Ardley in or out?

[Bernard_Bresslaw]

Out. There's no better time now. We won't go down if the new man goes wrong and we're only a couple of midfielders off where we need to be to be really challenging - obviously this is the one recruitment area we won't see from Ardley. We would hardly be chucking away nailed on promotion if he went.

Long term he is clearly not the man to fit into the new owners' strategy. They've made it clear using stats to analyse new signings is only part of the plan. It's fine saying that he's receptive to using data on this front but Ardley simply will not use young players unless he has no choice. Pierce Bird and Osborne are obvious examples as he would rather bring in mid to late 20s triallists who are out of work than develop them. With this mindset we will never bring through players as assets to fund new growth.

Instead Ardley will always cling to using old pros as a starting point because he's so cautious. A lack of confidence in younger players just reflects his own lack of confidence. Is it coincidence that Booty is always the one who's dropped and not Rose or Doyle?

Long term Ardley will just repeatedly drain the budget. He will always look to 'bring in a couple more' until we're far too top heavy. You have the initial expense of signing on and agents' fees every time and you also end up having to pay most of them to leave.

This cannot have been part of what the owners envisaged for the long term. A lot of us wanted to get stability before all else and rightly so. We now have it and Ardley will not deliver much more. We can't just accept stability at this level forever or no one will care anymore before too long.

Time to move on

[Observerpie]

Out. There's no better time now. We won't go down if the new man goes wrong and we're only a couple of midfielders off where we need to be to be really challenging - obviously this is the one recruitment area we won't see from Ardley. We would hardly be chucking away nailed on promotion if he went.

Long term he is clearly not the man to fit into the new owners' strategy. They've made it clear using stats to analyse new signings is only part of the plan. It's fine saying that he's receptive to using data on this front but Ardley simply will not use young players unless he has no choice. Pierce Bird and Osborne are obvious examples as he would rather bring in mid to late 20s triallists who are out of work than develop them. With this mindset we will never bring through players as assets to fund new growth.

Instead Ardley will always cling to using old pros as a starting point because he's so cautious. A lack of confidence in younger players just reflects his own lack of confidence. Is it coincidence that Booty is always the one who's dropped and not Rose or Doyle?

Long term Ardley will just repeatedly drain the budget. He will always look to 'bring in a couple more' until we're far too top heavy. You have the initial expense of signing on and agents' fees every time and you also end up having to pay most of them to leave.

This cannot have been part of what the owners envisaged for the long term. A lot of us wanted to get stability before all else and rightly so. We now have it and Ardley will not deliver much more. We can't just accept stability at this level forever or no one will care anymore before too long.

Time to move on

This.

[laddo]

Agree with a lot of the points raised , especially regarding lack of confidence in himself potentially.

Although stability at this level forever is a tad dramatic we haven't finished season one yet down here.

Plus agents fees hurt but nowhere near as much as the cost of sacking a management team and bringing another one in

[Bernard_Bresslaw]

Agree with a lot of the points raised , especially regarding lack of confidence in himself potentially.

Although stability at this level forever is a tad dramatic we haven't finished season one yet down here.

Plus agents fees hurt but nowhere near as much as the cost of sacking a management team and bringing another one in

True about agents' fees although getting rid of Ardley will cost us at some point (assuming he isn't poached after an unparalelled era of success). The sheer volume of players signed will bump up the cost though.

There was talk that Ardley is on extremely good money even for the level we were at when he arrived, which wouldn't be surprising given he basically said he was knackered and how desperate AH was. I would assume a replacement would be cheaper.

Part of the equation is assessing the two routes you can take. One means keeping NA, presumably on a higher wage until the cost of paying him off is lower but possibly continuing the churn of players with goodwill and attendances waning.

The alternative is agreeing a payoff, replacing him on the proviso that there will be very limited short term scope for net spending and giving someone new half a season at the helm without any immediate danger.

Paying off NA and the wages of a replacement will obviously be more expensive initially but losing fans' interest and the risk of apathy really setting in are worth avoiding imho

[TSANHO]

I couldn't bring myself to go today, or even listen on the wireless, but judging by the reaction we were exactly the same as we have been for the last two months.

I am seriously considering my stance on Ardley's employment now, any progress we made early on has ceased, his comments and stubbornness are worrying, his reluctance to change his team or tactics regardless of performances, freezing players out, drop in attendences.....and maybe losing the dressing room as well as what ever good will of the fans was left over all point towards a manager who has severly lost his way.

I initially said to give him the season, until Christmas at least....but is he trying to make things better, or even different anymore?

So, the positives of him leaving now would see a new man come in with new ideas....albeit not necessarily giving him funds until the close season in my opinion. It would maybe inspire some stay away fans to return and also make the 'untouchables' buck their ideas up.

On the downside, we have have fired managers far too quickly in the past and it has gotten us nowhere, but here, and it would cause even more upheavel which we don't necessarily need right now....but the lack of desire to mix things up (along with the deluded notion that our midfield isn't a problem) negates this I feel. Another downside is the question as to who has the minerals to actually come in and make a difference...I've no idea on lower league managers.

The annoying thing for me is that I don't feel the team actually needs much tinkering to make us successful at this level bit Ardley thinks things are ok, which is baffling!

So, with a heavy, frustrated, heart I say...

On her bike lad!

[durhampie]

I have to say the club are still well in the play off picture and we can still be in the mix come May. Too many on here are negative and no side in this league are free of dips in form. After all Barrow went through a run of 2 wins in 9 incl 6 losses and Solihull Moors went on a run of no wins in 6 this season. Have we done that?
Think we all need to get behind the club and the manager and just support them

We have the players to mount a promotion challenge, but Ardley is a serial loser and the sooner he goes the better..

[Glad2BeAPie]

Not got a Scooby Doo

[navypie]

We have the players to mount a promotion challenge, but Ardley is a serial loser and the sooner he goes the better..

Not with the midfield and wide players we have, there all awful.

[jacobncfc]

It’s such a self inflicted crisis, this.

Ardley managed to stumble on something that worked when Doyle got himself sent off against Halifax and then McCrory and O’Brien got injured.

He had no other option but to play Rose and Booty together in central midfield, but it worked really well and they complimented each other. Rose could sit without him and Doyle getting in each other’s way and Booty actually gave us a goal threat from central midfield. That opened up a space for Osborne who is raw but skilful and direct, taking some of the burden off Boldewijn. Bakayogo in the back four meant we had someone with a bit of pace in there to cover for Rawlinson and Turner, who could concentrate on defending crosses. He was rotating Thomas and Dennis, which seemed to be getting good things out of both of them.

But he couldn’t wait to dismantle what was a winning team so he could revert back to what is clearly his Plan A. Against all of the evidence. He’s going to get himself sacked, and the whole thing’s been completely avoidable.

[Big Bob]

Says it's the players not performing so why don't he change things.
Get out Ardley