Think The Honeymoon's Over Nige!

[fleckneymike]

So there was surgery on the midfield then with the two signings? Pearson said his targets had to change and so did Andrew Neville, because of all the injurys etc. Does that not get taken into account?

Nothing he has done in THREE months? Seems to me that your mind was made up before his first game.

Ok so you don't want NP. Who is the manager who can turn around a team in three months and get us playing free flowing football that you think will get us promoted with this team? You don't seem prepared to even give Pearson a chance to change things, beyond the notorious Jan window so who should it be?

Nothing he has done since leaving us has convinced me he'd ever get promoted. You're quite right I thought he was the wrong man at the wrong time prior to his first game back and nothing has changed that opinion. He has a style of play which he seems reasonably inflexible on, I would say that, that stubbornness will cost us. He is a self confessed 442 man, returned and told us the squad was unbalanced and that we needed wingers. He proceeded to allow 2 unhappy CM's to leave and replaced them with a CB, a CM and a winger. I'd argue that we're no more balanced/unbalanced now than we allegedly were when he returned yet he doesn't seem so keen on banging the unbalanced squad drum anymore.

In terms of a replacement I'd look for a manager with a track record of playing attractive football. I've always liked Sean O'Driscoll (though concede we might be too 'big' for him and that many may argue he's not up to the challenge), if Martinez every became available I'd go for him, Di Canio (cue scathing comments) may be a nutter but he plays attractive football. We need to establish a culture at the club that extends beyond the lifespan of the manager, we need to embed a culture of playing football and appointing managers who adhere to that style. We've seen that jumping from the pragmatic Pearson to the tiki taki Sousa doesn't work (though in defence of Sousa he was left one of the most threadbare squads both on and off the field in living memory). We're now witnessing that the reverse is equally bumpy. Successful clubs dont have managers who stick around for ages by luck, they have managers who suit the style of the club and I maintain that Pearson will not establish that culture.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

Does it matter about big names, Sven was a name and bought names and got us nowhere. Have saints got big names, did Swansea or Norwich? It's about building a team, not collecting names. And that is what he did here and at Hull.

Beckford is the biggest name of all that we have and his performances seem to have improved dramatically of late.

You are right of course but those teams were put together over a couple of seasons. Do you really think the Thais will give Pearson that time?

[seenitall]

Feel sorry for Nige - he shouldn't have come back really, it never works. He can't motivate Svens' players or his own and he is too unsure of the ones he's bought in to actually play them - I think expectation is his and was Sven's biggest enemy - when Nige was expected to finish mid table after we got promoted, he looked like a hero when we headed towards the play offs - same with Sven last year, we looked like we were going down and he made a good effort at the play offs - as soon as the expectation of the fans went up, even being 8th or 10th and a few points of the play offs looks crap and the fans, on message boards, radio moan ins and the mockery turn on you - then you're screwed -

A good 12-15th place finish this year will lower expectation and Niges' boys will look good playing dull play off scraping footy next year - you see

[Thracian]

But we won't know if he's better or not until he's given a chance. Yes we all wanted someone to come and and suddenly transform us, but if Sven couldn't do it, and Pearson can't do it. Maybe, just maybe, it's this group of players that aren't good enough... and not the managers. But Sven takes the blame for putting them together.

But that midfield was good enough last time under Pearson to get to the playoffs, so they aren't that bad. It might not be working now, but he's dealing with the cards he has been dealt. He's not going to replace the whole midfield in January. We've had two come in and DD looks a prospect, Marshall will get his chance soon enough. The replacing of the old guard might take him a while.

Where was Svens beautiful football this season, I didn't get a whiff of it. Last years borrowed team is gone and The football under NP with these players has been no worse than under Sven, in fact personally I have probably enjoyed some of the footy more this season under NP than I did Svens 13 games.

Plenty of teams have got promoted with other styles of football. What was wrong with the football against saints, cardiff, forest at home? It's about producing that kind of football consistantly.

We have no "style" of football. One of the consistently frustrating things about our team is its inconsistency in both results and performance.

What we need is a playing philosophy and one we're prepared to impose on the opposition. I would base that philosophy on scoring the 85 goals plus per season that we will need to virtually guarantee being in the promotion mix.

No-one would be in my squad who couldn't make a significant contribution towards that end.

[whoareyaaa]

We are not doing as bad as some people make out if we had won at Watford and took all 3 points against Forest when we was two nil up then we would be sitting 4 points off 4th spot. I think we need to give the players a bit of a break and get behind the team from now until the end of the season.

[Heart-Shaped Fox]

We are not doing as bad as some people make out if we had won at Watford and took all 3 points against Forest when we was two nil up then we would be sitting 4 points off 4th spot. I think we need to give the players a bit of a break and get behind the team from now until the end of the season.

Becasuse they deserve one dont they? The majority of them havent played well enough all season.

Its all well and good saying if we had taken points off them, if if if, etc, the bottom line is we didnt and other teams can all say the same anyway.

[whoareyaaa]

Becasuse they deserve one dont they? The majority of them havent played well enough all season.

Its all well and good saying if we had taken points off them, if if if, etc, the bottom line is we didnt and other teams can all say the same anyway.

Well we are not going to get anywhere slating the players for the rest of the season. and no not all teams can say the same as we have had some terrible and I mean terrible refs and ludacris descions go against us.

[BNET]

Well we are not going to get anywhere slating the players for the rest of the season. and no not all teams can say the same as we have had some terrible and I mean terrible refs and ludacris descions go against us.

what difference does it make to the team if we slate them or not,

[Corky]

Well we are not going to get anywhere slating the players for the rest of the season. and no not all teams can say the same as we have had some terrible and I mean terrible refs and ludacris descions go against us.

[seenitall]

We are not doing as bad as some people make out if we had won at Watford and took all 3 points against Forest when we was two nil up then we would be sitting 4 points off 4th spot. I think we need to give the players a bit of a break and get behind the team from now until the end of the season.

And if me auntie was me uncle etc..............

[funkyrobot]

Nothing he has done since leaving us has convinced me he'd ever get promoted. You're quite right I thought he was the wrong man at the wrong time prior to his first game back and nothing has changed that opinion. He has a style of play which he seems reasonably inflexible on, I would say that, that stubbornness will cost us. He is a self confessed 442 man, returned and told us the squad was unbalanced and that we needed wingers. He proceeded to allow 2 unhappy CM's to leave and replaced them with a CB, a CM and a winger. I'd argue that we're no more balanced/unbalanced now than we allegedly were when he returned yet he doesn't seem so keen on banging the unbalanced squad drum anymore.

In terms of a replacement I'd look for a manager with a track record of playing attractive football. I've always liked Sean O'Driscoll (though concede we might be too 'big' for him and that many may argue he's not up to the challenge), if Martinez every became available I'd go for him, Di Canio (cue scathing comments) may be a nutter but he plays attractive football. We need to establish a culture at the club that extends beyond the lifespan of the manager, we need to embed a culture of playing football and appointing managers who adhere to that style. We've seen that jumping from the pragmatic Pearson to the tiki taki Sousa doesn't work (though in defence of Sousa he was left one of the most threadbare squads both on and off the field in living memory). We're now witnessing that the reverse is equally bumpy. Successful clubs dont have managers who stick around for ages by luck, they have managers who suit the style of the club and I maintain that Pearson will not establish that culture.

I can't believe you are suggesting Martinez? Have you seen Wigan play recently? They are absolutely shocking. He plays shit football and he buys awful players. The one lad he has got that can play a bit in midfield (Watson) he sticks on the bench.

[lcfcbaby]

We can slate players as much as we like but when it gets to matches how we react as fans can make all the difference to the way we play!

[Legend_in_blue]

People need to realise three things...

1) We're not very good at the moment

2) The league itself isn't very good either (officials have cost us and we'd be right in the mix had this not happened - despite how awful we have been)

3) It won't take too much more to take us from being not very good to decent enough to at least make a top 6 finish next season

Chill out people.