Fitton

[janaage]

I was expect 14-16th place finish before the season.

After our good spell when we were up in 8th around the play offs I was expecting a little bit more, I was slowly starting to believe we could be a force this season (yes me of all people!!)

Then the Adver with they play off hype bullshit didnt help.

We're meeting the expectation we all had in July....but not the ones we had in October.[/quote]

Good point DV, very true.

[redbullzeye]

I still hate Malpas. No matter what Fitton says, i don't like him as a person, as a manager, or as a tactician.

Why?

As a person: he isn't inspiring, interesting, or engaging
As a manager: his record was poor before us, and it's poor now
As a tactician: bizarre substitutions, players out of position, weird systems, strange selection policies (the goalie swaps, J.Smith having no future, playing well, then being dropped)

Just my take on him.

a) A bit harsh to hate someone you don't know other than through media interviews.  Sir Alf Ramsey wasn't exactly effusive!

b)Point taken about his managerial record so far but how much is that down to MM and how much down to players, politics at Motherwell etc.  I'd say he's yet to prove himself as a manager which is slightly uncomfortable as if he doesn't cut the mustard we'll suffer but it's too early to say without a full pre season and a chance to select his own players.  If he's going to get more Macnamee's and Kanyuka's into the squad then we can only
improve

c) Tactically I don't think he's any better or worse than Sturrock.  Half the time he's saying the same things about getting the ball wide and crosses in but we're not doing it on the pitch.  Anyway I don't think tactics are our problem it's lack of concentration and composure on the pitch that's been costing us and has done for years.  FWIW I agreed with swapping the goalies as they were both looking ropey at various times in the season.

Still, as Lady points out, it's good to disagree

[janaage]

Good to see it's not just us...

"Some of the abuse towards our manager has reached abolutely unacceptable levels in recent weeks. These boards are flooded with threads accusing him of all sorts of things which are wholly unjustified.

A very small minority of us who on here who predicted that we were as likely to play as well against Carlisle last night as we did badly on Friday at Donny.

I'm literally at the point of begging people to put aside their views of our manager and finally accept the truth that he will be here until the end of the season.

We will not drop out of the play off places and therfore please accept the fact once and for all that you may as well stop posting antagonistic articles on here. There has never been as far as I know, and will never be, a manager who is replaced while the team are in the play offs.

Can we please just put aside personal feelings and accept the fact? 6 games to go so please let's unite behind the team at matches and on here?"

From a Forest fan on 606.  Substitute a few words here and there and that could be written about STFC.  Play offs would be two words needing editing.

[Don Rogers Shop]

Forest and Swindon Fans are nothing alike

They spent stupid money in the summer and have every right to be pissed off with calderwood

[Luci]

Forest are in 4th place though, Id hardly call it a failure and a reason to lay into Calderwood as much as they have.

[DMR]

Forest are in 4th place though, Id hardly call it a failure and a reason to lay into Calderwood as much as they have.

I'm totally the opposite, if I was a Leeds or in particular Forest fan, I'd be mightily pissed off with anything other than winning the league.

Hopefully Forest will balls up the playoffs again and they'll give Calderwood the bullet come summer - and we'll have him here  

[janaage]

Dave do you really want CC back here, a legend as a player, but he's never been very popular with the fans at the clubs he's managed.  Some of his managerial decisions are quite baffling at times, apparently.

On one hand I'd like to see hmi come back, and it would get the fans on side, but on the other I'd be worried that one day, he'd get sacked or stitch us up.

[janaage]

Secondly I think it's harder for a club like Leeds and Forest to go up anyway, as all the clubs in the division love to play against them and raise their game accordingly - I think anyway.

Clubs like Carlisle, Donnie, Hull in the championship just sneak up on the inside un-noticed.

All the attention is on the traditonally "bigger" clubs

[DMR]

Anyway back to the Fitton comments - he does come across as a bit of a condascending fucker. The expectations, the hype and wanting to win everything.... that's the nature of being a football fan isn't it?

What Fitton and co have done for the club is immense - however in that interview he's guilty of what he's slagging people off for. You can't hammer people for having over inflated expectations and then basically say "I know best" when Malpas isn't really doing anything.

[DMR]

I make no secret of this Jan, I would rather see a 'name' in charge.

I'm not one of these people who only goes every now and again, drawn in by a big name gaffer - people on here know that I'll always go - but because I think a big name manager commands respect from L1 and L2 quality players. I bet half our squad would be shit scared of Wise or Sturrock because of their standing in the game. At this level I do believe the manager has to be a bigger name (look at Leeds, Forest, MKD, Peterborough etc), or a club legend (Martinez at Swansea for instance), someone of more stature than the players, not a load of no-marks being led by another no-mark.

I think people would struggle to find a post where I've screamed for Malpas' head, but the truth is I don't believe it will prove a prosperous appointment. Wise and Sturrock I think prove the point that a bigger name will bring success, you get what you pay for I suppose?

[Don Rogers Shop]

Part of me wants Malpas to go and part of me wants him to be hit obviously but i want to see that he is capable of doing something.

I understand its not his team and he has not got his own players or backroom staff even and i hope that when he gets all of that he turns it around.

The problem i have is that its weird decisions during games the dropping and changing of players then playing them in the wrong position when we have fit players and capable players in every position.

Yes we are fickle as fans thats the nature of the beast and yes some people are going way over the top in regards to slating malpas when saying they dont like him as a person etc as thats irrelevent .When i get annoyed is when people tell me my expectations are to high when all i want is a better record than 1 win in 10 .

[janaage]

That's fair enough Dave, I hear what you're saying.  Peterborough's not the greatest example isn't Darren Ferguson the manager there?  Hardly a name, I know his dad is but he ain't.  The Posh is his first job.

Also Martinez, doing extremely well with a decent set up, with no managerial experience.

I think all kinds of managers become successful, don't think there's a set formula to become a good manager.

If MM was sacked early on, I really hope he goes to another club and rubs our noses in it, the man does have footballing experience, he's not some fly by night cowboy, and that's why I'd like to let him have a fair go at the CG.

[DMR]

Planty of people out there with loads of experience who are still clowns. Not saying MM is one of them, btw.

Martinez is a good example of the fans getting behind someone, in the same way Ling or calderwood would get backing here. Not necessarily a prove track record in either instance but their time at the club means they dictate respect, I don't MM does.

[Matchworn Shirts]

"It is the same as Newcastle United fans in a way, although there the board agreed with them there. They think they have a god given right to win the Premier League every season but it just is not like that."

Bollocks

[Batch]

So what should our strategy be for recruiting our next manager (no manager lasts forever )

I'm not sure I subscribe to the "big name" v  "no name" malarkey. There are 5 basic options aren't there:

1. Experienced successful manager - like Sturrock. Pros - minimises the risk factor through proven success, gets the fans excited, Cons- rare as rocking horse pooh, expensive, likely to jump ship.

2. "Big name" retiring pro - pros - gets the fans excited, may have 'contacts' and favours to call in from playing days. Cons - expensive, massive gamble , for every Hoddle there is a McMahon.

3. "Big name charlie" - serial failure management, Bryan Robson, Graeme Souness, et al - Pros, erm, um, cons, they keep on failing and are expensive.

4. "who?" - Take an unknown with little management experience. Pros -cheap, likely to be more loyal to club (?), may work out to be best thing since sliced bread. Cons-little fan excitement, pressure for results brought about by lack of 'respect' (fans, players), may turn out to be the worst thing since I went commando and caught it in the zip.

5. "The internal appointment" - see 4. Could be an Iffy appointment (see what I did their)

Personally I'd go for 1 every time. But we are a division 3 side with 6500 average crowds, and as far as I know are still making a reasonable loss. The chances of attracting such a manager are slim, Sturrock was the exception not the normal appointment.

The other choices are much of a muchness aren't they (3 aside!). I think it comes down to a large slice of luck with these choices because whilst you can be as diligent as you want at interview there is no way of knowing.

I'll run with MM and hope that Fitton is ultimately right, and that if he isn't he'll do what is needed.