The enigma that is Scotty Parker

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Originally Posted by Supersub6

The concensus seems to be that the team isn't good enough, the manager isn't good enough, the recruitment team aren't good enough etc., etc. and yet you want them to be promoted.
WHY?
Do you just want to see the same as last season with a team obviously not good enough getting stuffed on a regular basis and being relegated as is happening more and more in recent seasons for the promoted teams?

We do not have the fianancial resources to make it in the PL, in fact, the only manager that did make a decent fist of it was sacked and criticised for his style of football, just as happened to him at Everton, in spite of having kept them up for a couple of seasons and leaving them in a decent position, in spite of all the off field events that were going on at Goodison.

Last season we had a manager who spent over ?100 million pounds on players but had a dismal season, as far ass results were concerned, however, lots of fans were happy because we were trying to entertain.
Possession is becoming the bane of modern football and it means absolutely nothing without an end result.
Brighton had 67% possession at the City Ground yesterday, had less shots than Forest, less on target and lost 0-7. The previous week, at home against Everton, they had 69% possession and forced 1 save out of Jordan Pickford in losing 0-1.
Conversely, Everton have averaged 38% possession in their last three matches, won them all and scored 8 goals.

I shall be at match on Tuesday and will be surprised if it is anything but a 0-0 draw, although, Oxford were decent yesterday and have one or two quick players who could give us problems, however, they could not beat a Bristol City team who ended the match with 9 players, having played with 10 from the 31st minute.

It is what it is and the choice of paying to watch or not is entirely on the shoulders of the paying customer because there is plenty of football outside of the EFL and PL and costs much less.

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To be fair sub I’d just take us being a little more entertaining- the land of milk and honey is fine but I’m a realist and understand it’s a money exercise unless they are going to have a proper go at it the next time around - the Brighton and Bournemouth s Palace seem to make a decent fist of it.

Last season was a manager’s stubbornness that affected us he refused to accept we weren’t at that level and decided to try go toe to toe with teams - I still went and watched because the opposition have special players who do amazing things and sad as it was they were against us it’s still mesmerising in games.

I know you’ve love the stats but I’m a great believer in watching the game - I don’t need Sky to tell me we had 20% possession and 4 shots ( they’d be spoiling us with 4 this season ) because I’m watching the game, I get frustrated when I see what’s wrong and mistakes and nothing changes that’s my thing , I was a decent footballer at reasonable level but not like our players here who get 20k a week and let players run off them - put half tackles in when they should as soon as they cross the white line give everything to WIN, which brings me back to the man in charge whom I believe is far too conservative a lot of the time.

Sub I love to study football how managers make changes and change shape to drag teams out and win games - I was uninspired last year though I accept we wernt good enough , I’m uninspired this year for different reasons but there is very little to get bums of seats and excite the paying public in the stands ( it worries me when people think that it’s ok to do what we do because we’re 3.rd in the league due in main to the back 4 and keeper ).

I take my dad to home games he’s 88 years old and has watched us since a boy through good and bad times but he simply cant understand our predicament, admitted like yourself he’s watched some geniuses so hard to compare especially the then and now.

We used to debate under Dyche travelling home from games about the good the bad etc there just ain’t much to debate at the minute - same old same old

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Originally Posted by army88

To be fair sub I?’d just take us being a little more entertaining- the land of milk and honey is fine but I?’m a realist and understand it?’s a money exercise unless they are going to have a proper go at it the next time around - the Brighton and Bournemouth s Palace seem to make a decent fist of it.

Last season was a manager?’s stubbornness that affected us he refused to accept we weren?’t at that level and decided to try go toe to toe with teams - I still went and watched because the opposition have special players who do amazing things and sad as it was they were against us it?’s still mesmerising in games.

I know you?’ve love the stats but I?’m a great believer in watching the game - I don?’t need Sky to tell me we had 20% possession and 4 shots ( they?’d be spoiling us with 4 this season ) because I?’m watching the game, I get frustrated when I see what?’s wrong and mistakes and nothing changes that?’s my thing , I was a decent footballer at reasonable level but not like our players here who get 20k a week and let players run off them - put half tackles in when they should as soon as they cross the white line give everything to WIN, which brings me back to the man in charge whom I believe is far too conservative a lot of the time.

Sub I love to study football how managers make changes and change shape to drag teams out and win games - I was uninspired last year though I accept we wernt good enough , I?’m uninspired this year for different reasons but there is very little to get bums of seats and excite the paying public in the stands ( it worries me when people think that it?’s ok to do what we do because we?’re 3.rd in the league due in main to the back 4 and keeper ).

I take my dad to home games he?’s 88 years old and has watched us since a boy through good and bad times but he simply cant understand our predicament, admitted like yourself he?’s watched some geniuses so hard to compare especially the then and now.

We used to debate under Dyche travelling home from games about the good the bad etc there just ain?’t much to debate at the minute - same old same old

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Fair enough army, however, none of us know exactly what goes on behind the scenes and just where the current owners want to take us. We spent loads of money last season and it benfited as absolutely nothing. It may well do so when Trafford, Esteve are off loaded, however, when that happens we are very much back to square one and with no clear objective.

Sadly, I think that the club has lost direction.

We lie 3rd in the league with a great chance of bouncing back to the Premier league, please tell me how the club has lost direction?

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Originally Posted by ballcock

We lie 3rd in the league with a great chance of bouncing back to the Premier league, please tell me how the club has lost direction?

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Since the new owners have been in situ we have had 3 managers plus one interim. We have been relegated twice and promoted once, we have spent loads of money and have a very much divided fanbase who are constantly moaning about the type of football and plenty of other things relating to the club and a lot of its administration.

It is 4 years since we were taken over and have had more managers than we had in the previous 12 years, of which 7 seasons were in the PL. Many fans are clamouring for a change of manager, in spite of our results this season, because they do not like the style of play. This will not be lost on the owners and, even if we are promoted, they will be thinking about another replacement. Continuity is what is needed to build a team but many fans will not consider this and the Board will react accordingly.
In which direction are we really going? Opinion is very much divided, however, it is what it is and I shall always support whoever is our manager and whoever is playing for us.

You mentioned the word continuity that isn't possible when you are a yo yo club.

You can't build a team by keeping your best players with the huge gap in finances between the Premier league and the championship, you have to reboot and start again.

You want stability, but in the next breath you want Parker out, make your mind up. If we sacked Parker the season would be over has the team would down tools, it's not like last season when it was evident as early as October that Kompany had lost the dressing room.
There is a real togetherness about this squad and that is down to Parker and his man management skills, the players have respect for him

You mention spending loads of money, where is the evidence? We balance the books at the end of every season

The only person losing direction is you, we are 3rd from the top and you want the manager out

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Originally Posted by ballcock

You mentioned the word continuity that isn't possible when you are a yo yo club.

You can't build a team by keeping your best players with the huge gap in finances between the Premier league and the championship, you have to reboot and start again.

You want stability, but in the next breath you want Parker out, make your mind up. If we sacked Parker the season would be over has the team would down tools, it's not like last season when it was evident as early as October that Kompany had lost the dressing room.
There is a real togetherness about this squad and that is down to Parker and his man management skills, the players have respect for him

You mention spending loads of money, where is the evidence? We balance the books at the end of every season

The only person losing direction is you, we are 3rd from the top and you want the manager out

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Ballcock, you find one post from me anywhere on this site in all the years I have been posting that I have said I want any manager out. I shall save you the time and effort because there are none at all.

I have pointed out the lack of stability, the fickleness of fans, some who just want to criticise anything and everything about the club.
We have gone from having 56 million in the bank and running at some sort of profit to now being in debt to the tune of at least 81 million. That is some turn around in just 4 years and we do not balance the books, in fact we have been late getting them to the required place in the times specified. Lack of direction.

You are wasting your breath having a go at me. I have not lost any direction, I know that we are third from the top and nowhere have I said that I want the manager or anyone else out of the club and nowhere will I ever say that.

I gave you facts as to why I think that the club is losing direction and it will lose fans because of it because fans are very fickle and will stop going to games if things aren't to their satisfaction. Fair enough to that because it is their hard-earned that they are spending.
I wasn't even calling "Teasdale Out" in the days when we didn't have a pot to p**s in and I was doing a 280 mile round trip to support.

I can understand playing not to lose in the last 15 mins of a tricky game but only if we have tried to win the game in the first 75mins. This endless passing backwards and sideways reduces our chance of winning any game and can't be better than sometimes taking the risks involved in playing balls forward into space for runners, and to players like Barnes who is good at collecting balls under pressure and drawing fouls. The stats SS provided about NF and BRIGHTON are very instructive. I remember a game Wolves v Arsenal when at half- time Arsenal had 70% possession, and the score was 3-0 to Wolves. This was when Wenger was on a down slope. City are going the same way. Yes, it's
good to be 3rd but can the fans stand the pain week after week with no relief in sight.