[Archived] New Manager? What would you do?

[Jimmy612]

Biggest problem with Bowyer is his failure to even try to replace our most influential attacking playmaker David Dunn. We've simply replaced our bog standard dodgy Portugese players with equal numbers of bog standard wing men! Absolutely baffles me I can tell you.

Do you think Conway and Marshall are bog standard? I think Marshall can be an excellent player and it was just a shame that he got injured when he did. Even Taylor is a very decent and versatile squad player to have. Cairney has played most of the season wide but is a CM for my money. Conway.. looks like a good hard-working lad, has set-piece ability and played in the Cardiff promotion season - hardly a poor signing.

I agree he has never addressed what is IMO the most integral position in the modern game, but a no.10 is a difficult find for no money. I'd be prepared to give him this summer to see what he can find. Which leads me onto my gripe with Bowyer..... his insistence on playing 4-4-2 for many of our games. We looked a far better team in a 4-2-3-1 on Sunday. Add Cairney, Marshall a new right back, and a Dunny replacement to that squad and I think you've got a very good Championship side.

[Jimmy612]

I'm reluctantly with you.

Bowyer was doing OK imo in getting shot of waistrals and dollopers and freshening the squad and improving the squad attitude. The signings of Varney, Conway, Dabo and Feeney have changed all that (although tbf I have seen little of Feeney and none of Dabo so I stand to have my words thrown back at me). It reminds me of the signings we were forced to make when we were a 2nd / 3rd Div yo yo club 30 years ago.

Varney & Conway I'm not altogether with you there. As I've posted above I think Conway has a decent pedigree in this division. Hard working, decent set-pieces and a good touch. Plus let's not forget he provided excellent protection for the struggling Henley on Sunday.

Varney... hmmmm not sure - he's certainly a good outlet, never missed a header on Sunday. Whether he would ever be a consistent starter I'm not sure. Certainly not a disaster of a signing when you've no money. Even when Feeney came on I though he looked a half decent player - silly foul in the first 10 seconds but after that I felt their left back was certainly uncomfortable when he was running at him.

Dabo? No idea unfortunately.

[thenodrog]

None of them play in the position that we need, and they are all too 'samey'. I think Bowyer is most comfortable with 4-4-2. Shame cos all it does imo is concede territory cheaply to the edge of our box. Still what do I know when we had massed ranks of Allardyce haters who were desperate for 4-4-2.

Where are they all these days btw? Anybody know?

[JAL]

Biggest problem with Bowyer is his failure to even try to replace our most influential attacking playmaker David Dunn. We've simply replaced our bog standard dodgy Portugese players with equal numbers of bog standard wing men! Absolutely baffles me I can tell you.

One can only think that this is how they make their money by over trading on players as many as possible.

[dr_awol]

Nope. Allardyce was experienced, knew his best team and generally got his players to rise up for the games that he targetted as winnable. It wasn't always pretty, or fun, but he turned us around from relegation certainties to mid-table, and on a negative transfer budget. Allardyce wasn't inept, that's the point. Those wanting neither Allardyce or Bowyer out are not acting with any logical consistency. They simply are totally different cases. Therefore, they want stability for stability's sake, rather than because of the managers having the same qualities. It's a valid point to have, to be fair, but equating the Allardyce and Bowyer cases doesn't really work.

I don't particularly want Bowyer out of the club, but he's not got the experience to be the manager yet. A revamped managerial setup with an actual manager in would make more sense. Still, who's every had sense from Venkys?

I did not really mean to say Allardyce was inept, but all the managers since have been. so why when we are making progress (yes not as fast as some expect) sack a manger that's having to rebuild.

[Willie Eckerslike]

Bowyer doesn't seem to have the tactical nous to get us the results that we need, even when we are in a winning position, never mind when we are losing and need to turn the game around.

He might have an eye for a good bargain - bit of a mixed bag is my view on the players he has brought in and he seems a nice guy.

However, the writing is on the wall, he cannot outwit the better managers and I don't know how he is expected to learn that skill.

The transformation of the squad, the injuries etc. are secondary reasons why we are in mid-table.

The main reason is Gary Bowyer can't get his tactics right if things aren't going well - repeatedly.

How will that change if we give him another summer?

[McClarky]

I've thought from the moment we sacked BFS and started relying on novices to manage the team that we should have a DoF in who can oversee transfer policy and strategy. I think Bowyer would be fine and would develop with the benefit of an experienced person above him. There doesn't seem to be a first choice 11 or even a plan or any direction and to have made 19 signings in 1 season is unbelieveable really.

Hopefully we will try and stabilise things and put some structure in place in the summer but I doubt it will happen as no steps have been taken in that direction since Venkys came in.

[AJW]

strange that Bowyer was a "coach" in his academy/youth positions at the club , but its his "coaching" and tactics where we feel he's lacking . the other side's of management he hasn't too badly imo

[Mike E]

Bowyer doesn't seem to have the tactical nous to get us the results that we need, even when we are in a winning position, never mind when we are losing and need to turn the game around.

He might have an eye for a good bargain - bit of a mixed bag is my view on the players he has brought in and he seems a nice guy.

However, the writing is on the wall, he cannot outwit the better managers and I don't know how he is expected to learn that skill.

The transformation of the squad, the injuries etc. are secondary reasons why we are in mid-table.

The main reason is Gary Bowyer can't get his tactics right if things aren't going well - repeatedly.

How will that change if we give him another summer?

Not particularly advocating his removal or his being kept BUT:

A settled midfield of Marshall, Cairney, Evans Conway would be MILES better than anything we've seen this season.

A settled cb pairing (trio?) of Hanley/Killa/Keane (if we can keep him. Only one game, but I though he was like a Nelsen Jr in terms of reading the game).

A trio up front of Rhodes, Gestede and Varney suits me just fine.

Squad players: Taylor, Lowe, Judge, Eastwood, Kean.

Imo, just need either henley to get back to form or a new rb (or get Lowe playing there) and we have the makiings of an excellent 1st 11 and a tolerable bench, imo.

Whether Bowyer is the man to build on that, I don't know. But he's got us this far. I've said before if we miss out on the playoffs by only upto 4pts, he deserves to start next season too, imo.

[JAL]

Do you think Conway and Marshall are bog standard? I think Marshall can be an excellent player and it was just a shame that he got injured when he did. Even Taylor is a very decent and versatile squad player to have. Cairney has played most of the season wide but is a CM for my money. Conway.. looks like a good hard-working lad, has set-piece ability and played in the Cardiff promotion season - hardly a poor signing.

I agree he has never addressed what is IMO the most integral position in the modern game, but a no.10 is a difficult find for no money. I'd be prepared to give him this summer to see what he can find. Which leads me onto my gripe with Bowyer..... his insistence on playing 4-4-2 for many of our games. We looked a far better team in a 4-2-3-1 on Sunday. Add Cairney, Marshall a new right back, and a Dunny replacement to that squad and I think you've got a very good Championship side.

Varney looked poor along with a few others on sunday. No wonder he was subbed, question was why did it take so long and why is he here in the first place, very poor signing.

[Mike E]

Varney looked poor along with a few others on sunday. No wonder he was subbed, question was why did it take so long and why is he here in the first place, very poor signing.

I don't think he was poor per se, but he had a poor wingers' game, as he left Spurr exposed. As a striker he won every header going and quite often played cute passes in to Conway or Rhodes.

[roverandout]

could we do any worse than chris powell? did a really good job at Charlton, despite their current position!!

[Glosrover]

could we do any worse than chris powell? did a really good job at Charlton, despite their current position!!

possibly not, and can you imagine the uproar and bile if we dared sack ANOTHER black manager.............

just a thought, but BBC sports is suggesting that Tim Sherwood (if he leaves Tottenham) may find a route back into mamangement at Swindon Town !!

now maybe Shebby was right all along and Sherwood is a football genius,

but even if not, as he was a half decent midfielder, is well regarded (I think) , has served his time as a technical and coaching advisor, and clearly seems to say it as it is, he might be a good shout. He seemed to have turned Spurs around after the Portuguese fella, both motivationally and tactically.

Too much time has passed for Rovers to be an emotional pull for him, but if he were to be interested he may be the only type of manager we can realistically aim for.

Would he work under the Raos? - maybe not..............

[JAL]

I don't think he was poor per se, but he had a poor wingers' game, as he left Spurr exposed. As a striker he won every header going and quite often played cute passes in to Conway or Rhodes.

Championing his name is just creating more empty seats at Ewood Park, is that what you want ?

[K-Hod]

I don't think Varney is/was anything special, but I don't think he's a bad player.

That being said, I expect if Marshall was fit, Varney wouldn't have a look in!!

[Baz]

possibly not, and can you imagine the uproar and bile if we dared sack ANOTHER black manager.............

just a thought, but BBC sports is suggesting that Tim Sherwood (if he leaves Tottenham) may find a route back into mamangement at Swindon Town !!

now maybe Shebby was right all along and Sherwood is a football genius,

but even if not, as he was a half decent midfielder, is well regarded (I think) , has served his time as a technical and coaching advisor, and clearly seems to say it as it is, he might be a good shout. He seemed to have turned Spurs around after the Portuguese fella, both motivationally and tactically.

Too much time has passed for Rovers to be an emotional pull for him, but if he were to be interested he may be the only type of manager we can realistically aim for.

Would he work under the Raos? - maybe not..............

Wrong time to go for Sherwood. Time to go for proven experience of getting a team out of this league.

[Leonard Venkhater]

Wrong time to go for Sherwood. Time to go for proven experience of getting a team out of this league.

That has been the case since the Wigan chicken game.

[martonrover]

We are six point from the play off places, the owners will see this as doing a good job.

Bowyer isn't going anywhere.

More likely they've gone past caring so why bother sacking him?

[47er]

We don't have anywhere near the egos we had during Souness' late tenure. I reckon he (or someone in that mould) would be great with this squad.

Someone with gravitas, ideally who has played the game to a decent level. Shearer and Roeder maybe, or Hoddle and Wilkins. Although, perhaps Moyes will be looking for a new challenge soon.

Daft ideas aside, for all his Man Utd contacts, Bowyer could do worse than trying to tempt Mike Phelan to come and work with him.

We weren't floundering under Souness because of the players egos Stuart! We were down the bottom because the squad was rubbish.

His methods were out- dated and failed at Newcastle too.

[booth]

We only need him for a season or two 47er. He'd be good enough for us in the short term.

Let's not forget, we need those financial rewards. If we came straight back down from the PL that would be a lot better than not going up at all.

[Darwen Rover 007]

Tim Sherwood would be an excellent appointment

[Mike E]

Championing his name is just creating more empty seats at Ewood Park, is that what you want ?

There needs to at least be a correlation before one can begin to venture questioning whether there is a causal link.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

We weren't floundering under Souness because of the players egos Stuart! We were down the bottom because the squad was rubbish.

His methods were out- dated and failed at Newcastle too.

He's a dinosaur I'm afraid. I'm just glad Newcastle saved us the trouble of having to sack him.

[Amo]

If I ever stumble onto Nazi gold and have enough riches to oust the Chicken squatters, I'd probably keep Bowyer at the helm. While he's made some appalling individual errors, on a whole he's done a sound job given the circumstances, has built the core of a promising side, and seems like a bloke who genuinely has the club's best interests at heart. I'd sit him down and tell him he has the summer to turn this club into promotion contenders. If the team doesn't hit the ground running, then regrettably he's gotta go (but free to remain on the backroom staff). It's not like there won't be more experienced managers available. ...Oh, and playing Williamson & Lowe together is an instantly sackable offence.

[JAL]

There needs to at least be a correlation before one can begin to venture questioning whether there is a causal link.

Poor players equals poor results which will leads to a loss in attendance to watching future games.

If the likes of Williamson, Lowe, Henley, Feeney, Gestede, Conway, Eastwood, are that good, then the attendances along with results will be on the up.

Are they though ?