What a difference a year makes .......

Just reading those stat again tats, that actually puts up a very good argument for where the real problems lay doesn't it?
Over the season Stales signings didn't really make much of a contribution at all, your stats would include Pezcko who didn't really play again as well, which would mean that it was ''micks'' signings in fact that effectively took us down again.

I’ve just taken a look at the contribution Stale’s signings made during those ten games for another thread...

think you did

I don't mind personally, interesting convo in my opinion, and as i just said above, it inadvertantly points out where the issue likely was.
Poor signings are indeed poor signings, but if they don't play they cannot really be blamed for what happens on the pitch.

I am just pleased Kenny had the balls to continue the cull, Deano showed glimpses of what needed doing at least.

Hang on a minute tatter. The only comment I've made on this article, is the one in reply to gemini's remark. I haven't mentioned SS, so what on earth are you on about?

#scratchesheadinamazment

Interesting that 2 seasons running we got to 3rd. and then sank like a stone

Those stats are for the first ten games Cinci and I put them together because someone on MolMix claimed everything was going swimmingly under Stale until he hit an injury wall.
I think those stats give some indication of how well Stale’s signings were doing over those ten games.
Take Sako out of the equation and they contributed 2 goals and 18 starts between them.

We went downhill over the season (and this is my opinion only) for the same reason we went downhill in individual games. Solbakken’s tactics and man management.

The longer he coached them (his players as well as the deadwood) the worse we looked as a team and we almost always looked worse in the 2nd half of games than we did in the 1st.

Lack of fitness? Maybe.

Stale not being able to read what was happening in the game and make changes accordingly? Could be.

Players not having a clue what he was asking them to do? I’ll let you decide.

Players thinking at half time that they just couldn’t be bothered to do in the 2nd half what they did in 1st? Seems unlikely.


Surprised you've turned this into an MM v SS debate!

I think there is no doubt that players were unsure as to what was being asked.
Doyle himself said this is one interview, effectively saying that some players do not like/won't accept change.

Fitness would appear to be a possible reason as well, doubt any league has the kick and rush mentality of the champo except maybe the aussie rules football.

As for ''closing out'' games, i think that is a european philosophy, Mourinho is doing it now at chelsea, helps when you have solid personel.

Kick and rush is certainly still prevalent in the Scottish Football from what I have seen but not in the English game which moved on from that years ago.

The reason for the failure of Solbakken was poor management. Nothing more complex than that. Doyle's opinions are really not relevant cause he is a model professional that has never spoken out against a manager in his life.

The formation that Solbakken played would never work in the German or English Leagues. His rigidity about postions is something most managers dropped 20 years ago. And his lack of any relationship with the players was not going to help him get support as soon as things started going wrong.

Hope he does ok in Scandinavia cause its unlikely he will ever get a football management job anywhere else

I think there is no doubt that players were unsure as to what was being asked.

Doyle himself said this is one interview, effectively saying that some players do not like/won't accept change.


You read more and more into that quote every week Cinci. Strikes me as kind of odd that a manager could watch players be so unsure as to what they were being asked without A. explaining it better or B. Asking them to do something they did understand.

IF Stale was a misunderstood tactical genius (And I personally think he was a misunderstood moron) then why on earth would he have persisted with tactics and a philosophy that were so obviously failing miserably?

You see ulf, immediately you take the stance of "cinci is supporting stale"........which is incorrect, he made plenty of errors, my stance was always that he should not have been sacked when he was, and the result of sacking him resulted in nothing getting better did it?

And yes DJ, Doyle's comments don't reflect anything we have heard or read does it, I guess margos comments are irrelevant too?
I guess if a player says stale was useless that would count though

He made a raft of errors and some silly schoolboy stuff as well.
Either way, the players quit, that is unforgiveable no matter what you goal in life.

Agreed Cinci