Chapman

[champs95]

It's all speculation, though, Champs.
Of course, Vale, Rankin-Costello, Butterworth, etc might improve things dramatically. The other (at least equal) possibility is that they won't!
There is a fundamental problem for all of us: we don't see training.
Are you genuinely suggesting that these youngsters are consistently outperforming the experienced players in training, in front of Mowbray, but he is still too stubborn to play them?
It seems very unlikely to me. Also, Barr has been less than happy with some of them recently, which is less than a ringing endorsement.
I do agree that Rankin-Costello must be very close, but Vale and Butterworth being definitely a better bet than people like Graham, Armstrong and Dack, I just don't buy. It's pure guesswork.

As far as Chapman is concerned, I'm not big on conspiracy theories, but there is clearly something not right. TM went to a lot of effort to get him back, and now...?
I assumed that as soon as he was fit, we would be seeing him for the final 30 minutes of games, as before.

I have always had this rule which can be applied to this poor season we are having, and general life.
What is the definition of madness? Doing the same thing every single day and expecting something different to happen.
That's what I feel after watching us every week.
We have a decent mid-table side, with some good talented players, and some great young players.
We have a very poor team, with no identifiable way of playing. No real system that gets results. No plan B. No flexibility in the formation. Most of the forward players are being asked to do jobs that simply can't do anymore. Like DG, and are simply a year older, and are unable to perform anymore to the standards he set himself. Going back to him around the hour mark every single week isn't working. It wont just magically start working now, or in the next 10 games. Keep going back to him, you will keep getting the same results. Plus its killing Dack, who is suffering, and its killing our attacking system.
We don't have a good team, we just have a good set of players. We aren't organised, we aren't strong defensively. We are poor going forward, our experienced players aren't giving us any stability, and our good young players aren't getting a game, to make way for poor experienced players who are adding nothing. A young player (Travis) is by far our most consistent player.

I mean, this could all change but how? I can hope, and pray, but I'm not seeing anything at all to make me think this will all sort itself out. We look a shambles if I am being honest. Week to week. We did outplay Reading, that and Hull away where the only two times we played well all season and got a result. I do think that is the main problem, its just all too inconsistent. We play well in little 10/15 mins spells in a game. Then either give a goal away poorly, or get no luck and get a dodgy pen awarded against us, which happens alot when you are down the bottom.

I really do feel this bunch of players are maybe sick of hearing the same voice. And that voice is no longer getting through to them. And its appearing that message is going through all our ranks down to the young lads.

I always had a strong feeling that at the end of this season, TM would move upstairs, which is where we want and need him, and off the training pitch where I feel he has really run his course. He is tactically miles behind younger, better managers. Like Preston's young manager, who is tactically astute.
I think as a coach TM is way too limited. Good when things are going well, like a rabbit caught in the headlights when things go wrong. And unable to re-address the issues coming up every week, its like ground-hog day.
And finally, once any manager at any level starts coming out and naming players and blaming them, you know there are problems. He did it with Raya and Mulgrew last season. He has done it with Walton and Johnson this season. That's poor. You don't do that. Deal with it inside the club. Not in the media.
To add balance, he has been very very unlucky with injuries, which as an impact. And also bad penalty decisions seem to go against us almost every week. None of that helps. No new manager coming in would be able to change any of that. But could they organise this bunch of lads into a team? As TM seems unable to do so.