What was the managers role today

[jamesdad]

I watched the game with one eye and with the other I watched the technical area and this is what I saw.
KL sat on a box for the first 20 minutes having no input into the game . DA was nowhere to be seen and Swindon's manager made 3 tactical changes in the first 20 minutes to stop us playing and get a 3 goal lead. At this point DA appears in the technical area and just stands there. No instructions to the players but he did have two rants as usual to the forth official. Half time comes and we all expect substitutions and a change in tactics but no, much the same again on the field and off. DA just stands there all the second half with his hands in his pockets . When Cooper is substituted he heads off straight down the tunnel and that tells a story of his view on being taken off but to be fair he had a poor game. The Swindon manager was constantly encouraging his players and DA just stood there , in fact at one point I thought someone had placed a cardboard cut out of him in the technical area.
DA comes from the academy were passing is the name of the game but today it was all long balls and lack luster tackling. I feel DA has lost the changing room and it is time for him to consider his future. The boxing day game against Chesterfield is one of the biggest games we have had in years . Lose and the trap door is clearly there to go through , win and the pressure is eased a little .

[alexmick]

I watched the game with one eye and with the other I watched the technical area and this is what I saw.
KL sat on a box for the first 20 minutes having no input into the game . DA was nowhere to be seen and Swindon's manager made 3 tactical changes in the first 20 minutes to stop us playing and get a 3 goal lead. At this point DA appears in the technical area and just stands there. No instructions to the players but he did have two rants as usual to the forth official. Half time comes and we all expect substitutions and a change in tactics but no, much the same again on the field and off. DA just stands there all the second half with his hands in his pockets . When Cooper is substituted he heads off straight down the tunnel and that tells a story of his view on being taken off but to be fair he had a poor game. The Swindon manager was constantly encouraging his players and DA just stood there , in fact at one point I thought someone had placed a cardboard cut out of him in the technical area.
DA comes from the academy were passing is the name of the game but today it was all long balls and lack luster tackling. I feel DA has lost the changing room and it is time for him to consider his future. The boxing day game against Chesterfield is one of the biggest games we have had in years . Lose and the trap door is clearly there to go through , win and the pressure is eased a little .

Thanks for your input, Howard. I must admit, I was puzzled why Cooper made a beeline straight towards the changing rooms. Is it not etiquette for one who is substituted to go and sit with the others on the bench and continue to show solidarity? I cannot see what this player could argue about with being withdrawn from the side. He was just not interested and made no contribution to the team effort. Mind you, he was not alone in this scenario. It was a dreadful afternoon and something is clearly wrong. From a 3-0 win last week, when we were at the races and ran the show from start to finish, to a 10 minute period of inspiration at the start of this game, only to wither on the vine as soon as they scored that first goal. It just gets worse.

[jamesdad]

What concerns me is the lack of direction from DA . It was almost as if he had said to the players before the game - go out there and do what you want - as he did not appear to be interested in managing from the touchline and was not visible for the first 20 minutes. By the time he appeared the damage had been done and the game was lost. I was hoping for a change in players at half time and tactics but nothing changed . There appeared to be little fight from the players and this concerns me as I feel there are issues within the dressing room. Has anyone heard his interview yet on the game as he was still in the changing room at the end of P&G

[crewebacca]

Thanks for taking the trouble to write J'dad. I'm extremely worried at the moment, I just don't know what to make of it all. I guess we can only hope that some kind of positive change is made without delay 'cos this just ain't working!

[jamesdad]

Normally we can see a way to get our club out of the mess we are in but today i thought the management team had no idea of what to do or did they do that on purpose to prove a point to the players . There is a lot more to this than us fans know and with the way Cooper disappeared down the tunnel after being substituted tells us something is wrong at the club. I have looked on Radio Stoke and there is no interview of DA listed so it will be interesting to see if he did an interview . I feel questions must be put to the Chairman from us fans as we are only going one place at the moment

[crewebacca]

A struggling club sitting on very valuable real estate, what could go wrong?

[alexmick]

A struggling club sitting on very valuable real estate, what could go wrong?

That HS2 might just never happen north of Brum, when the money runs out. £450 million per mile in today's value. That figure will rise with the way inflation is going.

[Teammoo]

That HS2 might just never happen north of Brum, when the money runs out. £450 million per mile in today's value. That figure will rise with the way inflation is going.

Of course HS2 will never come north of Brum. What possible advantage could London gain from a high speed railway between Brum and the north?

[alexmick]

Of course HS2 will never come north of Brum. What possible advantage could London gain from a high speed railway between Brum and the north?

Totally agree with you. However, with my initial statement, I did not want to get too political, or upset our southern neighbours.

[MikeSB]

I was reading that the planned new hub for Crewe just south of the present Station has been dropped in favour of using the existing station and if so, Gresty Road ie our ground could well come back into play as more facilities may be needed.

As as ex Railwayman I applaud ANY extension or improvements to the network as its badly needed. Just think how much it must have cost to build the original railway and all the stations and bridges and all the great Cathedrals across the world and here. St Pancras and Paddington Station were aka works of art too and money was found by people with vision.

Crewe Station approach from Nantwich Road is a disgrace and I thought it was going to be changed in favour of the Weston Road Entrance..