Cifuentes OUT

[ClaphamFox]

2 minutes ago, Corky said:

Isn't it still the case that the hierarchy want heavy possession football as the basis for appointing someone?

You’d imagine that at some point the penny will drop that this strategy is not working. But when?

[deep blue]

1 hour ago, Bayfox said:

Some very valid points but I'm told its Top that wants us to play like Barca.

This opinion keeps popping up on here, but is it really true? What verification do we have?

 

You say "I'm told ... ",   ... but who has told you?

[Gamble92]

At 60 minutes we had 0.05 xg and 65% possession 

 

It's the equivalent of a drunk man trying to get in his house with the wrong key for half an hour 

[Claudio Fannieri]

What makes me smile is that we won the league with an average of 35% possession I appreciate the game changes and you have to move on but we are our own example that teams can be successful playing different styles so surely a hybrid of possession and high intensity football can be can be the way forward. 

[CloudFox]

14 hours ago, Tuna said:

 that's in March

Yup! That wasn't a typo, sadly.

Edited 30 November 2025 by CloudFox

[coolhandfox]

7 minutes ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

Saw this post by Darren Eadie on X and think it’s a very fair assessment of where we are, Marti isn’t an elite coach but this group or a good proportion checked out of the club a long time ago and I think that has made his role almost impossible. 

Wilder isn't elite, but he'd 100% get more out of the group.

 

Its his job to get them back on side.

[Pita]

First we need the new football director someone who understands football and let them start sorting out the mess. 

[Alf Bentley]

16 minutes ago, Richmondfox said:

 

Morgan, Hugh, Fuchs, Albrighton, or any player with half a brain and sense of urgency would’ve cleared it.   

 

I now have visions of a mud-spattered Hugh Grant hoofing it into Row Z.... 

 

I reckon Hugh's style would be to elegantly play it out - to the opposition. Huth, on the other hand... 

[JimJams]

9 minutes ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

Saw this post by Darren Eadie on X and think it’s a very fair assessment of where we are, Marti isn’t an elite coach but this group or a good proportion checked out of the club a long time ago and I think that has made his role almost impossible. 

But that's evidently not the case anyway.

 

A good manager can get an average group of players to more than mediocrity.  How many times have we heard of teams being better than the sum of their parts?

[ClaphamFox]

8 minutes ago, deep blue said:

This opinion keeps popping up on here, but is it really true? What verification do we have?

 

You say "I'm told ... ",   ... but who has told you?

There have been persistent rumours going back to the Rodgers era that Top is obsessed with Man City and wants us to play like them—probably too persistent for there to be nothing in them. It would also explain a lot.

Edited 30 November 2025 by ClaphamFox

[Gamble92]

13 minutes ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

Saw this post by Darren Eadie on X and think it’s a very fair assessment of where we are, Marti isn’t an elite coach but this group or a good proportion checked out of the club a long time ago and I think that has made his role almost impossible. 

Did he get injured tweeting that?

[Dahnsouff]

1 minute ago, JimJams said:

But that's evidently not the case anyway.

 

A good manager can get an average group of players to more than mediocrity.  How many times have we heard of teams being better than the sum of their parts?

Would argue it can be true if those players do not apply themselves. You can of course then say that generating the necessary application levels is part of the managers role though 

[Dahnsouff]

If it is true that Top wants us to play like Man City, he is looking at an older edition. Endless passing is dead without a team full of elite players.

[LcFc_Smiv]

5 minutes ago, deep blue said:

This opinion keeps popping up on here, but is it really true? What verification do we have?

 

You say "I'm told ... ",   ... but who has told you?

It's pretty obvious the clubs preferred style of play is heavily possession based, Puel, Rodgers, Maresca, RVN and now Cifuentes, Cooper was the clear exception but he made a point of letting it be known he had broadening his tactical approach while out of the game and tried to persist with this possession approach. Martin has had conversations twice with Top around vacant roles, only missing out on the job fortunately through our incompetence and unprofessional approach to how we handled situations. We clearly want a coach who delivers a distinct style of play, regardless of whether someone has been told the evidence speaks for itself. if it looks like sh!t, smells like sh!t, it probably is...

[Claudio Fannieri]

2 minutes ago, coolhandfox said:

Wilder isn't elite, but he'd 100% get more out of the group.

 

Its his job to get them back on side.

Genuinely I really don’t believe he has the choice with certain players, picture the scene……early days Marti and his team identify Winks, Faes et al as bad eggs who want out and so doesn’t include them in his starting XI the club fail to move them

on and Marti is told to reintegrate them which massively undermines his position and changes the whole dynamic of the squad. 
 

the culture at the club is shot certain players have way too much influence and power and they are enabled by the owner and senior management which completely undermines any manager trying to come in and stamp his authority. It has happened for years here but know the quality of the senior players with the influence has declined then we are left with what we have now. 

[Gamble92]

3 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

There have been persistent rumours going back to the Rodgers era that Top is obsessed with Man City and wants us to play like them—probably too persistent for there to be nothing in them. It would also explain a lot.

Having Top dictate the style of play for our club is like having Blue Van Man put on the A la carte menu at the Dorchester 

[Tuna]

Worried of course we'll replace with another Enzo clone, but we don't always do that as it doesn't explain the Cooper appointment or the RVN appointment who evidently had no style of play.

[Claudio Fannieri]

6 minutes ago, JimJams said:

But that's evidently not the case anyway.

 

A good manager can get an average group of players to more than mediocrity.  How many times have we heard of teams being better than the sum of their parts?

I agree but let’s not pretend this squad is 100% committed to the club too many players who are still here we’re making all sorts of noises that they wanted out and new challenges etc etc. 

 

the mindset and culture of many of the current squad is that they have checked out and don’t give a shit. 

[Richmondfox]

2 minutes ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

What makes me smile is that we won the league with an average of 35% possession I appreciate the game changes and you have to move on but we are our own example that teams can be successful playing different styles so surely a hybrid of possession and high intensity football can be can be the way forward. 

They have shown that they can work as a team when attacking quickly but then start the next game the exact same way.  
 

They can play possession football but why do they have to keep control in front of the goal after inviting a press.  It’s frustrating when JV ignores an unmarked winger so he can walk to the half way and blast the ball to Daka with his back to goal and not control it once.  Suddenly we have a counter on and he’s stranded. 

 

It’s so easy for Thomas to smash the ball all the way back when we are close to the corner flag, instead of whipping a cross in or  Mav seems to be unable to pass the ball to a player ahead in space.  They are either greedy or too happy to pass any responsibility on to others. 
 

The manager has no plan and the players take the easy options and face no consequences. 

[Dahnsouff]

2 minutes ago, Gamble92 said:

Having Top dictate the style of play for our club is like having Blue Van Man put on the A la carte menu at the Dorchester 

Would need to see his employment history. 

[adam95581]

8 minutes ago, Pita said:

First we need the new football director someone who understands football and let them start sorting out the mess. 

Knowing Top, he’ll probably bring in someone with a CV consisting of supply chain management expertise and hobbies listed as “football manager enthusiast” 

[TJB-fox]

5 minutes ago, Tuna said:

Worried of course we'll replace with another Enzo clone, but we don't always do that as it doesn't explain the Cooper appointment or the RVN appointment who evidently had no style of play.

An Enzo clone would be great he’s a quality manager? 

[winteriscoming]

I know it’s extremely easy saying it now but Cifuentes should have set his stall out at the start of the season and build it around the young players. 
Stolarczyk, Nelson, Monga, Alves, Page and Evans should have been the nucleus of the team and add that with some experience within the squad. 
The fans would have respected him more for showing some bollox and doing something different instead of just going for the tried and tested experienced shit player’s. 
Our best cb this season has been Nelson and he’s only played 1 and half games in the league. Says it all really. 

[coolhandfox]

5 minutes ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

Genuinely I really don’t believe he has the choice with certain players, picture the scene……early days Marti and his team identify Winks, Faes et al as bad eggs who want out and so doesn’t include them in his starting XI the club fail to move them

on and Marti is told to reintegrate them which massively undermines his position and changes the whole dynamic of the squad. 
 

Source that prove he was told to reintegrate them?

 

5 minutes ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

the culture at the club is shot certain players have way too much influence and power and they are enabled by the owner and senior management which completely undermines any manager trying to come in and stamp his authority. It has happened for years here but know the quality of the senior players with the influence has declined then we are left with what we have now. 

More excuses for a manager out of his depth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Happy Fox]

The wins against Stoke and Norwich were hardly convincing we were very lucky to win both games. Marti is a very incompetent manager at this level he wasn’t the right manager for us to begin with.

 

As for his replacement I think even going for a mildly competent manager at this level and things will improve relatively quickly.