: Fri Nov 28, 2008 9:09 am  

Highlander wrote:

None of the above. I thought (probably naively) that the franchise system, by eliminating relegation, allowed clubs time to develop, plan for the future etc. It also removed the knee jerk reaction of managers getting in antipodean journeymen midseason and also the knee jerk reaction of boards sacking managers due to a run of poor results.

OK. Lets look at a scenario then. Assuming our current man in the hotseat continues the rich vein of mediocrity that he has produced since April 2006. Would sacking him then be classed as a "knee jerk reaction"?

: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:23 am  

mystic eddie wrote: OK. Lets look at a scenario then. Assuming our current man in the hotseat continues the rich vein of mediocrity that he has produced since April 2006. Would sacking him then be classed as a "knee jerk reaction"? I feel the cold shadow of the BFMT fall upon me, but still...

mystic eddie wrote: OK. Lets look at a scenario then. Assuming our current man in the hotseat continues the rich vein of mediocrity that he has produced since April 2006. Would sacking him then be classed as a "knee jerk reaction"? I feel the cold shadow of the BFMT fall upon me, but still...

: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:40 am  

af wrote: I feel the cold shadow of the BFMT fall upon me, but still... Hmmm. Using an example of a man who had proven success at other clubs before taking on a big job? That seems odd. Perhaps if Mr M had started lower and worked his way up in management we could have a bit more faith in his ability to get it right. However, your point, as relevant as it may or may not be, does a sacking after three years of mediocrity represent a "knee jerk reaction"? Sir Alex Ferguson may be a good example of how things can go right eventually, but he is pretty much a one-off. The stories of failure far outweigh Mr Ferguson's pretty much solitary success story. Still, not like you to look for the positive spin.

af wrote: I feel the cold shadow of the BFMT fall upon me, but still... Hmmm. Using an example of a man who had proven success at other clubs before taking on a big job? That seems odd. Perhaps if Mr M had started lower and worked his way up in management we could have a bit more faith in his ability to get it right. However, your point, as relevant as it may or may not be, does a sacking after three years of mediocrity represent a "knee jerk reaction"? Sir Alex Ferguson may be a good example of how things can go right eventually, but he is pretty much a one-off. The stories of failure far outweigh Mr Ferguson's pretty much solitary success story. Still, not like you to look for the positive spin.

: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:45 am  

af wrote: I feel the cold shadow of the BFMT fall upon me, but still... Yeah, but Ferguson had a fairly impressive CV before joining Man Utd, cup winners cup, a few scotish cups and a brace of league wins. McNamara has won squat and has had the opposite effect of ferguson, taking a championship side to mid-table instead of a mid-table team to championships

af wrote: I feel the cold shadow of the BFMT fall upon me, but still... Yeah, but Ferguson had a fairly impressive CV before joining Man Utd, cup winners cup, a few scotish cups and a brace of league wins. McNamara has won squat and has had the opposite effect of ferguson, taking a championship side to mid-table instead of a mid-table team to championships

: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:50 am  

It wouldn't suprise me in the slightest if McBanana comes out of the closet. SOMEONE must be admiring Solomona's curves in the dressing room

: Fri Nov 28, 2008 10:55 am  

tigertot wrote:

Strange how the Mac 'M' can look like a pair of t1ts & the banana vaguely phallic when your mind is restricted

Trust you to come up with that tigs - or should that be priapus?

Now that you mention it there is something macro-phallic about it, with a couple of firmly held cheeks

: Fri Nov 28, 2008 11:37 am  

mystic eddie wrote:

Hmmm.

Using an example of a man who had proven success at other clubs before taking on a big job? That seems odd. Perhaps if Mr M had started lower and worked his way up in management we could have a bit more faith in his ability to get it right.

However, your point, as relevant as it may or may not be, does a sacking after three years of mediocrity represent a "knee jerk reaction"? Sir Alex Ferguson may be a good example of how things can go right eventually, but he is pretty much a one-off. The stories of failure far outweigh Mr Ferguson's pretty much solitary success story.

Still, not like you to look for the positive spin.

No sign of the 'Mystic Eddie For Chairman' campaign I see.

: Fri Nov 28, 2008 11:48 am  

mystic eddie wrote:

Hmmm.

Using an example of a man who had proven success at other clubs before taking on a big job? That seems odd. Perhaps if Mr M had started lower and worked his way up in management we could have a bit more faith in his ability to get it right.

However, your point, as relevant as it may or may not be, does a sacking after three years of mediocrity represent a "knee jerk reaction"? Sir Alex Ferguson may be a good example of how things can go right eventually, but he is pretty much a one-off. The stories of failure far outweigh Mr Ferguson's pretty much solitary success story.

1: Sticking with seemingly under-performing managers is rare, but it does not seem any less successful than dispensing with them. Clubs that change manager frequently aren't usually associated with success.

2: Man Utd were able to attract someone with a track record because they are Man Utd. We are not, and when you get your head round that, you'll be a lot happier. It does leave the question of how Caisley got Brian Smith over here in '96, but since then we've 'only' been able to attract unproven assistant coaches.

3: Your original claim that we have had three years of mediocrity doesn't really hold up. Who has had a better last three years than Bradford, other than Leeds and Saints. Wigan? If so, barely and while suffering far greater indignities. 3rd or 4th just is not mediocre. Ask all but two or three of the other clubs in the Super League. Ask a few left outside, like Halifax and Widnes.

You can call it spin. I call it a dispassionate assessment of reality, as opposed to living in a fantasy world where if only Hood tried to bring in Wayne Bennett and Greg Inglis instead of settling for mediocrity, we'd be beating Leeds every other week; where going out of the play-offs in the first week is rock bottom (again, have a chat with some Halifax fans).

McNamara has won squat and has had the opposite effect of ferguson, taking a championship side to mid-table instead of a mid-table team to championships

Classic 'Attlee was crap' reasoning there. Half that championship side was out the door before or soon after McNamara took over.

: Fri Nov 28, 2008 12:15 pm  

Beechwood Bull wrote:

No sign of the 'Mystic Eddie For Chairman' campaign I see.

No sign of an interesting post from you I see.

: Fri Nov 28, 2008 12:21 pm  

af wrote:

2: Man Utd were able to attract someone with a track record because they are Man Utd. We are not, and when you get your head round that, you'll be a lot happier.

Whilst I realise that we are not Man United (really? ) we were the reigning Super League and World Club Champions when McNamara was appointed. Unofficially, that made us the best club side in the world. Perhaps there may have been some interest in our position had the club not taken a "knee jerk" decision to quickly fill the role vacated by Nobby with an unproven understudy who was no doubt a cheap option.

As for mediocrity? From SL and WCC champions to first round play-off elimination in two and a bit years? Very mediocre for a club who continue to make all the right noises about how competitive they are.