He should have done the decent thing & resigned after the Mansfield debacle. Thank god we played them when their top goalscorer was out injured...........
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Wilkins
- Thread starter RM-Taylor
- Start date
The Large One
Who's Next?
Oh dear, dear, dear. We are hurting tonight, aren't we?
SeagullRic
New member
Resign? we got beaten on that day by a team who looked like they should be much higher in the table than they are? We've had quite a few injuries this season (not Wilkins fault), the captain left along with Savage and O'Callaghan (not Wilkins fault) and we're still just about able to mkae the playoffs if we have a good run.
Who would you bring in instead of Wilkins then?
Scotty Mac
New member
- Jul 13, 2003
- 24,405
didnt think that tactically he could do much else today - the midfield was poor again, which meant that we had very little option other than to bypass it. and when you look at what we had on the bench, there was nobody there that you would say could come on, steady the ship and help us win that game
the only decision that i would say that was strange was to replace robinson with fogden
big 5 games coming up for wilkins though, as these will have a huge huge bearing on our season. get it right, and he will be leading his team towards a play off push, get it wrong and he will have turned a decent first half of the season into another scrap at the bottom
the only decision that i would say that was strange was to replace robinson with fogden
big 5 games coming up for wilkins though, as these will have a huge huge bearing on our season. get it right, and he will be leading his team towards a play off push, get it wrong and he will have turned a decent first half of the season into another scrap at the bottom
Withdean Wanderer
Banned
But if he manages to turn it into a scrap at the bottom AGAIN, it will obviously be Dick Knight's fault...
Scotty Mac
New member
- Jul 13, 2003
- 24,405
before the end of the transfer window you could argue that with the o'callaghan, savage and hammond afairs. knight has backed him financially to bring in reinforcements though, and if they dont work out then it all falls back at the feet of one man
Conkers
Well-known member
To be fair to Wilkins, he is doing as good a job as he can. Unfortunately his best may not be good enough. It's well documented that some of his tactics can be a little suspect, but he has been manager for a year and a half and should be learning from these constant mistakes.
Sack him? No.
With the squad we have at the moment, mid table will be a good finish. If we finish closer to the relegation than mid table then you have got to ask who is to blame. The players? No. They give 100% and you can't ask them to do more than they are capable of. That only leaves one man and the blame should be pointed straight at the manager. Wilkins can't expect to not get criticised when you are 1-0 up in injury time and end up losing 2-1.
Sack him? No.
With the squad we have at the moment, mid table will be a good finish. If we finish closer to the relegation than mid table then you have got to ask who is to blame. The players? No. They give 100% and you can't ask them to do more than they are capable of. That only leaves one man and the blame should be pointed straight at the manager. Wilkins can't expect to not get criticised when you are 1-0 up in injury time and end up losing 2-1.
fosters headband
Well-known member
I was not at the game today Scotty, so why in your opinion was the midfield so poor?
Last week everyone was singing the praises of the El-Abd and Thompson combination, including Wilkins. There were the comments that we did not need Hammond the way these two played together. So how did the perfomance differ from last week and why? This area of the team now worries me as I dont think either Frazer or Reid would improve what we have and we are now begining to see what an important role Hammond played for the team.
I think you are a Wilkins supporter and your post was thoughtful, but I have to ask about the 'documented suspect tactics'.
I assume Wilkins is a very astute Manager and a very good coach and tactically he would have a thought process for everything that he does, however it is always likely that unfortunately we are going to slip up at times and he will be judged on here by these results.
I dont think it has helped that we now have new players, replacing others that seemed to be doing quite well, the politics are well documented.
There needs a period of support and stability and some new loan players, this will give Wilkins an opportunity to show to us all that he is a very very good Manager.
Conkers
Well-known member
But how much longer do we give him? As mentioned before, I wouldn't advocate sacking him, especially at this stage of the season, but it must get to a point where he has had enough chances to prove himself as a manager.
Another year? 2 years?
Scotty Mac
New member
- Jul 13, 2003
- 24,405
i didnt see last weeks game, but i have never liked el abd in midfield. he doesnt have the attributes to play there, such as vision and ability to play a decent pass. the trouble with him is that he just seems to get shoved around positions because he can do an adequate job there and will always give you 110%. much rather him alongside elphick at centre back - where, since that leeds game, he has looked very comfortable
the trouble that i noticed today - and against northampton, is that the midfield has been generally annonymous. they dont offer the defence an outlet to play the ball out from the back, and as such we result in launching it long, which means forster and murray just end up chasing hopeful balls up field. with o'callaghan, he used to look to get the ball from the defence, and try to get the team playing on the ground, which is why we played some decent stuff earlier in the season
fosters headband
Well-known member
The picking the ball up from the defence was surely the Thompson role which to be fair he did do well last week. But I dont see him having the engine Hammond had and if the ball is pinging back and forward between defences, I can easily see the game just passing him by.
Scotty Mac
New member
- Jul 13, 2003
- 24,405
the problem i would have with thomson doing it currently is that the player who plays that role is naturally the deeper midfielder, and therefore his partner in the middle should be the one who is getting forward and supporting attacks. el abd is not that kind of player as he is naturally more inclined to defend, and i dont really see fraser doing an attacking job either
Well I am not sure that we're in crisis and even with the grave disappointment of todays result we are doing ok.
Wilkins had a team brimming with confidence and playing well and edging ever closer to a genuine chance of a Play Off place and a chance of a decent cup run it, I was excited.
That team had Wilkins stamp all over it, but dont forget it had taken him a year to construct that team and its pattern of play etc etc .... it then started to unravel, we have debated that issue enough !!
Wilkins now has new players in and some of his key players have been sold off, it may well take him another year to rebuild this squad of players to the level of Decemeber 2007.
I have said before unless the Chairman supports and trusts his manager we will never fulfill any potential and any Manager is likely to fail in the eyes of our ever expectant fans.
bristolseagull
Well-known member
what do you expect him to say? "good one lads- we we're great!"
That seems a pretty accurate oversight, but Wilkins hasnt got another Hammond waiting in the wings. I guess we gotta wait for another loan player.
Conkers
Well-known member
Well I am expecting him to say that El-Abd did another superb job in the centre of midfield, as always
Uncle Spielberg
Well-known member
I must have missed that. The way you talk anyone would think we were top of the league with 14 wins and 2 defeats, the run you talk about had us with 9 wins and 7 defeats and 7th and a couple of wins against div 4 teams in the cup. The footall this season has been very average not this silky smooth winning machine you alude to. Wilkins is an average manager and we are an average team an average 3rd division team with a manager who will not manage a team above the 3rd division because he is not good enough. This will do for now but the season before Falmer , Knight will pay Wilkins off and get a proper manager in.
fosters headband
Well-known member
Hmmm, Are you suggesting that Mr Knight who expects loyalty from players and managers alike, will be disloyal himself and kick a man in the teeth who has been very loyal to this club for more years than I care to remember.