[Archived] Michael Appleton - New Rovers Manager

[Kelbo]

Helped QPR get promoted from this league, despite being @#/? in the league we were just relegated from. That tells me he could be what we need at RB, esp if it frees up Henley for LB (his natural position) and Olsson (if he stays) for the left wing.

Are in a 'wood for trees' situation or something?

Yes, Orr was a cock, but he could be the cock that helps us get promoted! On the evidence of being 1st choice RB for a promoted side, we could do with him in our side.

Adam is a right full back, can play left but his natural position is on the right!!

[BuckyRover]

Appleton is going to do just fine.

Ill reassess the validity of this statement in a few months.

[Mike E]

Adam is a right full back, can play left but his natural position is on the right!!

My mistake. I always assumed he was left-footed for some reason. Ta for putting me right

[Doug]

My mistake. I always assumed he was left-footed for some reason. Ta for putting me right

I thought he was a natural LB also, didn't he play this position against MU and Liverpool last season?

[thenodrog]

Orr can play centre midfield I think. Might be an option even though he is a to$$er.

Has to be cos

a. he's not enough pace to play at full back.

b. he's nowt to beat to get a regular game in midfield.

[Kelbo]

I thought he was a natural LB also, didn't he play this position against MU and Liverpool last season?

Me too, was someone at the club who put me right on that one, that means we have a player on our hands when we aren't sure which side is his favoured position, we must look after this lad as in my opinion, he will be mint, may be wrong on this but dont think I am!!

[LeChuck]

"Our recruitment policy needs improving 10-fold. We have too many players here who are far too similar to each other," he said.

Well he's obviously referring to the way players have been brought into the club by people like Anderson, Singh and other agents around the world, without the manager having a say. Well I can think of a number of individuals on this board who have argued that there was nothing wrong with either that, or agents charging shed loads of money. After all, that's how it works on the continent was the argument.

He's also probably referring to the club letting virtually all of it's best players go and buying young players from varying parts of the globe. Plenty defended that policy as well. It's the way a club of our statue needs to go we were told.

I think most of us read that Den in that we have an unbalanced squad with too many players who want to play in the same position. I don't think it really has anything to do with the above.

[Salgado Is A Hero]

I think most of us read that Den in that we have an unbalanced squad with too many players who want to play in the same position. I don't think it really has anything to do with the above.

I agree.

"We have too many players here who are far too similar to each other."

I think he's saying something about having too many players who play in similar positions.

[broadsword]

Well surely there's an implicit criticism there?

How did it come to be that we have too many players too similar too each other competing for certain positions?

Did the transfer fairy throw a moody one day and decide to screw us up?

[JAL]

I agree.

"We have too many players here who are far too similar to each other."

I think he's saying something about having too many players who play in similar positions.

Wonder which brfcs messageboarder his PR got that one off.

[LeChuck]

Well surely there's an implicit criticism there?

How did it come to be that we have too many players too similar too each other competing for certain positions?

Did the transfer fairy throw a moody one day and decide to screw us up?

There is explicit criticism, he said the policy has been all wrong and needs improving.

But Appleton isn't saying a continental system of transfers being chosen by someone other than the manager does not work. He is not saying we shouldn't sign young players from foreign countries.

I know Den has been quite vocal on those two points, I just felt it was twisting and stretching the words into something they weren't to score points. It's pretty obvious the quote is point to our massively unbalanced squad and glut of attacking midfielders.

[den]

Well surely there's an implicit criticism there?

How did it come to be that we have too many players too similar too each other competing for certain positions?

Did the transfer fairy throw a moody one day and decide to screw us up?

Thanks Bryan. It's obvious what he meant.

[allan]

A couple of Ipswich season ticketholders in my office are underwhelmed by Orr and not sorry to see him leave.

[blueboy3333]

Worrying, very worrying, the alarm bells should be are ringing loud and clear with that message.

You really are a big drama queen! I'll be worrying when you have anything sensible to say. Appleton is hardly going to slate Orr if he's coming back. We aren't blessed at right-back (apart from Henley who will be a fantastic player) so bringing Orr back is a sensible decision, not least because he knows this league.

MA has a lot on at Rovers but at least he's identified immediately where the problems are i.e. lots of players bought by Singh and Kean who can't compete in this league, poor fitness coaches, poor scouting and idiots like Singh getting involved where he shouldn't. Already MA is a vast improvement on Kean and Berg.

[savage90]

Too many players who don't have set positions so you never know who to play where. Accumulation of a poor/ crooked transfer policy since the takeover. There has been a mass build up of foreign attacking players like a kid playing football manager. Formica, Vukcevic, Rochina, Marcus Olsson, Jason Lowe, Diogo Rosodo, Fabio Nunes, Paulo Jorge, Edinho Juniho, Joshua King, Colin Kazim Richards... No structure, no balance, a severe lack of stability, simplicity and forward thinking has got us no where. Probably what Appleton is getting at. Our squad is no where near good enough and the core is rotten. Mass clear out needed and I'd happily see them all leave. I imagine his first thoughts in training were 'what the f**k has gone on here.'

[Mercer]

Keep it up Appy and sort these, IMO, clowns out:

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/294381/

[JBiz]

[dwayne cage]

Hope we keep Nuno. I think he has a lot to offer still

[USABlue]

Well I must say all the good work Appleton did in getting me to perhaps warm to him has been undone with the Orr situation. I can't think of anyone in recent memory who looked so bad for us. I had wondered what McCarthy saw in him. Mick's no fool so there must be something about Orr, I just did not see it this season. Maybe Appleton can get more out of him.

Has this JAL poster ever made a positive post?

[Rover_Shaun]

Well I must say all the good work Appleton did in getting me to perhaps warm to him has been undone with the Orr situation. I can't think of anyone in recent memory who looked so bad for us. I had wondered what McCarthy saw in him. Mick's no fool so there must be something about Orr, I just did not see it this season. Maybe Appleton can get more out of him.

Has this JAL poster ever made a positive post?

So McCarthy has never bought a donkey? Come on get a grip

[broadsword]

There is explicit criticism, he said the policy has been all wrong and needs improving.

But Appleton isn't saying a continental system of transfers being chosen by someone other than the manager does not work. He is not saying we shouldn't sign young players from foreign countries.

I know Den has been quite vocal on those two points, I just felt it was twisting and stretching the words into something they weren't to score points. It's pretty obvious the quote is point to our massively unbalanced squad and glut of attacking midfielders.

But we haven't had a continental system, we've had a free-for-all. That's why the squad's in such a mess.

There's no need for Den to distort quotes because things have been an utter farce. You honestly couldn't make it up.

I believe his point is that people who don't understand what they're @#/? doing shouldn't mess with things they don't understand.

[Tom]

Keep it up Appy and sort these, IMO, clowns out:

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/294381/

Hopefully after these comments and if they put a shift in tonight we can put the 'players not playing for him' nonsense to bed

[koi]

Good to see he's bringing in his own men, something Berg desperately needed to do.

[martmitch]

I like the hard as nails vibe coming from appleton, to be afraid of letting someone down usually gets the best out of people

[Mercer]

I like the hard as nails vibe coming from appleton, to be afraid of letting someone down usually gets the best out of people

I think the penny has dropped with some of the 'prima donnas' and speculation is that quite a few are feeling very uncomfortable now.

Realistic and no bullsh1t here:

http://www.rovers.co.uk/news/article/it-will-take-time-612512.aspx

If you read between the lines, he knows, IMO, just how much the squad is both overrated and unbalanced.

A breath of fresh air I would say.