Manager/Coach Des Buckingham

[Northstandboy]

Manager Stats (Click Below)

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[OUFCwaffle]

As much flack as he got on Tuesday night, credit where it's due he got the team selection, tactics and substitutions spot on today. Sure Vale were crap but you have to beat what's in front of you.

 

[Scrongo]

I know you say it tongue in cheek but I’m sure no one hates him. I’m just as sure that those of us highly critical of him can be turned around. Today is a small step in the right direction, we now have three very winnable games for a side with play off aspirations. A minimum of 7 points in these next three - and with some convincing performances - and we might begin to see a more united fan base in regards to the manager. There’s no hate, I wish him well, but I think fans have a right to have been critical of him to date. It’s the way football works - Tuesday was horrific, today is a good day.

You know it's sod's law if he gets the sack , the chances he'll go somewhere else & be successful..
Funnily enough Des was linked to Lincoln & there manager to us... As they say it's a funny old game .
As today proved ,back in the playoff position

 

[Sharp Edges]

It took KR so much longer before his trousers came down as well.

It took him a lot longer to pull them back up as well!

 

[Sharp Edges]

This is nowhere near as bad as Kemp and Rix.
Under Kemp we were shipping 3, 4 and 5 goals on a regular basis!
Under Rix was awful with the added bonus of getting battered by Yeovil 6-1 and 4-0 at Southend.

Appleton lost 9 of his 1st 22 league games.
Buckingham has lost 8 in his 1st 22 league games.

So while you think he should be put in the same bracket as Kemp and Rix, he could be put in the same bracket as Appleton.

Their records after 22 games may have been similar but the situation they inherited couldnt have been more different. Appleton inherited half a squad that was conference bound, Des inherited a squad second in the league. Ive never met Des or Mapps but they both seem to be very decent human beings, however i think Appleton had more of a backbone to him, he seemed a bit of a master at moving on bad eggs or players not in future plans, I dont think he would have accepted the coach/non coach/have Hackett situation either. It may be Des is too nice.

Im glad we won today, a 13 day break after a defeat and I think Des would have dreaded his phone ringing. Im not convinced beating Port Vale means he is the right man but its a small step and hopefully he can build on it, I hope im wrong but I think it may just be delaying the inevitable.

Whatever way people spin this "they are trying/no they arent" argument, either way it doesnt look good on Des, They were trying before he was here and they were good enough before he was here, something has gone wrong. If he was to get a different assistant in the future and results improve it will just look like the good work of his assistant. I dont like the way he has ended up with the coaching team he has (Short was part of rank decline under Robinson and the decline under Des) but I think the only way out is to dig himself out somehow.

 

[Bicester Yellow]

Their records after 22 games may have been similar but the situation they inherited couldnt have been more different. Appleton inherited half a squad that was conference bound, Des inherited a squad second in the league. Ive never met Des or Mapps but they both seem to be very decent human beings, however i think Appleton had more of a backbone to him, he seemed a bit of a master at moving on bad eggs or players not in future plans, I dont think he would have accepted the coach/non coach/have Hackett situation either. It may be Des is too nice.

Im glad we won today, a 13 day break after a defeat and I think Des would have dreaded his phone ringing. Im not convinced beating Port Vale means he is the right man but its a small step and hopefully he can build on it, I hope im wrong but I think it may just be delaying the inevitable.

Whatever way people spin this "they are trying/no they arent" argument, either way it doesnt look good on Des, They were trying before he was here and they were good enough before he was here, something has gone wrong. If he was to get a different assistant in the future and results improve it will just look like the good work of his assistant. I dont like the way he has ended up with the coaching team he has (Short was part of rank decline under Robinson and the decline under Des) but I think the only way out is to dig himself out somehow.

Des may of inherited a side that was second in the league but it was never going to be good enough to stay there, we have too many passengers. Whatever happens this season, tough decisions need to be made in the summer.

 

[Reynolds97]

So you’re speaking to the players are you? You’re an ITK it that because a mate of yours knows a postman who delivers post to someone’s great granny who gets her pension from the same post office as a granny of one of the under 10’s.

Or just know multiple players who say how out of his depth he is?

 

[werthersoriginal]

Or just know multiple players who say how out of his depth he is?

Most of the players aren’t local, I’d be surprised if they quickly got on close enough terms with someone off here to start gossiping in such an unprofessional way.

 

[Yellows1]

I’ve still got a hunch that Des will come good, really hope I’m proved right, COYY’S!!!

 

[Gregortheox]

It’s funny. If players are claiming that it’s their gaffer who is out of his depth then that’s simply a deflection tactic which masks their own physical and mental inadequacies. Good human beings don’t do that. It’s very disrespectful. I’ve been told that Des, if nothing else is a good person.

Saturday we were adequate. I was pleased for Buckingham mostly, because I want him to succeed with us long after our current playing staff are on the books.

 

[headless_pnub]

Or just know multiple players who say how out of his depth he is?

The idea that this reflects badly on anything other than the players themselves and the culture at the club that needs changing is laughable.

Des may or may not be out of his depth, but this reflects (if it's true and that's taking it with a big pitch of salt) a much bigger problem that needs tackling first before we even have a hope of doing anything on the pitch.

 

[Sharp Edges]

Des may of inherited a side that was second in the league but it was never going to be good enough to stay there, we have too many passengers. Whatever happens this season, tough decisions need to be made in the summer.

I'm not sure anyone thought we would carry on as we were and challenge for automatic promotion but im not sure anyone thought we would immediately switch to relegation form either. The point of my post was to give a bit of perspective to people comparing Des to Appleton as some sort of justification.

 

[Gregortheox]

I'm not sure anyone thought we would carry on as we were and challenge for automatic promotion but im not sure anyone thought we would immediately switch to relegation form either. The point of my post was to give a bit of perspective to people comparing Des to Appleton as some sort of justification.

I did. If our form was only average since November, we would have probably been third or 4th.

 

[Reynolds97]

The idea that this reflects badly on anything other than the players themselves and the culture at the club that needs changing is laughable.

Des may or may not be out of his depth, but this reflects (if it's true and that's taking it with a big pitch of salt) a much bigger problem that needs tackling first before we even have a hope of doing anything on the pitch.

I disagree its the same for any walk of life - If you have a manager who you dislike & Not motivated by they aren't going to get the best out of you? Of course players should be above that but that's just life. Its no coincidence Ruben ,Leigh , Mcgaune ect are all playing below par.

 

[tonyw]

One thing that Des has been very good at since he arrived is getting results against the dross.
Against sides in the bottom third of League One on merit and below (so not including Reading - because they wouldn't be without the points deduction - and ignoring the Tinpot Trophy because it's irrelevant), he's played 8, won 7 and only lost his first game against Cheltenham.

Against every side in the top two thirds of the league and above (again ignoring the Tinpot) it's played 17, won 1, drawn 7, lost 9.

Hopefully that keeps up through the next three games, and then he works out how to beat competent sides!

 

[Reynolds97]

One thing that Des has been very good at since he arrived is getting results against the dross.
Against sides in the bottom third of League One on merit and below (so not including Reading - because they wouldn't be without the points deduction - and ignoring the Tinpot Trophy because it's irrelevant), he's played 8, won 7 and only lost his first game against Cheltenham.

Against every side in the top two thirds of the league and above (again ignoring the Tinpot) it's played 17, won 1, drawn 7, lost 9.

Hopefully that keeps up through the next three games, and then he works out how to beat competent sides!

I mean lets be honest Vale and rubbish like them didn't take a lot of working out? Wasn't anything tactically that won us those games we just have the much better quality.

 

[Foley]

I mean lets be honest Vale and rubbish like them didn't take a lot of working out? Wasn't anything tactically that won us those games we just have the much better quality.

Well Barnsley drew 0 0 at home v Cheltenham at the weekend.

 

[East Stand Fan]

I'm pleased for Des with the result on Saturday along with the performance and I am also happy that he was able to show he could change and shake things up. I was getting very worried that he was just going to throw the usual suspects out over and over in the hope we'd finally win a game but seeing some tactical flexibility alleviated some concerns. It was only one game though against the second worst side in the division so he still has much to do over the coming games to keep us up there but this is a great opportunity for him and us to build on that.

 

[Sheik djibouti]

McGuane seems to have played below par for much of his career with the exception of a couple of brief purple patches. Maybe what we've seen from November is more par for the course as he;s reverted to type....as he has in most previous seasons. He just looks bereft of confidence and like he's not that interested - he's a shadow of the robust and classy box to box midfielder able to pick out decisive passes and get us on the front foot that we saw earlier in the season. . . . .again, just like the pattern his performances have followed in previous seasons.

Maybe Des' biggest mistake was sticking with for as long as he did. And maybe dropping him was all the change we needed against poor quality opposition I can't really see him coming back in for future fixtures, unless he really produces some magic AND pulls up trees in training.

I also very much like the character and leadership that Dale brings to the team. Far more bite and more up for the fight. Well done to Des and the team for identifying that as something lacking in the squad and getting in a top end League 1 player to fill the obvious gap.

Shame Matete hasn't worked out so far. He may come good, but it was an attempt to fill another yawning gap in the squad. Same applies to Goodwin.

 

[WokinghamYellow]

I think it’s clear MM is ‘playing’ to not get his 1 year extension and go on a free in the summer

 

[tonyw]

McGuane seems to have played below par for much of his career with the exception of a couple of brief purple patches. Maybe what we've seen from November is more par for the course as he;s reverted to type....as he has in most previous seasons. He just looks bereft of confidence and like he's not that interested - he's a shadow of the robust and classy box to box midfielder able to pick out decisive passes and get us on the front foot that we saw earlier in the season. . . . .again, just like the pattern his performances have followed in previous seasons.

Maybe Des' biggest mistake was sticking with for as long as he did. And maybe dropping him was all the change we needed against poor quality opposition I can't really see him coming back in for future fixtures, unless he really produces some magic AND pulls up trees in training.

I also very much like the character and leadership that Dale brings to the team. Far more bite and more up for the fight. Well done to Des and the team for identifying that as something lacking in the squad and getting in a top end League 1 player to fill the obvious gap.

Shame Matete hasn't worked out so far. He may come good, but it was an attempt to fill another yawning gap in the squad. Same applies to Goodwin.

Agree about McGuane - but I fear that we're going to run into the same problems we ran into against Bolton if we try and play the midfield we did against Vale against decent opposition i.e. they will get completely overrun. Whilst acknowledging what both Bodin & RR can bring to the team in an attacking sense, they are hardly going to offer much defensive resistance against top opponents.

Cam/Bodin/RR may work for the next three, but if it's not going to be McGuane (and I agree that it's probably not now) then we desperately need either Matete or McEachran to find some form before the Posh/Lincoln/Stevenage stretch.