Culverhouse and Karsa suspended (Now both sacked: Reply #876)

[Monty]

O'Neill was hardly ever on the training ground.  A lot of managers aren't these days.  There's a theory that familiarity breeds contempt so they keep their distance to have maximum impact on match day.  That's the theory anyway.

Actually the opposite is the case - it's a really old-fashioned thing to do, based on the days when the manager ran absolutely everything in the club. Now, with the continental coach style more fashionable, most managers spend a very long time at least involved in planning training, and many are permanent fixtures there. I remember Iniesta saying how Pep was always the first there and the last out.

[brian green]

Howard Kendall.   I am somewhat concerned that today Lambert has been presenting himself like the kid who has just had his arse caned by the headmaster saying it was nothing and no thank you I don't want a cushion.
BUT, if he has had a pull, a good, proper pull by the board, I am changing my stance from wanting him out to a stance of giving him a chance to both mend the team and mend his ways.   Sorting Lambert out may be a less damaging way forward for the club than chucking Lambert out.

[curlytailavfc]

get rid of Lambert or regret the future

[kippaxvilla2]

I'm prepared to give him until the end of the season.  The minimum requirement is a better places finish than last season otherwise it is failure as far as I am concerned.  I still maintain he is out of his depth at this level.  Can you imagine BFR allowing this carnage.

[damon loves JT]

Comparing Lambert to BFR is like comparing Nick Clegg to Henry V.

Atkinson was a natural risk taker, nobody takes risks any more. It is not winner-takes-all, it's percentages and survival.

[PeterWithesShin]

I'm prepared to give him until the end of the season.  The minimum requirement is a better places finish than last season otherwise it is failure as far as I am concerned.  I still maintain he is out of his depth at this level.  Can you imagine BFR allowing this carnage.

Considering we managed, I think, 38 points and 9 wins from the last 40 league games BFR was in charge and had 10 points after 14 games and were on a run of 1 point from 9 games when he went I don't think it's too hard to imagine.

[kippaxvilla2]

I'm prepared to give him until the end of the season.  The minimum requirement is a better places finish than last season otherwise it is failure as far as I am concerned.  I still maintain he is out of his depth at this level.  Can you imagine BFR allowing this carnage.

Considering we managed, I think, 38 points and 9 wins from the last 40 league games BFR was in charge and had 10 points after 14 games and were on a run of 1 point from 9 games when he went I don't think it's too hard to imagine.

He lost his way too many old players together.  But he had respect and discipline about the place and as someone said earlier he took risks. And I can't recall a better brand of football during my time supporting the club.  I'd rather focus on the mostly enjoyable time I had watching that team. 

[damon loves JT]

Yes it was enjoyable but it was chaotic. Do you remember a player called Paul Mortimer? BFR bought him, played him a couple of times then sold him again. He was always just improvising, improvising. The highs were high but when it went wrong it was terrible. The last game at Selhurst Park summed it up.

[PeterWithesShin]

There was some great stuff under Atkinson, but just because there was doesn't mean we ignore some of the dross he served up either when his last 40 games was a worse ppg ratio than Lambert has this season. Or that run in his first season of 1 goal in 11 league games. And just as we blame Lambert for the young and cheap squad, then it is BFR's fault we had an old and expensive one considering he signed them.

[pauliewalnuts]

I remember when we were all up in arms that Atkinson spent the summer in the US covering the World Cup with ITV. He said he was watching some of the best players in the world and hinted this would influence our signings.

Then he came back and signed John Fucking Fashanu.

[PeterWithesShin]

Or fucking off to commentate on Manure or whoever it was playing abroad the day after we had been knocked out of Europe.

And the added bizarre thing with signing Fashanu was we signed him a month or so after selling both wingers, which never made sense to me.

[Phil from the upper holte]

I remember when we were all up in arms that Atkinson spent the summer in the US covering the World Cup with ITV. He said he was watching some of the best players in the world and hinted this would influence our signings.

Then he came back and signed John Fucking Fashanu.

You ok Paulie? You've done a fair bit of ranting today, keep it up though very enjoyable

[Matt Collins]

I'm prepared to give him until the end of the season.  The minimum requirement is a better places finish than last season otherwise it is failure as far as I am concerned.  I still maintain he is out of his depth at this level.  Can you imagine BFR allowing this carnage.

Aside from whether or not we get relegated it would be daft to base a decision on our manager for next season on whether we finish fifteenth or not. That could turn on one point

[kippaxvilla2]

Not really it's called measuring progress.  By that measure failing to finish higher than last season wouldn't be progress.

[supertom]

I'm prepared to give him until the end of the season.  The minimum requirement is a better places finish than last season otherwise it is failure as far as I am concerned.  I still maintain he is out of his depth at this level.  Can you imagine BFR allowing this carnage.

Aside from whether or not we get relegated it would be daft to base a decision on our manager for next season on whether we finish fifteenth or not. That could turn on one point

For me we need to finish on 42 points minimum for Lambert to be remotely worth keeping his job another year. We could at least then say we've improved, if only marginally.

If we cobble together 1-2 points, that may be enough to stay up, but it also suggests that Lambert is just not up to it, no matter who's backing him up.