Huddersfield post match thoughts.

[Ericsladkilnhurst]

I think they are living in the hope that the injury crisis will subside, we'll win 6 or 7 of our remaining games, survive comfortably and the MH furore will all blow over.

Unfortunately, living in hope is what the fans are supposed to do, not the executive management of a multi-million pound business.

It's like the Titanic, waiting for the Iceberg to hit.
In my case Fridge-freezer falling on me.

[UlleyMiller]

I think they are living in the hope that the injury crisis will subside, we'll win 6 or 7 of our remaining games, survive comfortably and the MH furore will all blow over.

Unfortunately, living in hope is what the fans are supposed to do, not the executive management of a multi-million pound business.

You may be right, but we're all left speculating because of the quiet Bill isn't happy with. I don't remember us ever having an open-doors, transparent club though (and I'd see as many pitfalls as positives if we did), so this is just what we're left with.

This is not meant to be facetious, just to be clear, but I'd suggest that:
1) TS is slightly insulated from the extremity of the noise in forums and general mood of some of our fans, so wouldn't be weighing up the furore some of us witness.
2) Football management is always going to be different to other businesses because the element of hope is a part of the process - otherwise there would be a pretty straightforward model for all to follow and the differentiators would be purely revenue/fanbase size driven. Decades of football since transfer fees and wages took hold suggest every club will have ups and downs.
3) The executive management is one deep. This means everything off the pitch boils down to things like that person's frame of mind and other board members having his ear at the right time.

It's still amazing to me that (generally) businesses wouldn't carry employees in senior roles far past the age of retirement, but that it's generally accepted that business owners (and many senior leaders in politics etc) are suitable to carry on into their 80s. If a 70 year old guy greets you on the way into a supermarket you typically find people around them are anywhere from slightly sympathetic to mocking... but roll on ten years in a different environment and the situation we're in is apparently sane.

TS could roll off into the sunset with a secured legacy at any point, and I'm in the number who are grateful for what he's done... but I've not met many people of his years who are open minded, welcoming of fresh ideas, or who would be self-critical enough to think that their achievements years earlier need to be put aside because the model that delivered them is no longer fit for purpose.

I think a transition off the pitch is at least as, if not more, important than any changes in the dugout. League 2 feels inevitable, and I'm not massively concerned by that. But if I'm being brutally honest, setting off in L2 with MH and new ownership feels less concerning than heading into the summer with TS, no MH and the hope we'll find the next suitable manager. (A holistic change would be ideal, but between the two...)

[RU66]

No point posting about it till something changes. Fans shouted Evans out I'd swap position he left us in for today's. Hamshaw his recruitment how bad is it! Starting with the centre backs. Agbaire doesn't look switched on. Adeboyega passes ball to the opposition. Only Baptist who keeps fit adds to the squad. Signing kids up front when we needed a physical presence there.

[Old_time_miller]

Due to injuries mainly, L2 looks very likely. Other teams do not pick up points for a few games as we get players returning and keep going, it may change.

[Derbymiller]

How has the injuries been the cause of the players on the pitch not scoring that is our first choice strike force? How have injuries caused MH to not have Ayres available or to give more time to a proven goalscorer more time on the pitch. Injuries are not something that only impacts Rotherham, injuries are something that the club could do more to manage and injuries are another excuse from a manager that has blamed the fans, the pitch, the referees and it won't be long before the war with Iran is on his list, he takes no responsibility and the club have made him think he is Teflon

[MillerBill]

How has the injuries been the cause of the players on the pitch not scoring that is our first choice strike force? How have injuries caused MH to not have Ayres available or to give more time to a proven goalscorer more time on the pitch. Injuries are not something that only impacts Rotherham, injuries are something that the club could do more to manage and injuries are another excuse from a manager that has blamed the fans, the pitch, the referees and it won't be long before the war with Iran is on his list, he takes no responsibility and the club have made him think he is Teflon

Unfortunately, under the present ownership,no money will be spent on rectifying these problems.

[Heliosphan78]

Due to injuries mainly, L2 looks very likely. Other teams do not pick up points for a few games as we get players returning and keep going, it may change.

So if you're blaming injuries on our predicament, what accountability do you think Hamshaw and his coaching team have in relation to that?

[mellowmiller]

So if you're blaming injuries on our predicament, what accountability do you think Hamshaw and his coaching team have in relation to that?

Surely it can't be just a coincidence that the players have so many muscle injuries but I don't remember there being as many when Ross Burbeary was here before as fitness coach so what has changed?
I do remember Neil Warnock saying the training facilities were totally inadequate and successive managers have said something similar but surely the skill and competence of the physios must be also be a key factor in all this.
Does anyone remember when Dennis Circuit was here? He was brilliant at getting injured players back to fitness in the quickest possible time......just ask Lee Frecklington!

[Derbymiller]

Remember we don’t employ any full time physios

[ragingpup]

Remember we don’t employ any full time physios

You keep saying this but we advertised for physios last in November as well as July work jd saying the post was reporting to senior physio. You may well be correct, I'm just not sure how we know?

[Heliosphan78]

Surely it can't be just a coincidence that the players have so many muscle injuries but I don't remember there being as many when Ross Burbeary was here before as fitness coach so what has changed?
I do remember Neil Warnock saying the training facilities were totally inadequate and successive managers have said something similar but surely the skill and competence of the physios must be also be a key factor in all this.
Does anyone remember when Dennis Circuit was here? He was brilliant at getting injured players back to fitness in the quickest possible time......just ask Lee Frecklington!

There obviously isn't one single reason for the level of injuries that we've had, but Hamshaw needs to take responsibility for most of this in my opinion. He's the one bringing players to the football club. He's the one, along with the coaching staff and backroom staff, responsible for fitness levels and everything that goes with it.

At the start of the season, he gambled on Etete and Martin Sherif, a lad who had never played men's football. Along with Nombe, those two were consistently injured leaving us with literally one fit striker. You might blame that on bad luck but when things like that keep happening, you have to question the manager and his judgement. I understand that budget plays a part in the type of player that we can sign and that we might gamble on certain players (Benson, Tom Holmes) but when you consider that Hamshaw has signed NINETEEN players and that almost every single senior squad member has been injured at some point this season (some 3 or 4 times), then serious questions need to be asked.

There has been no sign of any improvement on the injury front whatsoever. We're in the middle of a relegation battle and have almost our entire midfield injured. It just isn't good enough. I want Hamshaw and his coaching team gone, and they can take Burbeary with them.

I'm not sure I'd even trust Hamshaw with a fully fit squad, but that's another debate.

[avondalemiller]

There obviously isn't one single reason for the level of injuries that we've had, but Hamshaw needs to take responsibility for most of this in my opinion. He's the one bringing players to the football club. He's the one, along with the coaching staff and backroom staff, responsible for fitness levels and everything that goes with it.

At the start of the season, he gambled on Etete and Martin Sherif, a lad who had never played men's football. Along with Nombe, those two were consistently injured leaving us with literally one fit striker. You might blame that on bad luck but when things like that keep happening, you have to question the manager and his judgement. I understand that budget plays a part in the type of player that we can sign and that we might gamble on certain players (Benson, Tom Holmes) but when you consider that Hamshaw has signed NINETEEN players and that almost every single senior squad member has been injured at some point this season (some 3 or 4 times), then serious questions need to be asked.

There has been no sign of any improvement on the injury front whatsoever. We're in the middle of a relegation battle and have almost our entire midfield injured. It just isn't good enough. I want Hamshaw and his coaching team gone, and they can take Burbeary with them.

I'm not sure I'd even trust Hamshaw with a fully fit squad, but that's another debate.

I'm also at a loss with our season but; If it was a poor budget, how did we attract Gore back and Biancheri? Is it true tha MH is considered a good coach with the young players?
We can weigh up Sherif when he's finished new loan at the season's end.
Etete a couple of years earlier, along with Ugo, ripped our defence to bit against Cardiff at NYS. They didn't look like the future flops then...
The old chestnut about Roundwood, never was a problem in a promotiom season. Its had a few grand spent on it in last couple of seasons. The facilities don't pull hamstrings.....
I'm sure someone could tell us what the numbers are for Hamstrings, pulled muscles against getting injured kicked or tackled badly.

[Brin]

There obviously isn't one single reason for the level of injuries that we've had, but Hamshaw needs to take responsibility for most of this in my opinion. He's the one bringing players to the football club. He's the one, along with the coaching staff and backroom staff, responsible for fitness levels and everything that goes with it.

At the start of the season, he gambled on Etete and Martin Sherif, a lad who had never played men's football. Along with Nombe, those two were consistently injured leaving us with literally one fit striker. You might blame that on bad luck but when things like that keep happening, you have to question the manager and his judgement. I understand that budget plays a part in the type of player that we can sign and that we might gamble on certain players (Benson, Tom Holmes) but when you consider that Hamshaw has signed NINETEEN players and that almost every single senior squad member has been injured at some point this season (some 3 or 4 times), then serious questions need to be asked.

There has been no sign of any improvement on the injury front whatsoever. We're in the middle of a relegation battle and have almost our entire midfield injured. It just isn't good enough. I want Hamshaw and his coaching team gone, and they can take Burbeary with them.

I'm not sure I'd even trust Hamshaw with a fully fit squad, but that's another debate.

Heliospan, you're correct in thinking the budget had a lot to do with who Hamshaw could bring in. Blame our once great Manager Evo for that, there was no way Stewart was going to entrust a complete novice in Matt with another similar budget, although credit to him he did keep us in League 1 where Evo was driving us into League 2.

So no money to spend, it had to be 1 in 1 out etc. Who actually suggested/chose the 19 that were brought in?
The woman? over seeing all the financials had the final say along with TS. I know Derbs has a fixation with out COO but I don't believe he had much say in any of that.

As for the fitness levels. My thoughts on this, and purely speculation, but I feel this season's team have been beasted ala the Warney era and who was our fitness coach then? These players are no where near the level Warne had who could take physical punishment like they've been put through. How many hamstring in juries this season?.....20/25 plus?
What is that all about, it's a story on its own. Totally unprecedented and unheard of at our club level, who's caused all of these hammys? They don't just simply happen that's a fact.

It's clearly evident that Matt is not yet ready to manage club football but he's given it a go but his naevity at times has been staggering in some of the players he still believes in, I won't name them we can all work some of them out for ourselves. Tactical substitutions with 4 minutes of playing time left???? That was in the last home game. Mind boggling.

Anyway, it is what it is, unless some players start playing out of their skin and give Matt that 'Mark Robins/Fergie scenario' then it's simply curtains for him......I think they've already been drawn though

[Derbymiller]

I don't obsess Brin I just think he couldn't be a chief operating officer at a light switch nevermind a football club, his big interview demonstrated that. TS is to blame he employs crap people end of. That is assuming they are employed at all, some key positions are only occasional part-time workers. What amazes me in those that treat relegation in a casual manner, what is going to change to make them think the rot will stop there?