Badger

Add me to the numbnuts club as well then. You can only answer this as you would have done end of November/early December, it’s easy to give a different answer with the benefit of hindsight. I was quite clear on my view of Still’s appointment from the outset, so I’ll put my head above the parapet here. As I’ve said elsewhere I don’t think the club could not appoint him after the run of results. Perhaps an extended interim period, but these things seldom drag and at least it wasn’t after a single game as they did for Selles. Why it has gone tits up since is another debate. Would Tonda have been my preferred choice the day after Still was dumped, no. But it did seem he’d changed things over a few weeks.

Despite our differences on the Tonda or Lego issue, I do agree with what you’ve written here.

We have to agree to differ on that then Willo. But I’d question your belief that Martin’s teams kept going. Fair point that they did get last gasp winners at Hull, Millwall for example, but often I recall they just fizzled out and passed it around aimlessly towards the end of matches with no idea or initiative on display.

Agree Gloucester, but you have to ask if SR actually want one ? Do they want someone to challenge the template, and say no, I want to mix it up, go long, whatever ? Big question for me is why we have regressed in this style over recent weeks. I read on here a comment referencing Nathan Jones outburst about being compromised etc. That may be nothing , and some (I’m sure you can predict who) will dismiss it as conspiracy bollocks, but food for thought perhaps.

Tonda on the grounds he’s not an egotistical bellend.

I lost count of how many times Smallbone put a crunching tackle in whilst playing under Lego. Most would have a go at passing it sideways and back to the CB’s. Let’s not rewrite history, results may have been better but the football was often dire.

Only if it were a direct choice between the two surviving candidates after a nuclear strike leaving him and Wayne Rooney in contention. Otherwise, not in a million years.

I don’t think they could not give him the job on back of the results he’d had. If you asked me on Day One when Still went, then Tonda wouldn’t match the profile of manager I hoped they were looking for. We needed an experienced manager (despite some on here dismissing it). Perhaps O’Neil was the one they wanted but put off by the supporter reaction. God knows who else they might have spoken to, and who might have been realistically interested.

Think you’d be in a minority, if others are honest about it.

interesting but this is largely the same criticism of Carrick at Middlesbrough, and from a Wolves supporter re Gary O’Neil. Could throw in criticism of his substitutions for Carrick as well. I’m still waiting for a manager with a ‘Plan B’ , but they’re not in plentiful supply it seems.

For Tonda, I don’t think Saints could not offer him the permanent role after his results, but mystery is why the style has gone backwards since. Big fear was the job was too big for him at this stage of his career. Hope he sorts it, but relying on some of our team and the January recruitment is a tall order.

This for me remains the stupidity of the last 9 months, and critical question of Spors. Rohl seemed the obvious and outstanding option. To appoint Still defied belief, to keep him in place as long as we did just compounded the stupidity, especially when Rohl was still available and it was clear Saints under Still were coming off the rails. Why??? In more recent weeks and our return to the slow ponderous style, I wonder if Rohl wanted to play his way and not follow a SR blueprint.

You did well to smuggle a wood burner into the ground.

Agree the lack of game time is a concern but just hope the scouts who’ve lined this up had their Scienza/Casper head on rather than the Downes one. Taking one of your points though, it could also be said You have to have something about you to be at Man City as a junior in the first place ….

I’d have preferred a GK with a stronger track record, such as Ortega who is surplus at Man City, or possibly Patterson. But I expect any move for Patterson might be more complex with obligations to buy, which we wouldn’t commit to until the Ramsdale position is cleared up. That said, it’s too early to write this bloke off even by Forum standards. On the last point, what’s to say Tonda isn’t the one who’s instigated a new GK coming in ?

Very Sports Republic.

He was the one who spooned a fairly easy opportunity with the goal wide open from about 6 yards at St Mary's. At £10m , he's only nearly half a Cameron Archer. In fairness to Brum perhaps they are calling time on it, whereas we let it peter out.

Worst of all , they haven't shown themselves to be good at that either...

There’s bound to be a fake sheikh out there they’ll sell to, or a US consortium who want a bit of this soccerball for themselves. Then people will look back with nostalgia at this golden era …

Fair comment. But surely there is a breaking point which he’ll eventually reach ?

I’ve thought for a long time that the club have so little confidence in playing any two of the CB’s they put an extra body in to compensate. But 5 at the back , or 3 CB’s, isn’t working. Edwards has been the surprise to me as he had good reviews at QPR but not given much opportunity here. Quarshie has potential but looks clumsy and no ball control. The rest all have mistakes in them, with THB the other with ‘potential’ (based more on reputation than reality).

I’d expect him to keep a close watch on developments and finances. Rather like Katherina Liebherr and Cortese he isn’t going to allow the management or CEO to fritter away unlimited millions without keeping a check on it. Can’t be that naive can he as to give Rasmus a completely open cheque book ??

Semmens was an employee at the club, and despite him talking up his role in the change of owner, he wouldn’t have been a decision maker. That rests with the owner at the time who was looking looking to cash in, Gao. He was one of the stream of muppet management we’ve had, and takes some blame (no striker in 2022 and the signings made) but I doubt he was individually making high end corporate decisions.

Or it was a work experience exercise in which he was shadowing someone at work, just to see how they did their job ie put the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net ! Probably of little benefit to Archer as he won’t get the opportunity with Bazunu in goal.

So on December 27th, you think we could get someone in before the next transfer window, in four days time !! We had something like six weeks to find a manager matching the profile you set out, and didn’t manage it . Of the names touted most had some failures and sackings on their CV, and listening to podcasts and YouTube features some of the criticisms at Carrick for example followed a familiar theme, poor substitutions, no Plan B. Or worse still, one was Gary O’Neil. Agree we ballsed up the manager position with the appointment of Still, and then keeping the fucker too long. Unfortunately they weren’t going for a ‘war horse’ such as Mowbray, or even Farke if available. On the topic of substitutions, I don’t see them as like for like, they are always a downgrade. Largely down to recruitment rather than the manager (Still or Tonda).