Sacking him would be previous - and pointless

It’s probably too soon to consider sacking Darrell Clarke. He needs a fair crack to turn things around.

I’ll caveat this. I don’t actually think he will, and I think he’ll end up going. But I can’t conclude that with 100% certainty and neither should the club. Yet.

It would and will likely be futile at the moment anyway. He’s appearing out of his depth - but who would we bring in to replace him that would be able to get a tune out of the squad we’ve been left with?

We can’t do anything to address the squad until January. It’s doubtful we can do that much even then.

We’ve walked so far down a blind alley with poor decisions on recruitment of players and backroom staff that even when the conclusion is made that the head coach isn’t cutting it - which may or not be in the near future - it is unlikely to lead to much improvement.

I can accept a reduced budget. I can accept that meaning reduced quality in areas. Ok.

But that doesn’t mean we have to be so lopsided, it didn’t mean we had to sign players in positions we didn’t need and not sign ones where we do.

Matty Craig shouldn’t be here. He’s a right footed Connell - only a few years younger so not as good. He will turn out to be as good I think - maybe better - but he isn’t what we needed now, and him being here is an issue. He’s playing, meaning we end up with two cdm’s on the field. Both of them playing makes the other less effective. One should play. Not both. Only thing is, one is on loan from the premier league and presumably is expected to play, the other is the club captain and one of the biggest assets so also expected to play if only to increase value.

Gaga Slonina has the ability to make some saves but he is going to cost us. The defence don’t trust him. He also lacks, for want of a better way of saying it, the balls to be a professional goalkeeper, at this level anyway. There have been numerous occasions he’s been reluctant to swallow up the ball where there’s been a few feet etc flying around. He’s scared to do that. He’s also a liability with a high ball - he punched a few clear well today but one flap/mishit punch didn’t make the 18 yard line and he ended up having to make a decent save to tip the resultant shot over the bar. It was a good stop - but one he shouldn’t have had to make if he’d done an effective job in the previous phase. I also think he was very much at fault for the second goal today. His saves look ok at times but he costs us goals directly and indirectly every week.

We brought in DKD at the last minute having been panicked into overpaying for him but having been persuing him all summer. I’ve no idea why - as he hasn’t played a single second in the position he’s been effective in at his previous club. And has looked mainly ineffective; and not what the squad needed. Bizarre signing.

We don’t play to the attributes of the forwards we have; they have plenty of weaknesses yeah but we seem to set up in such a way to highlight them.

We have an abundance of cm’s and 10’s - but no wide players other than full backs who can’t defend one on one that well. We have no balance in terms of left footed players to play wide left. Gent isn’t the answer; Connell isn’t quick enough to play wide, Earl is a centre back playing wider at times because we have to.

We have three right wing backs with different attributes, all have weaknesses, and none of them are consistently playing at right wing back.

I reminds me of the season Heckingbottom needed centre forwards and we signed about twelve 8’s instead.

Clarke is a problem. He’s a negative force on the players. They need a motivator and they have a blame shifter at the moment. But he can turn that around - I doubt he will, but he could.

But the squad is the bigger issue, and even bigger is the fact it has been allowed to happen. The people at the top are just not learning. I’m not criticising them for not caring - they do. Not for not spending. They are. Arguably too much but in the wrong areas.

I am criticising them for not learning and not listening though.

We have a long autumn and winter coming. The manager will likely leave during it. But I’m not holding my breath as to how much effect that will have.

 

Too soon to have an opinion but something has changed. We have a top 6 team but have a bottom 6 attitude, a lot of questions have to be asked from within.

 

Who says we have a top 6 team?

 

Bang on. I just don’t have the time or motivation to type that out. It’s a mess and will take some sorting but I just don’t trust those in charge to make the right decisions.
Clarke needs longer but like you I’ve no faith he’ll turn it around. I think he’s out of his depth.

 

Our team is nowhere near top 6. I’ll be amazed if we make top 10.

 

So in summary - you know he's not good enough but because you can't think of anyone who might be better, and the fact the players are a bit toss, he might as well stay.

Nah.

Lets have him out. At least we wont have to look at his stupid gilet after we lose.

 

Pretty much agree with all that, and the post by @YT

I wouldn't sack him, I won't call for him to be fired, but I don't have much faith he can turn it around. I don't believe he has much in his skillset that is required for the position. However, I also know I can get things wrong.

I think the recruitment was poor, very poor, but I still think we have the players to be molded into a team that is capable of playing much better than we are. That's the crux of it. While there are problems elsewhere, I don't think the head coach is getting the best out of the squad. Not even close. I thought both Duff and, for the most part, Collins did. Even if it wasn't pretty to watch.

 

Sormaz needs to go before Clarke does.

 

I dont get it. You all know deep down he's ***** but you'd keep him anyway just in case everyone is wrong despite the clear evidence of your eyes.

I think you should all go and buy some Daphne and Celeste records just in case you're all wrong and they turn out to be musical visionaries.

Get him gone, post haste, with expediency

 

I'm old enough and experienced enough to know that my assessment of players and management after 10 games has been wrong at least 100 times. After the number of games we'll play by the January transfer window my accuracy has improved exponentially

 

It's been a crap week and chickens are coming home to roost but we can't keep changing managers when those above him are clueless and invisible.

 

Yes but if the manager is inept why wojld you stick with him? You'd keep this div purely on the grounds of 'there's been too much change'?

 

We’re in danger of becoming L1’s answer to Watford. Clarke has to be given time to turn it around. Well, at least until January anyway.

 

They shouldnt have sacked Collins, and they should have done more to keep Duff. But you have to make your decisions based on the cards in the hand you're holding, not based on the hands you messed up.previously.

 

I probably didn't make myself clear but in my opinion the real problems lie above Clarke and we need to at least give him the next transfer window to shuffle a few players around.

 

Completely agree.

I posted about it the other day, you can make mistakes & get signings wrong but the make up of the squad & the lack of players in certain positions whilst we have too many in others is incompetence. It’s as simple as that.

 

I do agree with that but even taking that into account, he's extra clueless.

 

There's certainly not too much to be impressed by yet mate.

 

I don't think he should be sacked. It's apt though that we play Blackpool away next in the league, as it was after Blackpool away I wanted Schopp gone. That was a September match, so even if we lose at Blackpool and I decide I want him gone, I will have given him a bit longer

 

No.

I don’t ‘know’ he’s not good enough. He hasnt had sufficient opportunity to prove that one way or another yet.

I don’t think he will turn it around. It is premature to draw conclusions at this time though.