First Impressions Of Life Under Cotterill

[Aizoon]

You've just said you have no problem with his competence BIB, and then said he isnt competent to take over from O'Driscoll, because he isnt capable. So which one is it?

I've read what you said. It's contradictory and makes as much sense as a box of chocolate frogs.

You really are a divvy, aren't you? I also said that I don't think O'Driscoll could carry on in Cotterill's style, so you presumably I think that each is worse than the other?

For those of Very Little Brain, I'll spell it out in capitals. A MAJOR CHANGE OF STYLE IN MID-SEASON IS A HUGE MISTAKE, REGARDLESS OF THE INDIVIDUAL MANAGERS.

Got it?

[Aizoon]

Yeah, one up with the xmas cheer and good will to all men? Nope, straight to the insults, good lad! In keeping with the OTIB style

Where's this major change in style? Oh wait, that's right there hasnt been one of yet. So I refer back to the Chocolate Frogs thing, and the contradictory nature of your posts

No contradiction whatsoever but, in the spirit of goodwill to all men, I apologise if they are too subtle for the intellectually-challenged among us.

[Langford Red]

Just so glad we got rid of ODRIZZLE

Rock on Cotterill

[Port Said Red]

That said if playing a direct ( hoof ball ) style in order the win games to survive then so be it. We might have to wait till next season before we some decent stuff.

Really? You think that if he gets some success playing the way he has all his career, his is going to change and turn into some sort of Brendan Rodgers guru for the following season?

[City Rocker]

The point is that a team can be both direct and play attractive football. And as SO'D showed at City, a team can play a passing game terribly. At the end of the day it's not so much about the style as playing well.

 

And that, I think, sums the whole debate up. Southampton looked good on MoTD highlights against Spurs last night. I would be delighted to be entertained by their brand of direct football.

 

Anyway, IF by the end of this season we have won enough matches to stay up, then I will have been entertained infinitely more than I have over the past four or five months, regardless of the style of play.

[Red-Robbo]

Really? You think that if he gets some success playing the way he has all his career, his is going to change and turn into some sort of Brendan Rodgers guru for the following season?

 

Well seeing as he's played no more hoofball than we saw under SOD, I'm not sure that point is valid.

[Aizoon]

Really? You think that if he gets some success playing the way he has all his career, his is going to change and turn into some sort of Brendan Rodgers guru for the following season?

Exactly. And how long will it take a team built by O'Driscoll to start playing in Cotterill fashion? How many games will they lose in the process?

As I've repeatedly pointed out (although wasted on the terminally dim, alas) we'd have had the same problem if we'd replaced Cotterill with O'Driscoll in mid-season.

If we are deep in the mire by March, will the board do another U-turn? Will we see Cotterill replaced by another advocate of the tippy-tappy game? It honestly wouldn't surprise me

[Frenchay Red]

I am truly baffled by the constant reference by just a few on here to the "hoofball" under Cotterill as opposed (presumably) to the apparent non hoofball under SOD.

 

Well I don't know what they've been watching under the reign of SOD, but I've seen more pointless hoofball under SOD than any manager I can recall.

 

He must surely be the only gaffer whose team persisted in playing long hopeful balls to a lone small striker who seems incapable of holding the ball up even if by some miracle it managed to get to him.

 

For Cotterill to do worse he will have to break the two recent losing records so ably and easily achieved by the now departed great footballing thinker.

[Red-Robbo]

Exactly. And how long will it take a team built by O'Driscoll to start playing in Cotterill fashion? How many games will they lose in the process?

As I've repeatedly pointed out (although wasted on the terminally dim, alas) we'd have had the same problem if we'd replaced Cotterill with O'Driscoll in mid-season.

If we are deep in the mire by March, will the board do another U-turn? Will we see Cotterill replaced by another advocate of the tippy-tappy game? It honestly wouldn't surprise me

 

But as everyone has pointed out in response to this, SOD's sides didn't play the free-passing, flowing, fluid game he talked about. As oft as not, it was hoofball. So if your theory about Cotterill's preferred style of play is correct, there won't be much change there then.

 

EDIT: Frenchay Red beat me to it.

[Nogbad the Bad]

You really are a divvy, aren't you? I also said that I don't think O'Driscoll could carry on in Cotterill's style, so you presumably I think that each is worse than the other?

For those of Very Little Brain, I'll spell it out in capitals. A MAJOR CHANGE OF STYLE IN MID-SEASON IS A HUGE MISTAKE, REGARDLESS OF THE INDIVIDUAL MANAGERS.

Got it?

 

Not sure anyone could be expected to carry on SO'D's style exactly Aiz. He's more or less a one off who seems to take his theories to the extreme, so a stubborn continuance of his unsuccessful style would probably have done us no good anyway.

 

The style change won't be as drastic as you envisage anyway imo. - for one thing SO'D failed to achieve the style he apparently sought so it's not really embedded, and for another Cotterill isn't as much of a one trick hoofball merchant as some seem determined to label him.

 

Bear in mind also that we'll be getting a number of new players in the next few weeks - hopefully including a couple of real leader figures - who will not be indoctrinated in SO'D's methods at all so with their addition there's no expectation that a whole team will have to drastically change their ways.

 

The style I want to see from SC doesn't need a label of passing football, or hoofball, or anything else. I just want to see positive City team playing attacking football leading, hopefully, to goals and wins, and if Cotterill starts to achieve that I'll be happy with his 'style', whatever people choose to call it.

[Aizoon]

But as everyone has pointed out in response to this, SOD's sides didn't play the free-passing, flowing, fluid game he talked about. As oft as not, it was hoofball. So if your theory about Cotterill's preferred style of play is correct, there won't be much change there then.

EDIT: Frenchay Red beat me to it.

Fair point, but at least that was what O'Driscoll was trying to achieve. I thought that he was beginning to get there, at least on reading the reports here about the Orient game.

I have the horrible feeling that those who are proclaiming Cotterill as the messiah now, will be crucifying him by Good Friday, and that I shall be defending him on these pages

[Eco]

Walsall will be a difficult game and I can't see us winning it, they're better away from home and don't concede that many. A draw would be a good result at this stage and hopefully follow it up with 3 points against Stevenage.

 

But they aint a bogey team at all - we've beaten them 3 out of the last 4 games going back to 2004.

Well I've seen us lose plenty to Walsall going back to '82 !

[WolfOfWestStreet]

When are we going to realise it doesn't matter who is in charge.

Our players are shit, the squad has no monetary value, it ain't the gaffers fault!

Coppell, Millen, Derek, Sean O Driscoll, Steve ....

It don't ******* matter .... Wenger, Ferguson, Del Bosque, Pep couldn't make a winning team out of this shit pile.

Get off the managers back, it don't matter what style he plays we could have 10 players in goal and still concede.

You people

[Aizoon]

When are we going to realise it doesn't matter who is in charge.

Our players are shit, the squad has no monetary value, it ain't the gaffers fault!

Coppell, Millen, Derek, Sean O Driscoll, Steve ....

It don't ******* matter .... Wenger, Ferguson, Del Bosque, Pep couldn't make a winning team out of this shit pile.

Get off the managers back, it don't matter what style he plays we could have 10 players in goal and still concede.

You people

Agreed. So why do we make it even more difficult for ourselves by constantly changing managers?

[WolfOfWestStreet]

Agreed. So why do we make it even more difficult for ourselves by constantly changing managers?

Because the club is run by idiots.

I didn't like SOD as a person so cried no tears when he got binned but sack the ******* players, how can you sack a manager but not sack a player? I hate this club right now it's a ******* joke.

The sad thing is you can't even say we don't deserve it.

[Redrobbin]

When are we going to realise it doesn't matter who is in charge.

Our players are shit, the squad has no monetary value, it ain't the gaffers fault!

Coppell, Millen, Derek, Sean O Driscoll, Steve ....

It don't ******* matter .... Wenger, Ferguson, Del Bosque, Pep couldn't make a winning team out of this shit pile.

Get off the managers back, it don't matter what style he plays we could have 10 players in goal and still concede.

You people

Your posts are normally liberal and reaconal.

You have by the sound of it reached breaking point. !

[WolfOfWestStreet]

Your posts are normally liberal and reaconal.

You have by the sound of it reached breaking point. !

Well I've calmed down a bit since my last outburst.

May have gone overboard but if I read another post blaming a recent defeat on a Bristol city manager I'm going to break into your house on Christmas Day and piss on your kids.

Ps. I'm not liberal, I hate liberals

Merry Christmas one and all, hopefully Jon L gets a 10M transfer budget in his Christmas cracker, we ******* need it

[mossey]

Has to be said as Robbored has pointed out. If we play hoof ball then so be it. Equally though in order to play hoof ball the ball does need to stick, or we are just gifting possession back to the opposition.

If we continue to play baldock isolated up front, hoof ball is never going to work and will cause more problems for us. And as yet cottell is still positioning baldock in this mannor.

But as Robbored has also pointed out, we will have to wait and see what players he brings in in the window. A striker who can receive long balls hold the play up,and contribute a few goals is a must!

So what is the point of signing Harewood? Could he not do this? And been given a chance?

[Redrobbin]

So what is the point of signing Harewood? Could he not do this? And been given a chance?

Yes but he hasn't had much of a run for whatever reason. You say he's had a chance.?

Not much of a chance to my mind. Only started the first few matches when he came here. Since then on from the bench with 10-20 mins to go in the second half.

[Taylor10]

As long as he doesn't stick by under performing players all the time like those before him....

[herman]

think today is the first big test - the cup game was poor but then we missed an open goal and baldock did a baldock on a good chance before finishing a harder one, so it could have ended 3-0 - my over riding impression is that the man is an imbecile, as he struggles to string sentences together which make any kind of sense. he may have a football intelligence, which is what we need, but eloquent and generally intelligent he is not. whether that matters long term or not remains to be seen

[Red-Robbo]

think today is the first big test - the cup game was poor but then we missed an open goal and baldock did a baldock on a good chance before finishing a harder one, so it could have ended 3-0 - my over riding impression is that the man is an imbecile, as he struggles to string sentences together which make any kind of sense. he may have a football intelligence, which is what we need, but eloquent and generally intelligent he is not. whether that matters long term or not remains to be seen

Imbecile is a ridiculously OTT thing to say. You may nor want him on your pub quiz team, but I'd not want Ferguson or most other football people (unless it was a purely sport quiz!)

People I know who've met him say he seems genuine, enthusiastic and has plenty of time for the ordinary fans. Oh and he's a motormouth!

[Esmond Million's Bung]

I have but one question, please name me one other league club who would have kept SOD on with his appalling record?.

 

of course perhaps the question should be, who is actually correct the other 91 league clubs or the few on here who think SOD should not have been sacked?.

[herman]

Imbecile is a ridiculously OTT thing to say. You may nor want him on your pub quiz team, but I'd not want Ferguson or most other football people (unless it was a purely sport quiz!)

People I know who've met him say he seems genuine, enthusiastic and has plenty of time for the ordinary fans. Oh and he's a motormouth!

fair point, its a harsh word but the point is he certainly isnt a brainiac - or doesnt appear to be

[Aizoon]

I have but one question, please name me one other league club who would have kept SOD on with his appalling record?.

of course perhaps the question should be, who is actually correct the other 91 league clubs or the few on here who think SOD should not have been sacked?.

Yawn. Look to the future. I am.

[Aizoon]

DP

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Fair point, but at least that was what O'Driscoll was trying to achieve. I thought that he was beginning to get there, at least on reading the reports here about the Orient game.

I have the horrible feeling that those who are proclaiming Cotterill as the messiah now, will be crucifying him by Good Friday, and that I shall be defending him on these pages

 

is Easter early this year?, I thought we heard it from you first he would be gone by march?

[Aizoon]

Is Good Friday not usually in March?

[Aizoon]

Ah. March this year April 2014.