Stuart GONE!

Wishful thinking.
He's been trending on Twitter tonight because Arsenal fans want him.

 

Think his commentary is poor but his interviewing is top notch.

 

He says 'chip ball' which sounds like 'sh!t ball' about 1,000 times per game.

He seems to think any ball that leaves the ground is a chip.

 

Woodgate 2/1 FAV now, 22/1 this morning

 

Don't do it, degenerate gamblers.

 

Seems straight forward enough to me. De register the dead wood, pay them as you say but let them rot at home unable to play.

 

Wouldn't take Flynn at this time. He may have Newport playing well but I remember the game last season and it was absolutely terrible. He's still learning for me.

I hope we have someone lined up and if we are going to pay compensation, would anybody take Holloway at Grimsby?

 

I think Holloway is a director/investor at Grimsby no way he's leaving there.

 

You say you wouldn't take Flynn like there's a chance he'd come. Why on earth do you think he'd be even remotely interested?
As for Holloway, no thanks.

 

Hard to know what the right route is, because there are so many that don't look right for us right now.

Eliminate any long ball/direct ball merchants, including Parkinson and the Cowley's. That isn't going to work with this lot. Not a target man among them, not a hard man in midfield anywhere in sight. Absolutely out of the question.

Eliminate 'long term' appointments because for goodness sake, we are fighting for survival in the football league. We don't have two-three seasons to wait.

Eliminate inexperienced appointments because THIS IS NOT THE TIME.

But at the same time, fans will want to eliminate bang average managers who are considered 'safe', as it hasn't worked with Grayson or Bowyer.

Of all of the candidates listed by the bookies, of all the managers that look like they might make a much-needed immediate impact, there are only two that stand out to me: Paul Heckingbottom, given his success as caretaker of Barnsley followed by good success as permanent manager, and Ryan Lowe, who has quickly achieved success in every role he's had, make any sense.

Lowe plays virtually the same style and formation as McCall has done this season, although obviously McCall flip-flopped quite a bit. Heckingbottom plays a good old high press, which when done effectively helps less able but physically fit players become difficult to beat.

I have serious doubts that our forwards would be able to play a high pressing game, as they're either lazy (Guthrie), ancient (Donaldson), or generally physically inferior (Clarke, Samuels, Mottley-Henry), so we could wreck Heckingbottom's career, just like we could theoretically wreck someone like Flynn's career.

For me, it absolutely has to be Ryan Lowe. In my heart of hearts, I know it can't be Woodgate, nobody is going to make that appointment unless they're star-struck, with the exception of maybe Edin Rahic. I don't think Heckingbottom would come, there's no reason for him to do so. Lowe has worked with very badly run clubs before, on a shoestring, and ticks all the boxes, but I would be at all surprised if it was a middling appointment like Hurst. That would be acceptable to me.

 

I don't think he would. His name had been mentioned a few times today hence my comment. If he wanted to I'd prefer he didn't.

 

I'd like Lowe but I'd be amazed if he left Plymouth even with the poor run they're on.

 

I'm not sure what style of play would suit this lot.

Possession football? Nope.
High energy pressing? Nope.
Counter attacking? Nope.

Part of what we need to look for is an ability to find players quickly that suit their style of football. That's almost priority number 1 because if we're trying to fit a style to the players we've been left its going to be an impossible task.

 

This is the nail on the head. Since McCall has come back what style has become our mantra? He swopped more times than an excited kid playing fifa. The transfer recruitment had no strategy to it, signing players like Gareth Evans but with no real idea what position he now played and how he would fit into any sort of system. The best part of three years we've now done this, having no plan and strategy yet its taken till we are 4 points from the very bottom for it to resonate with some, although unsurprisingly for our fan base a fair few still don't get it and blindly think we're still 'too good' to go down. We're not down there because we're unlucky with injuries or we haven't had the rub of the green, its because we are arguably the worst organised set up in the whole football league. Until that changes it doesn't matter what manager we bring in.

 

Why would we want Holloway, doing just a bad a job as MCCall since going to Grimsby.

A big no from me

 

According to this, severance payments don't count towards the cap.

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-efl-salary-caps-1596811454000

 

If i could be just slightly critical of Jamie Raynor I find his voice is a bit annoying, imo he is over pronouncing words, he needs to soften it down a bit and talk more ‘normal’ not cheesy commentator emphasised.

Dont get me wrong though, I think he is good, Can see a bright future for him in media.

 

And he’s rubbish. Worse than McCall

 

Very insightful Eric. As you say, not straightforward but an interesting option for the next window maybe.