We'll watch the match video and I hope it will embarrass the players...

[twickers]

"I sympathise completely with the supporters," Wilkins insisted.

Sympathy is a nice reactionary comment to appease the fans, but it's not leadership. Good leadership starts with empathy e.g. these are the resources and this is the way.

"We'll watch the match video and I hope it will embarrass the players when they see what they have done out there."

Great, and they look will at you Dean and say:
"Gaffer, that is embarassing, what will we do about it?"
and Dean, nice bloke though you are, I'm not convinced you know.

 

[7:18]

we need BIGGER magnets

 

[twickers]

Have you ever been embarassed into winning?

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Embarrass the players?

What about the fans?!

 

[Rusco]

"I sympathise completely with the supporters," Wilkins insisted.

Sympathy is a nice reactionary comment to appease the fans, but it's not leadership. Good leadership starts with empathy e.g. these are the resources and this is the way.

"We'll watch the match video and I hope it will embarrass the players when they see what they have done out there."

Great, and they look will at you Dean and say:
"Gaffer, that is embarassing, what will we do about it?"
and Dean, nice bloke though you are, I'm not convinced you know.

If he feels that way, why doesn't he give us a refund of our ticket price. I'm sure we could do them under the trades descriptions act or something

 

[London Irish]

It's certainly a change of style from McGhee - he would take the pressure off the players by saying a number of different things to the press, like the squad needs strengthening, or this isn't a game we have targeted, or in the case of Stoke, the season is over, etc.

I'm sceptical that heaping more pressure on an under-resourced squad will produce better results but proof of the pudding is in the eating and let's see.

 

[Tooting Gull]

I like this approach more to be honest. As a fan, I want the manager to tell me we were shit when we were, because it makes me a bit more confident that he will do something about it. Yesterday, we were shocking, and everyone in the ground knew that - including the players. For Wilkins to come out and claim otherwise would have lost him some credibility IMO. This way, maybe the players will decide they don't like being criticised and abused week after week, and do something about it.

I agree. It was precisely the threadbare nature of some of McGhee's defences of piss-poor performances that began to lose him so much respect last season.

I'm sure Irish has a point that you don't especially want to be lambasting the players in public every week. But I think I'd rather see improvements in displays/results via the training pitch than a different form of spin on the defeat every week.

Oh yeah, and I don't want to hear managers say, ever, 'it wasn't a game we targeted'. For starters, any home game is an opportunity for at least a point, even our dump. And if you don't believe, perhaps with good organisation against better players, that you have a chance you might as well not bother. I wonder if Macedonia 'targeted' England away.

 

[Da Man Clay]

I'm sure Irish has a point that you don't especially want to be lambasting the players in public every week. But I think I'd rather see improvements in displays/results via the training pitch than a different form of spin on the defeat every week.

Instead we are just getting apologies and being asked for patience every week instead.

 

[Hercules Rockerfeller]

They apparently all wanted him as manager!!

Always worries me when players say that. You should have a certain amount of distance from your manager as he/she needs to make decisions they may p1ss you off. This chummy closeness just don't work.

We all want the same thing, but giving your "backing" doesn't change the fact he was not the answer and has been put in an impossible position by Papa Smurf.

It should always have been a carteaker role and then at least ask for applications and see who else wants the job. Then see who will actually accept the restrictions you have to work under.

This has to be Dick's last throw of the dice. Maybe this was the other board members trying to give him enough rope so he can do the proverbial and maybe he has just played into their hands.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

They apparently all wanted him as manager!!

Always worries me when players say that. You should have a certain amount of distance from your manager as he/she needs to make decisions they may p1ss you off. This chummy closeness just don't work.

We all want the same thing, but giving your "backing" doesn't change the fact he was not the answer and has been put in an impossible position by Papa Smurf.

It should always have been a carteaker role and then at least ask for applications and see who else wants the job. Then see who will actually accept the restrictions you have to work under.

This has to be Dick's last throw of the dice. Maybe this was the other board members trying to give him enough rope so he can do the proverbial and maybe he has just played into their hands.

But apparently there were a number of 'good quality' applicants, or so we were told. I can't imagine who they were given we've ended up with DW.

oh, and by the way, when have you ever heard a player say he doesn't want/back the manager - especially when it's someone they know. They all do, they want to play. They can't be sure that if someone else comes in that he won't change things completely and the player in question doesn't fit into his plans. Better the devil you know, and all that.

 

[Wilka]

I hope he pops the video on during the trip up to Scunthorpe including Sky's pundits predicting we are heading for the conference! Maybe that would put a rocket up the arse of some of them!

 

[Hercules Rockerfeller]

yah, ebtter the devil you know, as there are too many people who know they are on to a good thing. I could name names, but all that will do is start a row about who is and isn't up to wearing the shirt. We are in deep shit and we need a rudder to guide us through it. Someone with decent contacts, a la Coppell/Adams, someopne who knows this league, not Deano who did an outstanding job with the youth team, but who is now into uncharted territory with no room for any mistakes.

The idea of a three year plan sounds good, but survival is what we need. Even if it means ugly football that grinds out results and keeps us at least in League 1 until we can sort out the new ground one way or another.

It's nearly a year since we thought we'd got what we had all been waiting for. I even bought cakes for my whole office in frickin London, no one new what it was about, but I didn't care. We were on our way back. Now I am once again worried we will go out of business, let alone down to the conference as they said on Sky yesterday.

And my achilles hurts like a mo fo!!!

 

[The Large One]

I am guessing here but...

Today could be - should be - one of those Red Letter Days that Micky Adams had. When we lost three out of the first four games in the season we won Division Three in 2000/01, the players and management had a 'behind closed doors' meeting, the contents of which were said to never to see the light of day. It apparently involved a frank exchange of views on all side.

Hopefully, this is one of those days where Dean Wilkins has told his squad that the days of him being the so-called 'nice guy' have gone, he tells them precisely what is demanded of them, the repercussions if this is not adhered to, and that they are all fighting for their futures. In turn, the players may well respond with what the believe their gripes, shortcomings and issues may be.

Somewhere down the line there is then a full and frank understanding of everyone's responsibilities and an assurance that we can all move forward from there.

Of course, getting in new players would help.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

yah, ebtter the devil you know, as there are too many people who know they are on to a good thing. I could name names, but all that will do is start a row about who is and isn't up to wearing the shirt. We are in deep shit and we need a rudder to guide us through it. Someone with decent contacts, a la Coppell/Adams, someopne who knows this league, not Deano who did an outstanding job with the youth team, but who is now into uncharted territory with no room for any mistakes.

The idea of a three year plan sounds good, but survival is what we need. Even if it means ugly football that grinds out results and keeps us at least in League 1 until we can sort out the new ground one way or another.

It's nearly a year since we thought we'd got what we had all been waiting for. I even bought cakes for my whole office in frickin London, no one new what it was about, but I didn't care. We were on our way back. Now I am once again worried we will go out of business, let alone down to the conference as they said on Sky yesterday.

And my achilles hurts like a mo fo!!!

Couldn't agree more (except for the achilles bit, but my back hurts if that helps !)

 

[London Irish]

I like this approach more to be honest. As a fan, I want the manager to tell me we were shit when we were, because it makes me a bit more confident that he will do something about it. Yesterday, we were shocking, and everyone in the ground knew that - including the players. For Wilkins to come out and claim otherwise would have lost him some credibility IMO. This way, maybe the players will decide they don't like being criticised and abused week after week, and do something about it.

Or they could go into their shells, play with even more fear and become even more tentative about doing something positive on the pitch.

Who can say for now. We'll find out soon enough.

 

[Hercules Rockerfeller]

Couldn't agree more (except for the achilles bit, but my back hurts if that helps !)

I have myself to blame for my injury. Running 10 thorugh hyde park (in a pretty good time of 53.13) without warming up properly was not a good idea. Then going to watch the Albion in the pub after it just added insult to injury!

 

[twickers]

Let's hope it's the last embarassing team video of the season.

 

[Zesh Rehman]

i spent most of the game gasping in shock and just laughing at how bad it was

 

[robbobhafc]

They apparently all wanted him as manager!!

anyone wonder why all the players wanted him, i know if my boss left and it was between a current employe who was a nice bloke i got on with or someone coming in i did not know who might not like the way i work or want to bring in people he knows, i think i would be shouting give the guy i know the job to make my life easy