To be, or not to be? The Shakespeare thread.

[pork pie fox]

Feel free to plonk your point of view about Shakey in here. I think this deserves a thread of its own, as it's obviously a big discussion point on the forum.

I'd rather the post match threads and gossip threads were just for that purpose. Yes, there may still be discussion about tactics etc relating to those games, which would still be better suited to the post match threads, but my opinion is that the general discussion on the rights and wrongs of Shakespeare being in charge would be better placed in here.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[pork pie fox]

For the record, this was my post back in March:

It was fairly well documented, during the Pearson years, that Shakespeare was close with the players. It's often difficult for players or coaches to step into the managerial role, due to this close relationship and the need to distance yourself when tough decisions need to be made. It's all well and good the players responding well to Shakespeare at the minute, but to what degree would that hamper his ability to make these tough decisions if he were to get the role full time?

Players are notoriously selfish, but are the main bunch looking after each other, in a sort of protectionist manner? This may not be the case, obviously, but choices will need to be made in the long term and, whilst I'm clearly very pleased with how Shakespeare has done so far, perhaps this should be a consideration when looking for Ranieri's successor.

 

[fitz]

Time will tell if the punt pays off. I do worry about how our lot will play if their mate gets the sack though.

 

[Miles Away]

Should have been a massive clear out in the summer. Instead we did the opposite.

 

[City Fan]

Time will tell if the punt pays off. I do worry about how our lot will play if their mate gets the sack though.

Can't be much worse.

 

[Orifice]

Ok, I'm with Shakes.

He's managing a team that is a mid table team - win some games, lose some games, not disgrace ourselves but not be challenging for a top 6 slot.
We won the league with a freak season. Even had the following season had the same players, the same management and other teams had not changed, I doubt that we would have won the league again.

But still. No doubt if we get rid of Shakes for a proven manager there would still be people unhappy with his selections and team choices - that's how things are.

I want us to play well, win the games we should win and surprise people and win the odd game we're expected to lose. Hope for the best, expect nothing better than average.

 

[deleted member]

I'm backing Shakey, you have to look at the options...some managers without a job

• Alan Pardew
• Sam Alladyce
• David Moyes
• Frank De boer
• Harry Redknapp
• Nigel Pearson
• Ryan Giggs

How do any of those actually provide an improvement over Shakey

 

[deleted member]

Should have been a massive clear out in the summer. Instead we did the opposite.

Throwing money into buying loads of players, sticking with the same style or changing the style of play would have meant we would have been in exactly the same position we are in now.

you can build rebuild a house by taking the bricks our from the bottom and replacing them

 

[TornadoShaunUK]

Personally I'd take Allardyce over Shakespeare....

 

[Graz]

Personally I'd take Allardyce over Shakespeare....

Personally I think that would be mental.

 

[Graz]

I've kept out of this so far, but here's what I think - we need to give Shakespeare time.

I think most people can probably agree and accept that Shakey was given the job because of a lack of other stand-out/realistic targets. And that hasn't changed since he was appointed.

I wasn't over the moon when we gave Shakey the job full time but accepted it.

We have to back him and give him time. Our fixture list at the start of the season has been horrible. The Huddersfield game was a disappointing result but that's going to happen - it just looks worse in the context of the other games, but realistically the other games haven't been against teams we'd realistically expect to beat.

I think we had a decent summer transfer window - a good one if the signing of Silva actually goes through soon - but those new signings need time to bed in and make an impact. We've been unlucky so far with injuries not given us as many options as I'm sure Shakey would like, but when the likes of Iborra and Iheanacho are ready for a regular first team place (which it seems they more or less are now) then I expect that to make a big difference.

I don't know if Shakey will succeed or fail, but there's no point writing him off yet because it's way too early to know.

I hate to see people - the usual suspects, it must be said - so keen to write him off and see him out the door. Because those people never stop, they can't wait to be proven 'right' and claim they knew it all along. They're so desperate for it they're out for his head before a ball is even kicked. It doesn't help anyone, it's just a negativity that seeps throughout and grows like a cancer.

I'm not saying he's infallible, but let's at least give him time. I'm not surprised by our start to the season at all, but would've expected similar regardless of who was in charge. But I'm still confident we'll push on when we get easier games and have players available for selection. I still think we've got enough for a top 10/top 8 finish and that's what I would've expected for this season.

The complaints about him just favouring the old guard, to me, are flawed - he has little option to select much else so far.

Give him a chance, get behind him and the team, and let's see what happens.

 

[TornadoShaunUK]

We're all entitled to our opinions. It's the change I'd be looking to make before someone else does. You know his football is not going to be pretty, but effective. Unlike now where it's not very pretty, nor very effective. I do think it's a bit early to be sacking Shakespeare with just 5 games gone. If you make a choice then you've got to allow it some time but I think it was the wrong choice the owner's made and I haven't seen enough that tells me Shakespeare is going to 'take us forward'.

I also don't buy the point about stability. Stability comes from success at this level. It's the bitter reality. Who's going to persist with a manager who is losing games all season long? You can guarantee if Arsenal were suddenly scrapping for their lives with 10 games to go Arsene Wenger would be out the door and those 20 odd years would count for shit.

The manager is the most important cog in the system IMO. Benitez is a good example of this. Newcastle currently sit 4th and are showing good signs, yet it's largely the same side that got relegated a few seasonsago with a few 'not bank busting' additions.

 

[jb5000]

I'm backing Shakey, you have to look at the options...some managers without a job

• Alan Pardew
• Sam Alladyce
• David Moyes
• Frank De boer
• Harry Redknapp
• Nigel Pearson
• Ryan Giggs

How do any of those actually provide an improvement over Shakey

Which is why we shouldn't be going for an unemployed manager - as you've correctly implied, many are unemployed with good reason.

We should be looking at good managers across the continent.

I'm not massively impressed by Shakespeare to be honest, he saw the predictable uptick in results initially followed by the equally predictable return to normal service. Personally, I'd make sure that Rafa Benitez's representatives know that he'll be gainfully employed at a supportive club the moment he walks away from the Mike Ashley Shitshow.

Sent from my F8331 using Tapatalk

 

[SilverFox]

I've not quite reached the winter of my discontent, but I've never been happy. I'm certainly already on record as saying I don't think he should've got the job. I also think (but am very happy to be surprised) that we are wasting our time and this experiment will ultimately end in failure.

 

[popillius]

He needs a reasonable amount of time; we will have our answers then. Until this point I, like everyone else, have no idea whatsoever how well he will do. I have seen some good things that I like, I have seen some pretty poor things that I don't but sacking him now would not only make us look fantastically foolish it would also send ripples of unrest through some players and some fans. This would only do harm to any intentions, however likely, of achieving a top half finish and beyond.

 

[Brown Nose]

I think the decision to make him permanent manager in the summer was ridiculous.

I have no faith in him whatsoever and am 99% convinced that it will end in tears. Nice guy though.

If I were in charge would I sack him today? No. It doesn't make sense to. We are where we are.

I think he'll be gone before the end of November though. By which time, I expect most of us will be relieved.

Personally, I'd take Allardyce as a replacement like a shot. I think he's very underrated and would be ideal for us if we could keep him here for a couple of years. Even with Shakespeare reverting back to number two seeing as he worked with Allardyce before.

 

[Skitzo]

Marco Silva was available for a long time before he finally went to Watford and IMO we should have hired him and a completely new coaching staff, keeping Shakespeare on would have been a ticking timebomb waiting to go off.

It seems to me that there is a sizeable section of the fans that were not and are not convinced he is the right man for the job and personally speaking I'm seeing and hearing very little from him that is changing my mind.

I don't want him to fail but currently I cannot see him succeeding.

If Allardyce is available he'd be my pick as a replacement when the time comes, contrary to his rep when you give him talented players he plays good football, also he sorts out defending set pieces which has been a problem for a couple of years

 

[fitz]

Fat Sam would do a good job. He also claims to know how to get around rules regarding player ownership. Would give us a manager and a central midfielder.

 

[homer]

It's a real shame, but he's a duffer

We are now just marking time until he departs.

Hopefully that will come before we are spiralling towards relegation, and hopefully before people start to hate him

 

[Redditch Fox]

It's a real shame, but he's a duffer

We are now just marking time until he departs.

Hopefully that will come before we are spiralling towards relegation, and hopefully before people start to hate him

Sad but probably true and I guess many who were sympathetic to the appointment, feared that it wasn't in the club's medium term interests. However, CS position has been weakened by the Silva issue which has knocked a hole in the midfield and made the club look silly.