I think a good manager could get a lot more out of this squad.
Agree, some of it is actually quite obvious IMHO but also missing key ability in key positions.
He bought some players with pedigree but hasn't been able to get a team to play to their strengths which is why the strikers get few goals.
Ajose has only scored in one league game, Walsall (and one of them was a fluke), Magennis twice, Novak once although not many minutes. Lookman has tended to be from the wing and self made.
Slade sets the team up so that we won't create many chances and the Forwards play the whole game with their backs to goal. If we'd of played this style/system then Mendonca wouldn't have scored many either.
The danger is, with Crofts/Foley/Jackson/Ulvestad as the only real central midfielders it's unlikely to get much better unfortunately, in fact only worse. Our only hope is Kashi but thats some way off.
I think his only option is using the 2 week break from the league to completely change formation. Probably time to play 3 centre halfs in a 3331 formation.
Bauer, Pearce, Konsa/Tex Solly, Jackson (or Ulvestad), Fox Holmes, Ajose, Lookman Magennis
We'll let in more probably but it'll give us a chance of scoring 3 goals a game. Magennis needs to learn to direct headers and also to take the ball into his feet back to goal and bring in the others.
Slade is what we all suspected. Not good enough but the only one with a shred of credibility prepared to take the job. If he goes just imagine what Katrien will find at the bottom of the barrel.
The only manager that can turn us around is...........................Ian Holloway! !!!!! Coz he's a good manager definitely at this level and he's madder than our shitty owner!!
Awww, give him a chance. The team have got used to finding the canteen after training, they've worked harder on 'working harder' and since Wednesday they've nailed 'game management'. Now they're concentrating for 2 whole weeks on getting 'the final third' right. Once they know that, I'm thinking Coventry won't even bother turning up on 15th!
He's actually worse than Luzon and Riga, maybe even than Peeters. He's awful. His tactics are pathetic. This is as bad as I've seen.
The problem is, given that Slade was allowed to build his own side with three pedestrian midfielders plus Jacko, two big men and a poacher, and three wingers designed to create the spark, the next manager will be stuck with the squad he was allowed to build.
I continue my argument that the biggest failing of this regime is not Driesen or any of the managers (bar KF) and not even recruitment on its own, but the failure to have a Director of Football providing continuity in recruitment and playing style.
We don't need a DoF, we need a regime that will give the manager a proper budget and a manager that takes that budget and builds a proper team. I'd rather see them spend more cash on a decent manager than on a DoF to sit above him.
But even good managers have bad patches, and if you leave scouting and recruitment entirely in their hands, and have only their style of play in mind while doing so, you put yourself massively at risk if something goes wrong, or even if something goes right and they're recruited elsewhere. In an increasingly international game, where the wages in English football (for better and worse) can attract overseas talent, it's no longer enough for Brian Clough to turn up at Dave McKay's house. You need someone coordinating this as a full time job. Whether that's a chief scout, a chief exec, or a director of football we don't need to argue semantics.
“I think it’s slightly disrespectful for the man coming on anyway, whenever a sub’s made, and I don’t think that’s right.
“The mentality should be that we’re all in it together and when you make subs it’s there to try and make a difference and change the dynamics as he [Botaka] did so well at Fleetwood.
“Within two minutes he broke the line and had a chance. He nearly made an impact very quickly so it’s important that all our players are a value to us.”
Slade on the booing of the Holmes substitution.
I've never understood those who say he talks a good game. I find all of his press conferences to be a slightly (or not so slightly) self-aggrandizing recap of the game with a slightly condescending tone as though he's explaining football to the listener. I know that there are many who think he's better than those who came before simply because English is his first language. And he is better than Karel and Luzon because they were so bad. But he offers no insight into the game, no nuance, and he seems to get quite petulant quite quickly. Someone with a better understanding of psychology could probably stretch that as an analysis to his coaching strategy.
“I think it’s slightly disrespectful for the man coming on anyway, whenever a sub’s made, and I don’t think that’s right.
“The mentality should be that we’re all in it together and when you make subs it’s there to try and make a difference and change the dynamics as he [Botaka] did so well at Fleetwood.
“Within two minutes he broke the line and had a chance. He nearly made an impact very quickly so it’s important that all our players are a value to us.”
Slade on the booing of the Holmes substitution.
I've never understood those who say he talks a good game. I find all of his press conferences to be a slightly (or not so slightly) self-aggrandizing recap of the game with a slightly condescending tone as though he's explaining football to the listener. I know that there are many who think he's better than those who came before simply because English is his first language. And he is better than Karel and Luzon because they were so bad. But he offers no insight into the game, no nuance, and he seems to get quite petulant quite quickly. Someone with a better understanding of psychology could probably stretch that as an analysis to his coaching strategy.
Very few managers offer much insight into the game at post-match press conferences in my view, particularly when their team has lost. I'm sure there are exceptions, but for a relevant example I don't think Curbs was one of them.
The club has been crying out for someone who could communicate and had a basic familiarity with English football, which Slade is - the gap was not just in a coaching role but at any level. That's why he appeared to be significantly better. I'm sure his Q&A talk is much more credible than anything Meire has said, for example.
Unfortunately, as the season has unfolded he hasn't so far shown himself to be a very good manager. Talking is a small part of what we need from him. Removing him won't resolve the problem at the club though. The rot starts at the top.
The booing was clearly for Slade, not Botaka. The substitution was very strange if it wasn't about fitness.
“The mentality should be that we’re all in it together and when you make subs it’s there to try and make a difference and change the dynamics as he [Botaka] did so well at Fleetwood.
“Within two minutes he broke the line and had a chance. He nearly made an impact very quickly so it’s important that all our players are a value to us.”
Oh Russell, you big bozo.
- We aren't anti-Botaka. WE wanted these attacking players on from the start, not just last 10 minutes.
- Taking off one winger for another in a like-for-like sub does not 'change the dynamic'.
- If you're trying to salvage something in the last 10, you need to increase the number of attacking options, not remove our main attacking outlet.
- We were a tad frustrated with watching 1hr20mins of total, utter shite
“The mentality should be that we’re all in it together and when you make subs it’s there to try and make a difference and change the dynamics as he [Botaka] did so well at Fleetwood.
“Within two minutes he broke the line and had a chance. He nearly made an impact very quickly so it’s important that all our players are a value to us.”
Oh Russell, you big bozo.
- We aren't anti-Botaka. WE wanted these attacking players on from the start, not just last 10 minutes.
- Taking off one winger for another in a like-for-like sub does not 'change the dynamic'.
- If you're trying to salvage something in the last 10, you need to increase the number of attacking options, not remove our main attacking outlet.
- We were a tad frustrated with watching 1hr20mins of total, utter shite
Just shows how thick/ out of touch with what's going on Slade is. Might as well let Sue Perks have a go.
“The mentality should be that we’re all in it together and when you make subs it’s there to try and make a difference and change the dynamics as he [Botaka] did so well at Fleetwood.
“Within two minutes he broke the line and had a chance. He nearly made an impact very quickly so it’s important that all our players are a value to us.”
Oh Russell, you big bozo.
- We aren't anti-Botaka. WE wanted these attacking players on from the start, not just last 10 minutes.
- Taking off one winger for another in a like-for-like sub does not 'change the dynamic'.
- If you're trying to salvage something in the last 10, you need to increase the number of attacking options, not remove our main attacking outlet.
- We were a tad frustrated with watching 1hr20mins of total, utter shite
Just shows how thick/ out of touch with what's going on Slade is. Might as well let Sue Perks have a go.
“I think it’s slightly disrespectful for the man coming on anyway, whenever a sub’s made, and I don’t think that’s right.
“The mentality should be that we’re all in it together and when you make subs it’s there to try and make a difference and change the dynamics as he [Botaka] did so well at Fleetwood.
“Within two minutes he broke the line and had a chance. He nearly made an impact very quickly so it’s important that all our players are a value to us.”
The booing was clearly for Slade, not Botaka. The substitution was very strange if it wasn't about fitness.
At that point in the game, I guess the only way to get Botaka on and keep Holmes on, would've been to lose a defender and go 3-5-2. But that would've meant playing two from Holmes, Lookman and Botaka as wing-backs. Might've worked as Rochdale were pinned back.
We had enough chances in that 2nd half to at least get level. The penalty miss (and the weak effort from the rebound) killed us.
To be fair to Slade, Holmes was a big doubt for the game with ankle and back problems. He was bringing him off to protect him. What I don't understand is only giving Botaka ten minutes. From talking to people who still go he has looked dangerous every time he has come on. Setting up defensively has not worked Russell. Why not try to win the game by playing a more attacking formation? Players like Aribo, Djikisteel and Charles- Cook need to be a part of the first team squad. They will give you stamina, youthful enthusiasm and a bit more going forward than we have. Slade is just too conservative.
If Holmes was seriously struggling, then why not start with Botaka? Or is this a case of pushing injured players in to the line-up again?
The booing clearly didn't affect Botaka if he broke the line so quickly.
All Slade needs to explain is the reason for the substitution... Or at least say he's struggling with an injury, and what the fans need right now is a manager who supports them.
Most on here after the poor performance at Oxford, said we needed nothing less than 6 points from the 2 home games against lowly opposition. We got 1. We've won 1 out of 6 at home and are 7 without a win in the league. Relegation form.
I don't see any signs of the team improving and Slade turning this round. He is tactically inept and for 2 home games running this week has started with 1 up front. We're not going away to Man City and Arsenal and trying to keep things tight for as long as possible, we're at home to fucking Oldham and Rochdale.
Most teams in this division would love the attacking options we have, yet only 4 sides have scored less than us. That to me, says the manager clearly isn't getting the best out of his players.
I usually wouldn't give a shit about the midweek cup game but he needs to use that to play an attacking side and get some confidence back in the team. And if he plays 1 up front at home to Coventry in a couple of weeks and we don't win, then i don't see any way back for him.
How bad do you have to be to only make the change of bringing on Ajose when the whole ground is calling for it and telling you what system and players to use?
How pathetic of a man does he have to be that he can't even look up at the supporters at the end of game when they're booing him? Instead he walks along with Kevin Nugent, baseball cap on, head down and "making conversation".
What does that say to the players? - oh the gaffer can't take any responsibility and is a coward, so how does anyone expect us to?
During the game he was motionless, standing with his arms folders or hands in his pockets. What message does that send to his players? His body language was crap, and shows how totally devoid of ideas he is.
Crap football, crap manager. We are going nowhere. Just hope right now there are 4 worse teams than us.
“The mentality should be that we’re all in it together"
Lol Sorry Russ, do you want to run that one by me again. I mean, it's not like your bosses have done anything to alienate the fans. A shared vision is their mantra isn't it
He's actually worse than Luzon and Riga, maybe even than Peeters. He's awful. His tactics are pathetic. This is as bad as I've seen.
Agreed. At least they had something like a plan. Luzon had a decent defensive plan in place and then a two dimensional attacking plan that got found out quickly and no plan B. Riga had an organised 11 based on few risks and winning second balls and Peeters had a rigid plan - play out to Buyens from the keeper, keep the full backs back, play up to the two strikers and pray they're having a good day. It wasn't pretty and with time teams learned to play around it but you could see the structure. Slade can't even settle on a formation week to week let alone a plan. We haven't been a good attacking unit in years but at least we usually had a decent defensive set-up. Not being able to keep a clean sheet with a defence of Solly, Bauer, Pearce and Fox in League One is incredible.
After the sub of Holmes there was a chant of 'you don't know what you're doing '. Not difficult to interpret yet Slade decided to misrepresent things to mean Botaka or Holmes not himself, at least that's my take of his reaction.
Slade's got noone to blame but himself. He made a great play of how he is his own man, signed his own players and has freedom to pick sides, tactics etc. That may be a steaming pile of bullshit, but it will hang him in the end.
You are right on picking the side and tactics but Slade's hands are likely to have been tired by Duchatelet & Meire in the amount of funds available to fund / meet the ongoing rate for quality replacements or meet terms of loan deals requested. That's probably how Cousins ended up being replaced by Crofts. Slade is looking really limited but that should not take the ultimate responsibility away from Duchatelet, Meire & Driesman for the lack of quality in the central midfield and the lack of a coherent squad.
Slade is doing himself no favours though but with his removal, the problems at the club will still remain.
What's the f***** point of getting rid of Slade? What is going to change? "My car keeps breaking down. I've had three resprays and I've added go faster stripes then taken them off again, but it still keeps breaking down. I'm going to respray it again, and this time I'm lowering the suspension and see if that fixes the problem."
I respectfully disagree.
The point that the regime is dreadful off the pitch shouldn't stop us wanting better on the pitch.
Currently Slade is about the only manager appointed so far who has been given the resources necessary to compete in the division we're playing in and he's failing, badly. What's more it's week after week that we're seeing the same tactical ineptitude and there is no sign that he's learning from his mistakes and the opportunity for automatic promotion seems to be becoming a more distant dream which will be gone altogether if we don't act now.
What's the f***** point of getting rid of Slade? What is going to change? "My car keeps breaking down. I've had three resprays and I've added go faster stripes then taken them off again, but it still keeps breaking down. I'm going to respray it again, and this time I'm lowering the suspension and see if that fixes the problem."
I respectfully disagree.
The point that the regime is dreadful off the pitch shouldn't stop us wanting better on the pitch.
Currently Slade is about the only manager appointed so far who has been given the resources necessary to compete in the division we're playing in and he's failing, badly. What's more it's week after week that we're seeing the same tactical ineptitude and there is no sign that he's learning from his mistakes and the opportunity for automatic promotion seems to be becoming a more distant dream which will be gone altogether if we don't act now.
How do we know what resources Slade was given for the team ? Surely that is definitely under his control. He may have been told, you can keep Lookman but that is going to result in sacrifices in other areas. That will have come from Duchatelet and Meire with advice from Driesman on whether they think the team is strong enough.
What's the f***** point of getting rid of Slade? What is going to change? "My car keeps breaking down. I've had three resprays and I've added go faster stripes then taken them off again, but it still keeps breaking down. I'm going to respray it again, and this time I'm lowering the suspension and see if that fixes the problem."
I respectfully disagree.
The point that the regime is dreadful off the pitch shouldn't stop us wanting better on the pitch.
Currently Slade is about the only manager appointed so far who has been given the resources necessary to compete in the division we're playing in and he's failing, badly. What's more it's week after week that we're seeing the same tactical ineptitude and there is no sign that he's learning from his mistakes and the opportunity for automatic promotion seems to be becoming a more distant dream which will be gone altogether if we don't act now.
How do we know what resources Slade was given for the team ? Surely that is definitely under his control. He may have been told, you can keep Lookman but that is going to result in sacrifices in other areas. That will have come from Duchatelet and Meire with advice from Driesman on whether they think the team is strong enough.
Because we can see our squad, and we can see the squads that other sides have assembled.
During our time in the Championship under this regime we had a squad that was largely inferior to the rest of the division and were losing matches to decent sides. In the last few weeks we've dropped points to Wimbledon, Oxford, Oldham and Rochdale who are very far from being decent sides.
Just because the regime are rubbish doesn't mean that Slade isn't also rubbish. My issue with the regime isn't really about results on the pitch so I can still happily be anti-regime whilst acknowledging that Slade is not doing a good enough job with the players that the regime have given him.
It's simple - a blind monkey should be able to coach a team to at least the play offs in league 1 with players like Lookman, Ajose, Holmes, Novak, Pearce, Bauer, Solly, Ulvestad, Magennis etc in the squad. Fucks sake even Foley and Crofts are not shit players at this level.
Out bald hippo is failing at his job. Tell him to shit off and get someone in who can get these players to where they should be.
Comments
He bought some players with pedigree but hasn't been able to get a team to play to their strengths which is why the strikers get few goals.
Ajose has only scored in one league game, Walsall (and one of them was a fluke), Magennis twice, Novak once although not many minutes. Lookman has tended to be from the wing and self made.
Slade sets the team up so that we won't create many chances and the Forwards play the whole game with their backs to goal. If we'd of played this style/system then Mendonca wouldn't have scored many either.
The danger is, with Crofts/Foley/Jackson/Ulvestad as the only real central midfielders it's unlikely to get much better unfortunately, in fact only worse. Our only hope is Kashi but thats some way off.
I think his only option is using the 2 week break from the league to completely change formation. Probably time to play 3 centre halfs in a 3331 formation.
Bauer, Pearce, Konsa/Tex
Solly, Jackson (or Ulvestad), Fox
Holmes, Ajose, Lookman
Magennis
We'll let in more probably but it'll give us a chance of scoring 3 goals a game. Magennis needs to learn to direct headers and also to take the ball into his feet back to goal and bring in the others.
The team have got used to finding the canteen after training, they've worked harder on 'working harder' and since Wednesday they've nailed 'game management'. Now they're concentrating for 2 whole weeks on getting 'the final third' right.
Once they know that, I'm thinking Coventry won't even bother turning up on 15th!
“The mentality should be that we’re all in it together and when you make subs it’s there to try and make a difference and change the dynamics as he [Botaka] did so well at Fleetwood.
“Within two minutes he broke the line and had a chance. He nearly made an impact very quickly so it’s important that all our players are a value to us.”
Slade on the booing of the Holmes substitution.
I've never understood those who say he talks a good game. I find all of his press conferences to be a slightly (or not so slightly) self-aggrandizing recap of the game with a slightly condescending tone as though he's explaining football to the listener. I know that there are many who think he's better than those who came before simply because English is his first language. And he is better than Karel and Luzon because they were so bad. But he offers no insight into the game, no nuance, and he seems to get quite petulant quite quickly. Someone with a better understanding of psychology could probably stretch that as an analysis to his coaching strategy.
The club has been crying out for someone who could communicate and had a basic familiarity with English football, which Slade is - the gap was not just in a coaching role but at any level. That's why he appeared to be significantly better. I'm sure his Q&A talk is much more credible than anything Meire has said, for example.
Unfortunately, as the season has unfolded he hasn't so far shown himself to be a very good manager. Talking is a small part of what we need from him. Removing him won't resolve the problem at the club though. The rot starts at the top.
The booing was clearly for Slade, not Botaka. The substitution was very strange if it wasn't about fitness.
“Within two minutes he broke the line and had a chance. He nearly made an impact very quickly so it’s important that all our players are a value to us.”
Oh Russell, you big bozo.
- We aren't anti-Botaka. WE wanted these attacking players on from the start, not just last 10 minutes.
- Taking off one winger for another in a like-for-like sub does not 'change the dynamic'.
- If you're trying to salvage something in the last 10, you need to increase the number of attacking options, not remove our main attacking outlet.
- We were a tad frustrated with watching 1hr20mins of total, utter shite
The club is rotten to core and its heartbreaking.
The booing clearly didn't affect Botaka if he broke the line so quickly.
All Slade needs to explain is the reason for the substitution... Or at least say he's struggling with an injury, and what the fans need right now is a manager who supports them.
I don't see any signs of the team improving and Slade turning this round. He is tactically inept and for 2 home games running this week has started with 1 up front. We're not going away to Man City and Arsenal and trying to keep things tight for as long as possible, we're at home to fucking Oldham and Rochdale.
Most teams in this division would love the attacking options we have, yet only 4 sides have scored less than us. That to me, says the manager clearly isn't getting the best out of his players.
I usually wouldn't give a shit about the midweek cup game but he needs to use that to play an attacking side and get some confidence back in the team. And if he plays 1 up front at home to Coventry in a couple of weeks and we don't win, then i don't see any way back for him.
How bad do you have to be to only make the change of bringing on Ajose when the whole ground is calling for it and telling you what system and players to use?
How pathetic of a man does he have to be that he can't even look up at the supporters at the end of game when they're booing him? Instead he walks along with Kevin Nugent, baseball cap on, head down and "making conversation".
What does that say to the players? - oh the gaffer can't take any responsibility and is a coward, so how does anyone expect us to?
During the game he was motionless, standing with his arms folders or hands in his pockets. What message does that send to his players? His body language was crap, and shows how totally devoid of ideas he is.
Crap football, crap manager. We are going nowhere. Just hope right now there are 4 worse teams than us.
Sorry Russ, do you want to run that one by me again.
I mean, it's not like your bosses have done anything to alienate the fans.
A shared vision is their mantra isn't it
Not difficult to interpret yet Slade decided to misrepresent things to mean Botaka or Holmes not himself, at least that's my take of his reaction.
Slade is doing himself no favours though but with his removal, the problems at the club will still remain.
The point that the regime is dreadful off the pitch shouldn't stop us wanting better on the pitch.
Currently Slade is about the only manager appointed so far who has been given the resources necessary to compete in the division we're playing in and he's failing, badly. What's more it's week after week that we're seeing the same tactical ineptitude and there is no sign that he's learning from his mistakes and the opportunity for automatic promotion seems to be becoming a more distant dream which will be gone altogether if we don't act now.
During our time in the Championship under this regime we had a squad that was largely inferior to the rest of the division and were losing matches to decent sides. In the last few weeks we've dropped points to Wimbledon, Oxford, Oldham and Rochdale who are very far from being decent sides.
Just because the regime are rubbish doesn't mean that Slade isn't also rubbish. My issue with the regime isn't really about results on the pitch so I can still happily be anti-regime whilst acknowledging that Slade is not doing a good enough job with the players that the regime have given him.
Out bald hippo is failing at his job. Tell him to shit off and get someone in who can get these players to where they should be.