- Joined
- 5 Dec 2017
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- 8,716
Sorry ‘Dick,’ Knobinson it is for the foreseeable.
Don’t like it? Don’t read it!
If true then can we sue them for our money back? Tell them to grow up and grow some b*lls.
If player's are throwing their toys out the pram because they didn't get their own way, then they have no place at Oxford united (or any other club). So we sack Buckingham, what then, six months time players throw their toys out the pram again because they don't like the manager?
Comparison with Clotet hurts but also rings true. He had a reputation as an exceptional technical coach before joining us too. I disagree that we look under-coached - as with Clotet I think if anything we look over-coached and micro managed. Always trying to implement a theoretical gameplan as though the opposition have no part in things. Most games under Buckingham we've done the same training ground things over and over and over again regardless of how opponents are setup, how they're playing or game state. Players look disempowered, timid and afraid to make mistakes or deviate from the 'plan'.I’m not sure that’s completely true. And I am no fan of the Chuckles believe me.
The crux of the last few games rounding up to Bolton has been a lack of basic coaching on defensive positioning, attacking strategy, and a game plan.
All of that is on the head coach. Fundamentally players don’t know what they are doing. And that eats away at trust.
Take Ruben for example. Player of the year til November, outstanding at Orient. Yes he might have had a bit of a sulk about it not being Luke Williams, but I’m sure if Des came in with a plan and got results, that soon dissipates. Couple the initial disappointment with not having a clue what your role is, your team mates not knowing what their role is, and s**t results, and it’s easy to see how you might get a bit mardy.
Chris Wilder didn’t come in with an assistant and coaching staff, he came in with a plan and a way of playing that everyone knew their role. It’s basic management.
Des absolutely should have been allowed to bring in his own assistant, or, as I advocated at the time, someone like Cotterill should have been brought in (doing a great job at FGR btw) to help bounce ideas off. But ultimately, the manager has to be on the hook for f*****g abysmal tactics and coaching.
Clotet got pelters for the shite he was serving up, yet he was inexperienced too, we didn’t defend the lack of support or blame the board, we wanted him gone. Des is worse. With Clotet there was semblance of a plan, he just brought in shite who couldn’t play it!
The Wilder comment is relevant. I saw his first game (Salisbury?). A really average bunch of players, confused by the mediocre Patterson. Immediate improvement. You could see that every player knew what his job was,was holding position, and was fighting for every ball . I've never got that sense from Buckingham, I'm afraid. Wilder had been in the job for less than one week.Comparison with Clotet hurts but also rings true. He had a reputation as an exceptional technical coach before joining us too. I disagree that we look under-coached - as with Clotet I think if anything we look over-coached and micro managed. Always trying to implement a theoretical gameplan as though the opposition have no part in things. Most games under Buckingham we've done the same training ground things over and over and over again regardless of how opponents are setup, how they're playing or game state. Players look disempowered, timid and afraid to make mistakes or deviate from the 'plan'.
When a team consistently comes alive only in moments of emotion and chaos (like we do, usually after conceding) there's usually a deeper problem at the root and it's typically a management issue. That applies in the real world as well as football.
Buckingham has been hung out to dry. Wilder was a different type of manager in a totally different different context and with years of dirt under his fingers in league football. Even Manning and Hogg were veterans in comparison. Des could end up a top manager but as things stand it's not working and the execs have to either invest in a wider team to implement a long term plan or look elsewhere.
End product is what it is all about. Are we creating enough, are we finishing enough? The answer is a resounding no! Not only that but we are conceeding more too. Whilst I am not pinning everything on MM and RR, they are two particularly pivotal roles that are there to break up opposition attacks and turn them into opportunities for us. Whilst they were pretty effective at that earlier in the season, they have not been for a loooong time now. Earlier in the season MM in particular was everywhere and some of his link up play was top notch . . . now? You could throw a blanket over him for large parts of the game and he is often bypassed - why is that?How do we define a player not trying though ? Does quality over ride effort ? So, lets say RR was scoring a few but being lazy the rest of the time are we on his back because although he might have scored, say, 4 in 5 it could have been 7 in 5 with a bit more effort. Take three players off the top of my head who are lazy - Rashford, Berbatov and Martial, I think the fans opinion will be fairly split as to their individual worth in a team. Is it form, is it effort or is it a combination of form and effort. If it's the latter we may as well give the game to Vale now because no Oxford player is boarding the coach.
I agree that a finger or two needs to be pointed at Des, but Rodrigues has been a disgrace as he prances around focusing on himself rather than the team. He did it for Craig Short against Orient, so not sure what’s stopping him from at least putting the effort in and doing what’s best for the team. Same goes for McGuane, but he’s been the same virtually every season e.g. has about 5-10 really good games then goes completely off the boil, almost like he’s never played football before.I’m not sure that’s completely true. And I am no fan of the Chuckles believe me.
The crux of the last few games rounding up to Bolton has been a lack of basic coaching on defensive positioning, attacking strategy, and a game plan.
All of that is on the head coach. Fundamentally players don’t know what they are doing. And that eats away at trust.
Take Ruben for example. Player of the year til November, outstanding at Orient. Yes he might have had a bit of a sulk about it not being Luke Williams, but I’m sure if Des came in with a plan and got results, that soon dissipates. Couple the initial disappointment with not having a clue what your role is, your team mates not knowing what their role is, and s**t results, and it’s easy to see how you might get a bit mardy.
Chris Wilder didn’t come in with an assistant and coaching staff, he came in with a plan and a way of playing that everyone knew their role. It’s basic management.
Des absolutely should have been allowed to bring in his own assistant, or, as I advocated at the time, someone like Cotterill should have been brought in (doing a great job at FGR btw) to help bounce ideas off. But ultimately, the manager has to be on the hook for f*****g abysmal tactics and coaching.
Clotet got pelters for the shite he was serving up, yet he was inexperienced too, we didn’t defend the lack of support or blame the board, we wanted him gone. Des is worse. With Clotet there was semblance of a plan, he just brought in shite who couldn’t play it!
My theory is that Buckingham is a 'management by coaching book' appointee. He wants the team to play one way - the way that is in the City Group manual. That's what he has been taught. Whether it is even sensible trying do do that with L1 quality players is debateable - whether it is actually working is certainly not! But he has no real alternative. The players know it isn't working and won't work. That really does not excuse what looked like a lack of effort by some players on Tuesday of course.
We are in a horrible position. The board won't sack Buckingham (financial reasons, egg on faces), I suspect he can't change, the players have lost any respect for him if they had any to start with and he has lost the majority of the support (going by what I hear from around me at games, comments on social media and the polls on here). Maybe Bristol City would like an assistant coach?
I wouldn't be so sure about Buckingham being a coaching book CG appointee. That said, if you're right then someone ought to tell him he doesn't work for them anymore and he need to plough his own furrow and develop his own style - he;s not some City Group Android!.My theory is that Buckingham is a 'management by coaching book' appointee. He wants the team to play one way - the way that is in the City Group manual. That's what he has been taught. Whether it is even sensible trying do do that with L1 quality players is debateable - whether it is actually working is certainly not! But he has no real alternative. The players know it isn't working and won't work. That really does not excuse what looked like a lack of effort by some players on Tuesday of course.
We are in a horrible position. The board won't sack Buckingham (financial reasons, egg on faces), I suspect he can't change, the players have lost any respect for him if they had any to start with and he has lost the majority of the support (going by what I hear from around me at games, comments on social media and the polls on here). Maybe Bristol City would like an assistant coach?
I just think that the club management won't do it any time soon. For purely their own reasons rather than footballing ones.I can't subscribe to view that Des is unsackable, there comes a point when every manager is sackable. If we lose 6 of the last 8, which is quite possible, and drift down to about 12th then he wont survive.
About as inspiring as a sightseeing trip to Gillingham.I wouldn’t say Buckingham is a great talker.
I think they may act sooner than you think. They are not stupid and know that no players like him for no other reason then he does very little to coach them. The word is very out in the football world and we will struggle to get players if he stays much longer.I just think that the club management won't do it any time soon. For purely their own reasons rather than footballing ones.
Even if he lost six of the last eight, there would be a 'mid-table finish, give him the summer to build his own team' narrative. Personally, I think that would be a big mistake on current evidence, but I think it is what will happen.
"Knobinson" wasn't funny until people started complaining about it - now I'm finding it hilarious for some reason.
End product is what it is all about. Are we creating enough, are we finishing enough? The answer is a resounding no! Not only that but we are conceeding more too. Whilst I am not pinning everything on MM and RR, they are two particularly pivotal roles that are there to break up opposition attacks and turn them into opportunities for us. Whilst they were pretty effective at that earlier in the season, they have not been for a loooong time now. Earlier in the season MM in particular was everywhere and some of his link up play was top notch . . . now? You could throw a blanket over him for large parts of the game and he is often bypassed - why is that?
I put it down to him being overplayed initially, but now I'm really not at all sure. It's not like he's been playing Tues/Sat for weeks on end recently is it?. Do you think Buckingham is telling him to play that way? - I don't! RR too - how many times does he get into positions for scoring opportunities, comparative to earlier in the season? How many killer passes and defensive line breakers does he make? How many goals has he scored or assisted of late? How often do either of them get back and help out in defence and how often do we see other players isolated and with no outlets as a result? If either were chipping in with positive contributions in any part of the pitch then I really do think we'd be better off than we currently are, but they simply aren't cutting it at present. Why that might be is open to conjecture.
That is not to say that others aren't either and I notice you have identified both Cumming and Brown in that category too. It is a fair shout and particularly for Cumming, he has made a couple of howlers of late. Is this because he's not trying, because he's not very good, because he's under increased pressure, because his confidence is shot or is it may be a combination of several of those factors. Same analysis for Brown - why have his performances dropped off a cliff? Effort?, Ability? Pressure? Confidence? I actually think that Browns performances are pretty directly linked in some part to MM's in that he is not getting the cover nor the outlet that he was earlier in the season from MM. There's more pressure on him and he's making more errors/poor choices as a result (because at the end of the day he's a L1 defender), the result of this is that his confidence is also shot and now the whole cycle seems self-perpetuating until something changes in the line up and the way we're playing. One little snippet I did see from Tuesday night was Brannagan balling Brown out at one point for not coming for the ball (I think it may've been 3 or 4-0 at the time), resulting in Brannagan having to make a rash challenge and give away a free kick about 25 yds from our goal. It's little things like this that show us that players are not doing what they should, or what is expected of them. We are devoid of confidence all over the pitch now and I think some of that is due to a couple of pivotal roles in the team simply not working the way they should.
Pep ClitetPenis Smith
Pep Clotit
Gary Wadcock
Fnar.
Brian Hard-onPep Clitet
Karl Throbbinson
Des F-ckingham
Graham pRixBrian Hard-on