21
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: Relegation Watch 20/21
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on: April 14, 2021, 11:04:58 am
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Going to be very tough but still all to play for. Back end of the season always throws up some odd results, let’s hope we’re on the right end of them. The promotion-chasing sides we are playing will have huge pressures of their own, especially the likes of Sunderland and Ipswich who will feel they shouldn’t really be in this division.
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22
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: Jon Brady
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on: April 14, 2021, 10:35:21 am
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I tend to agree. I like the guy but all his talk is about really going for games when in reality, particularly away, we just try not to lose. MK away changed his outlook sadly.
It’s easy to talk and say ‘we’re going to always have a go’ until the pressure comes. When Brady took charge as caretaker there wasn’t really anything to lose as such. He got a pass from a large section of the fan base on the basis that ‘it couldn’t really get any worse than Curle’. Once the expectations start to rise, the pressure quickly follows and all of a sudden that bravery often goes out of the window. The novelty of playing a certain way also wears off quite quickly if results don’t follow.
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23
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: Jon Brady
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on: April 13, 2021, 16:23:54 pm
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To me the situation is very clear. If we stay up keep Brady, if we go down get someone new in. Brady has done ok as manager but I wouldn’t say the improvement has been that great to warrant staying in the job should we go down. Whether that be by one point or not. As for the question of who could we get in as manager who would be better than Brady. No one knows the answer as you can never predict how well any manager is going to get on. However what I would say is there are managers out there with much better records and CVs than Brady. That doesn’t guarantee success of course, but the narrative some have pushed which is that there is no one out there better than Brady is a ridiculous one. In my humble opinion of course
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24
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: Relegation Watch 20/21
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on: April 06, 2021, 13:53:58 pm
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Apart from getting the odd good result none of the bottom 6 seem capable of putting together a run of decent results. So far this season they have played a total of 234 games and registered 47 wins, 1 win in 5. Should this be repeated over the remaining 42 games to be played they would manage another 8-9 wins between them. On current form it is difficult to see 2 teams going on a run to escape and it would not surprise me to see teams avoid relegation with only 46-47 points.
Agreed. A couple of months ago, given how many were down there I was sure any team looking to stay up would need 50 points. However no one seems to be able to put any sort of consistent form together so I think 8/9 more points may well be enough for us. Hard to see where they come from though. Don’t like to use the term very often but it simply is a must-win given the run-in we have.
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25
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: Home against the Railwaymen Saturday 20.03.21
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on: March 23, 2021, 08:51:01 am
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What part of “ i asked them not to launch the ball long “ and “ my teams do not play that style of aimless football “ do you not understand ?? The team was set up to play passing football and got forced into playing long ball . The players did not follow instruction or are unable to do so because we haven’t the ability. I didn’t agree with the team selection either - too much faith is put into Hoskins and we have no creative midfielders whatsoever. The point is , we haven’t got any players that are any good.
Nicely edited
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26
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: Home against the Railwaymen Saturday 20.03.21
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on: March 23, 2021, 08:40:54 am
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What part of “ i asked them not to launch the ball long “ and “ my teams do not play that style of aimless football “ do you not understand ?? The team was set up to play passing football and got forced into playing long ball . The players did not follow instruction or are unable to do so because we haven’t the ability. I didn’t agree with the team selection either - too much faith is put into Hoskins and we have no creative midfielders whatsoever. However , JB is not a long ball merchant and neither has he said that Hoskins is a natural finisher. The point is , we haven’t got any players that are any good.
We can’t just keep saying this every time we put in a poor performance. Yes the squad isn’t the best, but it is capable of far better than what was served up on Saturday.
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27
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: Home against the Railwaymen Saturday 20.03.21
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on: March 22, 2021, 22:56:34 pm
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But it’s not like we even have the players anymore to try and dominate with a direct style of football. We don’t have an Oliver, if we still had Harry Smith then you maybe try him but we don’t. You can play any combination of our attackers in any style or formation it won’t matter they aren’t good enough, they are not even close to creating or scoring enough.
Whichever way you look at it, Hoskins upfront and trying to ‘play through the lines’ against a side who have shown vulnerability to a more direct style of play in the past was not advisable. I’m not even going to use the old hindsight cliches on this occasion because many made such comments as soon as the team sheets were released. You don’t necessarily need to have a 6 foot 2 target man to play a more direct game.
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28
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: Home against the Railwaymen Saturday 20.03.21
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on: March 22, 2021, 21:12:26 pm
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But weren’t we on course for a draw with the initial selection, it was only when the majority on here got there way and Rose & Edmondson came on that we went 1-0 down. I’m not saying Brady got it right but he’s damned if you do damned if you don’t at the moment. In his 10 matches in charge 9 goals, only 3 from open play and 2 out of 9 scored by attackers. I can understand him trying something different, I just hope A Jones can get to a level of fitness where we can give him a go because we’ve tried all the other attacking options and they all look out of their depth.
I don’t understand it. The last few times I’ve seen us play Crewe they’ve played decent football but have at times looked fragile against the more direct style of play. That’s the reason Artell made the pre-match comments. He knew they had come unstuck against that style in the past and he wanted to goad Brady into trying to play more football to prove a point. Brady fell for it and in the end it made for a relatively comfortable day for Crewe. Poor team selection and tactics in my opinion.
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31
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: Jon Brady
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on: March 04, 2021, 12:02:37 pm
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Would have preferred us to have appointed someone external but happy KT has finally provided some certainty at least until the end of the season. Time for us all to get behind Brady in the fight for survival. Hopefully Tuesday’s win will have given the players a huge boost!
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33
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: New Manager
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on: March 02, 2021, 17:17:02 pm
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But, if you expect a bounce after every few games then you might as well buy a bloody space hopper from Amazon for all the good it would do you. You surprise me MW, I thought you were endowed with lots of common sense.
The point is the new manager bounce usually comes in the first few games (see Swindon, Shrewsbury and Burton). They all won at least 2 of their first 5 under their respective new managers. It’s safe to say we haven’t had that bounce under Brady. 2 points in 5 matches. Maybe it’ll start to happen tonight. Let’s hope so.
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35
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: New Manager
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on: March 02, 2021, 13:30:26 pm
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We all have bugbears in football, that are in most cases way over the top. Many of us, for example, hate (despise) goal music!!
When it comes to football managers, my biggest bugbear is when a manager leaves it really late to make subs. Lets game 'drift'. And will only change things AFTER the inevitable has happened...
So far, Brady has had 5 games. Id argue that his use of subs, refusal to change the system, and be proactive rather than reactive all stand out from those 5 games. Take the last game for example. An hour gone, Swindon changed things, gradually got more and more into the game, and by the time they scored (75 minutes I think), we had long before completely run out of ideas. It then took a further 5 minutes before we did change it, and by which point it was too late.
I moaned about these lack of changes after his first game (in particular) and gain after the Rochdale game. Against MK Dons, I felt we were plain unlucky, hitting the post twice and their 4th goal shouldn't have been a free kick, but even sooo....at 3-2 up, we didn't make the desired changes needed to 'see the game out'.
I put him down as a reactive manager, and we've had a fair few of those. I know its subjective and we all see the game very differently, but these are the reasons I want us to recruit an experienced manager (Tisdale would be the obvious choice for me whom we could realistically afford/get), not just to give it a better go for the remainder of this season, but to guide us through a summer where there will be huge changes to the squad regardless of what division we are in.
I appreciate that this is the 'same old' route we've gone down, on many occasions. But for me, short term at least, a safe pair of hands is needed to settle things down a bit and reduce the chances of us 'doing a Chesterfield'. Which is what was happening last time round under Austin because KC came in.
I see too many parallels between Austin and Brady; less so their personalities, but definitely with regards to our on the pitch performances, strange tactics and substitutions and the way they took on the job in the first place. I just don't think its the right time and place for Brady to be trusted with turning this ship around; on the basis that he remains in charge after tonight I 100% hope Im proven wrong on that. There's a lot of support out there for him like there was for Austin, but like I say, we all look at the game very differently!
Great post Drilling. 100% agree.
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36
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: New Manager
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on: March 02, 2021, 08:52:17 am
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I like John Brady and his interviews are refreshing and honest but it’s a results business, this squad has one six games in this league before Christmas so they are capable. I dare say if it wasn’t for Mitchell we would have 6 points and Brady would be manager until the end of the season. Lose again tonight and he has the same record as the mighty Terry Fenwick, untenable I’m afraid. Plus the three amigos still have good jobs at the club, get some experience in.
Completely agree. At the halfway point of the season we were outside the relegation zone with a game in hand on nearly all of the teams below us, and as you said, had 6 wins on the board. If this squad was completely incapable that wouldn’t have been the case. I still believe we can stay up but I just fear the longer we go without even appoint anyone (even if it is Brady) the more time we are wasting time in this place of no clarity. KT needs to show some intent as the longer it goes on could be the more painful it’ll get for Brady and the more embarrassing it’ll look for the club.
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37
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: New Manager
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on: March 01, 2021, 16:04:44 pm
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That's pretty much where I am. I've been keen on Brady and co getting the job all along but I did have a bit of a wobble after the second half shambles on Saturday. I kept my own council on it though because I was aware it was more of an emotional reaction than a reasoned one.
Now I've calmed down a bit I think it's still the best bet to give him a crack, only on the terms I suggested the other day (initial deal to the end of the year, automatically extended if we stay up, otherwise at the club's discretion with the safety net of a return to the U18s if it doesn't work out).
We play decent football under Brady that is generally good to watch, we're creating chances and not leaking goals the way we were (MK aside). It's not his fault the strikers can't strike and the keeper can't keep! I couldn't understand why he was picking Mitchell but if Arnold isn't fit enough to play 90 minutes then I actually feel more sorry for him because what can he do??
He is right on the money about having a soft centre though. That goal on the stroke of half time broke them and they barely came out in the second half. I guess the belief and confidence is only going to return with a win, but in the interim it's a bit of a catch-22, isn't it? When things go against us we fall apart, when we fall apart we don't have the resilience and mental toughness to come back from it which makes us less likely to get the win that will bring the confidence we need.
In reply to those talking about "giving up", I certainly haven't. My head says we're screwed but in my heart I will keep on believing we can survive until it's mathematically impossible to do so. That's what being a Cobblers fan is about, isn't it?
Refreshing to hear after seeing how many have already waved the white flag.
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38
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: New Manager
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on: February 28, 2021, 18:23:12 pm
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I didn't say that any of the above was true, but they were the stories around at the time. To be honest, I would personally doubt the 'dressing room stories', but the remainder? Not a massive fan of Campbell but if you’re going to rule someone out based on allegations for which you have very little factual evidence that’s unfair. You’ve tried, on more than one occasion, to diminish the job he did at Macclesfield based on stories which you now admit you doubt. You can say he did a good job whilst still saying you wouldn’t want him near the club. The two aren’t mutually exclusive
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39
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: New Manager
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on: February 28, 2021, 13:48:05 pm
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Yep Crazy, you’re right “doing a Bournemouth” needs more than a competent and committed manager but it’s not a bad place to start. I think we understand each other’s POV- doesn’t mean we’ve got to agree though!
One piece of the jigsaw missing though - who do YOU want at the helm? You are clearly not a fan of Brady and seem to want another Wilder. Have you seen one amongst the folks being put forward for the vacancy?
What have you seen that makes you think Brady is competent at this level? The 2 points from 5 games? I don’t have anything against Brady I just don’t understand what you’ve seen to suggest he is the man to entrust with a 5 year project
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40
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The Hotel End / Cobblers Corner / Re: New Manager
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on: February 28, 2021, 12:11:32 pm
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My problem is I never know when folks on here are being serious or they’re just having a giggle.
Are you really telling me that Eddie Howes 11 years as a player and 12 years as a manager with the same club makes him an example that loyalty doesn’t work? Just to clarify, he took Bournemouth from bottom of Div 2 to an established Premier league team and was named the English manager of the decade. His brief episode at Burnley didn’t work as he couldn’t settle and his wife and family stayed at Poole. If we do want a Eddie Howe then yes I do think the Brady Bunch is the closest thing we have. However if we we want another 5 years of boom and bust then being on the next one ...
So if you don’t want us to find an Eddie Howe can you please give me your perfect (but realistic) managerial choice for the next 5 years? Thank you.
Up the Cobblers!
I didn’t say loyalty doesn’t work I said managers will often jump ship if a better offer is on the table because they have ambitions just like everyone else. Eddie Howe did exactly that. I haven’t seen anything to suggest Jon Brady deserves to be given a 5 year project. Have you? Also, not sure if you’re aware but ‘doing a Bournemouth’ requires more than just a good manager.
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