Who'd Have Grant's Job?

[Bentley Bullet]

I wouldn't, for one!

How do you change a team that has won the first two league games?

How do you change a team that has just beaten a Championship side 4-0 away?

Your decision, Grant......

[jmt23]

I a, imagining Cliff running in to Grants office tomorrow morning - “Grant there’s 11 players outside wanting a word”

[dknward2]

Think he could pick names out of hat and it would still be a good squad

[scawsby steve]

This is probably where GM can see things that we can't. Different situations demand different decisions.

For instance, how would last Saturday's 11 have got on tonight, and how would tonight's 11 have got on last Saturday? Two completely different scenarios of football.

GM will be wracking his brains between now and next Saturday.

[BobG]

Didn't  Grant say, a while back, that Close would be a player for League 1? If that's true it'd make Close even more suited to play against a Championship side and less suited to the probable blood and thunder of last Saturday's local derby.

BobG

[turnbull for england]

You only have to look at the comments on here pre game , some of which have gracefully taken back it's only fair to say , to see not many would, or should. They won't be coming Saturday to play in the open style Boro tried so it will need a different approach and players. Just lucky we have the squad and manager to seemingly cope

[StocksArmy]

I know one thing…. If Edward’s doesn’t start well and is removed I could hazard a good guess at who they would come for after that.

[sf9944]

I hope there are no more suggestions that Close be allowed to leave. Tonight’s performance by him was sensational.

[BobG]

I know one thing…. If Edward’s doesn’t start well and is removed I could hazard a good guess at who they would come for after that.

Ouch.....

[TheFunk]

I hope there are no more suggestions that Close be allowed to leave. Tonight’s performance by him was sensational.

Selby will be sobbing tonight.

[Forkbeard]

Tonight has made Grants’ job a lot easier to manage the whole squad, as it validates his argument that every player is important. 
It gives him a headache to pick the starting 11 + bench on Saturday but I suspect he will be relishing that.

[Avsuptem]

I gather from Grant's interviews that his philosophy on team selection represents a paradigm leap from the approaches that I grew up with. He has not built a single, best team but with the support of the owners he has built 2+ teams. He does not see the season solely as a game by game competition but rather as a whole entity with various phases within it and various phases within each game as well, the individual game phases are dealt with by application of all 5 substitutes, each match day team is made up of 16 players rather than the best 11 + subs and each group of matches is played by a squad of 22+ most or all of whom will have their time on the pitch. Under this philosophy games aren't just one off occasions even though they are but they are dealt with in the context of an entire season with groups of games in various competitions  seen as a whole  rather than solely match by match. It seems to be a classic Kaizen approach whereby improvement is sought and achieved constantly not merely during a given game but over the entire season.  A rather better approach than if it ain't broke don't fix it and an approach that could very well see us into the championship next season.

[McCammon egg n chips]

I hope there are no more suggestions that Close be allowed to leave. Tonight’s performance by him was sensational.

He obviously played well, which is great.

But let's remember the same manager - the one we laud as all seeing and all knowing - thought Close was merely good enough for non league Eastleigh just a few months ago.

One swallow doesn't make a summer. It would be lovely if Close stepped up from here. But let's not roll out those three year contracts just yet eh.

[dickos1]

I hope there are no more suggestions that Close be allowed to leave. Tonight’s performance by him was sensational.

He obviously played well, which is great.

But let's remember the same manager - the one we laud as all seeing and all knowing - thought Close was merely good enough for non league Eastleigh just a few months ago.

One swallow doesn't make a summer. It would be lovely if Close stepped up from here. But let's not roll out those three year contracts just yet eh.

Well you certainly don’t laud McCann as all seeing and knowing, back in April you were laying into him and then a few weeks later we won the title and you’ve been a bit quiet since

[roversdaft]

Grant hit the nail on the head in his post match interview:

We don’t have a second team, they’re all first team players

[RobTheRover]

I gather from Grant's interviews that his philosophy on team selection represents a paradigm leap from the approaches that I grew up with. He has not built a single, best team but with the support of the owners he has built 2+ teams. He does not see the season solely as a game by game competition but rather as a whole entity with various phases within it and various phases within each game as well, the individual game phases are dealt with by application of all 5 substitutes, each match day team is made up of 16 players rather than the best 11 + subs and each group of matches is played by a squad of 22+ most or all of whom will have their time on the pitch. Under this philosophy games aren't just one off occasions even though they are but they are dealt with in the context of an entire season with groups of games in various competitions  seen as a whole  rather than solely match by match. It seems to be a classic Kaizen approach whereby improvement is sought and achieved constantly not merely during a given game but over the entire season.  A rather better approach than if it ain't broke don't fix it and an approach that could very well see us into the championship next season.

I've been saying this for a while.  It's not about the starting XI at all. Grant picks a team for phases of play across a whole game. The subs aren't reactionary. They are planned.

He has a game plan to come out on top over the full 90 minutes and that will have multiple phases within it requiring different personnel.  This is why he says we will need everyone this season. Because we will.

[Alan Southstand]

Great interview from GM after the game. Obviously very proud and got a huge lift from the fact that Boro’ changed what they were doing because of how we were playing.

I hope he doesn’t get itchy feet again! He seems to be really enjoying himself with us.

[Ian Nimmo]

Grant hit the nail on the head in his post match interview:

We don’t have a second team, they’re all first team players

It was interesting to see that when the chant was we are only playing our second team, it appeared to me the that Billy was looking towards our fans. I maybe wrong and that he was looking for some other reason, but looked to me like he didn’t appreciate that chant?

[IDM]

Close might just be one of those players who does perform better against better quality opponents.

He played regularly, a lot of games for Portsmouth in the third tier, not so long ago.

[mpc123]

Mccann is great isn't he.

[sf9944]

I hope there are no more suggestions that Close be allowed to leave. Tonight’s performance by him was sensational.

He obviously played well, which is great.

But let's remember the same manager - the one we laud as all seeing and all knowing - thought Close was merely good enough for non league Eastleigh just a few months ago.

One swallow doesn't make a summer. It would be lovely if Close stepped up from here. But let's not roll out those three year contracts just yet eh.

He was coming back from a fairly serious injury last year and didn’t have many opportunities due to the good form of others.

His performance last night had everything; sublime passes, interceptions, great tackling, a goal…

Definitely feel he is more suited to playing at a higher level and I’d be keeping him around!

[Bentley Bullet]

Mccann is great isn't he.

I reckon he cheats a bit by taking expert advice from us posters on this forum.

[DearneValleyRover]

I’ve a feeling it will be the same 11 as Mansfield that start on Saturday the only changes are likely to be on the bench

[scawsby steve]

I’ve a feeling it will be the same 11 as Mansfield that start on Saturday the only changes are likely to be on the bench

We didn't have a natural RB at Mansfield. Surely Nixon earned a start this Saturday after last night's performance.

It also should be noted that we only really played Mansfield off the park after the subs were made.

I reckon there's a chance that Nixon and Gotts could both start on Saturday.

[DearneValleyRover]

I’ve a feeling it will be the same 11 as Mansfield that start on Saturday the only changes are likely to be on the bench

We didn't have a natural RB at Mansfield. Surely Nixon earned a start this Saturday after last night's performance.

It also should be noted that we only really played Mansfield off the park after the subs were made.

I reckon there's a chance that Nixon and Gotts could both start on Saturday.

Any of those that started last night deserve to start on Saturday I just think McCann will stick with the Mansfield line up

[jmt23]

The problem is no one form the Saturday side deserves to be dropped either.

If I was Westbrooke I would now be looking for a loan out, didn’t get anytime in  the 2nd first team.

[roversdude]

Nixon could be a great player but does need game time, he looked (even more) out on his feet last night and then scored

[LincsRover]

In reply to the OP I would say probably most of the current managers in the EFL, and plenty of unemployed ones, would give their right arm to be managing such a well run club, in form, reigning league 2 champions, and with such a supportive owner & CEO.

I should think GM is relishing his role at the moment. Long may it continue! 

[McCammon egg n chips]

Well you certainly don’t laud McCann as all seeing and knowing, back in April you were laying into him and then a few weeks later we won the title and you’ve been a bit quiet since

Lol, I don't think that's quite how it was. It's funny how the slightest nuance of opinion is taken like a red rag to a bull.

One thing I take massive exception to is that the quantity of messages on here is somehow correlated to how much of a fan you are, or how much you back the manager or the club. As it happens, post Notts County and the celebrations (which happened in real life, not online for me), I've had an extended time of period off work, life just going on, and let's be honest pre-season isn't the most exciting time on a fan forum about football when no football is being played. It's bizarre that you'd try and weaponise a lack of posts over a three month period of no football to have a dig.

[Padge_DRFC]

Nixon could be a great player but does need game time, he looked (even more) out on his feet last night and then scored

Doesn't give wingers a second. Good defensively. End product going forward though is generally poor compared v Sterry