Will Still

[SWLondon Saint]

Still may or may not be a decent manager - but I don't think he's got the chops for this job, right now.

To be honest, that statement by Mads is bloody worrying - it sounds like things behind the scenes in the squad are toxic. Hard not to assume it's the senior players who've been dropped who are pissed off. A manager like Still does not have the experience or gravitas to tell them to f*** off - which they probably deserve, since they've all been utter shit for a good season and a half.

As I said before, I've no idea why Lallana and any of the coaches from last season are still here either, the lot of them should have been binned off and that can't be helping.

And what's with the complete disorganised crap that lead to Bragg coming on last week? That's on everyone at the club, not just the manager.

Best case for me is if Still resigns - just say it was too big of a mess and too much for him and he'd come out with some credit from before. If he wants to stick it out he basically needs to win all 3 of our next games or he'll be sacked at the international break if not before.

I don't think it's an easy job even with some quality players as the squad is unbalanced, so it needs someone with complete authority right now who can come in and bin off / play whoever he wants.

[Saint86]

We are either give Still time, and are therefore are prepared to give him and spors this season and another 2 windows (winter & summer) to clean up the team. Or we boot him out and hope whoever we bring in has enough about them to command the respect of the players whilst also being good enough to get us promoted within 18months.

There are clearly bad apples in the dressing room, or being kind/optimistic, just players that that don't want to be here anymore and aren't prepared to put the effort in - which is bad enough without trying to unsettle the team and/or undermine the manager. Reading between the lines its at least some off Edozie, Aribo, THB, and Downes - Which is 3 of the most senior players plus Edozie, and probably a 3 of our highest earners.

If players aren't doing what they're told it makes it harder to judge Still's tactics (which i've not been a fan off until now). But equally, if he can't control the squad then he's out of his depth.

Eitherway, its pretty grim reading - the club is in a real mess and things could potentially get much worse before they get better.

[disconnect]

Some of the weird selections / substitutions make me wonder if he is bringing on the players who have been least disruptive / shown the best attitudes, rather than those who are best for the game / situation? That said, I thought it was fairly clear that Stephens was probably undermining him... 

Sad it's come to that if so. I think the last few games are well past the settling in period and are now extremely worrying, but at a very minimum 6 points from the next 3 games now has to be the main goal or he's surely got to go. 

[madge]

3 hours ago, EBS1980 said:

Do you think we can read anything into the lack of posts on Twitter by the club? Nothing since confirming FT on Saturday - very odd to have no post match interviews, video of goal, general posts, they never go almost 3 day without posting 

I read that the hirachy are looking to avoid any criticism on an open platform.. pretty gutless really and shows what disaster our ownership has become..

[DT]

Rosenior please. Was my pick last time. Won't happen though, because Wankersen knows best about breaking things and being a disruptor (sorry, massive twat)

[Pedantic Pete]

57 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

Literally Fellows and Azaz were bought because they were exactly that.

Adam Armstrong absolutely is up there on goals record at this level. 

Charles is. THB is and a fucking England full international FFS. Downes absolutely is.

Edwards player of the season on 6 months loan.

The other signings are good players, nearly all of them (Downs the exception).

And of course 100% proven in the Championship Aribo and Edozie.

Stop pretending we have some terrible squad.

We have one of the best squads in the league being managed by a fucking idiot.

🤣 if you seriously think Charles is the best player in his position in the league you are in cloud cuckoo land. I am not going to list those that are better as If you can’t see them, then you don’t know football. 

if you think Azaz and Fellows (as good as they are) were the very best in their positions in the league last year you live in cloud cuckoo land. I will give you a clue- check out the EFL team of the season last year! 
 
Armstrong wasn’t top scorer in his last full season in this league and scored three was it for West Brom last year in sixteen games? (In a team which had your best winger in the league to set him up?) again if you think he is the best in his position then you are in living in cloud cuckoo land. He is OK and will score goals but there are better players in the league who will score more. 
Edward’s…yeah wasn’t actually player of the season at a club which finished 15th in the table but again I will let you look up what he really got. 

Still may be rubbish but if you think this bunch of players are one of the top squads  in the league you must have missed the whole of last season.

I didn’t say it was a terrible squad but those who think we should be auto promoted or even play off guaranteed are watching a different team than me. Granted the squad should be doing better than the position they are, mid table or just tickling the last play off place maybe but nothing better than that. 

But never mind you carry on living in cloud cuckoo land where there is only one issue and it’s Still and our squad are good enough to get 13 points in the premier league. 🤣 also I am not fact checking anymore of your shit… use facts of F off 

[capitalsaint]

30 minutes ago, Pedantic Pete said:

🤣 if you seriously think Charles is the best player in his position in the league you are in cloud cuckoo land. I am not going to list those that are better as If you can’t see them, then you don’t know football. 

if you think Azaz and Fellows (as good as they are) were the very best in their positions in the league last year you live in cloud cuckoo land. I will give you a clue- check out the EFL team of the season last year! 
 
Armstrong wasn’t top scorer in his last full season in this league and scored three was it for West Brom last year in sixteen games? (In a team which had your best winger in the league to set him up?) again if you think he is the best in his position then you are in living in cloud cuckoo land. He is OK and will score goals but there are better players in the league who will score more. 
Edward’s…yeah wasn’t actually player of the season at a club which finished 15th in the table but again I will let you look up what he really got. 

Still may be rubbish but if you think this bunch of players are one of the top squads  in the league you must have missed the whole of last season.

I didn’t say it was a terrible squad but those who think we should be auto promoted or even play off guaranteed are watching a different team than me. Granted the squad should be doing better than the position they are, mid table or just tickling the last play off place maybe but nothing better than that. 

But never mind you carry on living in cloud cuckoo land where there is only one issue and it’s Still and our squad are good enough to get 13 points in the premier league. 🤣 also I am not fact checking anymore of your shit… use facts of F off 

I could be mistaken, but didn't Fellows get joint top assists for the league last year? And Azaz 5th most?

[notnowcato]

We are criminally underperforming.  It was always going to take some games to get over last season's shit show, mentally we still look as fucked as we did in August - that is 100% on the management team and board.  

 

[verlaine1979]

The idea that we should be more understanding because the squad STILL needs an overhaul is absurd. We sold/loaned/retired 20 players over the summer and then signed 9! How big a change in the playing staff are you expecting before the rot can be cut out completely? Just release everyone in the squad from their contracts and start over?

We've got experienced defenders, a good blend of athleticism and incisiveness in midfield, better wide options than most, and enough forwards that we can at least change the tactics up as needed.

A good manager with this squad should be absolutely fucking steamrolling teams, even with our shitty strikers. Creating so many chances per game that even if Armstrong needs three attempts to score, he still ends up with a brace. There's just no excuse.

[bangkoksaint]

Ability will beat hard work every time but not if they don’t work hard enough. I’ve been to plenty of games this season and that’s exactly how I see us. Our work ethic is awful and that is down to attitude 

[Badger]

2 hours ago, DT said:

Rosenior please. Was my pick last time. Won't happen though, because Wankersen knows best about breaking things and being a disruptor (sorry, massive twat)

I think he probably is a Rasmus type as well ticking some of the hipster boxes. But no thanks, a bit of a Martin type, and failed to make play offs with a decent Hull squad.

[OneMrsWallace]

8 hours ago, Miltonaggro said:

I think Will Still is a dead man walking, and the club are likely currently interviewing to appoint a new man after the weekend. 

I'd like to think this and that Saturday is just a dead rubber for him - but this is SR and I'm not sure they're that intelligent/organised/give a shit. 

[OneMrsWallace]

8 hours ago, Themotherfunky said:

Is it actually all down to him though? Mads was saying that players aren't doing what they're asked to do, needing to look each other in the eye and be honest. If the players aren't helping the manager in doing what they're being instructed on, is that on him? 

 They didn't play for Martin towards the end, didn't play for Juric at all. (Rumours of players undermining him, and apparently the same with Still now)

It can't just be managers being shit and soley the ones at fault. I personally think we potentially have too many bad apples as 'senior' players at the club, and it rubs off on the rest. Still's fighting a losing battle, as was Juric. 

It's a valid point but ultimately what it indicates is that the club is rotten from top to bottom. I'll assume that surely the new players aren't the problem (But who knows). 

[Harry_SFC]

Still is clearly out of his depth and doesn't know how to turn this around. We badly need a proper man manager and someone who has experience of this situation. 

I like the guy but his interviews are just worrying now. 

[Willo of Whiteley]

I mean, if I was manager and I knew I had some dickheads in the dressing room then I wouldn’t be picking them. Nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately it means biding time and fans understanding that it isn’t a fix over one window; he’s already alluded that a lot of people need to go. Personally I think that’s the situation we’re in.

I don’t think he’s out of his depth as such but he doesn’t help himself when we’ve signed players for certain positions and then plays a different formation entirely. 

That said, the majority of the time in games and for the majority of games we have done more than enough to kill the games off. We just haven’t taken chances. That isn’t on Will Still.

This season hasn’t been good enough but I don’t land that all on the manager. So many individual errors by players and not being composed in finishing is costing us. So yeah we need better players. Striker and a goalkeeper were ideal this summer and we pissed that up the wall - look at the hierarchy for that judgement.

Sacking him just kicks the can down the road for another season.

Edited 7 hours ago by Willo of Whiteley

[CB Fry]

3 hours ago, Pedantic Pete said:

🤣 if you seriously think Charles is the best player in his position in the league you are in cloud cuckoo land. I am not going to list those that are better as If you can’t see them, then you don’t know football. 

if you think Azaz and Fellows (as good as they are) were the very best in their positions in the league last year you live in cloud cuckoo land. I will give you a clue- check out the EFL team of the season last year! 
 
Armstrong wasn’t top scorer in his last full season in this league and scored three was it for West Brom last year in sixteen games? (In a team which had your best winger in the league to set him up?) again if you think he is the best in his position then you are in living in cloud cuckoo land. He is OK and will score goals but there are better players in the league who will score more. 
Edward’s…yeah wasn’t actually player of the season at a club which finished 15th in the table but again I will let you look up what he really got. 

Still may be rubbish but if you think this bunch of players are one of the top squads  in the league you must have missed the whole of last season.

I didn’t say it was a terrible squad but those who think we should be auto promoted or even play off guaranteed are watching a different team than me. Granted the squad should be doing better than the position they are, mid table or just tickling the last play off place maybe but nothing better than that. 

But never mind you carry on living in cloud cuckoo land where there is only one issue and it’s Still and our squad are good enough to get 13 points in the premier league. 🤣 also I am not fact checking anymore of your shit… use facts of F off 

Last season we were in  the Premier League you fucking idiot.

[Toussaint]

42 minutes ago, Harry_SFC said:

Still is clearly out of his depth and doesn't know how to turn this around. We badly need a proper man manager and someone who has experience of this situation. 

I like the guy but his interviews are just worrying now. 

To your first point, he is massively out of his depth, but that isn’t his fault,  it was extremely irresponsible of whoever gave him the opportunity to undertake such a big job, not his for accepting it.
 

Regarding the “worrying” interviews, I’d say that is part of the same issue, the pressure he must be feeling must be intolerable for him, his life must be hell right now. 

what a  mess. 

[Harry_SFC]

32 minutes ago, Toussaint said:

To your first point, he is massively out of his depth, but that isn’t his fault,  it was extremely irresponsible of whoever gave him the opportunity to undertake such a big job, not his for accepting it.
 

Regarding the “worrying” interviews, I’d say that is part of the same issue, the pressure he must be feeling must be intolerable for him, his life must be hell right now. 

what a  mess. 

I certainly don't disagree. 

[Challenger]

1 hour ago, OneMrsWallace said:

I'd like to think this and that Saturday is just a dead rubber for him - but this is SR and I'm not sure they're that intelligent/organised/give a shit. 

The manager obviously needs much more time to get things to click, after all it worked so well last season.

[Golac's Cunning Stunts]

36 minutes ago, Toussaint said:

To your first point, he is massively out of his depth, but that isn’t his fault,  it was extremely irresponsible of whoever gave him the opportunity to undertake such a big job, not his for accepting it.
 

Regarding the “worrying” interviews, I’d say that is part of the same issue, the pressure he must be feeling must be intolerable for him, his life must be hell right now. 

what a  mess. 

his interviews have always been worrying. I thought that from day 1 when others were saying what a breath of fresh air he was

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, Challenger said:

The manager obviously needs much more time to get things to click, after all it worked so well last season.

What, we should have stuck with Martin?

[Andy Hill]

It is clear that Will Still will still be here for a while. 
He is clearly struggling but he has been left high and dry by pathetic recruitment in key areas. The lack of  goals is not going to go away.

[SW11_Saint]

I do wonder how much support Still gets from his backroom team - especially Trollope. He was brought in as an experienced head, who knows the sub-PL leagues, presumably to support and mentor Will. Any decent #2 should act as a challenger on decisions that are plain daft… I do wonder if he piped up at Blackburn when WS said “You know what, I think I’ll take Leo off and shove Jack into midfield to try and preserve our slim lead…”. Presumably not, or perhaps he was overruled? 

Anyone have any insight into the dynamic of their relationship? 

[aintforever]

11 minutes ago, Andy Hill said:

It is clear that Will Still will still be here for a while. 
He is clearly struggling but he has been left high and dry by pathetic recruitment in key areas. The lack of  goals is not going to go away.

Surely the manager has a say in the recruitment? If he doesn’t then he’s not a manager he’s just a coach.

I would sack anyone involved in this and last season’s clusterfuck.

[Challenger]

15 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

What, we should have stuck with Martin?

Certainly not, I was being sarcastic. Surely SR have learnt from the dithering last season not to make the same mistakes, but nothing surprises me with this lot.

[Lord Duckhunter]

19 minutes ago, Andy Hill said:

It is clear that Will Still will still be here for a while. 
He is clearly struggling but he has been left high and dry by pathetic recruitment in key areas. The lack of  goals is not going to go away.

This squad should be a lot higher in the league, that’s down to Still, not recruitment. Recruitment hasn’t been as bad as some people make out. Charlton, Millwall, Portsmouth, Oxford, Derby, Preston would give their right arm for half of our players, and they’re all above us in the league….

[Andy Hill]

I disagree - our forward options are average for this league at best and our goalkeeping options are very poor at best. 

[Maggie May]

45 minutes ago, Andy Hill said:

I disagree - our forward options are average for this league at best and our goalkeeping options are very poor at best. 

Agreed.  I’d even go as far as the defence, too.  For me, this is our biggest weakness.  I’m confident the goals will come - we create far too many chances for that not to happen.  However, defensively we’re shambolic and have been for years.  

[RedArmy]

5 hours ago, capitalsaint said:

I could be mistaken, but didn't Fellows get joint top assists for the league last year? And Azaz 5th most?

Rudoni was our first choice, so the idea that Azaz is the best in the league is a bit wide of the mark. 
 

He’s certainly up there though.