[Archived] The Gary Bowyer Thread

[Stuart]

Football is a cut-throat business. There can be no room for sentimentality. Not until you are promoted with games to spare anyway.

Thanks to Bowyer for steadying the ship but we now need to move on.

[K-Hod]

Liam Feeney was another pointless signing Joe. It just seems if we're going to insist on signing players then surely they should offer something different to what is already in the squad?

What's the point in signing a central midfielder who's the same as our existing ones?

[LDRover]

I don't see how one can't look at Bowyer as a negative manager after he was doing cartwheels after the 0-0 draw at home to Yeovil last season.

A game that we desperately needed to win.

[JBiz]

Liam Feeney was another pointless signing Joe. It just seems if we're going to insist on signing players then surely they should offer something different to what is already in the squad?

What's the point in signing a central midfielder who's the same as our existing ones?

Hold on, you can't have it both ways! We either need a new cm or we don't- I know you think we lack a complete centre midfielder. In hindsight it's easy to say spearing was a waste of time but as many allude to- we needed something different in CM. What if Spearing had kept up the form of his debut?

In terms of Feeney, Pacey winger that's at another club at our level or at least was? Cheap 3 month loan? Hardly a "signing for the sake of it", Kenneth. The fact he got some game time is probably indicative of what we had available at that time.

Any more examples?

I don't see how one can't look at Bowyer as a negative manager after he was doing cartwheels after the 0-0 draw at home to Yeovil last season.

A game that we desperately needed to win.

Well since we are taking one game in isolation I'll add "I don't see how one can look at Bowyer as a negative manager after the stoke home game"

Football is a cut-throat business. There can be no room for sentimentality. Not until you are promoted with games to spare anyway.

Thanks to Bowyer for steadying the ship but we now need to move on.

Can't fully move on until issues are dealt with above.

[gumboots]

Cup matches are different. Don't know why but they always are. That's how Bradford beat chelsea. If it had been a league game 99/100 times chelsea would have won, perhaps even 100/100. But the cup does funny things to managers, players, fans and expectations. You can't say Bowyer is a positive manager because of the Stoke game because it proves nothing. Was he a positive manager in most of the league games we watched? No he wasn't, not at Ewood at least. I don't think he deliberately sets out to be negative but there has to be a reason why we defend deep and rarely take the lead even against teams below us and when we do, there must be a reason why we can't kill games off and often end up conceding. And that reason has to be to do with the manager. Even if it's not deliberate tactics it must be what he's conveying in body language or something to the players.

[Mike Graham]

Has numb nuts gone yet?

[Stuart]

And people say debate is dead.

[K-Hod]

Hold on, you can't have it both ways! We either need a new cm or we don't- I know you think we lack a complete centre midfielder. In hindsight it's easy to say spearing was a waste of time but as many allude to- we needed something different in CM. What if Spearing had kept up the form of his debut?

In terms of Feeney, Pacey winger that's at another club at our level or at least was? Cheap 3 month loan? Hardly a "signing for the sake of it", Kenneth. The fact he got some game time is probably indicative of what we had available at that time.

Any more examples?

Well since we are taking one game in isolation I'll add "I don't see how one can look at Bowyer as a negative manager after the stoke home game"

Can't fully move on until issues are dealt with above.

What you going on about lad? Evans, Williamson, Lowe, spearing-all the same. Why can't we have a midfielder that drives forward or back with purpose and urgency? Other teams get them on loan or sign them on frees, why can't we? That's what FFP has limited us to as we keep being told :-)

Instead of a midfielder that has the same qualities as our existing players. Assuming Spearing had been scouted, then we'd know ahead of time what type of player he was, same goes for Feeney. Fair one, Feeney was quicker than our wide players bar King, but bar that, he wasn't any better.

[RevidgeBlue]

What other examples do you have? I'd agree with you on Judge but he moaned to the press after being back 5 minutes.

Only other example you gave was spearing, and I thought that made sense personally. Lost tunnicliffe, and as you rightly have surmised, we need a different type of player in the middle.

Busy this afternoon but should get chance to give a more detailed reply lately.

The krux in the difference of our views is basically I feel like GB has improved us since he took over. In the circumstances he inherited, I still rate that accomplishment quite highly. Has he delivered the necessary goods? Well that's a different discussion, but painting his philosophy as abject negativity is a little short sighted IMO.

P. Taylor was another completely pointless signing. "There's a loan space become free so we'll fill it."

[Mike E]

Nonsense Jbizzle, about Judge. Never moaned at all. Only spoke out when on loan (after a conversation with Bowyer, no less) and has since proven his supporters right.

We should always have intended to play him behind Rhodes and/or Gestede à la Dunn.

[JBiz]

What you going on about lad? Evans, Williamson, Lowe, spearing-all the same. Why can't we have a midfielder that drives forward or back with purpose and urgency? Other teams get them on loan or sign them on frees, why can't we? That's what FFP has limited us to as we keep being told :-)

Instead of a midfielder that has the same qualities as our existing players. Assuming Spearing had been scouted, then we'd know ahead of time what type of player he was, same goes for Feeney. Fair one, Feeney was quicker than our wide players bar King, but bar that, he wasn't any better.

What am I going on about? I'm questioning the quote about signings for the sake of it. Signings for the sake of it is completely different to what you've changed tact to- the transfer business has had issues but what you suggest is completely different.

Your talking in hindsight about Spearing. We know now that he didn't work but we needed something else at the time. Available on loan, likely cheap and risk free. It's not an excuse to say he was signed from a limited amount of choices due to passed wasted funds is it?

Also- these other combatant central midfielders who do both jobs on frees? Who? It's one thing saying that what we need is obvious, it's another offering any actual examples.

Paul Taylor made perfect sense to me. Potentially free in a month or two, cost nothing or any risk, if he shows something and you get him cheap - if not he goes, hardly a questionable signing!

[JBiz]

Nonsense Jbizzle, about Judge. Never moaned at all. Only spoke out when on loan (after a conversation with Bowyer, no less) and has since proven his supporters right.

We should always have intended to play him behind Rhodes and/or Gestede à la Dunn.

Hardly pulled up trees in the time he was back- he joined when we had a mass exodus also, so we needed bodies. I think if you look at that time, there was a real change in tactic from above, where we first looked at frees and then spent the Martin Olsson cash on a few other players. Again, example of ownership hindrance.

[JAL]

P. Taylor was another completely pointless signing. "There's a loan space become free so we'll fill it."

Did the agent swap him for his other client Varney who controls Gary.

[Waggy76]

Did the agent swap him for his other client Varney who controls Gary.

could quite possibly be true ..

[roverandout]

Hardly pulled up trees in the time he was back- he joined when we had a mass exodus also, so we needed bodies. I think if you look at that time, there was a real change in tactic from above, where we first looked at frees and then spent the Martin Olsson cash on a few other players. Again, example of ownership hindrance.

So why not promote from within? Why waste wages and money? For the sake of it? Bowyer brought him here, he takes full responsibility for judges failure.

[LDRover]

Blimey JBizzle, I offer up an example of negativity and you counter it with a sh1t or bust cup game against 10 men!!

Seriously,are you just obtuse for the sake of it?

Anyway,add that to the 0-0 v Weds last season (another momentum killer), 0-0 against Hudds this season (no meaningful efforts on goal) and the 1-1 v quite possibly the worst side I've ever seen in Blackpool when we packed defence for a point.

I'm sure there's more, in fact I know there's more but I'm sure you'll counter it with a free scoring 30 mins against Barnsley last season.

[47er]

That's the bloke. Fantastic footballer. IMO the third best central mid we had in the last fifteen years after Tugay and Savage. Proper box to box player which you very rarely see today. Shame we couldn't keep him but he was on mega money I think.

The midfield three of P Jones, Nzonzi and J Jones was very good. Unfortunately we had a total a bellend for a manager.

It is incredible, looking back, how we struggled with those 3 in situ. If only we had them now. They would see us promoted on their own.

Bloody Kean.

[JBiz]

Blimey JBizzle, I offer up an example of negativity and you counter it with a sh1t or bust cup game against 10 men!!

Seriously,are you just obtuse for the sake of it?

Anyway,add that to the 0-0 v Weds last season (another momentum killer), 0-0 against Hudds this season (no meaningful efforts on goal) and the 1-1 v quite possibly the worst side I've ever seen in Blackpool when we packed defence for a point.

I'm sure there's more, in fact I know there's more but I'm sure you'll counter it with a free scoring 30 mins against Barnsley last season.

So back to the "if you think that you must be..." type post. Absolutely sick of it. I'm posting my opinion and nothing more, not being deliberately obtuse which is just a fancy way of calling me a troll.

You gave one example to sum up your opinion. I gave an alternative one to show how ridiculous one game in isolation is. Thankfully, you offer more this time- makes your point a lot easier to understand.

Thing is though, I could list a lot of cracking performances, Barnsley (like you say) brum away, sheff weds, stoke, Fulham away, charlton, Bolton first half, Swansea home, etc etc.

Inconsistency is obvious to me.

[gumboots]

You don't get a season ticket for away games or cup games though. To put bums on seats you have to be decent in home league games and we are not.

[JBiz]

You don't get a season ticket for away games or cup games though. To put bums on seats you have to be decent in home league games and we are not.

You are quite right Gumboots, we've been inconsistent everywhere, struggled at home and that's not helped get people back on side.

I agree in some ways with the season ticket point you make, as if feels more like an obligation- ill still be renewing, but I've missed more games in the past 5 years than I did in the 15 years before combined. Often due to sheer apathy- I'd purposely avoid organising or attending stuff that got in the way. Not since the Raos arrived...

... And that is the problem. In terms of GB- until we establish some sort of plan from the top, any change has the propensity to take us even further downwards. I still see a lot more chance in GB getting more consistent displays, than us hiring someone who will ignite the fans, the players and bring back everything we've lost. I equally can't see us going backwards like the BRFCC prophecy of late. If we lose one striker, it could be a blessing in disguise if it lets us exit FFP and play a regular 451. If we lose both, I'd harbour some belief that GB could pull another Rudy Gestede if he had a little money to manoeuvre.

[arbitro]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33125007

Put's that link to Rovers to bed.

[chaddyrovers]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33125007

Put's that link to Rovers to bed.

Not surprised he has gone to Rangers now.

[Stuart]

The Weir link probably sealed it. Another good manager scored out. If only Venkys actually had a list.

[Amo]

I thought Warburton wouldn't be interested in moving up north?

[blueboy3333]

Meanwhile, back at Brentford, Moneyball is in full-effect.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33101486