Exactly, I'm not sure what exactly it will take for these people to wake up and see Karl is not the manager to build a team capable of sustaining a promotion push throughout the whole season. Some say he got unlucky last season with the pandemic but he could of also got lucky that there wasn't the continuation of the season where his side plummeted back down to mid table.
Certain fans seem to allow under performance on the pitch because of what he does off the pitch and how well he speaks of the club. Now I acknowledge ringing fans that have lost relatives is a nice touch but is he the only manager of a club to do this?
He is employed as a manager of this club, once he has left he won't be in the stands cheering us on like beano. He reminds us of that in a few of his interviews with radio ox where he states its not his club its our club. Get a grip people!
I could say the exact same thing; what will it take for people to wake up and see given every factor, mid table in L1 after a soft playoff push really isn't that bad. Maybe you're right and we could keep KR and never get promoted till the day he retires, or maybe I'm right and with the potential backing coming he can do the job. Currently I think firing a man so embedded in the club would be a detriment and set us back at least another season, where one more with the financial backing could be all KR needs. It's a thin line that clearly people are falling on opposite sides of.
I really disagree with this second point. No one will allow under performance on the pitch. I was a part of the mob that rightly slammed his team selection at Northampton, and was also rightly pissed off after Swindon. However, I have also seen plenty of games this season where the team selected is the exact same as the team that won the previous game, and half of them don't show up. The players have often let KR down, arguably more than he has let them down this season, but when it's his fault he should be criticised, as I and I'm sure everyone backing him has done in the past. Your third point is correct. He's not a fan, and will probably keep a soft spot for us when he leaves at most, but right now he is employed by us and is giving more than most managers do, and that has to be commended.
In response to
@RyanioBirdio, I haven't quoted your post due to the length and not wanting to clog up the feed too much. You've done the research and I think it shows I'm about 70% correct, and in turn shows you're also probably about the same, perhaps a little higher. This is where I think the conversation is hitting boiling point at the moment, because I think both sides have very valid points and shows perhaps KR is on thinner glass than perhaps I initially considered. I am certain my views are skewed by my age, and so for me KR has been in charge of our most successful period in my lifetime; this has probably clouded my judgement somewhat and means that where some are crossing over to the "KR Out" side, I can't see enough to cross over myself. It's why I think the debate is valuable because with two sides so adamantly opposed, then surely the truth must lie somewhere in the middle? Where the value is lost is when people follow their emotions too readily and refuse to see the other side. I think there's been an element of that from everyone on this thread due to the nature of the defeat on Monday. Big respect to you for engaging in a proper conversation and debate and putting in the time and effort to back yourself. You've certainly helped me understand the other side of the coin better.
I also found the Shodipo/Fosu comparison really interesting. I remember Fosu being really effective when he first arrived and then sort of dropped off into the winter, sort of similar to Shodipo. But if asked who the more effective player was I'd have said Fosu without a doubt, but perhaps I should give Mide a little more credit because his goal to game ratio is still stellar despite his loss of form.
On the finance issue, I don't think I've said we've been working with a lower budget this season, if I have I apologise because I certainly don't think we have been. I just think with Hull and Charlton coming down, and Wycombe, Coventry and Rotherham going up, that the average financial output of the top half of the league is probably higher, and that we've been less able to compete due to the financial burden of the stadium/no fan combo where others have just had to deal with no fans. We'll never really know what the difference could have been, but we chased a couple of defenders (O'Donnell and Cadden) that we missed out on, as well as Whyte in January - might we have signed them over Clare giving us a more solid defensive unit for the disaster start? Who knows, but it's worth taking into consideration in my opinion.
FWIW I don't think KR is going anywhere, and none of us have any control anyway. Whatever happens we'll all be along for the ride and backing our team, let's just hope we go up rather than down!
