David Flitcroft: Yes or No

[Costanza]

I’m interested to see what the gut reaction of TEF is (both regulars and lurkers).

Try to avoid bemoaning the fact the question is being asked (unless it’s your argument as to why he should stay). I can see arguments on either side: my main issue is that the ‘wait and see’ argument has blown up in our faces plenty of times over the years.

This question is based on what you think and not what you think Lee Power would do, his history dictates standing by his man.

I genuinely believe that we’re a few signings from being able to compete for at least a Play-Off place and the majority of the signings we’ve made have, to me, clearly been ‘Flitcroft signings’.

Anyway, Yes or no?

[hobodan]

We don’t have a chairmen who’s willing to put money into the club (because he doesn’t have it), is likely paying himself a salary. Any new manager is going to have his hands seriously tied. We may as well give Flitcroft the season.

[Private Fraser]

I had hoped that this would be a single season in Div 4 and we would be back in our 'spiritual home' next season. It's not looking likely now. 

Although I'm unconvinced that Flitcroft is the man to take us back to Div 3, it's a fact that he arrived very late in the day and his summer shopping was restricted to the 'left-overs'.  On top of that, there was the fiasco of the last minute pre-season training and friendlies.

I think Power probably has to give him the January transfer window to try to improve things but it's a risky strategy in the light of what's gone before.  

[Nomoreheroes]

I honestly don't know.

I don't think he has been given much time. I don't know how much the current crop of players are costing the club, but if they are on high wages with the expectation that they will deliver promotion then you have to take into account the fact that the manager seems unable to get them to win at home with an unattractive style of play that has crowds dropping. Then, with chances of play promotion or play offs fading a change would seem appropriate.

If everything is being done on a shoestring and the backroom has been totally revamped and the club made more professional. If the on field goal for Flitcroft was survival and then to build next year for promotion then maybe he is meeting his objectives.

Sitting on the fence really. But, of those 2 scenarios, I suspect the first is most likely.

[chalkies_shorts]

If we lose the next 2 home games then home gates will drop to the 4k mark. Presumably we'd then need to cut costs as only a winning team will get people back. These are worrying times. A couple of wins however would put a big smile back on people's chops. It's finely poised but Friday was desperately shite. If I was betting man I think we'll lose them both as I can't see what can turn it around. We were 1 up against a truly shite team Friday. Then got back to 2 all and still fucked it up. Which of our players was trying to gee up the others? They all went into their shells.

[Sir red ken]

We can't sit back and watch 5 straight defeats become 10. The only problen is no one will want the job and LP will give it to Alan Mc and or Matty Phillips, which will continue our downward spiral. This could be the plan anyway.

[ferret]

We don't have a great squad, but we do have a decent one. We got through the early mini-crisis (Crawley / Barnet), which was always likely to happen in view of the huge player turnover, and by mid-November had got back on track - playoff places with a bit of form and momentum.

It turned at Grimsby - he had been spouting off beforehand about how we shouldn't have been going there on a Tuesday night, he only took 3 outfield subs (all of them defenders) and appeared to treat it as an inconvenience. We went in front twice but ended up losing cheaply. However much he can give it all the talk about "one million percent" etc, that was not the case up there, and it brought about a sharp decline, during which he appears to have rapidly lost a grip on common sense in team selection.

He has to show some humility now, admit that he's got things wrong, and get back to basics. If in 2/3 weeks time we are about 15th and without a win in 9, with Flitcroft having managed 30-odd games, it would be very difficult to argue his case.

[Reg Smeeton]

I had hoped that this would be a single season in Div 4 and we would be back in our 'spiritual home' next season. It's not looking likely now. 

Our spiritual home may seem a distant chimera as long as Power is the owner.

I will give him credit for binning the Swindon way as it was obvious we'd be Conference bound if that continued. However lumbering Flitters with the going for promotion stuff, was something he could have done without.  Looking at the usual late recruitment of lower league journeymen and half a team of loans, told the real story, namely we're much like most of the other sides in Div 4. That fact will start to reflect in gates at the CG, as more  and find other things to do on  Saturday afternoon.

[Ticker45]

Concerned as I am with the current situation, to remove Flitcroft before the transfer window even with bad results would to my way of thinking be the worst of possible moves. The agents are out there already touting players availability and to be without a new manager (unless there is one already in the pipeline) would make it even more difficult to encourage a player to jump into the unknown.   

[jayohaitchenn]

He's shit and his team is worse. Get rid.

[sonicyouth]

No point in letting him have another transfer window to recruit more average players.

[Batch]

Its a difficult one without knowing what the real score is
   - Do we have really have a top budget.
   - Will we have a top budget again next season (assuming, unrealistically, the gates stay the same)
   - Do we have more £££ for January

Without knowing the answers to that I'm saying no, keep. I don't think he's had a fair crack of the whip, one window is no time at all to put together a new squad. We aren't that far off.

But the football is undeniable poor. Just like last year, but the opposite in style. The square pegs round hole thing is stupid on Flitcrofts part and ..and. and.. I can see where the get rid are coming from.

We aren't in Malpas territory yet.

[Audrey]

I’m not a great fan of Power but I cant see where he has done much wrong. He OK’d every single player Flitcroft wanted, he’s kept his nose out - so far - as everyone wanted and was upfront about expecting promotion.

Flitcroft wasn’t his first choice - or second - but at a glance he appeared to have the background to get us up. Next up, for a manager, has to be the experienced player/manager type I reckon.

I’m a little surprised Power countenanced the signing of so many journeyman type players as he must have known that even if promotion was achieved they would have to be binned next season.

I’m convinced, though, that a different manager with a different mindset will get more out of our squad than Flitcroft.

Maybe Flitcroft was told by Power just to get promoted and he’ll sort things next season, but, as things stand, many fans have had enough.

[Reg Smeeton]

Its a difficult one without knowing what the real score is
   - Do we have really have a top budget.
 

Power also told us that Luke was the best coach he'd seen in 25 years in the game, and that TT was the biggest signing STFC had ever made.  I don't blame him for the bs, it's what duckers and divers do, but punters don't have to believe it.

[Batch]

I don't believe a word that comes out of Powers mouth Reg. I need proof before belief.