Anyone think DH was always a stop gap.....

[Southport Red]

1 hour ago, Silvio Dante said:

So what you’re saying is that we had a stop gap but the stop gap failed to stop the gap and now we need a stop gap for the stop gap?

Is that what you’re saying?

A stop gap stop or a stop gap gap stop?

[Red_Alligator]

No. If he was meant to be that, then it would have been declared as such.

[Yoyo2345]

1 hour ago, 2015 said:

Listen to the interview with SL from August. He was certain Holden was his Man.

 

Listening to this, SL do talk some

[Will Rollason]

2 hours ago, Port Said Red said:

I think he means like a night watchman in cricket, unfortunately Dean didn't keep his wicket intact until the end of play.  

very much so. if he gets a few runs next morning that's great but everyone is waiting for the next recognised batsmen. 

[Taz]

2 hours ago, Portland Bill said:

He wasn’t on a one year contract, it was a one year rolling contract.

Big difference.

Sorry forgot the word rolling. 

Minimum amount of compensation though, less costs.

[Philly The Kid]

2 hours ago, Taz said:

He was never planned to be the long term solution IMO, that much I think can be read from the contract length. Best case scenario, we had a great season and offered a longer, more lucrative contract in the summer. Worse case scenario, well we're at that Point now.

Do I think they were also erring on the side of caution with regards to seeing a longer term replacement become available during the course, or conclusion of this season, and then being stuck with Holden? Quite possibly.

Let's assume he was never sacked, and then in the summer for example, Daniel Farke became available (hypothetical question/example). Let's also presume that he was interested in the job here, do we stick with Holden on his multi year contract (assuming he had signed a 2-3 year contract instead) and his inexperience, or go with Farke who has already won promotion from this league, plays incredible football, and is a breath of fresh air? There's no choice is there.

Do I also think that Steve likes the idea of someone who has taken a year out of football and (going with the timescale) would be ready to come back into management this summer? I think he would love for Howe to be the next longterm manager, and try to emulate what he did with Bournemouth. Whether Howe would be interested is another question. 

So the question should be, do I think that we gave Holden a 1 year contract, using covid finances as a smokescreen, in the hope that we could tempt Eddie Howe this summer? Yes, quite possibly. Do I think he, or someone else was already lined up? No.

I'd be amazed if Steve hasn't been on the phone to Howe and his representatives already, as I truly believe he is the number 1 choice.

Would he come here and work alongside Ashton? That's another question entirely.

So the interesting thing for me would be if, say Eddie Howe has the conversation with Steve and they share each other other's vision. Eddie then says I'd love to come but sorry Steve I can't work under that snake in the grass and Steve says well he has a contract.... IF Howe then said I'll come if you get rid or at worst I'll work with him until his contract ends then he goes what does Steve do then?

 

[Taz]

3 minutes ago, Phillythe kid said:

So the interesting thing for me would be if, say Eddie Howe has the conversation with Steve and they share each other other's vision. Eddie then says I'd love to come but sorry Steve I can't work under that snake in the grass and Steve says well he has a contract.... IF Howe then said I'll come if you get rid or at worst I'll work with him until his contract ends then he goes what does Steve do then?

 

That would all depend on how much he would want Howe wouldn't it. Could turn around and say, sorry this is the structure and it won't be changed anytime soon, or move Ashton. 

He likes Ashton and thinks that he is doing a fairly good job, you can tell that from the interviews. This leads to 2 questions:

1. Would Steve move MA to the side, keep him involved but with a different "job description" and responsibilities so to speak.

And 2. Would MA actually do it.

Of course this is all hypothetical, Howe may not even be the man they're looking at.

[Philly The Kid]

4 minutes ago, Taz said:

That would all depend on how much he would want Howe wouldn't it. Could turn around and say, sorry this is the structure and it won't be changed anytime soon, or move Ashton. 

He likes Ashton and thinks that he is doing a fairly good job, you can tell that from the interviews. This leads to 2 questions:

1. Would Steve move MA to the side, keep him involved but with a different "job description" and responsibilities so to speak.

And 2. Would MA actually do it.

Of course this is all hypothetical, Howe may not even be the man they're looking at.

Erm... No and...... No!!!

[headhunter]

I had thought of Holden as a potential  stop-gap appointment. If Eddie Howe had been the No.1 choice it is not impossible that he might have said "thank you,  but I'd really tike to take year away from the game". Might explain why he has not been seriously linked with any of the bigger jobs that have come up in the past 9 months. 

[Mr Popodopolous]

As one or two mentioned, if we had appointed a bigger name, spent accordingly- with no turnover materialising as it transpired might we have failed FFP?

Could have got lucky albeit probably not by design! However that 2017/18 £25m LOSS will be gone by the summer.

[Clutton Caveman]

Hopefully he was appointed to give Howe a break with his family before joining us

[Swede]

No; he was Keef Millen Mk2. We missed a real opportunity to forge forward. Ultimately that poor decision might have set us back several years especially if we get dragged into the relegation mire and the way it looks we are three games away from being sucked into it. We won't survive that.

That failed appointment will hit even deeper with poor season ticket sales potentially on the horizon.

The only way to offset that is to get the feelgood factor back ahd that starts with a headline head coach. 

Unfortunately the club got it's fingers burnt with a head strong man like Cotts and vowed not to go down that route again.

As much as SL is rightly lauded for all he has done for the club, his track record in employing managers on the whole isn't as good.