[TaffieBaggie]

It was unfortuante that this forum was lost just after RDM left.  I had initially highlighted my surprise at him being sacked as did the majority of the other members.

However, by the end of the day and in the cold light of day the tone appeared to have changed, including my own.

I looked back at the Wigan game and remembered how I doubted the team selection and tactics for the game, which backfired, and we were fortunate to come back once RDM realised he got it wrong.

Also, having looked at his general demeanor over the last few weeks, even when we luckily beat Blackpool, he clearly was in trouble.  Maybe he already knew his job was on the line.

Then after reading between the lines of the comments of Shorey, clearly there was trouble at mill.

Maybe the decision was for the best and, in Hodgson, hopefully we have someone who can resolve our defensive frailties.  Thinking about it do we actually have a defensive coach?

The king is dead, long live the King.  Lets get behind the team and the new Head Coach starting on Sunday and for the rest of the season.

[RowleyBaggie2]

I had lost faith in RDM more than most, but when the sacking was announced i did feel very sad as he's a likable bloke who gave us a very good season last year and some great games this, that Arsenal game will stay with me forever.

However, there are deep routed problems that seem to have been either ignored or unable to be addressed. A big issue for me was RDM had never been at a club in trouble. and how no idea how to turn it around.

[B_H_Baggie]

A fair few saw it coming, the only surprise was the timing to be honest. Immediately after the Man City game seemed harsh but thinking about it more we should have given ourselves a bigger chance by getting rid of him a little earlier. Then you start to hear tales about things going on behind the scenes that suddenly make things that happened previously make sense but when you got over the shock and looked at our situation putting the club first I think most thought it was the right decision as long as we appointed the right man with some genuine experience and thankfully for a lot of people I think we did rather than getting what looked on the face of it a like for like replacement.

The reaction on certain Facebook pages was comical, I notice they soon canceled their planned protest against the chairman for the injustice once Hodgson was appointed 

[hardtobeat]

With hindsight i would thik that beating Blackpool probably gained RDM a couple more games but left no room for manoeuvre regarding the 'window'.Personally i would have got rid IMMEDIATELY after the Ipswich game the excuses that night were pathetic.

[Savvas78]

I struggled to get my head round it when the sacking was announced. But on reflection is was the right decision (albeit the timing sucked)!
It appeared RDM had lost the plot with some baffling lineups and post match comments that were completely out of character for a guy with such a cool demeanour. I have a feeling he may have lost the dressing room too, appearing to have marginalised some of the first team squad. Such a shame as, given time, he will become a cracking manager - only for an other club.

[baggies37]

good interesting points on the how the tone has changed...

amazing how many people at the time said he should have been given more time

however look at the above comments and folks are now saying it should have happened earlier...

could it be that the blackpool winner put us back further and inevitably means we were too late too change?

strange how it all works..

i dont think i can even bare to look on sunday...it is the ultimate must win game, we simply cannot fail but common sense says we more than likely will and that wolves have more desire...thats my feeling anyway and i desperately hope i'm wrong..

[OldburyWBA]

There was a few people to be honest who thought he should have gone sooner but for fear of being shouted down and branded as negative boo boy moaners we kept quiet.

[GrGr]

Well. everybody keeps saying RdM 'lost the plot'. To continue the maritime analogy he was more or less the definition of losing the plot.

The Albion was a ship adrift without wind in it's sails under his captaincy, and he had no clue how to get her back again. It felt like he was running around giving random orders such as 'pull that "string", spin the wheel, toot the horn...' without any real clue as to what he was doing or how a ship operates.

Now we have an old deckhand at the helm who knows the ins and outs of a sailing ship and how to steer it. Good luck, Roy. And good luck with your next job Roberto, I am sure you learnt a lot and you sure could sail when the winds were favourable.

[hardtobeat]

Just hope we aren't holed below the waterline

[lewisant]

At the time i felt it was wrong and i said to my dad 'i guess well know it ifs a good decision when we see who the jobs given to', and i mentioned the best we can hope for, both realistically and the man to keep us up, was Roy. See when we employed him i became happy with the decision. Gutted it didn't work out with RDM and felt at my lowest ebb about west brom when he left, but getting Hodgeson in lifted, and then the West Ham game happened and proved Appy wasn't ready when he stuck barnes on parker!

[up_the_baggies]

A new manager was probably needed a few games prior to the sacking, the problem being the justification for Peace to make that sacking.

I thank RDM for his contribution towards a great promotion season last year, and a fantastic start of this season, but football's a winning game, and in our position, we can't afford to lose 13 out of 18.

[Sussex-Baggie]

I had thought that Roberto Di Matteo was running out of time, but I was very surprised at the timing of the sacking seeing as it occurred the day after a defeat to one of richest clubs in the world.

I was starting to wonder just how much our poor run was bothering him, as he continued to pick players who were out of form and spent many of his post-match interviews blaming poor decisions by referees for the result. This was the case against Manchester United, but he began to sound desperate and one of the penalty appeals he mentioned in his interview following the Wigan Athletic game was laughable!

I wish him all the best in the future, but always believed that if we could bring in somebody experienced like Roy Hodgson, then it may prove to be the right decision to get rid of Di Matteo when we did.

[mulliganstired]

Being  Devon based and only going to away games occasonally, I didn't pick up much of the rumours about losing the dressing room etc, but while I was still basically ridiculing talk of sacking, I was posting just before it happened that surely Newton and/or Appleton must be in the right place to advise him on a change of tactic, 442, proper full back setup etc etc.  It does sound like they all just froze like rabbits in the headlights, waiting for things to come right again, distant memories of the Emirates etc.  When RDM was reduced to just pleading for "a win from somewhere" as his selection got more and more off the wall, even two hundred miles away it sounded alarming.  I was still very surprised though!!