Where is Dan Ashcroft when you need him?

[hakano]

I need DA now more than ever, he is the only one who can write well enough with optimism that will get me through this!!

 

[lily_lane]

I'm afraid words are hollow for me now.

We need action on the pitch and nothing else will do.

 

[Rupstoh]

I need DA now more than ever, he is the only one who can write well enough with optimism that will get me through this!!

:rofl:

 

[Montasura]

I need DA now more than ever, he is the only one who can write well enough with optimism that will get me through this!!

Catch a fucking grip. You need Ashcroft now?????

What you need now is the manager of your team to know what he is doing, in fact you need him to have even a basic understanding of football. You need your team to perform like they actually give a fuck.

I'm no Dan Ashcroft knocker. In fact I read his words more than others during the summer, but, trust me when I say that Dan Ashcroft can make no fucking difference to our current league position right now.:bang:

 

[Dan Ashcroft]

Sorry, nothing good to say.

Playing Dawson over Gunter just baffles me. Ditto Gilberto over Lennon or Dos Santos.

Very very negative formation to play against a team with such a fragile defence.

Midfield defensively is poor - we are effectively playing two and a half lesser players (Zokora, O'Hara and half of Jenas) to make good for not having one good one, thereby significantly hindering our attacking capabilities.

Midfield attack wise we have the quality but the players (esp. Modric, Dos Santos and Bentley) are just on really poor form at the moment.

I still think the squad should be (or should have been) good enough to be top 6 at Christmas where we can address the DM and striking shortcomings. It's just not clicking at the moment though.

 

[yanno]

Midfield attack wise we have the quality but the players (esp. Modric, Dos Santos and Bentley) are just on really poor form at the moment.

Bentley in particular has completely lost the plot.

But the most worrying thing is that, having massively upgraded our midfield creativity in the summer, Ramos has shown no sign whatsoever of knowing how to integrate the likes of Modric, Dos Santos & Bentley into a winning team.

And that is a failure of coaching.

 

[Montasura]

Sorry, nothing good to say.

Playing Dawson over Gunter just baffles me. Ditto Gilberto over Lennon or Dos Santos.

Very very negative formation to play against a team with such a fragile defence.

Midfield defensively is poor - we are effectively playing two and a half lesser players (Zokora, O'Hara and half of Jenas) to make good for not having one good one, thereby significantly hindering our attacking capabilities.

Midfield attack wise we have the quality but the players (esp. Modric, Dos Santos and Bentley) are just on really poor form at the moment.

I still think the squad should be (or should have been) good enough to be top 6 at Christmas where we can address the DM and striking shortcomings. It's just not clicking at the moment though.

Like I said above Dan, my point was that words won't change a thing now. It needs the players to perform as well as the manager. I hope you took no offence as my anger was not directed towards you.

Re. your post, I think you hit the nail on the head with your comment about how negative the teamsheet was given Portsmouth's recent goals against. Modric and Gio should have been there from the start.

tell me this, however, as it is fast becoming the question of the moment....Do you think Ramos can cut it in this league? Is he still the man for the job?

 

[Dan Ashcroft]

Like I said above Dan, my point was that words won't change a thing now. It needs the players to perform as well as the manager. I hope you took no offence as my anger was not directed towards you.

Re. your post, I think you hit the nail on the head with your comment about how negative the teamsheet was given Portsmouth's recent goals against. Modric and Gio should have been there from the start.

tell me this, however, as it is fast becoming the question of the moment....Do you think Ramos can cut it in this league? Is he still the man for the job?

Of course not. Only one man's words can change things and it certainly aint mine.

Ramos is undoubtedly very clever and at times both brave and brilliant. However at the moment a lot of his plays are just not coming off at all. The mark of him will be if he learns from his mistakes or keeps repeating them. Jol's death nail was definitely his persistant inability to address recurring failings.

Hopefully we'll have our 'Capello Croatia' moment soon when everything will suddenly fall into place and make sense.

 

[VegasII]

We bloody need to.

 

[monkeytastic]

Hopefully we'll have our 'Capello Croatia' moment soon when everything will suddenly fall into place and make sense.

if the moment doesn't come, is it as clear cut as poyet taking over or do you think levy will bring in a replacement? will it be ramos to be replaced or will comolli take the blame. personally I'm hoping ramos sorts it out but if we aren't at leats top ten by christmas, the board will have to do something?

 

[yanno]

if the moment doesn't come, is it as clear cut as poyet taking over or do you think levy will bring in a replacement? will it be ramos to be replaced or will comolli take the blame. personally I'm hoping ramos sorts it out but if we aren't at leats top ten by christmas, the board will have to do something?

Levy has already stated on the record that if Ramos fails, it's Comolli's fault and he'll get the boot too.

Actually, I think the likelier scenario is that ENIC accept a big fat Asian cheque asap, and let the new owners put their own team in charge. Of course they may decide Ramos is still the man instead of paying out huge compensation for sacking the coach with the longest and most lucrative contract in the EPL.....

 

[monkeytastic]

the cheque isn't going to be too fat if we maintain our current form which means levy won't take it but that's straying from the point.

please say something hopeful Dan.

 

[speccy_spur]

I'm afraid words are hollow for me now.

We need action on the pitch and nothing else will do.

How good is Mr. Ashcroft at playing in the hole behind a big man? Or as a DM?

 

[Dan Ashcroft]

if the moment doesn't come, is it as clear cut as poyet taking over or do you think levy will bring in a replacement? will it be ramos to be replaced or will comolli take the blame. personally I'm hoping ramos sorts it out but if we aren't at leats top ten by christmas, the board will have to do something?

If Ramos leaves as at least a moderate success, or resigns, the job is 90% Gus'. If Ramos is fired I think he'd resign, not because of any personal loyalty to Ramos, but because he'd consider that he had failed. He's putting everything into his job at the moment and would be heartbroken if the wheels came off.

Comolli is extremely well regarded in the club and throughout European football. The most likely way he'll leave is the way Arnesen went - poached by a bigger club. The real Comolli and his value just doesn't tally in the slightest with the views of the washed up alcoholic tv pundits and the 'but he sacked huggy bear' brigade on places like COYS.

Unless we are in major freefall then longer than Xmas as changing managers around that time screws up the transfer window.

 

[General Levy]

If Ramos leaves as at least a moderate success, or resigns, the job is 90% Gus'. If Ramos is fired I think he'd resign, not because of any personal loyalty to Ramos, but because he'd consider that he had failed. He's putting everything into his job at the moment and would be heartbroken if the wheels came off.

Comolli is extremely well regarded in the club and throughout European football. The most likely way he'll leave is the way Arnesen went - poached by a bigger club. The real Comolli and his value just doesn't tally in the slightest with the views of the washed up alcoholic tv pundits and the 'but he sacked huggy bear' brigade on places like COYS.

Unless we are in major freefall then longer than Xmas as changing managers around that time screws up the transfer window.

Awesome.

 

[Montasura]

the cheque isn't going to be too fat if we maintain our current form which means levy won't take it but that's straying from the point.

please say something hopeful Dan.

All it will affect is the purchase price for any prospective buyer. Right now I would imagine our current form may actually entice ENIC to sell up and jump ship (sinking or not).

What I would like (if we do sell to a billionaire) would be that the DoF position gets scrapped and Ramos remains in charge with full control of all players trading. With unlimited funds and Ramos picking the players things could turn quite tasty.

 

[Dan Ashcroft]

Levy has already stated on the record that if Ramos fails, it's Comolli's fault and he'll get the boot too.

Actually, I think the likelier scenario is that ENIC accept a big fat Asian cheque asap, and let the new owners put their own team in charge. Of course they may decide Ramos is still the man instead of paying out huge compensation for sacking the coach with the longest and most lucrative contract in the EPL.....

Levy isn't looking to sell and I doubt he will until he succeeds (i.e we are regularly qualifying for the CL and in our new ground).

How good is Mr. Ashcroft at playing in the hole behind a big man? Or as a DM?

I did a season at DM once but I don't have the stamina for it, although I did contribute a few long range efforts and may have hit double figures with headers from corners. A poor man's Woodgate really.

 

[VegasII]

Don't worry...the other defenders are a poor man's Woodgate. You'll be fine. Grab a shirt & we'll see you in Krakow.

 

[Dan Ashcroft]

All it will affect is the purchase price for any prospective buyer. Right now I would imagine our current form may actually entice ENIC to sell up and jump ship (sinking or not).

What I would like (if we do sell to a billionaire) would be that the DoF position gets scrapped and Ramos remains in charge with full control of all players trading. With unlimited funds and Ramos picking the players things could turn quite tasty.

Why would you give transfer responsibility to Ramos, a man who has never had to do such a task before, nor therefore shown any ability to do so? It would also bugger up much of pre-season and January training if he had to take on that massive extra workload. I really don't think he'd like to work in the old fashioned English system and nor would most of the top coaches in the world.

 

[lily_lane]

Don't worry...the other defenders are a poor man's Woodgate. You'll be fine. Grab a shirt & we'll see you in Krakow.

Ramos seems so confused who to play at the moment, it definitely wouldn't surprise me.