Question Was Molesley the wrong choice?

[londonblue]

Most fans said at the start of the season, that they'd take 22nd as a real bonus. We all knew the situation was likely to mean relegation to non-league.

So it's hard to understand the logic to sacking MM when we all expected to be in this situation anyway.

People are panicking and they don't see a way out. However wrong I think they are I can understand where they're coming from. It reminds me of a poem I've kept at every desk in every office I've worked in (apparently it's quite famous!):

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

Now's not the time to be making changes. We've done it before and it hasn't worked but has taken even deeper into the ****. Now's the time to hold your nerve. Knee jerk reactions are not going to help.

 

[in the know]

Sol made it impossible to be kept on as manager after his antics with players other halves ???????? Sorry but what was that about

I'm not going to say about them again on this thread. It's all been stated on other threads.sorry.

 

[defender05]

MM would not have been my choice but he is here and I can't see him going any time soon.

For me the biggest problem is the recruitment, he wants to play football and has brought players in to do that. Personally I would have gone for a few fighters in the spine of the team to start with, get some points on the board and then try to impose the new footballing style. Unless the debt is paid today we are stuck with what we have and instead of studying stats they need to get them on the training pitch and learn how to mark and clear crosses into our box as until that stops we won't win any games.

 

[rhrussell]

MM has only managed at 23 players level, and that is obvious by what he has brought in, totally
lacks League experience and that is why we are in the state we are in, RM gave him the job because he was the cheapest, and then we wanted all his mates in, and we lost some good back room staff sorry he should go, hold your hands up MM and admit your not capable at this level.

 

[Chairman Trigg]

At the present time with no funds we needed another Sturrock who would have brought in the right 5 or 6 experienced pros to balance the squad .
Doesn't mean that MM wouldn't have been a bad choice at a different time.
Just too bigger job for someone without lower league experience.

 

[Colchester and proud!]

John McGreal would probably have been a better choice, he is a solid if unspectacular manager at this level and would have steadied the ship.

 

[RHB]

I'm still in the Molesley camp. It looked a very good appointment at the time and if we get the embargo lifted we may well see what he really can do with a few newbies bought in. Of course it could end in tears at the end of the season, but I don't have the ability to see that far ahead. Am I bitterly disappointed on results so far? absolutely. Am I totally certain he can't do the job? well, no I'm not at the moment.

 

[Shrimpergonzo]

I'm with @Rootshallbloke - I'm still behind him at the moment. I think he'll work really hard to turn things around and give it everything he's got. Will it be enough? I guess we'll see at the end of the season, but certainly I don't think it's worth changing again.

The problem is not who it is that rearranges the deckchairs, the problem is that they're still on the deck of the Titanic!

 

[rigsby]

MM has only managed at 23 players level, and that is obvious by what he has brought in, totally
lacks League experience and that is why we are in the state we are in, RM gave him the job because he was the cheapest, and then we wanted all his mates in, and we lost some good back room staff sorry he should go, hold your hands up MM and admit your not capable at this level.

There is a reason why Adam Barrett didn't wan't the job this time....We were already in deep financial trouble last season long before anyone had heard of Covid.

Our results meant lower crowds, less meal deals and then payoffs rather than playoffs for staff and players alike.....Who ever had the job would have been shopping for blue stripe players in the value and untried isle.

The only debate is whether they would be playing in the same way. Once we equalised last night, Oldham were there for the taking and making mistakes. Yet again our game management was really poor even in the final third. Negative passes into the col-de-sac. Egbri firing it straight at the keeper instead of low and across, like they dod for the first goal. Giving it away for the winner and then Oxley taking it short, followed by several pointless passes with us 2-1 down and a minute to go.

League experience has nothing to do with any of the above. Knowing how a poor team can get results is clearly whats needed but sadly lacking.

 

[FarmdogSUFC]

Who was the correct choice out of curiosity?

 

[BluePartridge]

It reminds me of a poem I've kept at every desk in every office I've worked in (apparently it's quite famous!):

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

 

[Chairman Trigg]

There is a reason why Adam Barrett didn't wan't the job this time....We were already in deep financial trouble last season long before anyone had heard of Covid.

Our results meant lower crowds, less meal deals and then payoffs rather than playoffs for staff and players alike.....Who ever had the job would have been shopping for blue stripe players in the value and untried isle.

The only debate is whether they would be playing in the same way. Once we equalised last night, Oldham were there for the taking and making mistakes. Yet again our game management was really poor even in the final third. Negative passes into the col-de-sac. Egbri firing it straight at the keeper instead of low and across, like they dod for the first goal. Giving it away for the winner and then Oxley taking it short, followed by several pointless passes with us 2-1 down and a minute to go.

League experience has nothing to do with any of the above. Knowing how a poor team can get results is clearly whats needed but sadly lacking.

Is it MM lack of league experience? ....major difference would have been in recruitment ......ageing pros with a good fitness record or youngsters without lower league experience. Apart from Taylor none of the newbies has been what's needed to grind out results and change this losing mentality .

 

[Chalky]

Who was the correct choice out of curiosity?

Probably no one. I'm still not sure whether sacking a manager again will actually prove anything. But no wins in 12 is actually bordering on unacceptable, Kevin Bond got the chop for much less.

There is an argument to be had that MM might not have the credentials, some even said it when he was rumoured for the job. No league experience etc. I wanted a Gary Johnson/Paul Tisdale Journeyman type, someone really boring but knows lower league football like the back of his hand. Paul Sturrock of course is a classic example of traditional veteran of lower league football.

I really worry that a lot of fans have bought into the 'Danny Cowley' vibes that MM brings, when in reality, MM has never coached League football and is first job in professional football is with this tinpot ****hole of a club.

Time will tell.

 

[Lincoln Shrimp]

I'm still 100% behind MM and I'm convinced he's the right man.
That's not to say he hasn't made a mistake or two in terms of his recruitment.
Sterling certainly wasn't what we needed at this time. In fact I'd be surprised if he wasn't looking to rectify that as we speak.

 

[Mad Cyril]

People are panicking and they don't see a way out. However wrong I think they are I can understand where they're coming from. It reminds me of a poem I've kept at every desk in every office I've worked in (apparently it's quite famous!):

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

Now's not the time to be making changes. We've done it before and it hasn't worked but has taken even deeper into the ****. Now's the time to hold your nerve. Knee jerk reactions are not going to help.

Well look what happened to the last guy to quote that poem...

At 1:50

 

[OllieSteph44]

At the present time with no funds we needed another Sturrock who would have brought in the right 5 or 6 experienced pros to balance the squad .
Doesn't mean that MM wouldn't have been a bad choice at a different time.
Just too bigger job for someone without lower league experience.

Just how many experienced pros does a team need?

For the level we are at, we already ha :-

John White
Mark Oxley
Tim Dieng
Jason Demetriou
Harry Lennon
Nathan Ralph

Mark Molesley then brought in :-

Alan McCormack
Jordan Green
Sim Akinola

Who all had good experience of FL or at least senior football (Akinola - Conference)

The loan signings of Olyinka, ANG, Taylor all looked, on paper, like good business, so overal it was arguable that we were in pretty decent shape overall.

What MM could never account for was John White playing on game 1 of the season and then missing 11 games on the spin!! Dieng played on game 1 then went missing for 5 games, signing McCormack and then not seeing him for 8 games (and counting!), Akinola signed and while letting Kelman and Humphrys leave we then haven’t seen the fella put his boots on once!

On top of that Harry Lennon is clearly carrying a problem, Demetriou missed 3/4 games with his knee issue, Green looked the part and ends up going back to Barnsley injured, now we have Ralph out for the season......

So from that list of 9 players that arguably all provided some nous / experience we’ve only seen 4 on a semi regular basis and currently only Oxley as the fully fit one who’s been ever present!!

If all those 9 are fully fit and you keep Hutchinson, Kelman and Humphrys then I’m not sure we see Sterling or possibly Olyinka but it’s arguable the squad would be in pretty good shape.

What we are missing is a forward, no question. But did anyone envisage Akinola having these problems? Most on here backed the decision to let Humph leave and again most on here decided that Kelman had downed tools, blamed him for the loss at home to Morecambe and were pleased to see the back of him!!!

So what do we do? Well those suggesting getting rid of the manager are mental!!! When you make a long term commitment to someone like we have with Mark, how on earth does it make sense to get rid and pay off 6 members of staff who are on 3/4 year contracts? How does a club - any club - let alone this one, finance that? Even if you can, what is a new manager going to inherit and how’s he going to improve things?

MM and his staff are here to stay. You’ll be foolish to think otherwise and to try and wish him away. Save yourself the stress and the worry of it and accept he’s here, accept he’s staying and accept he’s working within some pretty serious restraints.

The performances aren’t directionless like I’ve seen before. There are signs of improvement every week. Players will gradually come back to fitness and when they do, you’ll see a very different spine to the side than the one you’ve seen so far and with that a more resilient style to provide a backbone to some of the better football we’ve played in patches and with that will come some more consistency.

Performances v Crawley and Exeter showed promise and some very fine lines in referee decisions and Lady Luck in those games and the ones v Morecambe, Tranmere and Oldham would realistically see us on 5/6 even 7/8 points and we’d all be optimistic about the platform we were building.

The alternative is to scream for his head, pay him and his staff off, as we did with Powell (Matthews and Keen), Bond, Waddock (Toderov), Campbell (HH and Cole) and start over again with a six week wait for a replacement, a few hundred grand lighter, the same players, the same stadium, the same or worse finances, the same owner......what’s that going to achieve?

 

[crangoner]

There is a reason why Adam Barrett didn't wan't the job this time....We were already in deep financial trouble last season long before anyone had heard of Covid.

The same was true when he applied after Bond left though...

 

[Maldon Shrimper]

Now the tax bill is paid hopefully the embargo will be lifted.Then hopefully MM can recruit.Then he can be judged.Yes a lot of hopes

 

[Strike Force]

People are panicking and they don't see a way out. However wrong I think they are I can understand where they're coming from. It reminds me of a poem I've kept at every desk in every office I've worked in (apparently it's quite famous!):

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;

Now's not the time to be making changes. We've done it before and it hasn't worked but has taken even deeper into the ****. Now's the time to hold your nerve. Knee jerk reactions are not going to help.

I remember my first poem I read in Primary School too

 

[Strykr]

I agree - sol had us competitive in games till at least the 60th minute with a worse team against better opposition. If he could have added 3-4 pros we would have had a decent team

He wore a boater with more panache too.