Mo Gosfield
Well-known member
- Aug 11, 2010
- 6,362
There was an obvious and easier moment to part company with the manager and that was either, immediately after the Cardiff home game or early the following morning. The team were in disarray, many fans were angry beyond belief and the manager's personal stock was at its lowest ebb. NSC was in meltdown. Many predicted relegation and saw no hope. It was a poisonous time. We had gone 5 games without scoring, we could barely muster a shot on goal per game and whole sections of the press and neutral fans were labelling us as an ' anti-football ' team. A non-functioning attacking unit.
If Bloom decided around that time that a change was needed ( he may have decided earlier but I doubt it...feelgood factor re Wembley etc ) then he needed to have been decisive then. It would have appeared brutal but not as bad as Monday and the PR damage would have been limited. We were in freefall. Most would have recognised and understood that. Managers get sacked after poor runs and boy, were we in one.
Five games to go called for short term, fresh faces, to give everyone an immediate lift. He had the men there. Sidwell and Rosenior. Fresh out of the side, highly liked and respected. Of course it would have been a gamble but ultimately we needed one more point after the Cardiff game and I am absolutely certain that anyone new would have got that and more.
The decision to continue with the manager allowed CH to resort to the most basic and desperate tactic of all. Effectively boarding up the goal. Putting everyone behind the ball and defending for their lives. This they did well for two games but forced with the prospect of trying to attack Newcastle from the start and with a strangely predictable line-up, they looked clueless. Thankfully, substitutions rescued a point. A point from Arsenal was welcome relief, when the manager and team knew they were safe.
By allowing CH to continue, Bloom allowed his stock to rise again. Fans felt relieved at survival and the dismay, frustration and anger started to drift away. Opinions mellowed. Many who had wanted him gone, softened their view and felt that he should get a bit more time.
Bloom missed his best chance to get most on board with his decision. He didn't decide the manager had to go on Sunday evening or Monday morning, after the City game. He had already made his mind up. The trouble was, he got his timing wrong, maybe swayed by loyalty and respect and the feeling that he still believed CH could grind out a few points. Calculated and cynical, if that was the case. By delaying until the season had run its course, he put himself in the firing line and has now damaged his own reputation.
If Bloom decided around that time that a change was needed ( he may have decided earlier but I doubt it...feelgood factor re Wembley etc ) then he needed to have been decisive then. It would have appeared brutal but not as bad as Monday and the PR damage would have been limited. We were in freefall. Most would have recognised and understood that. Managers get sacked after poor runs and boy, were we in one.
Five games to go called for short term, fresh faces, to give everyone an immediate lift. He had the men there. Sidwell and Rosenior. Fresh out of the side, highly liked and respected. Of course it would have been a gamble but ultimately we needed one more point after the Cardiff game and I am absolutely certain that anyone new would have got that and more.
The decision to continue with the manager allowed CH to resort to the most basic and desperate tactic of all. Effectively boarding up the goal. Putting everyone behind the ball and defending for their lives. This they did well for two games but forced with the prospect of trying to attack Newcastle from the start and with a strangely predictable line-up, they looked clueless. Thankfully, substitutions rescued a point. A point from Arsenal was welcome relief, when the manager and team knew they were safe.
By allowing CH to continue, Bloom allowed his stock to rise again. Fans felt relieved at survival and the dismay, frustration and anger started to drift away. Opinions mellowed. Many who had wanted him gone, softened their view and felt that he should get a bit more time.
Bloom missed his best chance to get most on board with his decision. He didn't decide the manager had to go on Sunday evening or Monday morning, after the City game. He had already made his mind up. The trouble was, he got his timing wrong, maybe swayed by loyalty and respect and the feeling that he still believed CH could grind out a few points. Calculated and cynical, if that was the case. By delaying until the season had run its course, he put himself in the firing line and has now damaged his own reputation.
