Most liked posts in thread: Derek Adams, his management, tactics & squad options

I’m loving him so far, early days but he reminds me of Parky. Jamie asked him after the Oldham game what his plans were with the players in the build up to Stevenage saying I take it day off tomorrow and in Monday, he said no they’re in tomorrow and Monday. No slacking and no nonsense, exactly what this club has needed after 4 years of regression, and tbh poor discipline where mercenaries have come for a final pay day. He knows what is needed to get out of this god awful league I have no doubt about that.

 

Well we were told what good sides Stevenage and especially Mansfield were on their own patch, even after scoring first and then Mansfield equalising and taking the lead we always looked capable of a result, at 2 - 1 down I think most would have been content to take a 2 - 2 draw, Adams and the players had other ideas never sitting back with that mentality and fought till the end.
There well be defeats along the way but if we continue the way we've started it will take a good side to take all 3 points of us.

 

Seven goals in the last two games doesn't suggest defensive to me, Storck. I think Adams plays to a number of different plans depending upon what talents he has in any given squad of players. Think, despite his achievements at Morecambe last season, he'd be the first to say he now has a much stronger attacking unit in his City squad, and so plans and plays his football accordingly. This guy got the top UEFA Pro Licence in his early thirties. He'll never be short of different ideas.

 

There isn't one team in this god forsaken division we should be worried about, not one. We had chances to win at Exeter and should have won at Forest in the cup and Adams alludes to that in his interviews. My only worry is our squad which lacks depth in certain postions. Injuries and fatigue to players like Cook or Cooke and we have nothing to replace them with. Bring two quality players in this week and we go up without a doubt, this aint like when we were in the playoffs under Bowyer and certain posters on here couldn't see the bleeding obvious in front of their face. This team actually can play and fight out results.

 

Derek Adams straight to the point.
Take or leave it, no nonsense approach.
Listening made easy media interviews without the waffle.
Love it.

 

Smiling or scowling darkly? He does both within quick succession. He's already achieved alot as a manager, but what I love about his steely eyed approach is that he'll never be happy until he's made it as a manager in the Champ, even the Premier. I think Sparks was bloody astute and should take alot of credit for pursuing him, and him alone, to take over at VP. My hope is that Adams stays with us long enough to at least get us into the Championship. He's looked for a club like us for ages. Thought he might have found it at Plymouth but despite his promotion there, wasn't given the time, money and back up to go further when results hit a trough for a while, as sometimes they always do. I'd love for him to be here in three or four years time trying to build a legacy for us and for himself.

 

There was nothing between the sides bar a 3rd goal for us and a manager who really does want to win every game. None of this happy with a point bollocks.

 

What I've liked about Adams so far have been how astute his little tactical tweaks have been to expose the opposition weaknesses. Against Exeter, he had Angol stopping out wide to use his pace as the outball behind their full back, and down the side of their wide centre back.

Then against Oldham he's switched it to a 4-2-2-2, which might seem oddly narrow given they had wingbacks pushing right on but I think he's decided he wasn't too worried about their threat and allowed them possession and to carry the ball without engaging them too high up the pitch, meaning we were compact and they weren't getting down the sides of us and were resorting to trying to hit it from deep, easy meat for Canavan and Paudie. We then had 4 v 3 on the break if both wingbacks commited.

Against Stevenage, he's changed it to a more traditional 4-4-2 so Angol and Cook could mark their centre backs when the keeper had the ball, preventing them from trying to play it out from the back and forcing their keeper to play it long and so it just kept coming back at them, clearly what he was on about with his Playstation comments before the match (love his mind games as well, by the way!)

Against Mansfield, certainly in the second half, the tactic seemed to be as simple as 'give it Vernam', which paid off very well in the end!

 

I dont think we can underestimate Cookes value. He is creating and making lots of stuff on the pitch....we might miss him and we did last year .

 

Adams is a serious manager. I know all of them try to be, but this man is on a mission. I'm really happy we're his current mission. I've never felt as positive about a new manager as I am now. We lose a good few along the way and I hope fans don't turn when that happens, because this guy is the real deal.

 

Is anybody happy if we are losing, regardless of whose in charge?

 

Agree Dave, once we went to 2-2 I thought that will do, but I underestimated the team’s resolve. Adams has created that, without a shadow of doubt. At the end of the season that 3rd goal and the extra 2 points it gave us could be absolutely vital. 3 extra points over Mansfield vital, because they might be thereabouts at the run in?

 

Tell you what I like about Adams even before kick off he is looking at the players and how they are warming up before a game having little chats with them. Can't remember the last manager to do that before kick off.

 

so, 8.7% of the season gone and we already have c12.5 % of the points we’ll need? Up by Christmas. Don’t take the cash out!!

 

Ive been really impressed with his no nonsense approach.

loved that interview with the quotes about playing a playstation if you want pretty passing in your own half.

we’ve looked very exciting going forward. The players look bang up for it under him and the fans are all behind him. We’ll find out about our true character after we suffer a league defeat but the way we’ve shown resilience after losing in the cup at Forest and the character shown to fight back from 2-1 down on Sat makes me very, very optimistic.

great start Dezza.

 

The signs were there at Morecambe they conceded more than most and scored more had very little possession yet won games.
What has surprised me Is the different tactics employed in the matches so far. Fans of his previous clubs seemed to imply he only had one way of playing

 

I'm not one for getting carried away....


But I think we should build his statue now.

 

Still early days, of course, but very impressed by Adams. Very clear, articulate and concise in his interviews. I'd guess the players are given straightforward instructions in the tactic talks so everyone is clear what is expected of them. KISS.

Full marks to Sparks, or whoever may have given him the nod to go after him.

Fingers crossed that we maintain these results!