Excellent Coaches

We have had a few excellent coaches at the club in recent years, some of whom have gone on to have a go at management.

Paul Wilkinson - had an excellent reputation in his first spell on the coaching staff and forged a good career as a coach. Just don't mention Cameron Jerome.

Paul Groves - very highly thought of as a coach and been on the coaching staff at some very good clubs. It didn't work out as manager here and he never really got much of a chance elsewhere to make amends.

Neil Woods - very good reputation as a youth coach and responsible for the last generation of youth graduates (Danny North etc). He finished the job Mike Newell wasn't allowed to do and at the helm for a number of disappointments: the longest winless run, relegation to non-league and the defeat to Bath City.

Paul Hurst - we didn't have much of a coaching team under him and he developed what players he had at his disposal; many of whom are playing much higher than us now. We won more than we lost under him, something which seems like a million miles away at the moment.

Anthony Limbrick - takes some of credit for the careers of Southampton academy graduates Luke Shaw and James Ward-Prowse. Has a great reputation as a youth coach but his spell in charge of Woking started promisingly and frittered out. Like has been said elsewhere, his pre-match warm up with the mascots was bizarre to me.

Michael Jolley - one of the select few to achieve the ultimate coaching qualification this country has to offer. He's spent time coaching the U23's for a Premier League team where you are judged on graduates to the first team as opposed to how many points you have gained come 4:45 on a Saturday afternoon. His reading of what happened seems good but his decision making on countering that seems somewhat baffling. He worked miracles in 10 games with a bunch of someone else's players but his recruitment is questionable. Everything was pinned upon playing 3-5-2. We lined up for every friendly playing 3-5-2 and we didn't sign any wingers but when we lost our first game comprehensively against the team we beat comprehensively in our previous competitive outing 3-5-2 was ditched. Martin Pringle was a late addition but despite ditching 3-5-2 we don't have any depth out wide. As such, just about every midfielder has played a half out wide.

Being a good coach doesn't necessarily make you a good manager. I hope he is because he's a likeable person and has done work in the community but he has to knuckle down, remove any troublemakers from the camp and focus on where the next victory is coming from.

Quoted from jamesgtfc

We have had a few excellent coaches at the club in recent years, some of whom have gone on to have a go at management.

Paul Wilkinson - had an excellent reputation in his first spell on the coaching staff and forged a good career as a coach. Just don't mention Cameron Jerome.

Paul Groves - very highly thought of as a coach and been on the coaching staff at some very good clubs. It didn't work out as manager here and he never really got much of a chance elsewhere to make amends.

Neil Woods - very good reputation as a youth coach and responsible for the last generation of youth graduates (Danny North etc). He finished the job Mike Newell wasn't allowed to do and at the helm for a number of disappointments: the longest winless run, relegation to non-league and the defeat to Bath City.

Paul Hurst - we didn't have much of a coaching team under him and he developed what players he had at his disposal; many of whom are playing much higher than us now. We won more than we lost under him, something which seems like a million miles away at the moment.

Anthony Limbrick - takes some of credit for the careers of Southampton academy graduates Luke Shaw and James Ward-Prowse. Has a great reputation as a youth coach but his spell in charge of Woking started promisingly and frittered out. Like has been said elsewhere, his pre-match warm up with the mascots was bizarre to me.

Michael Jolley - one of the select few to achieve the ultimate coaching qualification this country has to offer. He's spent time coaching the U23's for a Premier League team where you are judged on graduates to the first team as opposed to how many points you have gained come 4:45 on a Saturday afternoon. His reading of what happened seems good but his decision making on countering that seems somewhat baffling. He worked miracles in 10 games with a bunch of someone else's players but his recruitment is questionable. Everything was pinned upon playing 3-5-2. We lined up for every friendly playing 3-5-2 and we didn't sign any wingers but when we lost our first game comprehensively against the team we beat comprehensively in our previous competitive outing 3-5-2 was ditched. Martin Pringle was a late addition but despite ditching 3-5-2 we don't have any depth out wide. As such, just about every midfielder has played a half out wide.

Being a good coach doesn't necessarily make you a good manager. I hope he is because he's a likeable person and has done work in the community but he has to knuckle down, remove any troublemakers from the camp and focus on where the next victory is coming from.

Blast from the past?

Quoted from MuddyWaters

Blast from the past?

You make one mistake!

I think not having RHJ, Fox or Dixon to call on has made it a bit tricky to play 3-5-2 or 5-3-2, whichever way you want to view that formation. Shunting centre backs to full back has been our only recourse until we brought in the versatile Hendrie. I'm convinced we will be a more balanced side once we get some proper full backs fit again. This will also give us 4 centre backs to choose from in their preferred positions. The defence is changing constantly, and Famewo is having to fill in at left back, neither of which is ideal.

Quoted from ginnywings

I think not having RHJ, Fox or Dixon to call on has made it a bit tricky to play 3-5-2 or 5-3-2, whichever way you want to view that formation. Shunting centre backs to full back has been our only recourse until we brought in the versatile Hendrie. I'm convinced we will be a more balanced side once we get some proper full backs fit again. This will also give us 4 centre backs to choose from in their preferred positions. The defence is changing constantly, and Famewo is having to fill in at left back, neither of which is ideal.

But he's had Hendrie and Fox or Dixon to pick from on quite a few occasions this season and has still not gone back to the wingback system that we spent all summer gearing up towards.

Hall-Johnson was a big blow but if our whole system goes out the window because we lose a single player, we've made a bloody big gamble on that player not getting injured/suspended.  Also begs the question as to why we we went into the season without anyone identified as cover.  I thought Clifton had been earmarked as someone who could do that job by Jolley, yet he ditches him in that role and the system after one bad display.  

Unfortunately it smacks of a guy who panicked after a bad performance and not having the experience or courage to stick to his guns.  He continues to chop and change at every bad result which means the players have no chance of building up relationships on the pitch or getting familiar with a system.

Quoted from jamesgtfc

You make one mistake!

At least you didn't say Derek Pringle.

I think if the Jolley experiment goes mammaries up we should just force Dave Moore to be manager. he’s seen enough excrement over the years now he must be more than qualified to know exactly what not to do.

Peter Sheffield ?

All these coaches seem very good whilst dealing with youths, a bit different when you are the main man and your job relies on results.

Quoted from diehardmariner

But he's had Hendrie and Fox or Dixon to pick from on quite a few occasions this season and has still not gone back to the wingback system that we spent all summer gearing up towards.

Hall-Johnson was a big blow but if our whole system goes out the window because we lose a single player, we've made a bloody big gamble on that player not getting injured/suspended.  Also begs the question as to why we we went into the season without anyone identified as cover.  I thought Clifton had been earmarked as someone who could do that job by Jolley, yet he ditches him in that role and the system after one bad display.  

Unfortunately it smacks of a guy who panicked after a bad performance and not having the experience or courage to stick to his guns.  He continues to chop and change at every bad result which means the players have no chance of building up relationships on the pitch or getting familiar with a system.

No he hasn't. Fox hasn't been fit and when he did come back, he didn't last for 90 mins. Hendrie has only been here a month and hadn't been playing previously, so was hardly likely to be match ready for a couple of weeks.

Surely you can only coach players up to the ceiling of their ability. You can't polish a turd as someone recently said.

Quoted from ginnywings

No he hasn't. Fox hasn't been fit and when he did come back, he didn't last for 90 mins. Hendrie has only been here a month and hadn't been playing previously, so was hardly likely to be match ready for a couple of weeks.

Fair point. To be honest I forgot Dixon was suspended for 3 games.

Quoted from diehardmariner

Fair point. To be honest I forgot Dixon was suspended for 3 games.

Think Dixon is injured anyway.

Think the most telling thing is that just a few games into the season and Mckeown is our only ever present!!

Even allowing for injuries and suspensions that indicates to me that there is absolutely no chance of getting the team to gel.

Get a formation/system, put the best suited players into said system and allow them time to develope their roles.

Coaches than constantly chop and change give me the impression of their own uncertainty which must pass to the players?

You make a very good point, although some changes have been forced rather than selection decisions per se. We might have had 2 or 3 more players who were ever present or who had played most games. I'm pretty sure Welsh and Cook would have started every game, and possibly Davis and maybe Rose too.

Hard to get away from the facts that : the squad is small, it lacks real quality in every department and we have no strength in depth. Sure we've had a fair bit of bad luck but our contingency planning looks very flawed. I don't know if this is all budget reliant, but we just haven't signed enough good players and we have retained too many average ones.

Quoted from chaos33

You make a very good point, although some changes have been forced rather than selection decisions per se. We might have had 2 or 3 more players who were ever present or who had played most games. I'm pretty sure Welsh and Cook would have started every game, and possibly Davis and maybe Rose too.

Hard to get away from the facts that : the squad is small, it lacks real quality in every department and we have no strength in depth. Sure we've had a fair bit of bad luck but our contingency planning looks very flawed. I don't know if this is all budget reliant, but we just haven't signed enough good players and we have retained too many average ones.

I quite like Hessenthaler but he isn't Summerfield.

I can't help but wonder if a chunk of the budget has been set aside for one or two players from Sweden to potentially join in January. If so, a big gamble on the part of Jolley.

That said, I suppose one of our main signings was Whitehouse and his loss has undoubtedly denied us a lot of get up and go in midfield. If a good chunk of your budget is spent on a player who gets crocked for the season before a ball is kicked in anger (similar to Hearn), then you're likely to struggle to some degree.

Quoted from Maringer

I can't help but wonder if a chunk of the budget has been set aside for one or two players from Sweden to potentially join in January. If so, a big gamble on the part of Jolley.

That said, I suppose one of our main signings was Whitehouse and his loss has undoubtedly denied us a lot of get up and go in midfield. If a good chunk of your budget is spent on a player who gets crocked for the season before a ball is kicked in anger (similar to Hearn), then you're likely to struggle to some degree.

I guess that's the problem the previous three managers have been trying to deal with. Lots of people have said they'd rather have a small squad with better players than a bigger squad of poorer players. But with a small squad each player out is a bigger slice of your cake.

As for coaches, I preferred Appleby's to Peter Sheffield. Or even the Lincolnshire Road Car Company.

Many happy memories of getting on the Appleby's coach at Louth Road and trundling through Marshchapel and Grainthorpe etc on the way to North Somercotes.  . Get off opposite the Axe and Cleaver.

Quoted from chaos33

Many happy memories of getting on the Appleby's coach at Louth Road and trundling through Marshchapel and Grainthorpe etc on the way to North Somercotes.  . Get off opposite the Axe and Cleaver.

You could add to that Granville Tours, Starks and The Red Bus that took us home from the Gaiety
down the coast on a Saturday night.

Quoted from Caveman

You could add to that Granville Tours, Starks and The Red Bus that took us home from the Gaiety
down the coast on a Saturday night.

Ah Granville Tours. Forgot about them. Think we might have had them for school trips. Day trips on Lincs RC from Cleethorpes Market Place was my Summer holiday.

Don’t remember the other two.

All probably killed off with increasing car ownership?

Quoted from Caveman

You could add to that Granville Tours, Starks and The Red Bus that took us home from the Gaiety
down the coast on a Saturday night.

Wow! That dates you a bit!

Remember going to Mansfield on a Granville Tours bus to watch Town one evening and the driver chain smoked all the way there and back. It was a foggy night but you could see better outside than in the bus.

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Ah Granville Tours. Forgot about them. Think we might have had them for school trips. Day trips on Lincs RC from Cleethorpes Market Place was my Summer holiday.

Don’t remember the other two.

All probably killed off with increasing car ownership?

My dad drove for Granville Tours for many years and took the team to away games,

He once told Rod Green he could not play his guitar on the bus,

Boring   git  

Quoted from KingstonMariner

Ah Granville Tours. Forgot about them. Think we might have had them for school trips. Day trips on Lincs RC from Cleethorpes Market Place was my Summer holiday.

Don’t remember the other two.

All probably killed off with increasing car ownership?

My dad drove for Granville Tours for many years and took the team to away games,

He once told Rod Green he could not play his guitar on the bus,

Boring   git  

Quoted from grimsby pete

My dad drove for Granville Tours for many years and took the team to away games,

He once told Rod Green he could not play his guitar on the bus,

Boring   git  

You do realise you're beginning to repeat yourself Pete.  

Quoted from KingstonMariner

You do realise you're beginning to repeat yourself Pete.  

Its an age thing KM  

Great coaches - Paul Wilkinson? Maybe first time around but not this time. Too old school now - did you see those warm ups he used to do with the defenders before matches? Lumping the ball up to them from halfway. The opposition must have been looking at us thinking 'get in!', it was so amateur. Glad he has moved on. Great contributor to the club but, like Sir Alan, past it now.

Quoted from grimsby pete

Its an age thing KM  

What is?

Quoted from KingstonMariner

What is?

I forgot