Johnson might use 'management speak' in his interviews but at least he doesn't trot out the tired old clichés that mean nothing that some of the alternatives use. He speaks with a fair amount of honesty and at least tries to say something different. He clearly sees himself as a progressive, he's a bit of a football hipster, and that at least means he'll try something different. We've seen a completely new way of doing things brought in and it still needs time to bed in. Instant change isn't going to happen. Johnson, Speakman etc need to be given time.
With his words he puts his neck on the line. The injuries have been horrendous but he's not doing a Steve Bruce. Graham and Grigg have gone. He has plenty of time left on my clock. (I said CLOCK ffs!)
Don't they need to have played a percentage of their countries last internationals to qualify for a work permit?
There are requirements that need to be fulfilled in order to sign overseas players. Post brexit it has changed and as far as I understand it it is now easier to sign from outside the EU. If you have recent international caps you are laughing. You need a certain amount of points based on an assessment. Playing in europe top 5 leagues is good, as is playing in the Copa. How many current free agents would score enough I do not know, but you would imagine it would reduce the pool.
I’d rather sign Neville Southall on a free than play these two jokers tbf. Can’t be that hard to find someone who doesn’t require a work permit who would be an instant upgrade.
I am frustrated as anyone, but to suggest turfing out a manager after two months of dealing with a club, never mind squad, bereft of motivation & talent is just daft. There are 5 or 6 players worth keeping, plus some promising young-uns. We are not a short-term fix. I don't expect to get promoted this season, as we ain't ready. Without an ingrained and embedded way of playing/style, we will bomb if we get promoted. Keep sifting out the chaff, as he has been doing, and rebuild. Give yoof a chance, get more/better yoof in. Once we can get back to games, attendances will be integral to our first team budget.
We require a short term fix. We start rebuilding next season when 15 players are out of contract. I'm not looking forward to starting over with 15 new league 1 players with shiny new 2 years contracts. POMO stated after the loss that he prefers small players with high work rates. Not my preferred type of player. I don't think our veterans lack wisdom or steel, as POMO has stated. Three seasons in this league has shown us that we lack size, youth, and pace.
For me, Johnson is very much on trial from now till the end of the season. Automatic promotion has gone now but we should still have ambitions to get a play off spot. If we continue to regress like we already seem to be and finish well outside the top 6 it will be hard for me to want Johnson to stay and be the man to be at the helm for the summer rebuild
Disagree. The worst case scenario this season is that we stay in League 1. If we start rebuilding now, we stand a greater chance of promotion next season. We've had too many short term fixes, too much papering over the cracks. That's why we've fallen from the Premier League to League 1. The rebuild has to start NOW. Thankfully, it has done.
Yes it is right to be hard-nosed about the manager. On another post I gave my criteria for judging LJ, my verdict was the team is playing better, but results have not improved that much.. Still out of top 6. If we do not even make the play-offs.. it could/should be tough for LJ. Jones and the new striker have to make an impact... Volkins and Winchester????
Signing injured players doesn't do his cause any good, especially when he specifically said we wouldn't be signing injured or unfit players, as that's something that's happened too often here.
We bought crap players on silly wages which ultimately led to our relegation from the Premier League. The owner then pulled the plug and sat back and watched us fall through the Championship trap door. Then when it was too late he found his conscience and paid the clubs debts off but sold the club to a couple of morons who dont know how to run a football club. They hired the wrong manager in Jack Ross who had by the best and most expensive squad in the League. They then made the mistake of not sacking him after the play off final and allowed him to drag his dour ****e into the following season. We they finally woke up we were already playing catch up. They then hired possibly the worst manager possible in Phil Parkinson as he was the cheap option. We know how that went. Sacking bad managers isnt the reason we are in League One. Its hiring bad managers that has contributed to where we are now. You don't stick with a bad manager though.
If you sack a manager, the replacement has to take on the problems and mistakes of his predecessor. If you keep sacking managers, the manager in the seat is dealing with the problems and mistakes of the incumbency of a manager several sackings back. What is the common factor amongst the most successful managers of most of our lifetimes? Longevity. Arsenal and Man Utd gave Wenger and Ferguson time. Liverpool continually appointed from within, making sure that the baton was repeatedly picked up by people who knew how things worked there. When they deviated from that plan, they had 30 years in the comparative wilderness. Getting rid of Johnson now, at the end of the season, even at the end of next season would be to repeat the mistakes that we've been making for the last 15 years. We're rebuilding. That needs time and patience.
Kind of get a lot of that - but, to me, now I've had time to think about it, We were playing OK and fell to bits at their first goal - but it was more of a Shrewsbury saw the keeping weakness and started testing it. The second goal, whilst people said Vokins needs to be closer, the ball dropped inside the back post less than 5 yards out. Keeper should just have come and caught it (even if he punched it I'd feel better but it was an easy catch I think that I, at 45 years old and 5' 6" could've made) and he stood completely motionless. I don't blame Johnson in any way for picking Matthews. Not at all. I wanted him to play and I stand by that after the way Burge has played. In the post match, I don't even want him on the bench!! Agree we technically weren;t that bad in chances dreated. Could (and probably should) have been 2 or 3 up by half time (on chances not performance) and had 2 good chances second half too. Profligacy cost us again. That said, I have no idea why their 3rd was not given. Nobody looked offside but, if the guy stood in front of Matthews was, then he's technically in the keepers eyeline so he should be given offside. That or the linesman felt sorry for Matthews!!
Now I know our keepers weren;t very good, but to replace them with a 5 year old..... Actually probably couldn't do much worse!!
Get that totally - but it depends on their wage demands. Not about the "wage cap" but you can't bring in a player on 15k a week to this league. It simply isn't financially viable as we don't make enough money. We'd be bankrupt in no time. As rich as KLD is, he shouldn't be splashing stupid money on wages - this is something I actually agree with Donald about (one of the few things!)