more questions than answers at the moment

[ted1965]

I am not getting into the pro and anti debate again because to me we’re all pro the club and that’s where the focus should be. Though that doesn’t mean that a debate shouldn’t take place and that some hard questions don’t need to be answered by those who believe the manager is the best thing since sliced bread and those who are left bewildered and befuddled by much of what he does.

1.How many points did you think we would have at this point in the season and therefore how many would you consider acceptable at the end of it.

I wasn’t sure how many we would have by now, though it seems about the right amount judging by other seasons and sides who are in the bottom three. I think the problem arose from us having reached 20 points before the halfway point and the fact we still have pretty much the same points as we did after beating the Albion in November has caused much of the unrest.

I do think however that if this poor run continues even after we have brought in new players then questions will have to be asked about whether the manager has reached his limits as to how far he can take us.

2. Has the manager spent the funds available wisely and built a squad which is balanced and has the requirements to stay in the Premiership.

We have made some great signings since we gained promotion and unless we stay up it’s unlikely we will keep them, Ab Faye, Tommy S, Etherington looks like he will be very decent and yes Beatie looks more accomplished than what we have. Higginbotham is a decent defender but sadly not a left back.

The problem is we have bought a lot of dross also, Sonko, Olifinjana who maybe a good Championship midfielder but sadly at this level for someone so strong looking he’s very lightweight, Amdy Faye is a very in and out player and we have seen that Kitson isn’t going to work at Stoke unless we totally change how we play him. That’s before you even get to Soares and Tonge, who were very much panic buys on deadline day. The manager always states we wont bring anyone in unless they add something to what we have, sadly many of the above haven’t done so

So it’s a pretty mixed bag for me so far, the fact despite bringing in a whole new side in terms of numbers we still have Cresswell in the side on a regular basis and we still haven’t got players with pace or creativity in the side is very worrying indeed.

3. The question of whether the manager is out of his depth.

I find this one hard to assess, at times it looks very much as if he is like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming train especially away from home. I think we still haven’t got the balance between having a healthy respect for the opposition and actually attempting to win games away from home, it’s a fine balancing act and Tone doesn’t look anywhere near the solution yet, which is very worrying.

At home we have certainly looked more comfortable with Premiership life, though even that form has dipped and we need to find the winning formula again really soon. We were like a shockwave to the Premiership in those first few months but now sides have become more aware of what they require to subdue our style and of course losing Mamma made a huge difference, sadly we still play as if he’s there, again a worrying trend and one which the manager needs to revise immediately.

4. What will happen if we are relegated back to the Championship.

I guess this is where the divide will widen in my opinion as many will want a new start thanking him for what he achieved and hoping for someone with new ideas and a more progressive style of play. There will be many who believe he has taken the club as far as he can, whether people like it or not, sometimes a manager reaches his expiration date.

There will be many who will say he got us promoted before and therefore he must be given the opportunity to do so again. That he has proven he knows what’s required and the type of players who can achieve it. They will argue that Fuller and Beatie would rip Championship defences apart, which they may if they played together but with Mamma fit can anyone see that happening, two goal scorers up top with Mamma fit.

I do think it will really depend on whether the owner believes his money was spent wisely and whether it was spent in the right positions. There will also be the concern as to whether Coates will be prepared to bankroll another promotion shot or will insist on selling players to finance any challenge.

I personally hope none of the questions need to be debated too long because we all want to see this club moving forward and establishing itself in the Premiership but reality is also staring us in the eye and sometimes hard questions need to be asked and answered.

[Harpoon Louie]

I completely agree Ted, its very worrying at the moment. As I said in one of my previous posts, football management isnt rocket science. I think Tony is probably a good man manager, however this utter refusal to change / adapt tactics and formations is what ultimately will get us relegated.

We were all pissed off after the Blackburn game, but in some ways last night was worse because Tony did exactly the same again. Hes spent big but underused the players he spent big on. His loyalty to players is commendable, but his job is to ultimately put out the best team and to try and ensure we get points on the board and hes not doing it.

Last season one of Tony's biggest gripes /excuses was that other teams had more money so we found it hard to compete. Thats a fair comment. However this season hes spent nigh on 30 million quid. 30 million. And he doesnt play all those players. Its just incomprehensible. Tony is the manager, he picks the team, he is accountable if the team doesnt play well. Hes had plenty of games to get it right, but stubbornness seems to be a major part of his mindset.