Chelmofox

Most managers are terrible. Many are bang average, and a select few are either very good or excellent. Fitting a profile for a club like ours it tough. We are a big club, with leadership that have f***d up recruitment and wages over the last 5 or so years. We've had success and fallen from grace. Half our fans have their heads up their arses that our leadership are perfect and will just sort it given time, half are spitting mad and think we have players that Pearson would get top. We deserve better. But a top drawer manager isnt coming here right now. So you are fighting for the type that is 'on the way up'. Our leadership dont think managers operate outside of the English Leauges, so we are stuck with anyone who has managed (or assisted) here. You might get the almighty bounce that Maresca did (which dwindled anyway). But everyone else is going to hit mediocrity until the swamp is drained, whilst a lot of our fan base think we are still as good as when we had prime Youri / Barnes / Vardy / Madders / Kasper. Marti is a manager who is going to fight for play offs. He might get there. But i dont know who is a reasonable appointment who is going to get us in the top 2 spots right now.

At one point in the 2nd half of the Maresca season, we were bottom 6 in the form table - it wasnt just losing a few matches. We were dross and teams had worked us out (press Jannik, flood the midfield, double up on wingers, exploit the inverted FB who is far up the pitch). It was only bellends like Russell Martin who refused to deviate away from that formula. This rot set in a long, long time ago and we haven't moved on. There is revisionist thinking of the Maresca era due to the good start, however some key players (KDH being one - who was a man possessed) overindexed our performances. I remember watching Cardiff at home early that season thinking this was some of the worst football i had seen us play. We've been sh1t for a really, really long time. I think people are only starting to notice, which scares me.

JJ said in his initial interview that he felt he can play both roles, although its quite clear to us which one he is best at. With Ramsey injured, he's rotated it between JJ and Bobby (who i dont think can play 90 mins). Other than that, even Page was considered out of position. Otherwise you go for Ayew. Hardle a plethora of riches to choose from heh?

Strongest in your opinion. Overpaid, weak and not good enough in mine. And its a far, far weaker squad than Maresca had, even though there are posters here who still think its the same team. And talking about Maresca, can you explain how a far stronger squad then lost to Middlesbrough twice, Hull, Millwall, QPR and Plymouth (to name a few)? I think Marti is underachieving, and im not enjoying the football. But im not buying that we are some squad of super heros who are destined to get automatic promotion. He's been dealt a tough hand and im not sure he's got much more to offer to turn then into anything better. This is a squad that should be getting playoffs. And we are placed 4 points under that. Such is the championship that you win 3 games and all of a sudden you are in the playoff spots. The club is failing us.

I like this comment. As the biggest club he will ever get a sniff to manage, do you think we have given him the tools to succeed? He lost key players in the last window. We got in 3 loans, 1 of which has spend the latter stages of his career injured (and is now out) and a striker that looks like he needs a year to adjust to EPL football before we even know if hes good enough. He could go to smaller clubs and be backed better.

One time an employ asked me 'is this normal' and showed a photo of a poo she did that morning. Gotta say, i was dreading opening this thread.

Signs of being a really good keeper with some current rough edges. Doing well for his breakout season and can only improve as long as we dont get on his back. Funny his career is in a better place compared to Mads now. Sorry - wanted to get this thread back on topic.

Daka wont score another goal for us. However, wherever he goes next (after his contract runs out - and will be a top tier league outside of England), he will score over 20 goals in a season and be regarded as one of the best strikers in the division. He will also score loads of belters.

Crunching tackle to Daka, as I wont get hurt as he is built out of pure pi55, and he will fall over in a comical way. Cross to Ayew, as he will hold the ball up and i could take a nice rest whilst he does nothing for about 30 seconds. Carranza on my shoulders, as he is a great looking bloke and it will divert attention away from my axe murderer face.

This is what i expect. We will find a way not to win it.

I still think we are a way from this.

This is like doing a review of Lehman Brothers just before if went bust, and gleefully pointing out that they are still a massive success because they used to be one of the highest profile investment banks. You cannot only measure the success, but also the steps that have directed us to the rot we sit in now. You have made the mistake of taking his start date ( December 2014), and attributing all the initial success to him. What could he have masterminded so quickly that led to the great escape? What measures has he done that highlight extreme competency in the role (taking into account he inherited a structure that won the title). Indeed, 'the cold hard facts' as you state point to him overseeing the dismantling of the structures that lead to that success. Overseeing crazy power being handed to Rodgers which gutted so much of our infrastructure, handing out crazy contracts to poor players, crippling our finances, overseeing players running down contracts just to name a few. Icing in the cake is Wages is the big downfall and we wonder is there another element at play. So basically , you highlight an error so severe, that its crippled the club over the last few years, and will continue to do so for years to come. But are willing to write it off as 'likely someone elses error'. You could have said of Lehman Brothers 'Cashflow is a downfall, but there could be another element at play'. Nonsense. Sure you mean well, but hope i never have to use your data services.

Good scouting. Right attitude and physicality. Those are the things that worry me.

Not only 100mil. But also 100mil being spent well. That’s the bit that worries me the most.

Oh can guarantee Top will be thinking about it. He loved the old chapped lips an' all.

Should have gone for Dyche though.

Didnt he start there at home against Wrexham. I thought he was pretty good for most the game but short of fitness. Hit the bar it i recall as well? We don't know what's going on with Ramsey, but for now keep Bobby at 10 and rotate with Page and Ramsey (if he comes back). Keep JJ at 8.

I've always felt he was too 'nice', and i think playing 2nd fiddle to Vardy is something that has always weighed down on him. Yesterday i saw him visibly annoyed that he didnt get the ball played to him when he was in excellent positions. Need to see more of that from him. Get fire in is belly. Was his best game for a while, plus a goal contribution. Long way from being 'good', but played his part and made the defence work.

He went off on a stretcher?

The is some consensus that a weaker version of one of the worst PL teams ever should be romping the championship. It’s as if posters have never seen this bunch play before. It’s going to take a few windows to sort this rabble out. Marti clearly gives a crap. Part of me thinks he’s got about as much out of these @&@& as anyone can.

He cares because he hasn't had that big contract yet and is hungry. He has the right attitude and you can tell he wants to succeed. Exactly the sort of recruitment we should be doing. I imagine if we get promoted via the play offs we offering him 100k a week and that hunger quickly disappears.

Was ankle wasnt it? Bit like what happened to Youri a few seasons ago.

Also, the staff get to see how he is as a person right now. He started a few games which actually requires a big step up from him which and it was clearly hard work. Maybe illness / confidence just meant some time out of the starting 11 probably does the world of good at his age. Hopefully back to proper impact sub duties after the international break?

Norwich are in the proper turd but will undoubtedly get rid of Manning now. It easy to be down beat, but i think their goal was pretty fortunate and i think we thoroughly deserved the win. Should have won by more. But my god, how slow was Vestergaard for their shot on goal shortly after they scored! Decent save for Begovic but shouldn't have been dealt with long before.

Fulham in the sh1te. Think one of them , Leeds or Burnley go down. Think Nuno will get West Ham safe now.