Grant McCann

[Spilsby Red]

How many players have been used this season?
Formation changes too.

That’s why

[Bentley Bullet]

Should have kept Omar Bogle!

[BillyStubbsTears]

The question a lot of folk need to answer honestly to themselves is this:

If Schofield had made 18 signings, took us to third bottom and had us frequently conceding cricket scores, how would you vote in a poll like this?

Your local cricket team can’t be very good

Hilarious.

How many times in our history have we conceded 5 goals at home in league matches twice in a single season.

Imagine the atmosphere in here if we'd done that with Schofield as manager. Then after the second time, put in that show yesterday. There would be lynch mobs being raised.

[keith79]

Over rated by many.

[Bentley Bullet]

Over rated by many.

I wonder what this forum's response would have been regarding our current situation if Richie Wellens were the manager.

[keith79]

Or schofield.

[Ryaldinhio]

I get the feeling every manager is promised a budget that will compete for promotion and then doesn't get it.

We don't sign players that match the statements about budgets.

Look what Richie did at LO, signed some really good players and took them up.

Looking at what signings we have had in last 12m it seems to be quantity over quality. I'm all for taking a chance on lower league players but not a lot of them! Also I like to see a loan player come in but someone from higher league after game time like Nixon/Faal not higher league youth team like Roberts.

IMO if you look at the signings we have made and the loans we have made I don't think this budget is anywhere near as big as TBs statement of 'significant investment'.

The teams that really went for it Wrexham, Notts County, Stockport reportedly have multiple players on 3 or 4 times what our highest paid is on. If the chair is backing to club to compete thats where the budget needs to be.

It was telling when John Bostock didn't want to drop to L2 but then went to conference, so clearly was a pay issue not a 'level' issue.

If we keep signing the best players from the conference we will become the best team in the conference.

[DD]

One name rarely mentioned in all this is Coppingers……….what is his contribution to the current situation? And his wages?

[Bentley Bullet]

In my opinion, the best way to build a promotion-winning team is to assemble one that is good enough to sustain itself in the next league up, with perhaps the addition of one or two new acquisitions once promotion is established.

It's just like anything else, in that if you want quality you have to pay for it, otherwise you're throwing good money after bad.

[GazLaz]

In my opinion, the best way to build a promotion-winning team is to assemble one that is good enough to sustain itself in the next league up, with perhaps the addition of one or two new acquisitions once promotion is established.

It's just like anything else, in that if you want quality you have to pay for it, otherwise you're throwing good money after bad.

To get promoted you need a good number of players that are good enough for the level above. We keep acquiring players that will never be good enough to play at the level above or have played there and are on the slide.

[pib]

What we need is a Time Machine.

That way we can go back to last season, and change the chant to “Danny Schofield… your football is shit, but we do understand there are mitigating circumstances such as an injury ravaged squad, and a budget that, as it will transpire, isn’t good enough for the performance levels we expect, and in any case we will look back in 9 months and realise the problems run much deeper than you anyway”

Then maybe it’ll satisfy those who want to keep going on about what happened last season, something we can now not change.

Plus, I think it sounds kind of catchy.

[Bentley Bullet]

It seems Danny Schofield wasn't the first manager to fall victim to those mitigating circumstances. Wasn't it reported that his budget had been increased on his appointment? If that was the case the managers before him had an even more impossible task.

[drfchound]

It seems Danny Schofield wasn't the first manager to fall victim to those mitigating circumstances. Wasn't it reported that his budget had been increased on his appointment? If that was the case the managers before him had an even more impossible task.

Well DS is known to have said he had “Peanuts” to work with so what did McSheff and Richie get?
Any suggestions?

[BillyStubbsTears]

What we need is a Time Machine.

That way we can go back to last season, and change the chant to “Danny Schofield… your football is shit, but we do understand there are mitigating circumstances such as an injury ravaged squad, and a budget that, as it will transpire, isn’t good enough for the performance levels we expect, and in any case we will look back in 9 months and realise the problems run much deeper than you anyway”

Then maybe it’ll satisfy those who want to keep going on about what happened last season, something we can now not change.

Plus, I think it sounds kind of catchy.

Are we doing better this season, after we kept the better players from last year and recruited another 18?

That's the point to ponder.

Or, of course, you can just make wisecracks.

[drfcsteve]

I wonder what people’s reaction would be if we didn’t have McCann the first time around and this was his first time here. Will he still be a “proven league one manager” if he gets us relegated from league 2? And before anyone blames the board, it’s the same board he had last time he was here!

[pib]

What we need is a Time Machine.

That way we can go back to last season, and change the chant to “Danny Schofield… your football is shit, but we do understand there are mitigating circumstances such as an injury ravaged squad, and a budget that, as it will transpire, isn’t good enough for the performance levels we expect, and in any case we will look back in 9 months and realise the problems run much deeper than you anyway”

Then maybe it’ll satisfy those who want to keep going on about what happened last season, something we can now not change.

Plus, I think it sounds kind of catchy.

Are we doing better this season, after we kept the better players from last year and recruited another 18?

That's the point to ponder.

Or, of course, you can just make wisecracks.

Where did I say we were?

Lighten up.

[Bentley Bullet]

I remember people wanting Sean O'Driscoll sacked early in his tenure as manager, and he had a decent budget. Managers need time, even with a decent budget.

To expect managers to perform miracles within a short time with an inadequate budget is setting a nigh-on impossible task.

Perhaps we would have been less insistent on our recent managers getting the boot if we were aware of the circumstances they were under.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Perhaps if one of our recent managers had played the best team he could turn out instead of letting his ego take over, and signing three of the worst attackers I've ever seen play for us, we'd still be in L1?

There's a thought.

[Ldr]

Just because the budget is there doesn’t mean it’s been spent wisely

[Campsall rover]

Whatever the budget is at present the current squad we have even with the number of injuries we have had should be doing much better than we have this season.
The fact is Gm has not got the best out of the players at his disposal.

If Nixon, Sterry, Senior Maxwell, Wood Olowu, Faulkner, McGrath, Bailey, Rowe, Close, Westbrooke, Biggins, Molyneux, Hurst, Ironside,
Faal ( when he was here ) 17 players.
Are not good enough players for a decent league 2 team there is something wrong. You could add Taylor and Miller to those although have been out injured all season.

To say we have underperformed is an understatement of a huge magnitude.
Jones, Lawlor, & Broadbent simply not good enough imo.

Olowu & Rowe have gone downhill big time and are now not good enough. Hurst has not come on as expected and we have lacked a quality goalkeeper up to this new signing last week.

But please don’t tell me that is a squad that should be floundering in 22nd place in league 2 with 29 points from 29 games.

There has to be question marks about GM’s management this season.
Having said that give him this summer to bring in the players he wants and judge him on where we are at end of November.

[ravenrover]

How many players have been used this season?
Formation changes too.

That’s why

The question I asked is why, you have just repeated my question

[GazLaz]

Whatever the budget is at present the current squad we have even with the number of injuries we have had should be doing much better than we have this season.
The fact is Gm has not got the best out of the players at his disposal.

If Nixon, Sterry, Senior Maxwell, Wood Olowu, Faulkner, McGrath, Bailey, Rowe, Close, Westbrooke, Biggins, Molyneux, Hurst, Ironside,
Faal ( when he was here ) 17 players.
Are not good enough players for a decent league 2 team there is something wrong. You could add Taylor and Miller to those although have been out injured all season.

To say we have underperformed is an understatement of a huge magnitude.
Jones, Lawlor, & Broadbent simply not good enough imo.

Olowu & Rowe have gone downhill big time and are now not good enough. Hurst has not come on as expected and we have lacked a quality goalkeeper up to this new signing last week.

But please don’t tell me that is a squad that should be floundering in 22nd place in league 2 with 29 points from 29 games.

There has to be question marks about GM’s management this season.
Having said that give him this summer to bring in the players he wants and judge him on where we are at end of November.

The only players in that list that have proven they can consistently operate at top end L2 level or above (from a data perspective anyway) are Wood, Rowe, Close, Westbrook, Ironside. The first two are on the slide due to age but the latter three have been good.

Players like Biggins, Moly and Sterry have never shown that level in the past contrary to what some people think and what we thought when we signed them. Thats a big part of the issue. We sign “established” L2 players that aren’t as good as what we think they are.

[Lesonthewest]

Whatever the budget is at present the current squad we have even with the number of injuries we have had should be doing much better than we have this season.
The fact is Gm has not got the best out of the players at his disposal.

If Nixon, Sterry, Senior Maxwell, Wood Olowu, Faulkner, McGrath, Bailey, Rowe, Close, Westbrooke, Biggins, Molyneux, Hurst, Ironside,
Faal ( when he was here ) 17 players.
Are not good enough players for a decent league 2 team there is something wrong. You could add Taylor and Miller to those although have been out injured all season.

To say we have underperformed is an understatement of a huge magnitude.
Jones, Lawlor, & Broadbent simply not good enough imo.

Olowu & Rowe have gone downhill big time and are now not good enough. Hurst has not come on as expected and we have lacked a quality goalkeeper up to this new signing last week.

But please don’t tell me that is a squad that should be floundering in 22nd place in league 2 with 29 points from 29 games.

There has to be question marks about GM’s management this season.
Having said that give him this summer to bring in the players he wants and judge him on where we are at end of November.


ote]
Final paragraph, nail on head.

[Michael Shaw]

We had "The Experiment" years ago where we brought in loads of "quality" players (I won't bother listing them all and where they came from) who were individually very good players but couldn't play together as a team, and it was a failure.

Do we have a similar situation now, where McCann has signed loads of players from many good clubs but they don't work together, because McCann struggles to get them to do what he wants? He often says they do not follow the plan and what was done in training.

Just a thought.

[McCammon egg n chips]

Perhaps if one of our recent managers had played the best team he could turn out instead of letting his ego take over, and signing three of the worst attackers I've ever seen play for us, we'd still be in L1?

There's a thought.

So let's get this right then.

Schofield - actually quite a good manager, the rest of us got him wrong and he never got the chance to make signings (let's ignore January)
McCann - Terrible manager, given all the money in the world and still can't get a tune out of his gigantic squad
Wellens - Also a terrible manager, wasted the budget he was given whilst he had a League 1 quality striker training with the reserves

[BillyStubbsTears]

Perhaps if one of our recent managers had played the best team he could turn out instead of letting his ego take over, and signing three of the worst attackers I've ever seen play for us, we'd still be in L1?

There's a thought.

So let's get this right then.

Schofield - actually quite a good manager, the rest of us got him wrong and he never got the chance to make signings (let's ignore January)
McCann - Terrible manager, given all the money in the world and still can't get a tune out of his gigantic squad
Wellens - Also a terrible manager, wasted the budget he was given whilst he had a League 1 quality striker training with the reserves

No. That's a very, very silly take on what I've written. Why do that?

My take is that the abuse and derision that Schofield got was greatly overrated done.

Given that he DID get that response though, I find it interesting that the very same people have a quasi-religious faith in McCann.

Me, I'm not a fan of hiring managers and firing them a few months later. I think Schofield had a near hopeless task, given the resources and injuries he had, so I really don't see how people can be so convinced he was an abject failure.

I wouldn't want McCann to be hoyed out now, because he's also had a difficult hand, although he's had nothing like the situation Schofield had, and so far has made a worse job of it. I really don't get why some folk get so angry at being faced with what are simple facts.

As for Wellens, I don't know what budget he had. He certainly didn't have any good standard L1 strikers. But it's beyond question that he chose to marginalised the best he had and signed three who were f**king dreadful. Again, you can accept that fact or get ruled by it. It's just a fact.

[ForsolongaRover]

I remember people wanting Sean O'Driscoll sacked early in his tenure as manager, and he had a decent budget. Managers need time, even with a decent budget.

To expect managers to perform miracles within a short time with an inadequate budget is setting a nigh-on impossible task.

Perhaps we would have been less insistent on our recent managers getting the boot if we were aware of the circumstances they were under.

One criticism was that SOD had “no Plan B”. Do we have a Plan A?

[drfchound]

Interesting though that over 81% of people who have responded to the poll want to keep McCann in charge.
That is a fact at this moment in time.

[pib]

Perhaps if one of our recent managers had played the best team he could turn out instead of letting his ego take over, and signing three of the worst attackers I've ever seen play for us, we'd still be in L1?

There's a thought.

So let's get this right then.

Schofield - actually quite a good manager, the rest of us got him wrong and he never got the chance to make signings (let's ignore January)
McCann - Terrible manager, given all the money in the world and still can't get a tune out of his gigantic squad
Wellens - Also a terrible manager, wasted the budget he was given whilst he had a League 1 quality striker training with the reserves

No. That's a very, very silly take on what I've written. Why do that?

My take is that the abuse and derision that Schofield got was greatly overrated done.

Given that he DID get that response though, I find it interesting that the very same people have a quasi-religious faith in McCann.

Me, I'm not a fan of hiring managers and firing them a few months later. I think Schofield had a near hopeless task, given the resources and injuries he had, so I really don't see how people can be so convinced he was an abject failure.

I wouldn't want McCann to be hoyed out now, because he's also had a difficult hand, although he's had nothing like the situation Schofield had, and so far has made a worse job of it. I really don't get why some folk get so angry at being faced with what are simple facts.

As for Wellens, I don't know what budget he had. He certainly didn't have any good standard L1 strikers. But it's beyond question that he chose to marginalised the best he had and signed three who were f**king dreadful. Again, you can accept that fact or get ruled by it. It's just a fact.

To put across my "wisecrack" earlier in the thread in a more serious manner - I'm just not sure what you want/expect people to do?

You don't want McCann to be sacked, and I'm pretty sure as a Rovers fan and a sane human being you don't want GM to suffer the abuse that Schofield did last season either (which was horrific, and I said at the time how disgusted I was with that, regardless of how I thought of his abilities as a manager)

So what is the actual issue you're getting at? We can't go back in time and undo the fierce criticism Schofield got. We can repent for our collective sins but there's really not much else that can be done, and I personally don't see the value in continuing to dredge up the criticism Schofield got as a stick to beat people with when they want to support McCann. Isn't it a good thing if folk are backing our manager now and giving him a fair crack of the whip rather than getting on his back?

I think you (and others on here) overplay this "quasi-religious faith" or "fascination" that people have with McCann. I don't think anyone can deny after the last 2 months' performances that this season is piss poor and well below expectations. However, on the other side of the coin I think the majority of sensible fans can recognise that McCann is a capable manager with the track record to prove it, and he's got a level of popularity from his last spell here (whether you feel that is warranted or not) buying him a bit of extra goodwill as well, which I think goes a long way to explaining why it's taking fans a longer time to turn on him than it did Schofield. Sadly DS didn't have either of those factors to fall back on.

I think most of us can now also recognise that you have to draw a line somewhere in terms of chopping and changing managers, and we probably wouldn't be best served going down that route now. Maybe sacking Schofield was one change too far as well, but I would be surprised if the ill-feeling among the fanbase, and prospect of terrible season ticket sales didn't play a part in that change.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Pib.

I have this failing that I expect rationality from people. To look at facts and draw sensible conclusions.

I do think the "repent" thing gets close to the issue. If people want to be taken seriously, then sticking to the line that Schofield was f**king useless, while McCann is above criticism (and there are people whose takes those are) doesn't cut it for me.

But that's just my take. I accept that many people reserve the right to hold contradictory views and shout them out loudly.

Back to McCann's track record, I've said before that one thing he absolutely hasn't done is to take a club in crisis and turn it round. My worry is that there's been very little sign of that happening this season. Recruitment has been more miss than hit, while selections and on-field tactics have been woeful for much of the season. And it's not just the last two months. We had one, brief purple patch (mainly against bottom of the table or out of form sides) and other than that we've won 14 points in 22 games.

Given what I saw last season, I'm pretty sure that Schofield would have made a better fist of this squad than McCann has done. For me then, the jury is definitely out on McCann. We simply must demonstrate an ability to be (at the very least) equal to the sum of our parts for the rest of the season, with some semblance of a style of play that will give us some hope for a better season next year.