fleckneymike

Sounding like a broken record, they are political and political messaging. They just happen to be things we agree with and don’t find controversial. Depressingly, I think we’ll see greater uproar’ over rainbow laces as those who are anti it focus on the T part of lgbtq+ inclusion initiative to mask their homophobia. Just as the BNP dropped the focus on race and rebadged themselves in different guises to be anti immigration to add respectability

But that’s just it, they aren’t political for you because like me you probably agree with them/don’t contest what they represent. But they are political.

We either want politics kept out of football or we don’t. I don’t care if it’s a league wide initiative or one club. The dull truth is we want politics we don’t agree with kept out of football. I support knee taking, rainbow laces, wearing poppies on shirts but accept completely that these are all comfortable politics for me.

War in Ukraine?

Keep politics out of football! Unless it’s politics I agree with and then it’s not political it’s just common sense and decency.

But look at what staying here did for the rest. He’ll end the season with 30 appearances (admittedly 12 in the league) and most likely a European trophy in which he’s featured in every game

You can’t please everyone, you’re correct. You can avoid personal attacks. That’s a choice.

Is it? If people who actually agree with the protest disagree with message then that’s not a good start. If you can’t appeal to your base then how do you appeal to those outside that?

Not at all. Complaining about abusing a person rather than presenting facts. As soon as you attack people and not ideas there’s no real debate. I agree the club has been chronically mismanaged and a protest about issues is needed. Insulting a man about Valentine’s Day isn’t doing that.

But put out a message they can report. All this shows is stupid pictures. Present facts. Present ideas. This presents nothing of substance

Completely agree. Comes across as childish and unnecessarily personal. Play the ball not the man. Criticise decisions but why the need to try and humiliate someone? Completely undermines everything.

Some revisionist history here. I can distinctly recall the semi ironic cheers that first match post Kasper when Ward collected a cross from a corner. Kasper had declined significantly and wasn’t worth the astronomical wage he was on. He was however infinitely better than Ward but that isn’t exactly high praise.

We should hold out for Fofana levels of money. We’ve seen with all those sales to Chelsea, City or United that the replacement isn’t anywhere near the standard. It becomes death by a thousand cuts. Death by a thousand expensive cuts as it then costs us a premium to replace whilst simultaneously taking a drop in levels

I’ve screenshot the thread

This thread from Dom Wells is damning apologies if previously posted

I am very much Cooper out BUT I don’t feel that debacle can be laid at his feet and doing so is incredibly unfair. Individual errors scuppered any momentum we had. Each goal could have been prevented at multiple times. The first half was encouraging but to concede so early and so badly in the second half derailed everything. Yes reverting to our previous system appeared to highlight deficiencies in aspects of coaching. Yes expecting Ricardo to last the 90 might be naive. Yes the bench exposed a lack of depth for certain positions but ultimately repeated basic errors which aren’t the under the control of the coach cost us. I still feel he isn’t the coach for us but I don’t blame him for the majority of last night.

Come and sit next to me. I think he’s ****ing useless

Plus some 7ft Chinese striker who was denied a work permit. This was when Dave Bassett was in charge. Zhang Yuning

Didn’t we actually sign Jason McAteer under Micky Adam’s only for us to tear up the contract and he sign for Tranmere

He’s managed to nullify our best players. Ricardo - won’t play him Vestergaard - not in the squad Winks - no more passing in the middle thank you very much Mavididi - on the bench please. Playing well? Off you come. Abdul - I know you finished the season scoring and assisting but do you mind playing on the opposite wing so I can play someone who doesn’t score or assist. Mads - could you just kick it long rather than building play like we signed you for?

Can we also clarify that those of us criticising Cooper don’t want him to fail; we want him to change. The fear is that he is incapable of changing. He’s also inherited a squad who were told exactly what to do, where to stand, when to pass, why to pass and they were rewarded with a championship. They could ask a question and get, for better or worse, a clear and rigid answer. This give the players more freedom approach, I would uncharitably argue, is in fact an admittance that you have no idea how to coach them to do that. how many games already has Cooper claimed the players weren’t doing what they’d planned? Maybe it’s time to consider that what you’ve planned they either aren’t understanding or you aren’t communicating clearly and specifically enough

What it’s important is that whatever we rebuild or finish rebuilding is sustainable. Not just in terms of finance but football identity. Ultimately I want it that the manager changes but the club does not.

While I’m moaning I also loath this mentality that this season is just about survival and therefore we have to accept attritional or pragmatic football. Why do we? We had the same thing last season with some supporters adamant that promotion at all costs was needed and style of play was a poor second. We instead opted to ‘play’ our way out of the division because, you know what, success doesn’t have to come at any cost. We’ve some very good players being asked to pretend they are clogging journeymen who love balls into the channel and furious battles for second balls. Fatawu can play. Mavididi can play. Winks can only ****ing play. The list goes on.

My concern about Cooper is the negativity masquerading as pragmatism. As others have more eloquently expressed, I can accept three essentially defensive central midfielders if we counter this with attacking players either on the wing or a full back. The problem is we don’t. I also don’t like the argument that if his subs had worked we wouldn’t be complaining. 1. They didn’t work. 2. He has to make them because his initial plan in all but one game hasn’t worked 3. To invite pressure on and sacrifice the ball as readily as we do by making ‘defensive’ subs is also infuriating. I can’t currently get behind a manager who I don’t agree with tactically.