S-Clarke

Blind faith, maybe! totally losing all faith now though to be honest. If this happens I'm convinced they have no idea what they're doing.

We seem obsessed with finding managers and players with specific metrics, but surely the most important metric is winning games? I don't think Martin has won enough games at this level to be linked to promotion challenging sides, if I'm totally honest. In addition to that he's new to the managerial game and this is going to be a situation like no other - big egos, big internationals, players wanting out etc. Is he big enough to handle all of this? We really needed to get a 'no brainer' appointment this summer, someone everyone could get behind and make sense of, I don't think this is that appointment.

I must have been taking the same drugs as when I proclaimed Elyounoussi would add pace to our attack. It's ok, I'm not taking them anymore.

He knows he's onto a winner here, not going to get this anywhere else - he'd be stupid not to commit himself really, easy ride for him as he's shown over the last few years. But I just hope we don't commit our future to him, as that will be a bad day.

And character, I'd say that's even more important. Luton aren't full of quality or players that will end up at the top level for ever, they are an incredibly hard working bunch with the right character and mixed in with the right physical attributes. I'd argue Sunderland had more players in their team with much better technical ability and youth, but it goes to show how you always need a bit of substance to any quality you have.

Not sure it matters, they could put a team of exhausted OAP's out and they'd still turn us over without breaking sweat.

Sunderland struggling to get to grips with this, as it stands I can't see past Luton.

Yeah I agree, I'd be much more comfortable with someone like Koeman (not saying Koeman, just with that sort of gravitas). We had a lot of change in the team in 2014 and he handled it and was strong enough to manage it, that's what we need this year I think.

To be fair to Pilchards he told us of our interest in Jones way back in Summer 2022, so he was clearly on the list long before November. (they actually had time to deliberate over that, and still came to the conclusion he was the right fit to replace Ralph)

I always found that the weirdest comment ever, did he think he was joining Liverpool or something?

I still think he's onto a good thing at Boro, even if they don't go up. (Plus he's close to home). I'd expect him to be on our list, but I'd personally be happier with a Viera type.

Did he? Source?

Looking at next season I'm not sure who is the better shout to be coming down with us, being totally selfish you want the weaker ones. Leicester, financially, look to be in dire straights sadly - they're in a position where their big sales (Maddison/Tiliemans) will be either free or cut price as they've let their contracts run down, so I'm not sure where they generate funds - as they couldn't even sign anyone last summer if you remember, and that was after they sold Fofana for £60m - so they could be in trouble. Leeds may be able to sort themselves out, they've got the backing of their American Owners which kicks in properly in the summer.

My fear with Martin is his lack of experience, I don't doubt that he may well become a good manager but I think the timing is a bit off for us to be considering him. As mentioned in other threads we need someone proven and with suitable gravitas to handle the big changes in personal and structure that are going to happen, this will be a chaotic summer - and throwing an inexperienced manager into that will only end one way imo.

Does that mean we need a front footed and aggressive manager? In all seriousness the way Brighton play wouldn't work with us because of JWP in the two, he's too one paced and not dynamic enough to create those quick transitions. Lavia can certainly do it, but we'd need someone else in the mould of a MacAlistar or a Cacedio to partner Lavia if we wanted to try it. The other benifit going for Brighton is that they have options to feed to, either Mitoma on one side or Marsh on the other side - and then Gross picking up those little pockets of space in front of the midfield. If we had another partner for Lavia then JWP could do that Gross role I'm sure. I can imagine our CB's could play that way, and ditto Lavia, but it stops there - we don't have anything else which is why we go backwards all the time. That needs to change in the summer if we are to adopt a new style.

I don't see Everton going, they'll sneak out of this - they do every year, then they'll have a pitch invasion celebrating it, bomb next year, change the manager and rinse repeat. It'll be Leeds following us and Leicester I think.

Leicester look as doomed as us, it has to be said. I think most fans accept being beaten by quality, but it's the lack of effort and closing down which is killing Leicester here and it's what has killed us for a lot of the season. The way their confidence left them as soon as they lost a single goal was so relatable though. I do think they'll be joining us.

I'm surprised Piroe isn't spoken about in the same chat as a Goykores or Akpom etc. Proven goal scorer since they got him.

Yeah, came out a few weeks ago. He's settled here after uprooting in January and isn't looking to move this summer.

Have a word with Stoke fans on Rowett, if you thought they hated Jones then Rowett is on another level for them. We'd be creating one hell of a pantomime for Stoke if we followed up Jones with Rowett.

Or fondly remembered as ''The Gaston Ramirez game''. But we never saw him again.

The last 11 years have been fun haven't they? At least we can look back on a good chunk of it with good memories, not like Palace for example who have just lumbered around the bottom half for almost a decade. European run, twice, Inter at home, seeing some great players and great managers. It's all gone sour in the last 5 years, but if you told me back in 2008 that we'd be beating Inter Milan at home in Europe by 2016 I'd have called for a shrink. Shows how quickly football can change and why good times are never too far away, no matter how bleak it looks today.

My concern with Martin is that Swansea fans wanted him out less than 6 months ago, they weren't convinced a single bit. They had a little run at the end of this season which has given him a bit of leeway, but I think it's fair to say they're not really convinced by him. And importantly for me he doesn't exactly have the experience at the top level to handle what we're going to go through this summer. Please don't try to be clever Southampton. Getting a young manager is all about timing, the timing for us is all wrong at the moment.

Someone needs to investigate Shields if this is true tbh.

I've been an advocate of Viera, and I do think he was harshly treated at Palace. As someone else pointed out, they had to reset their entire team when he first came in. Wholesale change throughout the spine and they were many picks to get relegated, but he steadied the ship and built a decent side. This season they were ok, never really in danger, but they had a bunch of tough fixtures back to back and he took the kick because of that. I would have expected him to have also kept Palace up with the fixtures Woy came into. He's big enough and strong enough to handle change, and that's the key thing for me. There will have to be wholesale change this summer and we need a character and a personality who is capable of dealing with that.