malpas in or out

[janaage]

Of course they're not enjoying coming to the CG and seeing players lacking in confidence play poorly.

Just wish everyone went up the pub for a few hours before the match got tanked up and just decided to get behind the lads from the start.  It's like a morgue at the CG at kick off these days.

[Spencer_White]

I honestly dont think that would help. Its all about hope.

[dell boy]

Not changed my mind Malpas out, the only way I could put up with him here any longer is getting rid of Bryne and Williams and employ a more experienced No. 2, Williams is just not need, another job for the boys.

Re: Long balls - at times we try to play it on the deck but as mentioned we have professional centre backs who cant pass 10 yards straight to a team mate and end up hitting it long.
If we are going to hit long when under pressure at least hit down the channels and not straight down the middle, giving us time to close down the opposition, and regroup in the opponents half.

Corners: Why do we bring every player back when the opposition have a corner, we just clear our line and back it comes again and again and again.

Leave two up front at all times, McNamee (what is he doing defending) and possibly Cox, leave pacey players that always makes your opponents worry, and will keep three of four of the opposition back.

All these things seem so basic to me.

[leefer]

Also Dell,on corners of our own they have a routine on the edge of the box but there is no cohesion and if a bad ball is delivered in we are busting a gut to get organised..also the long floaty ball to the back post just dont work....i just feel at home we seem more worried about the oppo and are very rigid in our play and the only time we get abit of a breather is when Mcmanee recieves the ball.
Against Leeds we had 3 players dropped back marking Beckford and if they had pushed up into the box he wouldve had to drop back on account of them only having 10 players...its not rocket science...in short we give teams much to much respect at the County Ground.

[Don Rogers Shop]

Jan the supporters just whinge argument is bollocks, we conceded 3 the other night was that the crowds fault? Qpr,colchester,and leeds the fans were not on their backs malpas admitted that himself when saying he expected it soon if they keep playin so poor. Fucksake these players have proved they can rise to the challenge when they played when not being paid. The fans are not the problem the problem is no defence,no hard tackling midfielders and a overall worryingly lack of pace throughout the team.

[pauld]

Not changed my mind Malpas out, the only way I could put up with him here any longer is getting rid of Bryne and Williams and employ a more experienced No. 2, Williams is just not need, another job for the boys.

Re: Long balls - at times we try to play it on the deck but as mentioned we have professional centre backs who cant pass 10 yards straight to a team mate and end up hitting it long.
If we are going to hit long when under pressure at least hit down the channels and not straight down the middle, giving us time to close down the opposition, and regroup in the opponents half.

Corners: Why do we bring every player back when the opposition have a corner, we just clear our line and back it comes again and again and again.

Leave two up front at all times, McNamee (what is he doing defending) and possibly Cox, leave pacey players that always makes your opponents worry, and will keep three of four of the opposition back.

All these things seem so basic to me.

And all these things we were doing under Sturrock. I remember him making an impassioned defence of the "everyone back for corners" tactic at a fans forum on the grounds of it being about percentage football. For the record, I agree, it drives me mad as well, but it's not like it's some strange quirk of Malpas's.

Don't see why you seem to feel Byrne and Williams are the problem alone - the team played well for them as caretakers, so they must have been getting something right. Do you think that somehow freed from their constraining influence, Malpas would transform into Phil Scolari? Or the team into a collection of Gerrards and Ronaldos? And as for Williams being "jobs for the boys", he's reserve team manager, hardly a hanger-on, as you imply. There certainly are problems but simply lashing out at random at members of the coaching staff is arbitrary at best.

[Rich Pullen]

I'm still sat on the fence. I can see the pros and cons for both sides of the argument. But when I see fans moaning when we're winning 2-0 it just makes me want Malpas to stay... and then we draw and I see our fans look almost happy that we've thrown it away... and it still makes me want Malpas do turn it around.

[Don Rogers Shop]

No excuse for fans doing that rich they are just pricks. I have my reasons for not believing he can do it but while they are playing people should encourage them.

[kirky62]

I believe we have a section of our fan base that want Malpass out that would be happier for us to lose our next 3 games and get rid of him, than to get 3 wins. Therefore thay do not qualify as true fans in my eyes and should bloody well piss off and "support" some other team. We are better off without them. Fitton saved this club from oblivion and his judgement should be trusted. If Malpass fails to deliver over a sustained period then Fitton will act, he is not a fool. However in the meantime get behind the manager and players. Friday was frustrating in the extreme but a draw at Hartlepool overall must be considered a decent result and if it wasnt for a goalkeeping howler it would have been a brillaint 3 points.

[ReadingRed]

Agree re Sturrock - it was a stated tactic of his to bring everyone back at corners and free kicks, whereas at the moment I reckon it's the players who have decided it on the pitch, probably down to lack of confidence. The trouble with leaving McNamee up front at corners is that you need someone who can hold up the ball from the clearance, and won't lose it ... McNamee's too lightweight for that role, he's too easily bullied off the ball and needs the ball delivered to feet. He needs to be outside the box, for sure though.

As for Malpas, I'm in... I saw enough at the end of last season to see what he was trying to do, and I liked what I saw compared with a lot of the negative stuff I saw under Sturrock. It will come good. Fitton knows more than anyone about Malpas and what he is trying to do behind the scenes, and I trust his judgement more than I do a few keyboard warriors...

[dell boy]

And all these things we were doing under Sturrock. I remember him making an impassioned defence of the "everyone back for corners" tactic at a fans forum on the grounds of it being about percentage football. For the record, I agree, it drives me mad as well, but it's not like it's some strange quirk of Malpas's.

Don't see why you seem to feel Byrne and Williams are the problem alone - the team played well for them as caretakers, so they must have been getting something right. Do you think that somehow freed from their constraining influence, Malpas would transform into Phil Scolari? Or the team into a collection of Gerrards and Ronaldos? And as for Williams being "jobs for the boys", he's reserve team manager, hardly a hanger-on, as you imply. There certainly are problems but simply lashing out at random at members of the coaching staff is arbitrary at best.

When Williams was in charge he had a terrible record, dont think he has the experience or the knowledge for his position. Bryne/Malpas - the old quiet one and noisey one routine, doesn't work for me, unless it was the other way around and Malpas was shouting and raving and Bryne was in the support role.

Bryne has not got too much experience either as a No. 2 apart from Swindon, Malpas has not got any previous experience of English lower league football ....

It's just a very bad mix for me .... We need an experienced manager or No. 2 at Swindon, that's my view not a random lashing of members of the coaching team.

[pauld]

That's fair enough Dell. But I think they stand or fall as a management/coaching team. I think perhaps my comments were better aimed at some other posts we've seen over previous weeks which simply dismiss Byrne and Williams with no real rationale other than "they're shit" or "Byrne shouts too much". Whereas your rationale, when explained, is rather more considered. But as I say, I think they'll stand or fall together (ie Malpas and Byrne as manager and assistant, and to a lesser extent Williams as reserve manager)

By the way, I was referring to the joint Byrne/Williams caretaker period post-Sturrock and pre-Malpas rather than the brief post-Wise Williams caretaker period. But I don't think he was really in charge long enough to have a "record", terrible or otherwise

[Crozzer]

This appears to be all about confidence.  Some fans don't have confidence in the manager.  Some are doubtful, but for the sake of fairness want more time.  Some are hopeful things will turn around based on attractive football having been tried, and some of those remain confident things will be turned round.  Some just can't stand the negativity and just want to get behind the manager and team.  

But who's confidence really counts?  That would be the confidence of the board, perhaps influenced from the business perspective by fans who don't show up, or are negative towards the manager and possibly the team when they do.

So what will it take just to maintain the current confidence of the fans?  Just some speculation.

JPT win at Hereford (Div II next season for them very possibly).

Home win against Huddersfield, but a good performance and draw might suffice.

A decent performance at Southend not necessarily a win or draw.

Home win against Northampton, but a good performance and draw might suffice if there has been a home win vs. Huddersfield.

A decent performance against Oldham at home, not necessarily a win, if four points from Huddersfield and Northampton both at home.

Anything less than remaining in the JPT and four points from the next four league games, and possibly the pendulum will have swung too far.

What would it take to restore some confidence and take the pressure off.  Unbeaten in the next three home games with two out of three wins, and still in the JPT, and no more silly mistakes.  

[Simon Pieman]

I've been very critical of Malpas recently, but I'd be ecstatic if he could turn it around and sort out the issues.

I think it is frustrating that the fans, the moment things haven't looked so good have dismissed Malpas and stated they want him to leave. Whilst I can't see him turning it around (and thus stating he should probably be forced out), I am not one of those people who purely want him to leave (if that makes sense?).

I think what I'm trying to say is that Malpas has got it very wrong in certain aspects but if he was to make inroads into putting that right, I'd be very happy with him staying. As for chanting for him to leave or moaning about Malpas during games, I have avoided to do so. My personal view is you leave that sort of thing until the game is done. I can post some quite vitriolic stuff at times but I have even refrained from doing this - when the game is done I simply want to get out and away from the football.

This is the part I will trust Fitton on. If Malpas isn't working into the forseeable future, I do think Fitton will get rid. I don't believe Malpas will suddenly come good just because Fitton has said so.

[Iffy's Onion Bhaji]

Maybe if the fans actually get behind the players at home he might actually turn it around? It's at home where the problems lie to a certain extent as on the road we are picking up some points and not losing. Show some support, get behind the lads and if we still play shite and have a few more horror shows at the back then we know it's more likely to be poor management from Malpas than the players just being too scared to play their normal game at home.