Ian Culverhouse

[Blue_and_Gold]

I still wouldn't pay £7 for it!   

[dillydilly]

I wish IC and SC all the best for today, and the future.  I don’t, however, believe that there is enough in football for any manager to be an “ expert”.  That’s why they all end up getting the sack, four or five times over.  The best ones don’t ever get involved in the daft pretence if complicated tactics.  Watch Pep G’s answers and smirks to Geoff Shreve questions !  Carragher and Neville talk rocket science to players, most of whom don’t understand a word they say ! (and no wonder !)  And as for those flip chart photos before a sub comes on, the players are more intent on wetting their half and taking a swig out of the bottle.  Good players win games, poor ones don’t, not even if they’re in “ a diamond” !!  Imho, and COYL

[TonyM]

I wish IC and SC all the best for today, and the future.  I don’t, however, believe that there is enough in football for any manager to be an “ expert”.  That’s why they all end up getting the sack, four or five times over.  The best ones don’t ever get involved in the daft pretence if complicated tactics.  Watch Pep G’s answers and smirks to Geoff Shreve questions !  Carragher and Neville talk rocket science to players, most of whom don’t understand a word they say ! (and no wonder !)  And as for those flip chart photos before a sub comes on, the players are more intent on wetting their half and taking a swig out of the bottle.  Good players win games, poor ones don’t, not even if they’re in “ a diamond” !!  Imho, and COYL

Dilly, firstly in response to your post on another thread, please keep posting, not because I agree with you but because it is a good thing to have alternative views expressed as no-one (not even members of the press) are always right. 

As for your final sentence above, whilst better players will win more games than poor players, good teams will almost always overcome poor teams.  As an example, Sutton had nowhere near the 'best' players in the division last season but they had a system that suited the players at their disposal (and had been brought in to play that system) and it worked so success is probably a combination of players and systems.  Where we struggled last season is that the recruitment was poor - not necessarily in the players we got (although some weren't NL standard) but in that they didn't suit IC's preferred style and whilst this season's recruitment has been better I still think there are some square pegs being pushed into round holes.

[dillydilly]

Disagree, TonyM.  I don’t think Sutton had a system that suited the players.  I believe they had the players to suit the system, which was simply to score more goals than the opposition.  We’never hear Pep G talking “systems”, because he wants all his players to move all over the place, all the time.  Never mind - all opinions.  I hope for 2-1 today, but suspect 1 x 3 !……

[dillydilly]

What was Dilly saying about managers all get sacked ?  I presume Daniel has as much tactical “ knowledge”now as he had when he took Norwich up.  So has he suddenly forgotten it all ?  No, like all managers, he needed money, a good eye for a player, and,luck.  Swapping managers doesn’t hurt,.  All he needs is money and contacts.  Even the so-called “Special One” actually had no clue about players, which he proved spectacularly when he got rid of Salah, De Bruyne, Lukaku, Cuadrado, Janujay, for Gawd’s sake.  We all agree though, that our team are now competitive.  Keep reading we play good but uncreative football.  I’m not sure that’s true.  It would be if we had King, or Kelly back, and I see that Nathan Fox was on the winning side against York today.

[Nigel1505]

With the amount of injuries we have had this season, IC has been able to field  about  two thirds of a squad. Lets wait and see how we get on when all are fit.

[kenny r]

Especially the lad Barrett. He has close control and a range of passing to open up defences....as long as the rest of the team can read him.

[KES80]

I do understand the point you are making Nigel and Lynn have been a little unlucky with injuries.

Given the nature of the league though, I will be surprised if we see everyone in the squad fit at the same time.

[Grissles Oleary]

Especially the lad Barrett. He has close control and a range of passing to open up defences....as long as the rest of the team can read him.

If he keeps fit he will the best signing of the season.