Just a point regarding the management

And let's get rid of this idea that because the fans wanted Jolley it absolves Fenty or the board of any blame.

The fans just see and read things about the manger and that is how they decide. They don't do any due diligence, they don't interview any candidates. This is Fenty's and the board's job and the decision is theirs and theirs alone.

Now, I still hope Jolley can turn this around although after Saturday it's difficult to see how he can but enough of this "he was the fans choice so you can't blame Fenty or the board".

If they come on here and read who the fans want as the next manager, before choosing, we are in worse trouble than what I thought.

Quoted from Civvy at last

I guess what you are saying then. Is that we need to stick with MJ because  we simply can’t trust the board to formulate a plan for the future. And as sad as it may seem I actually agree with you. Our board are clearly incapable of structuring a solid way FORWARD for GTFC. Or somehow raising the finance to do so.
Any new manager will be joining with all the problems and lack of real (not lip service) support from the board. At least MJ is aware now of what he has got himself into, so let’s give him time to try and fix things that he started. I think most of us feel that the Freemo project will be the make or break for us. We just need something positive to lift us. Something this owner seems YET AGAIN reluctant to do.

I suppose I am. Ordinarily, I wouldn't be upset or surprised if MJ was sacked based on the run of bad results alone. Yet, in this situation, like you say, a new manager will come in and all the underlying problems are still there.

It's hard to get away from the need for change at board level. The club is either terribly unlucky or there is something not right in how it is run. In support of the latter, I will point to something minor yet revealing in the programme on Saturday: Half the player sponsorships remain unsold. I have not seen the club pushing or advertising their availability. I've sponsored a player before, it's a great package for a fan in my view and easy money for the club. So why aren't they pushing it?

There are plenty of other cases, the annual season ticket malaise being the best example. If the 'customer' facing elements aren't right, what makes you think anything else will be. I think there is a complacency that runs through the club. It was part of the recipe that relegated us in 2010 and hasn't gone away.

Quoted from pen penfras

1 - It isn't working very well for Crewe.
2 - I think we did have a plan. A young up and coming manager that values young players and gives them opportunities that we can hopefully develop and build on or sell for a profit. This is actually very similar to the "Crewe model".
The club have clearly bought into MJ's approach given the number of 2+ year contracts that have been handed out.

I don't disagree with your second point. I believe we did have a 'plan', for this appointment, and I agree with the Jolley appointment and everything that came with it, but if that really was the plan then, like others have said, why did we approach managers like Phil Brown, John Askey, etc?

We seem to change our attitude, quite drastically, with every appointment. Slade was almost the complete opposite of Jolley.

So what kind of club are we? What type of managers do we usually appoint to help us succeed with this vision? None of them seem to be very similar.

I appreciate Crewe aren't setting the football world on fire but they haven't had six years in non-league while, season after season, they continue to bring through not just one or two youth players but five or six. This philosophy and succession planning has been there for decades now and while they might also be in the bottom half of the fourth division they're incredibly well run off the pitch and do not face the same problems we've faced during that time.

Every now and again they'll name a starting XI made entirely of their own youth players (usually in the trophy).

I'm not saying we should copy their strategy; it's just an example of a club that has a clear vision and knows exactly what to do and who to target when they feel they need a change of manager.

We, for quite some time now, seem to close our eyes, cross our fingers and hope that we somehow land a manager that can work wonders. And, if he does, and he delivers a promotion, we're then too dumb to back him because, you know, he's dour in interviews and everything.

Bet Mr Slade's smirking

Quoted from Gibson617

Bet Mr Slade's smirking

He has nothing to smirk about his decision to let Pearson go effectively started this slide

Quoted from 1mickylyons

He has nothing to smirk about his decision to let Pearson go effectively started this slide

Honestly think the conversations were having about Collins would have been about Pearson instead ,ones legs have gone and the other didn’t have any in the first place. I know he’s a great lad good pro etc but just not FL standard we simply need better

We could have had SOL-I think he has a little bit of football experience-God help us if we had. Slade had a lot of experience but the wrong sort. Ayrton is possibly available-sure he would relish the job-J.S.F.could hand over his complete wealth for 1 year. FFS.

Quoted from dapperz fun pub

Honestly think the conversations were having about Collins would have been about Pearson instead ,ones legs have gone and the other didn’t have any in the first place. I know he’s a great lad good pro etc but just not FL standard we simply need better

Doesn't say much about who MJ has signed then.

Also some said the same about Andy Cook and he is now playing in the league above us.

Quoted from dapperz fun pub

Honestly think the conversations were having about Collins would have been about Pearson instead ,ones legs have gone and the other didn’t have any in the first place. I know he’s a great lad good pro etc but just not FL standard we simply need better

Nathan Clarke, Karleigh Osborne, Harry Davis, Alex Whitmore...

Which of those subsequent replacements are better than Pearson?

I couldn't disagree more that he's not FL standard, he was doing fine before he was released and was actually out-performing Collins in that back 3 in the final games under Bignot.  But that's an argument for another day...  But the decision to release a dressing room leader at the same time as the other leader (Disley - who I understand the reasons for not retaining) was absolute lunacy.  We've still not recovered from that, nearly a year and half on.  

Quoted from RichMariner

I don't disagree with your second point. I believe we did have a 'plan', for this appointment, and I agree with the Jolley appointment and everything that came with it, but if that really was the plan then, like others have said, why did we approach managers like Phil Brown, John Askey, etc?

We seem to change our attitude, quite drastically, with every appointment. Slade was almost the complete opposite of Jolley.

So what kind of club are we? What type of managers do we usually appoint to help us succeed with this vision? None of them seem to be very similar.

I appreciate Crewe aren't setting the football world on fire but they haven't had six years in non-league while, season after season, they continue to bring through not just one or two youth players but five or six. This philosophy and succession planning has been there for decades now and while they might also be in the bottom half of the fourth division they're incredibly well run off the pitch and do not face the same problems we've faced during that time.

Every now and again they'll name a starting XI made entirely of their own youth players (usually in the trophy).

I'm not saying we should copy their strategy; it's just an example of a club that has a clear vision and knows exactly what to do and who to target when they feel they need a change of manager.

We, for quite some time now, seem to close our eyes, cross our fingers and hope that we somehow land a manager that can work wonders. And, if he does, and he delivers a promotion, we're then too dumb to back him because, you know, he's dour in interviews and everything.

I often have a plan. Equally as often I don't have the money, the brains, the contacts or the nous to make anything of it. In fact I remind myself of a certain football club I know well.