Jump to content

The Manager


Recommended Posts

I actually think there's just a few things we need to change to turn things round.

1. Get a new goalkeeper. A lot of people on here have blamed the central defence for leaking goals, but what I have seen this season is a nervousness at the back, which stems from a lack of confidence in the goalkeeper. There is no communication or organisation, which are the most important factors in having a solid defence. Why DL, allegedly on the advice of Paul Mathers, decided to go for an untried 3rd choice goalie from Swansea when an experienced keeper like Steve Simonsen was available, I have no idea.

2. Play players in their best position. If we insist on playing 4-2-3-1, McGinn and Newton should be holding midfielders with Teale, McGowan and Harkins ahead of them.

3. Motivate players, rather than viewing them as disruptive influences if they are unhappy about not being played or not being played in their right position.

4. Sign a couple of decent strikers and a left sided midfielder, ideally with a bit of pace about them.

5.Play a passing game in the opposition half, not our own half.

Not too much to ask. I hope Danny can do all the above, but on the evidence of the last three years, I'm not convinced...

Have you written your letter to Santa yet??

Link to comment
Share on other sites


You'd think someone at the club would have learned from history - if not the supporters then at least the directors.

When St Mirren won the cup in 1987 they were at a cross roads. The club had been producing a good number of young talents like David Winnie, Brian Hamilton, Paul Lambert and Ian Cameron from the squad itself - and Norrie McWhirter who was just outside the first time squad at that time. At the same time the club had some ageing pros who were going to need replaced - like Tony Fitzpatrick and Frank McGarvey. The club could have, and probably should have, put the finance up to allow Alex Smith to buy in direct replacements however instead Smith recruited Keith Walker and Mark McWalter as well as Bobby Dawson over that summer. Smith was of course subsequently sacked, Fitzpatrick and McGarvey ended their playing days and went into management and it took a full season before experienced replacements were found - using the cash taken for Ian Fergusons transfer to buy Victor Munoz and Stevie Archibald.

This time round St Mirren won the League Cup in 2013. Planning should have given those at the club an acute awareness that Newton, Dummett and Isma were all leaving at the end of the season. Also obvious was that Teale and Thompson were ageing players who needed long term replacements. There must also have been the knowledge that Samson had not signed a new deal and was likely to leave, yet poor planning appears to have left the club signing mostly untried youngsters to augment players like Kenny McLean, John McGinn and Thomas Reilly and a bunch of never been journeymen. Now if history really is repeating itself I fully expect the next moves at the club to be closer to the January transfer window with the sacking of Danny Lennon, and the breaking of the budget to land at least one or two new high profile players in a desperate attempt to stay up. I'll also predict that the new managerial team would include Thompson and Teale - if so well those students of history will know what happens next.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both of them have got loads of experience. Both are doing the coaching exams, thommo I believe is doing uefa exams. That tells me that they are looking to go into management. And after speaking to tommo he would like to go into management. That added to my opinion and thommos dedication he has shown. Would, I think make him a good manager. Sorry just my opinion I thought I was allowed one

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both of them have got loads of experience. Both are doing the coaching exams, thommo I believe is doing uefa exams. That tells me that they are looking to go into management. And after speaking to tommo he would like to go into management. That added to my opinion and thommos dedication he has shown. Would, I think make him a good manager. Sorry just my opinion I thought I was allowed one

No need to be so sensitive, I was genuinely interested in why you thought they would make a good management team.

I can't say I share your views on this one, but, needless to say, that doesn't make them any less valid.

Edited by Drew
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me, Danny has brought a lot of problems on himself. hes had a poor pre season in terms of squad, no one can deny that, what i will say though is that very few of us actually know what happens behind closed doors, we have no idea what the budgets are (currently) and how they are spent. i cant imagine any manager wouldnt bring in players is there is money available, so have the BoD moved the goalposts possibly due to hearts predicament? who knows. His record in terms of permanent signings is poor recently, Harkins and Grainger look like decent additions right now to be fair.

One thing that certainly is Dannys fault though is an inability to change, i apprciate he wants us to play like barcelona, but barcelona have some of the best players in the world and finances that mean if they lose one player then can easily replace him. We need to be consistantly changing, teams know how to play against us and its as simple as press us high and we will make mistakes, teams cant do that against ICT as they hit it long to guys like foran and then surround him with their flair players like Doran and McKay to make things happen. we are too slow and predictable on the break also, nearly all our good moves involve Gary Teale, our only natural winger. He needs to change it, we have became a soft touch and far too easy to play against

Im 28, ive seen some of the worst saints sides imaginable with guys like Crilly, Dunn, Robb, Lynch, Camara and Annand. Theres somehting i personally find uncomfortable about sacking a manager who has given me my greatest ever day in football (was 2 in 87) just 5 months after the event and just 3 games into a season.

I also find it a bit sad the way some on here seem gleeful after defeats so they can stick the boot into Danny Lennon, and its not a new occurance, its been happening for about 18 months. They also seem excited at the prospect of Lennons job being on the line if we lose the next 2 games.

IMO, i think he deserves more time, hes not invincible, but in my eyes he deserves to see out september and possibly October at the very least, I do also believe he deserves more respect for the cup win, ive seen some write the players won the cup in spite of lennon, which is frankly embarassing.

Some of the names listed as possible replacements fill me with no confidence either, Shiels, Calderwood, Hughes etc

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Both of them have got loads of experience. Both are doing the coaching exams, thommo I believe is doing uefa exams. That tells me that they are looking to go into management. And after speaking to tommo he would like to go into management. That added to my opinion and thommos dedication he has shown. Would, I think make him a good manager. Sorry just my opinion I thought I was allowed one

Not unless you agree with the yes men

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry drew....never meant it to sound the way it was written. I have read my post again and its a bit off. Apologies. Just having talked to him, his vision and views of the game leads me to think that. Of course he could be worse than Gus.....just the same when we see a youngster....has loads of talent but never makes the grade.....how my times have I seem these lads down saints way

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry drew....never meant it to sound the way it was written. I have read my post again and its a bit off. Apologies. Just having talked to him, his vision and views of the game leads me to think that. Of course he could be worse than Gus.....just the same when we see a youngster....has loads of talent but never makes the grade.....how my times have I seem these lads down saints way

No worries Alan, I can see why you thought I was having a go - it seems to be the way of the forum of late, sadly.

You could well be right in terms of Thompson as a future manager, and, having spoken to him, you have more to base that on than I have in terms of any evidence to the contrary.

Edited by Drew
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oaksoft, I think it's fair to say we have different views on Lennon's tenure and how this season is playing out and that's fair enough. If we get a few wins then naturally that will buy the manager some more time to fix the obvious issues in the team and the heat from supporters will, in all likelihood, die down.

What I'd like to understand form you is at what point does your faith in the manager become blind faith? How much longer would you be prepared to see us struggle like we have, in the League, for some time now before you would expect action to be taken.

I don't want to get engaged in another tit for tat session but I'm genuinely interested what the tipping point would be for you?

There are two issues here.

Firstly, there's the issue of whether abusing a man when he is doing his job is acceptable or not.

IMO there are no circumstances under which that can ever be acceptable.

My gripes on here have been purely about the abuse this one poor bastard is getting despite his record giving us the best two seasons we've experienced in a qarter of a century.

Secondly, there's the issue of blind faith.

I have blind faith in nobody.

Here's my viewpoint.

We have a board of directors.

I have the ability to pay them and take over but I choose not to for various reasons.

The downside of that is I have no say over who we hire as manager and thus players, tactics etc.

I therefore accept that I have no control.

My only options now are to support the structure and people in place or walk away.

I choose to support them while they are at our club because I know two things.

Firstly we are struggling. Secondly booting people in the balls for struggling hardly ever works (please don't start quoting Fergie because most of that hairdryer stuff is myth). Because I am a supporter I have only one job. That job is not to make things worse by resorting to verbally abusing the team. I may not make a positive difference by happy clapping but I sure as hell can make it worse by booing and screaming abuse.

So what about Danny then? Well it's not our decision. The decision lies with the board. If the board support Danny then I personally will support him.

It's what support means. It's not happy clapping and it's not blind faith. It's recognising that there's not a chance I'm going to do anything to contribute to our teams worsening performances.

I'll say something else. We have a suspiciously large number of new members at the moment all using similar phrases to make personal attacks on our manager and our team. Have a wee look and convince me that we don't have a multiple alias problem.

One final point. our club is in the shit right now. Something is wrong. Our players are struggling and our manager looks and sounds like a broken man. A bit of human compassion is required here. I'm very disappointed that in their hour of need our fans are deserting them in droves. I'm particularly angry about the treatment handed out to Danny after what he's given us recently.

As fans our job is to support the team and the manager while he is in the job.

Let the board worry about sacking him.

All the majority of fans are doing is making it worse.

Honestly we couldn't f**k over our own team more if we paid Morton fans to come to our ground each week with a hymn sheet of abusive songs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hate to mention this again, but.....

Professional sportsmen should NOT be eating takeaway pizza!!

The pizza thing is about team building - the one thing we need right now.

The team is struggling and Danny is trying to get everyone to pull together.

It's a common and a very good man management technique.

Let's face it the team are getting f**k all support from the fan base right now.

This isn't the time for worrying about their diet. A couple of slices of pizza won't kill them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was sitting near a Shaven Headed guy, dressed all in Black at the extreme left of our support behind the goal on Saturday, and I cannot ever remember such a foul

mouthed tirade directed at anyone in my life. At one point I shouted over at him to give it a rest and a Saints fan behind me said " He has a right to his opinion".......

I said that he does have a right to his opinion but not in that fashion, IMHO. It really was disgusting, and he was at it almost from kick off. At one point I felt like asking a

Steward to get him to pack it in.Sadly he was not the only one dishing out abuse but was far and away the worst.This guy made my day one that I will remember

for the wrong reasons, sure I can take a defeat, but Crap like that will achieve nothing.

I will never be one for dishing out that stuff at a Player or the Manager, I don't see how it can possibly be of any good to anyone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was sitting near a Shaven Headed guy, dressed all in Black at the extreme left of our support behind the goal on Saturday, and I cannot ever remember such a foul

mouthed tirade directed at anyone in my life. At one point I shouted over at him to give it a rest and a Saints fan behind me said " He has a right to his opinion".......

I said that he does have a right to his opinion but not in that fashion, IMHO. It really was disgusting, and he was at it almost from kick off. At one point I felt like asking a

Steward to get him to pack it in.Sadly he was not the only one dishing out abuse but was far and away the worst.This guy made my day one that I will remember

for the wrong reasons, sure I can take a defeat, but Crap like that will achieve nothing.

I will never be one for dishing out that stuff at a Player or the Manager, I don't see how it can possibly be of any good to anyone.

It isn't any good to anyone. It can only make things worse.

Football seems to attract people who have shit lives and live their own fantasies out through their team.

When they abuse others they are actually venting their anger at their own failings.

It's the same reason we see adults doing the same thing at kids football with their own children.

Well rounded individuals never ever feel the need to attack other people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The pizza thing is about team building - the one thing we need right now.

The team is struggling and Danny is trying to get everyone to pull together.

It's a common and a very good man management technique.

Let's face it the team are getting f**k all support from the fan base right now.

This isn't the time for worrying about their diet. A couple of slices of pizza won't kill them.

So big Tel says ....."2-2 at darkheid not so bad"...."fish supper on the way up the road....some cool tunes and a cigar".......Fcukin stars that lot!....jealous as fcuk!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was sitting near a Shaven Headed guy, dressed all in Black at the extreme left of our support behind the goal on Saturday, and I cannot ever remember such a foul

mouthed tirade directed at anyone in my life. At one point I shouted over at him to give it a rest and a Saints fan behind me said " He has a right to his opinion".......

I said that he does have a right to his opinion but not in that fashion, IMHO. It really was disgusting, and he was at it almost from kick off. At one point I felt like asking a

Steward to get him to pack it in.Sadly he was not the only one dishing out abuse but was far and away the worst.This guy made my day one that I will remember

for the wrong reasons, sure I can take a defeat, but Crap like that will achieve nothing.

I will never be one for dishing out that stuff at a Player or the Manager, I don't see how it can possibly be of any good to anyone.

Your spot on how anyone can think screaming abuse at players or managers of their own club helps have no clue about football. All it does is demoralise someone's confidence that is already low. Voicing ones opinion should not be personal nor should it go to one individual. Every supporter has the right to voice their opinion but there is a time and place like booing at half time, full time or using this forum to air their unhappiness at performances.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So big Tel says ....."2-2 at darkheid not so bad"...."fish supper on the way up the road....some cool tunes and a cigar".......Fcukin stars that lot!....jealous as fcuk!

I think you'd be surprised at the things so called "hard man" managers do to keep a team together.

The reason Fergies hairdryer treatment worked was because he probably hardly ever did it.

There's no way guys on £250k a week would suffer being bawled at in this day and age.

The key is to guide your team towards what you want through concensus.

Trying to force your will just upsets the A type guys.

Actually management in many comes down to one long series of compromises because if the team won't work for you then you are out of a job.

Behaving like a c**t is one way of getting the team to down tools.

That's as true for football management as it is for factories and offices in all industries.

Never piss off the cleaners is a good management motto.

Edited by oaksoft
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...