Cifuentes OUT

[Walshie is God]

We are too skint to sack him, I've made peace with it now, it's so bad I'm beyond anger. While top and rudkin oversee operations it is doomed for failure. The way they have broken this club after vichais hard work is quite spectacular

[lgfualol]

I’ll never get over the fact he did not make a single sub after we were 4 NIL DOWN at half time vs QPR. 
 

That’s not even the only time he didn’t make subs after a first half massacre. 
 

He’s completely clueless.

[Freddy]

13 hours ago, Parafox said:

 

Which highlights what a poor manager he is.

 

I'm so disappointed in the last 3 managerial appointments.

 

It really has gone completely tits up.

I feel the same. New managers are maybe a bit of a lottery, Claudio could heva got it wrong with a brilliant squad, but our last 3 don't seem to have the tact or guile to finesse the players.

[OntarioFox]

9 hours ago, cruzFOX said:

Would Enzo be interested in continuing his half finished project with us. He could have in his contract the choice of leaving as soon as he gets us promoted again ?

Without vardy and KDH this squad is not worth taking on. I don't think people realise just how pivotal both were to our success two years ago. JJ is essentially doing both players' roles right now and it shows.

If he doesn't leave in January he'd probably get a tune out of Winks though, given the fella clearly still has a massive mancrush he never got over. That's about the only positive case I could think of for him returning right now.

This is all moot though - he's not coming back in a million years, our stock has fallen even more than when he was an untested manager. He hasn't even done badly at Chelsea, they just have ridiculous expectations as they always have done. He's also vocally critical of ownership which KP wouldn't want to deal with given their increasingly fragile position. Another prem team or a bigger European team will 100% come in for him.

Edited 3 January by OntarioFox

[BKLFox]

Should of went for Sean Dyche you all said but what’s he doing with Forest?

You will now say yeah but his remit will be to keep them up but if he was our manager in the premier (even championship tbh) you’d all say but with our squad we should be getting mid table in premier or promoted in champ but which player in our squad gets into Forests starting line up, I don’t font even think JJ makes the starting 11.

New manager is not going to be the saving grace everyone thinks it will be.

 

[daddylonglegs]

3 hours ago, lgfualol said:

I’ll never get over the fact he did not make a single sub after we were 4 NIL DOWN at half time vs QPR. 
 

That’s not even the only time he didn’t make subs after a first half massacre. 
 

He’s completely clueless.

I actually didn’t hate this. Nobody deserved a free pass in the second half to sit on the sidelines. 

[Bablemikey]

18 hours ago, BrilliantFox said:

 

But noooooo, our players are so bad for the Championship level, Cifuentes has only been given the previous league winners minus a 38 year old striker and 2 midfielders.

 

That means we should be mid-table right? 

Not as simple as that. I’d argue we’ve lost far more talent than that and not replaced with equal quality.

2024–25

Vardy, Iheanacho, Dewsbury-Hall, Praet, Iversen.

2025–26

Hermansen, McAteer, Justin, Ndidi, El Khannouss, Buonanotte.

[5waller5]

10 minutes ago, Bablemikey said:

Not as simple as that. I’d argue we’ve lost far more talent than that and not replaced with equal quality.

2024–25

Vardy, Iheanacho, Dewsbury-Hall, Praet, Iversen.

2025–26

Hermansen, McAteer, Justin, Ndidi, El Khannouss, Buonanotte.

Agreed. With the exception of Iversen, and only because Hermansen would keep him out the side, all of those players would walk into our current side

[BrilliantFox]

46 minutes ago, Bablemikey said:

Not as simple as that. I’d argue we’ve lost far more talent than that and not replaced with equal quality.

2024–25

Vardy, Iheanacho, Dewsbury-Hall, Praet, Iversen.

2025–26

Hermansen, McAteer, Justin, Ndidi.

 

Ok, but the point being that squad you're referencing was already levels and levels and levels above in quality over the Championship. So taking the players you mentioned away, and adding Jordan and Monga, the squad should still be able to compete at the top.

 

Because we're not in a battle against our 23/24 team, we're in a battle against the rest of the dross in this league. 

 

Now even if you STILL want to be semantic about league position, Cifuentes hasn't shown a single blip of good coaching and that is the worst part of it all.

 

PS we never had BEK or Facundo in our league winning team

Edited 3 January by BrilliantFox

[Bablemikey]

I’m not a fan of Cifuentes myself either. I think he’s an adequate but unexceptional manager. But the squad is just not good enough. I think we should be doing a bit better than we are, but not good enough for a playoff place. Around 10th is my expectation.

[Joe90]

1 hour ago, BKLFox said:

Should of went for Sean Dyche you all said but what’s he doing with Forest?

You will now say yeah but his remit will be to keep them up but if he was our manager in the premier (even championship tbh) you’d all say but with our squad we should be getting mid table in premier or promoted in champ but which player in our squad gets into Forests starting line up, I don’t font even think JJ makes the starting 11.

New manager is not going to be the saving grace everyone thinks it will be.

 

Are you comparing Sean dyche with the muppet we have in charge now ? 

[BrilliantFox]

5 minutes ago, Joe90 said:

Are you comparing Sean dyche with the muppet we have in charge now ? 

Cifuentes vs Dyche is like getting waterboarded vs electrocuted. Pick your poison 

 

Both terrible, both should not be entertained at LCFC.

[westernpark]

15 minutes ago, BrilliantFox said:

Cifuentes vs Dyche is like getting waterboarded vs electrocuted. Pick your poison 

 

Both terrible, both should not be entertained at LCFC.

We can only dream of getting someone of Dyche’s current calibre. 

[Sting]

Top and Rudkin haven’t yet been able to dilute and trash the supporters expectations for the club, but they are giving it a good ****ing go. !!!

[lcfc_forever]

The lack of clean sheets is so poor, Marti isn’t organising the defence well enough.
3-5-2 seems the obvious option, and would suit our team with Mav so out of form and the 1 striker strategy not working. Our full backs are targeted for their lack of pace, and we generally don’t have enough pressure or physicality. 
 

Alternatively, put Okoli at right back, Vestergaard back in the team (until Souttar returns) and Aluko/Ricardo rotating at left back until we hopefully sign a new LB. Our most controlled performances came while we had 2 DMs in the team, and then good finishers like Ricardo, Monga and BCDR to get us over the line. Does mean James being a no.10 but the defence is the biggest problem so needs prioritising. 

[BKLFox]

1 hour ago, Joe90 said:

Are you comparing Sean dyche with the muppet we have in charge now ? 

I’m highlighting the fickleness of FT, 1 minute wouldn’t touch him with a barge pole the next we should have got him.

But what’s he doing, without argument, a better squad than ours & if the premier wasn’t as weak as it’s been for sometime Forest would be bottom 3, West Ham can’t beat a very bad Wolves team currently, if they could Forest are 1pt from 18th.

[Richmondfox]

1 hour ago, BrilliantFox said:

 

Ok, but the point being that squad you're referencing was already levels and levels and levels above in quality over the Championship. So taking the players you mentioned away, and adding Jordan and Monga, the squad should still be able to compete at the top.

 

Because we're not in a battle against our 23/24 team, we're in a battle against the rest of the dross in this league. 

 

Now even if you STILL want to be semantic about league position, Cifuentes hasn't shown a single blip of good coaching and that is the worst part of it all.

 

PS we never had BEK or Facundo in our league winning team

This is it.  We have shown that we can score goals when the team attack with pace and move quickly, usually when chasing the game.  Then next week it resets and they become braindead and greedy.  There is a strange mix of full backs and wingers barely making an effort or having the instincts to run into space ahead, if players do then Mav and Ayew almost always ignore the quick and obvious pass until it's time to send it backwards.

 

Then we have another tactical issue where Ayew loves to drift to the left wing occupying Mavs space.  If either do choose to pass and cross, we have no one in the box or it's taken so long the defence can clear it.

 

It's obvious to all, there is a breakdown somewhere, either they are ignoring him and failing or listening to him and failing.

 

They are happy to pass the ball when under pressure at the back or in the middle where it's congested, but the attackers avoid moving into space or passing.  Mav, Ayew and Fatawu have been really bad at this lately.  They want to be greedy, do the hard part but when it comes to pulling the trigger, Mav and Ayew will break down the attack and even worse, not play anyone else in.  Fatawu is greedy and has poor disipline but at least he's not afraid to shoot. 

[Richmondfox]

1 hour ago, Bablemikey said:

I’m not a fan of Cifuentes myself either. I think he’s an adequate but unexceptional manager. But the squad is just not good enough. I think we should be doing a bit better than we are, but not good enough for a playoff place. Around 10th is my expectation.

This isn't meant as a slight, but what is he adequate at?  I'm at a loss to name anything positive about him.  I wasn't impressed with him, then he said everyone got a clean sheet and repeated the same mistakes as last season.  A highlights reel would tell him all he needs to know.  My foreshadowing was right and he's another resident of the KP donkey sanctuary. 

 

His attacking stats at QPR were 1.2 goals per game.  For the last 2 seasons they scored 47 & 53, at the moment they have 35.

 

The squad is good enough to compete if drilled with basics at the back and fast attacks, passing ahead rather than to the feet standing still AND importantly a fighting spirit.  We have a strange mix of overplay at the back, invite pressure but then panic, pass to the attackers who don't seem to want to work together once JJ or Reid have found them.

 

He watches the same mistakes and poor attacking tactics every week but doesn't do anything about it.

[Pliskin]

2 hours ago, Bablemikey said:

I’m not a fan of Cifuentes myself either. I think he’s an adequate but unexceptional manager. But the squad is just not good enough. I think we should be doing a bit better than we are, but not good enough for a playoff place. Around 10th is my expectation.

I don’t agree, the players are being deployed in a way that doesn’t suit them. Marti is a dreadful manager, coach and tactician… the squad has inadequacies but it’s not as bad as this…….. it’s poorly motivated, poorly coached and has no confidence…..   

 

Id say if we had gone for Chris Wilder, we would probably be in a better position. 

Edited 3 January by Pliskin

[PaulW]

2 hours ago, Joe90 said:

Are you comparing Sean dyche with the muppet we have in charge now ? 

Florists have  five of their last six games, and sit one place above the relegation spots.

[PaulW]

1 hour ago, westernpark said:

We can only dream of getting someone of Dyche’s current calibre. 

Have you checked Forest's league position, and recent results?

[Cropwellfox]

2 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

I don’t agree, the players are being deployed in a way that doesn’t suit them. Marti is a dreadful manager, coach and tactician… the squad inadequacies but it’s not as bad as this…….. it’s poorly motivated, poorly coached and has no confidence…..   

 

Id say if we had gone for Chris Wilder, we would probably be in a better position. 

Agree with this, also Wilder would never have had Carranza inflicted on him, probably have taken Bamford for us instead earlier in the season than he got him at Sheff U as well. 

[BKLFox]

 

 

58 minutes ago, Richmondfox said:

This isn't meant as a slight, but what is he adequate at?  I'm at a loss to name anything positive about him.

Jakub, Nelson, Aluko, Monga, Page, Silko… all players fans want to see.

Tough enough to completely remove 2 of the biggest names and wages in Winks & Faes, could possibly be pushing Vestergaard to a regular bench position…all players fans wanted rid of.

He knows he needs a new striker & probably a LB, I imagine we’ll also see Braybrooke backing up Skipp so that will be 7 academy lads in 1 season added into the fold.

 

Any new manager will do what they all think is right, 1stly the old I want to take a look at everyone new slate etc etc then I need experience which means those 7 mentioned are at risk of going out on loan away from 1st team or pushed further down the pecking order. 
If no money there will be very few managers that will take the job anyway, if you want a manager to just keep us in the league I’m sure we have that anyway with the added bonus of someone willing to play those 6/7 lads from the academy.
 

 

52 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

I don’t agree, the players are being deployed in a way that doesn’t suit them.

Mav & Fats are wingers, Skipp, JJ, BDCR are midfielders, Thomas, Ricardo are FBs, Jakubs a keeper, Nelson & Okoli are CBs and all are deployed in those positions?

Which players are being asked to do something that doesn’t suit?

I imagine Mav & Fats are told to attack their FBs & that they have to work hard in helping out in defence when the balls turned over.

I imagine Skipp is told to protect the back line, break up play and feed the ball wide or to JJ.

I imagine JJ is told to protect the back line but get up to support the attack.

I imagine BDCR is told to link midfield to attack and drop into midfield out of possession 

I imagine Thomas is told to over lap Mav as well as be a LB 

I imagine Ricardo is told to invert into midfield when in possession as well as be a RB

 

I fully agree that Cifuentes isn’t getting results & that Sheff U game was 1 of the worst performances I’ve ever seen. I continually knock him for his in-game management & subs

So I’m not just anally defending him

but

Football really isn’t that hard but the players have to be on it, that Sheff U game it was like they had 22 players such was their work rate.
Marti can drill all he likes but if players are not committed to get the 50/50 or 2nd balls, stay on their feet in holding up a player & 1 of my biggest bug bears continue tackling the upper body and not the feet especially around the box leading to free kicks and yellow cards then any manager will struggle.

[westernpark]

55 minutes ago, PaulW said:

Have you checked Forest's league position, and recent results?

Have you checked our club?

[Pliskin]

3 minutes ago, BKLFox said:

 

 

Jakub, Nelson, Aluko, Monga, Page, Silko… all players fans want to see.

Tough enough to completely remove 2 of the biggest names and wages in Winks & Faes, could possibly be pushing Vestergaard to a regular bench position…all players fans wanted rid of.

He knows he needs a new striker & probably a LB, I imagine we’ll also see Braybrooke backing up Skipp so that will be 7 academy lads in 1 season added into the fold.

 

Any new manager will do what they all think is right, 1stly the old I want to take a look at everyone new slate etc etc then I need experience which means those 7 mentioned are at risk of going out on loan away from 1st team or pushed further down the pecking order. 
If no money there will be very few managers that will take the job anyway, if you want a manager to just keep us in the league I’m sure we have that anyway with the added bonus of someone willing to play those 6/7 lads from the academy.
 

 

Mav & Fats are wingers, Skipp, JJ, BDCR are midfielders, Thomas, Ricardo are FBs, Jakubs a keeper, Nelson & Okoli are CBs and all are deployed in those positions?

Which players are being asked to do something that doesn’t suit?

I imagine Mav & Fats are told to attack their FBs & that they have to work hard in helping out in defence when the balls turned over.

I imagine Skipp is told to protect the back line, break up play and feed the ball wide or to JJ.

I imagine JJ is told to protect the back line but get up to support the attack.

I imagine BDCR is told to link midfield to attack and drop into midfield out of possession 

I imagine Thomas is told to over lap Mav as well as be a LB 

I imagine Ricardo is told to invert into midfield when in possession as well as be a RB

 

I fully agree that Cifuentes isn’t getting results & that Sheff U game was 1 of the worst performances I’ve ever seen. I continually knock him for his in-game management & subs

So I’m not just anally defending him

but

Football really isn’t that hard but the players have to be on it, that Sheff U game it was like they had 22 players such was their work rate.
Marti can drill all he likes but if players are not committed to get the 50/50 or 2nd balls, stay on their feet in holding up a player & 1 of my biggest bug bears continue tackling the upper body and not the feet especially around the box leading to free kicks and yellow cards then any manager will struggle.

It’s clearly the way in which Marti is trying to get to get the players to play. You say it’s simple but his instructions are clearly being lost in translation. 
 

It’s the playing out from a defensive position which is the biggest problem, we don’t have the players to do this, the only player we have who enables us to play in this way is now no longer part of the squad, if you’re trying to play any form of effective possession based football, to have to have a player who drops into the half spaces between the defenders and the midfield to create the space for other players to move into…. We’re not doing this, what happens is Skipp stands still, JJ clear off into a high 6 position and we have gaping holes in the midfield…… it mean we’re was to press against, we struggle to move the ball upfield and we just turn possession over needlessly and can’t keep hold of the ball. So straight away his plans are in tatters because we can’t do the basics of his philosophy properly. 
 

We also play with no pace in our game, we’re heavily reliant on Fatawu and Mavididi producing something from nothing, we just hope Fatawu will take pop shots from 30, 40 yards or take on an entire team himself…. 
 

JJ has been our best player, but because he likes to run with the ball to break the lines of the oppositions defence, or breach the press with a run into the final third, he leaves a massive hole in the midfield. It looks like we do try to invert the full back to cover, but because we don’t have that KDH or Wilf type of player, we’re losing control of the midfield very quickly. 
 

In essence, we’re hamstringing ourselves trying to play intricate football when collectively we don’t have the play in staff to do so. We need to focus on a more transitional approach, we need probably drop deeper, either play with a back 3 or a midfield 3, and look to create a solid bank of players in the middle of the pitch. 
 

Skipp can perform the destroyer role, and then JJ and another can offer support, one sits in a double pivot whilst one presses forward. We also need to focus on getting our wingers int space, rather than playing this slow boring laborious football meaning the wingers get the ball pretty much at walking pace and are expected to generate their own momentum every time. 
 

There’s definitely more of a coaching problem here than some wish to accept…. Yes the squad has issues, but if Sheffield United can look dangerous and together, so can we….