Just Back

Quoted from Northbank Mariner

Now, you see you are making assumptions, I've not once said I don't like Hurst, his style of play, yes I do dislike but never gone after him on a personal level.

You say my thoughts and facts are baseless but let's face it, you are one of those forum users that just hates being questioned....and part of the reason this forum has such a bloody awful name.

Hmm!

Fair enough, you don't have anything personal about PH that you dislike, but you have made plenty of posts dissing his recruitment, tactics and training methods, and that was what I was referring to. You also made posts that you knew Stockwood wanted to sack PH but was talked out of it. A few posters called you out on this and you have since retracted, surprise surprise. You think the manager should be sacked and that's fine, but I don't, so I counter your thoughts with my own, which is the point of a forum isn't it?

You have also told one poster to p1!ss off and called him a condescending fool, while you labelled another a w@nk biscuit. And that is only recent posts.

And yet it is me that is lowering the standard, and one of the reasons the forum has has "such a bloody awful name".

Methinks it maybe you who doesn't like being questioned, because you have all the answers, if only everybody else could see what you see.

Mansfield have stuck with Clough over 3/4 years despise them failing to win 10 of their opening games just 2 seasons back

Challinor last season with Stockport, very slow start, stuck with him, Losing play off finalists

Donny this season, didnt win for the first 8 games, They’ve stuck with him

Sacking a manager isnt always the best outcome

Quoted from Hagrid

Mansfield have stuck with Clough over 3/4 years despise them failing to win 10 of their opening games just 2 seasons back

Challinor last season with Stockport, very slow start, stuck with him, Losing play off finalists

Donny this season, didnt win for the first 8 games, They’ve stuck with him

Sacking a manager isnt always the best outcome

It's just a throw of the dice either way isn't it? None of us know the results of the sliding doors moment until several months or even years later.

My brother in law is a York fan and he says watching them had become a complete bore with negative football the norm, but Neal Ardley already has them playing much more exciting football with the same players and with better results.

Although a purist I don't really mind what style of football it is if it brings results, but if it is consistently turgid and is also not getting results then questions will be asked.

And I think that's where a lot of the issues are towards Hurst, the lack of entertainment.

I like Hurst and I back him.  But ultimately football is a form of entertainment.  The concept of being entertained is very subjective.  I loved watching Town under Russell Slade (first time, definitely not the second time!).  I thought we were entertaining as hell, he evolved from the first season of trying open, expressive and attacking play to a very direct, measured and powerful style.  We won a lot of games and at that point in my life when I was happy to travel all over the country to watch us bully teams into 1-0 wins, it was fantastic.  But he split the fanbase, some simply couldn't tolerate his style of play.  

I remember going to Mansfield away in February of the 05/06 season. Going into the game we were 2 points clear at the top of the league. Steve Mildenhall dropped a rare clanger in front of the Town fans and then Giles Coke of all people made it 2-0 before the break.  As the half-time whistle went the atmosphere in the away end  was absolutely toxic.  You would think we were 10 without a win and propping up the league.  But it was the style of play that some people just couldn't stomach.  Slade got away with it because we were (until the end, when it mattered) successful that season.

Hurst has always tested a lot of patience when it comes to his style of football. But in the Conference we were always at the right end of the table and in his only full season in the league with us, most would take an FA Cup Quarter Final in any season...

But this year the expectations are higher (rightly or wrongly).  The appetite is there for the club to go on and do something in this division, the stall was set out with early business in the summer window, everyone knew we had extra money (if that matches up to the rest of the division is largely irrelevant because expectations were already set in the mind of many) and on paper we did some excellent business with the likes of Conteh really setting the hares racing.

Hurst himself even seems to have set a different stall out early on, a more free-flowing and possession based approach with a high and intense press when we don't have the play.  But that looks to have tailed off a bit.

It feels like we've reverted to type a bit.  No goal threat, mediocre at best entertainment and then a disappointing run of results.  

As fans we'll always demand success, then entertainment.  If we're getting neither then the frustration levels will rise and ultimately it will only be directed at one man.  Others have spoken about a need for 4 points from the next two home games.  I think 4 will keep the hounds at bay, but 6 are really needed with two strong and statement like performances.

Quoted from diehardmariner

And I think that's where a lot of the issues are towards Hurst, the lack of entertainment.

I like Hurst and I back him.  But ultimately football is a form of entertainment.  The concept of being entertained is very subjective.  I loved watching Town under Russell Slade (first time, definitely not the second time!).  I thought we were entertaining as hell, he evolved from the first season of trying open, expressive and attacking play to a very direct, measured and powerful style.  We won a lot of games and at that point in my life when I was happy to travel all over the country to watch us bully teams into 1-0 wins, it was fantastic.  But he split the fanbase, some simply couldn't tolerate his style of play.  

I remember going to Mansfield away in February of the 05/06 season. Going into the game we were 2 points clear at the top of the league. Steve Mildenhall dropped a rare clanger in front of the Town fans and then Giles Coke of all people made it 2-0 before the break.  As the half-time whistle went the atmosphere in the away end  was absolutely toxic.  You would think we were 10 without a win and propping up the league.  But it was the style of play that some people just couldn't stomach.  Slade got away with it because we were (until the end, when it mattered) successful that season.

Hurst has always tested a lot of patience when it comes to his style of football. But in the Conference we were always at the right end of the table and in his only full season in the league with us, most would take an FA Cup Quarter Final in any season...

But this year the expectations are higher (rightly or wrongly).  The appetite is there for the club to go on and do something in this division, the stall was set out with early business in the summer window, everyone knew we had extra money (if that matches up to the rest of the division is largely irrelevant because expectations were already set in the mind of many) and on paper we did some excellent business with the likes of Conteh really setting the hares racing.

Hurst himself even seems to have set a different stall out early on, a more free-flowing and possession based approach with a high and intense press when we don't have the play.  But that looks to have tailed off a bit.

It feels like we've reverted to type a bit.  No goal threat, mediocre at best entertainment and then a disappointing run of results.  

As fans we'll always demand success, then entertainment.  If we're getting neither then the frustration levels will rise and ultimately it will only be directed at one man.  Others have spoken about a need for 4 points from the next two home games.  I think 4 will keep the hounds at bay, but 6 are really needed with two strong and statement like performances.

I think Slade got away with it because of Michael Reddy.

Reddy and Cohen both had blistering pace so a whack upfield often became a real threat, during the first half of the season especially.

Not much in the way of slick passing from that team that I can recall and we simply ran out of ideas in the second half of the season (or perhaps we were just found out?) as the forwards lost form. Woodhouse was signed with the reputation as being a talented midfielder, but he didn't improve us. My main memory of him is just whacking endless set pieces into the box, aiming for the head of Rob Jones or Ben Futcher. I don't think he offered much from open play and Reddy was clearly struggling with injury as the season drew to a close, which didn't help. A promotion which got away from us.

Even the (relatively) successful slade mk1 team were usually a chore to watch in my opinion, having been brought up on buckley-ball. The 4-0 defeat of notts county being a rare exception if memory serves (may well be faulty)

Slade mark 1 played some superb footie ( rushden away sticks in the memory) but he didnt get the results so went route 1, to great effect..as witnessed by that notts co game, which was the most appalling dross, but we wentvtop as a result if I remember correctly)

I seem to recall we started with a 3-4-3 formation, playing some really slick stuff and causing opponents a lot of problems but without winning too many games. Then, of course, he changed tack to route one and that was more successful, though notably the winning run began when Lumpaldinho started playing.

The arrival of Junior 'Flipping' Mendes didn't really have the desired effect. I'm sure he cost us a few goals by being in the way when shots from other players hit him. Absolutely useless.

Was definitely 3-4-3 in his first season, front three of Parkinson, Sestanovic and Mansaram (Reddy coming off the bench).   We were ridiculously attacking, to the point of gung-ho but just couldn't score/win.  

Rumour that a certain chairman told Slade he needed to go back to 4-4-2 as that's the natives knew and liked.  I've no idea if there was any truth in that.

Second season was less gung ho and more measured, can't remember the exact formation but seem to think it was more 4-4-2 like with Parkinson and Cohen wide up until Xmas, the likes of Simon Francis, Calvin Andrew and others also doing a job out there.  

But it definitely boiled off post Xmas.  The January transfer window did us.  Gritton and Ramsden went out, neither of whom were really involved much but bringing in Futcher, Woodhouse, Mendes and Goodfellow just disrupted everything.  I agree on Woodhouse, a good individual but I thought he unbalanced the midfield and broke up a very effective Ciaran Toner/Paul Bolland pairing in the middle.  Futcher was useless, very much the player Rob Jones left behind the previous season but even he looked remotely decent compared to Mendes and Goodfellow.  Slade seemed obsessed with getting a return from Mendes and just persisted with him.  Goodfellow's open goal miss at Orient still haunts me 17 years on.

Also persisted with an unfit Reddy for far too long.  Should have bit the bullet, put Cohen down the middle with Gary Jones rather than try to wish Reddy's hip injuries away.

Memory is just jogged by the decision away at Rochdale to bring on Rob Jones to defend a corner in the final minute.  Jones completely misses the header which sails into the net for a 2-2 finish.  Prior to that we were in ok form, a win would have made it 13 points from the last 15.  Instead we went onto pick up 11 points from the final 9 games.  Another 3 would have seen us go up on goal difference.

4 of our final 6 games were against sides that finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 5th.  Tough run in but we threw it away.