Process could be re-started

[wheretherealredsare]

You're all behaving like kids who've just been told their Christmas pressies won't be ready in time ...

[Arriba]

fitton fucked up big time with malpas.if it takes time to get the right bloke, then i'll take that.if he fucks up again then his manager appointing skills could be questioned then

[janaage]

I really don't understand the need for a "long term" solution.  How many clubs currently have a manager in charge who;s been there for 3+ years?  Football as I'm always being told is a results game.  It's definitely a short to medium term game, focus should be on the next two years.

Get a manager in who

a, can help us avoid the drop

and

b, can make then turn us into a play off challenging team.

Put clauses in his contract that if a higher club comes in for us they can, as long as they meet a certain financial compensation package (that will leave us better off).

[DMR]

It's frustrating, but anyone who thinks Fitton is dicking around is (IMHO) wrong.

He knows he made a mistake first time round and it's imperative that he gets it right this time.

I'm going to forget all this new manager shit for the time being and let the board do their job.

In the meantime there's 9 points on offer in the next eight days and Budgie's the man in charge.
Hopefully we'll pick up 5-9 of those.

Waiting too long could be just as bad as getting it wrong anyway, it needs sorting before we're down anyway.

[glos_robin]

These next few games over Christmas are crucial and we really needed to have the supporters pulling in the same direction to try and get behind the team. From a personal point of view I just find it hard to get behind a manager (albeit in a caretaker capacity) who I have zero faith in and a team of players that at present alot just seem to be going through the motions. It's all very well to say we need to really get behind Byrne and the players tomorrow, but it's hard to do if in your heart you have no real belief in the people you are cheering on. I think the lack of belief in the manager and players has been a major cause of the lack of atmosphere at the CG this year and I don't think any amount of people trying to create an atmosphere will change this until we have a new fresh face to unite behind. Tomorrow will probably be 'morgue like' again at the CG.
I know it's a negative point of view but I'm just bored of the speculation now

[Mplanney]

Sound to me that maybe with the last few contenders, the Board of Directors can't agree between them, so maybe they will sit down and re-discuss it together over the weekend.  Hopefully Fitton is back, not always easy ironing out these things over the phone.

[bigbobjoylove]

I really don't understand the need for a "long term" solution.  How many clubs currently have a manager in charge who;s been there for 3+ years?  Football as I'm always being told is a results game.  It's definitely a short to medium term game, focus should be on the next two years.

Get a manager in who

a, can help us avoid the drop

and

b, can make then turn us into a play off challenging team.

Put clauses in his contract that if a higher club comes in for us they can, as long as they meet a certain financial compensation package (that will leave us better off).

Exactly. This 'stability' and 'long-term appointment' stuff really is overated.

Just get a manager in who we can afford and who is likely to give us the best chance of football matches.

[janaage]

Not sure if your being sacrastic BBL, and I'm not sure if I've explained myself properlu but a colleague and I were discussing it, of course it's right to aim for long term stability from a financial point of view but I'm not 100% sure if a manager has to be appointed with the long term as a focus, yeah in business that can be an issu, but in football??  I'm not so sure. 

Managers, like players come and go, the best thing about Sturrock's appointment was it was a fanatastic short term appointment.  Okay so we'd have like him to stay for longer, but in the time he was here he did exactly the job we needed him to do.

Erm, still not sure I'm explaining myself here, but then again there is the chance I'm just talking bs.

[Rich Pullen]

Just got back from going down Toon Town and this is what greets me. I guess this is what happens when all of the people you want are in jobs.

Lack of patience aside, I'm not overly concerned about them wanting the right man, my concern is that we're approaching a busy couple of weeks. Three points are always important but now they're downright imperitive.

[lambourn red]

Just offer Ince the job go after him dont just wait for people to apply, he has League 2 experience and has contacts. Surely they are not going got through this whole interview process again.

[Danjackson10]

It's frustrating, but anyone who thinks Fitton is dicking around is (IMHO) wrong.

He knows he made a mistake first time round and it's imperative that he gets it right this time.

I'm going to forget all this new manager shit for the time being and let the board do their job.

In the meantime there's 9 points on offer in the next eight days and Budgie's the man in charge.
Hopefully we'll pick up 5-9 of those.

totally totally agree with you steve! and as for some of the fucking stupid toss pots on thisis, childish wankers in my book! Some of them are so fickle and are quick to forget just what Mr Fitton has done for the club. Like steve said he made a mistake the first time, to make another one would most definitely see us playing in league two next season. So how about you fitton slaters shut the fuck up and let the man do his job!

[DV]

This is getting beyond a joke now.

The board are clearly waiting for Byrne to win a game so they can appoint him STFCBARTFACT!

Finding a new manager shouldnt take this long at all. There are probably hundreds of football managers out there, alot unemployed whou would come here and we could have had them in a month ago.

Very rarely is there such thing as the perfect manager and even if there was and he somehow ended up here he wouldnt stop around if he was perfect.

Im starting to think Fitton & Co might be thinking a bit too long term. Will manager x still be here in 3 years time? of course he fucking wont be. In 3 years time the new manager will either be sacked for being shit or would have done so well with us that he's moved onto better things.

There is very rarely such a thing as a long term manager and the large majoirty are at top clubs where they cant possibly go any higher!

I've said all season we wont go down but now I think we are in trouble. Our next 3 games are VITAL probably the most important 3 games we've had in years because those 3 games could be the difference between staying up and going down.

I know the old saying no team is too good to go down but we really shouldnt be this bad. We finished mid table last season and which first teamer have we lost, Miguel fucking Comminges. Good player last season but hardly the fucking difference between 13th place and 23rd place. We've got the players to get us out of this shit we just need someone to lead them and at the moment we've got nothing.

Byrne hasnt done well as caretaker, the results speak for themselves sadly. We've deserved to win at least 4 of the games Byrne has been in charge and in some cases we have genuinly been unlucky but results talk. If we had won those 4 id have no problem what so ever with Byrne being in charge over the xmas period of even full time to be honest.

Plus, if the board were going to take this fucking long why not appoint someone short term. Like Newcastle did with Kinear. Offer someone unemployed like Holloyway a month to month contract. Holloway gets back into football and if he does well does he chances wonder. If hes poor he can go after a month.

...and...just to fit in with all the doom and gloomers. We're relegated there is no chance in hell we can survive, now its just a case of 24th or 23rd. We're the worst team League One has ever seen and there is really no point in playing the rest of the season. We might as well put our feet up and accept relegation now. Now lets just hope, no pray that Oxford United go on a great winning run and get promotion so we can have a proper local derby again after what 5/6/7 years and maybe inject a bit of life into this very lifeless football club. Now im ranting, I'll shut up

IAN HOLLOWAYS RED N WHITE ARMY!

[Iffy's Onion Bhaji]

I thought this was a joke when I first read it? It's been 5 bloody weeks and yet we are considering starting all over again? In short we should just appointed Holloway 4 weeks ago. I'm sure Fitton and the board are just as frustrated as we are but you do have to question if they actually know what they are doing here? And that's the first time i've said that and really didn't think I would. After calming down about it all and reflecting I guess there is no more we can do but continue to be patient. My worry now though is that if we do indeed start the process again then how long will that take? Will that mean an appointment in the middle of Jan when it's then too late for the new man to get some players in? Will we then be firmly in a relegation battle? It's highly likely.

[Danjackson10]

WE WONT GO DOWN DV!

[janaage]

DV like the post fella.  I think the key to long term appointments is, they aren't appointed as long term appointments.  I'm sure when Fergie signed on the dotted line at OT he didn't thinkI'll still be here in 20 years, Wenger the same at the arse (altho shorter term applies), Dario Gradi at Crewe etc.  I think they happen once every blue moon and are achieved through a little luck.

Just give Holloway the job, let him inject his style and personality on the club and when a bigger club comes calling fleece them for as much compo as possible.  That's football.

So who's gonna take the time to go through the FL list and work out the percentage of long term managers still at their respective clubs.  I would but I can't be arsed.