Thats me done

[scawsby steve]

Wellens talks well, has passion, and has always had that dogged determination to win. Tactically, or his man management? Who knows, its hard to tell these things.

The issue is, the major error he has made is not just signing one or two bad players, but singing a whole squad load of bad-to-average players.

Whoever the manager they are stuck with these players.

The question for the board is now do they (a) give Wellens more investment to get better players or (b) give another manager more investment to get better players.

This is an absolutely critical question because we are currently heading to relegation, and relegation with a few players on 2 year contracts who are not automatically good enough to get us out of league 2.

In isolation his signings aren’t bad players
Knoyle was in league 2 team of the season and he chose us over a few other sides.
Close very good player turned down a new contract with with Pompey to join us
Galbraith done even need to argue that one

Not forgetting o Brien was it that he thought he’d signed from Sunderland.

Injuries have killed us especially Taylor and okenabirhie, they would’ve made a big difference

Excuses, excuses. All clubs have lots of injuries.

Why on Earth are you defending the indefensible?

[Copps is Magic]

Wellens talks well, has passion, and has always had that dogged determination to win. Tactically, or his man management? Who knows, its hard to tell these things.

The issue is, the major error he has made is not just signing one or two bad players, but singing a whole squad load of bad-to-average players.

Whoever the manager they are stuck with these players.

The question for the board is now do they (a) give Wellens more investment to get better players or (b) give another manager more investment to get better players.

This is an absolutely critical question because we are currently heading to relegation, and relegation with a few players on 2 year contracts who are not automatically good enough to get us out of league 2.

In isolation his signings aren’t bad players
Knoyle was in league 2 team of the season and he chose us over a few other sides.
Close very good player turned down a new contract with with Pompey to join us
Galbraith done even need to argue that one

I left the box 'average' open for Knoyle because that's what he is. Close, "very good player", according to what or who? He's a drifter, moves in and out of the game depending on whether he fancies it or not. Completly lackadaisical. Galbraith is a good player in the making.

We're in a dogfight and we need  more than this, players who are going to go that extra mile, put their body on the line, or something.

[Copps is Magic]

I think the owners need to inject more money into the club to sign a striker and/or more attacking options.

So that will be in January then or are you thinking of another free agent? Out of interest how much do you think should be invested to procure said striker/and or more attackers?

If the board aren't looking at both what is available now, and what is possible in January I would be seriously worried.

[ColinDouglasHandshake]

To add to my last post, we are boring, don't look like winning games, incapable of making a tackle and have no real identity. It just isn't working and I don't see any signs of major improvement after what 15 games now?

Well the home form is definitely improving,
And other than 2 away games we deserved more from Gillingham, Wigan,  and especially top of the league Plymouth.

Tuesday is a big big game.

It's slightly improved, depends how you view it. We've played some pretty average teams the last two both newly promoted with smaller budgets than ours and we could easily have blown it last Saturday.

To be honest our home form has been decent all season,
11 points from 7 games is good and not relegation form, it’s the away form that’s killing us

The home form is decent and the points are on the board but we were 1 nil up against Wimbledon and lost. We gifted Pompey a penalty which they missed and we drew. We were shit against both Morecambe and MK Dons apart from the first 15 minutes and somehow managed to nick those games by a single goal. Against Morecambe, Dahlberg should have been sent off and a penalty conceded. We were bossed against Wycombe who barely had to break sweat. Cheltenham should have won despite us being 3 up and they missed a pen. Cambridge didn't have a shot on target yet managed to score and come away with a point.

The point being made is that we have been extraordinarily fortunate to have those home points on the point.

Away from home we have not had the fortune and thus lose every week because we aren't good enough for league 1.

[RTID!!!]

It looks like we have a good chance of being relegated this season if Wellens remains. He has to go.

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

To add to my last post, we are boring, don't look like winning games, incapable of making a tackle and have no real identity. It just isn't working and I don't see any signs of major improvement after what 15 games now?

Well the home form is definitely improving,
And other than 2 away games we deserved more from Gillingham, Wigan,  and especially top of the league Plymouth.

Tuesday is a big big game.

It's slightly improved, depends how you view it. We've played some pretty average teams the last two both newly promoted with smaller budgets than ours and we could easily have blown it last Saturday.

To be honest our home form has been decent all season,
11 points from 7 games is good and not relegation form, it’s the away form that’s killing us

I do agree, though the manner of the performances does concern me at home, we don't struggle but don't dominate either and have had a fairly reasonable set of fixtures at home which I think flatters us.

[dickos1]

Wellens talks well, has passion, and has always had that dogged determination to win. Tactically, or his man management? Who knows, its hard to tell these things.

The issue is, the major error he has made is not just signing one or two bad players, but singing a whole squad load of bad-to-average players.

Whoever the manager they are stuck with these players.

The question for the board is now do they (a) give Wellens more investment to get better players or (b) give another manager more investment to get better players.

This is an absolutely critical question because we are currently heading to relegation, and relegation with a few players on 2 year contracts who are not automatically good enough to get us out of league 2.

In isolation his signings aren’t bad players
Knoyle was in league 2 team of the season and he chose us over a few other sides.
Close very good player turned down a new contract with with Pompey to join us
Galbraith done even need to argue that one

Not forgetting o Brien was it that he thought he’d signed from Sunderland.

Injuries have killed us especially Taylor and okenabirhie, they would’ve made a big difference

Excuses, excuses. All clubs have lots of injuries.

Why on Earth are you defending the indefensible?

Not all clubs have a bench full of kids that have never played for us.
And I’d be surprised if other clubs with a similar budget as ours have 5 first team starters out for majority of the season so far

[Bentley Bullet]

You can't defend Rovers. Come to think of it, neither can they.

[dickos1]

To add to my last post, we are boring, don't look like winning games, incapable of making a tackle and have no real identity. It just isn't working and I don't see any signs of major improvement after what 15 games now?

Well the home form is definitely improving,
And other than 2 away games we deserved more from Gillingham, Wigan,  and especially top of the league Plymouth.

Tuesday is a big big game.

It's slightly improved, depends how you view it. We've played some pretty average teams the last two both newly promoted with smaller budgets than ours and we could easily have blown it last Saturday.

To be honest our home form has been decent all season,
11 points from 7 games is good and not relegation form, it’s the away form that’s killing us

The home form is decent and the points are on the board but we were 1 nil up against Wimbledon and lost. We gifted Pompey a penalty which they missed and we drew. We were shit against both Morecambe and MK Dons apart from the first 15 minutes and somehow managed to nick those games by a single goal. Against Morecambe, Dahlberg should have been sent off and a penalty conceded. We were bossed against Wycombe who barely had to break sweat. Cheltenham should have won despite us being 3 up and they missed a pen. Cambridge didn't have a shot on target yet managed to score and come away with a point.

The point being made is that we have been extraordinarily fortunate to have those home points on the point.

Away from home we have not had the fortune and thus lose every week because we aren't good enough for league 1.

You can’t use fortune for our wins but not use fortune for some of our away defeats,

[dickos1]

To add to my last post, we are boring, don't look like winning games, incapable of making a tackle and have no real identity. It just isn't working and I don't see any signs of major improvement after what 15 games now?

Well the home form is definitely improving,
And other than 2 away games we deserved more from Gillingham, Wigan,  and especially top of the league Plymouth.

Tuesday is a big big game.

It's slightly improved, depends how you view it. We've played some pretty average teams the last two both newly promoted with smaller budgets than ours and we could easily have blown it last Saturday.

To be honest our home form has been decent all season,
11 points from 7 games is good and not relegation form, it’s the away form that’s killing us

I do agree, though the manner of the performances does concern me at home, we don't struggle but don't dominate either and have had a fairly reasonable set of fixtures at home which I think flatters us.

By the same token our away fixtures have been very tough.

[Retdon1]

Alongside Copps, Wellens is my favourite ever play BUT it just isn’t working.
The football is awful to watch
The signings he’s made are mostly poor. Only Galbraith and Huwula (in parts) have been any where near good enough.
He’s such an argumentative character. Listen to his interviews, he never agrees with the reporter and sounds like he’s constantly looking for an argument. You would imagine he’s similar in the changing room.

It’s just not working and it’s getting to the stage where we need to make a change soon to give the new manger half a chance of turning things around

[Surrey Rover]

All the cranks will be out tonight on here, not been about since the Ipswich game

I don’t think I’m a crank but there’s noticeably more reasonable people getting to the end of their patience now. I still say another month.

Do you have a window for when a change should be made or are ok to stick with him come what may? 

We’re in a relegation battle,
Our squad is paper thin, we’ve got injuries to players who would walk into the side.

Got to expect a lot of defeats against much better sides than us, sides like Crewe are the ones we’ve got to be beating

Did you go today? I suspect not.

You make some valid points and I agree to some extent that losing to teams who have more quality at their disposal should be expected. I don’t mind losing, the results at Plymouth, Wigan and to some extent Gillingham were disappointing but at least we put a shift in and made the opposition graft for the three points.

Today Rovers haven’t turned up, against a team who have one home win all season we have failed to land one shot on target, have given a larger than expected contingent of travelling fans nothing at all to get excited about. Yes Charlton have some decent players but they are not promotion material and all we saw was a gutless display with no fight or passion whatsoever. This is what concerns me rather than coming away pointless.

Yes I agree Crewe are amongst the teams we should be beating so let’s see what they serve up on Tuesday evening but if it’s the same application as I witnessed this afternoon it will be another defeat without doubt.

[Colin C No.3]

All the cranks will be out tonight on here, not been about since the Ipswich game

I don’t think I’m a crank but there’s noticeably more reasonable people getting to the end of their patience now. I still say another month.

Do you have a window for when a change should be made or are ok to stick with him come what may? 

We’re in a relegation battle,
Our squad is paper thin, we’ve got injuries to players who would walk into the side.

Got to expect a lot of defeats against much better sides than us, sides like Crewe are the ones we’ve got to be beating

‘Sides like Crewe’.

Can you name me another four? Because given that would be the minimum number in order to finish outside the relegation zone (plus, we’ve yet to play Crewe AND beat them) because I’m struggling to at this moment in time.

Richie wanted to give the club ‘an identity’, like the SOD sides, so he brought in young, technically gifted players who he thought would be able, with their ‘superior technical skills’ be able to outplay the ‘hoofers’ in this division.

In reality what he’s done (& yes I accept he’s been hampered with injuries to more experienced players, had a disruptive pre-season due to covid allied with a farcical transfer window) is pit ‘boy’s against men’  game after game until the inevitable happens, the ‘boy’s’ get ground down by the seasoned hoofers, the physicality & nouse of their opponents nullifying any of the technical abilities this Rovers team can bring into games.

Richie hoped to hit the ground running, stay mid-table then push on next season….as did Gavin Baldwin, David Blunt & the board, unfortunately it hasn’t worked out for (IMO) all the reasons I’ve stated.

There aren’t four sides playing poorer than us at this stage of the season & I very much doubt that will continue to be the case until January by which time we may well be too far out of the running to stay in this division.

The club cannot ‘afford’ to drop into league2 (those who say it might be just what we need, go down, regroup & come back stronger are talking tosh, ask any Brad City supporter), so what to do?

I’ve only ever once before wanted a manager replaced, & I never wanted him in the first instance, Dickov. But I seriously wonder if Richie has what it takes in order to ever fulfill his dream & create a team in the image of SOD’s sides.

The board, owners AND Richie have some serious soul searching to do this week regardless of whether we beat Crewe or not.

I’m afraid it’s not worked for you Richie & we all so much wanted it to.

[scawsby steve]

So you are saying that we should have expected to be utterly humiliated today? Only I wish you'd said that at 2:30 and saved me watching it.

Genuine question, BST; how on Earth did you manage to watch it?

It's a matter of pride SS. My phosophy had always been that if you can't take the low points, you don't deserve the successes.

I meant how did you manage to watch it when it wasn't on iFollow?

It was on iFollow.

Not in the UK though. You must be out of the country at the moment.

[BillyStubbsTears]

To add to my last post, we are boring, don't look like winning games, incapable of making a tackle and have no real identity. It just isn't working and I don't see any signs of major improvement after what 15 games now?

Well the home form is definitely improving,
And other than 2 away games we deserved more from Gillingham, Wigan,  and especially top of the league Plymouth.

Tuesday is a big big game.

It's slightly improved, depends how you view it. We've played some pretty average teams the last two both newly promoted with smaller budgets than ours and we could easily have blown it last Saturday.

To be honest our home form has been decent all season,
11 points from 7 games is good and not relegation form, it’s the away form that’s killing us

I do agree, though the manner of the performances does concern me at home, we don't struggle but don't dominate either and have had a fairly reasonable set of fixtures at home which I think flatters us.

By the same token our away fixtures have been very tough.

Come out of the weeds and look at the big picture.

Overall we have played 8 top half sides and 7 bottom half sides. 8 away and 7 at home.

We've got 11 points.

We've had an easier that average home run and got roughly average points per game.

We've had a harder than average away run and have our worst return in 92 years.

No real need to analyse it much further than that. Yes we have injuries, but we also have a distinctly limited squad, poorly managed.

[Upton Rover]

Not a shot on target today, the players who RW have bought in are poor very poor, no one can defend either RW or the board for allowing the club to get into this situation, it’s been a joke ever since the start of the season, piss take on the signing of players, or trying too, RW not been able to get on with senior players, both who are still at the club and the one’s he let go, the board for having the most ridiculous way of recruiting a manager, We need this to change and fast even if we go down the change in the manager and a lot of back room staff as got to happen for the love of the club, supporters are not wanting to pay good money to watch this load of none league shite.

[ravenrover]

I think the owners need to inject more money into the club to sign a striker and/or more attacking options.

So that will be in January then or are you thinking of another free agent? Out of interest how much do you think should be invested to procure said striker/and or more attackers?

How about similar investment to local giants Rotherham?

Put a figure on it BB
How much did Rotherham get after relegation last season?
Are they in any debt?
What is their wage bill?

[River Don]

I think the owners need to inject more money into the club to sign a striker and/or more attacking options.

So that will be in January then or are you thinking of another free agent? Out of interest how much do you think should be invested to procure said striker/and or more attackers?

Attacking options?

They're leaking goals like a sieve, always build from the back. I don't know if it's a defender or a holding player with a bit of bite in midfield that's most urgent but clearly stopping goals going in our own net has to be the starting point.

[dickos1]

To add to my last post, we are boring, don't look like winning games, incapable of making a tackle and have no real identity. It just isn't working and I don't see any signs of major improvement after what 15 games now?

Well the home form is definitely improving,
And other than 2 away games we deserved more from Gillingham, Wigan,  and especially top of the league Plymouth.

Tuesday is a big big game.

It's slightly improved, depends how you view it. We've played some pretty average teams the last two both newly promoted with smaller budgets than ours and we could easily have blown it last Saturday.

To be honest our home form has been decent all season,
11 points from 7 games is good and not relegation form, it’s the away form that’s killing us

I do agree, though the manner of the performances does concern me at home, we don't struggle but don't dominate either and have had a fairly reasonable set of fixtures at home which I think flatters us.

By the same token our away fixtures have been very tough.

Come out of the weeds and look at the big picture.

Overall we have played 8 top half sides and 7 bottom half sides. 8 away and 7 at home.

We've got 11 points.

We've had an easier that average home run and got roughly average points per game.

We've had a harder than average away run and have our worst return in 92 years.

No real need to analyse it much further than that. Yes we have injuries, but we also have a distinctly limited squad, poorly managed.

The league table means very little after this many games when you're using it to identify who’s good and who’s poor

[sedwardsdrfc]

To add to my last post, we are boring, don't look like winning games, incapable of making a tackle and have no real identity. It just isn't working and I don't see any signs of major improvement after what 15 games now?

Well the home form is definitely improving,
And other than 2 away games we deserved more from Gillingham, Wigan,  and especially top of the league Plymouth.

Tuesday is a big big game.

It's slightly improved, depends how you view it. We've played some pretty average teams the last two both newly promoted with smaller budgets than ours and we could easily have blown it last Saturday.

To be honest our home form has been decent all season,
11 points from 7 games is good and not relegation form, it’s the away form that’s killing us

I do agree, though the manner of the performances does concern me at home, we don't struggle but don't dominate either and have had a fairly reasonable set of fixtures at home which I think flatters us.

By the same token our away fixtures have been very tough.

Come out of the weeds and look at the big picture.

Overall we have played 8 top half sides and 7 bottom half sides. 8 away and 7 at home.

We've got 11 points.

We've had an easier that average home run and got roughly average points per game.

We've had a harder than average away run and have our worst return in 92 years.

No real need to analyse it much further than that. Yes we have injuries, but we also have a distinctly limited squad, poorly managed.

The league table means very little after this many games when you're using it to identify who’s good and who’s poor

At what stage does it matter? Avoiding the obvious on the last day?

[River Don]

Dickos,

No, I think the league is firming up now. Currently we are relegation material no doubt.

For me though, it still is too soon to sack the manager. There is still the issue of so many first teamers being out. And there are glimmers of hope playing at home.

[mattco]

Wellens has to go. End of.

[Donny Exile in York]

All the cranks will be out tonight on here, not been about since the Ipswich game

I don’t think I’m a crank but there’s noticeably more reasonable people getting to the end of their patience now. I still say another month.

Do you have a window for when a change should be made or are ok to stick with him come what may? 

We’re in a relegation battle,
Our squad is paper thin, we’ve got injuries to players who would walk into the side.

Got to expect a lot of defeats against much better sides than us, sides like Crewe are the ones we’ve got to be beating

What and the likes of Charlton you mean? They were in the bottom 4!

[ravenrover]

So you are saying that we should have expected to be utterly humiliated today? Only I wish you'd said that at 2:30 and saved me watching it.

Genuine question, BST; how on Earth did you manage to watch it?

It's a matter of pride SS. My phosophy had always been that if you can't take the low points, you don't deserve the successes.

I meant how did you manage to watch it when it wasn't on iFollow?

It was on iFollow.

Not in the UK though. You must be out of the country at the moment.

Wouldn't an ISPN do the trick?

[Chris Black come back]

Since 97/98 I think the only periods of such aimless and hopeless football have come with Dickov back in League One and in particular that run that Ferguson led us on to relegate us to League Two, with the worst game arguably since 97/98 being that away match at Colchester.

It’s really, really bad now. Terrible. Beyond terrible. Aside from Galbraith, every single signing has been either a disappointment or a disaster. There is a lot here that is about as dire as it gets - the total absence of any guts or spine, defending that oscillates between comical and criminal, midfield that was given a training book to read but someone had ripped out the tackling and interception pages, and strikers who were not even allowed a training book.

I don’t see how we can be credibly ditching a manager after a dozen or so games, as truly terrible as this is. We’ve got no other option than to see this through for the entire season.

[ForsolongaRover]

Which of the players are impressive with their "technical ability"?

[Bentley Bullet]

I think the owners need to inject more money into the club to sign a striker and/or more attacking options.

So that will be in January then or are you thinking of another free agent? Out of interest how much do you think should be invested to procure said striker/and or more attackers?

How about similar investment to local giants Rotherham?

Put a figure on it BB
How much did Rotherham get after relegation last season?
Are they in any debt?
What is their wage bill?

Why should I put a figure on it? What difference or point would that be, seeing as I don't know. It's not my job to know either, it's the club's job.

As for the wage bill, the one I saw a while back put our weekly player's wage bill at around 57K and Rothrhams at around 100K.

Apparently, they are also financially secure.

[dickos1]

All the cranks will be out tonight on here, not been about since the Ipswich game

I don’t think I’m a crank but there’s noticeably more reasonable people getting to the end of their patience now. I still say another month.

Do you have a window for when a change should be made or are ok to stick with him come what may? 

We’re in a relegation battle,
Our squad is paper thin, we’ve got injuries to players who would walk into the side.

Got to expect a lot of defeats against much better sides than us, sides like Crewe are the ones we’ve got to be beating

What and the likes of Charlton you mean? They were in the bottom 4!

See where charlton are come Easter there’ll be up near the play offs.
Their squad is among the best in the league, Adkins just couldn’t get them going

[vaya]

I think the owners need to inject more money into the club to sign a striker and/or more attacking options.

So that will be in January then or are you thinking of another free agent? Out of interest how much do you think should be invested to procure said striker/and or more attackers?

How about similar investment to local giants Rotherham?

Put a figure on it BB
How much did Rotherham get after relegation last season?
Are they in any debt?
What is their wage bill?

Why should I put a figure on it? What difference or point would that be, seeing as I don't know. It's not my job to know either, it's the club's job.

As for the wage bill, the one I saw a while back put our weekly player's wage bill at around 57K and Rothrhams at around 100K.

Apparently, they are also financially secure.

Are those official figures? - do you have a link?

[Donny Exile in York]

I think the owners need to inject more money into the club to sign a striker and/or more attacking options.

So that will be in January then or are you thinking of another free agent? Out of interest how much do you think should be invested to procure said striker/and or more attackers?

How about similar investment to local giants Rotherham?

Put a figure on it BB
How much did Rotherham get after relegation last season?
Are they in any debt?
What is their wage bill?

I'm sorry but there is absolutely no reason why we shouldn't be able to compete with Rotherham. Yes they have a squad well managed from rhe Championship. If they are deemed a bigger club its only cos they are currently better run and more investment in the playing squad over the last 7 or 8 years... the Blunt years.. Blunt by name Blunt by nature. For all criticising Wellens, fully understood given 8 straight away defeats but look at the club..  programme gone downhill and looks cheaper, kit looks poor quality, kiosks badly operated .. squad includes plenty on low value "netto' contracts... Gardener, Barlow for example.. its the hierarchy to look first and foremost at.. Look at Stewart at Rotherham he doesn't have the deep pockets Bramall has but one has a club successfully competing at league one level, the other has one scratching around for a non contract winger to play up front... thats the truth of it...  one is a fan of his football club, the other is supporting the local community but the party has been well and truly over for a long time in having a successful football club relative to our history on the pitch. We have a Mike Ashley of an owner.. no interest as long as it breaks even but the bigger picture is performances suffer as do results, crowds dwindle, profits shrink, squad thins in terms of quality, results get worse, crowds dwindle further..  repeat repeat..on a loop.. I have seen nothing in the last year to say the Board are proactively investing to stop the rot... and if they haven't got the money or don't want to invest then let's be honest about it were only heading one way.... back where John Ryan dragged us from...