What would you say he got wrong?
Most of it. From ‘guaranteed’ starters for them, to ‘guaranteed’ patterns of play we had set up for, all of which seemed to be based on one video of them playing as the home team rather than the away team. A fact I quieried without reply, I might add. As a result I could see within five minutes that we had lost that game based on what he himself had set up for, and at no point in the 90 minutes did anything change. Shape, personnel - nothing. Not even after half time. We just charged headfirst and blindly into what he had decided must be the way, even when absolutely none of it had come to fruition. The same man who, do not forget, came in last season and immediately attacked the 442 diamond we had spent weeks trying to adjust to, saying it was rubbish. Remind me again what formation we went on our run to safety using? Ah, yes, the diamond. Because actually, for what we had in terms of personnel it was the best option. And now we’ve finally switched to a formation that isn’t the one he refused to budge from in the first ten games, when we were getting beaten every damn week, and what’s happening? Yep, you guessed it, we are going on another run because now we are playing to what best suits the players we have. And that is why I am not going to lavish the man with praise, because he only puts the fire out after he’s done a bloody good job of letting it burn. And then as soon as he puts it out he goes back for another go. That 4231 is coming back before the end of the season - mark my words. He isn’t finished with that by a long shot, even though it does NOT suit this squad. He has an ‘ideal lineup’ complete with bench and reserves on the board in his office. I’ll let you decide what formation it is that he’s got it rigidly set up in, and what in turn he describes as “my formation” and “the most fluid formation in the game”. Good managers are flexible and play the cards they’ve got, not the cards they wish they had. So far he’s binned realism off for his own fantasy before reverting, then binned it off again over the summer before changing to something else which is working... we only seem to actually take positive steps when he DOESN’T do what he wants to do. He’s like someone who refuses to read the instructions on flatpack furniture, bangs around for ages making a mess, then agrees to read them in a huff and puts it together in five minutes. I’m not going to praise him for that or have people smugly declaring he knew what he was doing all along.
Oh, and as for these comments of “I always said I wanted to be judged when I had my best team fit and available”, he can do one. I’ve seen what he claims is his best team, and who he deems a bench warmer, and who he thinks is no more than squad fodder, and it ain’t matching up to the side that’s getting results now. Sometimes it really is okay to quietly be grateful for good fortune, and to acknowledge you perhaps misjudged something. When I hear this crap about it finally being close to ‘his team’ having seen what that actually looked like barely six weeks ago, it only succeeds in making me feel his ego is insatiable. It isn’t truthful.
Anyway, I’ve explained why I feel the way I do. I hope the good results continue and that we stay a L1 side beyond this season, and maybe the next couple of transfer windows won’t be absolute turd. If KR weathers it and we go on to achieve with him in the future, excellent. My priority is this club doing well. But I don’t have to enjoy the waffle and the “I’m a brilliant coach” bullshit in between it all. A little more humility and a little less gum flapping would be lovely.