Marti Cifuentes appointed new manager

[Phild]

1 hour ago, Phube said:

This, but the two better performing players were tiring (one injury, one lack of game time). 
 

So what were the options? No Ramsay. No decent No.6.

 

So unless he had Page on the bench (his choice) what else could he do? 

I dont get this 'the players were tiring' crap. We played walking football for the majority of that match. It just doesnt make sense. We can find plenty of excuses for a shocking performance in the second half but tge players being tired is the lamest of the lot. 

[Muzzy_no7]

He’s got till the November international break to convince me. 
 

Lose at Swansea though and, with the points deduction, that’s automatic promotion gone already. 

[Foxin_Mad]

I cannot sadly think of any reason why Skipp should be brought on to defend a lead or even be in the squad. If the manager can’t see that we have very big issues 

[SpacedX]

1 minute ago, Foxin_Mad said:

I cannot sadly think of any reason why Skipp should be brought on to defend a lead or even be in the squad. If the manager can’t see that we have very big issues 

I cannot sadly think of any reason why Skipp should have been brought in. 

[Fox92]

1 hour ago, Pita said:

We’ve got to admit we are just a very average championship side who are run by clowns 

Loser mentality.

 

We have one of the better squads in the division and people who claim we don't cannot name a better squad (maybe Ipswich actually) but we should be aiming for top 2, never mind top 6, and anything other than promotion is failure.

 

We are run by clowns but at the minute this squad is better than average. We should be demanding more from these players and this manager because, so far, this season has not been good enough.

Edited 1 October 2025 by Fox92

[Walshy5]

3 minutes ago, Foxin_Mad said:

I cannot sadly think of any reason why Skipp should be brought on to defend a lead or even be in the squad. If the manager can’t see that we have very big issues 

Don't quote me on this but I've heard he's been told by the hierarchy that he has to play so many minutes due to the amount we paid for him.

[murphy]

1 hour ago, The boy Linacre said:

Ipswich

Probably close, but we have finished above them twice running.  They have spent in the summer but as we know, spending doesn't necessarily mean improvement.

 

So , if that's it.  I stand by my claim that we have one of the best squads in this league.

[Foxin_Mad]

19 minutes ago, Walshy5 said:

Don't quote me on this but I've heard he's been told by the hierarchy that he has to play so many minutes due to the amount we paid for him.

If this is the case we really need to step up protesting against the heirarchy make it toxic for them 

[Chelmofox]

27 minutes ago, Foxin_Mad said:

I cannot sadly think of any reason why Skipp should be brought on to defend a lead or even be in the squad. If the manager can’t see that we have very big issues 

We have to rotate players though, and he is someone that is part of the squad he cost us a lot of money.  We could be saying the same thing about Soumare.

 

A worse place for us to be is for us to play others till they drop and then Skipp is one of the only options left.

 

 

[Foxin_Mad]

Just now, Chelmofox said:

We have to rotate players though, and he is someone that is part of the squad he cost us a lot of money.  We could be saying the same thing about Soumare.

 

A worse place for us to be is for us to play others till they drop and then Skipp is one of the only options left.

 

 

He cost us a win last night, he’s not good enough. The manager could have picked Paige in the squad but instead picked this guy who is utterly stealing a living. If the players are ‘dropping’ after a few 90 minutes walking around a pitch in our slow pondering bore ball, whilst having luxury facilities to recuperate in all week I think maybe they need to consider a different job.

[murphy]

1 hour ago, Dahnsouff said:

Depends what you mean, if you are talking players in isolation, then likely we are up there in the top 2-3 squads, but if you mean as a club, we are expectedly some distance away due to our suck ass attitude and weak mentality.

 

Ipswich has a decent squad, coupled with a long term good manager and ethos, so they are really doing poorly at the moment.

You could be right in that we are less than the sum of our parts (as yet) and I still fail to comprehend the arrogance of not properly addressing the striker issue..

 

That said, I still believe we have one of the best squads in the league and I am still hopeful that the manager will get us purring and we will get promoted.

 

As for Ipswich, they too should be demanding more of their squad.

Edited 1 October 2025 by murphy

[Chelmofox]

1 minute ago, Foxin_Mad said:

He cost us a win last night, he’s not good enough. The manager could have picked Paige in the squad but instead picked this guy who is utterly stealing a living. If the players are ‘dropping’ after a few 90 minutes walking around a pitch in our slow pondering bore ball, whilst having luxury facilities to recuperate in all week I think maybe they need to consider a different job.

Im not sure Page sees that game out at this stage in his development - and isn't Skipp supposed to be more of a defensive option.

 

I agree, Skipp isn't good enough. Marti has inherited him and is one of only a handful of senior defensive mid options he can call upon.

[honeybradger]

1 hour ago, Dahnsouff said:

Maybe you are wrong? Maybe these players ARE the best we have? And playing youth would see us get worse at least in the short term? Would you honestly be ok to see us turn draws into losses?

 

Its ok to say "I think" but the flip side of that is the acceptance that you might be wrong

 

edit I might be wrong too 

If im wrong and the likes of Nelson, Aluko, Page, Evans etc shouldn't be in involved/have no immediate future with us then we are royally screwed as a club.

 

I choose to believe there is at least some hope for rejuvenation through our academy players as the alternative of being stuck with our senior pros is looking bleak.

[JonnyBoy]

the football is so just so boring and predictable, can't seem to play through the defensive lines, fatawu one trick cutting in and shooting over the bar - will score one in ten

 

no attacking threat, Carranza looks crap from his cameo appearances, Daka more effective than ayew at creating space but still can't hit a barn door 

 

2025 and still playing Faes and vestegaard - both responsible for the last two goals conceded.

 

Page and Nelson can't even get on the bench 

 

where is the quick football, high pressing and wanting to score more goals once 1-0 up Marti?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited 1 October 2025 by JonnyBoy

[Dahnsouff]

Just now, honeybradger said:

If im wrong and the likes of Nelson, Aluko, Page, Evans etc shouldn't be in involved/have no immediate future with us then we are royally screwed as a club.

 

I choose to believe there is at least some hope for rejuvenation through our academy players as the alternative of being stuck with our senior pros is looking bleak.

Fair enough. Would only worry that until the broken mindset/ethos/temperament within the playing staff at the club is resolved, we risk doing irreparable  damage to a generation of younger stars.

[murphy]

37 minutes ago, Chelmofox said:

Im not sure Page sees that game out at this stage in his development - and isn't Skipp supposed to be more of a defensive option.

 

I agree, Skipp isn't good enough. Marti has inherited him and is one of only a handful of senior defensive mid options he can call upon.

But replacing an attacking midfielder with a defensive one is the problem imo, regardless of the personnel.  We chose to retreat when we were dominant with a quarter of the match still to play.  Maybe I'm naive but I believe that if you're on top you press on regardless of the scoreline.  We handed the initiative and momentum over to Wrexham on a platter.

 

Edited 1 October 2025 by murphy

[Muzzy_no7]

If it’s gonna be mid table/pushing for play offs then just chuck Ben Nelson in.

 

How are we STILL persisting with Sideshow Bob and Jannik as a partnership? 

[l444ry]

 

3 hours ago, TheGoldenGod said:

You can bemoan the football by him to a certain extent then but end of the day it got results! The team we were playing never had the ball so never looked a threat. Marti's style I thought would be more a basketball game but we don't threaten the opposition goal at all, its dire!

We are aligned (to use yet more modern Managerspeak). You just simply used different words than I did.  

Edited 1 October 2025 by l444ry

[Pita]

2 hours ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

Name 8 teams with better squads than us. Should be easy enough if we're "average" in this league.

We don’t even play as a team most of the time 

[CrazyKopCorner]

1 hour ago, Dahnsouff said:

Give us your plan and please exclude the letters y, o, u, t and h

For a start I’d play Nelson and Okoli. I’d put Ricardo into midfield with Winks and James and if if bought a striker I’d make sure he was better than Patson ****ing Daka - Comprende 

[Crinklyfox]

Just for context.  Martin o'Neill won just 3 of his first 16 games when he joined in 1995.  A lot of fans wanted him out.  Didn't turn out too badly in the end.

[Dahnsouff]

1 minute ago, CrazyKopCorner said:

For a start I’d play Nelson and Okoli. I’d put Ricardo into midfield with Winks and James and if if bought a striker I’d make sure he was better than Patson ****ing Daka - Comprende 

Okoli is crap, Faes is crap, Vesty is slow, Nelson is injured.

Winks and James in midfield is a given as we saw

The transfer window is closed

We have little money even if it were open

 

How about we stop relying on our wingers and flood the midfield, play two 10's, or God forbid, a 10 and two strikers, just for a change of pace?

 

 

[RowlattsFox]

1 hour ago, Stadt said:

Take the Wednesday game out and we have 25 shots on target in 8 games.

 

Joint worst xG/shot in the league, completely crap at making chances. That isn't a player quality issue, Hull aren't struggling to make chances and they have much worse players.

Difference is people aren't playing defensive against Hull. We are easy to defend and teams would be stupid not to sit deep and let Winks, Faes and Vestergaard pass to each other. 

[fuzzymizzit]

1 hour ago, Chelmofox said:

We have to rotate players though, and he is someone that is part of the squad he cost us a lot of money.  We could be saying the same thing about Soumare.

 

A worse place for us to be is for us to play others till they drop and then Skipp is one of the only options left.

 

 

Correct. Like it or not, Skipp and Soumare are the backup centre mids and the first XI can't play 90 minutes for 46 games. 

[fuzzymizzit]

13 minutes ago, Dahnsouff said:

Okoli is crap, Faes is crap, Vesty is slow, Nelson is injured.

Winks and James in midfield is a given as we saw

The transfer window is closed

We have little money even if it were open

 

How about we stop relying on our wingers and flood the midfield, play two 10's, or God forbid, a 10 and two strikers, just for a change of pace?

 

 

Fullbacks who go/pass forwards would be nice, too (Ricardo aside)