What a mess

Martonmosser said:
The key word there is “seems”......... you, me and nobody else on this board actually know what is going on behind the scenes. The amount of criticism though is unbelievable without having all the facts to hand 🙄
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No we don’t Mosser, but neither are people completely blind. It’s fair enough trying to put a positive slant on it, I get that... but you can’t just blindly ignore what’s in front of your nose.

We can see that Grayson's results plummeted within a short time of the changes in the boardroom.

We can see that we reacted to fan pressure (demonstrating a weakness and lack of confidence) in ditching Grayson, when holding our nerve to the end of the season would have likely been the more balanced approach (either that or have a replacement lined up).

We can see that many of our Managerial choices weren’t keen to come to Blackpool for some reason.

We can see that the board is focused on a naive and idealistic approach “The Blackpool Way” instead of realising we are a League 1 club and should be focusing on winning games before all that bollocks.

We can see that we’re making a distinction between “Head Coach” and Manager, which leads to questions over the recruitment policy / strategy.

We can see that we’ve had a revolving door of players and that we have still ‘apparently’ failed to build a side around an obvious spine / on field leaders.

We can see that a novice manager was appointed without the required experience around him and that we’ve only had that lightbulb moment now that we’re well into the season with a hatful of losses and the fans highlighting the issue.
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
Can't help thinking what Critch thinks of this
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tbh mate, I don't really care. He took the job knowing his own limitations in exp. and knowing the HoR and BM and what they were wanting. NC must have been very very confident in his own ability to take the job and then when Dunn went to not get a new Asst of stature in.

If he's anything about him, he'll use CC as a mentor and bleed his knowledge and ideas dry.

His call.
 
The head coach position works if there is someone good overseeing the ‘football side’ of the club, leaving Mansford to focus on managing / revenue etc. The biggest mistake that’s been made was not going moving heaven and earth to get Thommo back in some capacity.
 
I think if anything, this appointment isn't so much about CC shouting at the players, it's about having another voice with different ideas in the management team. Someone who doesn't go 'yes mate' to Neil and goes 'Aye, but what about'

I think Critchley is struggling to read the players. He keeps saying 'we battles, we gave everything' and anyone can see they're playing within themselves and not taking the risks they need to. Hopefully Calderwood will point that out, not just to the players but also Critchley.

My biggest reservation about him is how he doesn't seem to read a game well. Not just in his comments but in his tactical shifts.
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
No we don’t Mosser, but neither are people completely blind. It’s fair enough trying to put a positive slant on it, I get that... but you can’t just blindly ignore what’s in front of your nose.

We can see that Grayson's results plummeted within a short time of the changes in the boardroom.

We can see that we reacted to fan pressure (demonstrating a weakness and lack of confidence) in ditching Grayson, when holding our nerve to the end of the season would have likely been the more balanced approach (either that or have a replacement lined up).

We can see that many of our Managerial choices weren’t keen to come to Blackpool for some reason.

We can see that the board is focused on a naive and idealistic approach “The Blackpool Way” instead of realising we are a League 1 club and should be focusing on winning games before all that bollocks.

We can see that we’re making a distinction between “Head Coach” and Manager, which leads to questions over the recruitment policy / strategy.

We can see that we’ve had a revolving door of players and that we have still ‘apparently’ failed to build a side around an obvious spine / on field leaders.

We can see that a novice manager was appointed without the required experience around him and that we’ve only had that lightbulb moment now that we’re well into the season with a hatful of losses and the fans highlighting the issue.
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The trouble with 'just winning games' is that it still costs money and you employ people just to win games, firstly, when do you sack all of it off to develop a vision and secondly, how do you know a 'just winning games' approach will work, you could end up ditching everyone for a backwards step that fails?

Theres no reason at all for vast changes yet, everyone needs to man the fuck up.
 
Martonmosser said:
The key word there is “seems”......... you, me and nobody else on this board actually know what is going on behind the scenes. The amount of criticism though is unbelievable without having all the facts to hand 🙄
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Brilliant isn't it. Hysterical. 20-20 rear view vision combined with Gypsy Petulengro predictions and pronouncements.

Good for runs though .... 😁
 
Lytham_fy8 said:
The trouble with 'just winning games' is that it still costs money and you employ people just to win games, firstly, when do you sack all of it off to develop a vision and secondly, how do you know a 'just winning games' approach will work, you could end up ditching everyone for a backwards step that fails?

Theres no reason at all for vast changes yet, everyone needs to man the fuck up.
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I’m not sure Lytham it feels to me as though we have adopted a revolutionary, rather than evolutionary approach at the club and we’re indulging individuals with relatively little practical experience in a theoretical approach.

That’s fine, I suppose, but then it needs to be made clear to the fans.... If this is about implementing a ‘long term’ vision and project that will ultimately transform the club for the better, then let people know..... instead, underpinning this suppose vision, we also have talk of ‘entertainment’ and ‘promotion this season’.... If fans need instead to be patient, to temper our immediate expectations and get behind a longer term vision... then share that vision and let us know the part we need to play...,In simple terms Communicate and Engage people.

For me, however it all feels Too much... Too fast.... and we seem to be making amateur mistakes... not really thinking things through... and for me that is showing up the lack of real practical experience at boardroom level.

I’m not suggesting vast changes BTW... I’m pretty practical about this..I think we’re kind of stuck with letting this play out now and hoping that we learn quickly and maybe get a bit of luck along the way...

My personal expectations are that it will likely be a couple of years at least before we are even challenging in this division, simply due to the magnitude of change around the place....

We could have achieved success sooner IMO, by adopting a more evolutionary approach. Working alongside a more experienced manager for a time...accepting it was a work in progress to get from A to B, not indulging or at least tempering some of our more egotistical ambitions and revolutionary / idealistic notions...Then slowly building the internal structure that allowed the transition away from reliance on a Manager and towards a longer term structure ‘Blackpool Way’ over time.

As things stand and with so much change it’s just too difficult to pinpoint / isolate where the issues are and remedy them, when compared to building piece by piece.
 
I stuck my neck out when Larry was sacked saying I thought he should have been given longer. We seem to be as impatient as a club as some of our fans. My personal opinion is I don't like the concept of DoF, recruitment person's & all that bollocks. A manager needs to be in charge & not pestered too much from above. That said we are where we are & what do I know, as I worked in engineering. There may be more ways for success, so let's all have some patience.
 
BlackpoolsFinest said:
So if by your reckoning the results are proof that everything is wrong at the club, why wouldn't the results changing mean everything is ok?
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Is it really that black and white?

However
In a results business surely results are the KPI first and foremost

There are a lot of problems currently at the club from the board room and their "Blackpool way" approach down to the scouting, coaching and signings
If you think all is fine the crack on

Enjoy ...
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
Is it really that black and white?

However
In a results business surely results are the KPI first and foremost

There are a lot of problems currently at the club from the board room and their "Blackpool way" approach down to the scouting, coaching and signings
If you think all is fine the crack on

Enjoy ...
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I've never once said all is fine, there are very few on here that have.
Thankfully there is still a fair few who aren't taking their own agenda and twisting the narrative to fit it in a desperate attempt to be proved right and tell everyone I told you so.
 
BlackpoolsFinest said:
I've never once said all is fine, there are very few on here that have.
Thankfully there is still a fair few who aren't taking their own agenda and twisting the narrative to fit it in a desperate attempt to be proved right and tell everyone I told you so.
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I'm not at all bothered about any of that

I want Critch to be a success as that means Blackpool will be
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
I’m not sure Lytham it feels to me as though we have adopted a revolutionary, rather than evolutionary approach at the club and we’re indulging individuals with relatively little practical experience in a theoretical approach.

That’s fine, I suppose, but then it needs to be made clear to the fans.... If this is about implementing a ‘long term’ vision and project that will ultimately transform the club for the better, then let people know..... instead, underpinning this suppose vision, we also have talk of ‘entertainment’ and ‘promotion this season’.... If fans need instead to be patient, to temper our immediate expectations and get behind a longer term vision... then share that vision and let us know the part we need to play...,In simple terms Communicate and Engage people.

For me, however it all feels Too much... Too fast.... and we seem to be making amateur mistakes... not really thinking things through... and for me that is showing up the lack of real practical experience at boardroom level.

I’m not suggesting vast changes BTW... I’m pretty practical about this..I think we’re kind of stuck with letting this play out now and hoping that we learn quickly and maybe get a bit of luck along the way...

My personal expectations are that it will likely be a couple of years at least before we are even challenging in this division, simply due to the magnitude of change around the place....

We could have achieved success sooner IMO, by adopting a more evolutionary approach. Working alongside a more experienced manager for a time...accepting it was a work in progress to get from A to B, not indulging or at least tempering some of our more egotistical ambitions and revolutionary / idealistic notions...Then slowly building the internal structure that allowed the transition away from reliance on a Manager and towards a longer term structure ‘Blackpool Way’ over time.

As things stand and with so much change it’s just too difficult to pinpoint / isolate where the issues are and remedy them, when compared to building piece by piece.
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Fair enough, maybe the club does need to stress that this is a long term plan, bumps on the way are to be expected and tolerated to a degree as long as the direction is right.

I think the manager has a few months yet regardless, Sadler intimated that he sacked Grayson on vision, not results.
 
Lytham_fy8 said:
Fair enough, maybe the club does need to stress that this is a long term plan, bumps on the way are to be expected and tolerated to a degree as long as the direction is right.

I think the manager has a few months yet regardless, Sadler intimated that he sacked Grayson on vision, not results.
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Grayson should never have been sacked unless there was a clear plan of a replacement

There wasn't

Hence the resulting cluster fcuk
 
Lytham_fy8 said:
Fair enough, maybe the club does need to stress that this is a long term plan, bumps on the way are to be expected and tolerated to a degree as long as the direction is right.

I think the manager has a few months yet regardless, Sadler intimated that he sacked Grayson on vision, not results.
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I’m guessing Grayson was taken on on one basis and then that was superseded by the Mansford vision. He was never going to fit the ‘Head Coach’ mould and I’m guessing that wasn’t what he was sold on.
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
I’m guessing Grayson was taken on on one basis and then that was superseded by the Mansford vision. He was never going to fit the ‘Head Coach’ mould and I’m guessing that wasn’t what he was sold on.
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Yep thats how it appears

Didn't Grayson arrive before Mansford and his 'vision'
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
Yep thats how it appears

Didn't Grayson arrive before Mansford and his 'vision'
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Yes, he was appointed by SS, presumably with a brief to rebuild the team. Then perhaps having the rug pulled from under him, but who knows!!!

For me Phil I just worry that we could find ourselves going through three or four head coaches in order to find out that the recruitment policy is failing.
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
Yes, he was appointed by SS, presumably with a brief to rebuild the team. Then perhaps having the rug pulled from under him, but who knows!!!

For me Phil I just worry that we could find ourselves going through three or four head coaches in order to find out that the recruitment policy is failing.
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Yeah my worry also

The club needs stability after all the years of the Oyston family

Thats why the appointment was such a massive gamble

I didn't understand it then, less so now

As i said on the Podcast the other week we really are stuck with Critchley now

The club have made their bed need to sleep in it now and have the courage of their convictions

Absolutely no point in getting rid of NC, this CC appointment looks like an act of desperation to me
 
To me it's very simple.

CC may well help to turn the team around and we hope his input does, but the long term plan will never be successful built on the foundation that exist now. How those foundations evolve is difficult to see with BM being pivotal in what goes on.

We arrived where we are because of the failings in our set up as much as NC's inexperience.

Anh here I'll disagree with BFC X loads in that I do see the team competing in this division if a couple of things change- we need to ship out some of the 'blender' players, sign a striker and find a system to suit the players we have.
 
I just love these threads. They usually start with Phil saying something controversial that is the opposite of the thread he started the day before and then defends it with his heart and soul. This isn't a criticism it's what the messageboard should be about. 👍
Lots of different views, lots of passionate fans and nobody hurling insults.
I'll bet my last fiver Simon Sadler is reading this and whether he does actually pay any attention to what is said he will be learning as he serves his apprenticeship as a football club owner. Keep the faith Simon. 👍
I had my twopennyworth at the beginning and all I can add is to re-emphasise that we only actually know one hard cold fact, we aren't winning games.
The rest is just pure speculation.
Don't you just love it.
UTMP.
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
I’m guessing Grayson was taken on on one basis and then that was superseded by the Mansford vision. He was never going to fit the ‘Head Coach’ mould and I’m guessing that wasn’t what he was sold on.
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But if Grayson had got better performances out of the team while not moping around like his cat had just died he wouldn't have been potted.
 
Insider said:
I just love these threads. They usually start with Phil saying something controversial that is the opposite of the thread he started the day before and then defends it with his heart and soul. This isn't a criticism it's what the messageboard should be about. 👍
Lots of different views, lots of passionate fans and nobody hurling insults.
I'll bet my last fiver Simon Sadler is reading this and whether he does actually pay any attention to what is said he will be learning as he serves his apprenticeship as a football club owner. Keep the faith Simon. 👍
I had my twopennyworth at the beginning and all I can add is to re-emphasise that we only actually know one hard cold fact, we aren't winning games.
The rest is just pure speculation.
Don't you just love it.
UTMP.
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I'm not sure about that insi

I've been consistent in that I didn't believe Coach Critch was the right man for the job

I've also stated numerous times that the club needs to stick with him now as we don't need any more upheaval
 
Lytham_fy8 said:
But if Grayson had got better performances out of the team while not moping around like his cat had just died he wouldn't have been potted.
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Very possibly... It’s all rather academic now... He’s gone and we’ve, so far, gone further backwards...

Quite where the problem lies, nobody knows...

For now, we’re hoping the solution lies in ‘an experienced number 2’.... Let’s hope so
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
The facts are right infront of us all ..

Inexperienced head coach, near the bottom of the league, no goalscorer, week spine, knee jerk reactions, poor planning, awful signings, crap tactics and no leadership from the top

What else is there
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What else is there? The same old , same old moaners having their negative attitudes ...... keep shouting loud enough and eventually someone will listen?
 
For all the fancy football structure and waffle coming out of the club over the past twelve months, it's still all had to come down to going 4-4-2, putting players in their correct positions, focusing on the basics and putting the hard work in to get three points today.

Keep everything simple and keep the focus on the actual football. At board level and on the pitch.
 
poolfc2011 said:
For all the fancy football structure and waffle coming out of the club over the past twelve months, it's still all had to come down to going 4-4-2, putting players in their correct positions, focusing on the basics and putting the hard work in to get three points today.

Keep everything simple and keep the focus on the actual football. At board level and on the pitch.
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To be fair mate I thought Yates was behind Madine

But yeah get your point

More direct today

The 3 games we have won we have had less of the ball and lower possession stats

Interesting...
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
To be fair mate I thought Yates was behind Madine

But yeah get your point

More direct today

The 3 games we have won we have had less of the ball and lower possession stats

Interesting...
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Just listened to Critchy post match. He didn't question the interviewer when he said we played 2 up top.
 
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BFC_BFC_BFC said:
Yes, he was appointed by SS, presumably with a brief to rebuild the team. Then perhaps having the rug pulled from under him, but who knows!!!

For me Phil I just worry that we could find ourselves going through three or four head coaches in order to find out that the recruitment policy is failing.
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And three or four seasons.
 
Not sure what you mean but today, however you put the numbers together, it worked alot better. The players looked alot more comfortable in their shirts.
I've never doubted the team spirit but the love for Yates on social media tonight from his team mates about his goals and his overall performance says alot.
The only downside is this could make controversial threads a bit more difficult next week.
How about something on the continuing failure to announce details of the new training ground. 😄
 
Insider said:
Not sure what you mean but today, however you put the numbers together, it worked alot better. The players looked alot more comfortable in their shirts.
I've never doubted the team spirit but the love for Yates on social media tonight from his team mates about his goals and his overall performance says alot.
The only downside is this could make controversial threads a bit more difficult next week.
How about something on the continuing failure to announce details of the new training ground. 😄
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It wasn't a standard 442 as Yates was behind Madine

And the wide men were further forward than standard wide midfield players

Either way the direct style and hard work with 2 proper centre mids won it for us
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
It wasn't a standard 442 as Yates was behind Madine

And the wide men were further forward than standard wide midfield players

Either way the direct style and hard work with 2 proper centre mids won it for us
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That said Burton are a pretty poor team and bottom of the league so lets not get too giddy...a step in the right direction...still a long way to go to look like a decent team...that said it was better
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
It wasn't a standard 442 as Yates was behind Madine

And the wide men were further forward than standard wide midfield players

Either way the direct style and hard work with 2 proper centre mids won it for us
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Look at my comment on the stats thread from a moment ago.
 
Direct or 'tippy tappy' the latter was a big discussion point when Steve McMahon was here.
Not sure what the 'guaranteed promotion option' is for L1 but you guys seem to be unsure of what your particular tactics should be?
 
Plumbs said:
Direct or 'tippy tappy' the latter was a big discussion point when Steve McMahon was here.
Not sure what the 'guaranteed promotion option' is for L1 but you guys seem to be unsure of what your particular tactics should be?
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I think the answer to that Plumbs is the tactics that win the most games with the players we have.

I’m not sure any L1 Club and possibly less so Blackpool, have the luxury of being particularly choosy.

Unfortunately we’ve very much become a victim of the Ian Holloway / Premier League success. To the extent that nothing is really going to live up to the entertainment or the success achieved.

We really don’t need to be hampering our chances of success by adding conditions about style of play into the mix.... It hard enough scrapping your way out of this league as it is.
 
BFC_BFC_BFC said:
I think the answer to that Plumbs is the tactics that win the most games with the players we have.

I’m not sure any L1 Club and possibly less so Blackpool, have the luxury of being particularly choosy.

Unfortunately we’ve very much become a victim of the Ian Holloway / Premier League success. To the extent that nothing is really going to live up to the entertainment or the success achieved.

We really don’t need to be hampering our chances of success by adding conditions about style of play into the mix.... It hard enough scrapping your way out of this league as it is.
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Correct

We have made it hard by trying to play the earlier games in a certain way

Common sense is prevailing though

More direct

Give me winning football anyday ..
 
Phil_bfc deux said:
Correct

We have made it hard by trying to play the earlier games in a certain way

Common sense is prevailing though

More direct

Give me winning football anyday ..
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I think it’s reasonable that you can aspire to playing neat entertaining football at some point in the future. Maybe after a few seasons as an established Championship Club, having developed an academy and decent Youth Set Up, a more balanced site and stable club structure etc.... You can then add that icing on the cake perhaps

Whichever way you look at it though Winning Games is fun, losing games is shit, regardless of how well or badly you play.
 
If we can just sharpen up CJ a little bit more in front of goal it would give us alot more potential scoring opportunities.
My advice to CJ would be simple, forget the crosses, shoot
 
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