Matt Taylor

[Timbertop]

Fully agree with this post and most of us know the nasty way he was forced from his job.Ask anyone at *****tone cricket club about Taylor and you won’t hear a bad word.

[mellowmiller]

Looking back at Taylor's tenure (and I was one who wanted him out) I just wonder if things might have been different if we'd had a more forward thinking, progressive board?
He was a "modern" manager but was unable to implement some of his ideas because the club is stuck in different times.
To be honest, whoever is appointed manager will face the same obstacles and we can only hope that, if we get a new owner, there is a clear vision to take the club forward.
Probably wishful thinking though.

[UlleyMiller]

Opinions vary on Taylor understandably. Just shows you how bad it is now though. He was light years ahead of our current coach in charge in a lot easier league. Sheffield Utd away West Brom at home Burnley , Norwich at home. Wow how well did we play then?
We can?’t even get attempts at goal now. He may have been **** Brin but then what are we now and what?’s that say about our current coach? Yep exactly.

He did inherit a team which looked very competent at Championship level. Warne lost 11% of the games he managed that season, Taylor lost 44% (Warne won 33% to Taylor's 22% too). Taylor upped the losing rate to 56% the following season (12% win rate) and gave us Hugill, Hall, Green, Cafu and Ayala (granted, Nombe was a welcome addition eventually but not exactly a cheap buy).

He managed to turn Bristol Rovers around from a mid-table team (11th) to relegation fodder (and they went down after he left them in 20th).

Commentating and punditry are not management. Managing in the Championship is not managing in League 1. Some may be able to do more than one of these, some can't. Taylor has proven that he can take a L2 side (that lost in two consecutive play-off finals) and... in four years... get them promoted. That's it. Hamshaw has shown signs he can get us playing good football, struggles to instill enough grit to hang on to points, is stubborn with a failing system, and has taken what was a poor L1 side and eventually made it slightly worse. He may well be able to get a good L2 side promoted after four attempts, and he may well be able to take a reasonably good looking (if poorly funded) Championship team from mid table to L1, but we'll probably never know. The reality is that both have failed to shine at our club, and neither has anything sparkling on their CV to suggest they're better than the other.

[Back of the net]

He did inherit a team which looked very competent at Championship level. Warne lost 11% of the games he managed that season, Taylor lost 44% (Warne won 33% to Taylor's 22% too). Taylor upped the losing rate to 56% the following season (12% win rate) and gave us Hugill, Hall, Green, Cafu and Ayala (granted, Nombe was a welcome addition eventually but not exactly a cheap buy).

He managed to turn Bristol Rovers around from a mid-table team (11th) to relegation fodder (and they went down after he left them in 20th).

Commentating and punditry are not management. Managing in the Championship is not managing in League 1. Some may be able to do more than one of these, some can't. Taylor has proven that he can take a L2 side (that lost in two consecutive play-off finals) and... in four years... get them promoted. That's it. Hamshaw has shown signs he can get us playing good football, struggles to instill enough grit to hang on to points, is stubborn with a failing system, and has taken what was a poor L1 side and eventually made it slightly worse. He may well be able to get a good L2 side promoted after four attempts, and he may well be able to take a reasonably good looking (if poorly funded) Championship team from mid table to L1, but we'll probably never know. The reality is that both have failed to shine at our club, and neither has anything sparkling on their CV to suggest they're better than the other.

As I said opinions vary on him. I was responding to Brin who said he was ****. He had us playing great football at times. Brin said he didn’t change things in the game. I was at Southampton away he made changes early and gained us a point.
We had some great results under him. I don’t want him back but to claim he’s **** when accepting this coach is just lunacy and imo is typical of some of our fan base. It’s a popularity contest. I don’t care who manages us I’ll call it as I see it. If he was **** then there are no words to describe our current coach in the weakest league 1 for years we are embarrassing ourselves.

[UlleyMiller]

...It’s a popularity contest....

Exactly this. Warne divided fans despite giving us more than anyone realistically ever could have, and since then not a single manager has:
1) Been given time and full support by all our fans
2) Not had their defenders when it's abundantly clear things have gone off the cliff edge

My point is that any manager can be the right fit, just as any could be the wrong fit. There are myriad factors that drive how a manager's tenure goes, and they're not all under their control. As fans though, we are all capable of shutting the **** up and giving incoming managers our backing despite any reservations we have (because negativity spreads quickly if not), and we're all capable of being respectful when the tenure comes to a close.

As great as they may be, even Pep, SAF, Klopp etc had good fortune along with everything they were able to give, and each started as an unknown quantity at one stage. I hope the fans are more forgiving with the next bloke, and respectful of the guy who's likely to depart relatively soon. You never really know who will click when the role and circumstances are right.

[Back of the net]

Exactly this. Warne divided fans despite giving us more than anyone realistically ever could have, and since then not a single manager has:
1) Been given time and full support by all our fans
2) Not had their defenders when it's abundantly clear things have gone off the cliff edge

My point is that any manager can be the right fit, just as any could be the wrong fit. There are myriad factors that drive how a manager's tenure goes, and they're not all under their control. As fans though, we are all capable of shutting the **** up and giving incoming managers our backing despite any reservations we have (because negativity spreads quickly if not), and we're all capable of being respectful when the tenure comes to a close.

As great as they may be, even Pep, SAF, Klopp etc had good fortune along with everything they were able to give, and each started as an unknown quantity at one stage. I hope the fans are more forgiving with the next bloke, and respectful of the guy who's likely to depart relatively soon. You never really know who will click when the role and circumstances are right.

I agree and I was 100% wrong about Warne I didn’t rate how he was at times and I was wrong.
I don’t boo when I go to games I don’t shout abuse at anyone.
I’ve been vocal on here which I’d be amazed if MH reads but you never know.
If the club comes out and said we are sticking with MH even if we go down for me personally I wouldn’t be happy but we would have clarity.

[UlleyMiller]

I agree and I was 100% wrong about Warne I didn’t rate how he was at times and I was wrong.
I don’t boo when I go to games I don’t shout abuse at anyone.
I’ve been vocal on here which I’d be amazed if MH reads but you never know.
If the club comes out and said we are sticking with MH even if we go down for me personally I wouldn’t be happy but we would have clarity.

It's a difficult one because if a manager is in contract then really there should be no need to comment to say he'll remain in contract, it's sort of understood. The minute they speak up and say a manager has the confidence of the board, you know he's gone in three games. I don't know if there is ever a meaningful way to reiterate that trust/obligation means a man stays in situ.

I doubt he'll be clinging onto every word, but I'd be very surprised if MH (and plenty others) aren't aware of the general feeling in boards like this. Premier League, maybe not... L1, local lad, he'll likely know some of what gets said.

[CAMiller]

It's a difficult one because if a manager is in contract then really there should be no need to comment to say he'll remain in contract, it's sort of understood. The minute they speak up and say a manager has the confidence of the board, you know he's gone in three games. I don't know if there is ever a meaningful way to reiterate that trust/obligation means a man stays in situ.

I doubt he'll be clinging onto every word, but I'd be very surprised if MH (and plenty others) aren't aware of the general feeling in boards like this. Premier League, maybe not... L1, local lad, he'll likely know some of what gets said.

Frog fills him in on everything. Including the names and addresses of his strongest critics. Why else do you think NWC has mysteriously disappeared?

[UlleyMiller]

Frog fills him in on everything. Including the names and addresses of his strongest critics. Why else do you think NWC has mysteriously disappeared?

That explains the strange car cruising through the village since I said it was time to look at a change.

[CAMiller]

That explains the strange car cruising through the village since I said it was time to look at a change.

That's probably just someone cruising around to check MM on their phone after being ostracized from your 'digital free' pub