What HAS gone wrong??

Try getting that sort of clause in a contract in any other industry.
They’d laugh you out of the interview room.

I do feel your last sentence is the more relevant though.

“OMG it’s Mark Hughes”
“He’s played at the highest level all over Europe”
“He’s been managed by one of the most successful managers ever”
“But he’s never managed in the arse end of league football?”

“That doesn’t matter.We’ll sell some season tickets just on the name alone”
“I’ll give em some guff about not accepting mediocrity”

“They love my sound bites”

 

The part that rang true with me was
‘They are a team so much less than the sum of there parts’

 

Hughes was worth a go, and got us into the play offs.

No matter what people say, he isn't even in the top ten worst managers of the 21st Century.

That said, this season has been a big disappointment so far, so if he goes, he goes.

 

All fair comment @King Cole but he brought Glynn Hodges to the club who has vast experience during of his managerial/coaching career at League One and Two level, but your right get it right on the pitch and your troubles are few.

 

Maybe Glyn Hodges will save us when he takes over, Bronco...

 

I'd forgot about that comment, the whole reason he applied was because he said he missed the day to day stuff, I suppose we were all more than happy to accept that as we thought he'd have us out of league two at the first time of asking, because everyone involved at the club made that quite plain that was the goal.

 

Stuarts came back twice this could be Mark Trueman second bite at the job.

 

The guy does seem to lack enthusiasm and passion, ok when things are ticking along nicely there is a calm head but when the chips are down you want to know there is some fight in the belly, with Hughes, its all a bit philosophical. Where is his hunger for the game? I think he has forgotten he is in League Two, his days of being a top player or manager are sadly long behind him, is this a semi retirement hobby?!

I hope Sparks shows some cohunas and gives him a damn good old fashioned rollocking and tells him his brand of football is shite but I doubt it. Just way too cushy a number for him.

 

I hope not. Hasn’t he been involved in the training sessions?

 

We have training sessions?

 

Is that a pink pig I see flying Jon?

 

If we were to get rid of Hughes who else could take over untill the new man was found, not beyond the realms of possibility.

 

I still say McDonald in the short term until a permanent appointment is found.
Old head, played at a good level, knows what it's all about.
Wasn't he one of the players who played hell with Hughes in one recent game when things weren't working out, during a break in play.
Please not Trueman again!

 

When Sheff U get rid, we have our D.o.F then get Big Fil in as manager. Up by Christmas

 

Hodges was reputed to be a set piece specialist. We're not very good at taking them either. How many goals have we scored from free kicks/corners? We aren't very good at defending them too.

 

You've missed out what we are good at.......................oh hang on, no you haven't ....

 

If you take out penalties, we have scored 1 goal from set pieces this season. Which has us 22nd in the table as Newport and Swindon are both on 0 set piece goals for the season. Defensively, we are 4th in the table conceding 5 of our 12 goals so far this season from set pieces. Harrogate, Stockport & Tranmere are joint top of the tree conceding 6 from set pieces. Again, that is without penalties, if you add that we have conceded 6 from 12 from dead ball plays.

Last season, we were 8th in the list of top scorers from set pieces with 15 goals from corners or FKs, Newport were top with 24 goals. Defensively, we were the 4th worse team conceding 20 goals from set pieces. Only Rochdale (27), Wimbledon (23) & Crawley (22) conceded more goals that us from FKs/Corners.

The alarming stat of it all though... Of the 43 goals we conceded in L2 last season, only 19 were from open play (20 FKs/C, 3 pens & 1 OG) which gave us the highest percentage of goals conceded outside of open play, not just in the division but the entire EFL. We were the only team in the EFL last season to concede more goals from dead balls than open play, Millwall were the only other team to come close to us with a bang on even 24 from open play and 24 from FKs/Corners.

 

Well that lot of figures cheered me up, not! Although, I am always alarmed when the opposition get a free kick or corner. My alarm is actually backed up by the stats.

Our specialist assistant manager, what the hell is he doing during training?

 

I'm not defending him just pointing out Hughes assistant had plenty of experience at our level, I believe someone posted recently 50% of the goals we conceded last season were from set pieces if so we haven't learned anything as we look very vulnerable at set pieces.