Manager/Coach Des Buckingham

[Northstandboy]

Manager Stats (Click Below)

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[Steve Gilbert]

How many people do you think make ST decisions based purely on the manager? And, if there was an increase in ST sales would that mean that Buckingham stays?

Obviously any ST sales shows the exact number of fans who are behind Des, didn’t you realise that’s how it works?

 

[Osei Yaw]

Agree in the main - good post - but I would push back on this point. The progress Pompey have made since his appointment is obviously a harsh contrast to how we have fared in the meantime, so it’s tempting to think we’d have gone on the same journey, but I think (and there’s obviously no way of proving or disproving this) that Mousinho would have struggled to make the same impact here if he’d been installed in January 2023. The whole club needed a shakeup, top to bottom. This is one reason why Manning was doing so well, I think - bringing in a whole new coaching staff and moving on old faces (if done in an unsavoury way - see the very unpleasant treatment of Brown) gave the whole club a sense of being revitalised. Would Mousinho have been able to change things up in the same way? Would he have been able to make the harsh decisions on players that he had been playing and teammates with literally weeks previously, that needed to be made? Maybe, but I’m really not sure.

Agree very much on the Des point though, and on the Manning one, which I hadn’t really considered before. In retrospect, it seems lunacy to have built an entire back room staff at the whims of one man but not tied him, or any of them, down to long term contracts. I suppose no one could have anticipated him jumping ship quite so quickly, but even so, it seems a situation that was always likely to lead to mass upheaval at Oxford United’s detriment.

As you say there was no way of knowing how we'd have done under Mousinho, but a lot of people would've been happy to have seen him given the job as a caretaker further back in September/October 2022.

It was an enormous mistake leaving Robinson in charge for so long. In some respects, I think that made his successor's role a bit easier because everyone (players and fans alike) were crying out for someone to come in and just talk calmly and sensibly. Manning did that. Mousinho was already doing that whilst he was here.

And one of our best results of that season was beating Bolton away, which Mousinho took charge of because Robinson was banned.

It's easy to say with hindsight. But many people were saying it with foresight at the time - it was just so obvious. It was well known that Mous wanted to get into management. Add in that he was already here, knew the club and had the respect of everybody and it was a simple decision. It would've been entirely understandable if they had appointed him on a caretaker basis to steady the ship and everyone would've been happy with that. I don't think he would've done worse than the (very obvious) trajectory Robinson had us on, and if he had done well then it'd have been a great move. Portsmouth's management obviously saw something in him that ours missed.

We can keep talking about the manager, head of recruitment etc that we need, but it doesn't really matter if the people at the top just simply don't get it. They have signed away millions of pounds in OUFC's name in a bid to get promotion and we haven't seen anywhere near value for money. We should really be holding them to account.

 

[joshua]

If I was you I’d give up coming, you don’t sound like much of a fan and don’t seem to enjoy it a lot.

Your bloody right I don’t

 

[Paul Cannell]

Well you do what you thinks best, cos I know what I’m doing and I’m not the only one

If it's a conga line you're planning I really hope you're not the only one.

Go you!

 

[Osleroad]

As you say there was no way of knowing how we'd have done under Mousinho, but a lot of people would've been happy to have seen him given the job as a caretaker further back in September/October 2022.

It was an enormous mistake leaving Robinson in charge for so long. In some respects, I think that made his successor's role a bit easier because everyone (players and fans alike) were crying out for someone to come in and just talk calmly and sensibly. Manning did that. Mousinho was already doing that whilst he was here.

And one of our best results of that season was beating Bolton away, which Mousinho took charge of because Robinson was banned.

It's easy to say with hindsight. But many people were saying it with foresight at the time - it was just so obvious. It was well known that Mous wanted to get into management. Add in that he was already here, knew the club and had the respect of everybody and it was a simple decision. It would've been entirely understandable if they had appointed him on a caretaker basis to steady the ship and everyone would've been happy with that. I don't think he would've done worse than the (very obvious) trajectory Robinson had us on, and if he had done well then it'd have been a great move. Portsmouth's management obviously saw something in him that ours missed.

We can keep talking about the manager, head of recruitment etc that we need, but it doesn't really matter if the people at the top just simply don't get it. They have signed away millions of pounds in OUFC's name in a bid to get promotion and we haven't seen anywhere near value for money. We should really be holding them to account.

We are all assuming that Mousinho would have wanted the job in this particular nest and that people in the building were not aware already of his personal and professional qualities which I doubt. We will never know; Pompey could do an Ipswich or a Rotherham.

 

[Yellowoptimist]

Good post. So much wrong at the club. Again! Top to bottom!

Owners,
non existent money men from far off lands. I’m on the fence because they’re obviously throwing money at us and the work on the new stadium is fantastic but I can’t help feeling the stadium, facilities and club will be separated and when they move on we’ll be no better off than we are now.

Senior managers
Also non existent but perhaps not as far removed as our owners. Some very odd stories banging about. Also key people jumping ship. blaming fans for the lack of atmosphere. Everyone knows off the field communication, organisation, structure and sound appointments combined with fantastic, exciting winning football on the pitch drives the atmosphere. Sounds like they wants us to watch paint dry and sing about it. Oh and in the dark too. They failed to secure manning when everything was going so well. They failed to get the right people in to back up DasB. And now we’re in a stick or twist position. Can DesB be backed fully in the summer given the mess we’re in on the pitch? But they can’t or will not sack him.

Recruitment
Absolutely terrible January window. Should be ashamed of their work.
Goodwin injured when signed
Edward’s injured when signed
Burey who knows
Matete injured, probably when signed never looked like the player he can be.
Dale has done well in a poor team
Cumming no better than Eastwood.
Bennett started well not sure what else to say.

First team manager,
You can bang on all you want about a false position under manning but I’d have put money on that continuing had he stayed. He had a group of players playing for each other and him. Organised, hard working, hard to beat and like any good manager getting the most out of what he has. DesB on the other hand has turned us into a disorganised, lacklustre, boring, bunch of individuals making mistakes for fun. Terrible , basic defensive errors, slow and open in midfield, mediocre down the flanks and can’t finish. Sliding down the form table. I’m seriously worried about next season. Anyone thinking about the playoffs needs their heads checked! We’re making hard work of teams in even worse form than us! Even the players we know are good from previous managers are looking poor.
Running out of excuses now DesB.

Ground staff
Cracking job as usual.

All in all a bit s**t.

Whatever the reasons it does not reflect well on the club and management that we apparently have 3 senior players who have been ostracised by the manager. When KR was doing the same sort of thing he was being pilloried for it and quite rightly. This is an equally poor look

 

[Chris on a Bike]

Mous would have been dismissed on here as the cheap option

 

[holdsteady]

Mous would have been dismissed on here as the cheap option

I think if we were top with 6 games to go people would have got over that.

 

[Foley]

We will soon find out what people think of Buckingham as manager. When the season tickets are due for renewal

Nonsense.
Most suppprters are suppprters of oufc.
Many on here will have brought STs under Mick Brown, Patterson, Asprey, Clotet.
The club really need the support at the moment.

 

[Oxford84]

Paul Heckingbottom (Sheffield United), Michael Duff (Cheltenham & Barnsley) or Alex Neil (Sunderland & Norwich) are 3 high level replacements we could go for.

I think the board are clearly ambitious judging by the money they’re prepared to spend so don’t think a change is impossible.

Appointing any of those now could actually work and get us into the playoffs and promotion this season.

Im on the boarder line with Des as i think hes always needed time to change things and maybe that will take until he gets his players in next season but as more games go by you start to wonder what is exactly going to change.

 

[yellowbow]

Mous would have been dismissed on here as the cheap option

I think Pompey’s fans were saying exactly that when he was appointed. I very much doubt they are saying it now.

We missed out on Mous because when TW arrived he was very much in KR’s thrall. We all remember the photos of the pair of them giggling together at every opportunity. And don’t get me started on that embarrassing training ground PR stunt that the pair of them concocted. By the time TW and GF realised that they had no choice than to let the Golden One go, the Mous ship had long departed.

 

[Osei Yaw]

Mous would have been dismissed on here as the cheap option

Maybe some would have said that. But you're forgetting that many on here were advocating for Mous to be given at a go at the time. They probably wouldn't have then turned round and called him the cheap option.

Not that it really means a lot anyway. Because sometimes the cheap option works out and the expensive one doesn't.

 

[Osei Yaw]

We are all assuming that Mousinho would have wanted the job in this particular nest and that people in the building were not aware already of his personal and professional qualities which I doubt. We will never know; Pompey could do an Ipswich or a Rotherham.

I think the first bit (that he would've wanted a crack at it) is well known. He clearly had ambitions to go into management, why wouldn't he take an opportunity that was gifted to him at the club he was already at?

The second bit (were Tim and Grant aware) is possibly where it falls down. I don't know if they would've known, or if they had, that they would've recognised the opportunity anyway.

Either way, whether people believe Mous should've been given a chance or not, the fact they stuck with Robinson until it was almost too late is a big enough red flag on its own.

 

[Berliner]

Maybe some would have said that. But you're forgetting that many on here were advocating for Mous to be given at a go at the time. They probably wouldn't have then turned round and called him the cheap option.

Not that it really means a lot anyway. Because sometimes the cheap option works out and the expensive one doesn't.

To be honest, I have doubts as to whether a promotion from senior player to boss works in general, and this also applies to Mousinho as well. He was most senior member in the squad and PFA representative as well, so going from beers with the lads and have a bitch about the manager, training staff, workload, getting picked to all of a sudden being "Gaffer" instead of "Mous" is quite the stretch. I'm not sure I could deal with a player I had been in a strip club with pre-season and then suddenly demand more professionalism from.

A clean break was better for him, no doubt. Better for us? We'll never know.

 

[Swaby39]

Maybe some would have said that. But you're forgetting that many on here were advocating for Mous to be given at a go at the time. They probably wouldn't have then turned round and called him the cheap option.

Not that it really means a lot anyway. Because sometimes the cheap option works out and the expensive one doesn't.

I’d have been unsure if this we’d picked him at the time we sacked Robinson that was all. Had we done it 10+ games earlier when we should have, he presented such an obvious and low risk solution. Getting rid of Robinson was always going to yield a feel good factor that his successor could put to use and would’ve allowed Mous some time for trial and error. But not sure a 10 game run-in with a squad that you had to beg to leave the tunnel was the time for him that’s all.

 

[Osei Yaw]

I’d have been unsure if this we’d picked him at the time we sacked Robinson that was all. Had we done it 10+ games earlier when we should have, he presented such an obvious and low risk solution. Getting rid of Robinson was always going to yield a feel good factor that his successor could put to use and would’ve allowed Mous some time for trial and error. But not sure a 10 game run-in with a squad that you had to beg to leave the tunnel was the time for him that’s all.

To be fair, I had meant we should've put Mous in September time, just to steady the ship. I wasn't suggesting doing it for the run in as he had already gone off to Portsmouth by then.

 

[christenedinjericho]

I'm struggling to see how its Des's fault that we're not putting the ball in the net. We're creating ample good quality chances and simply not taking them. That's 100% on the individual players if you ask me.

That's because Harris isn't an authentic centre forward and never will be.

Too many times he wipes his brow, blows out his cheeks and worries about the opposing centre half consistently when the ball is played into him.

However, without Goodwin he is our only option and is ever only going to be a lightweight option till he's played coming in from either wing.

We have a few shysters in our starting eleven and they probably know who they are!

I do hope that the son of Go(o)d (win) is fit tomorrow and he plays Murphy on one wing, Goodwin centre with Harris/Dale on the other and maybe we'll score just enough to see another day.

COYY'S.

 

[Coffin dodger]

If we believed everything claimed about Manning now he's gone why weren't we 10 points clear at the top when he left, As he was so much better than Des.

 

[werthersoriginal]

To be fair, I had meant we should've put Mous in September time, just to steady the ship. I wasn't suggesting doing it for the run in as he had already gone off to Portsmouth by then.

I don’t think anyone expected Mous to leave so soon. He may have been pencilled in to take over but took that option out of our hands.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

I don’t think anyone expected Mous to leave so soon. He may have been pencilled in to take over but took that option out of our hands.

Maybe he simply couldn't work with Robinson any more....