From the home match when Evatt finally decided to change tactic and go direct he uncovered the way to beating us, which was going more direct and stop messing about with it at the back so our pressing from the front was useless, they managed to turn it round to 2-2. Also since that game they'd only lost once (to Derby) whereas we'd lost 6 times and fell down the table. They also had key players come back from injury which only strengthened them. So key players back plus Evatt had finally stumbled on a blue print to unlock us meant it was easy to see us losing tonight with or without Collins.
I can clearly see you aren't up for any type of discussion and blindly going into your Pro Collins drivel so I think I'll leave it there. Good talk.
No better no worse any confidence the team had has long since been destroyed by Colllins ineptitude. Daft to sack him when we did. Even more daft to employ him in the first place.
It was miles worse - you're allowed to say it. We've played Bolton twice this season- drawn twice. Outplayed them for about 150 of the 180 minutes. But not tonight.
It was a shock to me when Collins was sacked and I had neither called for nor expected it. Though like many others though my enthusiasm for the football we were playing was draining away. As has always been the case, and especially so these days with the way social media provides encouragement for the amplification of the voices of the extreme element, there are those of a certain character (probably the type who fight in the Ponty) who seek immediate drastic solutions to challenging scenarios. You can’t deny someone an opinion. But it was the employer who got rid of Collins, and to blame a vocal minority for his departure is to aim a gun at the wrong target. It was up to the Board to hold their nerve, and they didn’t. In my opinion, Collins would probably not have done any better than Devaney. But perhaps he should have been given the chance to. But the Board made the choice, not a section of the disenchanted fanbase.
I think most people believed that the dour, possession based football was down to Collins. There was a genuine relief when he had been relieved of his duties. The increase in ticket sales for the Northampton match might point to that. What I don’t think people expected was a return to Collins tactics MK2 under Devaney. FWIW I think the board have been spooked by the season ticket sales and have made the wrong decision (or utter balls up). Easy to say in hindsight though…
That's a very good, well articulated post. But I think the board acted because of certain sections of the fanbase.