“He should be Manager of the Season”

[Red_Kettle]

Like I said we needed signings. I think we all thought that. I’m all over social media on lots of different media and podcasts and I’ve said numerous times we were good enough to stay up. Why do you think I got so irritated by our performances and some of our tactics? Because if I didn’t think we were at all up to it it seriously wouldn’t have bothered me. I could see that if we didn’t sort our crap out a squad good enough to stay up…wouldn’t.

But, apart from Jack Stephens, who you don't rate, we didn't make any more signings after that until January. And you don't think much of the January intake either. Which means that GON has kept up a squad you thought were so bad that it would need a Guardiola or an Ancelotti to make them competitive.

 

[New Old Cherry]

You keep saying this periodically and I'm going to keep saying ... how do you explain the difference in performance from players between howe s 1st stint and him leaving for Burnley and what transpired under Bradbury and Groves, then Howe returning again?

Howe is a bit different...a unique manager...who is still at the forefront of success.

 

[key]

 

[beds cherry]

Stuart Pearce's manger of the season on Talksport.

 

[Neil Dawson]

Howe is a bit different...a unique manager...who is still at the forefront of success.

How about what Unai Emery did with Stephen Gerard’s players?

 

[Neil Dawson]

But, apart from Jack Stephens, who you don't rate, we didn't make any more signings after that until January. And you don't think much of the January intake either. Which means that GON has kept up a squad you thought were so bad that it would need a Guardiola or an Ancelotti to make them competitive.

I was referring to the two centre backs in one particular game. Kelly came back and like you say we signed Stephens who is average but has delivered solidly in the PL. I just thought we should have been more inventive.

 

[DJ]

How about what Unai Emery did with Stephen Gerard’s players?

Steven Gerrard is Frank Lampard’s intellectual managerial equal.

All Emery did was get the players to play at their own ability levels.

Something you claim O’Neil is now doing. Although O’Neil had to do it on the back of an apparently poor recruitment setup.

 

[KingKieffer]

O’Neil has achieved the objective this season and it was against the odds. However, he has completely fudged it tactically on way too many occasions to even be in the discussion for manager of the season. He is learning and his team selection and tactics can be very erratic. When he gets it right it can be very good, when he gets it wrong it can be so bizarre that it’s difficult to process what you are watching. He’s made way too many mistakes this season to be a serious contender imo, not that this is a criticism against him as such, more testament to his inexperience.

 

[Red_Kettle]

I was referring to the two centre backs in one particular game. Kelly came back and like you say we signed Stephens who is average but has delivered solidly in the PL. I just thought we should have been more inventive.

Come on, you obviously weren't. It was a general comment about our squad, it just so happened that Senesi was that week's go-to example of our hapless recruitment. Again, just admit that you were wrong about something. You might find it liberating.

 

[Red Sky]

O’Neil has achieved the objective this season and it was against the odds. However, he has completely fudged it tactically on way too many occasions to even be in the discussion for manager of the season. He is learning and his team selection and tactics can be very erratic. When he gets it right it can be very good, when he gets it wrong it can be so bizarre that it’s difficult to process what you are watching. He’s made way too many mistakes this season to be a serious contender imo, not that this is a criticism against him as such, more testament to his inexperience.

PE teacher of the season?

 

[Neil Dawson]

Come on, you obviously weren't. It was a general comment about our squad, it just so happened that Senesi was that week's go-to example of our hapless recruitment. Again, just admit that you were wrong about something. You might find it liberating.

You can suppose what you want, maybe pop around Dels for a cup of tea as it’s his favourite hobby too, but what I wrote was in black and white and I’ve also been very consistent all year and the previous two years of managers failing our talented squads

 

[New Forest Cherry]

You can suppose what you want, maybe pop around Dels for a cup of tea as it’s his favourite hobby too, but what I wrote was in black and white and I’ve also been very consistent all year and the previous two years of managers failing our talented squads

talented squads, really, you ceaselessly slagged off the recruitment team stating your son could do a better job
priceless hypocrisy
I'm looking forward to your next hilarious nickname, surely you have one lined up already for zabarnyi

 

[kirsikka]

Illya Zubarnyi, surely?

 

[SlowDownDerek]

You can suppose what you want, maybe pop around Dels for a cup of tea as it’s his favourite hobby too, but what I wrote was in black and white and I’ve also been very consistent all year and the previous two years of managers failing our talented squads

Out of interest. What do you think these talented squads missed out on due to this terrible management? From where I'm sitting they have achieved everything they set out to, other than perhaps the year where the narrowly missed out.

 

[Neil Dawson]

talented squads, really, you ceaselessly slagged off the recruitment team stating your son could do a better job
priceless hypocrisy
I'm looking forward to your next hilarious nickname, surely you have one lined up already for zabarnyi

Well, I called him the Ukrainian Shaun Maher after his shaky debut last week but that was tongue in cheek…. Like all the other nicknames come across to 90% of people…

I didn’t slag off the recruitment for our last three years in the PL that gave us the bedrock of the last three seasons. I don’t know how many times I have to explain that.

 

[Neil Dawson]

Out of interest. What do you think these talented squads missed out on due to this terrible management? From where I'm sitting they have achieved everything they set out to, other than perhaps the year where the narrowly missed out.

They haven’t played to their potential enough. I judge a squad on whether they consistently perform to the levels they can. The team that went up didn’t need to they were so superior to the other squads bar Fulhams who were on a par. Think what they could have achieved with a decent attacking coach. This year we’ve had the odd decent half here and there but rarely 90 mins of what the players are capable of imo.

 

[New Forest Cherry]

Well, I called him the Ukrainian Shaun Maher after his shaky debut last week but that was tongue in cheek…. Like all the other nicknames come across to 90% of people…

I didn’t slag off the recruitment for our last three years in the PL that gave us the bedrock of the last three seasons. I don’t know how many times I have to explain that.

well that's alright then as long as you didn't [repeatedly] really mean it....feel free to trot out shaun maher every time he misplaces a pass in future

would those last three recruitment years have anything to do with the previous manager and nothing whatsoever to do with anyone else at the club in any way, shape or form?

 

[AFCBade]

O’Neil has achieved the objective this season and it was against the odds. However, he has completely fudged it tactically on way too many occasions to even be in the discussion for manager of the season. He is learning and his team selection and tactics can be very erratic. When he gets it right it can be very good, when he gets it wrong it can be so bizarre that it’s difficult to process what you are watching. He’s made way too many mistakes this season to be a serious contender imo, not that this is a criticism against him as such, more testament to his inexperience.

When bold moves work, a manager looks a genius, when they don’t everyone piles in with criticism. Even fergie got selections wrong in some games.

As you say, if you appoint a rookie manager then expect errors. Key is he learns from this. Remarkable to cut his teeth in management at prem level and still succeed

Iam less worried about such awards - often the wrong person gets the honours

 

[KingKieffer]

They haven’t played to their potential enough. I judge a squad on whether they consistently perform to the levels they can. The team that went up didn’t need to they were so superior to the other squads bar Fulhams who were on a par. Think what they could have achieved with a decent attacking coach. This year we’ve had the odd decent half here and there but rarely 90 mins of what the players are capable of imo.

I understand where you are coming from, but I think you are overestimating the quality of the squad.

Just look at some of the teams bellow us, teams that are highly likely to be relegated. Our team lacks any real natural goal scorers (Billing has chipped in) and our defence is poor for this level, to put in bluntly. With what GON has had to work with I think we have done very well to survive. I’m not saying that there isn’t any quality at all, but the player that I regard as our difference maker (Tavernier) has been unavailable for a big chunk of the season. Without him we struggle to hurt teams imo.

It’s a really difficult one to evaluate because there have definitely been games where we haven’t even given ourselves a chance due to GON’s strange tactical set up on the day. So I can understand the feeling that he isn’t the right man, I’m not sure we will be able to afford to just surrender so many points like that again next season. On the other hand, maybe if he has as many good days again as he did this season then we would have enough to survive again, like I say it’s very tough.

We have to remember that although GON isn’t necessarily getting the best out of this group EVERY week, there is no guarantee that a new man would do better and he might even be worse. Look at Leicester under Brendan Rogers/Dean Smith, they have way too much quality to be where they are yet they are highly likely going down now. Both Rogers and Smith are very experienced coaches who have had success in their careers to varying degrees, neither could get as much of a tune out of a superior Leicester squad as GON has gotten out of our group. It’s just one isolated example yes, but it goes to show that the grass wouldn’t necessarily be greener. GON isn’t perfect but he kept us up, I’m not sure what more we could have expected to achieve this season. The way he has done it hasn’t exactly been conventional and performances have been erratic, but he still achieved it.

 

[DJ]

I didn’t slag off the recruitment for our last three years in the PL that gave us the bedrock of the last three seasons. I don’t know how many times I have to explain that.

Probably because it’s very disingenuous, so people keep picking up on it.

There’s no way the recruitment side can be that bad that even though the majority of the squad and those on the pitch have been signed since July 2020, all of our success is down to the 5/6 players who were signed before.

Especially when many of those 5/6 players you’ve been critical of in the past.