Happy Anniversary Luke

[Darran]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1875844691880718396

 

[Neath_Jack]

Has he made a statement on it? If not, why not? Somethings not right

 

[exiledclaseboy]

Has he made a statement on it? If not, why not? Somethings not right

I know stuff, proof and everything. I just can’t tell you *taps nose*

 

[Smurph]

Has he made a statement on it? If not, why not? Somethings not right

There was a lot of passing the statement back and forth between a couple of people and then someone lost it.

They were proud of the effort, between the group.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

He's done an alright job, hasn't he.

After the Duff debacle, getting us out of trouble in his first season and being sat very comfy in mid-table at halfway in this season, I'm happy with that. Considering how shite some of our players are.

Get to May - ship a few out, get a few in - aim for top 10, and let's see where it goes.

 

[exiledclaseboy]

He's done an alright job, hasn't he.

After the Duff debacle, getting us out of trouble in his first season and being sat very comfy in mid-table at halfway in this season, I'm happy with that. Considering how shite some of our players are.

Get to May - ship a few out, get a few in - aim for top 10, and let's see where it goes.

Nothing more than average I’d say. I’m not advocating sacking him or anything though. That’s stupid talk. Last thing we need is yet another managerial overhaul.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

Nothing more than average I’d say. I’m not advocating sacking him or anything though. That’s stupid talk. Last thing we need is yet another managerial overhaul.

Yeah, not set the world alight at all. Just merely ok.

Part of my stance is that I'd be interested to see what might happen if we can hold onto a manager for 3 or 4 seasons and just build quietly. It's been decades since that's happened down here. Our coaches are either abysmal and don't last long, or they get poached quickly.

Let's have a bit of stability.

 

[Darran]

End of term report - Could do better.

 

[monmouth]

He’s shite.

 

[cmajack]

Yeah, not set the world alight at all. Just merely ok.

Part of my stance is that I'd be interested to see what might happen if we can hold onto a manager for 3 or 4 seasons and just build quietly. It's been decades since that's happened down here. Our coaches are either abysmal and don't last long, or they get poached quickly.

Let's have a bit of stability.

Holding on to one or two of our better players i would like to see happening. I know in this day and age players want to move on and clubs need the money but, this team would look really good with Piroe, Ntcham and Downes in it. How long will it be before Franco moves on ?

 

[Cooperman]

Positives:
Steadied the ship after Russ and Duff
Tightened us up at the back

Negatives:
One dimensional tactics
Use of subs
Limited use of youth

Grade: could do better.

 

[FearOfAJackPlanet]

We’re still treading water in the same place we were when Martin was here, through Duff, Sheehan and now Luke. If you need anymore indicator that it’s the strength of the squad overall that determines a clubs position in the league I can’t help you.

Now, some managers can outperform their squad. Martin couldn’t. Duff wasn’t given time to show if he could and so far it’s seems to me Williams can’t do it either. So here we are, entirely at the mercy of the squad he’s given.

I am all for a period of stability as well. Sick and tired of false starts with new managers and all the upheaval that brings. Luke has shown at Notts County that given a good squad he can put it all together and have an exceptional season (I don’t think you can say that for all managers, at least not for a whole season/long term). If you look at his County squad it wasn’t full of amazing talent, most of that team are either playing in L2 or back in non-league.

The most important football people at the club are not Luke and his staff, but whoever is leading recruitment. I’d rather weekly press conferences from them than Luke.

I’m apathetically endorsing his continuation in the role, so happy anniversary Luke. Meh.

 

[monmouth]

We’re still treading water in the same place we were when Martin was here, through Duff, Sheehan and now Luke. If you need anymore indicator that it’s the strength of the squad overall that determines a clubs position in the league I can’t help you.

Now, some managers can outperform their squad. Martin couldn’t. Duff wasn’t given time to show if he could and so far it’s seems to me Williams can’t do it either. So here we are, entirely at the mercy of the squad he’s given.

I am all for a period of stability as well. Sick and tired of false starts with new managers and all the upheaval that brings. Luke has shown at Notts County that given a good squad he can put it all together and have an exceptional season (I don’t think you can say that for all managers, at least not for a whole season/long term). If you look at his County squad it wasn’t full of amazing talent, most of that team are either playing in L2 or back in non-league.

The most important football people at the club are not Luke and his staff, but whoever is leading recruitment. I’d rather weekly press conferences from them than Luke.

I’m apathetically endorsing his continuation in the role, so happy anniversary Luke. Meh.

That's persuasive but, to my mind, ignores the things he can control. Selection, players in their best position, tactics, substitutions and motivation. E minus.

Where I definitely agree is that the personnel he has available also needs a big shake up including a new captain and diluting Grimes' hold over tempo and putting a rocket up him and others. But he should already have done that, so he's not going to and so that will never change with Williams.

I'd argue outperforming with Notts with the best team in an amateur league is no indicator of his ability. If it was then Duff has done well in a much higher league with relative to the division worse teams, and he wasn't tolerated for half as long.

Yesterdays performance was pure Duff with a Martin overlay. We aint going to buy a load of players of Southampton quality, and if people are happy to indulge that then they'll be watching a lot more of the same, barring a miracle. People want 4 years of that in the name of 'stability'? Sheesh.

Anyway, opinions. Maybe he and recruitment will come good and we get a real boost. The one good thing, as Sarah Connor might say, is that the future isn't set.

 

[Smurph]

I honestly feel a better coach gets more out of these players.

 

[FearOfAJackPlanet]

I honestly feel a better coach gets more out of these players.

I agree, but I'm not sure I trust the club to go and get that person anymore.

I genuinely think (and I promise I'm not saying this to spark another tedious debate on it), that Duff would have been that man if the club had stuck its course through the transition and hadn't bottled it after only a couple of months and gone back to the Martin tactical universe that the 'senior players' were pining for.

The timeline I have for managers is pretty long. if it were up to me, this season would be the make or break season for Duff. For Williams, that would be next season - he'll have had 18 months to get fully settled and got what he can from the recruitment team over 4 windows. If this time next season we're still treading water and moaning about the same issues, we'll need to make a change that summer.