Current Management

[Ides of March]

Whilst I’m not one who believes there actually is a promotion squad here, I do think they can perform better. You can’t tell me a team with Reed, Williams, Gladwin and Jephcott should be looking that poor against Colchester. I think SL is tactically inept for a FL manager, however, he’s done enough to stay on I think, though another couple of poor results and the pressure will certainly mount. If it was up to me, I’d get rid and try someone else just as it seems obvious to me we won’t finish top 7 under current management, and realistically we aren’t going down, so a change could either mean an upturn in form and maintain a spot in the top 7, whilst equally could see us continue to be inconsistent and float around mid table, which I think is what we’ll do anyway if we stick with SL. Might as well twist instead of sticking…

[DV]

Williams I think would be much more effective dropping back in midfield and playing the ‘Payne’ role

[Nomoreheroes]

I don't know what the right thing to do is.

I know that the last few performances I've seen have been poor. I don't think the players are all that good. I think I would categorise them as workmanlike at best. As a squad, they are probably stronger (because we had an incredibly weak 12-24) than last year's, but individually they are poorer. They are also inconsistent and inexperienced.

We have noone to unlock defences (like McKirdy could) and the strikers are not as good (at what we need them to do) as what we had last year - And I thought Davison was poor. Jephcott and Wakeling I think are poachers, when we need a target man. Jephcott is the better of the two, but I think he and RHM would benefit from having a target man to play off of.

I think I might be inclined to see what Sandro and Lindsey bring in during the January window and give them the rest of the season. But, I can see an argument for making the change now too.

[Pookemon]

I've consistently said since early on that we look like a lower mid table team.  That is partly the lack of recruitment of a mckirdy type replacement, someone who travels with the ball and turns defenders, but mostly it's the management.

We are poor going forward, we can all see that and too easy to set up against.  No matter how poor the opposition are all they have to do is defend with numbers and win a couple of set pieces, over and over the same thing happens without any real change in approach.

None of the players seem to have improved, some look decent but are being played out of position, others poor but alternative options aren't tried.

I'm all for long term planning and giving people a chance, and I want him to succeed, but if someone isn't up to the job then there's no point in carrying them longer than you have to.

[Frigby Daser]

Just trying to give a different opinion I guess from the high level of negativity on this forum. I went to Scunthorpe last year amazed that we had a team and last season was fun, however, we’ve gone from years of cowboy ownership to a bloke that seems to be trying to do the right thing in the long term. I don’t buy the argument that we need to get out of this division this year.

I don’t interpret it as negativity. I interpret it as people with standards and ambition to be better than this.

[RobertT]

I think now is a good time to change, if we are going to do it.  Maybe see if Charlie fancies a go with a more experienced person brought in to help him and use it as a way of galvanising the support beyond the summer.  While I think the squad is the bigger problem, and the management structure in general, Lindsey has had more than his fair share of luck so far which likely can't last all season.  May as well have someone the fans like chancing their arm if we won't change the whole thing mid season.

On the squad side - the following are simply not good enough for top 3 challenging teams as players you rely on:

MacDonald, Harries, Brennan, Khan, Darcy, Shade, Adeloye, Hepburn-Murphy, Iandolo, Aguiar, and more

Not saying none of them can be developed.  Development players should be the sprinkle on top though.

Jephcott - we simply do not appear to have a team with players to feed this type of player.
Wakeling - good talent, type of player you give games to during this season and gradually introduce them
Hutton & Lavinier - both seem good prospects, neither should play left back, both are risky at right back without some more solid players around to marshall them.  Clayton has looked a prospect as well.

Williams, Brynn, FBT, Gladwin and Reed can all make a case for being in a top 3 squad although Gladwin and Williams together has always looked a bit ropey in terms of legs.

Overall it's a pretty poor squad for NOW.  I get the idea of long term, but this is D4!!  With the budget likely available from the crowd size we should be able to have far more players of top 3 calibre and few less punts.

[Jimmy Quinn]

How does our squad compare with Orient, Northampton & Stevenage's as a comparison. Anyone got that knowledge?

[I JBZelieve We Will Win]

I do wonder whether anyone on here has detailed knowledge of each and every squad in league two.  Without it, it must be difficult to say where our current squad sits within the league as a whole.

[Batch]

you get a feeling of where we sit by the league table and watching when we play the opposition!

unless you mean you think we are underperforming.

[Jimmy Quinn]

Under performing exactly that. We have a few players that could/have played at a higher standard just wondering what Stevenage have other than a vey goal and motivated manager.

[Audrey]

How does our squad compare with Orient, Northampton & Stevenage's as a comparison. Anyone got that knowledge?

How do you compare squads? The only factor is how they’re performing. The 3 you mentioned are obviously performing hugely better than ours. Be interesting to compare budgets and salaries, I suppose. Orient’s is probably in excess of ours, Cobblers similar and Stevenage way below.

[Quagmire]

Stevenages top scorer has 9 goals in the league - and most of us were delighted to see him go all those years ago.

So my point is, how other teams squads look on paper is irrelevant, it’s about how they’re performing.

[blinkpip]

Change, It's the stubbornness that gets me. If he actually tried changing the system/formation at certain times and be less predictable ill would back him.
Best managers are not afraid of change and counter against the opposition. 

[Riddick]

Change, It's the stubbornness that gets me. If he actually tried changing the system/formation at certain times and be less predictable ill would back him.
Best managers are not afraid of change and counter against the opposition. 

Yeah its partly this. Before Williams went to the WC we looked decent, and played Williams behind Wakeling/Jephcot, in a 433 or 442 diamond i guess. With Williams away inexplicably he went to a back 5, something we hadnt used since the start of the season, we had terrible results. Now with Williams/Wakeling/Jephcot back available he hasnt returned to our best set up still?

All seems very bizarre to me. The only constant is Iandolo has to play. Which itself is laughable.

[Power to people]

While I have now moved to the 'we need to change it' camp, I do see that we clearly lack a few players to balance the team, and sacking the manager now may not help Sandro's recruitment.

Surely quality players wont join not knowing who is going to be in charge, so you wonder if they will hold onto Lindsey while the new players are brought in (obviously has to agree to said players) then after a few games if results and performances don't improve then perhaps Clem will pull the leaver, its a risk but I have a feeling that's what will happen.