Root and Branch Surgery is Needed ...

I have sent texts to PR on two occasions this season: after the defeats at Sheff W and Barnsley. In both texts I said the same thing. Lest anyone think this was a reaction to just 2 games, can I assure readers that this has been my view for years rather than months.

During Jones’ 4 years at the Club, it was only when the fit Scimeca partnered McPhail that we have had anything approaching a centre midfield of Champ standard. However good or bad centre halves are the two in front of them have a two-fold responsibility to both shield the centre-backs and create opportunities.

The fact we scored the goal of the season in the first half today should not mask the appalling capitulation after the break. Whilst we have severe financial problems it must be said that DJ has been in charge a long time to sort out this part of the team. This he has patently either refused to do or thinks is unnecessary. On both counts the result should be the same. Furthermore some players get picked after playing badly for ages and others who don’t deserve to be dropped are made scapegoats.

Concerning DJ, be assured I’m not seeking to character assassinate him but simply relate what I see before me after watching City for over 50 years. He is imprisoned by 4-4-2, severely stubborn, tactically naïve, lacking in motivational skills and his man-management is non-existent. Is it that now the players have just simply had enough of it all? Who knows? But what I do know is that DJ has to sort it out. Do I think he can? No! We all know that he’s due £800,000 if sacked and that PR saw fit to give him this contract is surreal. Surely the Municipal Club meeting will be interesting.

To top it off, I think DJ has now lost the dressing-room. To keep him will consign us to a bottom 10 finish.

What is desperately needed is an eager, track-suited manager with ideas, tactical awareness, enthusiasm and energy for the task ahead. A manager who has options instead of a tactical, one-size-fits-all approach which characterises this DJ view, is a must. Sure you will say we can’t afford to do that. Well let’s be honest: we have no chance of promotion this season with this stumbling regime. Bite the bullet: take the 10 pt deduction, go into administration, sack DJ and plan ahead now for next season with a manager this Club needs.

StT.

4-4-2 is the domain of the lazy in coaching terms. Lesser coaches use it because even the most brainless f**kwits can just about grasp it. In coaching circles it is seen as the easy option. Now, before I'm shouted down and told the majority of clubs use it, I'll counter that by saying I agree and if you have the discipline and the players it can work well. What I will will point out however, is that most really tactically astute managers are able to change formation to deal with how the opposition are lined up. DJ seems totally cluesless in this respect. In fact I'd argue that 4-4-2 is becoming a thing of the past and most top teams only use it as part of a much more fluid formation that incorporates switching almost seemlessly from 4-5-1 to 4-3-3 to 4-4-2, not necessarily in that order but you get my drift. Of course we're not helped by the fact that our midfield, despite Whittinghams goals are probably amongst the worst in the division. If you can't get the centre/ engine room of the team right formation counts for f*** all. What we have in there would struggle to get a game in most other Championship sides IMHO. Every other team I see have MF players who are physically the part and have excellent movement and pace. We're totally lacking in all that.
A colleague of mine is a life long Wolves fan (not a plastic he lives there). I've discussed Mr Jones with him on numerous occasions. He tells me his stint at Wolves was charaterised by several things including, throwing away winning positions by conceding late goals; teams generally fading as the season progressed; constantly playing 4-4-2 whether home or away and whatever the opposition was doing; inability to change things during a game. Even their promotion to the Premier League turned into a pantomine as they threw away a 15 point lead at Xmas and sneaked up via the playoffs. Sound familiar? All except the last bit no doubt.
Anyway rant over!! It'll be nice if this isn't deleted. Everytime I've posted anything to do with DJ and tactics on Mr Morris' board has consistently been deleted. One of these days I'll have to post the story of Lennie Lawrences lecture at an FAW Coaching Conference on countering 4-3-3 when you're lining up as 4-4-2 including a certain Mr Perry's response to "how would you deal with a deep lying midfielder who is pinging the ball about"....PRICELESS!!

I have sent texts to PR on two occasions this season: after the defeats at Sheff W and Barnsley. In both texts I said the same thing. Lest anyone think this was a reaction to just 2 games, can I assure readers that this has been my view for years rather than months.

During Jones’ 4 years at the Club, it was only when the fit Scimeca partnered McPhail that we have had anything approaching a centre midfield of Champ standard. However good or bad centre halves are the two in front of them have a two-fold responsibility to both shield the centre-backs and create opportunities.

The fact we scored the goal of the season in the first half today should not mask the appalling capitulation after the break. Whilst we have severe financial problems it must be said that DJ has been in charge a long time to sort out this part of the team. This he has patently either refused to do or thinks is unnecessary. On both counts the result should be the same. Furthermore some players get picked after playing badly for ages and others who don’t deserve to be dropped are made scapegoats.

Concerning DJ, be assured I’m not seeking to character assassinate him but simply relate what I see before me after watching City for over 50 years. He is imprisoned by 4-4-2, severely stubborn, tactically naïve, lacking in motivational skills and his man-management is non-existent. Is it that now the players have just simply had enough of it all? Who knows? But what I do know is that DJ has to sort it out. Do I think he can? No! We all know that he’s due £800,000 if sacked and that PR saw fit to give him this contract is surreal. Surely the Municipal Club meeting will be interesting.

To top it off, I think DJ has now lost the dressing-room. To keep him will consign us to a bottom 10 finish.

What is desperately needed is an eager, track-suited manager with ideas, tactical awareness, enthusiasm and energy for the task ahead. A manager who has options instead of a tactical, one-size-fits-all approach which characterises this DJ view, is a must. Sure you will say we can’t afford to do that. Well let’s be honest: we have no chance of promotion this season with this stumbling regime. Bite the bullet: take the 10 pt deduction, go into administration, sack DJ and plan ahead now for next season with a manager this Club needs.

StT.

Ok, the last bit was born out of abject frustration but my drift is that something radical needs to be done NOW!

4-4-2 is the domain of the lazy in coaching terms. Lesser coaches use it because even the most brainless f**kwits can just about grasp it. In coaching circles it is seen as the easy option. Now, before I'm shouted down and told the majority of clubs use it, I'll counter that by saying I agree and if you have the discipline and the players it can work well. What I will will point out however, is that most really tactically astute managers are able to change formation to deal with how the opposition are lined up. DJ seems totally cluesless in this respect. In fact I'd argue that 4-4-2 is becoming a thing of the past and most top teams only use it as part of a much more fluid formation that incorporates switching almost seemlessly from 4-5-1 to 4-3-3 to 4-4-2, not necessarily in that order but you get my drift. Of course we're not helped by the fact that our midfield, despite Whittinghams goals are probably amongst the worst in the division. If you can't get the centre/ engine room of the team right formation counts for f*** all. What we have in there would struggle to get a game in most other Championship sides IMHO. Every other team I see have MF players who are physically the part and have excellent movement and pace. We're totally lacking in all that.
A colleague of mine is a life long Wolves fan (not a plastic he lives there). I've discussed Mr Jones with him on numerous occasions. He tells me his stint at Wolves was charaterised by several things including, throwing away winning positions by conceding late goals; teams generally fading as the season progressed; constantly playing 4-4-2 whether home or away and whatever the opposition was doing; inability to change things during a game. Even their promotion to the Premier League turned into a pantomine as they threw away a 15 point lead at Xmas and sneaked up via the playoffs. Sound familiar? All except the last bit no doubt.
Anyway rant over!! It'll be nice if this isn't deleted. Everytime I've posted anything to do with DJ and tactics on Mr Morris' board has consistently been deleted. One of these days I'll have to post the story of Lennie Lawrences lecture at an FAW Coaching Conference on countering 4-3-3 when you're lining up as 4-4-2 including a certain Mr Perry's response to "how would you deal with a deep lying midfielder who is pinging the ball about"....PRICELESS!!

Hi LP,

Jones' continual dismissal of fans, "who have not played football professionally," is pathetic. Wenger and Mourhino who have clocked up only 12 pro games (at Div 2 level) between them seem good enough for me. Furthermore there are a host of overpaid players who were complete failures when managing. A manager needs to be perceptive, analytical and decisive ... 3 things Mr Jones singularly and consistently fails to do. You can't play and win chess matches with a draughts' brain.

StT.