Don’t disagree with what you said in your second paragraph but the management have been hugely culpable in the poor start due to lack of transfer activity . Who knows if we’ve been ‘ turned over’ by Man Utd in our pursuit of Bishop but it was clear some weeks ago , it wasn’t going to happen quickly or at all and here we are 4 games in , still without an experienced No 1. We didn’t seem to have a Plan B. I feel sorry for Dickinson because currently he is not at the required level and I think his lack of presence / confidence has spread to the defence in making poor decisions.
The Derby debacle should have opened a few more people's eyes to Rob Couhig's publicity-generating modus operandi. He's a showman with no substance, making grandiose claims with little evidence to justify them then scuttling away when he's called out on it. Reminds me of little kids in a playground badmouthing bigger kids then hiding behind teacher's back when the bigger kids threaten physical retribution.
Where I fear Rob is behind the scenes. To be pretty much the only Republican in New Orleans, even after Republican policies led to nearly 2k people dying from Hurricane Katrina, suggests you have a rigid ideology. We know from what he's said in the past that his ideology involves cost cutting wherever possible. I think he would be proud to be called a fiscal conservative. So I strongly suspect he's cut Gareth's playing budget this season, necessitating Gareth going for a loan keeper whose parent club will pay wages rather than signing Jamal Blackman, for example.
If that's the case, a little honesty would be helpful and will allow us supporters to put the summer transfer business in perspective. Though as others have pointed out, it totally cuts across his 'worldwide Wycombe' business model. And there you have Mr Couhig's dilemma. Open yourself up to criticism for cutting your cloth or stick to claims that performances don't bear out. Maybe we'll see which way he resolves that dichotomy on Aug 24.
I thought it was pretty well established that, in general, we delay approaching potential signings until late in transfer windows on the assumption that the best value for money is obtained when players and their agents are getting anxious about not getting a deal at all. Bit of a gamble really and not helped when a player is contracted to a club in a crisis of its own.
You can clearly see in the highlights who’s at fault for the goals. 1. Mawson & Wheeler jump together and both miss the header that comes of the post then Memehti fails to close his player down. 2. the whole defence push up and you see Mawson raise his hand for offside whilst his man runs through. Grimmer is pushed up on their number 3 who played wingback all night. From the cut back and JJ is posted missing yards off his man. 3. JJ again missing and to be fair held his hands up in his interview.
Usually a late contract signing is nothing to do with the club offering it late, it's down to the player stalling to see if anything else comes in. It's exactly the same with every other player at every other club.
It was thin gruel last night. No point clAiming otherwise. Everyone has said it on here and losing those generals in the dressing room has led to us looking frightened. Not sure who is going to step up and fight this - I only saw JJ Scowen and GMac putting in the max last night.
Mawson aside the defence was diabolical. The worst thing about Grimmer was his passing. 25% success rate. Either our movement is absolutely stinking or that bloke can’t kick a ball in a straight line.
A new keeper and Uche back on loan and we might look a different proposition.
The blessing of having a development squad also has a huge down side which I think we've been seeing. We used to just have a small squad but all senior pros who were first team ready (topped up with the odd quality loan signing). This meant we pretty much knew our starting XI and continuity was a good thing. Now we have a huge squad including a number who aren't ready (but have great potential and its great we have them). It's good financially this model for growing and selling on,not so good for winning matches right here right now? which incidentally is what the owners and the fans both want.
Vanuatu is the home of the John Frum cargo cult where a group of locals believe an American will arrive out of the blue and transform their lives with untold riches.
I've deliberately avoided coming on here after last night, as I need a little bit of distance before diving into the depths of the Gasroom after a sinking ship 'performance'.
Agree with a lot that has been said (although I'm worried about @trevor's absence from the debate and @Wanderers82 Mk II has yet to find their feet properly) particularly around the pre-season. I understand there were reasons (pitch relaying) for the limited 'open' games but I do tend to agree with those who argue that it hasn't helped the team and, picking up on @ReturnToSenda's comment about flatness and disconnect with the fans, I think we could all have done with a 'big' home friendly to pick us up a little. Not that I necessarily agree that there is a disconnect - it doesn't seem any different to normal to me (but I'm based 200 miles away so I'm not best placed to judge).
I agree strongly with @Shev's observation that "irrespective of the results, I do think this past year has had a strange feel to it, and I mostly put it down to losing four L2 stalwarts in such a short space of time - Bayo, Blooms, Stewart and Kashket." It isn't quite the same 'Wycombe Wanderers' as it was a year ago (and in some ways it may have improved) but there is, to me, a transitional feel that possibly shouldn't be underestimated. I still believe that it will take a year or two to adapt to losing Bayo. I remember when GA brought him to the club he said something along the lines of they always had to do so much preparation for when they knew he might be in the opposition's team. I should imagine that was true of pretty much every other opposition manager, even if it was only for a 20 minute cameo. We must now be a much, much easier team for our opponents to prepare to play against than we have been for the past 5 years or so. But he is irreplaceable, and I am actually quite glad to see we haven't (yet anyway) tried to replace his with a (sub) like-for-like as I think our style will adapt - but we will probably have to suffer a few more nights like last night before we get there.
I also agree with @DevC's view that "we are surely not a big enough club to expect Lg1 auto promotion or playoffs. Hope for yes, dream of, yes. Expect no." I am mildly amused how many people on here seem to have bought in to RC's rhetoric about us trying for automatic promotion and seem to have developed an expectation that we should be there and, worryingly, almost an entitlement that we should be. (We should be entitled to expect a degree of coherence and competence in how we play which we have failed to display in 50% of our league games this season, but I will wait a few more and see whether that figure increases before incinerating my season ticket in disgust if it doesn't).
We do have, I believe, a lot of very good players at the club. We also have a manager who, the majority of us I think, believe is a very good manager. That in itself is enough to make me reasonably optimistic in the longer term.
I am also reminded, reading through the post-match comments, about some of the statements and comments made on here towards the end of last seasons mid season dip around unrest and unhappiness within the club, which suddenly seemed to vanish as soon as we strung a couple of wins together.
I don’t think anyone is expecting us to get auto (or any type of promotion), or have an entitlement to it. I think the realists amongst us are saying that if he wants to actually realise his ambition he needs to walk the walk as well as talk the talk otherwise he should temper expectation.
Another extreme example of ambition is elon musk target of putting a million people on Mars by 2050 - that’s 35000+ people every year from now and then. It’s an immense ambition but he’s actually doing things to try and get there.
there’s never anything wrong with having an ambition but if you’re not doing anything (or at least showing what you are trying to do) to achieve it, he may as well offer us all monkey butlers at every home game
Elon Musk might be better off using his immense wealth to help this world rather than pretending he will ever EVER get the chance to ensure humankind ruins another one!. Sending Captain Kirk a few thousand feet into space is not what I would call 'doing things to get there.'
If Rob C was suggesting a new stadium on Mars though I would share your concerns.
You say that, but if he figures out how to send even one crew to and from Mars safely, he needs to miniaturise a hospital and food growing/manufacturing systems. All of which can fit in something smaller than a container.
He does that and suddenly - much like the huge breakthroughs the moon missions provided (CAT scanners etc) - he does help the world and those that need food and health provisions because containers get shipped everywhere really easily.
plus, and this is perhaps the most important thing. The absolutely worst thing he could do with his billions is let it sit in bank account. Ever dollar he spends isn’t fired into space, it’s put back into the world economy.
also, Kirk was Bezos. Again the worst thing he could do with his money is nothing. Let him spend it sending aging actors into space. Lots of people wages are paid because if it
Bezos or Musk. I am with Bill Mahar, in that I think we need to sort out the planet we live on with the air and water, before we send people somewhere where there is actually no air or water.
I know this is one of the dullest rants but it is the hill I'm prepared to die on. CELEBRATE A FCUKING GOAL MAN. I don't care if you had fun when you played for this team and they were nice to you. CELEBRATE. It fires up those around you, it creates energy, it creates positivity, it makes the people that pay your wages feel (no matter how true or otherwise) that you only have eyes for us. Your are one of us. You are dedicated to the cause.
That 'celebration' was bullsh1t and I hate it when I see players do it. If scoring a goal against an ex employer makes you sad don't play for your current team.
How pleasing to read a mature, balanced view of our disappointing start to the season. The over reaction by some posters on Facebook-and a handful on here-are truly depressing. Just the 42 league games to go!
I don’t think anyone on here has said they EXPECT automatic promotion or a guaranteed play-off place.
I am sure even though we are all pretty disappointed by what we have seen so far, that we will all be there or listening/watching on Saturday and will continue to support the CLUB whatever happens on the pitch.
Different people react in different ways and disappointment regarding performance levels is all part of being a supporter. We are also quick to compliment the team / individual players when they perform well.
Comments
Don’t disagree with what you said in your second paragraph but the management have been hugely culpable in the poor start due to lack of transfer activity . Who knows if we’ve been ‘ turned over’ by Man Utd in our pursuit of Bishop but it was clear some weeks ago , it wasn’t going to happen quickly or at all and here we are 4 games in , still without an experienced No 1. We didn’t seem to have a Plan B. I feel sorry for Dickinson because currently he is not at the required level and I think his lack of presence / confidence has spread to the defence in making poor decisions.
I have no idea if I mentioned it at the time lol
I'm surprised this sort of sweeping generalisation is allowed today, as if every single American amongst millions is the same.
You certainly wouldn't get away with such comments against different groups of people, that's for sure.
Yeah, I'm not buying 'cultural differences' as an excuse anymore. He's been involved for three years now.
The Derby debacle should have opened a few more people's eyes to Rob Couhig's publicity-generating modus operandi. He's a showman with no substance, making grandiose claims with little evidence to justify them then scuttling away when he's called out on it. Reminds me of little kids in a playground badmouthing bigger kids then hiding behind teacher's back when the bigger kids threaten physical retribution.
Where I fear Rob is behind the scenes. To be pretty much the only Republican in New Orleans, even after Republican policies led to nearly 2k people dying from Hurricane Katrina, suggests you have a rigid ideology. We know from what he's said in the past that his ideology involves cost cutting wherever possible. I think he would be proud to be called a fiscal conservative. So I strongly suspect he's cut Gareth's playing budget this season, necessitating Gareth going for a loan keeper whose parent club will pay wages rather than signing Jamal Blackman, for example.
If that's the case, a little honesty would be helpful and will allow us supporters to put the summer transfer business in perspective. Though as others have pointed out, it totally cuts across his 'worldwide Wycombe' business model. And there you have Mr Couhig's dilemma. Open yourself up to criticism for cutting your cloth or stick to claims that performances don't bear out. Maybe we'll see which way he resolves that dichotomy on Aug 24.
I thought it was pretty well established that, in general, we delay approaching potential signings until late in transfer windows on the assumption that the best value for money is obtained when players and their agents are getting anxious about not getting a deal at all. Bit of a gamble really and not helped when a player is contracted to a club in a crisis of its own.
You can clearly see in the highlights who’s at fault for the goals. 1. Mawson & Wheeler jump together and both miss the header that comes of the post then Memehti fails to close his player down. 2. the whole defence push up and you see Mawson raise his hand for offside whilst his man runs through. Grimmer is pushed up on their number 3 who played wingback all night. From the cut back and JJ is posted missing yards off his man. 3. JJ again missing and to be fair held his hands up in his interview.
I don’t disagree with what you say. It’s all sensible.
apart from the fact we should add our own levels of salt to what he’s saying. It should be clear, concise and tailored to the people he’s talking to.
“Mate” he’s a trail lawyer and a one time wannabe politician. That’s his bread and (salted)butter
Honest to goodness, this is all obviously an Ainsworth masterclass - get the Christmas period slump in early and give us a free run to the play-offs.
Usually a late contract signing is nothing to do with the club offering it late, it's down to the player stalling to see if anything else comes in. It's exactly the same with every other player at every other club.
It was thin gruel last night. No point clAiming otherwise. Everyone has said it on here and losing those generals in the dressing room has led to us looking frightened. Not sure who is going to step up and fight this - I only saw JJ Scowen and GMac putting in the max last night.
Mawson aside the defence was diabolical. The worst thing about Grimmer was his passing. 25% success rate. Either our movement is absolutely stinking or that bloke can’t kick a ball in a straight line.
A new keeper and Uche back on loan and we might look a different proposition.
Uche has already signed for a side in Turkey.
Have you actually been to any of the first 4 games?
But presumably you’re still (rightly) pissed off about the bullshit Brexit promises? Which is really the point here.
The blessing of having a development squad also has a huge down side which I think we've been seeing. We used to just have a small squad but all senior pros who were first team ready (topped up with the odd quality loan signing). This meant we pretty much knew our starting XI and continuity was a good thing. Now we have a huge squad including a number who aren't ready (but have great potential and its great we have them). It's good financially this model for growing and selling on,not so good for winning matches right here right now? which incidentally is what the owners and the fans both want.
Vanuatu is the home of the John Frum cargo cult where a group of locals believe an American will arrive out of the blue and transform their lives with untold riches.
Hmmm.........
I've deliberately avoided coming on here after last night, as I need a little bit of distance before diving into the depths of the Gasroom after a sinking ship 'performance'.
Agree with a lot that has been said (although I'm worried about @trevor's absence from the debate and @Wanderers82 Mk II has yet to find their feet properly) particularly around the pre-season. I understand there were reasons (pitch relaying) for the limited 'open' games but I do tend to agree with those who argue that it hasn't helped the team and, picking up on @ReturnToSenda's comment about flatness and disconnect with the fans, I think we could all have done with a 'big' home friendly to pick us up a little. Not that I necessarily agree that there is a disconnect - it doesn't seem any different to normal to me (but I'm based 200 miles away so I'm not best placed to judge).
I agree strongly with @Shev's observation that "irrespective of the results, I do think this past year has had a strange feel to it, and I mostly put it down to losing four L2 stalwarts in such a short space of time - Bayo, Blooms, Stewart and Kashket." It isn't quite the same 'Wycombe Wanderers' as it was a year ago (and in some ways it may have improved) but there is, to me, a transitional feel that possibly shouldn't be underestimated. I still believe that it will take a year or two to adapt to losing Bayo. I remember when GA brought him to the club he said something along the lines of they always had to do so much preparation for when they knew he might be in the opposition's team. I should imagine that was true of pretty much every other opposition manager, even if it was only for a 20 minute cameo. We must now be a much, much easier team for our opponents to prepare to play against than we have been for the past 5 years or so. But he is irreplaceable, and I am actually quite glad to see we haven't (yet anyway) tried to replace his with a (sub) like-for-like as I think our style will adapt - but we will probably have to suffer a few more nights like last night before we get there.
I also agree with @DevC's view that "we are surely not a big enough club to expect Lg1 auto promotion or playoffs. Hope for yes, dream of, yes. Expect no." I am mildly amused how many people on here seem to have bought in to RC's rhetoric about us trying for automatic promotion and seem to have developed an expectation that we should be there and, worryingly, almost an entitlement that we should be. (We should be entitled to expect a degree of coherence and competence in how we play which we have failed to display in 50% of our league games this season, but I will wait a few more and see whether that figure increases before incinerating my season ticket in disgust if it doesn't).
We do have, I believe, a lot of very good players at the club. We also have a manager who, the majority of us I think, believe is a very good manager. That in itself is enough to make me reasonably optimistic in the longer term.
I am also reminded, reading through the post-match comments, about some of the statements and comments made on here towards the end of last seasons mid season dip around unrest and unhappiness within the club, which suddenly seemed to vanish as soon as we strung a couple of wins together.
I don’t think anyone is expecting us to get auto (or any type of promotion), or have an entitlement to it. I think the realists amongst us are saying that if he wants to actually realise his ambition he needs to walk the walk as well as talk the talk otherwise he should temper expectation.
Another extreme example of ambition is elon musk target of putting a million people on Mars by 2050 - that’s 35000+ people every year from now and then. It’s an immense ambition but he’s actually doing things to try and get there.
there’s never anything wrong with having an ambition but if you’re not doing anything (or at least showing what you are trying to do) to achieve it, he may as well offer us all monkey butlers at every home game
Elon Musk might be better off using his immense wealth to help this world rather than pretending he will ever EVER get the chance to ensure humankind ruins another one!. Sending Captain Kirk a few thousand feet into space is not what I would call 'doing things to get there.'
If Rob C was suggesting a new stadium on Mars though I would share your concerns.
If a team is put on Mars it would be pretty funny if Plymouth drew them away in the Cup.
You say that, but if he figures out how to send even one crew to and from Mars safely, he needs to miniaturise a hospital and food growing/manufacturing systems. All of which can fit in something smaller than a container.
He does that and suddenly - much like the huge breakthroughs the moon missions provided (CAT scanners etc) - he does help the world and those that need food and health provisions because containers get shipped everywhere really easily.
plus, and this is perhaps the most important thing. The absolutely worst thing he could do with his billions is let it sit in bank account. Ever dollar he spends isn’t fired into space, it’s put back into the world economy.
also, Kirk was Bezos. Again the worst thing he could do with his money is nothing. Let him spend it sending aging actors into space. Lots of people wages are paid because if it
Bezos or Musk. I am with Bill Mahar, in that I think we need to sort out the planet we live on with the air and water, before we send people somewhere where there is actually no air or water.
I know this is one of the dullest rants but it is the hill I'm prepared to die on. CELEBRATE A FCUKING GOAL MAN. I don't care if you had fun when you played for this team and they were nice to you. CELEBRATE. It fires up those around you, it creates energy, it creates positivity, it makes the people that pay your wages feel (no matter how true or otherwise) that you only have eyes for us. Your are one of us. You are dedicated to the cause.
That 'celebration' was bullsh1t and I hate it when I see players do it. If scoring a goal against an ex employer makes you sad don't play for your current team.
No aspect of last night was good was it
How pleasing to read a mature, balanced view of our disappointing start to the season. The over reaction by some posters on Facebook-and a handful on here-are truly depressing. Just the 42 league games to go!
'No aspect of last night was good was it'
My beer was excellent @TheAndyGrahamFanClub ...but I was watching from home.
Like I said and that’s more likely to happen by solving the big problems he needs to to get to Mars.
We shouldn’t be criticising billionsaires trying to answer the big questions, even if they aren’t the direct questions we want answering.
we should be criticising the billionaires that aren’t even listening to the big questions.
Doesn't incinerating a season ticket these days entail burning your phone?
I don’t think anyone on here has said they EXPECT automatic promotion or a guaranteed play-off place.
I am sure even though we are all pretty disappointed by what we have seen so far, that we will all be there or listening/watching on Saturday and will continue to support the CLUB whatever happens on the pitch.
Different people react in different ways and disappointment regarding performance levels is all part of being a supporter. We are also quick to compliment the team / individual players when they perform well.
All part the game we love. 👍👍
The biggest questions for the likes of me is...heating on or off...and will our millionaire be getting in a good goalkeeper.
Mars can look after itself.
Kirk has already explored the Galaxy. Boldly.