JamesB
TFF member
Posts: 1,526
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Post by JamesB on Nov 24, 2013 13:52:11 GMT
Scunthorpe PETEF invited me to join forum, this is a game I would make a come back for Dave Caldwell If we had a centre-forward like this: and a manager like this: Scunthorpe would be quaking in their boots. Need a winger like this, though: |
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petef
Match Room Manager
Posts: 4,626
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Post by petef on Nov 24, 2013 13:57:04 GMT
I doubt we'll ever see crowds like that again...certainly not this coming Tuesday! <Pissed-off Smilie> Or just as importantly "Passion" from that group of players instilled by a great manager the late Cyril Knowles. |
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Post by twoleftfeet on Nov 25, 2013 9:53:28 GMT
NEWS coming out of Plainmoor that the board have had a secret meeting about Alan Knill following new information confirming that he knows f**k all about football, tactics, how to spot a decent player and that his motivational skills only extend to getting himself to that bathroom to avoid soiling his pants  A separate report also confirmed that the board may well sack themselves after it was revealed that they have no clue what they are doing. However, in mitigation they point to the fact they are well on their way to achieving what they set out to at the start of the season in making the club a force to be reckoned with in the Conference. |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2013 11:30:05 GMT
twoleftfeet
Very harsh indeed twoleftfeet, although when we bear in mind that deciding on a new manager generally involves a chat over a desk for an hour or so with each of the candidates ( yes, there is a bit more to it than that) then there will always be plenty of aspects that you just won't know about until you actually see the guy at work.
In this respect the Board had the wonderful and unusual opportunity of working with Alan Knill for a month or two, so the scope for deciding whether he was the right man for the job was vastly greater than usual. Getting rid of Knill not many months after appointing him would be a terrible reflection on their own judgement, yet can they, or are they willing to come up with the funds that might add the credibility that occasionally comes with throwing money at a seemingly doomed project ?
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Post by twoleftfeet on Nov 25, 2013 13:59:13 GMT
twoleftfeet Very harsh indeed twoleftfeet, although when we bear in mind that deciding on a new manager generally involves a chat over a desk for an hour or so with each of the candidates ( yes, there is a bit more to it than that) then there will always be plenty of aspects that you just won't know about until you actually see the guy at work. In this respect the Board had the wonderful and unusual opportunity of working with Alan Knill for a month or two, so the scope for deciding whether he was the right man for the job was vastly greater than usual. Getting rid of Knill not many months after appointing him would be a terrible reflection on their own judgement, yet can they, or are they willing to come up with the funds that might add the credibility that occasionally comes with throwing money at a seemingly doomed project ? Yes you are right with regard to the fact that they had the opportunity to see the guy at work but I suspect that very few, if any of the board have actually been out to the training ground to watch him coach. And if they had, would they know what they were looking at? My pesonal opinion is that under Knill, when he took charge, the performances were not noticeably better and had it not been for the loan signing of Josh Labedie we would have been down. I'm not inspired by the style of play nor some of the players he has introduced there is also seems to be a lack a do or die attitude from the players. That though stems from the management and it seems that he can't get that sort of reaction from the team. When Colin Lee was at the helm he did know what he was watching and spent the majoirty of his time overseeing what was going on. No coincidence that the club, on the playing side, looked stable. You are now going to tell me that we had bad spells while Colin was at the club but when that happened he rolled his sleeves up and helped us out of the mire. Unfortunately, there is no one to do that now. I agree with you that getting rid of Knill now would be a terrible reflection on their Judgement and I think that is the case. They just won't admit that they got it wrong(up til now anyhow) and by the time they do it may be too late. Time will tell.  |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2013 20:03:40 GMT
Well at least you're ahead of some of us in being able to perceive a style of play, inspiring or otherwise, as there are plenty who can't fathom out what our plan is. With Buckle we knew it revolved mainly around hitting plenty of crosses into the box for Sills to get his head on and if the ball was bobbling loose Benyon was meant to kick it in from close range. Lingy planned to pass his way through the opposition, or occasionally knock it up to Rene who would retain possession until reinforcements from a well staffed midfield arrived. The last few home games in particular I've not had much idea what we were aiming to do, and more worryingly the players seemed equally mystified.
Yes, it's very unlikely that the Board reached a firm decision based on close observation of Knill's coaching sessions, and of course I doubt that Ling was sacked because of what he was up to on the training field, not least because it was under water for most of the winter. Bearing in mind they've not attained their position on the Board due to any accumulated football knowledge, it is interesting to ponder just who they look to for advice.
Do you ask the existing coaching staff if Knill is an improvement on Ling ? I doubt you do, if only from the consideration of job security you'd speak in favour of the person who appointed you rather than a new man more likely to install his own favourites. Do you consult the senior pro's at the club and ask them if the new guy seems to know what he's talking about ?. Judging by the reaction in some quarters to the Ling sacking and the lack of contact (for whatever reason) I'm not convinced there was a thumbs up endorsement to a change from the playing staff, or that it was sought (whether it should be or not is another issue), or perhaps you act in accordance with the chants of 'Alan Knill's Yellow Army' that emanated from the Popside during the final weeks of last season.
In any case Knill was inheriting a group of players brought to the club and coached to play one style of football over the previous couple of years. A style Knill is unfamiliar with and which he planned to bin over the Summer and recruit players more suited to his 'style' of football. He would have been appointed as the new Manager in the full understanding that he intended ripping up the Ling playbook and all that that entailed.
You're not the first person to suggest that we miss having someone in the Colin Lee role at the club. With money extremely tight, plus the bad memories of the sizable Lee pay-off, I don't foresee a similar appointment taking place. Lee polarised opinion, and there were always those who claimed he was extremely highly paid for presiding over the carvery at No.10's and others who reckon he rolled his sleeves up and got us out of the mire when necessary. I don't know enough about what he did, or didn't do, to be sure whether he was good value or not. Who I did rate at the time was whoever was doing our scouting, as whenever Buckle's team hit a rocky patch of results there invariably was money to add a quality new signing to the team; a few duds on rare occasions of course but we had the cash to attract plenty of good players to Plainmoor, especially during those Conference years, as well as paying a substantial wedge to Colin Lee.
Not least financially, it's very different know, and we're bumping along down the Knill route. And as you say, where it takes us, 'time will tell'.
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