Favourite Gareth Ainsworth quotes
Well after what has been quite a revelation about how the club last week, which again seems to make a fair few think that control is out of the trust's hands, and into the untrustworthy brigade, added blend of Ice Cream seller. I feel it is very important to appreciate what we have, and we do have an extremely good, charismatic man in charge (at least of the football side) of Wycombe Wanderers.
What is everyone's favourite Gareth Ainsworth quote/s or quote/s referring to the great man?
Personally GA:
"The odds are stacked against us, but not as bad as they could be, I still believe in fairy tales. I read them every night to my three children and hopefully I can be telling them about the day Wycombe survived. I believe it can happen. Positivity has been my life for 40 years, I firmly believe that there will be a twist. We have to do our side of the bargain, so we'll go all guns blazing. The players were distraught after the Bristol Rovers defeat, but there's no room for moping about and we've had a great week. These lads would run through brick walls for me. There's one more wall and we need to smash it down."
danitrfc wrote:
"Watching Gareth Ainsworth and the entire Wycombe bench last night in comparison with ours showed me exactly why we've looked so lacking in direction for so much of this season. Ainsworth, his staff and his players were up on the touchline constantly giving instructions to his team and to individuals, they were in the fourth officials ear, shouting at the ref, berating the linesman and even giving stick to some of our lot. Ainsworth spent no more than a few seconds in his technical area before he was off again. They were horrible and irritable and brilliant. 'The attitude transferred onto the pitch. Wycombe looked organised and solid whilst offering a constant threat in attack. Their players were in the ref's ear constantly, they bought little fouls to slow the match down they annoyed our lads and made us look like a team of amateurs. Doesn't matter how much skill you've got, if you've not got the game management then you'll win **** all and we have never grasped this side of the game. Wycombe had ten men away from home playing against a side desperate for points and they looked comfortable at 1-2, and looked the more likely to score after the sending off.' 'It's all about attitudes now, Wycombe's was a winning one, ours was a defeated one. Ainsworth was loving every minute last night, he was like a bullet being fired into an empty room. Adams looked like a punctured balloon."
Comments
This really irritates me, the revisionist attitude which pretends which should have backed him at the time.
When this post was written, Wycombe were absolutely awful. The game against Bristol Rovers was one of the worst I've seen, and you'd be forgiven for assuming we were down at the time.
Just because we've turned it around - don't forget how bad Torquay were, and Rovers were unlucky to not score against Mansfield - and Ainsworth has to obviously be hugely credited for this turn-around.
I think it's because he's learned a lot from that desperate period, and for that I'm eternally grateful. But we were terrible during that season, partly due to his failings which he has since changed, and no-one can have 'seen' where we would be now. It doesn't make someone an idiot, or a worse fan, for wanting Ainsworth out when we were a game away from relegation and possibly liquidation.
I think that's a bit harsh on Gareth as he was left with a squad of largely inept players when Captain Haddock left.
Out of interest, what were your darkest moments over the two disaster seasons?
I think mine was perhaps the 0-0 away @ Aldershot on a Tuesday night, with GA and Oli up front, failing to score against 10 men for over 45 mins.
@prufrock_91 It's not revisionist to enjoy the memory of one of our most important, (and surprising) wins ever is it? Especially given the turn around that's happened since. Few of us had much confidence in GA that morning, but now those memories will forever be bathed in glorious Plainmoor sunshine.
@floyd - the revisionist part is the rose-tinted glasses that Gaz's time during that season is seen through. Yes, he was in a tough situation with the house seemingly falling apart beneath him, but he made some terrible decisions along the way. People on this forum have a bit of a tendency to bleat about the 'moaners who wanted him out' - I believe, at the time, they weren't in any wrong to do so.
Andddd - @AttitudeEra the thing is, Gaz's first season wasn't that bad - we had that long run over January with the 'rock and roll football' tagline, but that Aldershot game was the one of the worst things I've witnessed. Also during that season in Waddock's brief time, I remember at the Gillingham home loss thinking that it was going south. The Bristol Rovers match is second to none in the depravity of those years. I left the ground thinking that, in their current guise, I would never watch the same Wycombe again.
it's not revisionist if you backed him at the time and defended him against those who wanted him out
@eric_plant yep, and the old gasroom polls are there to see
I can't remember a single game that changed the atmosphere around the club as much as that one.
An old topic but this certainly has to be up there from Gaz:
"And the last thing I left them with in the hotel was, I just
said what word I can leave you with. I’ll leave you with the word Wycombe
What does that mean to you? What does that mean?
Because Matt Bloomfield mid week talked about the Mk Dons game and the young boys coming through, and the Wycombe performance that we gave midweek. And we said that there is no reason why the team in the league can’t give that ‘Wycombe’ performance
And that is..
Be hard to beat!
Be resolute!
Chuck your body in front of things and you run until you can’t run anymore!
That’s been a mantra for us for five years now and still we are giving it!
Curtis Thompson has come off the pitch there to dug out and he’s cramped up because he fell and we are pushing him back on the pitch, and he knows he has to give his shift for us. It’s just a great place to be. The effort and the work rate of these boys is really special and you know I couldn’t be without them."
I renewed my season ticket after the appalling Rovers game as I assumed he club would need my money in the Conference! That season was a hard watch but when you compare the players he had that season with the ones he has tempted to the club since...it was understandable. I think the transition from players to boss (which he acknowledged is a very hard one) is very tricky when you're still (possibly) playing yourself. I think some of the big players from about January onwards thought he would be out anyway and they were already down and found it hard to be motivated. Having said all that I never booed or chanted Ainsworth out as from where I was sitting I thought him and his staff were working hard to succeed.
Certainly worth a quick memory back to that trudge down the road after the Rovers defeat, trying to tell ourselves games against the likes of Braintree "wouldn't be so bad".
Now look at us! Not even the most ultra positive fan would have given us even the most miniscule chance of being where we are!
Time for a banner saying "There's Something Special Happening Here!"? (Slight misquote I know).
What happened to the planned ‘Our House......’ banner?
Good question @perfidious_albion. I seem to remember pledging a couple of bob towards it a few weeks ago.
I’m in touch (via text) with my son-in-law regarding the point you made on the Tranmere Matchday thread about encouraging PL fans to come to AP occasionally. I know it’s going to be bone chilling cold on Wednesday but I’m hoping to persuade them to come. They don’t get to the Emirates, mainly because of financial constraints but they live in Lane End and it would be my (massive!) treat on Wednesday. I’ll post on the Tranmere thread later. Apologies to everyone else for this derailment.
Surely we just need one that reads "We'll Beat You With An Inverted Trapezium"?
Would double as a chant as well.
I had an inverted trapezium but after a small procedure..
Not th best fit for the thread but the best on this page:)
https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/david-prutton-warns-wycombe-wanderers-manager-about-possible-pitfalls/
Who is David Prutton and why on earth is this even a news article? He's basically getting expert billing by saying we are probably going to lose a few matches. Who'd have thought it eh?
Agreed - and we mustn't make the same mistake of having an extremely limited budget
You don't know who David Prutton is?
Do you follow football other than Wycombe?
(you're right about the article. Absolute drivel)
For some reason, this warning hits home more if I imagine David Prutton in a grim reaper costume.
Dave Prutton...Southampton and Forest midfielder. He's right before the end of the season we will lose a few games...and richie will re-surface...
We hit the "buffers" last season because we lost all the loan players and didn't bring anyone in. We also had a string of injuries and a much weaker squad.
Yes, some of the above could happen again, but we've got to the top without having Fred, Smyth and Arrans play more than about 3 games in a row each!
You know, I'd actually forgotten all about Richie (and who was the other Negative Nora - Trev?). Bet they're gnawing their knuckles to the bone in frustration at our current form.
Did everyone just play the man and miss the ball? I think the article could lead to a constructive debate on what went wrong during (and before?) last season's losing streak and what can be done to make sure it doesn't happen this coming January, when we play many of the league's (other) strong sides.
Of course we can revel in the now, trusting that we will have the cash available and that additions made once the transfer window opens will slot in seamlessly as needed. And perhaps that is all that is needed. Either way, an invitation to introspection should not be scorned for the messenger's shoes being dirty imo.
I'm yet to read anything on FLW about Wycombe that hasn't been a load of crap. We'll need to learn from the mistakes of last season, will we? We didn't end up on that awful run because we made mistakes; we ended up on it because we had a weaker squad which ran out of steam a bit.
Terrible manager, terrible players all injured or fallen out with GA even on 3k, we'll get found out at some point, Luton will walk this league.
I can't help but draw comparisons between this Wycombe side and the 17/18 Accrington side, who were written off until they were out of sight and it was too late - probably based on nothing more than the fact they're a small club with a tiny budget. I notice no one ever writes Fleetwood off - oh wait, they have a nice(r) ground and a bit of money.