| Des Buckingham  Joined: September 2004 - July 2014 (U18 Manager/Assistant Coach) 16th November 2023 - Present (Head Coach)   |
Last edited by a moderator:
-
****Join the YF Fantasy EFL League: HERE. ****
Current Staff Des Buckingham
- Thread starter Joey
- Start date
Up The Manor
Active member
Haha we will be there
.dickwalton1964
Well-known member
Des can sound a bit like a broken record at times but I still think he’s the man to turn this around. I’m not sure he has a free hit this season, that would seem a bit bizarre of the owners to accept negating a promotion with a relegation and being back to square one. He has to stay up this season but the least he deserves is a January window and the best part of the season to complete the job. It doesn’t matter how we achieve it, scrapping our way to 21st is all that matters.
Gregortheox
Active member
These next 6 games up until Xmas are pivotal and what follows it will be an equally pivotal transfer window!
Exciting times…hold on tight.
Exciting times…hold on tight.
Northernyellow
Well-known member
If we do get relegated, but get 45 points+, and are competitive against most teams in the Championship, there is no chance Des will be going anywhere- we would be in a very good position to go straight back up. The only way imo that the Board would have a wobble is if we collapse against the poorer teams in this league, and go down with 30-35 points. That then becomes a very difficult cycle of losing and is hard for a club to get out of. But we have seen no evidence of that this season- we are really well organised, players obviously know what their roles are, and are working very hard. But we lack Championship quality players. The only times we have been completely outclassed this season (Sunderland, Middlesborough, Sheffield United) have been by clubs with playing budgets far in excess of ours. So, no surprise really. You do get outliers now and again (e.g. Luton going up two years ago), but generally spend big money in this league and you will get better players. It's going to be very tough to stay up, but games against QPR, Plymouth etc. will define this season, not being taken apart by Middlesborough and Sheffield United.
Bigdwoolly
Active member
I agree with this - I wonder whether the board do too.
Ultimately, if we end up relegated we'd want a manager who knows how to get a team promoted from League One - step forward Des. Whether he could survive a relegation is hopefully something we won't find out.
Lost Marbles
Active member
Me too. Not looking forward to it much, not because I fear a pasting, but because the league cup game in 2012 was a rank awful away day. I like a ground in reasonable walking distance to a train station, or failing that, one with pubs lining the route. It's amazing how few boozers there are left in that area of Leeds. We'll probably head to the Old White Hart in Beeston pre-match.Haha we will be there
holdsteady
Well-known member
I booked a hotel near to the ground with parking and a bar, will just taxi into town after the game, as I couldn't remember much around the ground on the last two visits I had there and thought its hard to see that changing for the positive given all the pub closures. At only £45 a head and £3 parking and some fuel shared between 6 of us its no more expensive than a train.
Mad Dog
Well-known member
I think there's been some overreactions to the last couple of results. Myself included.
I myself was guilty of allowing a more negative mindset to take hold as the game wore on last night, but having slept on it, I'm still positive for the season ahead. I just think we need to be more realistic about where the real opportunities for points are gonna come from.
We've now played most of the real big dogs in this league during this first third of the season, and it's been a real eye opening experience, and reality check.
After an exciting start to the season, when teams were still settling down and finding their feet, once the dust started to settle from the summer transfer window, and normal order was restored, we've learned there are levels to this league, and certain levels that are out of our reach right now, the last two games have shown that.
Whereas my natural instinct would be to go for the throat against the top teams, and just give it a go, realistically we're just gonna pick up too much damage with that approach, which will have a detrimental effect on us, going into other more winnable games.
We need to approach games against the top, top teams differently. We're too open against these top teams, and their picking us off at their leisure, we need a change of approach for these games. Keep it tight, maybe be a bit less adventurous and forward thinking, set ourselves up to be difficult to beat in those games, and hopefully pinch a few points along the way.
It might not go down well with some, but we're learning the hard way how tough this league is, and the gulf that exists between us and the real big boys of this league, it really is a chasm at the moment, and we as fans are probably better treating these kind of games as free hits, and not getting too negative if we get spanked (easier said than done, I know) and move on quickly to focusing on the more winnable games.
But between now and the end of the year, we've only got Millwall and Leeds to play who we should be concerned about, with regards to possibly being battered again, other than that, we should be looking for 3 points in every game between now and the end of the year, hopefully accumulating enough points to propel us up the table a bit.
Get those points in the bag, and hopefully some breathing space between us and the drop zone, then we're into January, and the chance to improve the squad, ready to kick on.
Some signings will work, but others won't, but if we can do enough in January to help us stay up, then we'll have another summer window to strengthen even more, and try to close the gap on that top third of the table a bit.
Until then, we're a long way off the level of those teams, and we'll probably receive a few more harsh reminders of that whenever we come up against one of them.
But for me, Des is doing a fine job, in incredibly difficult circumstances. Let's not forget what league we're in, and the size of our club compared to all the others.
We're a work in progress, and it's becoming more and more clear, that at this level, a club like ours can only progress at a particular pace, it's gonna be a long drawn out process, but we've got a very intelligent, competent, young and ambitious manager, and a strong and ambitious board prepared to back him at this level.
But it's gonna take time, and it's gonna be a rough old ride, but we'll need stability first and foremost, so hopefully Des will be given the time he needs to build, and can be the one steering the ship forwards.
In Des we trust!
I myself was guilty of allowing a more negative mindset to take hold as the game wore on last night, but having slept on it, I'm still positive for the season ahead. I just think we need to be more realistic about where the real opportunities for points are gonna come from.
We've now played most of the real big dogs in this league during this first third of the season, and it's been a real eye opening experience, and reality check.
After an exciting start to the season, when teams were still settling down and finding their feet, once the dust started to settle from the summer transfer window, and normal order was restored, we've learned there are levels to this league, and certain levels that are out of our reach right now, the last two games have shown that.
Whereas my natural instinct would be to go for the throat against the top teams, and just give it a go, realistically we're just gonna pick up too much damage with that approach, which will have a detrimental effect on us, going into other more winnable games.
We need to approach games against the top, top teams differently. We're too open against these top teams, and their picking us off at their leisure, we need a change of approach for these games. Keep it tight, maybe be a bit less adventurous and forward thinking, set ourselves up to be difficult to beat in those games, and hopefully pinch a few points along the way.
It might not go down well with some, but we're learning the hard way how tough this league is, and the gulf that exists between us and the real big boys of this league, it really is a chasm at the moment, and we as fans are probably better treating these kind of games as free hits, and not getting too negative if we get spanked (easier said than done, I know) and move on quickly to focusing on the more winnable games.
But between now and the end of the year, we've only got Millwall and Leeds to play who we should be concerned about, with regards to possibly being battered again, other than that, we should be looking for 3 points in every game between now and the end of the year, hopefully accumulating enough points to propel us up the table a bit.
Get those points in the bag, and hopefully some breathing space between us and the drop zone, then we're into January, and the chance to improve the squad, ready to kick on.
Some signings will work, but others won't, but if we can do enough in January to help us stay up, then we'll have another summer window to strengthen even more, and try to close the gap on that top third of the table a bit.
Until then, we're a long way off the level of those teams, and we'll probably receive a few more harsh reminders of that whenever we come up against one of them.
But for me, Des is doing a fine job, in incredibly difficult circumstances. Let's not forget what league we're in, and the size of our club compared to all the others.
We're a work in progress, and it's becoming more and more clear, that at this level, a club like ours can only progress at a particular pace, it's gonna be a long drawn out process, but we've got a very intelligent, competent, young and ambitious manager, and a strong and ambitious board prepared to back him at this level.
But it's gonna take time, and it's gonna be a rough old ride, but we'll need stability first and foremost, so hopefully Des will be given the time he needs to build, and can be the one steering the ship forwards.
In Des we trust!
Lost Marbles
Active member
For games against the top teams only, especially away, we need to reengage "Manningball" - sit deep, press in the right areas and try to counter attack at speed. Then any kind of corner flag / hold up antics in the last 10-15 minutes if we're sitting on a point or three. Barnsley and Derby away being good example of this approach proving successful.
For all games, we have got to get Tyler back in the middle - I don't even care who goes on the wing, but we should be basing our attack around Tyler. He's the man.
Incidentally, I though your comments on Płacheta were very unfair - yes he lacks end-product but he provided an outlet last night and much of our attacking play in the first half went through him. I take what commentators say with a pinch of salt, but one of them was full of praise for him yesterday. I think he will come into his own once Tyler's eventually moved back into his rightful position, reckon they'd work really well together.
Matt Philips is brilliant and definitely has an end product - I just hope he stays fit.
Grumpy Git
Well-known member
I hope the new head of recruitment and Des have a list of possible targets for January.
Mad Dog
Well-known member
Nah doubt it
Zero points were pretty likely against Watford, Middlesbrough and Sheff U.
I traveled many hours, but the game panned out what I and most expected?
The key games are coming up ( Plymouth twice, QPR, Sheffield Wednesday)
We have done pretty well against bottom of the table teams and need to get decent points in those games.
Milwall have won a lot of games 1 0, but have scored 7 goals in the past 9 games!
So whist I wouldn't be surprised if we did lose Saturday, I would be pretty concerned if we were ' battered '
It is likely to be a pretty close game. We need to defend better ( Moore and hopefully Kioso back) and sneak one.
Mad Dog
Well-known member
You see my point though surely? They might not be scoring hatfuls every week, but they're on great form, in terms of results, and right up there, and currently at a level that we're nowhere near.
In the build up match thread for this game, I've suggested a solid, but still pretty positive, attacking lineup, as I'd like to think being at home, we could still try to win the game, as yes, Millwall aren't exactly one of the top dogs of this league.
But they are on top form, and given our current form and recent results, I've also suggested a much more defensive lineup that I would certainly favour going into future games against one of the real big guns of this league, but it's a lineup that might help us grind a result out on Saturday, at a time when we just need a win to stop the rot.
ZeroTheHero
Well-known member
I'm not sure I quite agree that we are being adventurous and forward thinking against the better teams at the moment. Certainly for large parts of the last two games there has been an awful lot of very slow sideways and backwards stuff. Now that may be because we are being closed down quickly so there is no attacking pass on (although I would argue that our off the ball movement is at times non-existent) but the amount of times our midfield are coming back and getting the ball very close to the place it came from with their backs to goal (and therefore with little option other than to just pass it backwards) has noticeably increased.
IMO we are *too* deep - Sheffield United had 33 touches inside of our box last night - with the midfield being compressed backwards as well. I am not entirely sure how we *could* keep it much tighter and also retain any sort of goal threat at all. We took the lead on Saturday, and although it all went pear shaped that is the only way we are going to give ourselves a chance - the defence simply cannot currently survive wave after wave of attack from Championship attackers if we go into our shells.
The Voice Of Reason
Active member
Agreed re too deep.
Scarlett yesterday was gesturing to players to move up and pressure them on a number of occasions
MiddleBartonYellow
Well-known member
Quality and depth to the squad but it takes time, were his words pre game last night.
January then becoming very important to our destiny this season.
January then becoming very important to our destiny this season.
billyturleyscurlywurly
Well-known member
I hope Des is given a new contract very soon and we back him publicly like Pompey done Mousinho.
MiddleBartonYellow
Well-known member
He already has the security of a long contract.
I wonder how such thinking plays into the January tranfer window. It would arguably be better to go for slightly cheaper, younger players from the best of league 1 rather than older and more expensive players from the championship. The former would be better for longer term stability and would make for a team more likely to bounce straight back up. You don’t want to be lumbered with expensive players who can’t hack the more rudimentary football of League 1.
