Nathan Blake Comments

[billy.ronson]

Re: Nathan Blake Comments

A defeat to Rotherham would complete the set.... we have lost to Wycombe and Sheffield Wednesday who occupy the other 2 places in bottom 3

[Bobby Dandruff]

Re: Nathan Blake Comments

Harris' problem we aren't good enough to play football and he's not good enough to Warnock it (as it happens, neither was Warnock).

The fans want success but I think if someone comes in and says "this is a project and it will take time", someone like Paul Abantonado will write columns about how they lack ambition and how they should do more with the "extremely talented squad" we have. He's still writing that tosh today. The squad is absolute garbage.

I don’t think that is very fair - the squad isn’t garbage. Far from it. And I also don’t agree when people say that the players can only play one way (maybe that applies to some, but not all)

I think that fans will settle for obvious signs of a change in playing style (that doesn’t put everyone to sleep) to something more progressive and sustainable (dare I mention the JBs, Brentford etc), as the utter rubbish that the team currently play is evidently not the future.

If that takes a while then fine as long as it isn’t the awful dire tripe that we have had to put up with for the last few months.

[Pedro de la Rosa]

Re: Nathan Blake Comments

I don’t think that is very fair - the squad isn’t garbage. Far from it. And I also don’t agree when people say that the players can only play one way (maybe that applies to some, but not all)

I think that fans will settle for obvious signs of a change in playing style (that doesn’t put everyone to sleep) to something more progressive and sustainable (dare I mention the JBs, Brentford etc), as the utter rubbish that the team currently play is evidently not the future.

If that takes a while then fine as long as it isn’t the awful dire tripe that we have had to put up with for the last few months.

Who is good?

[Jimmy the Jock]

Re: Nathan Blake Comments

I don't think that fans want success, progress and a plan would do me. I don't want to go up playing shit non sustainable football then stagger around the premier league like a drunk looking for the exit door. I'd happily spend another five seasons at this level or lower if it meant that the club were moving towards something positive.

that's exactly how I feel .

Could Harris take us up with anything more than corners and free kicks to look forward too?

No.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

Re: Nathan Blake Comments

that's exactly how I feel .

Could Harris take us up with anything more than corners and free kicks to look forward too?

No.

Totally agree.

[the other bob wilson]

Re: Nathan Blake Comments

A response or a result? A win looks unlikely seeing as we've just added our captain and best defender to the list of injuries. Are you just setting the trap so you can call for his head because results are unlikely to improve until after we've played Norwich again on the 16th.

I would like to know which of Harris' transfers people wouldn't have signed off on. If they agree with each of the signings then what would they have changed up until this point? A lot of the criticism is things which have developed over past 10 years and any manager would have faced much the same, unless you bring in Warnock with a moustache but then we're back to fire-fighting and short-termism which just kicks issues down the road. Even if we get relegated things are unlikely to change too much next year because we'd have at best the same budget so the same players knocking around. None of us are happy with where we are currently but a lot of the criticism on here, in my opinion, isn't based in realism.

Blake's point is a fair one: assessment of the clubs position should be done holistically.

Yes, the club is ripe for a change of culture from top to bottom, but I tend to agree with Tuerto - there are long term issues, but there are also short term ones that something needs to be done about quickly. Although I knew it was never going to happen, I was hoping we could have got Keenan Patten on for five or ten minutes to give him some first team experience on Tuesday. For me the game was gone and so why not give a kid a few minutes?

The Hoilett goal came as a total shock to me because, up until then, apart from one shot by Ojo, our finishing had completely lacked conviction - Wilson's limitations with his right foot were clear to see twice within the space of a minute with two finishes which suggested he didn't think he was going to score, Glatzel turned in another of those performances which make the theory that he is far more effective coming off the bench, which I've seen on here since the Wycombe game, look correct, while Mark Harris was as poor as he's been since he broke into the first team. Given the lack of confidence shown by our forward players, the probable loss of Sean Morrison becomes, arguably, a bigger blow at the attacking end of the field than it is at the defensive end.

I mentioned at the time that I was surprised by how annoyed I felt after the Swansea match, but, thinking back to the nature of the performance, I fell into the group which felt our manager and players didn't "get" that fixture - maybe that was wrong, the players did go out with the right attitude and there has been a sense of shock which has developed at how thoroughly they were outplayed? Whatever the truth, there was a complete lack of confidence shown at Wycombe and Norwich, while we were unconvincing in beating a Birmingham team whose limitations have been shown since their defeat here and we fell apart defensively as soon as Brentford raised their game a bit on the weekend - we looked like we expected to lose on Tuesday.

[Sloop_Jon_Bee]

Re: Nathan Blake Comments

There has to be a response at rotherham. My biggest concern isn't the style of play, that's gone, not happening. The worrying aspect is the lack of character and belief.

You can add basic skills (ball control, passing accuracy etc) to that. I agree it isn't the style of play, they are not showing the basic qualities to execute a style of play of such. Vaulks and Ralls composure on the ball for midfielders is utter crap, they need too much time to control and pick a pass; they have been half a yard behind play nearly all season. Our full backs are not comfortable in carrying the ball and laying off a pass good enough to get things going. The amount of time i see our players stretching to receive a pass, and or rushing to get rid of the ball as if it is a Hot Potato. Nearly every time Bennett gets the ball in a build up play, he will turn back, because he does not have the ability to go past a player or play an intelligent ball forward. I would argue that we do have some quality in the squad, but they are being dragged down to the standard of those around them. I do not know what the answer is, and i am certainly not for sacking Harris. But IMO the team needs some pace and some quality in that midfield to start with.
Spedger

[DubaiDai]

Re: Nathan Blake Comments

I think the sensible thing to do is for the board to agree what style and what are we looking for from a new manager.
I would stick with Harris until the end of the season as very few decent players would move in January.
I would add that and managerial decision by this board (in a matter of weeks) is more than likely to be as poor as previous decisions.
We are not going down and we are certainly not going to challenge for the top 6 so take more time and get this decision right.

[surge]

Re: Nathan Blake Comments

I think the sensible thing to do is for the board to agree what style and what are we looking for from a new manager.
I would stick with Harris until the end of the season as very few decent players would move in January.
I would add that and managerial decision by this board (in a matter of weeks) is more than likely to be as poor as previous decisions.
We are not going down and we are certainly not going to challenge for the top 6 so take more time and get this decision right.

Shouldn't really stick with Harris til end of season without chance of him being here next year and think board (finally) know a direction of travel so wouldn't like them to chop/change that now, as has happened several times over past decade, but otherwise I would agree.

I am opposed to mid-season changes as a general rule, always seem rushed and desperate, so hope final review can still happen at the end of the year. The only thing I would add is that Harris has become a lightning rod for all frustration being built up over past 10 years but things are unlikely to be massively better next year (see other threads for various reasons) so do we need to change manager in order to prevent return to negative and fractious state we were in before Warnock arrived? It would mean those who rejected Harris from day one have got their way but they're likely to reset thus giving more time to the next man. If things go right from now we have a real chance (as opposed to hope for play-offs) of challenging in 2022-2023 but that's less likely if coming off back of horribly poisonous 18 months.

That's the other question I was going to ask at end of the season, as well as Blue Lejw's one about whether we want Harris as man to rebuild the squad.

[bluemoon]

Re: Nathan Blake Comments

without even clicking the link how many times does he say the word... philosophy :xmassherlock:

[Tuerto]

Re: Nathan Blake Comments

without even clicking the link how many times does he say the word... philosophy :xmassherlock:

Harristotle.

[NYCBlue]

Re: Nathan Blake Comments

Most sensible thing I’ve heard:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55485667

It’s not just about the manager, but we’re at a crossroads - either back Harris for this transfer window, or get in someone new right away, so that they can make changes to the squad.

There's a third and less risky option. Let him see out this season with what he's got and see how it pans out with one eye on a replacement. And start thinking about and budgeting for the next 3 seasons now.

[NYCBlue]

Re: Nathan Blake Comments

Harristotle.

Very good.