Anyone else feeling posistive....

[Risc]

I always reckon you are pretty much on the money Risc, but I’m bemused by your stance on this guy. You really think this team, in this division, this year was mid-table? With better selection and tactics and use of the personnel available, I reckon we could have been in with a really good shout. Millwall, Coventry, Luton, Boro, Sunderland (who we beat twice)…were they really better in personnel, or did they have better managers? And last season…Ok, the three that went up, but Huddersfield? Really?

Edit meant to quote Risc

I liked Russ Mon, we've always had to do things differently to be successful long term and I thought Martin was building something. Luton, Coventry and Millwall have done brilliantly, but Sunderland and Boro have better players than us imo. Last season we lost all the loan players cooper brought in, to his credit he got them with his connections, but not without cost, Guehi, Gallagher, Hourihane etc plus Ayew who got us out of so many holes. Martin was starting from scratch with a young squad. He f*cked up not going to 4 at the back quicker in my opinion, he has told people when seen around town etc that he wants to play a four but doesn't believe he had the personnel to play it, I think he got that badly wrong and it cost us a play off place this season.

He's gone now, I just hope and pray we get someone who can carry with the same sort of ethos, someone like Schumacher rather than a Nathan Jones. Russ won't get the time at Southampton, he'll regret shooting off imo.

 

[Nocountryforoldjack]

I'm just glad we won't have to listen to his endless bullshit that came out of his pretty mouth, those sly smirks when he was pressed on why he'd fucked up. Bloke is a total asshat.

 

[cadleigh]

100% feeling positive.
That's two years of my life I won't be seeing again.
Two years of (mostly) tedious passing the ball at walking pace in front of the keeper until the opposition took it and scored.
Two years of people telling me the Emperor's New Clothes were marvellous.
Two years of complacency and drift with little sign that the Board understood that the stables needed a clear-out.
Two years of squandered talent and missed opportunities to get out of a terribly weak division.

I don't know whether to feel sorry for those Swans supporters who decided he was "the real deal" before he even set foot in the club, because they must be gutted right now, or angry because of the way they tried to cancel anyone who dared to criticise 'Russ'. Oh well, I am sure they are hard at work on their naratives of betrayal and back-stabbing already, so I'll try not to feel too much sympathy.

 

[mrploppy]

Not particularly.

We've been yearning for years (at least some of us have) to try and get back to the style of play that got us promoted to the PL in the first place. This is the nearest we've got, and despite doing "better" under the likes of Cooper, the style of play was often mind numbingly tedious. Finally, we've started playing the kind of of football that could see us having a good crack at promotion next year and we're going to start again. And yes, it's taken a while to get to this point because basically some of our players have had to learn to play this way (Cabango is a case in point).

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation to Russell Martin, but he seems to be taking the blame for things he had no control over. For example, throwing points away against Millwall and Birmingham was down to poor defending.

And as others have pointed out, we really did miss Benda in goal. What can't be argued is that Fisher cost us points.

 

[Risc]

Not particularly.

We've been yearning for years (at least some of us have) to try and get back to the style of play that got us promoted to the PL in the first place. This is the nearest we've got, and despite doing "better" under the likes of Cooper, the style of play was often mind numbingly tedious. Finally, we've started playing the kind of of football that could see us having a good crack at promotion next year and we're going to start again. And yes, it's taken a while to get to this point because basically some of our players have had to learn to play this way (Cabango is a case in point).

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation to Russell Martin, but he seems to be taking the blame for things he had no control over. For example, throwing points away against Millwall and Birmingham was down to poor defending.

And as others have pointed out, we really did miss Benda in goal. What can't be argued is that Fisher cost us points.

Pretty much how I see it.

Though as a manager he needs to take responsibility for the late goals, but it's a by-product of having a very young centre half partnership. The teams Mon mentioned earlier who got to the play offs, all have more experienced backlines, average age for ours 23. Learning on the job.

 

[JackSomething]

Not necessarily, but that could change depending on who we bring in to take the reins. I also completely disagree about not trusting him with money, they did with Downes and Wood, one made serious profit, and I think the other will aswell in time. O'Reilly and Ogbene deals were held back and both of these we'll look back on with regret aswell.

By carrying on repeating the "the decision was made a long time ago" does nothing either haha.

Silverstein: "we have been negotiating a longer deal with him for a long time", whether they would have ever signed off on a contract who knows, the relationship was obviously broken, but he wasn't being sacked.

I know it's a minor point, but he can't get credit for Downes being signed. That transfer was a protracted one and he finally signed on the dotted line 9 days after Martin. I'm sure they gave Russell the option to veto the deal if he didn't want him, but he wouldn't have been responsible for identifying Downes as a target.

I'm all for praising him on how he used Downes during the season and helped make him worth £10m though.

 

[Risc]

I know it's a minor point, but he can't get credit for Downes being signed. That transfer was a protracted one and he finally signed on the dotted line 9 days after Martin. I'm sure they gave Russell the option to veto the deal if he didn't want him, but he wouldn't have been responsible for identifying Downes as a target.

I'm all for praising him on how he used Downes during the season and helped make him worth £10m though.

He 100% signed Downes, was Martin's first action when agreeing to be our manager and the club backed him with it. He tried to sign him at MK Dons but couldn't afford him.

Matt Gill worked with Downes previously aswell, Downes said himself at time of signing it all happened within 7 days.

 

[JackSomething]

He 100% signed Downes, was Martin's first action when agreeing to be our manager and the club backed him with it. He tried to sign him at MK Dons but couldn't afford him.

Matt Gill worked with Downes previously aswell, Downes said himself at time of signing it all happened within 7 days.

I thought we were after him all summer, but possibly remembering it wrong.

 

[Risc]

I thought we were after him all summer, but possibly remembering it wrong.

Piroe was one like that. Didn’t Cooper have him scouted as his England youth side played against him? Or something like that anyway.

 

[French Jack]

Not particularly.

We've been yearning for years (at least some of us have) to try and get back to the style of play that got us promoted to the PL in the first place. This is the nearest we've got, and despite doing "better" under the likes of Cooper, the style of play was often mind numbingly tedious. Finally, we've started playing the kind of of football that could see us having a good crack at promotion next year and we're going to start again. And yes, it's taken a while to get to this point because basically some of our players have had to learn to play this way (Cabango is a case in point).

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation to Russell Martin, but he seems to be taking the blame for things he had no control over. For example, throwing points away against Millwall and Birmingham was down to poor defending.

And as others have pointed out, we really did miss Benda in goal. What can't be argued is that Fisher cost us points.

The style under Russell Martin can not in a million years be compared to the style that got us promoted to the PL in the first place!

 

[Darran]

The style under Russell Martin can not in a million years be compared to the style that got us promoted to the PL in the first place!

I concur it’s nowhere near it.

 

[mrploppy]

The style under Russell Martin can not in a million years be compared to the style that got us promoted to the PL in the first place!

It's the closest we've been. Name one other?

 

[Risc]

It's the closest we've been. Name one other?

Potter probably but he had a lot better players than we have now.

 

[J_B]

It's the closest we've been. Name one other?

Obviously Potter which was a million miles nearer Rodgers’ style than Martin’s.

 

[mrploppy]

Obviously Potter which was a million miles nearer Rodgers’ style than Martin’s.

No, I don't think so. Close, but no cigar.