A Public Apology To Dean Wilkins

[Uncle Spielberg]

I would like to issue a public apology to Dean Wilkins tonight.

I have been feircely critical of " Deano " since he took, over lambasting him last season and for the first half of this season.

I was very negative of the great man in the first half of this season and was outraged at the sacking of the Scottish God, Mark McGhee. I did several posts earlier this season predicting than Deano would get us relegated this season. I had NO faith in the man.

I accept now I was unfounded in this opinion. Deano has kept about his work with little arm waving and throwing of water bottles and his studying of the play in the first half in the North Stand also met my acid ramblings.

But with us in a handy spot on the verge of a momentus play off spot this season, our manager has fashioned a worthy side to wear the great Blue and White stripes of the best football team to ply their trade on this planet.

I have seen BHAFC for 4 seasons in the top flight of English football culminating in a Wembley FA Cup Final therefore I may have been more critical than the younger members who have never seen such great heights.

We have some great players now and Racon looks a quality player at this level. If we keep our nerve with the magnificnet Nicholas Forster upfront with his 20 goal tally and when Murray fulfills his true potential many sides will be swept aside by Deano's footnalling juggernaught.

Wise and Worthy men like The Large One and Uncle Buck never doubted Deano's potential and I have to salute them for their foresight and patience I clearly do not have.

What ever happens this season Deano has proceed the doubters wrong and I am delighted at that. I have supported this superb club for over 35 years and was on the terraces 15 years before Deano wore the Blue & White shirt and 30 odd years before he became the orchestrator of this club so please accept my derision was in good faith for the good of the club.

We may have differing opinions but we are all in this together.

Dean Wilkins Blue & White Army :albion1:

 

[Beach Hut]

I am sure you will get the doubting back if we miss the play-offs.

 

[bristolseagull]

drugs?

 

[Buzzer]

We may have differing opinions but we are all in this together.

Post of the day, Uncle S.

 

[clippedgull]

someone hacked Uncle's account?

 

[Gaffer's Banana Hammock]

Don't be so hard on yourself unc.

You're a friend of Dave's, thats what matters :yahoo:

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Gareth, you're an IDIOT

You also owe us an apology for:

a) Your weather prediction

b) Your score prediction

c) Your racing prediction (never saw that one, maybe you never made one, but I'm sure that if you did it was equally Shittu)

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

Interesting - I can see why good home form and a very healthy league position would cause some of the anti's to 'turn'.

I still don't like his matchday management, and still disagree with his tactics and substitutions a lot. So no, I still don't 'rate' him particularly highly.

However, he deserves a LOT of credit for turning the playing squad into one with such strength and talent that many of his weaknesses aren't exploited, and we're still getting results. Westlake, Murray, Thomson, Whing, Richards, Forster and now possibly Racon - regardless of how much financial backing he's had, I would think he's influenced the majority of signings along with Knight and Lloyd (if not all of them), and we're looking a quality outfit as a result. I didn't go today, but by all accounts we weren't particularly good yet still won. Sounds like a half decent footballing side to me!

Therefore, if he keeps up the progress he's making, and rids basic errors from his repertoire completely, then perhaps in time he will prove a quality manager.

I think the key word from the original post is "patience".

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

I am a penantent man

 

[timbha]

..but why does Wilkins wait for things to go wrong before jogging to the dug out?Lots of arm waving, flapping and clip boards from Chapman and White once Wilkins is with them - but bewildered, confused and puzzled looks when he's not!

Still wondering why we signed Mc Faul and Dixon

BUT, we're near the play offs, have some good players and are playing some good football. Wilkins has realised that some of the Youth players from the successful U18 team will not make it.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Interesting - I can see why good home form and a very healthy league position would cause some of the anti's to 'turn'.

I still don't like his matchday management, and still disagree with his tactics and substitutions a lot. So no, I still don't 'rate' him particularly highly.

I still don't understand the viewpoint of an 'anti'. For sure, last season was very poor, but there were many mitigating circumstances. I can wholly understand people turning on someone like Peter Taylor, when he had money to spend and a wealth of talent, but we had a rookie with his hands very much tied - he didn't have control of the pre-season and missed the first transfer window.

There were never signs that he had lost the dressing room and we were badly short on talent in the squad. There were 40 or so (going via the NSC polls) that wanted Deano out. What would that have achieved? It is all about consistency and giving the chap the tools to work with.

I don't always agree with his tactics or his team selection. I would not have gone with Gary Hart at RB, but he proved me wrong and that is one of the reasons why I work in housing and he works in football.

Isn't it best to take each match as it comes and ignore any preconceived ideal? He is learning fast and we are building a good base for a push into the playoffs and beyond. I, for one, am very happy that we stood firm last season. Trigger happy Chairmen do not make good employers. Just ask Kevin Keegan!

 

[skr80]

IMO - Mr W has had a lot of money to spend on players in comparison to some of our more recent managers...

 

[Beach Hut]

IMO - Mr W has had a lot of money to spend on players in comparison to some of our more recent managers...

More importantly not so sure he has had much say on what it was spent on.

Not actaully sure McGhee purchased a single player as such ?

 

[Barrel of Fun]

IMO - Mr W has had a lot of money to spend on players in comparison to some of our more recent managers...

I am not sure how relevant that is. It depends on how strong the squad is beforehand and whether you are losing integral players, plus who is available and what their price is. We spent £300k + on Carole, Frutos and Turienzo with not much to show, but spent £375k on Forster and Murray creating a potent strike force.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

IMO - Mr W has had a lot of money to spend on players in comparison to some of our more recent managers...

He has, definitely.

Bloom is willing to back Wilkins but wasn't McGhee.

However, Knight and Lloyd have a lot of say too. Doesn't mean he shouldn't get credit for who he has got in though, it just makes him harder to compare to other managers that we've had in recent years.

 

[bigc]

He has, definitely.

Bloom is willing to back Wilkins but wasn't McGhee.

However, Knight and Lloyd have a lot of say too. Doesn't mean he shouldn't get credit for who he has got in though, it just makes him harder to compare to other managers that we've had in recent years.

Coppell had scope to bring in players didn't he?

I mean, he had a fair few players who then turned us down for various reasons. That Charlton defender who went to Reading in the end springs to mind.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

He has, definitely.

Less than (possibly equal to) McGhee if my calculations and soccerbase are anything to go by.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

Less than (possibly equal to) McGhee if my calculations and soccerbase are anything to go by.

Can only remember Knight blowing money on Turienzo against McGhee's wishes....

Also, there was a small fee involved for Frutos and Carole.

Other than that, not sure who you are referring too (must be being dumb)?

 

[Barrel of Fun]

I thought we paid about £70k for CKR, £150k on agents fees for Carole and Frutos and £150k on Turienzo. Plus others before that.

My point stands though. It is not what you spend, it is about who you spend it on and the current status of the squad. Our squad was much weaker when DW took over. We didn't really have a recognised goal threat etc.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

I thought we paid about £70k for CKR, £150k on agents fees for Carole and Frutos and £150k on Turienzo. Plus others before that.

My point stands though. It is not what you spend, it is about who you spend it on and the current status of the squad. Our squad was much weaker when DW took over. We didn't really have a recognised goal threat etc.

Ah, i forgot about CKR.

But 300k (murray) + 75k (forster) + 55 k (dixon) adds up...

And yes, I agree - but McGhee was given less money to try and help us stay up in the league above - it's a fairly pointless comparison.