A turning point in our season?

[Former Labour leader]

This defeat was the culmination of several poor performances.
Is it the manager, or has the team finally been found wanting? Is the board to blame with a lack of a long term vision?
I dont think things can carry on like this. I was accepting a mid table season, but we could easily be dragged into a relegation battle.
What the hell do we do?

[Mr Soul '68]

Re: A turning point in our season?

Mick has got to go. Like you I feel we will be dragged into a relegation dogfight. Pre-season I was right behind him. Now, as far as I am concerned, he has had his last drink in the Last Chance Saloon

[The Lone Gunman]

Re: A turning point in our season?

This defeat was the culmination of several poor performances. Is it the manager, or has the team finally been found wanting? Is the board to blame with a lack of a long term vision?

All of the above.

The squad is small now due to budget constraints. The basic brand of football the manager likes to play can be effective at this level, but there's no real Plan B if things don't go his way. Several players are significantly out of form at present, but the squad numbers are such that there's nobody to come in and replace them apart from a group of largely untried youngsters, none of who look particularly outstanding or suited to the way the manager wants his team to play.

It's a bit of a car crash at the moment and it's the result of a host of poor decisions at boardroom level.

[life on mars]

Re: A turning point in our season?

A clever post ' turning point' sums it up as some of our defenders have a difficulty in turning and recovering from thier mistakes .

[Rhiwbina Blues]

Re: A turning point in our season?

A director of football has to be a starting point. Stephen Mcphail could be an option as hes doing a good job at shamrock.

As for a manager that's a tough one but maybe someone schooled by the FAW successful training programme rather than the old boys drinking club

[blue lewj]

Re: A turning point in our season?

It matters very little what we want.
The board will do what they have always done.

They will sack Mick and slate the way he did things, bring in a new guy and have him play the kids because they are cheap and loan out everybody but the tea lady because the parachute money has dried up.
The same parachute money they managed ridiculously badly. The majority of what we did spend was spent terribly, all overseen by our transfer committee.

[Enoch Mort]

Re: A turning point in our season?

A director of football has to be a starting point. Stephen Mcphail could be an option as hes doing a good job at shamrock.

As for a manager that's a tough one but maybe someone schooled by the FAW successful training programme rather than the old boys drinking club

The question of a Director of Football was raised at a fans meeting with the Club last January. Mehmet Dalman did not react well to the question as if it was a personal insult. It is difficult to envisage him changing his mind based on what he said then. In any case, I don’t suppose an extra member of staff at that level is in their current financial planning where cost cutting appears to be the objective

[DubaiDai]

Re: A turning point in our season?

The question of a Director of Football was raised at a fans meeting with the Club last January. Mehmet Dalman did not react well to the question as if it was a personal insult. It is difficult to envisage him changing his mind based on what he said then. In any case, I don’t suppose an extra member of staff at that level is in their current financial planning where cost cutting appears to be the objective

I would imagine he reacted badly because he is under some misguided notion that he understands football.
I am sure he may be useful when negotiating with banks and financial institutions but his knowledge of football and club management is ever so slightly above zero.
This is probably why nothing will really change.
Mick will stay and the aim will change to “avoid relegation”

[surge]

Re: A turning point in our season?

Can someone explain to me what a DoF would do that isn't being done/partially being done already? As per a poster above, the club were reluctant recently.

I don't think we can argue that it represents a continuation of approach and avoids hiring managers diametrically opposed to their predecessor given our last three managers; nor that ensures first team down to youth team play same football (TOBW has said U23's now play more similarly to senior side albeit with much higher skill); nor that it stops transfer dealings being completely dependent on manager's connection (and exposed to their relationship with certain agents); nor that it creates a longer term plan...

Any fan walking into a meeting thinking the club have no plan/no idea saying, that cut and branch is needed and a DoF is the answer apparently isn't going to be well received - the last one reportedly got a bit tense at this question.

It was definitely needed when Tan arrived and in Warnock's transfer windows but, just like the Venky's, Tan isn't the same owner he was when he first showed up. A DoF might turn "better" into actually "good" but club still need to be persuaded.

[Vindec]

Re: A turning point in our season?

This defeat was the culmination of several poor performances.
Is it the manager, or has the team finally been found wanting? Is the board to blame with a lack of a long term vision?
I dont think things can carry on like this. I was accepting a mid table season, but we could easily be dragged into a relegation battle.
What the hell do we do?

The final sentence of the above post sums it up. The squad is a mess, our football is one dimensional, we have wasted the funds we had available and our players can't think of anything other than to hoof the ball upfield. Even our £11m player was not exactly in high demand and ended up on loan to a team no better than us. That to me epitomises how money has been wasted

Changing the manager is not a solution however as any new incumbent would inherit a squad with absolutely zero creativity. The earliest a change can be made is in January but even then where are the funds for effectively four or five players who can adopt adopt a new style of play? The kids we are playing are not yet ready and perhaps some will never be. Saturday against Blackburn was embarrassing.

Basically we are in a mess and there are no easy solutions. Some have suggested in other threads we should plan for the future and accept relegation in order to regroup. That is no solution as you have to look at some of the sides in League 1 such as Sunderland and Bolton who have not found life easy in League 1.

What the hell do we do was the question. The answer is there are no immediate solutions.

[cardiff55]

Re: A turning point in our season?

It's like turning the clock back to earlier this year under Harris, and two years ago under Warnock. We'd probably get a similar 'experienced' manager who sets up not to lose rather than bee creative. Cooper would have been a decent shout, but we're too late now. I didn't;t like him at Swansea but he is from Ponty!

[surge]

Re: A turning point in our season?

I'd compare us to Crystal Palace in their last season under Hodgson at the moment*.

*Obviously Mick's got an extra year which will really test whether he is a pragmatic manager or whether he choses to play less inspiring football.

[JumpersforGoalposts]

Re: A turning point in our season?

We are certainly rapidly heading for the turning on the manager point, a clueless performance on Tuesday could see things turning a little unpleasant.

[The Lone Gunman]

Re: A turning point in our season?

I'd compare us to Crystal Palace in their last season under Hodgson at the moment*.

Not Wolves under Nuno then.....

[The Hooded Claw]

Re: A turning point in our season?

Don’t be surprised if Kieffer is sold in January to raise funds under the premise that “as we’re not in the promotion race and he deserves a chance at a higher level, then it’s fair to let him go”.