has MoN been an improvement on Bruce?

and if its time for a rebuilding job in the summer, is MoN the right man to oversee that?

 

yes and yes mate

 

Yes!

 

Got to say I don't see the improvement. Honestly only 1 game stands out for me this season where we played well over a FULL match. West Ham at home. In every other game we have been poor for huge chunks. We seem to start playing when the game is over. We are playing players out of position, like Bruce, tactics are baffling, like Bruce, substitutions rarely change a game, like Bruce, we haveno midfield, like Bruce. I just don't see it.

 

Have my doubts but he needs 1 more season but I will say 1 thing people on here saying he's world class no he isn't We signed a bloody defender who has not played yet ffs ,glad he tried 2 upfront though

 

Stupid question

 

The only man

 

Thus far, I'd have to say it's a no... MON did save us last season so we must be grateful for that. I'm certain we would have been relegated under Bruce. This season, not quite enough money invested (Probably needed another £10-15 million to be spent on the squad MON inherited) and one of our major investments has been a major dissapointment. At the moment, we are only slightly better than much of the dross that Bruce served up.

Strange signings like McFadden, Saha, Kyrgiakos and dare I say it, Mangane. Awful signings like Cuellar (Not all agree but I think he is poor). Graham, is he a next level striker? I'm more than willing to see him do the business but I'm not sure he is a next level striker.

I'm not impressed so far although this summer is when most people will begin to make their mind up including myself.

 

I tend to agree with this.
He came in & had an immediate impact which swiftly dissipated.
I don't think we're any better off at all tbh.
Still playing square pegs in round holes just like under Bruce.
Bruce made some good signings, not his fault they ****ed off, (or was it?).
So far, I've been less than impressed with O'Neill's signings.
Like you say, we shall see what the summer sales bring.

 

I really wanted O'neill but I have to say No and I hated the FGB. aNYONE WHO WASTES £12 million on a championship player like Johnson then brings in cuellar and finally misjudges the feeling of a lot of supporters who simply do not trust geordies anymore (i know its a minority but its a significant minority) However, its the complete waste of money on adam johnson that convinces me he knows fck all

 

No and yes.

Been no better than Bruce and it would be harsh to suggest otherwise. How have we been any better? Bruce took us to 10th. Until O'Neil does that he's statistically been no better.

I'd keep him to build though. There's a hell of a lot of ****e beneath us.

Delighted to see Harry's done **** all at QPR so far.

 

Absolutely and definitely.

Mon is still having to work with the 2nd rate ****e he was left with by Bruce but is restricted financially in how quickly if can rectify this.

If anyone thinks that Fletcher, Johnson, Graham, Rose, NDiaye, and Cuellar are not better then I give up. We still have to see mangane.

Cuellar may not be John Terry but if 's better than Killgallon, Shamble and Brown (at least Cuellar plays).

Mon is a brilliant manager, not a magician. He needs time to build his team not constant critics biting away at his feet after every game.

 

No improvement, in fact if Bruce has not lost Bent and Gyan to money the way he did or he had Fletcher then he would not have had the terrible season which got him sacked.

Whats done is done and MON is the right man to take us forward he just needs time. In the summer we need 2 centre halfs a central midfielder and a striker. Some of the dead wood then needs shipping out.

 

My concern with MON is that he is shackled with his own fears and this reveals itself in his negative formation. The turning point could and should have been away to Reading. MON should have put out an attacking team with an intention to attack. MON choose to defend again, we lost and now we are in a relegation battle. It's 'little' things like not changing the team at the right time in the right games that makes all the diference to how the season pans out.

MON has had two full windows (excluding the 1st window) and we are no further forward at all. We are no further forward because MON chooses to sit back in his own half, ironically. Johnson is suffering because he is only a menace whilst he is playing up the pitch... Give Johnson the ball when he is within 10 metres of the penalty box and he is a major threat. Give Johnson the ball when he is on the halfway line and his pace isn't quick enough to have any impact. Yet, MON still chooses to play deep...

Nobody can possibly say that we are much better now because we arn't. The same people say that the reason why MON isn't doing so well is because he still has the poor squad that he inherited from Bruce. It's one or the other but not both....

This summer is massive for MON. The fans will want to see some tangible evidence of quality recruits that are able to slot in and show their class from game 1, no excuses.

 

The only proven fact in football is that a continuous churn of managers does not bring success...........................I suggest anyone who wants MON out writes this 1000 times on a blackboard or until it permeates their brain.(Thankfully not many do)

He has achieved success with several clubs in some shape of form, there is no reason why, given time- he will not replicate that success with our club.

The player he has brought in should improve the squad, he is not panic buying just to pacify some of the fans as others did leaving much expensive deadwood at the club.

The next transfer window is crucial - I suspect he knows that as much as anybody.

 

Fantastic post mate.

 

The rebuilding should be well under way, not restarting every transfer window. Is it? There is still plenty of time before anyone can say that the rebuilding is over though. Not that it ever really is.

I'm neither convinced, nor am I concerned that MON could be the wrong man. I'm a floating voter.

 

He has had (unless you are totally pedantic about the 1st window 3.5 weeks after he took over) 2 transfer windows where a lot of deadwood has been moved on and some very good players brought in.

Fletcher, Graham, N'Diaye, Johnson, Rose (loan), Cuellar and Mangane (still to see this lad though) are moving in the right direction but he has also inherited some duffers like Ji, Brown (not played since Jan 12), McClean (headless chicken), Vaughan, Larsson (he has been the biggest disappointment this season while appreciating he isn't playing a position he favours), Colback (steady Eddie but no world beater), Elmo, Bramble (too many mistakes), Killgallon, ---- no left back and 1 right back. Gone are Campbell and Meyler who deserve some football but not good enough to be in a top 10 EPL team.

He did in Mignolet, JOS, Catts, Sessegnon, Bardsley (injured and struggling this season) and Gardener inherit a few decent lads to build on but its a pretty weak skeleton to put flesh on in only 14 months. Its going to take 2 or 3 seasons but unlike Bruce there is reason and a plan behind the signings and not a scatter gun approach every 6 months. That's why we are far better off than under Bruce.

We lost yesterday not because of formations or bad luck, we lost because of individual errors from Gardener and especially Bramble. No manager can be held responsible for that when they were not his players making them. The only 3 signings Bruce made that have benefited the club are Mignolet, JOS and Sessegnon imo. They rest are all expendable imo.

All of Mon's signings have contributed although I appreciate AJ could have done so more often than just yesterday. He has scored 4 goals mind?

 

I'm still 100% and fully behind MON but that won't stop any criticism that I feel is worthy of talking about. Some of our other fans tend to prefer forgetting about their doubts about MON in an attempt to convince themselves and others that he is the right man for the job. Nobody can possibly know if MON is the right man for the job or not, we can only hope that he is and that he is able to bring some success to SAFC in the mould of his days at Leicester. MON certainly needs more time and there is absolutely no doubt about that but some of the decisions that he makes appear to be difficult to understand. If we were winning on a regular basis I wouldn't be so bothered, however that is not occuring.

For example, why sign Johnson who has limited pace if you intend to sit back on the counter attack? I don't understand the reasoning behind this... Johnson looked great at City because City hold the ball and play football right up into the oppositions penalty area and that is where Johnson is dangerous. Johnson doesnt have the pace to be effective from the halfway line so the quesiton must be asked, why allocate a large part of your budget on a player who won't be able to be an effective part of the team formation? Surely it would have served us better at this stage of our development to sign a winger with pace? Therefore, did MON bother to think about this or did he even consider that Johnson quite simply isn't quick enough to be effective in a defensive counter attacking system?

Same here and although MON was my first choice back when Bruce was on his way out, I'm not going to try and convince myself or others that he is the only man for the job indefinately. I will criticize as I see fit as and when I see mistakes occuring.

 

Johnson was brought to play exactly the same way as he did at Man City but sadly, I must inform you here that Colback, Larsson, Vaughan, McClean, Elmo, Meyler, Ji, Bramble, Killgallon etc etc are not Man City standard either.

Until we complete the rebuilding and shift out all of the Bruce deadwood and replace them with far better, we wont see the best from AJ either. That said, he has scored 4 goals from the wing this season and may well end on 6+ and that's wouldn't be too shabby for a winger who has largely disappointed this season is it?