Yeovil 2 Rovers 1

[bigmart]

Chesterfield Yeovil Carlisle Wycombe Bournemouth Oldham Colchester MK Dons all at home in the league this season we have played poorly in even though we have won some of them.

The football we have played under Les at home has for the vast majority of the time been alehouse rubbish, with a centre forward who is lucky to have a support player within 15 yards of him. Can you honestly say youve enjoyed the footall weve played at home under Les because i can say i havent for most of it.

Les has got some good players in the squad but will not change his formation and tactics of hoping to nick a goal and then defent it which worked at the start of the season but hasnt worked for a long time now.

Yesterday we were playing against a poor team and yet he still left out our most creative player in devanney and also moved ash into midfield where he is clearly not comfortable in that decision.

Les said at the start of the season that he is aiming for promotion but i didnt think there was any chance of that id have settled for a decent tun at the play offs maybe just falling short with a decent cup run as well, but all that is likely to happen is yet another relegation scrap.

 

[DIW]

I couldn't give a toss about the style of football at Tranmere if it was effective.

 

[SonkORLY?]

Les said at the start of the season that he is aiming for promotion but i didnt think there was any chance of that id have settled for a decent tun at the play offs maybe just falling short with a decent cup run as well, but all that is likely to happen is yet another relegation scrap.

We are a small club, we don't have much money, and for as long as that remains the case we will usually finish in the bottom half of the table. You never really had any basis to expect us to finish "just short of the playoffs with a decent cup run" (neither did Les).

Yesterday he played McGurk instead of Devaney, who was apparently one of our better performers and scored a goal. Difficult to argue with that decision IMO.

I don't really like that we're playing so direct at the moment, but I really enjoyed watching us earlier in the season. Until recently I was happy with how we've progressed under Parry. Recent performances suggest that we've taken a step backwards, but perhaps you would rather we had John Barnes in charge? Total football, init.

 

[roverstillidie]

Been a small club with not much money does not excuse tactical incompentence and negative football. Les needs to change his 4-5-1 with square pegs in round holes or do us all a favour and quit.

 

[bigmart]

If your happt with how weve progressed under les then your easily pleased, as for wanting barnes in charge no i dont want him the same i dont want les in charge.

The same excuse of budget gets trotted out all the time but it certainly hasnt harmed Stevenage Carlisle or even Bury. The budget is no excuse for playing 1 up front most times isolated then just hoofing it neither.

Akins has done nothing for weeks yet kept his place in the team, Devanney scored against brentford and looked lively till fading near the end yet is dropped. Joss is dropped so ash who is clearly not a midfielder plays, just bizzare.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I would imagine that Labadie was not fit enough to start yesterday, while Devaney probably was not up to the defensive responsibility of playing away from home with so little recent match practice. Not that I would defend a number of Les's other decisions since the beginning of November, including the reversion to the long ball.

I am still generally happy with how we have progressed under Les, and I still don't see what positive alternatives his most vocal critics are offering. We interviewed a number of the best young managers in the lower divisions when Barnes was sacked, and none of them would take the job, on a wage budget that is bigger than our current one. None.

All the while we receive no investment, and Johnson has no ambition for the club, the only real prospect if he was sacked would be to appoint a journeyman / completely untested manager, with all the risks that involves. I am not saying that is out of the question, just suggesting that people who want Les removed should not delude themselves / others that if he was to go, the next Graham Westley will be walking through the door.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

The same excuse of budget gets trotted out all the time but it certainly hasnt harmed Stevenage Carlisle or even Bury. The budget is no excuse for playing 1 up front most times isolated then just hoofing it neither.

Stevenage are the exception that proves the rule, as Rochdale were last season (and look where they are now). The majority of the clubs with crap budgets are in the bottom half of the table, including us. The fact that one club with an exceptional manager has managed to punch above its weight, doesn't alter the basic correlation between wage budget and success.

 

[bigmart]

Swansea and Norwich in the premier league playing good football with very good managers prove what can be done.

As for who would manage us dont kid yourself that nobody will take us on yes last time keith hill turned us down but there are still plenty others out there who would take the job to name a few in no league circles im sure liam watson dave challinor jim harvey would do it possibly paul cook.

 

[Boz]

First, the match stats with Yeovil having 55% possession and 7 efforts on target to our 2, do not appear to support the suggestion that we were unlucky, despite the late Glovers winner. Whether we lose having been hammered all game, after a second half fight-back or as here, it still means 0 points.

I was surprised at some of Les' selections for this game. In the pre-match thread, I suggested Ash Taylor might be moved into midfield, thinking Labadie was unfit, but given his struggles there last season wasn't expecting this to happen if a more experienced choice available. On the accounts I've read, Ash was one of the better players at Huish Park, though that may not be saying much. Less surprised about Devaney, who isn't match fit and doesn't offer much defensive support. I'm also puzzled why David Buchanan is suddenly out of favour, having been one of our most consistent performers since August.

The Rochdale game now assumes monumental importance. Lose that and we are in deep trouble.

 

[Rockford's Love Child]

I'm also puzzled why David Buchanan is suddenly out of favour, having been one of our most consistent performers since August.

It is a good point, because our early season success was largely founded on having a settled side, particularly at the back. Injuries can't be helped, but Les's tinkering with personnel has not done us any favours in recent weeks.

 

[Ian]

For Les to prove himself as a manager, he has to be able to get the team out of this mess. All part and parcel of being a manager. He's had the highs at the start of the season when we were playing reasonably well and getting the results. At least we know it's possible.

But now he has to step up and stop the rot. Real big test this for Les because we are slipping closer to the bottom four every week. Results need to change soon.

 

[SonkORLY?]

Swansea and Norwich in the premier league playing good football with very good managers prove what can be done.

Yes. For every one club that overachieves, there is another that underachives. That balance is always maintained. We, like the vast majority of clubs who fall into neither bracket, are performing at around expectation. There is nothing wrong with aspiring to punch above our weight, but to expect it is completely unreasonable, as RLC pointed out quite concisely.

For example, you expect us to fall just outside of the playoffs with one of the smaller budgets in the league on the basis that other sides have proved this to be possible. Following that argument, every single mid-low table team in the league should expect to finish in the top half. Anything less is catagorised as failure. Sack the manager. Clearly this is ridiculous.

Taking a gamble on a former player/non-league manager when we're in a position of relative stability would be a poorly assessed risk viewed through rose-tinted specs IMO.

Agree that this is a test for Les - and I've not been overly impressed by his response to our dip in form thus far.

 

[Sparky]

I am going to sit on the fence for this debate about Les

Sonko/RLC make some very valid points. Les in a way has been a victim of his own success in that we had such a good start to the season which was unreaslistic to maintain. Yes it was great at the time talking about the top 6 but we are a small club with a small budget and when injuries to key players kicked in, we have struggled. But we have to be realistic and staying up each season IMO should be deemed a success. It gets harder and harder every season.

But that said, Les isnt perfect and to me has been found wanting when he has not had a plan B plus his I dont agree with several of his team selectiobns/formations etc.

But if he keeps us up no matter what his faults he should stay on at the helm. Obviously if things carry on PJ will have to consider that although we won't attract the biggest and best of managers, he may have to give someone else a chance and try something different if relegation looks on the cards, so at least he could say he tried something else if we did go down (although I still think we wont).

So I would keep faith with Les for a while longer yet...but if we drop closer to the bottom 4, I wont be surprised if PJ wields the axe....

 

[Ian]

I think it would be a while until PJ got his axe out. PJ knows there isn't a queue of managers knocking on the door. Look at what it took to get JB out. Meeting with the fans and it was long overdue. JB should have been out long before then. It was that bad. Then it took months to appoint a new manager because there really was no-one that would take the job on. Hence the appointment of our physio.

But anyway, I don't think Les is in any trouble. Even if we go down (which I don't think is going to happen) I think he'll keep the job. Your options are really limited with no money.