Russell Martin - Confirmed as First Team Manager

[CleudoG]

Two ball playing centre backs, big Bosnian and an alternative striker up front 

Thomas and Skipp replaced and I’ll give him a few games before fully judging. Can’t believe I am planning my weekend around a home game to Burton Albion in the League though.

[Muzzy Elliot]

5 hours ago, Vindaloo FOX said:

He's style of playing out from the back with theses lot makes me shit my pants,

 

 

Sounds like gastroenteritis to me. 

[CosbehFox]

7 hours ago, boosmanana said:

I'm not sure he's expecting either of those things is he though? He's probably acutely aware that neither are good enough or stylistically suited enough for his style and so will attempt to bring in a centre back more suited before the end of the window and will likely use McFarlane moving forwards... But sure, we'll go with him expecting Okoli and Thomas to evolve into Van Dijk and Roberto Carlos to suit your narrative 😊 

If he’s acutely aware, he’s pragmatic enough to put the style away for a few weeks and alter his tactics to accordingly suit. The parallels with his time at Rangers are already there to see 

 

He’s not the only manager whose system/style first over the actual capabilities of his players mind 

Edited 16 August by CosbehFox

[Rubbersoul]

Slept on it and I hope he doesn’t make it to September 

[teblin]

So wanted him to work out. But the last 2 games have been everything I worried about the appointment.

 

It's still early days and the team might still look very different by 1st September.

 

The notts game was always going to be tricky. But at the minute not much seems to changed.

[Flannel_Fox]

The thing I'm clinging on to is that the top 3 players form yesterday in Alves, Braybrook & Joseph are looking like Martin can bring the best out of them. And I'm all for it. 

[Number 6]

This style of play has bored everyone to tears so much that you basically have to win games every week to not be under pressure as the manager. It's tedious to watch so unless you have the results, you're gonna be under huge fan pressure.

 

I do think it's easier to organise a semi-decent press than a nice play out from the back at this level too. Which means we'll give chances and thus goals away throughout.

 

Even with all this I don't think a change would illicit a different style. We're wedding to this garbage now. Problems run far deeper than the manager.

[Chelmofox]

12 minutes ago, Flannel_Fox said:

The thing I'm clinging on to is that the top 3 players form yesterday in Alves, Braybrook & Joseph are looking like Martin can bring the best out of them. And I'm all for it. 

The worry for me is that they are the players likely to be replaced by whatever experience he wants to bring in. 
 

When Chaplin is fit, who do you think loses their place?  It won’t be Cullen. 
 

Page should be playing over Cullen anyway. He’s much better. 

[smallpauldj]

7 hours ago, CleudoG said:

Two ball playing centre backs, big Bosnian and an alternative striker up front 

Thomas and Skipp replaced and I’ll give him a few games before fully judging. Can’t believe I am planning my weekend around a home game to Burton Albion in the League though.

I'll be at Donnington park watching the touring cars. At least I'm guaranteed entertainment. 

[Bablemikey]

He's going to need a pretty major improvement at home v Burton next week. Must win!!

[Tomo260]

Anything other than a win against Burton is unacceptable. It's not entitled to think that. 

 

Being the first game of the season I can forgive yesterday's performance, but we need top 2 finish. We don't have time to be scraping draws. 

 

IMO we should give RM no more than 8 games to see if he's fit for the whole season. That's plenty 

[lcfc sheff]

Doesn’t feel right with the centre backs we’ve got to be completely judging Martin. 
 

some players being eased in, hopefully some more deadweight to **** off, think we could have a busy deadline day for once to 

[SafewayFox]

My biggest gripe (this happened last year too) is the lack of press.

 

Yet in pre-season, it looks like there were signs of systematic pressing.

 

I think Alves pressed a couple of times but was doing it all on his own, which never works.

 

Sort it out Russell, you genuinely have no more than 6/7 games to win over any doubters before it gets extremely toxic.

[Richmondfox]

9 hours ago, CleudoG said:

Two ball playing centre backs, big Bosnian and an alternative striker up front 

Thomas and Skipp replaced and I’ll give him a few games before fully judging. Can’t believe I am planning my weekend around a home game to Burton Albion in the League though.

This for me, the keeper, Thomas and Skipp changed for next game and I’ll give him a chance, even better if we batter a team using his stink out style of football.

 

Thomas is a blocker for attacks down the left and causes more chaos and issues at the back than the opposition. Too scared to pass the ball forwards but is happy enough to piss around and send the press toward his goal. The concept of clearing the ball down the line is nonexistent. 
 

Skipp is a blocker in progressing the ball and has zero presence or impact in midfield. 

 

I couldn’t stand seeing the useless twat constantly pointing backwards to stink out any progress just for it to end back in the same place after 10 passes and a press on goal.
 

 

[Leeds Fox]

1 hour ago, smallpauldj said:

I'll be at Donnington park watching the touring cars. At least I'm guaranteed entertainment. 

That genuinely sounds boring as hell… but as you say, more entertaining than watching us lot. 
 

*I’m sure the racing isn’t boring 🤣

[RyCleary]

28 minutes ago, lcfc sheff said:

Doesn’t feel right with the centre backs we’ve got to be completely judging Martin. 
 

some players being eased in, hopefully some more deadweight to **** off, think we could have a busy deadline day for once to 

If it’s that obvious the centre backs can’t play his style, it reflects on Martin that he won’t change it - you can’t use that as an excuse 

[ronnup]

31 minutes ago, SafewayFox said:

My biggest gripe (this happened last year too) is the lack of press.

 

Yet in pre-season, it looks like there were signs of systematic pressing.

 

I think Alves pressed a couple of times but was doing it all on his own, which never works.

 

Sort it out Russell, you genuinely have no more than 6/7 games to win over any doubters before it gets extremely toxic.

 

Agree

 

We havent had a consistent effective press for eons 

[reynard]

13 hours ago, Ric Flair said:

This is fair. Mid rebuild and yet the rebuild makes little sense. Two goalkeepers with a reputation of being poor on the ball. 2 attacking midfielders very similar in Chaplin and Cullen who are not overly creative nor quick and physical. 

 

3 wingers give us decent options but only 1 striker despite 3 leaving and 2 more from the academy on loan. It doesn't add up but maybe it will be the end of the month.

 

It's the football that bothers me though. Most of this squad cannot play possession football in the manner Martin demands of his team and will afford so many dangerous chances (today being a dine example) with less being created ourselves up the other end and more often than not that will swing the probability in favour of the opposition despite how much of an advantage we should have at this level.

 

 

I think you and I are on the same page pretty much. His was not an appointment I welcomed but he's here now and he's not going anywhere in the next few weeks.  I hope he succeeds for obvious reasons but I'm really not sure he will.

You're spot on re the recruitment so far but there are some younger recruits who have not had a time to bed in yet who may offer the skills required.

 

I do fear though that the spine of the team is totally inadequate as it stands.  Not sure we have a decent keeper, the centre half situation needs sorting this week. We clearly have players who don't want to be here or who aren't good enough. There's no point in hanging on to players who don't want to be here. Especially when they aren't capable of playing the style of football the manager requires. Whether, at this level, we could recruit 2 centre halves who can is a different question.

I really think we need a Neil Lennon type of player. Our midfield looks so lightweight and unable to break up play and then move the ball quickly. Skipp isn't the answer.  Braybrooke looks good but I think he needs to play with someone who, like Lennon, can give him more time on the ball to be creative. 

 

As you say the striker situation is ridiculous.  Need another one in before the window closes.

Even with the right recruits I don't think we're in for an especially entertaining season as things stand. 

 

There's too much going on behind the scenes at the club right now to say what happens if we're struggling after a dozen games. I know managers and players will come out and say it doesn't affect them but it is hard to think it doesn't. New ownership could mean a complete new approach and this breeds uncertainty on and off the pitch.

 

[SafewayFox]

2 minutes ago, ronnup said:

 

Agree

 

We havent had a consistent effective press for eons 

Our lack of fitness always gets brought up too.

 

1) What are we doing wrong in pre-season.

2) You’re a new manager and identify a lack of athleticism, signing Cullen as an example, isn’t going to help.

 

Chaplin (too early to tell) is probably likely in that camp, Watson and Howell may be decent yet the Brighton fans haven’t highlighted them for their athleticism.

 

Why is it so obvious to see yet our board/managers seem to have such blind spots?

[bovril]

He's the kind of manager, and there are many of these in England, who love to talk about what we've learned from games. The players will have learned a lot. I thought there was a lot to learn. There were good moments and things we can learn from. A whole season of learning awaits us. 

[funkyrobot]

I look at Martin and I see a worrying disregard for the goalkeeper position throughout his recent management career. Bazanu, great with his feet but a poor keeper, McCarthy a mistake prone back up keeper, Ramsdale - a massively overrated relegation haunted keeper and a poor shot stopper, Butland another keeper with major mistakes in him and now back to McCarthy again.
 

None of those keepers inspire confidence and appointing McCarthy as his number one now could be described as foolhardy or even negligent. The lad is now a veteran and he will not be any better than he was at his peak. Yesterday cemented all of my reservations of him as a keeper. Hesitant, error prone, slow and average with his feet, not a controller of his defence and every bit the back up keeper that he almost always has been during his long career. 

[FoxesTalker]

Yet another manager with an ‘out’ thread running alongside the original thread. So the question once again is why can’t we stick to one neutral thread? Both sides under one roof.

[Richmondfox]

2 hours ago, lcfc sheff said:

Doesn’t feel right with the centre backs we’ve got to be completely judging Martin. 
 

some players being eased in, hopefully some more deadweight to **** off, think we could have a busy deadline day for once to 

It’s completely fine to judge him.  He is asking the players to do something they clearly can’t do. It’s his job to find a solution instead of grind out trying to make it work until he gets the sack again. 
 

[SuperMike]

Over 800 passes and yet the opposition has more touches in the box and way more chances. Does he seriously think this is the way forward?

Absolute Joke.

[Silva Fox]

3 minutes ago, SuperMike said:

Over 800 passes and yet the opposition has more touches in the box and way more chances. Does he seriously think this is the way forward?

Absolute Joke.

Yes unfortunately