More time?

[matt_magpie]

No point hitting the "sack button" now unless we have a definite replacement, it's already too late for this season. Give Maynard a chance to prove what he can do this season but look for the next manager knowing we are in no rush (unlike when LW left) and have time for the next guy to prep for next season

I agree with this, I didn’t see a team not fighting today or who lacked ideas, Wimbledon were just defensively very strong and he can’t defend set pieces himself.
Give him till the end of the season whilst having a look around who to replace if it continues.

[optipez]

It's not about being good enough for promotion. We've seen what the players are capable of when they're at their best - why do you think the players haven't been anywhere close to their best?

They aren't a promotion team, we've come up short against all the top teams all season.

[legs77]

LW and Harley might have struggled at first (don't know) but their abilities and obvious knowledge and empathy would have been important. I think my point is that SM has been hurled into a role he probably ought not to have taken (difficult decision to make) but I get the feeling he sure as hell hasn't been helped by poss the most ineffectual captain I can remember.

Maynard doesn’t have to play or make Cameron captain though does he.

I think all this talk of blaming the captain is nonsense it’s not really that important in football imo it’s a complete dinosaur attitude you can’t go smashing into players anymore and also the role of captain now is to encourage players not abuse them.

[nw6pie]

Maynard will get sacked pretty soon but we've got some problems that Pep and Klopp wouldn't sort without a refreshed squad.
We've signed eleven players this season;
Stone, Ashby Hammond GK
Macari, Warner, Tipton. Defence.
Crowley, Gosling, Robertson. Midfield.
Randall, Jatta, McGoldrick. Striker.

Only Crowley and Robertson are shoe ins for a starting place. Didzy has the class but we've asked too much of him and Macari has been in and out the team.
We've recruited poorly and have been trying to upgrade on Slocombe for three seasons going through Patterson, Jaros? Stone, Ashby, Mair and Brooks. Our defence is just incapable of doing the basics.
Wimbledon, Crewe and Gillingham showed how to defend at this level, we're incapable with this squad of doing it.
The manager will go but I look at that team and think that overall we're a bit on the small side and lightweight in key areas.

We also signed Colkett on loan from Crewe, but you could be forgiven for forgetting him - another January signing who wasn’t fit and defied logic when we needed someone to come in and give us an immediate lift.

Also, what does it say about Jatta that he’s not been able to get many minutes? I remember Jodi Jones’ enthusiastic tweet about Jatta being 6’4”, but we’ve barely put a decent cross into the box in 2024.

That 5-0 against Morecambe really does feel like a lifetime ago.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

No point hitting the "sack button" now unless we have a definite replacement, it's already too late for this season. Give Maynard a chance to prove what he can do this season but look for the next manager knowing we are in no rush (unlike when LW left) and have time for the next guy to prep for next season

This is where I'm at. I thought we were ok today up and till the throw in that lead to the first goal. I thought JOB was the spoiler we needed in midfield and thought he had a good game alongside Robertson. I also felt Nemane had a very good game as well as Macari. A shame JOB had to come off at 70min but you can't expect more from him in that role at his age. I felt he was a loss along with Baldwin through the enforced injury. But once again two aerial balls into the box and we were found wanting. The manager can't be blamed for that we've been doing these things all season.

The comparison between LW and SM results against all the eight teams is still paper thin like when I posed this a few weeks ago. (See below) However under LW we were losing against these sides but there was the credit of last season and other notable good results and performances in-between.

I'm not advocating a defence for SM or trying to prove LW is no better. It's interesting and remarkable that despite trying to approach our defensive problems in two ways one outscoring the other team (aka Moniz) the other respecting the point (aka Ardley) yet the outcome against these sides has merited the same results apart from Gillingham.

Under SM as we may have expected the attacking threat has took a hit to try and remedy the defensive frailties. The game today was a perfect example. Under LW we lost to Wimbledon 4-2 but today lost 0-2. The same result but a different score line.

What's not done or doing SM any favours is at home the consecutive defeats are stacking up but also the entertainment levels and conviction have dropped.

For me whoever is head coach next season the club have simply got to upgrade the defence and bring in League Two experienced central defenders (see Crewe, Wimbledon, Mansfield) and a Patterson type of goalkeeper. The alarm bells on this are ringing loud and clear and have been since Sutton on the opening day. The January transfer window is never a magic bullet. The summer is when the most and best availability is out there.

Luke Williams = P8, W2, D1, L5, GF10, GA18, GD-8, Pts 7
Barrow 1-1 (Draw)
Gillingham 2-1 (Won)
Mansfield 1-4 (Lost)
Newport 3-0 (Won)
Wrexham 0-2 (Lost)
Crewe 0-1 (Lost)
Sutton 1-5 (Lost)
AFC Wimbledon 2-4 (Lost)


Stuart Maynard = P8, W1, D1, L6, GF9, GA16, GD-7, Pts 4
Barrow 1-1 (Draw)
Gillingham 1-3 (Lost)
Mansfield 0-1 (Lost)
Newport 3-1 (Won)
Wrexham 0-1 (Lost)
Crewe 1-3 (Lost)
Sutton 3-4 (Lost)
AFC Wimbledon 0-2 (Lost)

[Pietastic]

The problem with sacking the manager is that you risk bringing back the instability years - and that was a s*** time for our club. The "out of his depth" and "losing the dressing room" is unlikely - if you take the frustration and emotion away - but I can't really defend the bad results. I actually really liked us today (until the last 15 minutes!!) - thought the attitude was spot on and to be fair Langstaff could have had two today pretty easily.... But it's hard when you're on a bad run, confidence is lower and luck isn't coming your way.

I'm not against people's opinions - and they may be right about Maynard not being right (tho personally I hope not) - but I do think people are human and turning on people and dissing them just brings the worst out of everyone.

[Piessince67]

People can defend the manager as much as they want but he is not a winner and needs to be gone.Please dont let him go to the end of the season.Our season ticket sales will seriously suffer.

[marky]

This isn't a criticism of Maynard but ask yourself this.
If Nigel Clough had left Mansfield in January or Challinor left Stockport would they have appointed or even considered Maynard. I suspect not.

[MAD_MAGPIE]

The problem with sacking the manager is that you risk bringing back the instability years - and that was a s*** time for our club. The "out of his depth" and "losing the dressing room" is unlikely - if you take the frustration and emotion away - but I can't really defend the bad results. I actually really liked us today (until the last 15 minutes!!) - thought the attitude was spot on and to be fair Langstaff could have had two today pretty easily.... But it's hard when you're on a bad run, confidence is lower and luck isn't coming your way.

I'm not against people's opinions - and they may be right about Maynard not being right (tho personally I hope not) - but I do think people are human and turning on people and dissing them just brings the worst out of everyone.

I would agree that comments such as "clueless" "out of his depth" and "lost the dressing room" or "the players don't respect him" are more emotive responses. I don't believe we have such characters at the club these days. The senior players we have such as Bostock, David McGoldrick are far better professionals than those types of players. Plus JOB out there today with his Notts tattoo showed none of that. The same goes for Rawlinson and Slocombe.

I would be questioning the players if they had downed tools. I didn't see a group of players against Mansfield, Wrexham or AFC Wimbledon today displaying any of those qualities. Neither was the case against Newport or Barrow.

Even against the likes of Crewe, Gillingham and Sutton. What I see is a team lacking in belief and conviction a bit and lower in confidence than before LW left with individual errors being punished causing confidence to drop further.

I thought we were decent for a point until we conceded today. I thought the same against Mansfield and Wrexham.

We desperately need a win, somehow somewhere away at Crawley on Tuesday will be a start. It needs to be SM's equivalent of LW's Chesterfield away game that became a catalyst and a galvanising game that would define the start of his tenure. Lets hope.

[crazyfists]

The problem with sacking the manager is that you risk bringing back the instability years - and that was a s*** time for our club. The "out of his depth" and "losing the dressing room" is unlikely - if you take the frustration and emotion away - but I can't really defend the bad results. I actually really liked us today (until the last 15 minutes!!) - thought the attitude was spot on and to be fair Langstaff could have had two today pretty easily.... But it's hard when you're on a bad run, confidence is lower and luck isn't coming your way.

I'm not against people's opinions - and they may be right about Maynard not being right (tho personally I hope not) - but I do think people are human and turning on people and dissing them just brings the worst out of everyone.

Agree with this in regards to the instability years and also being rude about SM. Seen a few calling him a clown, not warranted at all.