Will Still

[St.JonB]

Am I missing something? We were sold Still as a tactical genius who could read games and make changes where necessary. He looks completely lost and confused on the touchline and his subs are baffling.  Do we need to give this season to get used to this league?

[Wade Garrett]

5 minutes ago, St.JonB said:

Am I missing something? We were sold Still as a tactical genius who could read games and make changes where necessary. He looks completely lost and confused on the touchline and his subs are baffling.  Do we need to give this season to get used to this league?

Haven’t seen his tactical masterclass on Sky with Carragher come into practice.

It’s almost as though he’s full of shit.

 

[Mboto Gorge]

What was the cut off point / number of games from which people were willing to judge Still? A lot of people said 10 games. If (and it’s a big if right now) we beat Swansea , we will have 14 points from 10 games. It’s more likely to be another draw and we will be on 12 points. Is 12-14 points acceptable after 10 Games with this budget and squad?
 

Don’t get me wrong I’m not 100% against Still, I feel he could be doing better but he’s also hampered by our dreadful recruitment team not identifying key areas to strengthen properly. Personally if we aren’t on the fringes of the play offs at the very least by Christmas , he’s surely got to go. 

Edited 3 hours ago by Mboto Gorge

[AlexLaw76]

2 minutes ago, Mboto Gorge said:

What was the cut off point / number of games from which people were willing to judge Still? A lot of people said 10 games. If (and it’s a big if right bow) we beat Swansea , we will have 14 points from 10 games. It’s more likely to be another draw and we will be on 12 points. Is 12-14 points acceptable after 10 Games with this budget and squad?
 

Don’t get me wrong I’m not 100% against Still, I feel he could be doing better but he’s also hampered by our dreadful recruitment team not identifying key areas to strengthen properly. Personally if we aren’t on the fringes of the play offs at the very least by Christmas , he’s surely got to go. 

What dreadful recruitment?

[Mboto Gorge]

4 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

Haven’t seen his tactical masterclass on Sky with Carragher come into practice.

It’s almost as though he’s full of shit.

 

It’s almost as if the genuises in our board room are susceptible to fall for the new age, hipster, oh so clever appointments and get suckered in by this , isnt it? Who’d have thought if after getting lured into appointing Martin based on a similar hipster, maverick style appointment. Bunch of cretins running, or should I say ruining , our club 

[Mboto Gorge]

1 minute ago, AlexLaw76 said:

What dreadful recruitment?

Dont get me wrong; he’s got more than enough tools to be doing the job properly and a lot better than he is, but we also have a clear lack of a strong centre forward and focal point being that one is injury prone and the other is worse than most of us. However the issue is also more within the ownership, still will be replaced by yet another mediocre manager and this cycle will never get any better until SR have done us all a favour and left our club . They’re destroying it 

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, Mboto Gorge said:

Dont get me wrong; he’s got more than enough tools to be doing the job properly and a lot better than he is, but we also have a clear lack of a strong centre forward and focal point being that one is injury prone and the other is worse than most of us. However the issue is also more within the ownership, still will be replaced by yet another mediocre manager and this cycle will never get any better until SR have done us all a favour and left our club . They’re destroying it 

We signed plenty of players good enough to be top end of the league right now

[Mboto Gorge]

Just now, AlexLaw76 said:

We signed plenty of players good enough to be top end of the league right now

I agree and basically said as much in my previous comment. Can’t deny that. 

[ally_uk]

Thoughts so far: 

Damion Downs is not a footballer...

Roerslev, Jelert, Azazz, Fellows, Players we signed and are not making the 1st team.... 

Fellows and Azazz two top performers in this league.... now look average! Our coaches sure know how to knock the ability to play football out of players...... 

Robinson and Matsuki, two stand out performers in preseason nowhere to he seen ... 

As for Still, has the charisma of a wet weekend. If I'm falling asleep during pre-match and post match interviews what are players thinking would you be motivated by him? I wouldn't 🤣

The two wins we got were not done convincingly. 

 

Edited 3 hours ago by ally_uk

[sockeye]

3 

Three games unbeaten

[lambtiss]

Struggling to understand a manager that thinks the team will be better by taking off Scienza and replacing him with Downs.

[Saint NL]

Still got lucky on Tuesday when he took off our best player (Fellows) and we turned the game around.

He tried it again today with Scienza and it failed. Is this what we were promised with his adaptability? Doing something no one would expect? Because if this is it, I don't want it.

[Harry_SFC]

25 minutes ago, lambtiss said:

Struggling to understand a manager that thinks the team will be better by taking off Scienza and replacing him with Downs.

His reasoning was ridiculous too. Wanted to shore up the left hand side. We shouldn't be looking to shore things up against Derby. We should be on the front foot looking to score against these sort of sides. 

Edited 2 hours ago by Harry_SFC
Typo

[bpsaint]

13 minutes ago, Harry_SFC said:

His reasoning was ridiculous too. Wanted to shore up the left hand side. We shouldn't be looking to shore things up against Derby. We should be on the front foot looking to score against these sort of sides. 

If he wanted to shore up the left side he should have taken Manning off!! Awful defender, and always has been for us. Hopefully Wellington is in his way back to fitness.

[The Kraken]

2 hours ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Waaay out of his depth. 
 

but that has been obvious for a while now 

 

2 hours ago, Wade Garrett said:

Should be obvious to Spors as well.

But is it?

[The Kraken]

1 hour ago, Wade Garrett said:

Haven’t seen his tactical masterclass on Sky with Carragher come into practice.

It’s almost as though he’s full of shit.

I don’t know why that “masterclass” gets so much credit. It’s really nothing groundbreaking at all.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

22 minutes ago, bpsaint said:

Hopefully Wellington is in his way back to fitness.

Is he any better though?

 

[Give it to Ron]

1 hour ago, AlexLaw76 said:

What dreadful recruitment?

Do you think our forward recruitment was acceptable?  The one position we couldn’t gamble with?

Edited 2 hours ago by Give it to Ron

[saintant]

2 hours ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

I think the questions need to be aimed at the higher ups than Will Still.

Yeah because I'm sure they'll have the answers 🙂

[saintant]

2 hours ago, Maggie May said:

We are drawing too many games. 

Why can’t we shake off how shite we become after taking the lead? It’s been an inherent issue for years. 

We looked like smashing Derby before going ahead, then just collapsed. It doesn’t make sense why we’re not looking to dominate from start to finish like Coventry are. We certainly have the players to do it. 

We don't.

[Badger]

2 hours ago, Badger said:

Board 

"Give him till the next international break "

 

1 hour ago, Dman said:

FWIW, I’d give him until the next international window, in November. It’s not been that poor we have no choice but to change, but it’s also not been good enough either. Limping on is the right word for IT.

November gives Still enough time to turn the tide and enough time for us to properly weigh up options + an international window to work on the training ground for the new man. 

The problem is, there are no signs it’ll get better. Absolutely nothing to grip hold of to give hope. 

At least under Martin, you thought if we could get the balance and defence right we have a chance. 

Many a true word said in jest.

As you say, there are no signs it’ll get better. 

I’d be surprised if Saints aren’t sounding out potential replacements already. 

[Lee On Solent Saint]

Just now, Badger said:

I’d be surprised if Saints aren’t sounding out potential replacements already. 

Only one that really springs to mind is Carrick. 

 

[Badger]

1 minute ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

Only one that really springs to mind is Carrick. 

 

Formerly on the Rasmus spectrum if reports are to be believed. 

[Lee On Solent Saint]

Just now, Badger said:

Formerly on the Rasmus spectrum if reports are to be believed. 

Yeah, remember that. Failure to beat Swansea, and I think SR might have a decision to make

[Badger]

17 minutes ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

Yeah, remember that. Failure to beat Swansea, and I think SR might have a decision to make

You’re probably right. Things aren’t going well, but let’s leave it until another day before thinking about making a decision. Then there’s the Sheff Weds match after that one …. 
 

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Badger

[Football Special]

39 minutes ago, saintant said:

We don't.

Agree, it's a myth that keeps being repeated 

[Football Special]

28 minutes ago, Badger said:

 

Many a true word said in jest.

As you say, there are no signs it’ll get better. 

I’d be surprised if Saints aren’t sounding out potential replacements already. 

Run up to next international break 

Swansea (H) 

Bristol City (A) 

Blackburn (A) 

Preston (H) 

QPR (A) 

Sheffield Wednesday (H) 

That would take us to 15 played , quite a tough run with just two of those teams below us currently,  think we'd need to see at least three wins out of those at a minimum 

[Badger]

Just now, Football Special said:

Run up to next international break 

Swansea (H) 

Bristol City (A) 

Blackburn (A) 

Preston (H) 

QPR (A) 

Sheffield Wednesday (H) 

That would take us to 15 played , quite a tough run with just two of those teams below us currently,  think we'd need to see at least three wins out of those at a minimum 

All winnable - although Ashton Gate is a bit of a bogey ground - with a decent manager, set up, and motivation of the team. 

[for_heaven's_Saint]

I’ve been reluctant to criticise Still because I thought he needed time and I also like the way he speaks in the media. 
 

But I am really starting to have major doubts; he’s supposed to be a pragmatic manager, yet he insists on playing a style that doesn’t suit our players and he doesn’t seem to have any other game plan except get it out wide and cross it in. We have a squad that is comfortably top 6 in this league but at the moment we look like anyone could beat us.
 

We need massive improvements and soon. 

[Harry_SFC]

1 hour ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

Is he any better though?

 

Yes

[Dman]

1 hour ago, Give it to Ron said:

Do you think our forward recruitment was acceptable?  The one position we couldn’t gamble with?

Downes was obviously a risk, which hasn’t worked so far… however, Armstrong, Archer, Scienza, Azaz, Fellows are comfortably some of - if not the best - options in this league. 

[Baird of the land]

18 minutes ago, Football Special said:

Run up to next international break 

Swansea (H) 

Bristol City (A) 

Blackburn (A) 

Preston (H) 

QPR (A) 

Sheffield Wednesday (H) 

That would take us to 15 played , quite a tough run with just two of those teams below us currently,  think we'd need to see at least three wins out of those at a minimum 

A team with ambitions of promotion would be looking 4 at least 4 wins from those.

[Badger]

Just read that Steve Bruce is now available. Again.

Wasn’t it Les Reed who was said to be impress by him ? 

[sockeye]

He often makes substitutions that damage our momentum, and his game management is now actively killing our ability to win. The Scienza → Downs choice today was a strong example of this. One of the best players on the pitch today, replaced early with a serial underperformer.

Potentially the rationale was: Stewart was injured → Armstrong can't play as a central striker → Armstrong is the goal scorer and is performing well → Take off Scienza instead, we could try a two-striker system → Archer is more suited to a poacher role than target man → Downs has a superior physical profile, and getting a goal could raise his confidence and allow him to kick on.

My belief is that Still overthinks his substitutions, resulting in baffling decisions and unnecessary system changes. He's not good at adapting to the present, and his inability to manage the flow of the game through sensible personnel changes is now a critical weakness. Whatever the reason, he needs to improve his game management because it's killing us.

 

I could just be bullshitting though.

[Matty's Caddy]

I so want Still to succeed, I like the cut of his jib, but…

2 games running he’s taken off arguably our most effective player

anybody that thinks downs should be anywhere near the squad, let alone the bench makes me question his credentials. 
I think he’s also had enough time with the squad to show us his style of play, but we seem to be pretty clueless. 
the passing is terrible 

[Forester]

We are not even a quarter of the way through the season, are four points off the play offs and unbeaten in three.

While I am frustrated as everybody else, it is ridiculous levels of impatience to be agitating for a managerial change.  He will have his work cut out in this next batch of fixtures with no Stewart, but needs to find other ways of winning given that Downs looks unselectable.