Sage in or out

[cryrst]

It does at times I do read your post and it does . But also I can understand what you are saying . Its two sides of an opinion , its whether you agree or disagree . We all want the best but we as a club cant delivery. For xyz reasons . Wembley Sheffield utd the last 10 15mins I was getting supporters up chanting to get the club over the line . There's different ways to show passion ❤️🦅🦅🦅🦅

Hopkin get in 👍

 

[TheBigToePunt]

Cant agree with that. He deserves more time. I wouldn't say a lot more but 5 games (all competitions) is probably what I would give him.

That's interesting. Why five games?

Why not ten if, behind the scenes and presuming you are the Chairman, Sage had set out what seemed like a sensible, viable plan to introduce a different approach, or to keep the same one but fix what he saw as isolated problems?

Why not one game, or none even, if he had failed to do any of those things?

I'm not saying you're wrong, by the way, just wonder what led you to that conclusion.

 

[eaglesdare]

Zaha?

Is he not still a free agent training with the club? 👀

 

[ASCPFC]

Is he not still a free agent training with the club? 👀

No idea.

 

[park the bus]

Zaha?

Player manager. You heard it here first.

 

[JHB]

I do find the story about Sage having the Spurs game and result to save his job a little preposterous.
What happens if we draw and then lose the next two?
It would seem likely that the club have already made a decision and the delay is getting their appointment of choice.
I’d like him to win the next three and stay, but I just can’t see it.

Exactly how I see it. He’s a dead man walking. Let’s face it if we don’t get soundly beaten at Spurs it will be a shock. Looks to me like this is buying time to get the new person in.

I can’t say I blame the board if that’s the case. We’ve been a shambles under Sage. No organisation. No discernible patterns of play. We are getting worse not better.

 

[doombear]

There's no good time in-season to change managers when the team is involved in midweek competitions. If you leave it to an International Break (IB) and most of your 1st team squad are internationals (as is the case with us) the new manager has little to work with. The advantage, though, is that he can at least work with some of the squad for a reasonable period to explain his system and those away on International duty are at least likely to be told what system they can expect to come back to.. We have 4 games before the next IB (Fulham, Spurs, Hoffenheim and Liverpool). Two of the first 3 games after the IB are crucial league games against Coventry and Hull[; the other, a home game against Real Sociedad who are likely to beat us whoever's the manager.

If you do it after a game with no following IB, then the new manager has just a couple of days before the team has to play again. He might hand the responsibility for that first game to whoever is left of the coaching staff (in our case probably Paddy) so that he can focus on watching the game and make decisions about what he sees.

If the club are to sack Sage and bring in a new man (no, I'm not being sexist here, we won't be appointing a woman) then IMO it has to be no later that the upcoming IB. If he's not gone by then, I would expect him to carry on till December and if things haven't improved he'll be sacked so that the new man will have some time before the January transfer window opens.

 

[TheBigToePunt]

Player manager. You heard it here first.

What a shout!

'Gaffer, what are the tactics?'

'Just give the ball to me, son.'

 

[Teddy Eagle]

What a shout!

'Gaffer, what are the tactics?'

'Just give the ball to me, son.'

Sounds like Hoddle at Swindon.

 

[PatrickA]

With regard to the story about 2 players offering messages of support to Sage , I feel safe in assuming that one of them wasn’t Guessand.

 

[Vaibow]

There's an alternate reality where we draw to Spurs, then go on a decent run and finish the season 12th, but with a europa trophy to our name... FA cup semi, league cup final.

We invest heavily and enjoy champions league footy, all whilst finishing 10th and winning league cup... we get a 4th season of european footy in the conference and then finish 7th in league and get europa.. we enjoy the best spell ever under Sage.

However, the reality is we draw to spurs and he's gone..

 

[TheBigToePunt]

There's an alternate reality where we draw to Spurs, then go on a decent run and finish the season 12th, but with a europa trophy to our name... FA cup semi, league cup final.

We invest heavily and enjoy champions league footy, all whilst finishing 10th and winning league cup... we get a 4th season of european footy in the conference and then finish 7th in league and get europa.. we enjoy the best spell ever under Sage.

However, the reality is we draw to spurs and he's gone..

This is a mad post.

I don't know what makes you think we can get a draw at spurs.

 

[Lanzo-Ad]

With regard to the story about 2 players offering messages of support to Sage , I feel safe in assuming that one of them wasn’t Guessand.

What about the other 23 players in the squad 🤔

 

[MrRobbo]

That's interesting. Why five games?

Why not ten if, behind the scenes and presuming you are the Chairman, Sage had set out what seemed like a sensible, viable plan to introduce a different approach, or to keep the same one but fix what he saw as isolated problems?

Why not one game, or none even, if he had failed to do any of those things?

I'm not saying you're wrong, by the way, just wonder what led you to that conclusion.

Wasn't my original statement but I agree with the more games stance.

He's introduced a more expansive way of playing, players that suddenly couldn't score before, are scoring. And its more interesting (dare i say exciting to watch). He's done this without a proper pre-season, and without our best two attackers and of late our captain and keeper.

Whilst there have been some disastrous moments, and disastrous games, its not all bad. We should have won at Everton, Leeds, Ipswich. Sunday was mostly good. Bottom line its not all completely terrible.

But regardless of how you feel, the table is also incredibly tight. We are not cut adrift. We are a win off 10th. 2 wins off 5th. I see the need for concern, not panic.

 

[JHB]

Wasn't my original statement but I agree with the more games stance.

He's introduced a more expansive way of playing, players that suddenly couldn't score before, are scoring. And its more interesting (dare i say exciting to watch). He's done this without a proper pre-season, and without our best two attackers and of late our captain and keeper.

Whilst there have been some disastrous moments, and disastrous games, its not all bad. We should have won at Everton, Leeds, Ipswich. Sunday was mostly good. Bottom line its not all completely terrible.

But regardless of how you feel, the table is also incredibly tight. We are not cut adrift. We are a win off 10th. 2 wins off 5th. I see the need for concern, not panic.

I admire the optimism. As lots of people have said though the more expansive style has seen us score 9 in 8 and fail to score in 50% of our league games. We are on track for a similar number of goals as last season. We have the fourth lowest possession stats in the division with only the newly promoted teams below us. Pushing players up and being defensively exposed shouldn’t be mistaken for better football. We aren’t actually more expansive in any way that matters.

 

[park the bus]

I admire the optimism. As lots of people have said though the more expansive style has seen us score 9 in 8 and fail to score in 50% of our league games. We are on track for a similar number of goals as last season. We have the fourth lowest possession stats in the division with only the newly promoted teams below us. Pushing players up and being defensively exposed shouldn’t be mistaken for better football. We aren’t actually more expansive in any way that matters.

Ha ha yes. And at the expense of 19 conceded. But don't worry, we woulda coulda shoulda won those games! What does playing more expansive even mean anyway?

 

[NEILLO]

Ha ha yes. And at the expense of 19 conceded. But don't worry, we woulda coulda shoulda won those games! What does playing more expansive even mean anyway?

Risking possession of the ball is my interpretation but I don't think that phrase has ever been properly defined !

 

[Teddy Eagle]

If Sage stays why can't we bring in a new defensive co-ordinator/coach? Whoever is responsible (you'd guess Paddy) at the moment doesn't seem to be up to the job.

 

[JHB]

If Sage stays why can't we bring in a new defensive co-ordinator/coach? Whoever is responsible (you'd guess Paddy) at the moment doesn't seem to be up to the job.

We could but the issue is the whole approach. This isn’t a case of sound tactics being undermined by poor defensive play. It’s poor tactics leading to poor defensive play. That won’t change without a change of manager

 

[Painter]

I did not know Paddy's officail title was 'defencive coach'. If so its HIM that needs to be sacked!

Not his official title, but he is on the coaching staff and spent his playing career at CB, I doubt he is coaching the strikers.