Red-Robbo

SOD's poor form was admittedly depressing, but I was looking forwards and not backwards when we had lost 1 in 7 (the loss being through a Flint O.G as well). We then proceeded to sack a manager who had a reputation for benefiting clubs in the long-term and replaced him with a friend of the boardroom, who has had an uninspiring career as a football manager. I usually back a manager for longer than most in recent years (Millen, Del, SOD etc), but it's incredibly hard to back a manager whose appointment I found incredibly frustrating and didn't agree with in the first place. Nothing against SC, it's the board's fault, as I've said above.

 

Would I want Cotterill to go? If it was down to me, I'd get rid at the end of the season because I simply do not rate him as a manager (Burnley, Pompey, Forest fans would support me on that). I'm all for a long-term plan, hence my support for McInnes and O'Driscoll, but it'd be a huge shame if we finally stuck with a manager for the long-term, only for that manager to not be a very good one. This isn't a post in the heat of the moment after today's performance, I've been saying it since SC was appointed.

Own goals still count mate!

Well, I think - as I keep saying - it's an entirely moot point as to whether we'd be better off or not. What anyone's done in the past elsewhere doesn't mean nowt (and personally I think Sean's miracle worker rep is slightly overinflated by his fans) because - as we've seen - we've had players who were good elsewhere but then poor here.

What's fact is we're no better off than when he was sacked. And what I think is also becoming clear, is that Steve (or Keith Burt - or both) managed to muck up the transfer window and opportunities for strengthening where the side needed it.

Looking forward here, I'd shift Osbourne back in the middle and bring Moloney into his position. Rest El-Abd. Rest Jet - at least for half the game - and put Pearson into a forward midfield role. And if Kelly's available play him rather than Pack.

Dunno what you do about the keeper conundrum - none of them has exactly inspired confidence.

. Shame on the board for making the decision to sack a manager that had lost 1 in 7.

 

 

Or another way of expressing it, is a manager with the worse win ratio in City history (if you discount caretakers and Copout) who had taken just one point out of a possible six in his last two games.

We're both just using statistics to bolster arguments.

I prefer to look forwards rather than backwards. Looking backwards condemns us to walk into life's lamp posts.

Would you sack Cotterill? That would just take managerial churn to the max. The theory didn't work over at the dark side of our city.

Given that he stays, what to do next?

it really is so surprising ,considering the results and performances , that many people ,myself included,feel uncomfortable with the whole sacking of SOD and hiring of SC fiasco.

But the results were dire before. If you take a particular start and finish point you might argue that there'd been an upturn, but it was just as likely to be a false dawn. Our last feeble showing v SUFC could argue that way.

One thing's unarguable however, we're no better off at present than we were.

As SC isn't going anywhere this season, I'd rather talk about how he can improve the side's performance and get us some more wins.

Moloney back in would be my first move there.

No Kilkenny likes pointing

I reckon he could vary his portfolio....

Of course it is, but it still gets up my nose when people judge a manager by his shouting and arm waving.

Does anyone though? People liked Steve because he seemed more upbeat than Sean. I can't recall anyone saying " I like his arm-waving". If we wanted that, we should've appointed Kilkenny player-manager!!!

I guess the point is that we had a new plan , philosophy that has now been torn up because SC wants a traditional mangers role and not what we were said to have put in place for the future - when you bend over backwards to get a specific person, you get taken hostage by their demands

Always a toughie, to come in when a season is well under way and try to change things. Steve's 2014 hasn't exactly inspired though. 

All isn't lost, but he needs to get all his powers of motivation at work. And rethink the midfield.

But would he have kept us up and built for the future? If we wanted a clown we could have signed George Ferguson.

We'll never know, Aiz. My instinct is no, others think yes. Both positions are based on various assumptions.

The "should SOD have gone" argument is, as you've astutely observed, pointless. 

We all know SC has been given carte blanche at the club - he was brought in as a manager and when asked why not Head Coach the club said "it's just a name and nothing has changed" wheras SC said "it's becuase I like to get involved in all areas of the club" - cannot beleive ~Burt would have made these signings, it looks like "i want these people" and we went and got them

Which returns me to "what is the point of Keith Burt"?

However, I can't write a spineless display like that off due to the two players we brought to the club in January. More established players must've let themselves down. 

.

I await the verdict of the brave/foolhardy who went to Bramall Lane

Fair point.

 

I didn't mean to suggest SOD was in any way a golden age.  The results were awful for the most part and, as I said, he didn't seem to motivate the squad.  What I do think is he brought in a group of players in order to play a certain way and, if we'd got a manger in to build on that, we'd be be in a better position than bringing in a manager who seems to be throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

 

There were, of course, several things that needed to be improved from the SOD era but I'm just not convinced Cotterill is improving them.

Me neither LB....

 

 

Initially Cotts seemed to be improving things, better reuslts and better football, it all went tits-up when the board allowed him to rubbish our stated tarnsfer policy and bring in El Bad on a 3.5 year contract - that's exactly the sort of thing that landed us in the mire before!

Isn't Keith Burt supposed to be in charge of that? And if he has no say in these transfers why is he here? What a waste of money.

As I say, we had overage players brought in under SOD. Can't say I was thrilled when I saw Shorey playing back then.

Is El-Abd the problem here today though? I'd like a considered opinion from someone there as to why we are plywood flimsy befoire their attacks and why we haven't got a decent shot in.

I'm not sure there even is a short-term answer.  We keep trying them and they always end in disaster.  One thing I would say is that - having always in the past been in favour of giving managers a chance - I really think it's time to pull the plug on Cotterill.  I actually think SOD assembled a promising squad -  albeit one that probably wasn't ready and that he struggled to motivate - but I genuinely do not understand what Cotterill is trying to do.

 

The signings have made no sense, Moloney seems to be being forced out of the club at random, our best centre-back is suddenly a right-back and the long-term plan seems to have been scrapped for journeymen singings and random team selections.  We need to identify a promising young manager with the ambition and confidence to rebuild the club and give him time to do it.  Cotterill is not the answer and is just undoing the few good things that SOD put into place.

Cotterill may not be the answer, but really I think El-Abd and W Elliott are no worse or better than Shorey and Harewood. 

I think both managers have made mistakes in their own way, but I don't think there was some golden age under the past manager. We're now in the same place he left us, no better, no worse.

Anyway, they clearly won't sack Cotterill this season. So, move Osborne centrally and bring back Moloney?  Rest JET and start Burns?

There are options, but we have to take them as this line-up clearly isn't working. 

Words from anyone at the game? Assuming you haven't hanged yourselves...

I didn't expect a win, but that doesn't make those stats any less disappointing.

Question is playmates, what's the [short-term] answer?

I've not been overly impressed by Wade Elliott, but one poster said he was playing well first half. 

People say Plymouth is a derby, Portsmouth is much closer than Plymouth so it must be a derby.

Us v Plymouth is only a derby in the minds of Argyle fans.

Looking on SUFC forum and some people just call us bristol does anyone else get annoyed by this we are the might bristol city not bristol it is it my OCD kicking in

You mean the "Sheffield" forum....

Just got back to the car.

Last time I saw City win away it was 3-1.

People said I was mad to go to Carlisle.

People said I was mad to go to Leyton.

Well if this is madness, sign me up.

Someone pay this man to attend every away game!

Ecstatic!!!

I don't even care that this was the one London game I could go to and instead I was dragooned into taking the father-in-law out!

I love you Mrs Robbo and your family and I LOVE YOU CITY!!!!!

Shock & Awe...

Shockingly Awful, more like!

Hang on lads, according to Radio Briz the commentators are "in a cold and windy North East London" - Leyton is definitely not north east. They're watching the wrong game!!!! Knew it was too good to be true

Well it's East and it's not Saarf of the rivuh!

Decent result.

happy with that.

Me too. Not ideal but conditions were not condusive and an experimental line-up didn't spell disaster - for once.

Under Water?

Wouldn't be surprised, A. Probably fallen into the sea.

A Wycombe win, and a Torquay win, will see Rovers in the drop zone.

Torquay's postponed.

Unbelievably big gamble this

Other than Williams instead of Cunningham, it seems the manager is doing what most posters here have been calling for.

Why do every manager try to be clever ? Football is a simple game for simple folk.

3-5-2

4-4-1-1

 

those players don't know if their coming or going .I adhere to the KISS principle 

Keep 

It 

Simple,

Stupid

Phew! I thought you meant play in stupid stage make-up for a moment.

I've been a supporter of Cotterill so far, but I will waver before long. Playing three at the back with our carp defence was suicide

With you there AG. 

It was obvious on Saturday that it hadn't worked and El-Abd in particular was stretched beyond his capability. I don't think he's an awful player - Brighton fans can't have said all those good things about him just out of sentiment - but you cannot use him in a three-man backline.