Manager/Coach Des Buckingham

[Northstandboy]

Manager Stats (Click Below)

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[southcoastyellow]

What’s so alarming is the drop off in performance from the individual players (with the exception of Murphy) since Des has been in charge. I just don’t think he has the ability to motivate, he’s well qualified but doesn’t feel like he know how to put this into practice. Big decisions need to be made by the board.

 

[Bitter]

This is precisely my view. I remember it, we were told his choice of assistant was virtually done, Des said as much. That tells me that the financial package was agreed as you’d think that was one of the earlier obstacles you clear in a recruitment process. Suddenly there’s a change of heart and he’s not coming. Why is this being pinned on the board ? There is absolutely no evidence to suggest it’s a board related issue. It looks to me like a classic slept on it and thought ‘no thanks’.

DB has been really well backed in January, you’re right. OK, one or two arrive with injuries or fitness issues but is that the boards fault ?

Why is it being pinned on Des? If someone has agreed, then they must have agreed to work with Des. There is no absolutely evidence to suggest it's a Des related issue.

 

[dickwalton1964]

General - Tim Williams Vote of Confidence

Thank you for getting this thread back in the what’s new section. My answer to this, when first posted, was yes, since changed to NO. This was the result as of 2137 on 24th March. Yes 64 No 116 Poll reset off the back of this

yellowsforum.co.uk

Ryan knows his stuff. I choose his view over yours.

You said it - a view. Your view, his view, my view, they’re all exactly that. He might be well connected and he’s often a good read but there’s been plenty of inconsistencies in his posts too.

 

[m]

You said it - a view. Your view, his view, my view, they’re all exactly that. He might be well connected and he’s often a good read but there’s been plenty of inconsistencies in his posts too.

Yeah, but he's not just completely making it up.

Unlike your good self.

 

[dickwalton1964]

Why is it being pinned on Des? If someone has agreed, then they must have agreed to work with Des. There is no absolutely evidence to suggest it's a Des related issue.

True but where’s the evidence that says it’s a board related issue either ?

 

[dickwalton1964]

Yeah, but he's not just completely making it up.

Unlike your good self.

Mine is a view, an opinion. Nothing made up.

 

[notThisWayButThat]

Can’t see Des being sacked next week if we win on Saturday. If we win on Saturday, we probably only need four more wins to make the play-offs. Make the play offs and he isn’t sacked in the summer. Really if he manages that, he will have proven quite a few people wrong, and will be given a transfer window and a few more months.

So the end is not necessarily nigh.

If I eat 4 squares of chocolate, I might as well eat the next line. If I've eaten the next line I might as well eat half of it. If I've eaten half of it, I might as well eat the next line. But I can't leave 2 lines so I might as well eat the whole thing.

Sorry. Crap mood.

 

[greatunclekip]

89% of those polled, want him sacked....!

Maybe I am well and truly delusional. I don't half feel sorry for the man and what's he having to deal with.

What is he having to deal with? Gets well paid, a decent squad of players, money spent in January, his own analyst, a brilliant training facility.

The assistant situation, yep, that’s s**t. Does it justify sending players out with terrible tactical plans? I don’t think so.

 

[PotterToWrapItUp]

A further issue for Des is that even if he stays, sadly the pressure on him next season is going to be immense. He'll need a hell of a start to the season to win fans over. He's also going to need a board willing to give him a big transfer budget.

 

[tatabanya]

He's also going to need a board willing to give him a big transfer budget.

If you're reliant on a big budget to achieve results then you're likely part of the problem

 

[Bitter]

True but where’s the evidence that says it’s a board related issue either ?

Has somebody said it is? If so, then they either know something we don't, or it's just their point of view.

 

[Jonny G]

My 2p worth.
Des has to go, it's been horrible recently. Northampton second half, all of Orient, Saturday was poor and we got lucky and last night was horrific - I turned off tv after second goal and radio after third, but had seen enough.
DB seems to be out of his depth and players either don't know what to do and/or aren't having him. However, that is the job of a manager to bomb out the bad apples if they're making life difficult for him. We slated Robinson for his treatment of Dan A, Jodi Jones et al and it wasn't right, but you could make a case for saying his treatment of Pekalski back in 2018 told the dressing room that there was a nasty side to the manager and they shouldn't take the pi$$. Des should have done that with under performing /not trying players already and at least then would have failed on his own terms.
Moving forwards, whoever takes it on (DB as I think the SMT will have a failure of leadership and leave him in place), be that Short, or a new perm manager, I'd bomb out McGuane, Rodrigues and Bodin. First two as they've done nothing since the autumn and don't look bothered and Bodin as he seemed to be taking the P**s last night at 5-0 down (maybe I'm being harsh as his dad was a scummer!).
Come the summer I'd be moving on Brown (looked a good defender in a struggling team and a struggling footballer in a team that are trying to kick on), Thorniley, Murphy, Henry, Browne and just about anyone else who's out of contract. Its all gone stagnant and needs shaking up, as apart from three months under Manning its now been 2 years of failure, as it was exactly this point in 2021/22 season when it started to go tits up and play off finish was thrown away.

 

[Osei Yaw]

Senior management have handled everything appallingly on the footballing side since the start of last season. They allowed the insanity of Robinson to continue beyond the Summer of 2022. They did OK in appointing his replacement and the team he wanted around him, but then dropped a massive bollock by allowing him to walk away when the first club to flutter their eyelids flirted with him.

They then took a gamble on an inexperienced coach in Buckingham and then FAILED to back him with a team around him and experience to support him as he inevitably needed to learn on the job.

And just who is the sergeant major required to manage player discipline, which is clearly completely lacking.

Des is looking for all the world like the nice supply teacher and the whole class is taking the P**s, whilst the headteacher drools over plans for the new sports hall.

I could not agree more.

What should be beyond doubt by now is that Williams does not understand how to run the football side of a football club. Maybe he has something to offer on the financial side, but he's out of his depth with the on field stuff.

People are rightfully asking questions of the manager and players, but the tone for everything is set from higher up. The senior management have made serious errors with each of the 3 managers they've had in place, as you've outlined above. It's entirely possible that Buckingham isn't up to it, but he's also seen a lack of support.

Although it's true to say Manning had some success within the current structure, it isn't the same situation as we've had with Buckingham.

Manning arrived with Hogg as a non-negotiable and we did enough last season to stay up. It wasn't exactly fantastic football, but it was considerably more organised than what we'd been watching (although a low bar comparing to the end days of Robinson), but what would've helped enormously was having a right hand man to help set everything up from day 1. Hogg was clearly an important part of Manning's success, he even got referenced in Manning's first PowerPoint session.

Then Manning got to add Price and Krause over the summer and we went on to make a very good start to League 1 this season. When Manning won the August manager of the month award, he said “I actually think the title should change because it’s not just about one person." and the accompanying photo says a lot:



3 of the 4 alongside Manning there were his guys. He had pulled stuff together more over the summer, but he had been given a lot more resource than Buckingham had. The likelihood was that he was also a stronger character than Buckingham in insisting on what he needed, but that feels like another failure of Williams to just be dictated to. I'm of the opinion that Manning did well because he came in and told Williams what he needed and Williams went along with it, rather than Williams taking charge and leading like a CEO should.

If we now go on to pay Buckingham off, then I think we need to hope the next manager comes in with his own support and they're also ready to do the leg work themselves to get them in. Not only is this a risk, but it flies in the face of what a 'top 30' club should be.

 

[tatabanya]

Why?

The core has shown over several seasons that they don't have what it takes.

We caught a glimpse of what the squad is capable of under Manning. Also, have a look at Stevenage's squad, or Lincoln's. Or any of the other 10 sides out-performing us on a fraction of the budget at the moment. Are their players better than ours? No chance. They're just well drilled.

 

[PotterToWrapItUp]

Can’t see Des being sacked next week if we win on Saturday. If we win on Saturday, we probably only need four more wins to make the play-offs. Make the play offs and he isn’t sacked in the summer. Really if he manages that, he will have proven quite a few people wrong, and will be given a transfer window and a few more months.

So the end is not necessarily nigh.

Given Stevenage have picked up around 1.7 points per game, they're likely to finish on around 78 points, which means we'll need another six wins from eight, and that's just to bring it down to goal difference. I just can't see it.

 

[notThisWayButThat]

I wouldn’t fancy Des to outfox a piece of carrot cake when it comes to winning games of football.

But who would win a game of carrot in the box?

 

[holdsteady]

Trying to guess what bearing the ground situation with have on whether we replace Buckingham or not, does it make him going more or less likely?

 

[Shaun Rice]

DesB is not up to the job.

I am annoyed that he hasn’t been given a chance with his own back room team. Especially as he’s an Oxford lad but we shouldn’t be letting sentiment cloud judgement. It was always going to be a difficult given how well Manning had done. But last night was terrible on so many levels. Not just last night really we’ve been on a steady decline ever since he took over.

From a scouting and analyst point of view we turned up like a Sunday league team. We gave their midfield time and space to play we were narrow allowing them to exploit the width. Everyone knew they’ve got great wide players and Sheehan must not be allowed to dictate but we did exactly the opposite.

Half arsed press just wasting energy and eliminating 2 or 3 of our outfield players. within minutes it was obvious it wasn’t working and we should’ve held a mid block. Reducing the space in midfield.

Work rate is so poor, players were busting a gut to get back behind the ball under manning, those same players are walking or jogging now. We are so disorganised and our shape is all over the place, we sometimes look like a pub team.

Players who were beginning to bloom under Manning are shadows of what we know they’re capable of, McGuane Leigh, Rodrigues Brown.

Looking back to the games Manning managed he had almost exactly the same players one could say DesB has better players now.
The excuses are exhausted. injury list, players are back but not yet match fit. Well now what? His interview after the game! He looks lost and in trouble. His eyes were bloodshot and it’s not fair to heap this much pressure on anyone. He needs help from the club and fast.

Looking at Bolton and their squad we are absolutely miles away. If we did make the playoffs we’d have little chance of going up and even less chance of staying in the championship. Scrub it off and start building for next season. We need a boost quickly otherwise we’ll lose some of our key players in the summer and it’ll be even more difficult next season.

 

[TailsWeWin]

Buckingham won’t be sacked this season. Period. A half-eaten pork sausage has more chance of making the right decision than our vacant board.
DB seems like a nice chap, but he’s in the wrong job. Ironically he’d probably manage a premier league team better than us; he seems to have little understanding of what is required to motivate and get this level of player (average League One) performing.
He will continue here as we slip to 10/12th place. He will be given a budget but not as large as we all hope for and expect. We will continue to spend it on half-fit reasonable players (Cheltenham are laughing at us regarding the Goodwin saga, believe me).
Ten games into the new season we will be mid table and the noises from the vacancies will be “we’re doing OK”.
Buckingham will remain in post.

 

[tomoufc]

Manning leaving when he did screwed our season. I think we all felt that at the time. It has come to pass. Everything else has just been details.