Great article on Ainsworth
From Henry Winter, no less, in today's Times - https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/sport/gareth-ainsworth-ill-never-stop-loving-the-game-but-its-changed-from-sport-to-business-v908pmh6n
I'm a particular fan of the single comment at the moment though - 'Enjoyed the article but whilst he may have told his son not to stay down if not injured many League 2 fans would question whether he has passed this message on to the Wycombe players.'
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Yes that quote from Gareth is hilarious:
"Our kids have to know how to solve problems. My son plays under-10s and I tell him, ‘You don’t stay down if you’re not injured’ and, ‘Don’t show the opposition you’re hurt.’"
It's also worth noting, in context of the Port Vale manager thread, he says this about moving on:
"If a higher club came in, I’d hope nobody would begrudge me [the chance]. I’ve given everything for this club. I want to be up there one day. I’m very ambitious. Home-grown managers don’t seem to get the top jobs. I don’t think there’s a glass ceiling and, if there is, I’ll smash through it and prove everyone wrong.”
A couple of other nuggets, though worth finding a copy of The Times and reading the piece in full:
"Some of our best days in football are September 1 and February 1. There’s a massive panic during the window and then it stops — the players talking, the agents lying.”
And:
"I am very emotional. Some managers make cold, calculated decisions just on stats but I don’t think that’s right. My passion, my instincts, got me so far in my playing career and I’m hoping it does the same in management."
And:
"Heart and mind are huge in football. It’s not easy to motivate kids now."
And:
" I was speaking to [Adebayo] Akinfenwa here and he agrees with me: society’s breeding softer people, not problem solvers."
There's lots more in the article - not least the fact that David Beckham took his place in the Preston side. I didn't know that. A real insight into our manager's mindset and why we play football the way we do.
Also, the Wycombe Twitter feed have posted this as a motivational #fridayfeeling -
"I don't think there's a glass ceiling and, if there is, I'll smash through it and prove everyone wrong."
In the article, it's irrelevant of Wycombe and is more to reinforce his claim of wanting to move clubs eventually.
Their idea of motivation is that our manager thinks he may have to leave to manage up the leagues.
It would be good to see Ainsworth managing in the Premier League one day in the same way it is to see Alfie Mawson succeeding.
I will give u the fact Mawson has made the Premier League cos I was surprised how fast he has progressed but GA will never manage in the Premier League.
Poor Gaz; he might as well give up now after that bombshell.
I would think thats pretty obvious, he has hardly pulled up many trees here since the play off season, and sadly I don't think our budget is bottom 6 last season or this.
Just as well we aren't, haven't been and wont be, in the bottom 6 then eh?
Worth putting some money on Gaz managing in the Premier league then really...
Where do you place GA next to John Gregory and Paul Lambert?
I would argue he is on par if not better than at least one of those, during there time with us and therefore has every opportunity to emulate them and manage in the premier league one day.
Gregory did well to keep us up, and saw us hit a surely never to be beaten record of lack of goals conceded in a calendar year at home *some statto can confirm how many, and the next lowest). Away from home we weren't any sort of force though.
Also, he spent loads, and bailed out with the job arguably half done
Lambert presided over that incredible semi final run, and got us into the playoffs, but the football was often dull, and every single opponent was "tough".
Also gave us "that goal changed nothing" ludicrous statement in the bitter play off ties.
Ainsworth? Kept us up, but you could argue he was largely responsible for getting us down there.
Incredible season only just missing promotion the next season, and a real knack for bringing quality signings in.
Still missing that "big" final achievement with us though. Hopefully this season is it. If he did get us up he'd comfortably leap frog Gregory, and arguably be above Lambert, although that cup semi run still ranks him highly
Only O'Neill and Sanchez above him in the League era. And Sanchez is tainted by the last season and a half.
The difference with Gregory, Lambert, Gorman etc is that Ainsworth has been working with limited resources, not able to bring in your Tommy Mooneys.
Relegation survival, play-off final, FA cup fourth Round and one point off play-offs and whatever success this season holds, he's not done too bad for someone richie would not let manage in the Premier League.
How does GA measure up against Paul Tisdale, Richie, bearing in mind his 11 years at Exeter?
He's got my 50p.
I think he might well. He's not perfect but good enough for league 1/championship. And then it's down to budgets and luck
Yep. You can't always judge on what you currently see.
Although various fans liked Johnson, Martin, Williamson and Phillips for four, I don't recall many, if any suggesting they'd become Premier league players.
So it's a similar situation for Ainsworth.
QPR come calling one summer, with a good budget, and who knows how that could go.
And Ikechi Anya!
I for one can't wait for him to go
Be careful what you wish for @fedup1980
Paul Tisdale is a far better manager than GA in my opinion. Some managers are good with big budgets and some can work on meagre offerings.
Steve Evans is very good if he has money but would do nothing at WWFC.
I said Johnson would play in the Premier League after seeing him play one game for Wycombe. I also said Jo Kuffour was the signing we needed to replace Beavon after seeing him play one game for Wycombe.
Gareth now undoubtedly second in my list of all-time favourite Wycombe managers. Given the financial resources at his disposal, I don't see how anyone can think differently.
@OakwoodExile interesting. For me best in recent times. But hard to put him above Brian Lee and I personally loved the Jim Kelman era. Obviously no one will probably ever touch MON for what he did. He needs to get a promotion to cement something to remember why he was worth it.
If you judge managers by the financial resources at his disposal @OakwoodExile, then Mike Keen would have to be very near the top of the list.
@M3G @ChasHarps Fair comments as I did say "all-time"! I have to admit that I was really thinking about our time in the Football League. But, even having said that, I never really warmed to Brian Lee, despite the success on pitch. He always seemed very aloof as far as my teenage self was concerned. Mike Keen is a decent shout, but I admit that his tenure corresponded with the one lapse in my regular attendance at WWFC. In my defence I was living a fair way away.
@Chris, I vividly remember an article where Johnson himself said "I know i'll never play in the Premier league", so I think you had more faith in him than he did. Although that was in the dark days of Adams messing with him, playing him left back, or the even more ludicrous idea of as a striker.
Ainsworth is far from the best manager we've had here, I find his brand of football dull and horrendous to watch and as yet he hasn't actually achieved anything at the club. When they named a bus after him I laughed, we live in a society now where people worship anyone of note in the world of sport or celebrity and that gesture was truly laughable. Maybe if he gets us promoted then the whole bus naming debacle could be justified but I will Never be a fan of his style of play, regardless of where we end up
Agree we have been a tough watch at times under Ainsworth, but I don't think many Wycombe managers in the past have had a harder job than GA. To say he hasn't achieved anything is a remarkable statement considering the state the club was in when he took over. I'd say stability, cup runs and a team competing in the top half of the division are major achievements. And personally I've thoroughly enjoyed our performances and style of play thus far this season.
It's good debate. But you tell me what legacy he would leave? He has stated that this is the year. I like the positives. Not the previous negativity. Let's get us up this year. I think we have the tools to do it. Then we can say what a manger he has been.
I'm happy to go along with the idea that this is a defining season in some ways. This seems the strongest squad we've had in the past three years at least, so there's the best opportunity to get into the top seven and perhaps the top three.
Tosser