Ian Burchnall interview

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Originally Posted by countygump

Agreed. Burchy might yet prove himself to be 'the one'. But if he is, how long will we be able to hold on to him for?

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How many Notts managers this century have attracted genuine interest from other clubs (not just fan gossip)?
Cooper springs to mind and that's it. Oh, Cotterill. Anymore? McP being linked with Scotland was fun but surely not serious.

So long as we're in tier 5 I can't see any tier 3 club being interested and very few in tier 4 would have the financial incentive to lure him away. I reckon a successful manager at Notts starting at this level would last until we got promoted, or were about to be promoted from tier 4. Didn't Lincoln keep hold of the Cowley's to that point, or at least a season into tier 4 after regaining league status? If so Notts ought to be able to hold on to a good manager equally as long or as far up the pyramid as the Imps did.

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Originally Posted by laddo

Agree BFP his interviews pre and post match are excellent. He speaks my language, he makes sense, he sees it the way a lot of fans see the games, and I find his interviews interesting and informative. He's proactive and brave. Safe to say I'm a fan, a bandwagon rider from the first interview on day one.

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Until he was sacked, you were a big fan of Ardley.

That statement is based on the fact that for 18 months you repeatedly ridiculed any of us who suggested he should be sacked.

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Originally Posted by Elite_Pie

Define "fairly successful". Burchnall gives me ten times the optimism Ardley gave me, but I still have concerns that his preferred style of play isn't what gets you out of the National League. I genuinely hope those concerns prove to be unfounded.

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Good point. And in this season where we’ve got 4 or 5 clubs slinging serious money at it, getting out of the league will be harder than ever, regardless of style of play.

As fans of a bigger club in a smaller league I think the most you can ask is 1) Win most of your games and 2) Do it in the most entertaining style as possible and 3) Improve the players you’ve got. Whether all that’s enough to get promoted only time will tell.

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Originally Posted by BigFatPie

Good point. And in this season where we’ve got 4 or 5 clubs slinging serious money at it, getting out of the league will be harder than ever, regardless of style of play.

As fans of a bigger club in a smaller league I think the most you can ask is 1) Win most of your games and 2) Do it in the most entertaining style as possible and 3) Improve the players you’ve got. Whether all that’s enough to get promoted only time will tell.

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I think he's capable of achieving points 1, 2 & 3. As you say only having the two promotion places sets a pretty high benchmark, but for me he has to take us back to the Football League to be judged a real success.

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Originally Posted by Elite_Pie

but for me he has to take us back to the Football League to be judged a real success.

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I think that will hold true generally going by how Fenton and Barnwell are now perceived as relative failures or at least 'not up to much', despite both being close to promotion two and three levels higher (and in Barnwell's case, playing very exciting football on the grass). Maybe if they'd been replaced by failures fans would be saying we should have stuck with them, as they do now with Curle. Fortunately for the supporters watching Notts in 1977 and 1989, they didn't get lumbered with a Chirs Kiwomya.

If Burch fails, we are actually going to have people saying we should have stuck with Ardley, so he simply has to succeed for sanity's sake, otherwise this forum will go into total meltdown arguing the case.

I agree with Elite. It is too early to say that the coach is a success. He didn't say he was against direct football at all, quite the contrary. Some of the comments on here are far too gushing. Let's see where we are at the end of the season before idolisation is anywhere near appropriate.

I've liked IB from day one as my posts last season attest to. Anyone who did even 5 minutes of research on him could have formed a better opinion than the ones I heard comparing him to fullarton or thinking he's crap as he has wide eyes in interviews, please. He's got the tactically knowledge and the ability to translate that into play, training, formations and improving players form. The only thing I think might be might find frustrating is have the players at this level got the ability to carry out his plans all the time, hopefully with training and signings we will have a team that can echo the coaches wishes on match day.

When he does an interview he's seen what we've seen and offers the solutions we agree with. Then there's the off field culture and training environment which has improved since Ardley was here with some players having since said they were bored under Ardley. Then we have at least an exciting, modern style of play now which can be switched depending on players form or the oppositions tactics. Like Gumpy says the real issue might be if we can keep hold of him.

It's also true though he needs to get us up to be a success but any manager here would be having to do that whilst we're in this league and I'm sure IB feels exactly the same, unless we go up he's failed which he said himself at the start of the season.

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Originally Posted by upthemaggies

If Burch fails, we are actually going to have people saying we should have stuck with Ardley, so he simply has to succeed for sanity's sake, otherwise this forum will go into total meltdown arguing the case.

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Surely not. Even if he does not take us up the football being produced by the team is light-years ahead of the style adopted by the previous incumbent. We are actually being entertained and he seems to know how to get the best out of Rodrigues who is too good for this level. I think over time most fans will see this, even those that still think the currently winless Solihull manager wasn't given enough time at Notts (as if over 100 games with losing our football league statue thrown in for good measure was not enough time).

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Originally Posted by Elite_Pie

Until he was sacked, you were a big fan of Ardley.

That statement is based on the fact that for 18 months you repeatedly ridiculed any of us who suggested he should be sacked.

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We've been over this before and only recently so it should be fresh in your mind. I repeatedly ridiculed the ridiculous comments aimed on his direction much more than those asking him to be sacked. There are countless examples which have all been covered to death.

I was more of a big fan of giving a manager a chance to succeed or fail. Much more a fan of not sacking yet another manager. The same was the case if Kewell had been left in charge.

Moving on.....

I agree with Elite playing attractive football on the deck is probably the hardest method to escape NL and get promoted. When you have 4th/5th tier level players why get them to make 5 passes when you can get them to make just 1 or 2.

Not that it's impossible, Harrogate certainly played tidy football. Barrow the same. I didn't see Sutton last season so can't judge.

What's more important to me is that the head coach/manager has a preferred style, and has a clear ethos and plan. Which he certainly does and that's been missing as a club.

During my supporting life Notts have had far more managers who are either direct, long ball or out and out hoof than they have had possession based, passing, tippy tappy type managers.

Whether he gets us promoted or not it's a delight and a refreshing change to see this style especially a far more attacking version than NA produced. It's entertaining and enjoyable to watch.

Finally I agree with Woody, although not sure anyone has said he's been a success?!?! He's been a success at implementing his style without a doubt and improving us but you need to give any manager a reasonable amount of time to put his ideas across to the players, plan into action and to see whether he's successful or not.

If the pitchfork mob judging him on a half by half, game by game basis actually give him time you never know he could surprise many and be a success and gain us promotion.

If he doesn't, then what do you do as the owners? Sack the manager rip up the squad and start again and decide passing football ain't the way to get out of NL and the new manager is left with a squad full of passing footballers who don't suit a direct style. Or appoint another passing possession style manager for continuation reasons?

Patience and a plan is my preferred approval for the club because as we all should know by now the hire em and fire em approach has failed miserably.