Rotherham United (A)

[Rizlar]

1 minute ago, wakey said:

One of the (many) things winding me up at the moment is how we come out for the second half chasing the game and instead of being front foot we immediately surrender control to the opposition and don't really have a sniff of the ball for 10 minutes or so. 

What the fuck goes on at half time.

Running down the tunnel at half time does my head in .

[Rizlar]

1 minute ago, Roger_Dubuis said:

I remember  something like that but it isn't in that vote of confidence she gave Evatt.I heard her speak for the first time a few weeks ago, her voice reminded me of Lorraine Chase, maybe it was in that interview

Think your right she was being interviewed and she mentioned the cost of replacing a manager .

[Lt. Aldo Raine]

If think what you're referring to might've been said during the parliamentary committee she attended

Although I don't think she said exactly what you think she did and I don't think there's any conspiracy about Evatt still being in charge other than she and the board believe in his management

[superjohnmcginlay]

10 minutes ago, Rizlar said:

Running down the tunnel at half time does my head in .

Stop doing it then 

[Greg_BWFC]

20 minutes ago, desperado said:

Spot on.

The one midfielder of Morley at the end, was a desperate scream of him hunting for justification of his overload of attacking midfielders.

Bonkers

It's like he's completely ignoring the fact that pretty much every successful team going back ages had at least one shithouse/water carrier/out and out grafter type of player in there to do the heavy lifting.

One player we're really going to miss for me is Dempsey. 

I think he brings a lot of energy to the team and runs his blood to water every game.

Not saying he's a world beater who will win us games on his own.

But he at least gets stuck in.

Big miss for me.

[Whitesince63]

35 minutes ago, Cheese said:

Can you point that bit out to me, because I can't find it?

https://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/message-chairman

Nor can I remember Sharon ever saying anything remotely like that.

[Farnywhite]

1 hour ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

For me the squad is fine.

We'll see if/when a new man comes in what they are or aren't capable of.

I just don’t see it most with the squad for me most have regressed for example santos looks a yard slower at least he is often getting beat in  A foot race .
We’re to light weight with similar midfield players Randall , Morley , Sheehan .

No real pace Rotherham had one or two very quick attackers .

No one who can hold a ball up front and no one really who can deliver a decent ball out  from wide area .  No one who can win a ball in midfield without getting booked . 
it’s a squad that a new manger would take apart over a few transfer windows results would improve with a new face and tactics but we’re miles of challenging for promotion we have been on the slide for over 12 months with this squad since end of  2023 

[wakey]

45 minutes ago, Whitesince63 said:

Nor can I remember Sharon ever saying anything remotely like that.

Nowt in the letter she sent you? 😁

[W.cramp]

1 hour ago, Whitesince63 said:

Nor can I remember Sharon ever saying anything remotely like that.

Facts and story,    the old chestnut

[W.cramp]

And while we,re ar it.   Wtf is thag sideways 6 yard goalkick Santos to baxter about ?    This has to be because one of the coaches has seen city do it.    Its fakin pathetic, stop trying to redevelop football in the 3rd division. 

[paulhanley]

I notice his big pal Rob Edwards got potted at Luton recently. All amidst their fans being hugely frustrated as to  why he was doing the same thing over and over again and somehow expecting different results.

Albert Einstein meets Ian Evatt and his management buddies. 

 

[deeane Koontz]

17 minutes ago, W.cramp said:

And while we,re ar it.   Wtf is thag sideways 6 yard goalkick Santos to baxter about ?    This has to be because one of the coaches has seen city do it.    Its fakin pathetic, stop trying to redevelop football in the 3rd division. 

It's something that sums WIlly Waver up in a nutshell. Done it a load of times, it invites pressure and normally ends up with us kicking it out of touch or getting mugged yet we persist with it.

[thebells]

Been trying to make sense of yesterday and the season, so here’s my two penneth.

1. Yesterday was, in my opinion, worse than Stockport, Huddersfield and Wigan. It’s the first time I’ve seen players going rogue and doing their own thing. I’m not saying this to pass blame to the players, though as professional people they need to shoulder some responsibility, but it’s a clear sign that the structure within the squad has broken.

2. Evatt clearly doesn’t know how to change it. He admitted this himself when he passed blame on to the players. He may be right that they didn’t follow instructions (tend to agree with him here), but the big question is why. He is responsible ultimately for the culture in that squad and across the training ground, and it’s failing. It’s on him and he needs to accept that.   

3. I don’t actually think the players know how to fix it either. I highly doubt they’ve clubbed together and decided to down tools. I do think it’s a combination of issues. Players out of contract (who may have moves lined up - Santos / Baxter) are probably falling 5% short of the required standard. Players who put everything into last season pushing for promotion haven’t found their mojo (Jones, Sheehan, Thomason, Charles, JDC, Etc) and there are new or newish players who are luxuries that we can’t afford to carry in such numbers (Collins / McAtee / Lolos / CMG - and seemingly Randall). On top of that, players like Dempsey, Toal and Forino, who i think were seen as key players, have largely been injured. It’s just a bad mix.

4. The one thing Evatt has always pushed is the process and the structure. His teams, whether some have liked it or not, have had a clear identity. That has gone. I no longer know what our identity is. We used to look to dominate teams and, at times, tear them apart. We now play a system that leaves huge gaps in midfield, doesn’t allow us to dominate games, and simply leaves every game we play as a 50/50 shootout. I can say for almost certain that we wont win both of our upcoming home games. If i had to predict, we will win one and lose one.

5. Looking for positives, i see similarities with us now and where Ipswich were 3 years ago when McKenna came in mid season and where Portsmouth were when Mousinho came in mid season. The squad has a huge amount of talent in it (whether people chose to believe it or not) and is capable of pushing for promotion next season with some changes. Santos and Baxter will go, players like Jones and Arfield need moving out, but theres the core of a very good squad. A lot of managers would love to come and work with this squad, at this stadium in front of 20,000 fans (give or take a few thousand). I think we’re about 5 or 6 games away from writing the season off (I’ll await the dramatic replies of ‘I’ve already written the season off), and then Sharon et al need to decide what they want. I admire her dedication to him, but it’s hard to see anyway this gets turned around. Never really taken to Evatt myself, and i think many feel the same. He’s done a great job taking the club from where it was to where it is, and deserves a lot of credit. Sadly for him, i think these final days are tainting that.

 

Apologies if you’re still reading. More of a blog than a post that 🙂 

[Johnnyrotten]

14 hours ago, Lostock Whites said:

Would a new manager guarantee promotion? No.

Would a new manager do as bad as we are doing right now? Unlikely.

Emphasis on the word "new". This club could not be more desperate for a new approach right now.

The clubs mentality has been smashed and not recovered ever since the Oxford play off defeat. A reset is essential. We are just wasting time, people's and the clubs money right now just going in circles.

Evatt has been given the keys to the kingdom and beyond, back to the fullest, brought in a lot of new players that are arguably the best in the league. Yet they all have looked shadows of the former selves under him.

Good managers get the best out of individuals and here we have reached a point where our manager is blaming our failures on the very individuals we signed and have coached, some for over 3/4 years.

In summary, going back to what I said at the top. A new manager might not mean salvation, but good god it is what is needed. I have no doubt in my mind that somebody can get a tune out of these players.

Let's not forget, we are in a truly horrid league, a league we can't get out of yes, but a league when where you do the basics and sprinkle a couple of talented players on top, you can see yourselves at the very least in the top 6.

With the players we have at our disposal, the size of the club, 22,000 average attendances, the potential. There's a lot of managers out there that would jump at the chance.

It might not need to be a '5 year plan', maybe just an experienced head to just get us out of this league. Sharon's personal relationship and loyalty is breaking the club apart and leaving us behind.

The Championship we can worry about if/when we get there. 

But right now we are still in League 1 and this manager is not good enough to get us promoted out of this league.

Great summary, well put.  Last year the target was promotion.  Since about October the target has been play offs.  Not for me now, the target is to be competitive, to go to games (that aren't against Crawley or Cambridge), and see a game of football, maybe a scoring draw, maybe look like the better side even.  That's what I'd like to see - but we won't get it from Evatt however much of the next manager's budget he blows.

[Johnnyrotten]

5 hours ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

For me the squad is fine.

We'll see if/when a new man comes in what they are or aren't capable of.

Defending, passing, showing pace with or without the ball, tackling, heading, strength to hold off a man, crossing, dribbling, running direct down the middle, shooting from more than 10 yards, corners, free kicks, marking, defensive organisation.   Hopefully the new man can sort the last 2 out, good luck with the rest.

[Tonge moor green jacket]

Would be totally different. 

They've given up with him.

Been the case with many a club before.

Fans criticising every player, then suddenly a new manager comes in and they're different entirely. 

The odd one may have already "turned his cards in" and decided its time to go, but on the whole, the relief, and release from the stuck robot would free them up. 

They really aren't all shite.

[Johnnyrotten]

4 hours ago, desperado said:

Good post, trying to make sense of this mess at the minute.

I agree with you and @Tonge moor green jacket that this squad is good enough. 

But I also can’t dismiss @L/H White to the contrary, because we are just not seeing it consistently from these players.

What I do know is that confidence is massive in sport and for whatever reason these players are lacking it in abundance. 

Happy for differences of opinion and to have the discussion, but for the life of me I don't see how people think this squad is good enough.  Better than which of Birmingham, Huddersfield, Wrexham, Barnsley to name four?  Has any team ever got promotion that can't tackle, head offensively or outpace anyone up front?  I watch worse players than we have every week, but plenty that are far better, I sometimes think some fans are looking at the transfer fees we've paid rather than the players themselves.  

[Johnnyrotten]

36 minutes ago, Tonge moor green jacket said:

Would be totally different. 

They've given up with him.

Been the case with many a club before.

Fans criticising every player, then suddenly a new manager comes in and they're different entirely. 

The odd one may have already "turned his cards in" and decided its time to go, but on the whole, the relief, and release from the stuck robot would free them up. 

They really aren't all shite.

They aren't shite, far from it.  On a good day I'd pay money to watch Collins, Sheehan, Morley and also on a good day we'd see great defending/passing from Santos and a tidy finish from Charles.  But we have an identikit squad, its like they are all the same player doing the same things, failing at all the same things.  If a new manager comes in he's not going to make us faster, stronger, taller or with better shooting technique.  We are woefully short, just look at any game against a half decent team (including last season), we aren't 10 or 20% short, we're miles adrift because IE has removed these qualities and replaced them with his socks rolled down identikits.  None of them are terrible, but we wouldn't sign 11 Kieran Lees or 11 Kevin Davies's and expect to win any games.

Edited January 12 by Johnnyrotten

[desperado]

1 hour ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Happy for differences of opinion and to have the discussion, but for the life of me I don't see how people think this squad is good enough.  Better than which of Birmingham, Huddersfield, Wrexham, Barnsley to name four?  Has any team ever got promotion that can't tackle, head offensively or outpace anyone up front?  I watch worse players than we have every week, but plenty that are far better, I sometimes think some fans are looking at the transfer fees we've paid rather than the players themselves.  

It’s all judged on how far away you think we have drifted from the qualities these players have shown over the last couple of seasons. (and even in glimpses this season) 

Quite understandably, in the current climate you have drifted into an irretrievably negative mind-set with everything and everybody.

And, granted my opinion on these players being good enough to get us out of this mess requires a measure of imagination on how they would perform under a different manager, with a different approach, different tactics, different formation etc

That 4-5-1 team I put in the formations thread, I feel would get us back to basics and I’d be looking to recruit a no nonsense left-back as a minimum.

The key is confidence, of which there is none currently, so hard to judge their qualities and potential in this moment.

But I think Ive seen enough of that 11 to predict a more resolute and defensive minded approach would at least be a starter to turning things around.

Edited January 12 by desperado

[Greg_BWFC]

1 hour ago, thebells said:

Been trying to make sense of yesterday and the season, so here’s my two penneth.

1. Yesterday was, in my opinion, worse than Stockport, Huddersfield and Wigan. It’s the first time I’ve seen players going rogue and doing their own thing. I’m not saying this to pass blame to the players, though as professional people they need to shoulder some responsibility, but it’s a clear sign that the structure within the squad has broken.

2. Evatt clearly doesn’t know how to change it. He admitted this himself when he passed blame on to the players. He may be right that they didn’t follow instructions (tend to agree with him here), but the big question is why. He is responsible ultimately for the culture in that squad and across the training ground, and it’s failing. It’s on him and he needs to accept that.   

3. I don’t actually think the players know how to fix it either. I highly doubt they’ve clubbed together and decided to down tools. I do think it’s a combination of issues. Players out of contract (who may have moves lined up - Santos / Baxter) are probably falling 5% short of the required standard. Players who put everything into last season pushing for promotion haven’t found their mojo (Jones, Sheehan, Thomason, Charles, JDC, Etc) and there are new or newish players who are luxuries that we can’t afford to carry in such numbers (Collins / McAtee / Lolos / CMG - and seemingly Randall). On top of that, players like Dempsey, Toal and Forino, who i think were seen as key players, have largely been injured. It’s just a bad mix.

4. The one thing Evatt has always pushed is the process and the structure. His teams, whether some have liked it or not, have had a clear identity. That has gone. I no longer know what our identity is. We used to look to dominate teams and, at times, tear them apart. We now play a system that leaves huge gaps in midfield, doesn’t allow us to dominate games, and simply leaves every game we play as a 50/50 shootout. I can say for almost certain that we wont win both of our upcoming home games. If i had to predict, we will win one and lose one.

5. Looking for positives, i see similarities with us now and where Ipswich were 3 years ago when McKenna came in mid season and where Portsmouth were when Mousinho came in mid season. The squad has a huge amount of talent in it (whether people chose to believe it or not) and is capable of pushing for promotion next season with some changes. Santos and Baxter will go, players like Jones and Arfield need moving out, but theres the core of a very good squad. A lot of managers would love to come and work with this squad, at this stadium in front of 20,000 fans (give or take a few thousand). I think we’re about 5 or 6 games away from writing the season off (I’ll await the dramatic replies of ‘I’ve already written the season off), and then Sharon et al need to decide what they want. I admire her dedication to him, but it’s hard to see anyway this gets turned around. Never really taken to Evatt myself, and i think many feel the same. He’s done a great job taking the club from where it was to where it is, and deserves a lot of credit. Sadly for him, i think these final days are tainting that.

 

Apologies if you’re still reading. More of a blog than a post that 🙂 

Good points and I'm going to pick out a bit of point 5.

You're right to suggest that we are a great draw for a potential manager.

Stadium, some real talent in the squad - as unbalanced as I think it is.

And the support has been fantastic. 20K plus crowds with what, over 16K season tickets ?

The last bit is what I think might make the board sit up and think.

Honestly think come renewal time we might see numbers drop as much as 50%.

Reading posts since yesterday, it seems we're all pretty much aligned on here.

Think the fanbase may be at a tipping point with regard to the manager.

[London Wanderer]

Some of our fans are in for a proper shock if & when a new manager comes in.

 Evatt’s man management & tactical stubbornness is making us look far worse than we are.

Of course give me a bit more quality any day of the week, but hearing people say we’re “woefully short” is just bonkers. Man for man we’re up there with the likes of Huddersfield, Wrexham & Wycombe. 
 

We’ll be playing Dorking Wanderers before Sharon admits it though. 

[Leyther_Matt]

3 minutes ago, London Wanderer said:

We’ll be playing Dorking Wanderers before Sharon admits it though. 

Dorking away

[desperado]

1 hour ago, Johnnyrotten said:

Defending, passing, showing pace with or without the ball, tackling, heading, strength to hold off a man, crossing, dribbling, running direct down the middle, shooting from more than 10 yards, corners, free kicks, marking, defensive organisation.   Hopefully the new man can sort the last 2 out, good luck with the rest.

 

3 minutes ago, London Wanderer said:

Some of our fans are in for a proper shock if & when a new manager comes in.

 Evatt’s man management & tactical stubbornness is making us look far worse than we are.

Of course give me a bit more quality any day of the week, but hearing people say we’re “woefully short” is just bonkers. Man for man we’re up there with the likes of Huddersfield, Wrexham & Wycombe. 
 

We’ll be playing Dorking Wanderers before Sharon admits it though. 

Now that we’ve all agreed it’s time for a new manager, it’s good to find a topic that we are poles apart on 😂

I suspect it will be the new order of debate before and eventually after we get a change of manager.

Just how good are these players? 

[London Wanderer]

36 minutes ago, Leyther_Matt said:

Dorking away

😂

[London Wanderer]

34 minutes ago, desperado said:

 

Now that we’ve all agreed it’s time for a new manager, it’s good to find a topic that we are poles apart on 😂

I suspect it will be the new order of debate before and eventually after we get a change of manager.

Just how good are these players? 

Good enough to be in the top 4 for me. 

But it will make an interesting debate when a new manager comes in. I might be wrong 🙂

Just when will our board do the blatantly obvious. Thank him and wish him the best, most of us will do the same.