Marlon in the Champions League

[Toronto Villa]

How is exactly is confirming the blindingly obvious (namely Harewood looked a crap signing at the time and still does) a witchhunt exactly?

Has it got to the stage now that even MON's obvious errors are to be shied away from, not up for discussion? Is that how it works?

I suppose it would be convenient for some, namely those who seem to get offended on his behalf.

Because the thread started out as information that the player maybe joining another team. It has within a couple of pages turned into people using it as an opportunity to criticise the manager.

I've posted a number of times quite recently that I don't know anymore if MON is the man to take us forward. But I certainly am not going to criticise everything he does like some people take the opportunity to do. With every manager, there are things that work out, and things that don't.

[Brend'Watkins]

I don't think anyone is getting offended but I for one am getting a bit pissed off with the continual knocking of the manager when he's doing a decent job.  

Yes, he's made mistakes and I include the signing of Harewood as one of his major mistakes but then every manager has signed duffers and MON will undoubtedly sign another one too, it happens.  If we were shite and in a relegation battle then the constant berating by the same protagonists might well be justified.  But we're far from that and still all the anti MON brigade can do is slag the manager.  

It's totally unjustified and getting tedious.

[KevinGage]

Because the thread started out as information that the player maybe joining another team. It has within a couple of pages turned into people using it as an opportunity to criticise the manager.

I've posted a number of times quite recently that I don't know anymore if MON is the man to take us forward. But I certainly am not going to criticise everything he does like some people take the opportunity to do. With every manager, there are things that work out, and things that don't.

No.

It started out as a fair few wishing Marlon well despite being crap for us and turned into an opportunity for the usual suspects to defend the manager.

Defenders of the Faith: "Harewood wasn't that bad a signing really."

Started one game in three years, scored five goals.

Defenders of the Faith:"Well, we couldn't really be expected to sign better in 2007 after where we finished the previous year."

We've signed far better players than that after far more difficult seasons and with far less resources in years gone by.

Defenders of the Faith: "I...er, well... Oh this is just a witchhunt, that what it is! Any excuse to have a go at MON."

And so on.

[Toronto Villa]

The way some people go on about every little thing, you would honestly think we'd just finished 16th or something. I'll grant you that things weren't perfect last year, but a lot of fans would take our failures all day long. We have lots we can improve on, but you'd honestly never know from some of the posts that we finished 6th, a cup final and semi-final, and are back in Europe.

MON infuriates me with a lot of things he does. But I simply won't criticise him for everything because it is completely unwarranted. I don't even think Harewood was such a disaster. Had we paid £10 million for him, or as Man U did spending £30m of Berbatov, or what they spent on Veron a few years back, that would be worth talking about. But we didn't and it really is such small time droning on about a £4m transfer for a squad player. We didn't spend our entire transfer budget on him.

[KevinGage]

There might be a degree of logic to some of that.

MON, like most managers will always make mistakes. But I think it's the attempt to justify even the most obvious of errors that grates.

You look at the start of this thread and there was little mention of the manager. It was only when Chris and John perceived that criticism of Marlon could be viewed as a slight on MON that his name gets more of a mention.

If you make a far from convincing argument -as they did- others will respond and pick holes in it.

[Dave Cooper please]

Because the thread started out as information that the player maybe joining another team. It has within a couple of pages turned into people using it as an opportunity to criticise the manager.

Any thread about a player leaving will inevitably go down the path of whether he was a good player or not and whether he was a good or bad buy.
In this case it's prettty obvious that all but a very small handful of people, and by no means are all of that majority the "usual MON bashers", think that Harewood was an abysmal piece of business.

[cheltenhamlion]

£4 million quid and £5 million in wages for 3 years and 1 league start.

[MoetVillan]

Makes Bosco Balaban look expensive.


Oh right.

Its not a witchhunt, just 606 listeners venting their rage on another so poor decision by their manager.  Even Hodgson was getting stick early on in the season for sticking with Zamora, and we had to listen to Marcotti complaing about Jose managing "anti-football" teams.  Load of tut.

[Villa'Zawg]

Because the thread started out as information that the player maybe joining another team. It has within a couple of pages turned into people using it as an opportunity to criticise the manager.

Any thread about a player leaving will inevitably go down the path of whether he was a good player or not and whether he was a good or bad buy.
In this case it's prettty obvious that all but a very small handful of people, and by no means are all of that majority the "usual MON bashers", think that Harewood was an abysmal piece of business.

If the player in question is considered a poor player, O'Neill is crap for buying him. If the player in question is considered a good player, O'Neill is crap for letting him leave.

So any thread about a player leaving will inevitably go down the path of O'Neill is crap. It is the only thing some posters post about.

[Dave Cooper please]

I find it very difficult to debate with people who are paranoid.

[achilles]

Personally I liked the guy and his enthusiasm; we have made far worse signings!

Wish him all the best!

[john e]

Personally I liked the guy and his enthusiasm; we have made far worse signings!

Wish him all the best!

i liked the guy, but not when he was on the pitch, because he wernt very good.

i also wish him all the best, but be glad when he has gone,

[JUAN PABLO]

Yes managers will make mistakes , I except that.

I look at the Sidwell signing, I thought he would be an ok signing and I understand why MON signed him and dont blame MON for that signing .

Sidwell was a mistake but its different to the Harewood one, what the fook was MON thinking?

[Risso]

You're over thinking it again, he was bought as a backup striker, another big man to cover Carew. He accepted his role without complaint.

When O'Neill bought him he said he wanted to get Harewood back to the form when he scored 16 goals in a season for West Ham.  A huge, very costly failure all round.  The best part of £10m of Randy's money pissed up the wall.

Well he's hardly going to say "I bought him as cover" is he?

This self-flagellation over a signing that didn't turn out brilliantly really bemuses me.

Those with a track record of wanting to turn every thread into an anti MON just see it as another opportunity.

"Didn't turn out brilliantly".

I'll say again.  He started ONE league game.  He's cost us the best part of £10m all in.  It's an almost legendary waste of money.

[Legion]

At the end of which match did Harewood and Young/Gabby (?) fall out somewhat when the latter would not pass to the former when running in on goal?