to Tehoue and Murray said alot!

Ultimately Paolo, wants to get to the top and get there in a hurry.  He isnt about to spend years faffing around nuturing our youths into the first team, he'd rather have an open cheque book.  To an extent he had that under Wray's wing.  Yes JW was a good guy who in his short time did alot of good for the club.  But the spending we have seen was/is unsustainable.

There may even be a part of PDC slightly surprised a higher level club hasnt made an approach for him by now.

I think enough's enough and time for the club to lay down the law a bit.  If Di Canio throws his toys out the pram and walks then so be it.  No man is or will ever be bigger than the club!

Ha ha

Some of you are babbling on as though PDC is neglecting a great youth set up. A set up which currently has one 18 year old that may be ready for some more first team games. If there were more waiting in the wings you'd have a point...... but there isn't.

There's a great view on a clear day from Bangkok. You clearly see more youth games than Dux.

Sorry, I didn't catch the name of the youth player you recommended as ready!

N Thompson. Becoming a first team regular because PDC PICKS HIM
B Bodin. Got first team games under his belt last season because PDC PICKED HIM (and offered a new contract)
Kennedy. Got first team games under his belt last season because PDC PICKED HIM
M Storey. 18 year old striker getting the occasional game because PDC PICKS HIM

Yet despite PDC giving opportunities to every youngster that shows some potential, he doesn't give a shit about the yoofs? Does this actually make any sense?

To be fair, they are/were young professionals, not youth team players. PDC has never been to see a youth team match (according to youth players scorned on twitter), so it would seem he could definitely engage with that aspect of the club more.

Perhaps he could/should watch matches. I don't know if it is standard to do so or not. (I'd prefer he left that to Bodin and focus on senior games though).

The thing is though that nobody seems to be able to suggest a single youth player that is being neglected, or has been during the manager's time here. (It's not a PDC thing for me, I'm wondering why people are sucking up the the yoof system that doesn't seem to be all that). If there are youth players that seems to have been ignored there may be a point, but I cannot think of a single one.

PDC seems to be acting like the king of trolls at the moment. On Monday he's happy with the board, but 24 hours later they don't care! There's enough quality in the side to cover these injuries, but if Paolo doesn't rate them then why did he buy them!

Fuck me BR, is it a slow day/night at the office. Might have to dust off the wooden spoon engraved with "Shit stirrer of the year".

You seem to be reading this thread in a completely different light to the rest of us. People are fed up of PdC's tantrums. People are fed up with him labelling first team players and youths as not good enough. No one is saying that he should as a matter of course use more youth players, just that when he has to he should be a bit more supportive. PdC laments not having a youth system like Crewe's, but I think he would still be wanting to always buy another senior pro even if he had it.

I appreciate that he got us promoted. I appreciate that we are in a good position on the league again this season. I wish he would shut his gob. I wish he would get on with managing what we have and accept that we already have more than we can afford.

I can see both sides of the argument with this. PDC's rants are frustrating and at times a bit silly but i've seen some people claiming he's losing the plot etc. He's hardly losing the plot. In fact you could argue he makes a valid point when he says we need a goalscorer. We do. Yes he signed these strikers but they had good track records when he signed them and they aren't producing at the moment (i'll exclude Williams from that and Collins as well in recent games). He wants a poacher who will get goals ala Austin style.

To claim we could be looking at relegation is simply crazy but we all know the man is a bit nuts and OTT at times. I do think he needs to just get on with it and stop harping on about not having players but equally I think he has got a lot more stick than he has warranted in the past week or so.

Actually, I don't think that is the point people are making. On the contrary, most seem more worried that we're having to put youth players on the bench given what we've spent this summer. It was di Canio's casual dismissal of the kids he selected that diverted the discussion onto his apparent lack of interest in the youth team.

Bodin has had a pretty good record of bringing kids through in the past, and making some tidy money for the club in the process. The non-relationship between his youth setup and the first team manager feels unhealthy, and I think that problem lies with the manager's short-termist attitude, and mistrust of the footballing staff who preceded him at the club. It's also at odds with the board's stated policy of investing in developing youth. 

I suspect Bodin would have gone by now if he didn't have the board's support, because he clearly doesn't have the manager's.

That's probably enough from me on this.

I didn't start a discussion about the youth team, somebody else did.

This is a discussion forum, discussion being the operative word. Or should discussions only go along the lines of: "Yes, I agree with you"?. Whatever, if people want to spout complete and utter nonsense without being able to back it up in any way then that's their prerogative. Personally I like to have reasons for holding a particular opinion.

7th in league 1, after winning promotion as champions last season is very good imo.

Best thing to do is stop reading or listening to PdC's increasingly ludicrous statements.

(Life as an ostrich is cool).

Indeed

You've got your view and aint budging which is fair enough,but you are making more of what is said in counter to your points,and seemingly ignoring other points too.

You appear to defend Di canio on every subject ever raised and ignore anything which counters it. i may be wrong but that is how it looks to me.

This ^^

 ::)

You might want to refer to the first page Arriba where I said PDC is being a tit.

Sorry I think that might have been me. It was meant to be more of a throwaway aside, not a runaway train!

Getting back on track with the M'Bargo/general "Give me more players" approach, I wonder if part of the problem here might be that Di Canio's thinking of this in terms of the continental manager approach where the manager's role is more of a first team coach and it's the board's/DOF's job to produce the players he requires/worry about the financial side. Hence his apparent lack of understanding that the board can't simply just throw more money at the problem?

exactly this.

Radio goes off at full time

Hmm, that's quite insightful. Anyway, turns out I was wrong. Hadn't previously seen this comment from the Sky report:
Hadn't heard him express his ideas about the youth structure before. Maybe he justs thinks our current setup isn't good enough.

Thats how I have been this season, I find it hard work to listen to and comprehend not to mention the wierd stuff that comes out of his mouth, stick to managing the team thank you.

Never thought I'd say it but Thank You RF. That the youth system is not good enough is what I am getting at.

Can't quite let you leave with that warm fuzzy feeling.  ;)

Part of me says this is just di Canio doing the usual window-shopping, thinking someone else's successes would be nice. Odd that we haven't heard his views on the academy before.  :zipped:

If Di Canio was at any similar club to us he wouldn't be impressed with the youth set up there either. As i mentioned earlier the comparison to Crewe is ridiculous. Their whole club ethos has been built on youth development so they benefit now in a number of ways. They have a big area to attract from and because of their previous success talented kids will opt for them over other interested clubs as they see their chances of making it as greater.

Swindon do what all the other clubs of our size do and do it as expected. Now either the club throw alot more into the youth set up for the long term,they keep the current way of doing things,or scrap it altogether.

People need to remember that youth teams play other youth teams so the jump then into pro football is huge. Those being ready at 17-18 are few and far between at any club,not just ones like ours.
Our young players generally do well against similar clubs and it's not like we don't produce players,certainly not less than our competitors.
Di Canio is frustrated that he doesn't have the tools in his opinion at the moment for league1,and the lads from the youth team not being ready is a part of it. I also can't help thinking that if he was manager at Crewe he'd be moaning that they didn't have enough quality bought in to supplement the younger lads. They've created footballers but don't set the leagues alight do they?

Has anyone mentioned our youths? Who's in charge of them now?

I have highlighted the funny bit. Please tell me apart from his child who he has bought through and made us a profit on.

On DiCanio i am actually bored now. Last season he was enthusiastic with his rants and made the players believe in themselves yet this season he just seemsto crucify them.He did last year aswell but you would often hear alot of encouragement but i am not hearing that this season.

He needs to be careful as make no mistake alot of managers would love to manage this crop of players and dare i say it may even get more out of them.

Apart from those who've gone on to our first team, recently I can recall Henshall to Man City and Stevens to Liverpool. Wasn't there also a kid who went to Chelsea last year, though I don't know if we got money for him?

Not one of them he bought to the club

Didn't know that, but I meant he brought them on, not in. Who spotted those talents then?

Bodin isn't solely responsible for players coming through,he is currently youth team boss but over the years has had other age groups. I wouldn't say individuals are responsible for players coming through or being sold. It is a collective effort.

A number of players playing pro football here or elsewhere will have been coached by Bodin at some point though

In fairness though, that's not Bodin's job is it? (To bring them to the club). Isn't it his job to develop them once they're here? Which on the evidence of those coming through to the fringes of the first team and/or being sold on, he seems to be doing isn't he? Apologies if I've got this wrong/missed the point

I am just struggling to see who our next top youngster is

Blimey, these people who watch all the youth games are beginning to get me worried with their superior knowledge of our blighted future.  ::)

Instead of being a sarcastic prick how about naming the players who will prove me wrong and make us lots of money

Thompson?

I don't know. I don't watch the youth team. Tell me why you don't rate the current crop.

Brilliant.I dont not rate them i just dont see any of them making us alot of money at all.Nathan thompson made his first team debut before bodin took over the youths.I would love to be proved wrong

nobody can answer that as it is an impossible question. Well mystic Meg perhaps?

If we have any proper good youth team players, then they are soon hoovered up by other clubs, so the best we can hope for is a useful lad who might come through and improve a bit with age, so be ready for Div 3/4 football a la Thompson/Bodin, to be good enough to be a pro...

As for PdC, the Herthab approach is best, amazing really that 2 or 3 indifferent performances and people want him out.  I think PdC is right to highlight the relegation threat..we're only 5 points better off than 10/11 at the equivalent stage, when we also had a side full of steady Div 3 journeymen, with a home record to match that dire season.

That season we looked at least a mid table outfit until December...when things started to unravel, had Wilson been a bit more bolshy and less of a yes man maybe it wouldn't have happened.

Yes, one of the lads who played in the U15s cricket team I ran had been on Swindon's books for quite a while. Now he has 'moved on' to Liverpool - He's now approaching 16.

I for one don't want PDC out and I can't see anyone that does?

The consensus is that he should keep his mouth shut and get on with the job he gets paid to do with the players he wanted.

As I understand it the dynamics will change when EPPP comes in.
Big clubs will be able to take any player before they are old enough to sign a pro contract and pay minimal compensation (in terms of what might be possible today).
However, my understanding is that they will be restricted to the numbers of players that they can have registered at any age group.
If I've got this right this might stop them hoovering up the numbers of young lads that they do currently but on the other hand if we get any gems we would be at big risk of losing them for peanuts.

It is worth asking though how Crewe have managed to retain so many good players, particularly when they are right under the noses of a number of big clubs; perhaps their track record persuades a lot of the kids that they'll get the opportunites there and will get a big move in time if they are up to it, whereas its difficult to convince a young lad at a club like Swindon that staying will be best for their long-term development.

The problem is that most people don't understand the payments under EPPP. To give an example;

- We sign up a 9 year old who turns in to the next Wayne Rooney.
- A Premier League club (let's say Everton) sign him at 16.
- He makes 100 appearances for Everton then a bigger club (say Man Utd) sign him for £20m.

We would receive payments totalling just over £5.3m under EPPP.

Exactly. What doesn't help is Chris Wise from BBC Wilts mentioning it to Paolo first, and then another 3 times after that. He was fishing for headlines and it doesn't take the brightest of failed journo's to work out Paolo will write them a list of headlines quicker than you can say buuuuuuuuut.

Was going to say this myself but I'd be accused of wanting to suck PDC's cock.

Just to qualify that and add balance blah blah: PDC should know better by now than to be lead so easily by the press.

Although he's been way OTT in public, maybe the squad needs tough love to avoid the second season syndrome. Whereas Wilson seemed to wilt and let the players rule him, Paolo won't do that.

I'm not so sure.  A few pretty die hard Town fans I know have completely had enough of him and are adamant he needs to go.  I don't imagine that they're alone.

The more he continues to whinge about the embargo and complain about the ability of players he's brought in, the more supporters are going to turn.

I don't want him to go, but I'm finding his moaning and rants increasingly irritating.  As somebody mentioned earlier in the thread, he needs to give the players a bit more praise and support in equal measures to the slating they get. 

Having Paolo as manager is like being married - you have to decide whether all the fucking moaning is worth the moments of pleasure. The moaning gets worse as the years go by and the moments of pleasure become shorter and less frequent.

I'm not ready for a divorce yet but I can understand some people wanting one.

I couldn't care less what he does as long as we are getting results. I've always said that. This is why I don't understand people who have said they actually want him out. We're 7th after winning the league below last season. It's far from a disaster in fact if anything it's pretty decent. If he was to go we'd end up with another manager like Wilson from the usual list of candidates who float between jobs every few years. No thanks.

Love him,would love him more if he actually cracked a smile once in a blue moon.

This season just doesn't seem as much fun as last year although at the same point we are doing better.

It would be good if PDC came out and praised the team for once, rather than publicly bollock them.

Couldn't have put it better!

:D

Genius.

Fuck that. He grates at times, and lord knows I don't suck up to him as much as others do, but wanting him gone? Who the fuck are these mongs?

Agree with this post, can't put it any better..

I would like to know who these people would want to replace PdC.

Another rookie? One of those band of managers who just seem to do the rounds and achieve fuck all?

PdC has pulled our club up from its bootstraps - and not just on the pitch - so be careful what you wish for, guys

Why people continue to employ these wankers is beyond me. As you say there's a band if them and stay for 2-3 years max and then move on.

I love the way we have historically given youth a chance in terms of managers and although Wilson came close our successes have always come from rookie managers.

Gene Wilder

Agree 100% with both.

People seem to be forgetting the excruciatingly slow start we made last season.  Given that we have an almost entirely new team again this year, I can't see why this is surprising.  Although I would say that, should our ascent continue, I would hope that we don't have to buy a million players every year as it's simply unsustainable.

Blimey, I arrive back from Porto (top place, and Super Bock do a stout which is very drinkable), to this!

di Canio has (in my opinion) got a better squad than Wilson had to take us to the playoff final, than King for the playoff semis and even McMahon when he won the title.  And yet he moans about HIS squad?  Get a grip.

It was great to win the league last season, and we've played some lovely football, but ride a roller-coaster for too long as you can start to feel a bit ill.  Do I want di Canio to leave? No.  But if he did I wouldn't care.  Someone, a few weeks ago, likened being managed by di Canio to being managed by a twelve year old girl, and I think that's right.  Time to grow up and use the impressive squad he's been allowed to assemble, and stop moaning.

Anyone else just think he wants to go to Mount Splashmore?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9-7JbSV2tg

Not true...how about Bert Head, Danny Williams or Fred Ford.  Our success with rookie managers, came from spending money we didn't actually have....Paolo wants to maintain this position, the Board can't allow it...hence the current impasse, and sense of impending doom.

Di canio has been great for many reasons, but with the budget he's had i think plenty of potential managers would have done aswell. We won a shit league after throwing alot of money at it and now things aint as easy, this is where a manager shows his worth. The embargo is down to his spending and the purse strings have been loose. He really has nothing to moan about.

Except all the injuries..

But every team gets injuries?  It's not as if we've got a tiny squad.  There should be enough players of a sufficient ability to cover.  If there's not, then why are they here?

I meant when the world wasn't in black and white.  ;)

Perhaps I should have said success has mostly come from rookie managers.

I don't have to list the rookie managers who have had success, you know them and wasn't Swindon Bert Head's first job?


Just like now then.

What success did we have with Fred Ford then Reg?

We won the Anglo -Italian Cup under Fred Ford
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Italian_League_Cup

He produced some real Focus.

[url width=700 height=381]http://fraserdigbyswashbag.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/fred-ford-naples.jpg[/url]

Would PdC have the cajones for something like this?

Eddie Buckley in the background...proper Town man.

Was it a transit ional period for us?

He definitely escort ed in a period of success.

Anglo Italian cup? Isn't Cortina in Italy?

What 5 first team regulars out for at least a month? Plus MacCormack's injury, Benson missed Crewe, Flint suspended for Coventry..
Come on give the bloke a break for fuck sake I would moan about that many players being out if I was manager

He started pissing and whinging after only Williams was injured.

These days many fans have no patience...we're in a mediocre spell no win in 3, and many wouldn't be unhappy to see di Canio go. Such fickleness is exemplified at Palace... a few weeks back their fans had protests trying to get Freedman sacked...5 or 6 games later they're up to 4th and they complain about his lack of loyalty when fucking off to the Trotters.

At that point he was actually saying that he needed the flexibility of being able to get loans in if needed.

While I don't agree with PDC that getting loans in now is as urgent as he makes out, another injury or two in key areas could leave us very exposed. Any manager in the league with a squad our size would be looking at loans in such a situation.

Agree with that Flash. I thinks what gets up people noses (and mine FWIW) is the fact he has had players on loan and not played them and has spent money on seemingly pointless players using up the budget which he's now moaning about being depleted.

I think he should be asking himself why the players he does have are unavailable (injured). Is he working them too hard?

Yeah he's a crucial player for us, any idea when he'll be backl? This has coincided with our lack of wins, he's been a quality player for us, despite not finding the net for quite a few games.

The problem with the amount of whinging he has done and the constant gestures to the directors suite during the games has not done him any favours. Some of these people are the ones who have gave so much support in terms of backing. It's a but like biting the hand that has fed him. I don't want him to leave but I want him to stay and be succesfull with us. But why not have his discussion in private rather than putting extra pressure by airing it public. Most people rebel at this sort of pressure, not what we need.

I think not for another 2 weeks.

Without Williams we don't have much pace up front so id quite like storey to come on in the last 20/30 and give the opposition something different to think of. His pace in behind might give other players more space on the ball if they start dropping off because of him!

Still don't think we need anymore players on loan, we have a big enough/good enough squad to cope with a few injuries

What on Earth are you jabbering on about?

I think he's on about Bostock

PDC using up our player budget, sorry if it wasn't clear.

Whilst you can include Bostock he's the tip of the iceberg.

Who controls the budget for the signing of players? Di Canio? Nope.

Bostock isn't fully fit. He's admitted it himself.

Next.

Well that's it then, problem solved well done.

But explain to me why the players PDC has bought are seemingly not good enough for him now?

Although Bostock's fitness does seemingly come and go from week to week, bit weird isn't it for someone who hasn't been "fit" for the best part of 2 months.

Coke wasn't fit and has been sent back so what's the story with Bostock then?

I get the injuries bit blah blah but if he hadn't spent big money on players either not to play or sat on the bench then he might have a bit more cash for a rainy day. PDC has spent big in a short time and has to face the consequences of that attitude and not bleat to the press.

Where's DV these days, thought he might have had some words of wisdom on this!

Five first team regulars?  I can think of Williams, Thompson and Navarro (the latter two who certainly haven't been first team regulars throughout).  We didn't lose a game while McCormack was missing, Benson has been in and out the side anyway and Flint disappeared into oblivion until he was suddenly resurrected for the Coventry game.  Therefore I'd argue that Di Canio has willingly left all bar Williams and McCormack out fairly regularly in favour of others.

Anyway Azza has summed up perfectly the point I was trying to make.

This is the funniest sentence I have ever read.

Bad signing then?....not fully fit after two months on loan.....who was he Porky the Pig on joining!

As PDC has said himself he isn't playing because he is to selfish off the pitch and needs to learn a different approach :hmmm:
If Bostock had started matches ahead of Ferry people would whinged about that....players like Ferry need to show more consistency that means a run of games....meaning people like Bostock will not get a sniff.

Fact is on the whole PDC has done a great job...but as a manager you are there to be shot at and when results are a little flakey its part of the job,he knows that.

To be fair a lot of them came with good reps and so far a few of them have not delivered. I've yet to see much from Rooney that has impressed me in any way shape or form. Collins has began to come good which is a bonus. Williams has been brilliant before he got injured but that's about it. Roberts I guess has suffered through injuries and probably isn't quite at 100% yet. Ward hasn't exactly been great.

Then some of the players who were excellent last season have yet to replicate that form e.g. McCormack, Ritchie and Benson.

It's all been a bit of a mixed bag really. Whilst I get the argument that PDC chose to bring them here if they are not producing on the pitch what more can he do? That's assuming he has got them fully motivated. And there's the argument of get them on the training pitch working on things. I don't buy that one as we all know he trains the players hard each day.

The suggestions that we have a squad just as good or better than the play off one a few years back are ones I do not agree with as of yet. We lack a goalscorer for a start and we had 2 that season. We also had a commanding CB which again we haven't really got this time around. I'm really not sure this team is as good as some make it out to be.

I think you may well be right.  At the start of the 2009/10 season, I think most of us would have settled for mid table stability.  The fact we came so close to promotion was largely unexpected and the words 'over achieved' were used continually. 

Following last season's exploits and the squad strengthening in the summer, the majority of supporters (myself included) probably had higher expectations than any I can remember for a season ahead.  We all got slightly blinded by success and expectation and now reality has set in.  Saying that we're still seventh 9 pts off the leaders with 21 pts.  At the corresponding point in 2009/10, we were 11th, 11pts off the leader with 19pts.  And then along came Charlie Austin ......

Some good points here.

I would be surprised if Benson and McCormack replicate last seasons form - I think they found their level with League 2 in terms of being able to put in 7/8 out of 10 performances every week. League 1 is a step too far for them to be quality players but they can still do a job. My worry is that we have several other players who the same applies for.

We had 4 youth players on the bench the other night and any manager in that situation would be right to want to bring in a couple of loans.

Time will tell if this side will be as good as the 09/10 one but at the minute the answer is certainly not and it is a weaker league.

On another note, I made the mistake of looking on the #stfc timeline on twitter earlier. Jesus. I knew a few on here moan about people on there but I never took much notice. Well fucking hell what a bunch of saddos with the 'fans group' and the mongs who run it being the worse of the bunch (up there with '@stfc_4_eva' - sad bastard). Attention seeking or what?

Fatbury had a mini-meltdown as well on twitter today.

I unfollowed him, was it about the Arsenal AGM, Adele, Witney Town or something else?

Arsenal are shit, our board are now shit, won't invest, Paolo will go, Ritchie will go

isn't this is a daily occurence for him?

No, it was about Swindon surprisingly.......

The board are no longer spending money, back to the old days, Ritchie will be sold soon. That kind of thing.

That is surprising. Thought he given up caring about us :) Its OK though, I'm sure tomorrow will bring a new crisis.

 ::)

[url width=680 height=511]http://i.imgur.com/4aMv3.jpg[/url]

A bloke told me on Saturday that Bostock is our highest paid player and is on just under £30,000 at a tottenham and the conditions we got him was that we have to pay half his wages, Although I find that very hard to believe maybe Bostock is on a fair whack and a good slice of his wages are on appearances. Bostock hasn't  played enough which doesn't make sense for the amount of time and effort used in getting him.

30k a week? I reckon your mates been on the magic mushrooms and mdma

30K a month would still be a shit load, obviously!

That's a good point, can't remember him saying week/month, just that we are paying half his £30,000 wages, It was from an old boy who I often have a chat with at half time, it's the most random thing he has ever come out with, if it was from a mate I would of laughed at him.

That sounds about right...Bostock was the great hope of English football, when Spurs signed him...don't forget Frank Nouble was on 10K* a week when we took him a while back, (*source...the same expose of the Hammers that revealed Luis Boa Morte was on 70K a week)

Haven't given much thought on who's on what until we went over the limit, it's like any other job where talking about wages is very taboo. We haven't got the biggest squad in the league so perhaps it would surprise some people what our players are being paid.

Wow, from recent postings on here and thisis it seems the fan base is prepared to tell PDC to do one then.

For: 7th in the league, a promotion, a Wembley final, several higher league scalps and the Villa game

Against: Bizarre and unjustified whining, dodgy signings (paid off), odd substitution, public criticism of players, public fall out with players, very expensive.

He annoys me at times, but assuming Black/Patey says we can afford him without risk to the clubs aspirations then I'm still happy to see where this crazy ride takes us.

I think the general consensus on here is more that people want PDC to stay, they just want him to shut the fuck up and stop being such a nobjockey when he talks to the press.

Spot on

Indeed.

This is spot on.

My problems with PdC are purely about presentation. This week he could have talked to the press about all sorts of things, such a s the progress of certain players injuries, the return of Luke Rooney giving him more options, Stevenage being a tough game because they are doing well. He just needs a decent dose of media training.

Let him have his say. Why do so many fans get so worked up about it, he has his opinion and we just have to accept it.

I miss-read the smoke signals. I agree with the above.