[robnewbold]

If Bilkul expected play-offs as a minimum from this season after everything we have gone through then I have seriously over-estimated him.

I don't think I have and I don't believe for one second that this would have been his expectation. He seems a realist not a fantasist, unlike our previous imbecilic owner.

We are a longer term project, he has stated this clearly, our unexpected, awesome start may have raised expectations amongst our fan base, but there is a bigger picture which I am sure he is focused on.

[LiamTheBaggie]

He has to find a new way of playing against those teams that want to come in and sit tight against us. We are extremely predictable as we move the ball far too slowly.

Yesterday in the first half was better but the game petered out in the second half. Given we had Fellows on the pitch it would have been nice to try and see us do something different. Cole on for Swift would have given us an additional presence in the box.

We have a tough run of fixtures coming up but it will not surprise me to see us perform better against those sides. I think our approach is naturally tailored to playing against them.

[timdon]

If Bilkul expected play-offs as a minimum from this season after everything we have gone through then I have seriously over-estimated him.

I don't think I have and I don't believe for one second that this would have been his expectation. He seems a realist not a fantasist, unlike our previous imbecilic owner.

We are a longer term project, he has stated this clearly, our unexpected, awesome start may have raised expectations amongst our fan base, but there is a bigger picture which I am sure he is focused on.

He didn't say that the play offs were the minimum requirement. He said the play offs were the aim. But he also said that this season was about building a solid base for the future. I think he has his head screwed on and is realistic - he won't be making any knee jerk reactions either, and the people suggesting that he may sack CC before the end of the year are not being realistic.

[DevonInStripes]

If CC doesn’t rate some of the summer acquisitions then who made the decision to sign them ? If it was down to our recruitment team then once again questions need to be asked by the directors.

[WBArgo]

If CC doesn’t rate some of the summer acquisitions then who made the decision to sign them ? If it was down to our recruitment team then once again questions need to be asked by the directors.

If I recall correctly, he was critical of some of the signings in the summer. I believe in an interview he spoke about bringing in better quality or something (I can't remember the exact quote but it was fairly subtle/thinly veiled). I think this makes sense considering he has only used Heggem/Racic so far (I know McNair has been used but he didn't seem like a long-term signing).

At this point we could be heading towards a collision course of him vs the ownership over the use of the new signings. At this point the jury is out and either party could be wrong/right. One thing I will say in fairness to Corberan is that he's usually quite resourceful with previously 'bad' players such as Grant/Kipre/Mowatt in terms of reinventing them.

From the owners perspective, they are cutting costs and it may be the beginning of a long-term process to improve the financial status of the club.

[zippyandbungle]

If he had been given a lot of cash to spend then that might have been a reasonable expectation of Bilkul but he hasn't and  I don't think expectations of this season are much above build for the future, get a younger squad and make the academy more effective. The expectation of some fans is rather beyond the present squad's capabilities.

He is being slated by some on here for not trying out a L1 player. It's pretty obvious that he doesn't rate the forces at his disposal and is trying to compensate by coaching those forces to play to a disciplined structure.  Similar, I think to Roy Hodgson's methods.

I am disappointed that academy players have not been tried and that some additions to the squad are not as good as the ones we had to let go.  But I don't see how we can afford to acquire any better ones.

He isn’t being slated,he is being questioned as to why the “league one player” doesn’t get one of the spaces on a nine man bench considering it’s our only fit sub striker…
But over the last two seasons another “league one striker” was mainly a starter …

On the point about spending,how many players came in over the transfer window…and how many is he choosing not to use

So either he didn’t want them ,in which case that would be at odds with the interviews he did just before the season started ,or he did at the time which would also be very strange and a very quick change of thought?

[gazberg]

If CC doesn’t rate some of the summer acquisitions then who made the decision to sign them ? If it was down to our recruitment team then once again questions need to be asked by the directors.

From what I recall it was a collective effort. The clubs identifed players and ran them past CC to get his views

[FallOutBoy]

I saw a comment on Twitter that we look over-coached, that the players don't rely on their instinct and are instead over-thinking things. I've got to say that rang true to me.

I said after last season that if we were going to improve from that point then Corberan needed to improve as a coach. He needs to find a plan B for when things aren't going our way, or there's a stubborn defence to break down.

[LiamTheBaggie]

So either he didn’t want them ,in which case that would be at odds with the interviews he did just before the season started ,or he did at the time which would also be very strange and a very quick change of thought?

Club employee publicly supports the decisions of club recruitment staff.

Someone call a press report quick.

[mulliganstired]

I saw a comment on Twitter that we look over-coached, that the players don't rely on their instinct and are instead over-thinking things. I've got to say that rang true to me.

I said after last season that if we were going to improve from that point then Corberan needed to improve as a coach. He needs to find a plan B for when things aren't going our way, or there's a stubborn defence to break down.

One simple lesson:  No plan survives contact with the enemy.

[SmethDan]

One simple lesson:  No plan survives contact with the enemy.

'Helmuth von Moltke'.

Profound for a Monday morning  .

[NJS]

I saw a comment on Twitter that we look over-coached, that the players don't rely on their instinct and are instead over-thinking things. I've got to say that rang true to me.

I said after last season that if we were going to improve from that point then Corberan needed to improve as a coach. He needs to find a plan B for when things aren't going our way, or there's a stubborn defence to break down.

All this opinion about over coaching might be absolutely true but you can't rely on your players footballing instincts if they are short in that respect. 

As for planning, Von Moltke actual saying was:
"No plan of operations extends with any certainty beyond the first encounter with the main enemy forces."

But if you haven't planned beforehand you won't have sufficient forces in the right places with the right logistical backup to win any encounter.

General Dwight D. Eisenhower:  “Peace-time plans are of no particular value, but peace-time planning is indispensable.”

[SmethDan]

Mike Tyson said.....

[Droitwich Baggie]

Mike Tyson said.....

  "Lend me your ears"! Oops.  Another person said that.

[miggybaggy]

Way too much over-thinking going on here! I just want to see Johnston and Fellows receiving the ball while running towards the by-line at speed, then turning opposition defences facing the wrong way....it's not that complicated at all.

[robnewbold]

He didn't say that the play offs were the minimum requirement. He said the play offs were the aim. But he also said that this season was about building a solid base for the future. I think he has his head screwed on and is realistic - he won't be making any knee jerk reactions either, and the people suggesting that he may sack CC before the end of the year are not being realistic.

It was posted on this forum  that it he stated it was  his minimum requirement, and i also stated i did not believe he would expect that and that he was a realist unlike the previous imbecilic owner.

[timdon]

It was posted on this forum  that it he stated it was  his minimum requirement, and i also stated i did not believe he would expect that and that he was a realist unlike the previous imbecilic owner.

Yeah, I know. I was just correcting the original posters' memory. Maybe I should have replied to him rather than you, but you seemed concerned and I was just trying to put your mind at rest. Sorry if it came across differently. I completely agree with your assessment of the owner btw.

[robnewbold]

Yeah, I know. I was just correcting the original posters' memory. Maybe I should have replied to him rather than you, but you seemed concerned and I was just trying to put your mind at rest. Sorry if it came across differently. I completely agree with your assessment of the owner btw.

No worries at all mate, us realists need to stick together. Make Albion Great Again!

[iwastherein68]

Will be more cautious than ever with todays news

[zac]

Will be more cautious than ever with todays news

I think you are going to see what the majority want in defence now in fairness. People wanted the Holgate/Heggem partnership with one of either Styles or Frabotta at full back. Suppose we are now going to see how this works.

[robnewbold]

So here we are then. Injuries abound, but our transfer deals gave us cover. That was always the tactic , lets see how CC deals with it. Hopefully as well as ever.

[zippyandbungle]

So here we are then. Injuries abound, but our transfer deals gave us cover. That was always the tactic , lets see how CC deals with it. Hopefully as well as ever.

I’ve always felt Corberan gets lucky and we get the best options when we are forced into selection’s,not that he deals with it well.
In Friday we will be “forced” in to playing a back four which is probably the best that we have
Furlong ,Heggem,Holgate and Frabrotta
However these four have never started a match together and that’s disappointing bearing in mind how slow and tedious the playing around the back has been.
No doubt some will be willing to give the manager credit if we come away with a positive result .

[hardtobeat]

There’s a reason we’ve been playing a CB at LB .

[johnny Cash]

McNair is pretty much done here, will be off to the MLS when he’s fit. Bartley sounds like he’s out until Jan and Ajayi until March. Thats tough on CC.  One more injury at centre back and it’s a crisis if it’s not already. 

[zac]

I’ve always felt Corberan gets lucky and we get the best options when we are forced into selection’s,not that he deals with it well.
In Friday we will be “forced” in to playing a back four which is probably the best that we have
Furlong ,Heggem,Holgate and Frabrotta
However these four have never started a match together and that’s disappointing bearing in mind how slow and tedious the playing around the back has been.
No doubt some will be willing to give the manager credit if we come away with a positive result .

So if we come away with a good result Friday CC doesn't deserve the credit have i interpreted that right? Bet you will blame him if we lose though 

Like someone said above, i think there's a reason personally why Heggem has started at left back over the options but i hope i'm wrong. Although Styles looked good coming forward he got beat too easily a couple times defensively and my friend who is a Barnsley supporter claims he is never a left back. Frabotta deserves his chance and hopefully he can take it.