RE: Tigermatty 2.0 -
RJS - 07-09-2022
(07-09-2022, 09:18 AM)Tigermatty 2.0 Wrote: The willingness to accept mediocrity in our fan base never fails to amaze me. Last season was our equal worst placed finish since our first season at this level. In the the majority of those seasons we had a budget that was probably less than half of what it is now, yet we managed to do better. Wake up and smell the coffee.
I’ve heard people say that the James Rowe season has given us unrealistic expectations and that it was a freak season. Absolute rubbish. What it proved was that with a manager who is willing to make sacrifices, use the budget effectively and has good connections, then we can be a top five club at this level. As much as I don’t like the bloke, JR put in place a well executed strategy and it worked. That’s the benchmark now, no excuses. On to the next match and we better see an improvement.
I don't necessarily see it as accepting mediocrity. I think everyone wants a team fighting at the "correct" end of the table. I think the disagreements form on how we are best served getting there. Do you entrust a manager for 2-3 years in the hope that a stable base, and gradual progression eventually yields the right result, even if the timeframe is not quite what we want. Or do we change manager every time we are below where we think our budget should place us in the hope we eventually find the right man who will take us to the promised land. I don't necessarily think either stance is incorrect, and we'll never know who is actually right as you'll never see the end result of the course of action not taken, but I just don't necessarily see things improving massively if we change the manager.
Not to take away from the team put together by James Rowe, but it does also have to be said that was a season in a very peculiar set of circumstances, we must have been one of the only clubs increasing our budget at that time. In some respects it would be interesting to see how he would cope with managing the team now (other than obviously no one connected with the club would actually want him here now!!), personally I don't think he would have us top of the table now we have returned somewhat to normal.
RE: Tigermatty 2.0 -
Darran - 07-09-2022
(07-09-2022, 09:48 AM)sctippins Wrote: Its not mediocrity, last two home performances have been poor but the other two home performance, plus away at Hereford and all preseason has been postive. We have to be realistic….
As for Paul Cox…. Tell me about this proven track record since he left Mansfield EIGHT years ago? Take a look at his win percentage and what he has achieved since then? There is a reason he is managing in the NLN and not the National League or League Two.
Performances aside, another way I’m looking at it (again glass half full) what happens if we lost to Hereford but drew against Brackley, Blyth and Curzon (3-0 isn’t a reflection on the game, each goal we weren’t exactly played off the pitch by them). We would have been on the same amount of points and a slightly better goal difference.
Paul Cox has done plenty since he left Mansfield. Did a very good job at Barrow whilst at Torquay he wasn't getting paid so left and Guiesley were always going to struggle whoever was managing them. He was over achieving at Kettering last season until he left for Boston and he got them to the play-off final.
If we have to be realistic then we have to accept that Mansell's win record is shocking and it's one of the worst in the clubs history! Where is the proof that Mansell is a g
ood coach to develop talent, a good man manager to keep players motivated and have good connections at other clubs usually in the football league and local to help you? What talent has he developed? Where's the proof the players are motivated? Indeed some of them looked like they couldn't be arsed last season and in the Brackley game most didn't seem to try at all. As for good connections all we have mainly seen is Bristol Rovers players. Our budget is top 7 in my view, but yet again it looks like its been wasted just as it was under Groves. We missed out on at least 3/4 good players over the summer who chose other clubs over us and then we ended up with Brackley's 2nd string striker who they didn't want!
The league is poor this season and we have to be looking at the play-offs. Let us not forget the fact only 1 went down last season meant the pressure was off a little if there had been 4 to drop like this year then the pressure would have been more and who knows what might have happened.
Who knows what would have happened if Rowe had stayed, but what he did so was do his business early and got some very good players in. I'm not saying we are going to sign another Asante, but we haven't even got close to replacing him and if McClure doesn't play I think we will struggle to score goals. We were told a loan signing was coming on Monday and it's now Thursday afternoon and still nothing.
RE: NLN Watch -
bigdavethemaddog - 07-09-2022
out of interest what is Mansell's managerial stats?
RE: Tigermatty 2.0 -
RJS - 07-09-2022
(07-09-2022, 03:41 PM)Darran Wrote: Paul Cox has done plenty since he left Mansfield. Did a very good job at Barrow whilst at Torquay he wasn't getting paid so left and Guiesley were always going to struggle whoever was managing them. He was over achieving at Kettering last season until he left for Boston and he got them to the play-off final.
If we have to be realistic then we have to accept that Mansell's win record is shocking and it's one of the worst in the clubs history! Where is the proof that Mansell is a good coach to develop talent, a good man manager to keep players motivated and have good connections at other clubs usually in the football league and local to help you? What talent has he developed? Where's the proof the players are motivated? Indeed some of them looked like they couldn't be arsed last season and in the Brackley game most didn't seem to try at all. As for good connections all we have mainly seen is Bristol Rovers players. Our budget is top 7 in my view, but yet again it looks like its been wasted just as it was under Groves. We missed out on at least 3/4 good players over the summer who chose other clubs over us and then we ended up with Brackley's 2nd string striker who they didn't want!
Who knows what would have happened if Rowe had stayed, but what he did so was do his business early and got some very good players in. I'm not saying we are going to sign another Asante, but we haven't even got close to replacing him and if McClure doesn't play I think we will struggle to score goals. We were told a loan signing was coming on Monday and it's now Thursday afternoon and still nothing.
Is our budget top 7 though? I've seen this referenced a lot, but do we actually know that on any good authority. I agree if we genuinely have a top 7 budget, then LM right now is underperforming. But its underperforming subject to some caveats (injury list etc), and a small small sample size. I would discount last season to an extent as he inherited a squad that wasn't good enough, and set out to keep us in the league. He now needs to prove he can do more than fight the immediate fire of last season. So far the jury is out, but if we are going with a court analogy I don't think we are much past the opening statements.
RE: Tigermatty 2.0 -
Tigermatty 2.0 - 07-09-2022
(07-09-2022, 03:51 PM)RJS Wrote: Is our budget top 7 though? I've seen this referenced a lot, but do we actually know that on any good authority. I agree if we genuinely have a top 7 budget, then LM right now is underperforming. But its underperforming subject to some caveats (injury list etc), and a small small sample size. I would discount last season to an extent as he inherited a squad that wasn't good enough, and set out to keep us in the league. He now needs to prove he can do more than fight the immediate fire of last season. So far the jury is out, but if we are going with a court analogy I don't think we are much past the opening statements.
I have it on good authority that we have a top 7 budget, so there you go.
You say he inherited a weak squad, which is true, but he brought in 13 players over the course of the season…we should’ve finished higher than 17th last season with the squad we had there’s no doubt about it. We can’t on the one hand say that we’re only 7 games into this season so don’t panic, and then at the same time say that last season was a write off when Groves left at pretty much the same stage
RE: NLN Watch -
Prorsum Semper - 07-09-2022
(07-09-2022, 03:46 PM)bigdavethemaddog Wrote: out of interest what is Mansell's managerial stats?
Win rate 28% in his first 42 games.
RE: NLN Watch -
Tigermatty 2.0 - 07-09-2022
(07-09-2022, 03:46 PM)bigdavethemaddog Wrote: out of interest what is Mansell's managerial stats?
Lee Mansell:
P 42 W 12 D 15 L 15
GS 48 (1.14)
GC 51 (1.21)
POINTS PER GAME:1.21
For comparison:
PPG – Leroy Rosenior (1.63), Mike Cook (1.55), James Rowe (1.54), Marc Richards (1.41), Tim Harris (1.29), Lee Mansell (1.21), Dave Mehew (1.17), Paul Groves (1.15), Chris Todd (0.33)
RE: NLN Watch -
Prorsum Semper - 07-09-2022
I read somewhere we have a squad of 22, how many are injured?
Another thing, rightly or wrongly JR didn't spend a penny of his budget on young players to then send them out on loan,I know LM is trying to build for the future but do that when we're a division higher at least.
I do worry that he has limited contacts as most players he has signed have been from Rovers.
The best 2 players at the club were from the Rowe era.
RE: NLN Watch -
Tigermatty 2.0 - 07-09-2022
(07-09-2022, 04:08 PM)Prorsum Semper Wrote: The best 2 players at the club were from the Rowe era.
You’ve hit the nail on the head.
RE: NLN Watch -
Prorsum Semper - 07-09-2022
(07-09-2022, 04:03 PM)Tigermatty 2.0 Wrote: Lee Mansell:
P 42 W 12 D 15 L 15
GS 48 (1.14)
GC 51 (1.21)
POINTS PER GAME:1.21
For comparison:
PPG – Leroy Rosenior (1.63), Mike Cook (1.55), James Rowe (1.54), Marc Richards (1.41), Tim Harris (1.29), Lee Mansell (1.21), Dave Mehew (1.17), Paul Groves (1.15), Chris Todd (0.33)
Why did Leroy stop managing? Used love watching that team play, soooo close