A Simple Error Of Judgement

[Edinbuddie]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32312799

Another BBC article on our season.

It's fair enough as it goes, but I don't think any of us expect the club to spend money it doesn't have. We're all well used to that, have accepted that for decades and most of us agree with that policy.

What the article doesn't reflect is the vast amount of money (for a club of our size) wasted on our shambolic player recruitment over the past couple of years, including the amount of money used to pay off players in the last 2 January transfer windows.

If we were being relegated simply because Ross Co, Motherwell and others were spunking away money like nobodies business (like in season 2000/01), I could accept that. But we're not and I think we're being relegated because of poor managerial and player recruitment over a number of recent years, and I have more problems accepting that.

[Seaside Nipper]

Yup, unfortunately it seems ALL the media and sound bites now are that because we run a tight ship and essentially run within our means and budget accordingly , we are being relegated.

Seems a right stupid argument in my opinion. So we are being told that to do things right you get rewarded with failure.

So if these media snippets and sound bites are to be believed, only reckless and financially backed clubs who can rack up debt will prosper.

So, that therefore implies that if more fans came to games , spent more money, created more revenues we wouldn't be in this pickle.

Ah , I het it now , it's fan apathy and a wider malaise amongst fans and the community that has sunk us.

It's everybodys fault then.

Embrace it and move on, nowt left to see

[Rabinho]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32312799

Another BBC article on our season.

It's fair enough as it goes, but I don't think any of us expect the club to spend money it doesn't have. We're all well used to that, have accepted that for decades and most of us agree with that policy.

What the article doesn't reflect is the vast amount of money (for a club of our size) wasted on our shambolic player recruitment over the past couple of years, including the amount of money used to pay off players in the last 2 January transfer windows.

If we were being relegated simply because Ross Co, Motherwell and others were spunking away money like nobodies business (like in season 2000/01), I could accept that. But we're not and I think we're being relegated because of poor managerial and player recruitment over a number of recent years, and I have more problems accepting that.

Yeah, while the article is probably news to non Saints, it's nothing we haven't known for years.

Obviously we'll never know how much money was wasted on paying off Imrie, Harkins, Grainger, Caldwell, Marwood, feel free to complete the list.

I'd wager the money wasted would have gone some way to helping us get Scott McDonald in January or one of Tommy's targets from his infamous piece of paper.

[saintnextlifetime]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32312799

Another BBC article on our season.

It's fair enough as it goes, but I don't think any of us expect the club to spend money it doesn't have. We're all well used to that, have accepted that for decades and most of us agree with that policy.

What the article doesn't reflect is the vast amount of money (for a club of our size) wasted on our shambolic player recruitment over the past couple of years, including the amount of money used to pay off players in the last 2 January transfer windows.

If we were being relegated simply because Ross Co, Motherwell and others were spunking away money like nobodies business (like in season 2000/01), I could accept that. But we're not and I think we're being relegated because of poor managerial and player recruitment over a number of recent years, and I have more problems accepting that.

I agree . TC as manager wasn't the only bad decision that has led to our fall from the top league , there have been a series of errors of judgement and this time there is no safety net , that will retain our top league status. .

As I mentioned in another thread , the start of the bad decisions probably goes back to giving wee Anxious that contract that was expensive to get out of , when they finally wanted rid. Taking the gamble ? The others around us have perhaps gambled well , whereas our succession of bad gambles have caught up with us .

The Club has been steered well at times , with the acquisition of the new facilities and obviously in the coup that brought young Isma to our great Club but sadly , the poor decisions have caught us at present. I think we will recover to come back to the top tier stronger than ever . .

[TopCat]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32312799

Another BBC article on our season.

It's fair enough as it goes, but I don't think any of us expect the club to spend money it doesn't have. We're all well used to that, have accepted that for decades and most of us agree with that policy.

What the article doesn't reflect is the vast amount of money (for a club of our size) wasted on our shambolic player recruitment over the past couple of years, including the amount of money used to pay off players in the last 2 January transfer windows.

If we were being relegated simply because Ross Co, Motherwell and others were spunking away money like nobodies business (like in season 2000/01), I could accept that. But we're not and I think we're being relegated because of poor managerial and player recruitment over a number of recent years, and I have more problems accepting that.

Sadly some people do expect us to spend money we don't have. See repeated references to 'cost cutting and penny pinching'. Which are of course perfectly reasonable measures to combat a drop in income.

I agree about the contract terminations or 'mutual consents', they've really caught up with us this year. There's simply been far too many of them over the last 3 seasons - particularly last year - and (unsurprisingly) it's had an adverse affect on our budget, with disastrous consequences.

The amount of money we paid to get shot of the likes of Imrie, Grainger and Harkins etc etc would have went a long way toward better recruitment this season.

[Wrong Planet]

I think the BoD have ran a sound campaign of late to deflect some of the criticism, and in many ways have succeeded in getting the many positives of their tenure across. I've no problem with that, in fact, I would have been dissapointed if they hadn't come out fighting.

Accepting the appointment of Tommy Craig as a mistake is the grand gesture, and it has clearly appeased some. However the mistakes have been many. Mistake number 2 was waiting until December to sack Craig. Mistake number 3 was handing the keys to GT, an existing player, coaching experience amounting to 8 months, zero management experience, and hobbled by his ingrained allegiances and lack of impartiality within the dressing room. Mistake 4 was a disastrous January window. Pulling no punches, Arquin and Gow - I mean, come on! And it's not hindsight, most of us said it at the time. Mistake 5 was the sale of McLean (really, could nothing have been done to retain him until May?).

We are all hurting, BoD included. The great shame is that we are being relegated in our 9th season consecutive season in the Premiership when arguably it should have been relatively straightforward to finish at least 10th. It's worth remembering there is no Hearts, no Hibs, no newRanger. Dundee and Hamilton were new to the top tier this season, yet strolled past us. Ross County and Motherwell were the worst they have been in years. Killie and Partick are hardly world beaters.

I think we all understand the argument about living within our means. However there has to be a degree of speculating to accumulate. Neither Motherwell or Ross County broke the bank in January, far from it. Instead they signed wisely and have transformed their seasons as a result. It is likely that both will be rewarded with Premiership survival. Consider this, we missed out on the likes of Scott McDonald who doubtless wanted £X. We instead gave £Y to Gow, a footballer who had not had a club for 12 months. We don't know what the difference between X and Y is in terms of salary from January to May, but I'd be surprised if it was vast over a few short months.

It feels like a well rehearsed mantra.... we are all thankful for what the BoD have done, have achieved. But the rot does not begin and end with the farcical appointment of Tommy Craig. It is far more complex as we, as fans, know intimately. My own opinion is that Tom English got it right, over the last 12 months (at least) the men in charge are guilty of being asleep at the wheel. Did I mention I'm thankful for they achieved prior though? Just checking.

[Seaside Nipper]

I think the BoD have ran a sound campaign of late to deflect some of the criticism, and in many ways have succeeded in getting the many positives of their tenure across. I've no problem with that, in fact, I would have been dissapointed if they hadn't come out fighting.

Accepting the appointment of Tommy Craig as a mistake is the grand gesture, and it has clearly appeased some. However the mistakes have been many. Mistake number 2 was waiting until December to sack Craig. Mistake number 3 was handing the keys to GT, an existing player, coaching experience amounting to 8 months, zero management experience, and hobbled by his ingrained allegiances and lack of impartiality within the dressing room. Mistake 4 was a disastrous January window. Pulling no punches, Arquin and Gow - I mean, come on! And it's not hindsight, most of us said it at the time. Mistake 5 was the sale of McLean (really, could nothing have been done to retain him until May?).

We are all hurting, BoD included. The great shame is that we are being relegated in our 9th season consecutive season in the Premiership when arguably it should have been relatively straightforward to finish at least 10th. It's worth remembering there is no Hearts, no Hibs, no newRanger. Dundee and Hamilton were new to the top tier this season, yet strolled past us. Ross County and Motherwell were the worst they have been in years. Killie and Partick are hardly world beaters.

I think we all understand the argument about living within our means. However there has to be a degree of speculating to accumulate. Neither Motherwell or Ross County broke the bank in January, far from it. Instead they signed wisely and have transformed their seasons as a result. It is likely that both will be rewarded with Premiership survival. Consider this, we missed out on the likes of Scott McDonald who doubtless wanted £X. We instead gave £Y to Gow, a footballer who had not had a club for 12 months. We don't know what the difference between X and Y is in terms of salary from January to May, but I'd be surprised if it was vast over a few short months.

It feels like a well rehearsed mantra.... we are all thankful for what the BoD have done, have achieved. But the rot does not begin and end with the farcical appointment of Tommy Craig. It is far more complex as we, as fans, know intimately. My own opinion is that Tom English got it right, over the last 12 months (at least) the men in charge are guilty of being asleep at the wheel. Did I mention I'm thankful for they achieved prior though? Just checking.

I would add that the delay in ignoring 'some fifty applications' then appointing from within again, was almost as criminal as appointing TC .

Furthermore I would stretch it to 24 months, the malaise started almost immediately after the cup win. We went iirc on a dismal run of form right after the cup final, also the BOD thought , any day now , here come the offers for the majority holding. Everyone put the tools away and now it has caught up with the club

[billyg]

I'm not a big fan of Calderwood, but if the BOD had said to him in January here's a short term deal , keep us up and we'll give you a longer deal, he would have taken it , and we wouldn't be in the state we're in now !

[Magic Monkey]

Sadly some people do expect us to spend money we don't have. See repeated references to 'cost cutting and penny pinching'. Which are of course perfectly reasonable measures to combat a drop in income.

I agree about the contract terminations or 'mutual consents', they've really caught up with us this year. There's simply been far too many of them over the last 3 seasons - particularly last year - and (unsurprisingly) it's had an adverse affect on our budget, with disastrous consequences.

The amount of money we paid to get shot of the likes of Imrie, Grainger and Harkins etc etc would have went a long way toward better recruitment this season.

I think it's back to the decision making, though: you can get away with running a tight financial ship if you make good decisions.

To rephrase that slightly, it places an even greater emphasis on getting the big decisions correct, because spending your way out of the mire is not an option.

The lack of 'due diligence' that went into appointing Danny Lennon's successor will haunt our club forever. I have visions of them looking at a huge pile of CVs that, y'know, would need time and effort to assess, and just thinking f**k it, let's give the job to Tommy.

He then let Gowser go and recruited duds. Total, utter, duds. One big mistake was compounded many times over.

Thing was, there was then the chance to rectify it. They acted relatively decisively by their own standards in binning TC, but then sat on their hands hoping Gary Teale would prove to be the man. They then left it too long, the end of the window arrived, McLean went, and GT got the job by default (because why appoint a manager at the end of the window?)

[Edinbuddie]

I think the BoD have ran a sound campaign of late to deflect some of the criticism, and in many ways have succeeded in getting the many positives of their tenure across. I've no problem with that, in fact, I would have been dissapointed if they hadn't come out fighting.

Yes, there's no doubt that the BoD are getting their side of things across to the media, and that's reflected in a largely sympathetic media view towards them. So there is an awareness of the need to get their message out.

My slight issue would be that, while they seem to have demonstrated a soft, vulnerable and proactive approach to the media over the past week or so, they haven't taken a similar proactive approach to the club's fans and shareholders. It's like saying 'we'll make sure we're portrayed sympathetically in the media, but we don't give a monkey's what the fans think'. I think having the chairman talking about 'knickerwetters' and 'keyboard warriors' betrays an attitude towards a support, who are, in the main, very reasonable and understanding about where we are as a club and what the BoD has done for us over the past 20 odd years.

Personal criticism of anyone at the club is wrong, but it is legitimate to criticise a number of decisions taken over the past couple of years. I also think that there should be an awareness that if you're going to bullishly refer to the elements of the support in a slightly derogatory and condescending manner, then you have to be aware that not everyone is going to be completely reasonable and understanding when things go wrong. That is an unfortunate fact of life.

[Lord Pityme]

The thread title lifted from a piece on the BBC website (seemingly hastily written to counterpoint the Tom English one after SG complained) should be corrected to... "Several Errors Of Judgement"

The malaise and apathy that has swept through the club did not come about because the fans don't! Want the club to live within its means. Quite the opposite in fact, everyone i have ever spoken to is rightly proud our club is run on a sustainable model, however that changed five years ago and since then we have been in free fall fortunate to grab a League cup against the odds on the way down.

The decision by the selling consortium to have a closed cartel of 52% shareholdings to facilitate a sale has seen this club slip back year on year since that decision was made. Consider that they effectively closed the door on 48% of the shareholders, yes 48% of the good people who ALSO bailed out the club in times of turmoil.

now they want sympathy because no one wants to buy the club, or come forward with a plan to take it over. They took the decision and since that day have taken a series of decisions some late, some wrong, many avoided that have brought us to where we are today.

Did anyone here make those decisions? Not for the first Transfer window when we are up against it, need players in to hit the ground running do we sign guys that haven't kicked a ball for a year, (Gow) players dropped by their last club as gash (Ar-Cant), players with chocolate knees (Grainger, Osborne) players that were so obviously not up to it (Bahoken), players they thought they could change (Harkins, Imrie) the list of shocking cock ups goes on, and its driven by one major mistake when the sellers backed themselves into the corner by forming their cartel, and blocking out almost half the owners of the club.

If they had done it because a deal was about to be penned then, we might be in a better place now, but as far as I can see they did with hope, rather than certainty and are now enjoying the fallout from trying to find a basket to put all their eggs into!

Edit: just to add that decision to form a 52% block has ruled almost every subsequent decision since then. Everything has been short term, quick-fix and has inevitably led to so many working out wrong, or never working out in the first place, basically they have had it hanging round their necks for five years.

Edited April 15, 2015 by Lord Pityme

[TopCat]

I think it's back to the decision making, though: you can get away with running a tight financial ship if you make good decisions.

To rephrase that slightly, it places an even greater emphasis on getting the big decisions correct, because spending your way out of the mire is not an option.

The lack of 'due diligence' that went into appointing Danny Lennon's successor will haunt our club forever. I have visions of them looking at a huge pile of CVs that, y'know, would need time and effort to assess, and just thinking f**k it, let's give the job to Tommy.

He then let Gowser go and recruited duds. Total, utter, duds. One big mistake was compounded many times over.

Thing was, there was then the chance to rectify it. They acted relatively decisively by their own standards in binning TC, but then sat on their hands hoping Gary Teale would prove to be the man. They then left it too long, the end of the window arrived, McLean went, and GT got the job by default (because why appoint a manager at the end of the window?)

There was far less margin for error this year, due to the budget being cut. And the budget would have been affected by paying off duds from last season. This season we aren't just paying for the mistakes of this season - which have been many - but of the mistakes of the last 2 and 3 seasons.

The long term injury of Thompson and his subsequent failure to recover full fitness finished us. When you have a striker who gets you 15 goals a season - as Thompson did for the last 3 seasons - you will always have a good chance of staying up. Fifteen goal a season strikers are hard to stumble upon at our level. We had one in each of Danny's four seasons with Higdon and then Thompson. Take that goal scoring buffer away and we get... Our current situation. The amount of games we've lost this season by one goal, or games we have lost when we have been the better team... These are the thin margins where a proven goal scorer makes a difference, and has done in the past.

I certainly don't think it was a mistake letting McGowan go. He was rubbish last season and he's been back in trouble with the police again this year, we are well rid of him.

The appointment of TC was a mistake, no doubt about that. The BOD has since admitted so. They acted as they should have done before the window, and the new manager had plenty of time to get players in and get us clear of relegation.

Then the perfect storm, there was obviously some takeover activity going on around Christmas time with the English and/or Argentinian consortium. It would have made no sense for the BOD to bring in a new man while a takeover bid was ongoing, so they had to stick with Teale as caretaker. By the time the takeover deals had died the January window was done, and it made sense to stick with Teale until the end of the season.

Indeed performances had improved under him, and at the end of January we got that win in Dingwall with ten men and it looked like we would at least avoid bottom spot, It would have made no sense to get rid of him at that stage.

We hung in there fine till the last month or so. We beat Accies at the end of February and we went level on points with County and Well. Since then we have lost 5 on the spin while those two have hit simultaneous good runs, and from being level on points 5 matches ago we are now totally cut adrift.

Basically I'm saying there's been several factors in our relegation this season. From Danny's disasters last year affecting the budget in the summer, to the appointment of TC, to the loss of Thommo, to the takeover bids happening at a crucial stage of the season, subsequently dying thus hindering the recruitment of a new manager, to a remarkable run of bad luck with refereeing decisions around Christmas, to the loss of Kenny McLean on the last day of the window.....

We could have coped with one or two of those things and stayed up. Them all happening in one season though...

[class of 76-77]

Aside from the fact that successive managers have wasted too much of the transfer budget on players who were not good enough or didn't fit in, the biggest mystery must be why the BOD thought that a man who spent his entire career as a number two would suddenly be able to take the helm. Given his only other tilt at management in Belgium was an unmitigated disaster.

Everyone within the game looked on in astonishment as they appointed Tommy Craig, The board took the cheap option and they are paying for it now monumental style.

[nedflanders123]

Yeah, while the article is probably news to non Saints, it's nothing we haven't known for years.

Obviously we'll never know how much money was wasted on paying off Imrie, Harkins, Grainger, Caldwell, Marwood, feel free to complete the list.

I'd wager the money wasted would have gone some way to helping us get Scott McDonald in January or one of Tommy's targets from his infamous piece of paper.

Let's not forget paying wages for Gus and TC after they were sacked.

[TopCat]

Aside from the fact that successive managers have wasted too much of the transfer budget on players who were not good enough or didn't fit in, the biggest mystery must be why the BOD thought that a man who spent his entire career as a number two would suddenly be able to take the helm. Given his only other tilt at management in Belgium was an unmitigated disaster.

Everyone within the game looked on in astonishment as they appointed Tommy Craig, The board took the cheap option and they are paying for it now monumental style.

Don't get the cheap option bit. TC's turned out to be a very expensive mistake for the club. Not least because he was on a 2 year deal.

The cheap option would have been Thommo and/or Teale as player manager on a 1 year contract.

[Seaside Nipper]

Yes, there's no doubt that the BoD are getting their side of things across to the media, and that's reflected in a largely sympathetic media view towards them. So there is an awareness of the need to get their message out.

My slight issue would be that, while they seem to have demonstrated a soft, vulnerable and proactive approach to the media over the past week or so, they haven't taken a similar proactive approach to the club's fans and shareholders. It's like saying 'we'll make sure we're portrayed sympathetically in the media, but we don't give a monkey's what the fans think'. I think having the chairman talking about 'knickerwetters' and 'keyboard warriors' betrays an attitude towards a support, who are, in the main, very reasonable and understanding about where we are as a club and what the BoD has done for us over the past 20 odd years.

Personal criticism of anyone at the club is wrong, but it is legitimate to criticise a number of decisions taken over the past couple of years. I also think that there should be an awareness that if you're going to bullishly refer to the elements of the support in a slightly derogatory and condescending manner, then you have to be aware that not everyone is going to be completely reasonable and understanding when things go wrong. That is an unfortunate fact of life.

Spot on

Anyone who was in attendance on Monday nightwould know that the support were with them, club and team as a whole. We even managed an encouraging burst of a applause and vocal encouragement when Saints managed two passes that then set up a chance to get be behind county in the first half . Wow, things are so bad on the park that was a highlit. Anyway, there was an acceptance and tone of realism and tolerance of our plight that was quite tangiable.

There is an appreciation by the the fans on the position the club is in and it's disingenuous to try and suggest that somehow it's the fans that to are note playing the game here or are not supporting the club. Ffs we pay up an and attend and suffer just like everyone else.

The Bod does not have a monopoly on the suffering, it's a pity then that presently the media via the Bod cosy updates and soundbites need to try and suggest that somehow the unenligtened gate fodder don't know what's going on and wouldn't understand or are incapable of empathising with the Bod.

That's just poor......................

[Edinbuddie]

Don't get the cheap option bit. TC's turned out to be a very expensive mistake for the club. Not least because he was on a 2 year deal.

The cheap option would have been Thommo and/or Teale as player manager on a 1 year contract.

That compounded the error. I think it was suggested on here that when TC was given the job, there must to be a clause in his contract which meant minimal compensation if things weren't going well.

To give him the job was unbelievable, to also give him a watertight 2 year contract is absolutely bizarre. Why give the most important role in the club to a man in his 60s, with a short lived and disastrous management track record, and absolutely no evidence to suggest that he had the ability to do the manager's job? He wouldn't have passed the paper sift in 99.99999% of companies.

Do the BoD not appreciate that a decision like that gives the support very real concerns about what's going to happen next?

[mad saint 2]

series of errors

i would say a long list off total f**k up

no planning .all short term they sow what they reap

get ready for more off the same they have no idea what to do next

or we would have new man in PLANNING for new squad

lack off judgement ,

that a joke past there sell by date

[saintnextlifetime]

Let's not forget paying wages for Gus and TC after they were sacked.

Probably the wee Anxious pay off was the worse of the two and was only compounded by the TC one. .

The time to consolidate would have been when Danny got us an eighth finish . We should have been able to build on that . I always think that the Club are baffled by the way that the likes of ICT and the Fakes seem to always out perform us in the league but I think that it is plain to see that they both adopt a "hammer-thrower" strategy whilst we seem to never adopt that style when needed. .

[saintnextlifetime]

That compounded the error. I think it was suggested on here that when TC was given the job, there must to be a clause in his contract which meant minimal compensation if things weren't going well.

To give him the job was unbelievable, to also give him a watertight 2 year contract is absolutely bizarre. Why give the most important role in the club to a man in his 60s, with a short lived and disastrous management track record, and absolutely no evidence to suggest that he had the ability to do the manager's job? He wouldn't have passed the paper sift in 99.99999% of companies.

Do the BoD not appreciate that a decision like that gives the support very real concerns about what's going to happen next?

After a defeat last October , as we left SMP ,a Buddie said to me then , "we will be relegated!". .

[shull]

After a defeat last October , as we left SMP ,a Buddie said to me then , "we will be relegated!". .

Elvis?

[Kendo]

Don't get the cheap option bit. TC's turned out to be a very expensive mistake for the club. Not least because he was on a 2 year deal.

The cheap option would have been Thommo and/or Teale as player manager on a 1 year contract.

This was the insane option. I was gobsmacked at the time we appointed Tommy Craig. We appointed a known failure and guess what happened he failed and failed spectacularly.

The man that I would have appointed was Gary Locke, done well at Hearts with no transfer budget and blooding young talent. We went for proven failure and it has cost us big time. I bet it was cheaper at the time to appoint TC and GT than go for a new team. Total false economy and the fans have been sold short.

I will think long and hard about renewing my season ticket but I can tell you this, if Gary Teale or Longwell are in charge then there is no way I'm buying anything to do with the club.

[kevo_smfc]

This was the insane option. I was gobsmacked at the time we appointed Tommy Craig. We appointed a known failure and guess what happened he failed and failed spectacularly.

The man that I would have appointed was Gary Locke, done well at Hearts with no transfer budget and blooding young talent. We went for proven failure and it has cost us big time. I bet it was cheaper at the time to appoint TC and GT than go for a new team. Total false economy and the fans have been sold short.

I will think long and hard about renewing my season ticket but I can tell you this, if Gary Teale or Longwell are in charge then there is no way I'm buying anything to do with the club.

Agree.

Considering that the boards mentality was to bring through more youngsters and there was a proven success in what Gary Locke was doing with a similar model at Hearts is beyond me. He probably wouldn't have cost much either.

[TopCat]

This was the insane option. I was gobsmacked at the time we appointed Tommy Craig. We appointed a known failure and guess what happened he failed and failed spectacularly.

The man that I would have appointed was Gary Locke, done well at Hearts with no transfer budget and blooding young talent. We went for proven failure and it has cost us big time. I bet it was cheaper at the time to appoint TC and GT than go for a new team. Total false economy and the fans have been sold short.

I will think long and hard about renewing my season ticket but I can tell you this, if Gary Teale or Longwell are in charge then there is no way I'm buying anything to do with the club.

Don't think you'll find many Hearts fans who thought he 'done well'. Most of them wanted him sacked throughout last season let's not forget. The general consensus among the media and fans at the start of the season was that Hearts would at least get close to survival, indeed the much revered journalist Tom English said it was 'only a matter of time before they caught up with the teams above them'.

In the end they never even got near us and the other teams above them. They started playing pretty well when the pressure was off and they were relegated but the vast majority of Hearts fans still wanted Locke gone at the end of last season.

It looks like he's currently trying his best to drag Killie into the relegation mix from a position of relative safety when he took over too.

He certainly wouldn't have been expensive, he ended up going to Killie as assistant. I think we could have done a lot better than him, that's for sure.

[DougJamie]

Surely this is just cause we know we are down and its for him to see out his contract, but would it not be an ideal time to get a new pair of eyes in now, or maybe they are waiting for the right person to be free. They need to make a statement , and that is the car crash and tactics over 3 out of last 4 games alone should cost Teale his position. I have nothing against Gary, he had no support, but he needs to learn a trade somewhere else not with us.