Time for Micky to go?

[Sparky]

I guess another social media meltdown was inevitable and Palios won’t react to that. However is it time for a change?
Part of me feels sorry for Micky. He’s had success in the past with his approach like having senior pros etc. This new approach of youth wasn’t his choice. Vaughan was involved and now he’s gone. The fitness chap has gone. Micky is left to pick up the pieces.
Plus who else is there out there? I’d still keep Micky for now, but many of the SWA are having their patience wearing thin. No way will Palios sack him unless we’re in a relegation battle, which we’re nowhere near.
The squad is limited - we know this - but could someone else get more out of them?

 

[ALDO MUSSY]

I do like MM and he has been Amazing for the club, but sometimes you reach your Limit or just can't take a club Further knowing MP nothing will happen but we lose next weekend, and with two other hard games coming up Saturdays game might be the only game out of the 3 for points, either way, are we getting value for money with the way rovers are going over the last season and a half i would say no way at the season start we got promised goals goals goals and taking more gambles and all that shit any way i am on a break b4 another bloody Xmas party i hate Turkey and Rovers are managed by one LOL

 

[Ian]

are we getting value for money with the way rovers are going over the last season and a half i would say no way

Good question. I've not particularly enjoyed the last couple of months watching Rovers. But then we have to look at the squad and wonder can another manager, someone not as experienced as Micky due to budget contraints get more out of these players. I'm not so sure.

 

[Sparky]

Good point about entertainment. Last season many people weren’t happy even though we had the best home record in the league. And we finished very close to the play offs. We had a good defensive record but a poor goalscoring record.

This season we’ve arguably gone backwards, but still can’t score goals. Attendances sooner or later are going to be impacted and Palios will be aware of this

 

[bigmart]

Good question. I've not particularly enjoyed the last couple of months watching Rovers. But then we have to look at the squad and wonder can another manager, someone not as experienced as Micky due to budget contraints get more out of these players. I'm not so sure.

We paid a fee for Byrne, he's been poor at best in fact only Bristow and Turnbull of the new signings have been decent so far.
I don't think you keep a manager because we are not sure we can get someone to do any better. I really don't think Micky is getting the best out of what we have, the football is mostly turgid and not very entertaining

 

[Keith Hill (Bolton)]

Scenario.
Budget tight.
Managers contract gives him a payout till end of season(?)
Who could we really afford to bring in?
It won't happen unless MM declines payout.
If MM leaves, does he still get money?
Where would we get a manager that would satisfy the supporters?
Who is there out there who would manage us with the budget restraints?

I do think that MM is in a terrible situation, it wouldn't surprise me that he walks away, which in my opinion would be awful and a step backward again. The recruitment has been dreadful, especially strikers.

And then would you trust the board or MP to choose another Keith Hill?

And, I'm not up to giving it a go!

 

[Keith Hill (Bolton)]

Good thing we have the 3000 season ticket holders!

 

[bigmart]

If Micky was sacked we wouldn't have pay all of the remainder of his contract just a percentage. Whoever is in charge in January will need to be creative and offload some to get some in.

 

[Ian]

And then would you trust the board or MP to choose another Keith Hill?

This is my worry. It could be a lot worse!

 

[O4anotherplayoff]

Palios said the target is to be challenging for promotion so, as things stand, I don’t see him sacking Micky until that’s just a pipe dream.

For the reasons mentioned in the opening post, plus the very limited striking options he’s had available, I feel MM’s had one hand tied behind his back for much of the season. It can sound lame when we’re pinning hopes on January but, because of this, I think he deserves the chance to change things then.

But the next two games may well dictate whether he gets that chance. Anything but a victory next week against Crawley and it could get really toxic.

 

[MancunianWhite]

I can't see MM being fired as he probably has to much credit in the bank with MP and right now we aren't in a relegation battle.

I do wonder how much day to day "meddling" MP does and i can imagine he micromanages and makes every decision.

MM has recently bought a big house in Heswall so walking away isn't an option.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

No.

 

[bigmart]

We are not going to challenge for promotion and realistically we won't get relegated but I think it is unlikely that Micky will be manager next season and if so not sure there is too much point backing him in January.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

We are not going to challenge for promotion and realistically we won't get relegated but I think it is unlikely that Micky will be manager next season and if so not sure there is too much point backing him in January.

We should be trying to improve the squad at all times, so that sentiment does not make any sense to me. You are essentially saying we should set him up to fail, as the squad clearly needs improvement in several areas, particularly up front.

 

[O4anotherplayoff]

We are not going to challenge for promotion

I’d be surprised if Palios sees it that way right now, but he might well lose faith in Micky’s ability to mount a challenge if thing don’t improve in the next two games. I think the Crawley game in particular is now massive.

I can't see MM being fired as he probably has to much credit in the bank

The ‘credit in the bank‘ is a fair point, and a vey interesting one given that Palios seems to have been making the footballing side of the club more process driven (e.g. in recruitment) and less reliant on the preferences of any one individual manager, current or future. That makes making any change in manager a little easier when the time comes.

Also, and in a similar vein, when Micky came back he said something to the effect that part of his role would be to help develop Dawes and Parky, and he implied that they could be future successors. Plenty of water under the bridge since then of course but having a clearly-defined succession plan already in place would make it easier for MP to dispense with MM if he felt a change was needed. There’s even a Sporting Director role lying redundant right now, which could allow MP to offer MM a role upstairs rather than coldly terminating him, if the circumstances were right.

None of this is necessarily what I’d do (and I certainly never went with all the hype around Dawes and Parky’s first brief spell in charge), but just speculating about how MP might see it.

 

[Keith Hill (Bolton)]

I can't see MM being fired as he probably has to much credit in the bank with MP and right now we aren't in a relegation battle.

I do wonder how much day to day "meddling" MP does and i can imagine he micromanages and makes every decision.

Micromanagement is what they do!
Hence the quick turnaround of non football staff, and to a certain extent players and football staff.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I am sure that Mellon will be here for the full season. Palios will be aware of the deficiencies in the squad and Mellon will be given the January window to make changes.

The lesson of the 2018-19 season was that an average, mid-table season can be turned into a promotion winning one with good recruitment in January. I think it is highly unlikely there will be a repeat as, unlike that season, we don't have any significant proceeds from cup matches to spend. But the principle still stands and I think that is how Palios will view the situation.

Despite the recent poor form, we are only six points off the play offs with over half of the season to play.

 

[Keith Hill (Bolton)]

MM has recently bought a big house in Heswall so walking away isn't an option.

MM travelled daily from his home up North for the best part of his time here!
So I can't see, MM not travelling to a new job.

 

[Sparky]

I can’t see Micky going anywhere unless we were in danger of getting sucked into a relegation battle. We are nowhere near that, and as RLC points out, despite our poor form we’re only 6 points off the play offs.

January is by no means guaranteed to bring in better players but Micky deserves a chance to see the season through.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

Good point about entertainment. Last season many people weren’t happy even though we had the best home record in the league. And we finished very close to the play offs. We had a good defensive record but a poor goalscoring record.

This season we’ve arguably gone backwards, but still can’t score goals. Attendances sooner or later are going to be impacted and Palios will be aware of this

However, it was Palios that initiated the change in approach, with the emphasis on youth rather than pragmatism and grinding out results, so it would be quite difficult for him to lay all the blame for our inconsistency at Mellon's door.

I think the football this season has actually been better than last season, with more pace and dynamism in the side, but with the same problem of lack of goals and greater inconsistency.