As a person I don't like him. I think he's got an over inflated opinion of himself, lacks humility, talks ***** and has made some very poor comments about the fans. To a large degree this doesn't matter if you can justify yourself on the pitch and, for me, he hasn't. I think the players have looked out of their depth, and lack the ability and belief to play at this level. More worryingly, I don't think the manager sees this, and if he does, he's clueless to resolve it. Very unimpressed with him on the whole. BUT and it's a big but - he's here next year and people like me and Redstar, MadMark and Whitey et al will have to live with that. Last season has gone and by good fortune we are still in the Championship. I doubt we will be this time next year but all we can hope is that Keef has learnt from his experiences and developed as a manager, and more importantly that there is truth in what Don has said - we have cleared the decks financially and Keef will have an improved budget. Maybe he deserves another shot with a better budget but if we get more of the same then he has to go.
I don't think the club will move forward, regardless of who is in charge, until the power vacumn is resolved.
My take looking past the repetitive "expectation management" comments, I see a manager who has strong beliefs about how to build a team, the types of player he can work with the the style of play he wants his team to adopt. He's probably learnt a lot about the standard expected in the Championship and also how sometimes pragmatism is necessary when you need the points. No issues whatsoever with that, whether he succeeds or not will depend on him plucking another gem or two from obscurity on a budget, big ask but my glass is just about half full, and if one of his signings is a right back, then Im more than happy to see him given another full season.
I like the bloke and can see what wants from his team. I believe he has learnt hell of a lot this season and hopefully the board has learnt that you can't compete at this level with lower league players that may turn out to be gems. It is a big summer for him but he has to be backed in the transfer market or he will judged as trying to be a miracle worker and not on his actual management skills.
The players he brought in last season were not good enough to get the required number of points needed to stay up without a team going into admin. I know Pompey deserved the deduction, but I am sure that even Keith Hill could not have seen that happening for certain. We will need 3 teams to go into admin next season because Hill lacks the skill/tactical nous to get a team to come from behind to get anything out of a game, he lacks the ability to inspire a team at halftime, he plays the only real goal scorer we have out on the wing where it ist difficult for him to score goals, he signed some proper duffers and persisted in playing them, he thinks the Barnsley fans are fools and he cannot admit that he is wrong. He is so downbeat that he makes Mogodon Robins seem happy, Yet we are stuck with him! Will he have learned anything from last season? Maybe, but I bet its only that some fans will believe every single bit of guff he spouts and claim its "refreshing". Others, like myself can see that the club is skint, that he has to make do with lower cost players etc. but that is no excuse for rolling over and giving up like the team did on many occasions last season, then the manager coming out and telling the fans that we cant compete and that everytime we lost it was against teams that have spent **** loads and they are the best side in the league. Anyway I have got carried away and I will stop now and log off. I do expect some stick for daring to say this and apparently this makes me a wednesday fan, but hey-ho!!
No not the Portsmouth argument again. It's flawed and distorts the facts so it really shouldnt be used when summarising our season and final league position. PS. I like Hill too and I think we'll be fine this coming season.
I think you and Keith speak the same language and are both allowed to speak a bit of twaddle every now and then. This season finished very poorly but there was a reason for it, who's fault that was is debatable. Under our previous manager it was clear in my opinion the finish to season was not acceptable given the backing he recived. Only time will tell given the budget required to sign Championship players if Keith is up to the task ahead in my opinion he is.
