McCall IN/OUT (with new Poll)

McCall hasn’t been given a top 3 budget and been allowed to sign 20 odd players like Gary Bowyer. We’ve literally added 3 new faces from last season- Watt, Clarke and Sutton. He needs longer to stamp his authority on what is ultimately a very poor squad.

 

There's been 4 full time managers in the hot seat since McCall was last here. Not one has really delivered and looked like he could've been building something positive for the longer term. So, I'd conclude that a further change of manager is unlikely to radically improve results or performance. It would be akin to rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

The club has been in reverse since it was sold. It wasn't recognised immediately because the previous manager had built quite a strong squad. But now that the rot has well and truly set in, it's difficult to see just how the present owner hopes to return it to the position it was in when he bought it. He's either going to have to put in some considerable investment, which looks unlikely. Or sell at a loss and write it off as an incredibly poor decision. In my estimation, the club has now got an atmosphere surrounding it, similar to when it was last getting far too close to the bottom of this league for comfort. All is not lost, but the warning signs are very evident and worrying.

 

Aim the anger where its needed. The very top of the club. No direction, no plan, no ambition, no leadership.

 

He appears to be working on a shoestring and im sure he is compared to Bowyer, but then claims there is money for players/ vaughan replacement and lists Agard/ Maynard blah blah, before saying he is happy with what we have got and there is no rush, just prior to a 5 Nil. How can we take anything he says seriously?

 

Too early for McCall out however it is very clear that we need to understand the owners ambitions for the club. At present, we are heading to the bottom half of the league based on recruitment and squad quality. The article today about players we haven't signed a PR disaster (who signd it off fgs) and just over 2 weeks to make three or four season saving signings. I won't hold my breath over any of this though.

 

I think he's trying to point out that he was after an experienced striker with pedigree, which is what fans will demand.

However, I think there's a slight misread on Stuart's behalf - we just want something different to what we have, and what we already have is 30+ strikers who have middling attributes - okay heading, okay pace, okay size, okay everything.

 

It was embarrassing to read him naming those players tbh. Sends out a bad message to potential signings and serves zero purpose. "Here's a look at what you could have won City supporters".

 

Stuart's PR has always been crap, to be honest.

In his second, fairly successful tenure, he suffered horribly from post-Parky syndrome - a total failure to connect with or lift the fan base.

I remember sitting in an uncomfortably silent and abject VP as we beat teams while playing 'attractive' football.

 

Gimme Parkys "stoicism" and Stuarts "passion" and we might go somewhere.

 

Can you explain a bit more about why you believe Rupp is the problem as it stands?

 

Absolutely BL.

Under Rupp, we have a history of regression. Too many management appointments, player turnover, dwindling crowds. The Rahic era. A relegation.

Rupp is the custodian. These failings have occurred on his watch.

I have no I'll feeling's for the man and wish him well in life. But he is not the right fit for Bradford City IMO.

Is he the drive and ambition to push the club forward? I think not. I don't understand the plan, the direction of the club.

So for the good of the club in my eye's, I would wish to see new custodian (s).

But therein lies a new chapter.....

 

Here we go....

 

What is? Not using a spell checker?

 

don’t think a spell checker would pick up a whole missing word

 

McCall certainly shouldn't be immune from criticism. For me though, tonight's fail, isn't just tonight's fail. Its the accumulation of what happens when you fundamentally mismanage a club, when you lack any sort of meaningful ambition and a plan to deliver. McCall plays a part in that, but accountability sits at the top. Rhodes and Rupp are a waste of space.

I actually quite like McCall's interview last night. Yes he was clearly emotional, he was on the defensive and a bit of pressure and frustration is starting to come to the fore. He says too much, probably because he cares a bit too much. That can be a weakness, but i'll forgive him for it and I'd rather that, than someone like Bowyer who comes on to defend and even celebrate dire performances. Stuart should've swerved the press last night, given himself the night, and then delivered a more composed interview today. But hey ho. I don't really mind. And I agree that we need the right players in, and that we should judge our transfer window when it closes. I also think he's spot on when he talks about last nights performance - if I see a capable group of players that don't fit the system on display, or look tactically disjointed or unmotivated, I'll lay into the manager. But that isn't what last night was about. It was a combination of poor players in some positions, and a complete lack of aggression when it came to defending - That's on the players. And players swerve the focus too often. I'm sick of seeing the O'Connor twins make basic errors when defending, I'm sick of seeing no-one attack the ball when we have corners and free-kicks of our own, I'm sick of seeing Donaldson spend more time on his arse than his feet moaning that he wants a free kick.

What's now on Stuart, is how he addresses the gaps in the squad that have now been laid bare. There are plenty of players still out there. We all see what we need - a centre back, right back, striker, winger, and probably a midfielder. 4-5 players in 3 weeks? That can be done. Ultimately though, this club won't move forward until we have an owner with vision.

 

Top post.

 

I don't fundamentally disagree with your post too much but just wanted to pick up on a couple of points. I've put too points together as well but didn't want to change the meaning - It's just that I feel they're linked

I don't think this has been laid bare by the Lincoln result, we've known it for 6 months if not longer and that is on McCall. The lack of aggression, physicality and desire has run through the club for so long but he's done nothing to address it. More lightweight, passive, nice players like Clarke, DMH and Watt aren't going to fix the fundamental flaws in this squad.

It's not just the positions, it's the type of player and rather than fix it he's added to the soft nature of it. He can't escape that and he's spent the last 4 weeks telling us how chilled he was with his squad building when all the signs were that he shouldn't have been.

While I don't think you're wrong in an ideal world I think you're putting too much emphasis on it. It's not impossible for a club to move forward without that. In actual fact the last time this club made any significant jump forward under Parkinson the ownership probably had the most jumbled vision you can imagine. A manager can take a club by the scruff of the neck and drag it forward with his own vision.

Coming from a situation where the criticism was that he didn't have enough control, the situation whereby the owner is absent and the CEO is silent (and a massive advocate) this should give McCall a completely blank canvas to be able to "do a Parkinson" and create the club in his own vision. For a guy who is undoubtedly claret and amber to the core that should be an absolute dream.

 

I don't really disagree. Yes, Stuart's had some time and could/should have strengthened areas of the squad by now. Have any of us really been surprised by the areas we've been poor in? If we've know for weeks/months what's needed, then surely Stuart will have too? I agree, that's on him. But he does now have a chance to sort it.

And I think the only way you can compensate for a lack of leadership at the top of the club, is with a highly capable Old-School manager who can grab the club by its bootstraps and shape it into something, like Parky did. That's not the model that most clubs embrace though - because its harder to get right and more likely to fall away when the manager moves on. I'm not even just talking about the playing side. I know of people who've been involved at looking at some of the commercial opportunities we muck up, or fail to pursue. We're a shambles on that side too.

 

The problem seems to be it doesn’t matter what McCall does, or doesn’t do, he is immune from the level of criticism that others would get. Now this is a mixture of some people not wanting to Have a bad word said about a club playing legend and others who focus on those above. If we are going to focus on those above then we may as well give up now as that isn't going to change in the short term.