4 games in......sheer madness. Last night the always erratic Palace Chairman was telling the media how they needed to stick together now after a disappointing start to the season.
I think it's a farce to sack a man after 4 games and then to possibly replace him with this sleepy old dinosaur, world is going bonkers.. 'Roy Hodgson will be confirmed as his replacement in the next 24 hours, we also understand.'
The prem is a division of 4 quarters the top half and the bottom half and the first 19 games and the last 19 games ( often it goes down to the last 7 -10 games is Woy desperate for a job? I doubt it, if he has any sense he will think " if they do not perform and in 6 -10 games we have only got 5 points I will be laughed at" [ even more than now]
The thing is, football is probably the most fickle of all industries. If we had lost 4 games without scoring then most on here (including me) would be calling for LJ to go. Owners, and fans, want immediate results and have not got time for managers to 'bed in'. To be a football manager you need to have rhino skin.
Difficult when to call time. Some are far too quick to pull the trigger, and others can leave it too late for a new manager to turn things around. Last season I had Brum with Zola and you with Johnson as prime examples of the latter. Brum brought in Redknapp at the eleventh hour and you stuck with Johnson. Both of you survived albeit by the skin of your teeth, but with opposite approaches. At least we gave Trollope 11 games before pulling the plug and bringing in Warnock - but that was more than enough time to realise he wasn't up to the job. There's no magic pill to either survival or success. It's usually a combination of management experience at any given level, good judgement, motivational skills and yes - a bit of luck as well. It takes time and resources whatever division you're in and at Palace's level in the Prem, they're **** scared of losing that status. The knee jerk followed.
I think that's the root of it - if they did nothing and ended up in a worse position, or relegated, they'd be criticised for not taking any action, whereas the criticism for not giving a manager more time is much less than that of inaction. It's speculation, but perhaps de Boer tried changing too much too soon? Palace have real pace in their squad, so a counter-attacking style would likely suit them down to a tee, whereas de Boer maybe wanted them to play a highly technical passing game which is drilled into youngsters at Ajax. There's nothing wrong with changing a style, but so dramatically is possibly his failing and shows lack of ability to adapt. I don't think I'd have much luck if I took a tape of the Brazil 1970 World Cup team down to the Dog & Duck and said 'Right lads, starting Saturday, I want you to play like this!'
Nick, even I WANT to play like that. I suspect that all your drinking buddies will WANT to play like that too. It's just that we CAN'T !!!!!!!
That was kinda the point - asking Palace to play like the Ajax '94 side might've been expecting a bit much...
the key quite often is as you say, but more importantly the games that are left, who you play and whether H or A. I have noted in the past that quite a few managers have suddenly been dumped and the incoming manager has had a few "easier" fixtures. 3 ways to look at that a good start for the new bloke, old bloke may have got a few points and made it hard to get rid of him, or old bloke may have screwed it up and got no points!!! have they got a team in SOHO then!
After watching appalling Everton tonight Koeman may be next on the chopping block but I can't say that we will ever know when it's the right time to call an end. Difficult decisions need to be made to move teams forward and at what time of year would that be best is again a total stab in the dark. I feel empathy for the early casualties and how it must affect them going forward but football is a cruel world full of inequities.
Personally, I think Koeman is a fairly decent Manager Mike. He admitted he didn't prepare the team properly for the game last night, and takes the blame for a poor performance and result.
Would tend to agree there will always be a game that goes tits up .. against a team you very rarely, if ever, see
I think we are going to face one of the best managers around - certainly in our own division - tomorrow at 3pm..............
Why? I would not be surprised if his record since taking over Derby is not too dissimilar to LJ's. Not saying we will beat them tomorrow just this love in for him confuses me. It wasn't him who took Burton up, yes he he had Brum punching above but they were slipping just before he left.
I don't have a 'love in' for him. I just admire him for doing well at successive clubs. I feel the same way about Warnock - although they are completely different characters with different qualities. I can't say the same about LJ - yet, but I am supporting him and hope with everything I have that he (LJ) comes out on top tomorrow afternoon.
I think Rowett has made a good start to his managerial career, but not enough of a track record to laud him as one of the best managers about. It's cherry picking statistics, but LJ has a better win % at City than he had at Birmingham - I'm not saying on that basis that one is better than the other, just that it seems that people's pre-conceptions often blur their views. I like to lurk on opposition forums ahead of & after we play them, & it's not uncommon to see the odd person say that we have a 'talented young manager', which is quite the contrast to the view we have. I myself think he's nothing special, but not incapable either. If Derby win, Rowett will have 'out smarted' him - if City win, it'll be called a good win, but little more.
