We're a week in under the new head coach and already some of the players are complaining that training is 'tedious' and 'mind numbing'. This comes after they whinged that there was no clear instruction under Schopp. Quite frankly I find it pathetic. Players whom are part of the elite acting like children. They need to take a look at them selves. Gone are the days of signing club captains, lads who had character, a winning mentality, and 00's of games under their belts. The likes of hourihane, winnall etc wouldn't have stood for such attitude. We've now got players such as Palmer, Kitching and Oduor who think they've made it. The fights gone in my honest opinion, we're too far gone for a resurrection. When you've got lads whinging after a week of the new coaches methods you know you've had it.
Perhaps it's mind numbing and tedious because the new manager is having to go back to square one and focus on the basics. They might not like it, but they sure as hell need it.
This is where the new manager has to show how good he really is, it's ok setting up formations & systems but he needs to get the best out of each individual in the squad. Man management is the key & these players are definitely capable at this level, add that to the fact a lot have had 2 seasons Championship experience, we should be in the top half, no problem, I.M.O. Of course.
To be fair Goulet was right before in spite of the naysayers and there's no reason why he isn't right again. In fact, his observations preseason were bang on the money, almost like he had a crystal ball.
That's quite a statement. Its news to me and I haven't seen it before so where/who is the source of such a damning statement
You were spot on with your comments on Schopp and so I expect this to be true. The players are a ******* disgrace and are going to end up getting us relegated. Led by a capitan who is a ******* wet lettuce.
Read his preseason post (at the time it seemed way over the top) and compare it to what has transpired. At the time people replied shooting him down as a negative nancy, and some were saying to bump it in 4 weeks etc. Well, not one thing Goulet said wasn't true.
To save those searching….. After the conclusion of last season, I hoped this was the time we would actually kick on. We had a style that was getting results, risk was minimised in our play and we had players that suited the system. All we needed was a few quality additions, 3/4 maximum and we had a real shot at another top 10 finish, even if we lost Mowatt, which was expected in all honesty. 2 months later and we are in complete disarray, after having lost the key cog in the operation in Val, swiftly followed by Mowatt and Murphy. I could live with losing Mowatt and Murphy, as replacements imho could be found with minimal disruption, however the crucial one was the replacement of Val which as things stand just hasn't happened. Val, had a presence, beliefs and qualities, and a general aura that demanded professionalism at all times, from the back room staff to the pitch side announcer. These high standards got us to a play off place. As soon as I saw Schopp in the images surfacing as he monitored training for the first time with his high school satchel, I knew trouble was on the horizon. Schopp, who was by all accounts recruited outside of the spreadsheet parameters has a loser mentality as a coach, the perennial underdog, the equivalent of Gareth Ainsworth in Austrian football. Val came in as a winner, and wanted us to improve in every aspect as a club. Schopp arrived being glad he's got a decent role. All discipline in the club has disintegrated over night. Liam Kitching being the main culprit, testing authority at every opportunity, without an eyelid being battered. Pissing about on floor cleaners, throwing water on everyone in training, everything bar concentrating on the job in hand. Herbie Kane is out for Wagamamas before the Man City game instead of watching the lads. This the guy who will struggle to play ten games this season due to being injured. I get the same vibes likened to when a substitute teacher oversees a class at school and everyone just acts the goat. Then we come to the style of play, which will result in us having less points than under Stendel. Val quickly identified the squad simply didnt have the required skill set to play out from the back, instead opting for the highly effective press in the opponents half which saw us finish in the top 6. Val made sure every player knew their exact role, so we could operate effectively, now the players appear to have been given a play how you want freedom role, with no clear guidelines. The squad is already littered with injuries, the back 3 is more or less brand new, as moon is suddenly an ever present over Sibbick, and Mads appears to be out for a prolonged period. We then decide to proceed with this suicidal style against Man City, potentially crushing all confidence going into the start of the season. With fans being back in stadia, I fully expect players being sent home for respite after the onslaught of abuse hurled at them once we start getting pumped every week playing this style. We have a bare bones coaching staff, due to the identified assistant reportedly ineligible due to Brexit work permit guidelines, instead Tonda Eckert and Joseph Laumann assisting, who were let's be fair cone positioners last season. All the brains behind the operation whether folk like it or not are out of the door and down at the hawthorns. We simply do not have the back room knowledge to be successful this season. Finally, our recruitment. Replacing the outgoing Dike and Mowatt, meanwhile otherwise strengthening was vital to continue our progression, we are going into the season weaker than last. Dike has being replaced with Oulare, who will be still getting up to speed come October due to 6 months of inactivity. I also have doubts of his general attitude, especially towards a constant high press. Benson, imo is a quality signing. Young, premier league experience, good on the ball, tenacious, however the issue lies in his partner. I personally feel styles is better at wing back. By shifting him inside we now have two fullbacks with zero goal threat, whilst having no goal threat centrally either. We would also have two whipper snapper central midfielders with no real experience, which is needed in a central position. Devante Cole could be a decent free, however last season could be a flash in the pan considering his record up to that point. The jury is out on that one for me. Leya stinks of Thiam in my opinion, one possibly recommended by agents and contacts rather off the spreadsheet. There is something at the back of my mind which doesn't feel right with this one. Finally, unless we sign a left back, we are in deep trouble, as Man City kindly highlighted yesterday. Styles looks seemingly destined to play central, oduor has shown he is inept at LWB and Ben Williams is not a footballer based on the fact showing commitment doesn't mean you are a good player. The signing of Kenneth Paal would welcomed however I cannot see this happening now as time passes by. I honestly can't see what folk are basing mid table predictions on. Based on the style, recruitment and general feel around the club currently, I see a long hard season in store.
I can quite believe this. Whilst Schopp was poor, the players are also to blame. You need a tough manager to stand in, stand up and basically no more. Explains why Moon is picked over Kitching. And tbf, I like Moon. Young, still learning, but he’s come through the ranks with us, and playing in a poor team. Val stood for now rubbish. Hence why many were quickly shipped out when they were clearly identified as poor attitude or poor quality.
This is where you need the leaders in the squad. Mowatt and Solbauer in particular would’ve helped nip this sort of thing in the bud. Even Chaplin was said to be a good character to have around. Now we’re so short of leadership that the club captain is the one who spends the majority of his time moaning at refs.
Funnily enough, my son and I were talking about that this week and said exactly the same thing about Chaplin. Without one or two like him, and a few older pros in the camp, you end up with a bunch of kids with poor morale and little or no guidance. If you've ever been to the supermarket late at night, and seen teenage shelf-stackers chucking stuff about willy-nilly, then that's exactly what you get when young lads drift off course and are allowed to get away with it.
It doesn't surprise me, the attitude and body language of the players is awful. If only we had a proper captain and a few senior pros around the place. The term spoilt brats spring to mind.
My information for this has come from the same channels as my pre season thread. With regards to Winnall, yes he was a ******, however he was a winner, even upto him moving to Wednesday, you wouldn't have known, such was the professionalism.