Originally Posted by
slack_pie
I agree with the sentiment. But what worries me about Ardley is his apparent inability to set a team up to win. Players like Enzio, Hemmings, CMS, Stead, etc. are all at least average L2 players. You could argue that some of them are above average, or at least were before they joined Notts. But playing 4 forwards in a 4-4-2 doesn't make a team an attacking threat. As we saw yesterday, we followed the same pattern of play all game - pass it around sideways, then out wide, then cross it in and fail to win a header. Or lump it forward and fail to win a header. Exeter could have dealt with that all day long.
So why, with the players we have, can't we create chances? Why did Enzio score and assist twice as many goals last season for Crawley? Why was Hemmings a better player at Mansfield? Why did CMS go from being a well-respected striker to a headless chicken?
I agree that sacking managers is one of the main reasons we are where we are. But the problem is this: when you sack ones you shouldn't sack, it suddenly becomes harder to sack the ones you should sack. Like you've used up your quota of sackings.
Nolan should have been given more time. It was far too early in the season to sack a manager who had done so well previously.
Kewell should have been given more time. It was ridiculous to sack a manager who had got us off the bottom and out of the relegation zone after a few weeks in charge.
Ardley, of all the three, is the one most deserving of the sack. We've been rubbish under him apart from a couple of games. We've dropped from 22nd to rock bottom, and we've never really looked like getting out of trouble. Plus he's had the chance to bring in 8 new players - that's basically a new team. Yet he still can't get them creating chances.
For what it's worth, I don't think it would make much difference whether we sacked him or not. I'd probably keep him on just to avoid even more chaos, and then get rid in the summer. Start a fresh from top to bottom.