A real question what will it take to get rid of him ? If the board are starting to question him surely theres no point hanging around now.
More so than poor results, the team has zero philosophy on how they want to play. I truly believe he wants out now but wont walk away form the money. He makes illogical decisions I think in sometimes out of spite as he still see's himself as that innovative young coach who was heralded and its almost like he cant make changes as that would be conceding to the fans and he knows better.
Ok injuries but were they any worse than what holden had before we sacked him ? No and it was him who decided Ness wasnt good enough to be a squad player but somehow players like Potts who is (and we all knew) perennially injured. £1m on Ahadme is crazy and whilst i dont blame Jones fully for Alfie leaving (and feel most of the reason Alfie wanted to go for cash and family reasons) he made it easy for Alfie to want to leave.
Honestly get rid now and lets go back to Jacko (if he will take us) or even Chris Powell. Men of character and intelligence and no ego.
We have hardly had a chance.. just lumping it. It is a disgrace. And all down to Jones and the way the team is set up.
Piss poor! Fuming
Never the owners fault. We get it.
To be honest, how can you blame them for the style and the piss poor football.. Jones was the fans choice, he is the highest paid manager in Charlton’s history. He got backed in the summer, he got what he wanted..
it was better under Appleton.
We need outside the box appointment, and give them time.. Jones isn’t the answer for moving this club forward.
I am assuming that this is what you have been told, by Methven? and not what you know. I would argue strongly that Jones is not being paid anywhere near what Curbishley was, I would guess that Curbishley was getting paid (and deservedly so)20k a week.
Even if you overlook the worst football I’ve seen in 20 years, just look at the players he’s brought in this summer. We’ve had a top 4 budget and it’s as bad as it’s ever been recruitment wise, for that alone it’s a sackable offence.
I’ve been jones in, but tonight I am on the brink. A new low in our dog shit recent history’s.
The top 4/6 budget they have continued to spin, does this include paying salaries for players still not with us etc? Also, I'm assuming it includes wages.
They have not appeared to push the boat out transfer wise, May's transfer fee has gone a big way to the new players coming in.
If Jones goes then Scott has to as well, at the minimum.
We have hardly had a chance.. just lumping it. It is a disgrace. And all down to Jones and the way the team is set up.
Piss poor! Fuming
Never the owners fault. We get it.
To be honest, how can you blame them for the style and the piss poor football.. Jones was the fans choice, he is the highest paid manager in Charlton’s history. He got backed in the summer, he got what he wanted..
it was better under Appleton.
We need outside the box appointment, and give them time.. Jones isn’t the answer for moving this club forward.
I am assuming that this is what you have been told, by Methven? and not what you know. I would argue strongly that Jones is not being paid anywhere near what Curbishley was, I would guess that Curbishley was getting paid (and deservedly so)20k a week.
This - I heard that Curbs was on £1m a year with us in the Prem. No way Jones is anywhere near that.
I’ve felt recently that it’s like he’s trying to get himself the sack with his comments about the fans and his selections. Continuing to play Alan Campbell when he’s nowhere near the standards we should be expecting is baffling.
It's a common thing, Slade and Appleton did it. When this happens perhaps the owners need to be looked at and not just the managers.
We have hardly had a chance.. just lumping it. It is a disgrace. And all down to Jones and the way the team is set up.
Piss poor! Fuming
Never the owners fault. We get it.
To be honest, how can you blame them for the style and the piss poor football.. Jones was the fans choice, he is the highest paid manager in Charlton’s history. He got backed in the summer, he got what he wanted..
it was better under Appleton.
We need outside the box appointment, and give them time.. Jones isn’t the answer for moving this club forward.
The SMT appointed Jones, there was no supporters choice that made the decision.
As CM was only delighted to tell us all when things were going well under Jones, he was the SMT choice before Appleton
Not sure it's entirely fair to criticise the SMT for appointing Jones because as far as i recall most fans were very happy at the time that we'd managed to get him.
But he was NOT the supporters choice, this is a deflection comment from the clowns.
We have hardly had a chance.. just lumping it. It is a disgrace. And all down to Jones and the way the team is set up.
Piss poor! Fuming
Never the owners fault. We get it.
To be honest, how can you blame them for the style and the piss poor football.. Jones was the fans choice, he is the highest paid manager in Charlton’s history. He got backed in the summer, he got what he wanted..
it was better under Appleton.
We need outside the box appointment, and give them time.. Jones isn’t the answer for moving this club forward.
I am assuming that this is what you have been told, by Methven? and not what you know. I would argue strongly that Jones is not being paid anywhere near what Curbishley was, I would guess that Curbishley was getting paid (and deservedly so)20k a week.
This - I heard that Curbs was on £1m a year with us in the Prem. No way Jones is anywhere near that.
A certain poster on here will believe any old rubbish he's told to support these clowns.
We have hardly had a chance.. just lumping it. It is a disgrace. And all down to Jones and the way the team is set up.
Piss poor! Fuming
Never the owners fault. We get it.
To be honest, how can you blame them for the style and the piss poor football.. Jones was the fans choice, he is the highest paid manager in Charlton’s history. He got backed in the summer, he got what he wanted..
it was better under Appleton.
We need outside the box appointment, and give them time.. Jones isn’t the answer for moving this club forward.
I am assuming that this is what you have been told, by Methven? and not what you know. I would argue strongly that Jones is not being paid anywhere near what Curbishley was, I would guess that Curbishley was getting paid (and deservedly so)20k a week.
This - I heard that Curbs was on £1m a year with us in the Prem. No way Jones is anywhere near that.
Dowie and Pardew would probably have been on more than Jones as well. Particularly Pardew.
He’s lost the bulk of the fans now. That’s the beginning of the end unless by some miracle suddenly turn things on their head. Can you see it ? Having said that I think unless we go on a full on relegation run he’ll get next season, which means he’ll control the summer. I really thought and wanted NJ to work and had hopes he could be the next Curbs we’ve all wanted but it’s clear he’s not going to be. My preference would be to get rid now but I don’t think it’ll happen.
Can’t comment on today as didn’t see but losing faith in Jones but even less faith in Scott to adequately replace him. If you’re going to sack one you have to sack both
I’m not really sure that Methven and Scott wanted Jones but it was pushed through by the owners as first preference.
Had a browse of a Luton forum and found this interesting:
So what will tomorrow bring? Will this be the last time Edwards picks a team?What will his formation be...does he know? When Nathan Jones came to Luton with his ' diamond' he stuck with it,through hell and high water until the players got it, and it worked. Has Edwards got that inner belief, indeed has he got any belief? It's hard to see light at the end of this particular tunnel when there's not one there.
It felt like this was what we were doing with the 5-3-2 at the start of the season but then that was scrapped. Now you could switch their issues with Edwards about ours with NJ.
We have hardly had a chance.. just lumping it. It is a disgrace. And all down to Jones and the way the team is set up.
Piss poor! Fuming
Never the owners fault. We get it.
To be honest, how can you blame them for the style and the piss poor football.. Jones was the fans choice, he is the highest paid manager in Charlton’s history. He got backed in the summer, he got what he wanted..
it was better under Appleton.
We need outside the box appointment, and give them time.. Jones isn’t the answer for moving this club forward.
I’m sorry, it’s not just Jone’s fault it’s the SMT too, they hired him like they hired the last manager who was a disaster and the one before that. They backed his bizarre player acquisitions as well as Scott driving out our best players, who have since signed for teams at the right end of the table. I know you’re very much ‘thou shalt not criticise the SMT’ but if we want to progress we won’t do it with them in charge. How many chances do they need? I don’t trust them to hire their fourth manager in under two years and decent managers won’t touch us as we’re still a basket case, there’s been zero improvement since Sandgaard, in fact, it’s been worse.
We have hardly had a chance.. just lumping it. It is a disgrace. And all down to Jones and the way the team is set up.
Piss poor! Fuming
Never the owners fault. We get it.
To be honest, how can you blame them for the style and the piss poor football.. Jones was the fans choice, he is the highest paid manager in Charlton’s history. He got backed in the summer, he got what he wanted..
it was better under Appleton.
We need outside the box appointment, and give them time.. Jones isn’t the answer for moving this club forward.
I’m sorry, it’s not just Jone’s fault it’s the SMT too, they hired him like they hired the last manager who was a disaster and the one before that. They backed his bizarre player acquisitions as well as Scott driving out our best players, who have since signed for teams at the right end of the table. I know you’re very much ‘thou shalt not criticise the SMT’ but if we want to progress we won’t do it with them in charge. How many chances do they need? I don’t trust them to hire their fourth manager in under two years and decent managers won’t touch us as we’re still a basket case, there’s been zero improvement since Sandgaard, in fact, it’s been worse.
They started off by replicating what was done at Sunderland, drinking in pubs and mixing with the fans, poor old Holden was thrown in for this.
Message board stooges were used to puff out info and get fans onside.
Still fans fall for the rubbish, BUT now we have been bull******* for too long and the s*** will hit the fan(to excuse the expression) soon.
Once again, Jones approached pisspoor opposition like we’re the underdog. Scrap for possession, constantly lump it anywhere and hope for some kind of luck a from a second ball or a knockdown.
“But we had more shots!”
There was a conversation on CL recently where someone claimed Jones didn't set out to win games and this was contested.
But it's true, even last night against Crawley, he didn't set out to win the game. Tyreece Campbell (pretty much our only player that runs at the opposition) on the bench again. No width, no attacking intent. We sat back and let a relegation candidate dominate us at The Valley (as we do every game)
Poor Gillesphey (I have sympathy for him) instructed to hoof the ball at every opportunity in the general direction of no one half the time.
It's absolutely shocking and pretty much every fan knows that the team that scores first usually wins or at least doesn't lose.
So why why why does Jones set us up to defend every game home and away regardless of the opposition?
It is crass stupidity and everyone apart from Jones can see it doesn't work and will not work.
Jones, change your tactics and give the players a chance. The squad is definitely more capable than what they are showing under your 1980s Sunday League tactics.
Last night was the last straw for me. Spent around £100 travelling from Altrincham and back (train fares, tube fares, meal in Wagamammas N Greenwich, couple of pints in the Pilot, a bottle of wine for a mate who put me up for the night in Rochester). I should have stayed at home and watched it on the Sky red button! But, as many others have commented on, it is the style of football that Jones's is serving up to us, the supporters, which is making me so angry. I do believe that certain clubs fans have an identity as to how the game should be played. The DNA of Charlton fans ( to me anyway) is they want to be entertained, want to see fluid, accurate passing, want to see wide players pinging in accurate crosses, want a slightly gung ho approach to football, play on the front foot, play with verve and commitment, especially at home. If we lose playing this way then the fans accept it, move on and look forward to the next game. What I saw last night, as many people have described, was anti-football. Playing 3 centre forwards, with no obvious wide players, 3 central midfielders, who are uncomfortable going wide, full backs that didn't get forward quickly enough to provide width, meant that most of our game was playing hoofball straight down the middle of the pitch. It was pitiful to watch, but it must have been the instructions of the manager, because we kept on doing it, ad nausiam. In some ways I feel sorry for the players, I do believe that the talent in the squad is better than what I am seeing under Jones's tactics, that Ahadme and Leaburn would look far more constructive in their movement and play if the forward movement was quicker, accurate, stretching the opposition wide. But no, knock it straight down the middle and fight for scraps. I hate the idea that we might be on our 4th manager in two years, but I've had enough of the anti-football hoofball, I want to be entertained, want to leap out of my seat with a bit of skill, want to applaud skillful passing and movement, want to be thrilled by the forward pressing motion of the whole team. Pipe dream, maybe, but I just don't want to see anymore of these turgid tactics that Jones advocates, so for me... JONES OUT.
ps I think the Sky red button midweek fixtures is really affecting attendances.
Once again, Jones approached pisspoor opposition like we’re the underdog. Scrap for possession, constantly lump it anywhere and hope for some kind of luck a from a second ball or a knockdown.
“But we had more shots!”
This is one of the main issues for me.
This isn’t the front footed style he talks about it being. It’s overly cautious, risk averse, relying on us keeping clean sheets and finding that one goal to win.
There must be players in the squad who want to play a bit more football.
I don’t think he’s ever talked about being brave on the ball, more creative, better movement etc.
If he doesn’t speak about it when interviewed how much focus do those areas get on the training pitch? Not enough from the evidence on the pitch. Being organised, aggressive and having a good defensive structure are all important, but it’s not the only area to get right to win games.
The owners and board are also fooling themselves if they think this underdog approach in L1 will be effective in developing and showcasing academy players to sell on. Leaburn despite being very tall will thrive more in a team playing decent football rather than this rigid, direct and defensive football.
Said this the other day, he never talks about creativity, movement, shape, possession, passing or any sort of identifiable creative or attacking blueprint.
Every interview it’s all about aggression, pressing, how well we did the basics and swarmed amongst the opposition. It’s almost like he thinks goals and winning are a sort of accidental by-product of this stuff, like they’ll just happen on their own if you press an opposing team to oblivion. Pressing and being a pain in the arse are only one component - you still need to create something half decent and have some players with killer instinct.
On top of which we stopped pressing after the Birmingham league game. Pretty much every team presses more than us. There is little aggression or pressing and as for his catchphrase front foot he's talking out his arse because we are nearly always on the back foot.
What formation was we meant to be playing last night?
The tried and tested junior school playground formation where somebody kicks the ball anywhere, preferably where nobody on their own team is likely to be and everyone runs after it. Sadly the boys in the other team didn’t join in.
It sounds crazy, but that is basically the limit of his tactics.
Once again, Jones approached pisspoor opposition like we’re the underdog. Scrap for possession, constantly lump it anywhere and hope for some kind of luck a from a second ball or a knockdown.
“But we had more shots!”
There was a conversation on CL recently where someone claimed Jones didn't set out to win games and this was contested.
But it's true, even last night against Crawley, he didn't set out to win the game. Tyreece Campbell (pretty much our only player that runs at the opposition) on the bench again. No width, no attacking intent. We sat back and let a relegation candidate dominate us at The Valley (as we do every game)
Poor Gillesphey (I have sympathy for him) instructed to hoof the ball at every opportunity in the general direction of no one half the time.
It's absolutely shocking and pretty much every fan knows that the team that scores first usually wins or at least doesn't lose.
So why why why does Jones set us up to defend every game home and away regardless of the opposition?
It is crass stupidity and everyone apart from Jones can see it doesn't work and will not work.
Jones, change your tactics and give the players a chance. The squad is definitely more capable than what they are showing under your 1980s Sunday League tactics.
Completely agree, especially that last bit.
I can just imagine a new manager coming in, playing with wingers (TC, Small, Dixon, Enslin - we have options but Jones doesn’t use formations with wingers) and signing a few players to give us more options in attacking midfield and out wide, putting more focus on passing and movement and us getting some decent results.
The squad is so unbalanced with the lack of wide and attacking midfield options, but we could probably get by with those four and then add to it in January.
Just the surprise for the opposition to see us setting up with pace out wide could make a difference.
Without knowing the specifics of their tactics imagine many opponents know they can set up defensively in a certain way as they know we won’t really threaten from out wide unless it’s a FB occasionally getting forward or TC is on the pitch.
It doesn’t logically make sense to not use width when we have Leaburn and/or Ahadme up front. If we get plenty of decent crosses in they could both score double figures, especially adding Taylor’s set pieces and Edwards’ long throw to that too.
We have hardly had a chance.. just lumping it. It is a disgrace. And all down to Jones and the way the team is set up.
Piss poor! Fuming
Never the owners fault. We get it.
To be honest, how can you blame them for the style and the piss poor football.. Jones was the fans choice, he is the highest paid manager in Charlton’s history. He got backed in the summer, he got what he wanted..
it was better under Appleton.
We need outside the box appointment, and give them time.. Jones isn’t the answer for moving this club forward.
I call bullshit on this. There is no way Nathan Jones is earning more than £20K pw.
We have hardly had a chance.. just lumping it. It is a disgrace. And all down to Jones and the way the team is set up.
Piss poor! Fuming
Never the owners fault. We get it.
To be honest, how can you blame them for the style and the piss poor football.. Jones was the fans choice, he is the highest paid manager in Charlton’s history. He got backed in the summer, he got what he wanted..
it was better under Appleton.
We need outside the box appointment, and give them time.. Jones isn’t the answer for moving this club forward.
I’m sorry, it’s not just Jone’s fault it’s the SMT too, they hired him like they hired the last manager who was a disaster and the one before that. They backed his bizarre player acquisitions as well as Scott driving out our best players, who have since signed for teams at the right end of the table. I know you’re very much ‘thou shalt not criticise the SMT’ but if we want to progress we won’t do it with them in charge. How many chances do they need? I don’t trust them to hire their fourth manager in under two years and decent managers won’t touch us as we’re still a basket case, there’s been zero improvement since Sandgaard, in fact, it’s been worse.
They started off by replicating what was done at Sunderland, drinking in pubs and mixing with the fans, poor old Holden was thrown in for this.
Message board stooges were used to puff out info and get fans onside.
Still fans fall for the rubbish, BUT now we have been bull******* for too long and the s*** will hit the fan(to excuse the expression) soon.
Well said! Jones out! Scott out! Rodwell out! Methven out! Absolute clowns.
Once again, Jones approached pisspoor opposition like we’re the underdog. Scrap for possession, constantly lump it anywhere and hope for some kind of luck a from a second ball or a knockdown.
“But we had more shots!”
Said this to my Dad about Saturday as well. Played a league two side like they were the better team and we had to stop them. The commentators even noted how we got in their faces and disrupted them to stop them playing. No mention at all of us then imposing our own playing style on them, though.
I've said all along I want a manager who accepts us for what we are as a team, right now, and sets about rebuilding us pragmatically by starting at the back and building from there. It looked like that was what we were doing last season but Jones has now taken that to the extreme and we play like we have a huge inferiority complex.
I don't particularly want to see him sacked, I don't want to change managers for the sake of it, and yes things do take time but there's been no sign of progression and no real sign that there is a coherent plan on how to progress. If we were comfortably in mid-table, then maybe another few months to the end of the season could be the way to go, give it some time. We are mid-table, but it's not comfortable and things are heading in a bad direction and gathering speed. There's some big flaws in this squad that need to be at least partially fixed in January to keep us out of serious bother. Signings made on Jones' watch have not been good, overall (how much of that is him vs. Scott is hard to know), so can we afford to take the risk of giving him another transfer window to sign the wrong players for the wrong system?
I am struggling to see how he rescues this from here and have no faith, not even blind, that he's the man to lead our January recruitment drive to get out of the shit. Preferabley if he goes Scott will go with him and we can have a fresh team trying to sign the players we need.
I never posted last night as I was so angry at yet another completely rubbish performance. Jones has most of his first choice player's fit now so he can't use injuries as an excuse for a performance like that. He needs to go and he needs to go quickly. The trouble is that I believe our senior management team are as inept as he is and I don't trust them one iota to bring in a suitable replacement. Jones is the third manager to work under these clowns and he's the third to fail in his job. Our American owners must at some point come to the conclusion that Charlie and his chums are not up to the job of getting us promoted. As costly as it might be to our American Billionaires they simply have to have a complete clear out and bring in proper football people who are up to the task .
Surely the penny must have dropped with the money men about the current management team.
18 months of bullshit and lip service and we're 4 points off the relegation spot and selling Wrexham scarves with one of the worst squads I've seen in over 35 years of watching us.
Culture of failure comes from the top down.
What's that saying ...
..a fish rots from its head down.
Pointing the finger directly at the Board who must be telling the owners porkies as to how things are going.
Maybe someone should contact the owners direct and tell them a few home truths ( if they don't already know the damage that's currently being done in SE7)
Not to forget that said damage to young players like TC being asked to do a job he's unfamiliar with by a manager who has lost the plot. Confidence is a fragile but valuable asset.
Maybe I'm wearing those rose tinted specs tonight, but I'm sure there's enough talent in this squad ( with a few exceptions) to perform a damn sight better under a different manager.
A real question what will it take to get rid of him ? If the board are starting to question him surely theres no point hanging around now.
More so than poor results, the team has zero philosophy on how they want to play. I truly believe he wants out now but wont walk away form the money. He makes illogical decisions I think in sometimes out of spite as he still see's himself as that innovative young coach who was heralded and its almost like he cant make changes as that would be conceding to the fans and he knows better.
Ok injuries but were they any worse than what holden had before we sacked him ? No and it was him who decided Ness wasnt good enough to be a squad player but somehow players like Potts who is (and we all knew) perennially injured. £1m on Ahadme is crazy and whilst i dont blame Jones fully for Alfie leaving (and feel most of the reason Alfie wanted to go for cash and family reasons) he made it easy for Alfie to want to leave.
Honestly get rid now and lets go back to Jacko (if he will take us) or even Chris Powell. Men of character and intelligence and no ego.
If they're going to get rid then they have to do it soon so the new manager has the January window to bring in people he wants.
No point getting rid of Jones in February and then (for example) hiring a new manager who likes to play with wide players........and he finds out that we don't have any and he's fucked until the summer.
Same here, my Son will be eight on Sunday, his Charlton top was on his birthday list.
I’m struggling to keep him interested, all his friends are West Ham and Arsenal (we live in Essex). Will be at the next home match, but if things don’t improve I’ve lost him to Charlton. He was really upset this week.
A real pity as my parents, grand parents and great grandad attended Charlton matches (lived in Kinveachy Gardens and my Grandad’s ashes are in the memorial garden at The Valley).
It would be the end of our family line supporting Charlton.
I’m not is the Jones camp, never have been. Fully understand the ‘give them time’ comments, but anyone in Management who doesn’t listen and won’t adapt will fail. Jones doesn’t come across as someone who listens much, as was highlighted by plenty of Southampton and Stoke fans.
I don't think it's going to get better now. I think this is it - if we are lucky we will manage to stay in L1, probably at another ground. At some point we will drop down to L2, and bounce between the two.
Comments
More so than poor results, the team has zero philosophy on how they want to play. I truly believe he wants out now but wont walk away form the money. He makes illogical decisions I think in sometimes out of spite as he still see's himself as that innovative young coach who was heralded and its almost like he cant make changes as that would be conceding to the fans and he knows better.
Ok injuries but were they any worse than what holden had before we sacked him ? No and it was him who decided Ness wasnt good enough to be a squad player but somehow players like Potts who is (and we all knew) perennially injured. £1m on Ahadme is crazy and whilst i dont blame Jones fully for Alfie leaving (and feel most of the reason Alfie wanted to go for cash and family reasons) he made it easy for Alfie to want to leave.
Honestly get rid now and lets go back to Jacko (if he will take us) or even Chris Powell. Men of character and intelligence and no ego.
I am assuming that this is what you have been told, by Methven? and not what you know. I would argue strongly that Jones is not being paid anywhere near what Curbishley was, I would guess that Curbishley was getting paid (and deservedly so)20k a week.
This - I heard that Curbs was on £1m a year with us in the Prem. No way Jones is anywhere near that.
It's a common thing, Slade and Appleton did it. When this happens perhaps the owners need to be looked at and not just the managers.
This is what the Americans need to do, certainly get rid of the latter three for a start.
But he was NOT the supporters choice, this is a deflection comment from the clowns.
A certain poster on here will believe any old rubbish he's told to support these clowns.
Dowie and Pardew would probably have been on more than Jones as well. Particularly Pardew.
So what will tomorrow bring? Will this be the last time Edwards picks a team?What will his formation be...does he know?
When Nathan Jones came to Luton with his ' diamond' he stuck with it,through hell and high water until the players got it, and it worked. Has Edwards got that inner belief, indeed has he got any belief?
It's hard to see light at the end of this particular tunnel when there's not one there.
It felt like this was what we were doing with the 5-3-2 at the start of the season but then that was scrapped. Now you could switch their issues with Edwards about ours with NJ.
But it's true, even last night against Crawley, he didn't set out to win the game.
Tyreece Campbell (pretty much our only player that runs at the opposition) on the bench again.
No width, no attacking intent.
We sat back and let a relegation candidate dominate us at The Valley (as we do every game)
Poor Gillesphey (I have sympathy for him) instructed to hoof the ball at every opportunity in the general direction of no one half the time.
It's absolutely shocking and pretty much every fan knows that the team that scores first usually wins or at least doesn't lose.
So why why why does Jones set us up to defend every game home and away regardless of the opposition?
It is crass stupidity and everyone apart from Jones can see it doesn't work and will not work.
Jones, change your tactics and give the players a chance.
The squad is definitely more capable than what they are showing under your 1980s Sunday League tactics.
I do believe that certain clubs fans have an identity as to how the game should be played. The DNA of Charlton fans ( to me anyway) is they want to be entertained, want to see fluid, accurate passing, want to see wide players pinging in accurate crosses, want a slightly gung ho approach to football, play on the front foot, play with verve and commitment, especially at home. If we lose playing this way then the fans accept it, move on and look forward to the next game.
What I saw last night, as many people have described, was anti-football. Playing 3 centre forwards, with no obvious wide players, 3 central midfielders, who are uncomfortable going wide, full backs that didn't get forward quickly enough to provide width, meant that most of our game was playing hoofball straight down the middle of the pitch. It was pitiful to watch, but it must have been the instructions of the manager, because we kept on doing it, ad nausiam.
In some ways I feel sorry for the players, I do believe that the talent in the squad is better than what I am seeing under Jones's tactics, that Ahadme and Leaburn would look far more constructive in their movement and play if the forward movement was quicker, accurate, stretching the opposition wide. But no, knock it straight down the middle and fight for scraps.
I hate the idea that we might be on our 4th manager in two years, but I've had enough of the anti-football hoofball, I want to be entertained, want to leap out of my seat with a bit of skill, want to applaud skillful passing and movement, want to be thrilled by the forward pressing motion of the whole team.
Pipe dream, maybe, but I just don't want to see anymore of these turgid tactics that Jones advocates, so for me...
JONES OUT.
ps I think the Sky red button midweek fixtures is really affecting attendances.
Pretty much every team presses more than us.
There is little aggression or pressing and as for his catchphrase front foot he's talking out his arse because we are nearly always on the back foot.
I can just imagine a new manager coming in, playing with wingers (TC, Small, Dixon, Enslin - we have options but Jones doesn’t use formations with wingers) and signing a few players to give us more options in attacking midfield and out wide, putting more focus on passing and movement and us getting some decent results.
The squad is so unbalanced with the lack of wide and attacking midfield options, but we could probably get by with those four and then add to it in January.
Just the surprise for the opposition to see us setting up with pace out wide could make a difference.
Without knowing the specifics of their tactics imagine many opponents know they can set up defensively in a certain way as they know we won’t really threaten from out wide unless it’s a FB occasionally getting forward or TC is on the pitch.
It doesn’t logically make sense to not use width when we have Leaburn and/or Ahadme up front. If we get plenty of decent crosses in they could both score double figures, especially adding Taylor’s set pieces and Edwards’ long throw to that too.
There is no way Nathan Jones is earning more than £20K pw.
Jones out!
Scott out!
Rodwell out!
Methven out!
Absolute clowns.
I've said all along I want a manager who accepts us for what we are as a team, right now, and sets about rebuilding us pragmatically by starting at the back and building from there. It looked like that was what we were doing last season but Jones has now taken that to the extreme and we play like we have a huge inferiority complex.
I don't particularly want to see him sacked, I don't want to change managers for the sake of it, and yes things do take time but there's been no sign of progression and no real sign that there is a coherent plan on how to progress. If we were comfortably in mid-table, then maybe another few months to the end of the season could be the way to go, give it some time. We are mid-table, but it's not comfortable and things are heading in a bad direction and gathering speed. There's some big flaws in this squad that need to be at least partially fixed in January to keep us out of serious bother. Signings made on Jones' watch have not been good, overall (how much of that is him vs. Scott is hard to know), so can we afford to take the risk of giving him another transfer window to sign the wrong players for the wrong system?
I am struggling to see how he rescues this from here and have no faith, not even blind, that he's the man to lead our January recruitment drive to get out of the shit. Preferabley if he goes Scott will go with him and we can have a fresh team trying to sign the players we need.
..a fish rots from its head down.
Pointing the finger directly at the Board who must be telling the owners porkies as to how things are going.
Maybe someone should contact the owners direct and tell them a few home truths ( if they don't already know the damage that's currently being done in SE7)
Not to forget that said damage to young players like TC being asked to do a job he's unfamiliar with by a manager who has lost the plot. Confidence is a fragile but valuable asset.
Maybe I'm wearing those rose tinted specs tonight, but I'm sure there's enough talent in this squad ( with a few exceptions) to perform a damn sight better under a different manager.
But will we get to see this for ourselves?
No point getting rid of Jones in February and then (for example) hiring a new manager who likes to play with wide players........and he finds out that we don't have any and he's fucked until the summer.
My kids even said after Saturday's cup win,
"Why do they never win when we're there?"
They dread coming to games already, they're 7 and 4. 😭
I’m not is the Jones camp, never have been. Fully understand the ‘give them time’ comments, but anyone in Management who doesn’t listen and won’t adapt will fail. Jones doesn’t come across as someone who listens much, as was highlighted by plenty of Southampton and Stoke fans.