Pull the plug while the situation can still be salvaged

Allen said:
I agree with the OP about our recruitment, signing too young. We lack premier league experience. I think back to the signing of Gary Cahill, we need a couple of very experienced heads in the team for big games.
I completely disagree about pulling the plug, the Liverpool and Burnley performances put away doubts about lack of unity between players and coaching staff.
AI needs to find his starting 11 and stick with it. For me it is: Travers, Kelly (LB), Mepham (CB), Zabarnyi (CB), Aarons (RB), Scott (CM), Rothwell (CM), Billing (ACM), Tavernier (LW), Semenyo (RW), Dom (S).
I think we should not bother playing a defensive Centre midfielder if our only one is injured.
We need to sign a Keeper, a Left Back, a Lerma and competition for Dom - I would go for proven, experienced players in all of these positions and loans.
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Basically, we need half a team;) You may be right.
 
While I agree admitting a mistake is brave I dont agree with the premise that appointing AI was a mistake.

The post from there deteriorates into points that are either subjectively questionable or plain factually wrong.
 
It’s so funny.
These new posters.
Never posted before then flooding the board.
Poor old DJ trying to ban the muppet formally known as……well too many to mention.
A sad person.
 
Michael Zia said:
No, but the majority of their score lines have been tight. Watched them Vs Spurs and Liverpool and they looked more likely to get a result than we did when we played those respective fixtures.
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Yet another new name ;-)

Spurs they played against 10 men still lost

Liverpool away we were cheated, we have literally just lost to them to a wonder goal, in midweek.

Luton had similar stats to us yesterday and stole a 1-1.

You're alright thanks, I'll stick with Andoni and our, admittedly, longer term project
 
Oh, it's Waz again isn't it? This time with again with a slightly adjusted writing style but the tell tale signs are all there.
 
The previous incarnations always flat refused to engage in any confirmation or denial that they were the artist formerly know as Waz or KK. The post above is sensible enough but then so was old Waz every now and then before he completely lost his s*** whenever we conceded a goal. Hopefully I'm wrong and apologies to Michael if I am!

The evidence for the prosecution:
- Long post
- Wants AI gone
- Rapid post count after just joining
- Starting his own thread now rather than using the AI one
- Starting the thread with a statement - VERY Waz
- Joins a day after DJ banned the last version
 
Michael Zia said:
Sometimes the bravest act can be to admit that you made an error. The experiment hasn’t worked, and it won’t.

Watching Luton town today was quite a surreal experience, despite the fact that they our one of our direct competitors, and that our prospects this season hinge heavily on them (along with Burnley and Sheffield United) being even worse than we are, I found at least a part of myself willing them to win. I think the reason for this is that what they are and the way they are going about things heavily resonates with me in terms of what it means, and has meant, to be a Bournemouth fan over these many years.

Are they as talented as we are? No. Do they have the resources that we do? No. They are the underdog and they are under no illusions about that. They don’t cross that white line and attempt to be anything that they are not, they do not compromise their identity in any way, shape or form. They know that they are the underdog and not only do they not let it hold them back, they thrive on it. They shed blood, sweat and tears to make every single game they play in competitive, and to make things as uncomfortable for their opponents as humanly possible. They know they can’t go toe to toe with their opponents, so they don’t attempt to.

Those are values that I felt defined us last season, and made me feel proud to be a Bournemouth supporter. We couldn’t go toe to toe most weeks, but we put absolutely everything into maximising our survival chances and left everything out on the pitch each week in the process. It felt like we were fighting every single week and even if we had fallen short, we could still hold our heads up high at the end of it.

This season feels entirely different, we have massively lost sight of what we are and what we need to do to achieve our aim of survival. It is all very well striving for more and wanting to be better but if you do look to go down that route then you have to make bloody sure that absolutely every facet of the club is aligned in that direction. Brighton did not simply appoint an expansive coach and then all of a sudden magically start to generate results, they developed a philosophy and an identity over many years and had an industry leading recruitment model to back that identity up.

From the moment the final whistle blew at the end of last season we have gotten so much wrong-

•We signed too young, we put too much emphasis on future profit to the point that it is having a heavily damaging impact on our ability to be successful in the present. Kerkez has immense potential and he will make us a huge amount of money in the future, but he isn’t ready to be a starter at this level yet. Not only did we pass up on the opportunity to sign a player for less money (Vina) who we knew could perform at this level already, we made the decision to go into a PL season with our only out and out left back being a 19 year old with no experience at this level. We saw our most experienced (and arguably most important) centre half from last season (Stephens) depart and did not replace him, instead putting our complete trust in another young player with next to no experience at this level. Again, Zabarnyi has immense potential and may well make us a very pretty penny in the future, but right now his naivety and lack of experience is really hurting us on a weekly basis. If there is one area of the pitch you really cannot afford to be naive in then it is the defence and we came to the conclusion that we could be successful with one of the youngest and most inexperienced defences that this league has ever seen, the first big error.

•We appointed a manager known for his high intensity pressing style knowing that we were going to be losing our only midfielder capable of operating at the intensity required. This made replacing Lerma our most important signing of the Summer, and we made the decision to replace him with a midfielder with a known history of hamstring issues, who had not even recovered from the hamstring injury at that point that had kept him out for the majority of last season. We essentially pinned all of our hopes on a player who even by his own admission, did not feel quite right after his previous operation, and who averages around twenty appearances a season over the course of his career. The most important area of the team in a high intensity pressing side is the midfield, and this is what we decided to go with. Now he will likely miss most (if not all) of the season, we are left with Scott, Cook (a player who has suffered two ACL injuries in the past,) Billing (a very talented luxury player) and Rothwell (a very talented player but about as far from being the high energy combative midfielder that we need to play this way as humanly possible.) This is what our recruitment team have deemed sufficient to play perhaps the most intense style of football imaginable, is it any wonder we look a total shambles most weeks? This was our second very major error.

I feel sorry for Iraola in many ways, we have employed him knowing that he would play a very specific style of football and we have done an utterly horrendous job of equipping him with the tools necessary to play that way. But unfortunately we can’t go back in time now, we have got what we have got and we need to focus on getting the best out of the players that we have at our disposal. We haven’t got the experience or know how in the back line by which we can be left constantly exposed and not be punished. As talented as they are, if we keep allowing Kerkez and Zabarnyi to become exposed as they have been and to not protect them adequately by preventing them from becoming isolated in one v one duels, then their nativity will continue to cost us, and that isn’t their fault. Similarly, we haven’t got the profile of midfielder of the legs in the middle of the park whereby we can ever expect to press effectively without leaving massive gaps to exploit in the middle of the park. A philosophy is all well and good, but you actually need the tools to implement it effectively.

Does Iraola deserve to be sacked? Probably not, but I just don’t see what other choice we have if we want to salvage this season. We know the way he likes to play and we can’t expect him to suddenly change over night, yet at the same time we haven’t equipped him with the tools required to play HIS way. We have talent for sure, and this situation can still be salvaged, but the players we have are not all of a sudden just going to develop the attributes necessary to implement this philosophy successfully. We’ve messed up, it’s unfortunate but it is what it is. We need to accept this and cut ties with Iraola and appoint a coach that will play a way that aims to get the best out of what we’ve got, rather than force a style on them that they don’t have the attributes to pull off. It’s our only chance now imo.

Sorry for long OP.
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I’m not convinced there should be a managerial change. We can’t go on chopping and changing managers/tactics/players - there comes a point where you have to continue until you get it right.

So if Iraola isn’t going to work out, for the reasons you suggest, what and who is the solution?
 
AFCB_Liam said:
The previous incarnations always flat refused to engage in any confirmation or denial that they were the artist formerly know as Waz or KK. The post above is sensible enough but then so was old Waz every now and then before he completely lost his s*** whenever we conceded a goal. Hopefully I'm wrong and apologies to Michael if I am!

The evidence for the prosecution:
- Long post
- Wants AI gone
- Rapid post count after just joining
- Starting his own thread now rather than using the AI one
- Starting the thread with a statement - VERY Waz
- Joins a day after DJ banned the last version
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Maybe you are right. All the others read like Waz though. Just not same style to me. Could be a concerted effort like you say
 
AFCB_Liam said:
The previous incarnations always flat refused to engage in any confirmation or denial that they were the artist formerly know as Waz or KK. The post above is sensible enough but then so was old Waz every now and then before he completely lost his s*** whenever we conceded a goal. Hopefully I'm wrong and apologies to Michael if I am!

The evidence for the prosecution:
- Long post
- Wants AI gone
- Rapid post count after just joining
- Starting his own thread now rather than using the AI one
- Starting the thread with a statement - VERY Waz
- Joins a day after DJ banned the last version
Click to expand...
I like this game.
 
Have to keep AI and the winter transfer window is vital. Need to move on players that do not suit the style of play and hopefully recruit well and in the positions we all know are lacking. I certainly find AI style of football more enjoyable to watch than the 2 previous seasons. Please remember Ferguson needed time at MU or are we going to be a Watford!
 
Interesting. I seem to have a number of unusual accusations being thrown my way here. Was perhaps expecting a bit of animosity towards the content of the OP, but this is all a bit weird for my liking. I certainly don’t have the time or energy to have to defend myself to people I have never met, perhaps some of you should be more self aware when it comes to how you might be engaging with new members on this platform as I can’t imagine that this kind of reception is going to incentivise them to keep coming back. Something to ponder maybe.

Anyways, was interesting to get a taste for how other Bournemouth fans are feeling about our current situation. It would seem that although others may share my view, that it is a minority view none the less. If life has taught me anything then more often than not the majority view transpires to be the accurate one so here’s to a successful season ;-)

Have a good week everyone and see you on Saturday!
 
Michael Zia said:
Interesting. I seem to have a number of unusual accusations being thrown my way here. Was perhaps expecting a bit of animosity towards the content of the OP, but this is all a bit weird for my liking. I certainly don’t have the time or energy to have to defend myself to people I have never met, perhaps some of you should be more self aware when it comes to how you might be engaging with new members on this platform as I can’t imagine that this kind of reception is going to incentivise them to keep coming back. Something to ponder maybe.

Anyways, was interesting to get a taste for how other Bournemouth fans are feeling about our current situation. It would seem that although others may share my view, that it is a minority view none the less. If life has taught me anything then more often than not the majority view transpires to be the accurate one so here’s to a successful season ;-)

Have a good week everyone and see you on Saturday!
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It’s a bit too early for a flounce, surely? You’ve only been here five minutes (relatively speaking)!
 
Michael Zia said:
Interesting. I seem to have a number of unusual accusations being thrown my way here. Was perhaps expecting a bit of animosity towards the content of the OP, but this is all a bit weird for my liking. I certainly don’t have the time or energy to have to defend myself to people I have never met, perhaps some of you should be more self aware when it comes to how you might be engaging with new members on this platform as I can’t imagine that this kind of reception is going to incentivise them to keep coming back. Something to ponder maybe.

Anyways, was interesting to get a taste for how other Bournemouth fans are feeling about our current situation. It would seem that although others may share my view, that it is a minority view none the less. If life has taught me anything then more often than not the majority view transpires to be the accurate one so here’s to a successful season ;-)

Have a good week everyone and see you on Saturday!
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We have a recent history of a certain (banned) poster returning under new usernames and different writing styles but was also anti-Iraola and wrote big long posts and started lots of new threads. His third account was banned a day before you joined the site.

It might just be a strange coincidence. You may not be said person and if you're not then I apologise, however this character is uncapable of staying off this board for more than a day even when banned.

If you post any mid-match meltdown posts with the words "disgraceful", "disgusting" or "pathetic" then the evidence will be too overwhelming.
 
Michael Zia said:
Interesting. I seem to have a number of unusual accusations being thrown my way here. Was perhaps expecting a bit of animosity towards the content of the OP, but this is all a bit weird for my liking. I certainly don’t have the time or energy to have to defend myself to people I have never met, perhaps some of you should be more self aware when it comes to how you might be engaging with new members on this platform as I can’t imagine that this kind of reception is going to incentivise them to keep coming back. Something to ponder maybe.

Anyways, was interesting to get a taste for how other Bournemouth fans are feeling about our current situation. It would seem that although others may share my view, that it is a minority view none the less. If life has taught me anything then more often than not the majority view transpires to be the accurate one so here’s to a successful season ;-)

Have a good week everyone and see you on Saturday!
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I've taken some time to ponder Michael, as you suggested, and to be honest I don't care if you are Waz, KK or whoever the guy was the other week.
You are quite correct in that you don't have to defend yourself. However, if you join a fans forum you should expect people to either agree or disagree with your original post and call it as they see it - one thing other ex./banned/reincarnated posted seemed to have trouble grasping.
I always take the time to read threads and respond when I think it is appropriate. My view on your post is that you are wide of the mark on a number of points but just my view.
Just for my own pleasure, will you bet me $100 to a local charity that we will stay up or be relegated? There's also a cheese platter in it for you either way.
 
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