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« on: October 19, 2022, 02:47:47 PM »
I think it's too simple to say it's one or the other, so I say both.
There have been a series of really bad decisions mate from top to bottom, we have been stumbling from one crisis to another since Dan Ashworth left.
In order to pick apart what is going wrong in the last few years since Bilic came in, so the "Squad, manager or both" topic, its like the unwinding of a thread - you can't help but trace the bad decisions back a long time before the last few coaches.
For example, Ismael was flawed, but so was the mis-matched squad of players - they have been put together by, what, 5 or 6 previous managers who all wanted to play a different way with different tactics? There has been no consistency at any level for years and years now.
For what its worth, I think the individual players are better than where we sit in the league. I think you could take most of them (bar the older squad members like Jake and Phillips etc) and any team in the league would take them... For example I think Molumby is a good player if you use him alongside 2 other midfielders (like the 3 CM's who play for Ireland). He might not have the best positional sense or the ability to score and thread passes, but you would ideally play him to his strengths and simply use him as the "legs" in midfield. We're partnering him with either 30something Jake Livermore who can't pass/carry the ball, TGH who I think is brilliant but also lacks the positional side of his game (put it down to inexperience), or Yokuslu who also has limited ability when it comes to passing (and doesn't seem fit). So there is no decent match up for Molumby and he becomes a bit-part/bench player. The same goes for any of the midfielders, I don't see a good match for any of them despite their individual strengths, and the 11 suffer overall for it.
Same goes for Wallace, I think any team in the league takes him and he improves them - as long as he has someone to aim for in the box. I also like BTA, who is clearly willing to put the work in but isn't winning headers against 90% of centre back pairings in the championship. So Wallace is doing his job in beating his man and getting crosses in, so if that's what you're after for your team he'd be a fantastic addition. BTA is doing his job in running channels and getting about, trying to make opportunities. But pair them together? Completely ineffective and a terrible match. It doesn't matter who your coach is, I struggle to see how you get those 2 talented players to work together effectively?
So recruitment has obviously been poor for a long long time. I think the players are okay, but not suited to one another (across the whole pitch) and as a result are underachieving as a unit.
Do I think the managers are poor? Again, it's hard to say yes or no. Again, I think "ill-suited" to our club, which falls at the feet of whoever is hiring them and subsequently not backing them with the time (or money) needed to build an actual project.
- I think Billic is a good coach who shouldn't have been given power in terms of recruitment, I think he would be a good fit with a capable Director of Football/recruitment structure which signs players based on data which fits how Slav wants his team to play.
- I think Ismael is a good coach who was hired at the wrong time. If we weren't going to drastically rebuild the squad and put recruitment in place which backs his vision etc then he's the wrong man for the job. If we wanted someone to simply get the existing players ticking together, then ironically, I think you want a coach like Billic to bring the dressing room together. Ismael wanted revolution, but the board wanted him to work with what he had at his disposal and it didn't work (to be clear, I would have also sacked him when we did, he was the wrong man for what we needed).
- I think Bruce was a panic hire. I would say he is the exception and a clearly poor manager nowadays, he's out of touch. Sure, unlucky in some games, but with whats come out on the Athletic regarding a (to be frank) lack of effort or plan, his performance was indefensible. The "Val project" went wrong, and Gourlay pushed the panic button to revert back to a "tried and trusted" friend. Too far in the other direction.
So to conclude my essay (apologies) - I would say it's a mix of both. I think Val was too extreme one way (unless you're going to back him with 4 transfer windows and funds), and Bruce was too extreme the other way (useless.). I think what we need in the new manager is something in the middle, somebody with a vision who needs backing with a recruitment structure, but not somebody who's vision requires us to move on 8 players then bring in 8 new players to make it work. We are stuck with the majority of (okay but not suited to each other) players that we have for the forseeable, so the change in style needs to be one which can get a tune out of these mis-matches.
Unfortunately, I don't have faith that the next appointment will find the balance to make everything click. Gourlay just isn't the man to sort this.
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