There were plenty of fans who wanted Ainsworth sacked in his first full season as manager when we could have been relegated to the Conference and possible oblivion. Some people wanted him sacked years later because they didn’t like his style of football despite him guiding us to three playoff finals. He became the most successful manager in our EFL history.
I do know football is ultimately about results but since the move to 4 at the back we have at least started to play some okay football.
I’m with @Shev in as much as I think our main problem is our inability to score enough (or any) goals when we are well on top in games.
How much of that is down to a lack of touch or confidence I wouldn’t like to speculate. I do think it’s a little unfortunate that when we did get that win finally that could have boosted our confidence we then immediately lost our best player for the next 3 matches.
Oh and I thought the addition of the poll on here was a valid and perfectly reasonable thing to do. If taken in context to inform the (generally) respectful discussions we are having about MBs suitability (or not) it can be reassuring (in my case) that 40+% of people are not heartless individuals who want a much beloved former player to lose their livelihood.*
*For the avoidance of doubt that is a non-serious, entirely flippant comment that I don’t remotely think.
I’m clearly not fully awake as I was going to ask who you had in mind as our best player. I’d forgotten about the suspension.
I wouldn’t mind betting (if I were a betsman) that Koné would score on Saturday if on the pitch for more than a quarter of an hour. His mate Gideon is also a top player (and captain of West Ham U21s). Bring ‘em on.
There's a feeling amongst many that things can't get much worse, I'm not so sure. We're not getting turned over in games, we're managing to find increasingly creative ways to lose games we should be drawing and draw games we should be winning. It really wouldn't take much for us to become a very solid mid table team. Performances bar a few glaring exceptions haven't been bad. There's no guarantee that a new manger would give us the bounce we expect, it could end up going the other way, with a demoralised squad.
Ultimately if we carry on losing (or not winning to be more accurate), he will sadly lose his job. I'm in the camp of hoping patience will pay off and we can make the tweaks needed to lift us up the table. I'm also of the opinion that the players need to take more responsibility in the closing minutes of games. Bloomfield is setting us up to get decent scorelines after 90mins and I really don't think our inability to hold on in injury time is purely down to the odd dodgy substitution.
Richard Kone needs to be given time and patience in abundance to give him the best possible chance of becoming the player we all hope he can be.
You don't do that by chucking him into a high-pressured environment of a relegation 6 pointer and into a side that's only won once in the last 16 games. It's an absolutely absurd thing to suggest.
It's pretty much accepted wisdom that the worst time to introduce inexperienced young players is into a struggling side.
Relegation scraps are not the place to blood youngsters, they are the place for experienced pros who have been around the block a few times and know how to handle it. All we have in reserve are inexperienced young players
Play the team that played against Bristol Rovers, and don't go defensive and try to protect the lead and we'll be absolutely fine on Saturday, and indeed for the rest of the season.
Getting 1-0 up then trying to protect it is timid, sends the wrong signal and also we're terrible at it.
Melchett: Good man. Now, Field Marshal Haig has formulated a brilliant new tactical plan to ensure final victory in the field. [they gather around a model of the battlefield]
Blackadder: Now, would this brilliant plan involve us climbing out of our trenches and walking slowly towards the enemy sir?
Darling: How can you possibly know that Blackadder? It’s classified information.
Blackadder: It’s the same plan that we used last time, and the seventeen times before that.
Melchett: E-E-Exactly! And that is what so brilliant about it! We will catch the watchful Hun totally off guard! Doing precisely what we have done eighteen times before is exactly the last thing they’ll expect us to do this time!
I’d start Kone on Saturday. He impressed in League Trophy and looked very effective off bench in last two games. I completely disagree with the view he needs to be protected. He is a trump card and needs to be allowed to play. He could be another Mehmeti. Mehmeti was given the chance to play in a struggling side under pressure and thrived.
An exceptional post in that @glasshalfempty started by saying "under no circumstances will I be asking for Matt Bloomfield to be sacked as manager of Wycombe Wanderers".
And finishes it: "The current situation is desperate however and cannot be allowed to continue for much longer... No one individual is bigger than the club itself."
Agreed, I read it last night and thought I must be tired as @glasshalfempty seemed to persuade himself through the post to change his stance. Maybe he was tired as well?
Mehmeti didn't get a spot on the bench until late October, and after that was used very sparingly until he was up to speed with the professional game, mainly being introduced as a late substitute. He was also an exceptional talent, so again let's hold off on piling the pressure onto Kone by comparing him to him.
Could also be read that whilst he himself would never ask for Bloomfield to be sacked, their comes a point where the owners need to make that call.
I kind of understand that viewpoint. I just can't imagine wanting Bloomfield to be sacked, I desperately want him to turn it around and I believe he's close to doing so. If that doesn't happen, then the the Couhigs' will have to make that call, but I'm glad it's them, as I can't imagine how tough it would be to tell Matt that he is no longer employed by WWFC.
Barcelona were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao after losing their quarter-final 4-2 at San Mames.
16-year-old Yamal, who became the competition's youngest scorer, could have put Barca into the semi-finals in the final minutes but he missed an open goal after rounding keeper Julen Agirrezabala.
Even so, that's still a longer wait to make a substitute appearance than Richard Kone had (about 6 weeks vs a few days) so he's already ahead of where Anis was at comparable stages in their career, so if we are to follow Midlander's advice and use that as a template then he wouldn't be involved until about mid to late february.
It was great to see Kone come on the other night. But sure as anything the next morning various fan forums and social media sites had Wycombe fans talking about the "sitter" he missed.
If he starts on Saturday and has an absolute stormer then great, we're all on cloud 9. But imagine if we go 1-0 down early and the crowd turns and it's generally a horrible atmosphere. That's not the environment in which I would personally want to introduce him to professional football and in the long term could be counter productive.
Mehmeti was handled very well. He was a confidence player and, even before featuring for us on the pitch whatsoever, Ainsworth was already suggesting “we think we’ve got some quality in house already” (clearly hinting at Mehmeti). Giving him little boosts of confidence before he’d even started for us. He had flashes of quality off the bench, just like Kone has had so far.
I would like to see Kone start against Fleetwood. Vokes has played well this season, but has been easily nullified with oppositions’ aerially gifted defenders. The referees have been consistently unkind to him, allowing his shirt to get tugged constantly without consequences. It’s clear that it’s not working with Vokes at the moment. There’s a reason Ainsworth employed Wheeler much further forward than Bloomfield has. It’s much harder to man mark two aerial threats spaced out by 20-30 yards. Ainsworth also had alternatives like Alex Samuel / Scott Kashket, so opposition teams couldn’t name a 6’4 centre half without significant risk from a surprise Alex Samuel team selection and high front line of engagement. We’re way too predictable under Bloomfield.
I wouldn't disagree. He looks exciting off the bench and clearly has some great attacking instincts, but to me looks like he's still adjusting to the level and the fitness demands.
Kone hasn't just joined us, he's been with the squad and training for months. He can't be compared with other players that have just left non-league. He is an attacking threat for sure, but he has to learn about being mentally switched on defensively for 90 minutes. He showed two lapses on Tuesday in avoidable situations and the coaches will know if he is the kind of player who is tortured by mistakes or shrugs them off ready to go again. This is the protection he might need, not physical.
Anis Mehmeti was signed on September 29. He made his Wycombe debut as a sub 18 days later (not six weeks and would probably have been even earlier if it wasn’t for an international break), making his full debut a further 21 days later.
We'd all love Bloomfield to turn it around. I would imagine that the (almost 60%) are much less confident that he is "close" to doing so than the rest. Or, that he may well be "close" to doing so, if "close" means next season in League 2.
Whilst I personally won’t be calling for Matt Bloomfield to be sacked, those who are are not without merit.
I don’t want Matt to be sacked, but after a run of one win in 16 league matches, it’s difficult to argue the owners wouldn’t be justified in making that decision.
I don’t doubt Kone is capable of scoring goals in League football, my question would be can the rest of the team cope with his lack of contribution without the ball as he gets up to speed with what is required from him at this level.
Comments
There were plenty of fans who wanted Ainsworth sacked in his first full season as manager when we could have been relegated to the Conference and possible oblivion. Some people wanted him sacked years later because they didn’t like his style of football despite him guiding us to three playoff finals. He became the most successful manager in our EFL history.
I do know football is ultimately about results but since the move to 4 at the back we have at least started to play some okay football.
I’m with @Shev in as much as I think our main problem is our inability to score enough (or any) goals when we are well on top in games.
How much of that is down to a lack of touch or confidence I wouldn’t like to speculate. I do think it’s a little unfortunate that when we did get that win finally that could have boosted our confidence we then immediately lost our best player for the next 3 matches.
Oh and I thought the addition of the poll on here was a valid and perfectly reasonable thing to do. If taken in context to inform the (generally) respectful discussions we are having about MBs suitability (or not) it can be reassuring (in my case) that 40+% of people are not heartless individuals who want a much beloved former player to lose their livelihood.*
*For the avoidance of doubt that is a non-serious, entirely flippant comment that I don’t remotely think.
Clearly the current coaching team is not very good at organising the team at (defensive) set-pieces. I believe this was a Dobbo expertise as well.
Is that true? As @Shev has been saying, we have a decent defensive record, it’s going forward that we have more challenges.
I’m clearly not fully awake as I was going to ask who you had in mind as our best player. I’d forgotten about the suspension.
I wouldn’t mind betting (if I were a betsman) that Koné would score on Saturday if on the pitch for more than a quarter of an hour. His mate Gideon is also a top player (and captain of West Ham U21s). Bring ‘em on.
There's a feeling amongst many that things can't get much worse, I'm not so sure. We're not getting turned over in games, we're managing to find increasingly creative ways to lose games we should be drawing and draw games we should be winning. It really wouldn't take much for us to become a very solid mid table team. Performances bar a few glaring exceptions haven't been bad. There's no guarantee that a new manger would give us the bounce we expect, it could end up going the other way, with a demoralised squad.
Ultimately if we carry on losing (or not winning to be more accurate), he will sadly lose his job. I'm in the camp of hoping patience will pay off and we can make the tweaks needed to lift us up the table. I'm also of the opinion that the players need to take more responsibility in the closing minutes of games. Bloomfield is setting us up to get decent scorelines after 90mins and I really don't think our inability to hold on in injury time is purely down to the odd dodgy substitution.
Completely agree with this. Kone and Kodua should be given a start, and let's see what thay can do for at least 45 minutes.
If not against Fleetwood on Saturday, then definitely for the Brighton U21 game on Wednesday.
Richard Kone needs to be given time and patience in abundance to give him the best possible chance of becoming the player we all hope he can be.
You don't do that by chucking him into a high-pressured environment of a relegation 6 pointer and into a side that's only won once in the last 16 games. It's an absolutely absurd thing to suggest.
It's pretty much accepted wisdom that the worst time to introduce inexperienced young players is into a struggling side.
A sign of madness is to keep doing the same thing, and expecting a different result.
The 'established' front three of Vokes, McCleary and D Taylor have only managed 1 win in the last 16 games.
So changing things up is not absurd at all.
Relegation scraps are not the place to blood youngsters, they are the place for experienced pros who have been around the block a few times and know how to handle it. All we have in reserve are inexperienced young players
Play the team that played against Bristol Rovers, and don't go defensive and try to protect the lead and we'll be absolutely fine on Saturday, and indeed for the rest of the season.
Getting 1-0 up then trying to protect it is timid, sends the wrong signal and also we're terrible at it.
A sign of madness is to keep doing the same thing, and expecting a different result.
Is it though?
Melchett: Good man. Now, Field Marshal Haig has formulated a brilliant new tactical plan to ensure final victory in the field. [they gather around a model of the battlefield]
Blackadder: Now, would this brilliant plan involve us climbing out of our trenches and walking slowly towards the enemy sir?
Darling: How can you possibly know that Blackadder? It’s classified information.
Blackadder: It’s the same plan that we used last time, and the seventeen times before that.
Melchett: E-E-Exactly! And that is what so brilliant about it! We will catch the watchful Hun totally off guard! Doing precisely what we have done eighteen times before is exactly the last thing they’ll expect us to do this time!
I’d start Kone on Saturday. He impressed in League Trophy and looked very effective off bench in last two games. I completely disagree with the view he needs to be protected. He is a trump card and needs to be allowed to play. He could be another Mehmeti. Mehmeti was given the chance to play in a struggling side under pressure and thrived.
An exceptional post in that @glasshalfempty started by saying "under no circumstances will I be asking for Matt Bloomfield to be sacked as manager of Wycombe Wanderers".
And finishes it: "The current situation is desperate however and cannot be allowed to continue for much longer... No one individual is bigger than the club itself."
🤷♂️
Ha! Glad I'm not the only one who spotted that.
Agreed, I read it last night and thought I must be tired as @glasshalfempty seemed to persuade himself through the post to change his stance. Maybe he was tired as well?
Mehmeti didn't get a spot on the bench until late October, and after that was used very sparingly until he was up to speed with the professional game, mainly being introduced as a late substitute. He was also an exceptional talent, so again let's hold off on piling the pressure onto Kone by comparing him to him.
Could also be read that whilst he himself would never ask for Bloomfield to be sacked, their comes a point where the owners need to make that call.
I kind of understand that viewpoint. I just can't imagine wanting Bloomfield to be sacked, I desperately want him to turn it around and I believe he's close to doing so. If that doesn't happen, then the the Couhigs' will have to make that call, but I'm glad it's them, as I can't imagine how tough it would be to tell Matt that he is no longer employed by WWFC.
Barcelona were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao after losing their quarter-final 4-2 at San Mames.
16-year-old Yamal, who became the competition's youngest scorer, could have put Barca into the semi-finals in the final minutes but he missed an open goal after rounding keeper Julen Agirrezabala.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68088409
Their 'Kone' messed up at the last minute as well.
the season started on 12th September, though.
Even so, that's still a longer wait to make a substitute appearance than Richard Kone had (about 6 weeks vs a few days) so he's already ahead of where Anis was at comparable stages in their career, so if we are to follow Midlander's advice and use that as a template then he wouldn't be involved until about mid to late february.
It was great to see Kone come on the other night. But sure as anything the next morning various fan forums and social media sites had Wycombe fans talking about the "sitter" he missed.
If he starts on Saturday and has an absolute stormer then great, we're all on cloud 9. But imagine if we go 1-0 down early and the crowd turns and it's generally a horrible atmosphere. That's not the environment in which I would personally want to introduce him to professional football and in the long term could be counter productive.
Mehmeti was handled very well. He was a confidence player and, even before featuring for us on the pitch whatsoever, Ainsworth was already suggesting “we think we’ve got some quality in house already” (clearly hinting at Mehmeti). Giving him little boosts of confidence before he’d even started for us. He had flashes of quality off the bench, just like Kone has had so far.
I would like to see Kone start against Fleetwood. Vokes has played well this season, but has been easily nullified with oppositions’ aerially gifted defenders. The referees have been consistently unkind to him, allowing his shirt to get tugged constantly without consequences. It’s clear that it’s not working with Vokes at the moment. There’s a reason Ainsworth employed Wheeler much further forward than Bloomfield has. It’s much harder to man mark two aerial threats spaced out by 20-30 yards. Ainsworth also had alternatives like Alex Samuel / Scott Kashket, so opposition teams couldn’t name a 6’4 centre half without significant risk from a surprise Alex Samuel team selection and high front line of engagement. We’re way too predictable under Bloomfield.
I wouldn't disagree. He looks exciting off the bench and clearly has some great attacking instincts, but to me looks like he's still adjusting to the level and the fitness demands.
Kone hasn't just joined us, he's been with the squad and training for months. He can't be compared with other players that have just left non-league. He is an attacking threat for sure, but he has to learn about being mentally switched on defensively for 90 minutes. He showed two lapses on Tuesday in avoidable situations and the coaches will know if he is the kind of player who is tortured by mistakes or shrugs them off ready to go again. This is the protection he might need, not physical.
Anis Mehmeti was signed on September 29. He made his Wycombe debut as a sub 18 days later (not six weeks and would probably have been even earlier if it wasn’t for an international break), making his full debut a further 21 days later.
We'd all love Bloomfield to turn it around. I would imagine that the (almost 60%) are much less confident that he is "close" to doing so than the rest. Or, that he may well be "close" to doing so, if "close" means next season in League 2.
Whilst I personally won’t be calling for Matt Bloomfield to be sacked, those who are are not without merit.
I don’t want Matt to be sacked, but after a run of one win in 16 league matches, it’s difficult to argue the owners wouldn’t be justified in making that decision.
I certainly share your feelings of tiredness @perfidious_albion
We are playing the team with the poorest defence in our league on Saturday, so surely it is the ideal time to play Kone.
I’d love to see Vokes and Kone together. Think Saturday the perfect opportunity for that.
I don’t doubt Kone is capable of scoring goals in League football, my question would be can the rest of the team cope with his lack of contribution without the ball as he gets up to speed with what is required from him at this level.