v Portsmouth (a) - 29/3/2025

[Penwortham Blue]

I said it at the time and will say it again, any appointment after Eustace left us should have been for the 12 remaining games and play offs. Irrespective of whether it was to be David Lowe, Damian Johnson, Big Sam, Steven Gerrard or even Jurgen Klopp, there was never any business sense to making a long-term appointment, until after the season had played out. Our position in the play off places offered a perfect opportunity to construct a highly incentivised short term arrangement for a results driven name or keep it in house at little cost until outcomes were known. As it is the stooges somehow managed to bring in a dud on a long-term deal and make a very expensive mistake ! 

[Mattyblue]

It’s because unlike pretty much every other professional football club, this is a club owned/run by individuals that have no issue with relegation, indeed make conscious decisions to make it more likely.

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

I now wonder whether the word had got out that ismael was coming before the first no-show at Swansea ?  For what ever reason the players aren’t playing for him.

Edited March 30 by Tyrone Shoelaces

[Penwortham Blue]

13 minutes ago, Penwortham Blue said:

I said it at the time and will say it again, any appointment after Eustace left us should have been for the 12 remaining games and play offs. Irrespective of whether it was to be David Lowe, Damian Johnson, Big Sam, Steven Gerrard or even Jurgen Klopp, there was never any business sense to making a long-term appointment, until after the season had played out. Our position in the play off places offered a perfect opportunity to construct a highly incentivised short term arrangement for a results driven name or keep it in house at little cost until outcomes were known. As it is the stooges somehow managed to bring in a dud on a long-term deal and make a very expensive mistake ! 

Having said that, even allowing for the Stooges at the helm, I would still be absolutely staggered if there isn’t a break clause in Ismael’s contract. Surely the consequences to the business of a predictable post appointment death spiral must have been considered and covered 🤷‍♂️

[Penwortham Blue]

3 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

I now wonder whether the word had got out that ismael was coming before the first no-show at Swansea ?  For what ever reason the players aren’t playing for him.

Well they certainly didn’t show up there, either your spot on or that performance forced them to move away from Lowe / Johnston until the end of season.

[Tomphil2]

They haven't been able to commit to any long term contracts for the higher paid players and everything at the club is short term'ism so how the hell have they committed 3.5 years for this fella ?

Very odd,  pray there is a 6 month summer clause and he decides to walk.

[lraC]

43 minutes ago, Penwortham Blue said:

I said it at the time and will say it again, any appointment after Eustace left us should have been for the 12 remaining games and play offs. Irrespective of whether it was to be David Lowe, Damian Johnson, Big Sam, Steven Gerrard or even Jurgen Klopp, there was never any business sense to making a long-term appointment, until after the season had played out. Our position in the play off places offered a perfect opportunity to construct a highly incentivised short term arrangement for a results driven name or keep it in house at little cost until outcomes were known. As it is the stooges somehow managed to bring in a dud on a long-term deal and make a very expensive mistake ! 

It has to be one of the craziest decisions of this ownership and let’s face it, there have been plenty.

I know we are unlikely to get an answer, but Waggott need to explain why was that 12 games with a big incentive, if achieved, not taken advantage of? Surely it was a one off opportunity, where a real top class appointment was on the cards, albeit a short term one. 

[Hasta]

1 hour ago, Penwortham Blue said:

Having said that, even allowing for the Stooges at the helm, I would still be absolutely staggered if there isn’t a break clause in Ismael’s contract.

There isn't going to be a "we can get rid of you for free" clause unless it's something drastic like linked to an actual relegation. There might be some period when the pay-off would be reduced, but I'm sure it will still cost money to shift him out.

Why would they do this? Waggot is almost at retirement but needed to solve the manager problem before he goes. He really doesn't give a shit if there's any mess when he has gone. Suhail will have signed off on a cheap manager who he feels won't give him a problem or jump ship. Venkys don't care. Rudy's will have been an inexperienced stooge in the managerial process.

Edited March 30 by Hasta

[lraC]

12 minutes ago, Hasta said:

There isn't going to be a "we can get rid of you for free" clause unless it's something drastic like linked to an actual relegation. There might be some period when the pay-off would be reduced, but I'm sure it will still cost money to shift him out.

Why would they do this? Waggot is almost at retirement but needed to solve the manager problem before he goes. He really doesn't give a shit if there's any mess when he has gone. Suhail will have signed off on a cheap manager who he feels won't give him a problem or jump ship. Venkys don't care. Rudy's will have been an inexperienced stooge in the managerial process.

I’m going with a link between Gestede and Ismael. Jobs for the boys. Come on mate, here is a nice long contract for you. Don’t worry about your recent failings, it doesn’t matter here. 

[Penwortham Blue]

29 minutes ago, lraC said:

I’m going with a link between Gestede and Ismael. Jobs for the boys. Come on mate, here is a nice long contract for you. Don’t worry about your recent failings, it doesn’t matter here. 

Tres bien 👌

[Andy]

2 hours ago, Bohinen1983 said:

Thought Buckley looked good yesterday.. cantwell too.. both should be pushing to start now imo..

Yeah, both showed a bit of desire and quality on the ball that none of the others (possibly barring Ribiero) had in the proceeding minutes.

Football can be a simple game and team selection is one of those elements.
Pick your best players, put them in their most effective positions and give some clear instructions.

[ossyian]

2 hours ago, Bohinen1983 said:

Thought Buckley looked good yesterday.. cantwell too.. both should be pushing to start now imo..

Yes he looked good and at least tried to play forwards. Pity the rest just played sideways and backwards! Travis and Tronstad were abysmal yesterday.

[chaddyrovers]

5 hours ago, arbitro said:

😂

Playing two false nines or two double pivots is the way to go.

Don't get me started on low blocs neither

Woodrow and Ohashi has a front 2 doesn't make sure unless you press them high 

I think Ohashi and Gueye as a front 2 is a better partnership or Ohashi and Cantwell

[arbitro]

2 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

Woodrow and Ohashi has a front 2 doesn't make sure unless you press them high 

I think Ohashi and Gueye as a front 2 is a better partnership or Ohashi and Cantwell

They weren't a front two in any conventional sense. Their positioning and movement was random at best. Watching the match it was almost impossible to say any position where they actually playing.

The structure of the team in forward areas was extremely poor.

That's on Ismael.

[chaddyrovers]

5 hours ago, Mattyblue said:

Should Ismael have been appointed?

if you are asking before we played one game under Ismael, think I can see why he was chosen as Eustace's appointment 

if the question is based on after 5 games, then results and performance suggested not. 

Anything else Matty? 

 

[Mattyblue]

Should he get next season, or would it be best all round if we went our separate ways in May?

[chaddyrovers]

5 minutes ago, arbitro said:

They weren't a front two in any conventional sense. Their positioning and movement was random at best. Watching the match it was almost impossible to say any position where they actually playing.

The structure of the team in forward areas was extremely poor.

That's on Ismael.

As a front 2, its doesn't seem right to me, You want a target man with a number 10 goalscorer/pacey striker/pressing forward(Ohashi) or playmaker as number 10 with a striker who makes runs in behind 

How much you set up on Friday night team selection and formation wise? 

[chaddyrovers]

4 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

Should he get next season, or would it be best all round if we went our separate ways in May?

Depends on results and also if you scouting players to fit into Ismael next season tactics Surely better off backing him. This should have been part of the interview process for the head coach appointment 

[arbitro]

4 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

As a front 2, its doesn't seem right to me, You want a target man with a number 10 goalscorer/pacey striker/pressing forward(Ohashi) or playmaker as number 10 with a striker who makes runs in behind 

How much you set up on Friday night team selection and formation wise? 

In his five games so far there hasn't been any high press with Ismael. Opponents are allowed time to pick options and we just haven't tried to force any errors.

It's almost like anything that was reasonably successful under Eustace has been discarded by Ismael.

[Mattyblue]

How about not scouting players for him, we instead shake hands in May and move on. 

It’s been a mistake, why compound it?
 

Edited March 30 by Mattyblue

[lraC]

5 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

How about not scouting players for him, we instead shake hands in May and move on. 

It’s been a mistake, why compound it?
 

I think most of us realise that now. 

[lraC]

7 minutes ago, arbitro said:

In his five games so far there hasn't been any high press with Ismael. Opponents are allowed time to pick options and we just haven't tried to force any errors.

It's almost like anything that was reasonably successful under Eustace has been discarded by Ismael.

He seems stubborn in the extreme. 

[chaddyrovers]

4 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

You are still clearly in the honeymoon stage with Ismael where you are deluding yourself into thinking he might be a good appointment. You wont accept at least publically that he may be a dud.

Results will determine whether appointment of Ismael was good one or not. You had similar doubts with JDT and Eustace I bet after 5 games. 

 

4 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

You repeatedly have started to try and criticise former managers in a way you never did during their employment. The squad is undoubtedly limited, as I have said before recruitment has been poor which is unsurprising when the budget is so low and a novice is in charge. But its certainly better than 4 losses to 4 strugglers. Yes Eustace sometimes lost to struggling sides but not every single time like Ismael. We beat Derby this season at home, we beat Portsmouth this season, we won at Hull this season, we beat Oxford this season, we beat Luton this season, all of these were under Eustace. We also beat Plymouth under Lowe. Had we say won 2 and lost 2 of the last 4, people may have still been frustrated, but prior inconsistencies against lower clubs could be raised. To not get a single point goes beyond that, and invalidates that point.

I criticise when they were employed just not repeatably like yourself who loved to criticise even for the minor of points 

We also lost to Oxford away, Hull at home under Eustace, but the most alarming stat for me is our record against Promote teams and losing to them under 4 different head coaches to them. No concerns about that I see, 

 

4 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

You keep mentioning what he wants to do with his style but thats not a style we are seeing. We arent creating more chances passing it, unsurprising as our team doesnt suit that. A stat I have just read, the lowest shots on target per game this season is Plymouth with 3. Under Ismael, we have had 12 shots on target in 5 games, so 2.4 per game.

I see bits of different ways, getting wide and putting more crosses in which is what Ismael has spoken about and did post games. 

4 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

He had 2 weeks to work with the squad and we looked just as bad yesterday. The team looks disjointed, lacking an identity, doesnt look like it knows what the manager wants from them. You are the only one who sees any green shoots because you base his management on what he says he wants to do rather than what you see.

Yes we do looked disjointed yesterday mostly but we try to get the ball wide a few times similar to the Cardiff game. If you didn't fine but I did, This is what I think Ismael's identity and style of play he wants. If I am wrong, I will hold my hands up and admit I was wrong like I have done before. 

4 hours ago, roversfan99 said:

And we dont NEED to win the next game. Its meaningless. Ismael has ensured that he obliterated any chance of the play offs, he took over with us in them and after 4 games the chances were over, they definitely are after 5 games. We wont go down as we had enough points before he came in so there is nothing to play for. The atmosphere will likely be toxic, its free reign for people to show their displeasure now there is nothing to play for.

Yes we do need to win the next game and we need to be right behind the players and backing them. I want to win the game. If you don't fine. Anything can happen in Football. Coventry and WBA both lost their game but we couldn't win our games. 

[rigger]

10 minutes ago, Mattyblue said:

How about not scouting players for him, we instead shake hands in May and move on. 

It’s been a mistake, why compound it?
 

In the owners eyes, it might not have been a mistake. 

[Mattyblue]

I’m taking about what we would do.

Of course he will be here, he’s contracted till 2028, so the owners obviously have no issue with League 1.

Edited March 30 by Mattyblue