Is time up for Duff? It seems that maybe the case – one more game?

[Magic_Michu]

I can’t believe we’re talking about changing manager less than ten games in to a season, but the optics, and the metrics, are not good.

I don’t believe he’s a terrible clueless manager but something is clearly not right and it would take some nerve and a strong chairman not to pull the trigger. I’m sure he’ll get it right eventually but how long does eventually take?

I’d give him another four or five games before looking elsewhere if needs be, but it’s obvious that we’re downgrading managers with each successive appointment in the same way we are the playing squad and the rot has to be stopped. As much as people moan about jobs for the boys we need someone who understands and it needs to finally be Tosh Jnr with an experienced sideman.

What does getting it right look like?

Survival and playing terrible hoofball?

 

[Itchysphincter]

What does getting it right look like?

Survival and playing terrible hoofball?

Two questions there, well the second line is more of a statement, but they don’t seem to relate to anything I said.

Getting it right is obviously playing good football and getting wins. Really not sure why you needed telling that?

 

[Longlostjack]

I can’t believe we’re talking about changing manager less than ten games in to a season, but the optics, and the metrics, are not good.

I don’t believe he’s a terrible clueless manager but something is clearly not right and it would take some nerve and a strong chairman not to pull the trigger. I’m sure he’ll get it right eventually but how long does eventually take?

I’d give him another four or five games before looking elsewhere if needs be, but it’s obvious that we’re downgrading managers with each successive appointment in the same way we are the playing squad and the rot has to be stopped. As much as people moan about jobs for the boys we need someone who understands and it needs to finally be Tosh Jnr with an experienced sideman.

I have no idea why they didn’t go for Tosh Jr. Knows the club inside out.

 

[sainthelens]

He'll be another typical journeyman/Monk type, picking up compo at a few clubs then disappearing.....from here asap iff possible.

 

[ARQS]

The Barnsley and Cheltenham fans absolutely rave about him, which is rare. So there must be something about him. Not that we've seen one iota of that.

 

[Swansea93]

If he can’t get the team to beat Sheffield Wednesday then he’s off.

 

[Copamundial]

The Barnsley and Cheltenham fans absolutely rave about him, which is rare. So there must be something about him. Not that we've seen one iota of that.

Of course they’d rave about him, he brought them relative success, there’s a huge difference at Swansea where we’ve become accustomed to playing a certain brand of football.

 

[ARQS]

Of course they’d rave about him, he brought them relative success, there’s a huge difference at Swansea where we’ve become accustomed to playing a certain brand of football.

He also played quite good football there too, by all accounts.

All that said, he definitely doesn’t seem right for us. And is doing an appalling job so far.

 

[Arthurmorgan]

Thing is, and this is no disrespect to the owls, but that “one game” is now already being touted as a “huge game” in September?!
So he’s already said things that wind people up, like not bothered about losing to Cardiff, and we all debated the context of that, ok, so now he thinks to win the support of a fan base is to say he doesn’t give a toss what they say or think, again, as with the Cardiff quote, we should be able to say he’s right not to listen to fans, and should be strong in conviction and confidence in himself, however, he talks of promotion within the Cardiff quote, after 5 matches at that point with only 2 points to show for, winless, and seemingly not playing with any plan, any style, just nothing to grasp any possible positive thoughts on, and then to the Cardiff match, he sat like a gimp with a bemused vacant look on his chops, whilst on the field his squad just looked like a team who were just lumped together that day and told to whack he ball about!
And then had the audacity in the after match presser to say they only lacked quality and the energy was fantastic?
Last night wasn’t absolutely terrible, and we nearly scrapped to 3 points, but it wasn’t pretty, and we were lucky to even draw let’s be perfectly honest, then he comes out and says he couldn’t care less about fans who spend money and time to support the utter clueless crap he’s serving up, you can kind of tell the players aren’t comfortable or happy, he then compiled the quote of not caring about fans with “I am here to win games” …..well, not one of us can see where we’re getting 3 points from?
Especially when we’re stating that Sheffield Wednesday is a HUGE game at this point in the season, if we were mid table at the moment, with about 7 points on the table, we wouldn’t exactly be ecstatic, but I don’t think you’d have an almost entire United fan base all saying get him out, and I’ve seen a few polls, and they all seem to be in the 80-90% consensus of “get him out” I don’t think it would be a panic decision, I think it’s the sensible decision, I don’t think we’d look back and think “it could have been different for him if…..” because there is nothing, and all this talk of Barnsley and Cheltenham is fine, but he’s hit a wall here at this stage and he isn’t going to get us going like he has with those two, anyone and everyone can see that, I don’t want us to swap managers all the time, it’s not a good look all round, but we simply can’t move forward with this guy, he’s alienating an entire fan base, and has us playing below the standard of what is needed for this division.

 

[FearOfAJackPlanet]

I think all this picking apart everything he says to the press is a little petulant. "Oooo, he said this at the presser, gather round and pile on everyone". I get it, we get emotional when things are going badly, but it's nonsense.

That aside, we are in a pickle. I think everyone, Duff, the fans, the owners and the players underestimated how big of a change it would be to bring in a gritty Sean Dyche acolyte to succeed 2 years of Martinball. The clash of styles and approaches seems so stark it's visible from space. I don't think Paul Watson gives a rats arse about playing 'good' football, and the owners probably don't either - they just want a 'results guy' (perfectly rational), and that's why we ended up with Duff, but it may have been too much of a reach.

If given time, I think Duff would probably turn this around. But we're a very hard nut to crack for him - and I'm not sure we can afford him the time he needs to crack it unless we see clear signs of improvement against Shed Weds.

 

[ARQS]

In his interview last night he talked about sorting the defence out and becoming hard to beat first and foremost... which if he is coming into a team bottom of the league, shipping goals, etc. would be a reasonable approach. Turn the defeats into draws then slowly turn those into wins. Pretty standard practice.

However, why does he feel that this has been warranted in a team that was comfortably midtable last season and nearly snuck into the playoffs? Surely all he needed to do was tweak us a bit... it sounds like he has ripped the whole thing up and started again.

The stuff about the fans is absolutely ridiculous too. I would argue that fans behind the manager = fans behind the team and a reduction in pressure. Let's be honest, if Martin wasn't as popular as he was with large parts of our fanbase, he probably wouldn't have lasted a season. So in that respect, keeping the fans happy is very much part of his job.

 

[ARQS]

That aside, we are in a pickle. I think everyone, Duff, the fans, the owners and the players underestimated how big of a change it would be to bring in a gritty Sean Dyche acolyte to succeed 2 years of Martinball. The clash of styles and approaches seems so stark it's visible from space. I don't think Paul Watson gives a rats arse about playing 'good' football, and the owners probably don't either - they just want a 'results guy' (perfectly rational), and that's why we ended up with Duff, but it may have been too much of a reach.

Hence why we'll end up with Nathan Jones.

The owners will see a guy who has successfully worked with our Sporting Director previously and they'll see Luton in the Premier League with their crap stadium and low budget and that will be enough. As you say, perfectly rational and probably something 99% of business owners would encourage in any other walk of life.

Watson will see it as being someone who he enjoyed success with and presumably worked well with.

Jones will see it as probably the most high profile job he can get whilst being close to presumably his family/friends/roots.

I just don't see it going any other way.

 

[monmouth]

Hence why we'll end up with Nathan Jones.

The owners will see a guy who has successfully worked with our Sporting Director previously and they'll see Luton in the Premier League with their crap stadium and low budget and that will be enough. As you say, perfectly rational and probably something 99% of business owners would encourage in any other walk of life.

Watson will see it as being someone who he enjoyed success with and presumably worked well with.

Jones will see it as probably the most high profile job he can get whilst being close to presumably his family/friends/roots.

I just don't see it going any other way.

I said when Watson came in and everyone was saying it was great that I don't want to be like Luton. Now being like Luton is an aspiration. Plus, no matter how he dresses it up, Luton didn't even want him. They would have offered him an irrisistable package if they did. Intensity, workrate, channels, shape. Not a single mention of ball skills or talent from anybody anymore. To drift into hyperbole, it feels like the end of days.

 

[FearOfAJackPlanet]

There's a possession-based manager called Russell Martin who might become available soon, maybe we can take a look at him. Great with the media

He might get sacked before we've even agreed the compo for his departure

 

[Copamundial]

There's a possession-based manager called Russell Martin who might become available soon, maybe we can take a look at him. Great with the media

He might get sacked before we've even agreed the compo for his departure

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