gordonToo

That thought had crossed my mind as well but if the dressing room is being lost Lowe will have to act before January is out to avoid a total shambles. Much of the game is built on confidence and self belief and JP clearly hasn't been a source of either for some time.

I agree. NP was the sensible low risk option at the time but Lowe's ego overrode all other considerations. Ego was the cause of his original downfall and it will be the same this time. Sad but entirely predictable.

The relocation costs would be minimal as well - he lives in Christchurch I believe.

It's often said that teams, after a while, play in the personality of their manager and JP has seemed tired and careworn for most of the season.

Maybe, but that scenario requires JP to be willing to slug it out to the end as well which seems unlikely given his non-combative personality.

Ego certainly but the man isn't totally stupid. The results from now until end January will determine JP's fate but it's going to need a remarkable transformation if he is to keep his job.

The pre-season prediction that JP would be gone by Christmas looks unlikely but I will be suprised if he is still here in a month's time. I'd be further surpised if moves were not already afoot to find a replacement (Cotterill anyone?) and allow JP to exit by "mutual consent". Just give it time ....

Oh, I see. All those last minute goals were a result of 'Arry's direct instructions. Hadn't thought of that one before.

I think his contract was only renewed when SCW decided he wanted a watching brief for a year before taking up the reins himself. It's not really surprising then that 'Arry showed a certain lack of enthusiam for the job and was ready to leave at the first reasonable offer. Maybe he should have refused the contract and left SCW to walk the talk as at least then the experiment would have been dead and buried long ago.

Keep the same team. Lallana on the bench.

The fact is that the fans did have a noticeable and positive influence on the players in the second half yesterday though it seemed at the time as though the singing was initially aimed more at the Preston fans already celebrating "victory" at the 50 minute mark as it was at the Saint's team. Nevertheless it did coincide with signs of increased determination and competiveness on the pitch that eventually turned the match round in our favour. Fan support though is not the whole answer as the team will generally perform to the personality and style of the manager and it's still to be proven in my book that JP is capable of consistently producing the type of performance seen in the second half yesterday. Maybe he needs to visit OT for some hairdryer training.

Chalk this one up to the away fans. After a poor first half the team suddenly discovered a new spirit that seemed to coincide with a period of rousing singing from the Saints fans triggered it has to be said by the unseemly premature celebrations of the Preston support. At times during the last 20 minutes or so it was reminiscent of the old Dell days with attack after attack raining down on the Preston goal and the 3rd goal was always a liklihood. The second half subs also played their part and JP should have enough evidence by now that James does not really deserve his place. Surman would be my MoM for his driving performance 2nd half but Thompson and BWP also took the eye. David McG at times seemed fairly anonymous but his goal in the dying minutes showed just what he is capable of when his confidence is up. Now it's up to the manager to ensure that this is the display that sets the standard from now on. Nothing less should do.

An experienced motivational manager also helps. Hull's turn-around concided with Phil Brown's appointment.

The starting point in any reversal of fortunes has to be a reasonably consistent level of performance on the pitch, i.e. more of Sheff Utd (a) and Coventry (h) and less of Swansea (a) and Coventry (a). That is the only way to keep hopes alive and ensure a decent level of support which is essential if the financial situtation is to stabilise. Confidence within the club is a major factor in this respect (as the new incumbent at WHL has noted) and so far as I'm concerned this is the sole responsbility of the manager. If rallying calls are to be delegated to players and the pre-match team talk is taken by the Chairman then something is sadly amiss.

Well said. The situation is not entirely beyond recall either if Lowe is prepared to accept full responsibility for the current predicament and stand down as chairman in favour of Cowan. We could then bring in an experienced manager, sort out the loanee situtation, get a few good results and bring attendances back to the 20K+ level. It's not rocket science.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/7691457.stm

Looked fairly ordinary.

A much, much better team performance and one that was enjoyable to watch as well. If they keep up that sort of performance most of us will be reasonably happy I think. Rudi and Jack Cork at FB made all the difference for me and KD pulled off some great stops. The team was really buzzing first half but in the second half SU started to close us down more quickly and the passing game vanished but there was a more of a steeliness about the overall display than has been evident recently. Rudi would my pick as MoM as his confidence seemed so inspire the rest of the team.

Probably. God knows why though.

The short term answer must be for JP to buy out his contract (for he is an honourable man) and take himself back to the nether reaches of Dutch non-league football from whence he came. Personally I'd be happy for Dennis Wise to try his luck next - it just might bring some sense and organisation to team seelction and shake up one or two of the fancy dans before it's too late.

Similar game plan to the Donny match but this time the opposition were more direct and sharper and could have been 5 up at half time. We had our chances too but once Coventry had sussed us out there really was only one team in it. As someone else has said, the only brightspot was the worst taken penalty I've seen in over 50 years! I may be wrong on this but it looks to me that training under JP consists of honing the neat passing game we're so good at in the middle 1/3 of the pitch. Unfortunately, that counts for nothing if there is no sharpness in the final 1/3 (Surman's goal excepted) and the defence plays like a poor Dutch Div 2 team. We'll do well to stay out of the bottom 3 but many more results like this and confidence will be shot completely. It may not be relevant but JP stayed in his bunker for much of the match which for me is not a good sign. NP would have been going ballistic if he'd been in charge.

I was quite impressed with Donny yesterday and they could have been 2 or even 3 ahead at HT with better finishing. As it happened luck was on our side for a change but there wasn't much between the two teams really. As for entertainment, well, the least said the better.

JP's inexperience is really starting to shine through now and he could be in danger of losing the dressing room. What is needed is a forceful personality, a leader if you will, for the kids to look up to and follow. Maybe the rumours of Rupert's pre-match dressing room visits are not so far wide of the mark after all.

I suspect we're now moving into the phase where confidence, and especially the teams confidence in JP, will be sorely tested. It's a tough, tough league and strength of character and team spirit will be key.

... and probably before Christmas at this rate.