Where It Has Gone Wrong This Season

[Matt_B]

You name all three of our appointed managers and our signing policy as the problems with this season. The common denominator is Milan Mandaric.

And the seasons before he came here?

 

[consty]

Any sane person wouldn't credit any one reason for the results this season but would probably think that it was a combination...

This has got to be true and the remark from another poster that the club have done poorly for 3 years prior to MM's arrival is also pertinent for those who try to pin the blame on MM. To use a legal term you have to say that managers, chairman and players have been 'equally and severally responsible'!

Holloway has been stuck with some pretty poor players despite being able to ship out a bag full last christmas. He finds himself having to rely on 'I couldn't score in a brothel' Fryatt, whilst DJ is unfit and could've proved to have been the player to partner Howard. Holloway found himself stuck with and having to persist with Clemence. Given his reputation and presumably wages to match as supposedly the best player in the divsion, he had to give him a lot of games until the situation became absolutely dire. But now he is free of him, the team may pick up.

Holloway persisted for far too long with Hume on the wing and has made some bad tactical decisions without a doubt. One positive thing he has done is to revitalise Stearman, who really has bucked his ideas up. It's a shame he failed to achieve that re-motivation for the rest of the midfield and forward line.

 

[fairbanksh]

I dont rate Holloway, far too many bad tactical decisions. But I agree the common denominator to all of this chaos is Milan!
Go back to when he bought the club. Several of the board has misgivings as to underhand tactics. The delay was in part down to MM and he got us for an absurdley low price.
I do not feel settled with him at the helm and feel there will be many more problems even if (and we will) survive this season

 

[The Old Fox]

I dont rate Holloway, far too many bad tactical decisions. But I agree the common denominator to all of this chaos is Milan!
Go back to when he bought the club. Several of the board has misgivings as to underhand tactics. The delay was in part down to MM and he got us for an absurdley low price.
I do not feel settled with him at the helm and feel there will be many more problems even if (and we will) survive this season

No,no: time for some rash optimism. I think that lessons have been learned. Holloway will stay, have a close season to get the squad as he wants it and we'll be top six next season.

 

[City Fan]

I blame Roy Essandoh.

 

[gregs_y2k]

I blame Roy Essandoh.

Definitely

 

[Matt_B]

I dont rate Holloway, far too many bad tactical decisions. But I agree the common denominator to all of this chaos is Milan!
Go back to when he bought the club. Several of the board has misgivings as to underhand tactics. The delay was in part down to MM and he got us for an absurdley low price.
I do not feel settled with him at the helm and feel there will be many more problems even if (and we will) survive this season

I blame Milan aswell, when he hired Levein I knew he wasn't up to any good.

 

[Mouse]

I blame Roy Essandoh.

Me too

And the pylons.


In all seriousness our signings have been consistently shit for a while now, just not quite on the same scale as the summer. Most of Levein's signings turned out to be really terrible, I remember the likes of Gerrbrand, Hamill and Canero who played about one game each.

I think our problem has been that the two times in recent (ish) years that we've had proper money to spend, it's been completely wasted. Peter Taylor got given money and spent it on Akinbiyi and co, and now Martin Allen got it and didn't have a clue what he was doing. How many of the signings were down to Mandaric we probably won't ever know, but I don't believe that players like Kaebi and Hellings were Mandaric ideas. It's much more likely that older players like N'Gotty were (has he actually said as much?), and he's turned out one of the better ones.

 

[bocadillo]

You could change the question to where has it gone wrong for the past 4 or 5 seasons

Exactly!! Things have been going wrong for years and years - the problem that has occurred this year is that nothing has been done to put it right.

 

[bocadillo]

I blame Milan aswell, when he hired Levein I knew he wasn't up to any good.

Oh dear!

 

[Matt_B]

Oh dear!

The obvious point was in fact my point. It is very naive to blame this shit season on MM entirely, a large part of where we are, is cause by where we have been

 

[TommyK]

It's much more likely that older players like N'Gotty were (has he actually said as much?), and he's turned out one of the better ones.

N'Gotty was signed before we had a manage.

 

[Brown Nose]

Amazing how recollections of past events change over time.

MA readily admitted to anyone after his departure that he had personally only signed 4 players that joined us in the summer. There was much speculation about which 4 they were, but common agreement had it as Hayes, Campbell, Clemence and 'a n other'.

MA was also responsible for the loan signings of Clarke and Fulop. The latter proving to be the best addition this season imo. MA's major known fault was his lack of control over the recruitment in the summer.

Who was responsible for the other 10 or so recruited will forever be a mystery I guess. MM reckons he signed only one - N'Gotty.

We had a short lived DoF Don Mackay, who appears to be responsible for the rest by a simple process of elimination. This has to be ultimately the fault of MM as he appointed him and gave him such powers. This DofF was also responsible for the vast majority of the payments to Agents.

Aside from the players, I wish criminal charges could be brought against MM and DM for their part in our demise. If we go down, a public hanging may be the only thing to temper my feelings towards these thieving charlatans.

In comparison, the likes of MA, GM and IH are Knights in shining armour.

 

[bocadillo]

The obvious point was in fact my point. It is very naive to blame this shit season on MM entirely, a large part of where we are, is cause by where we have been

I did realise that and was clumsily trying to draw attention to it. Who knows where it all went wrong? Perhaps the Go4 were right!

 

[homer]

I did realise that and was clumsily trying to draw attention to it. Who knows where it all went wrong? Perhaps the Go4 were right!

Should have played them in midfield - might have done a better job than the cnuts we have played there all season

 

[fludie]

You name all three of our appointed managers and our signing policy as the problems with this season. The common denominator is Milan Mandaric.

Totally agree.

 

[H T B]

Very easy. MM had the choice between Martin Allen or Paul Ince. He got it wrong.

If he had got Incey, we would be in the top 6 now and more than likely in the top 2.

Hypothetical statements like this make me chuckle. Football fans come out with some real nonsensical crap.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, how many times in life do you hear somebody say, "If only......."

 

[Jeff]

Martin Allen - Out of his depth & out of his mind.

This is something I posted last May....

I just think Allen would be a poor appointment. If you want realistic alternative suggestions I would prefer Worthington, Grayson, Johnson or Ince to Allen.

MM should have listened to me then :icon_wink

 

[foxpodder]

In the end I think everyone has touched on all or some of the issues.

Money
Its not about a lack of money (the previous board didn't have any and still mucked things up) MM has money and still didn't spend it wisely.

Money
Its about the managers - getting the right choice. The previous board got it wrong with Levien and right with Kelly as caretaker (he kept us up) but wrong by appointing him before the end of the season and not waiting to see who was available. MM got the wrong man in MA and probably GM - it remains to be seen about Holloway.

Players
It is about players - and the right combination. The players taht kept us up with championship winning form under Kelly were the sae ones who were rubbish earlier in the season and the following season. I guess its about the magic "X" ingredient that playing the right players in certain combinations achieves. Look at Bristol City and Hull - who would have thought they could be near the top? Or Sheff U and Charlton struggle to shine. Will Holloway get it right with the squad in the summer? Who knows

Its about expectation
Last season we falsely thought that we'd be up there based on the end of the previous season - this season we were highly expectant. I think a resigned "lets see what happens" next season might be appropriate.

 

[Disco Bob]

It's painfully obvious that we should never have sold Links and Smudge