Frankly Mr Shankly

Plenty to report on in the second half. Outfield player in goal for Gateshead.

Think I called it with 6 matches remaining we'd need to win four of them. We could've just won one! Really shows the poor level of quality underneath the top 4 or so, doesn't it? An overhaul in midfield and a right back and I can't see us being any less than 4th next season.

There isn't enough words in the internet to describe it.

I’m going. I want the chance to willy wave about it in 20 years when we’re hoovering up the Championship title.

I do too. I don’t necessarily think that’s the worst thing to happen. He’ll need to be cute with the finances, McGahey won’t be on a lot, or he offered an expensive contract and he can cover either centre half of defensive midfield. Might be used as a shore up option to defend a 1-0 lead. in an ideal world, he’d be out on his arse but books have to be balanced and some players will need paying off to get rid.

Gold tier answer!

I wouldn't rule it out though.

Once you stop seeing him joivially walking freely around the ground before each home match and on away days then it's start-to-worry time. Successful business people learn quickly from mistakes and never make the same ones twice. I'm sure it went on record (via DR's podcast interview maybe?) that they had a plan to achieve promotion to the FL within four years. The sooner the better would be a bonus. I don't think that's neccessarily off track, but we've had a bloodied nose in the first couple of rounds.

I get the impression it's easier to get Israel and Hamas to see eye to eye than @League one foreverand @nzlatic

That we conceded less than all but two in the top six, including Chesterfield rather tellingly, suggests the problems are more at the other end of the pitch. Every team bar one has outscored us by considerable margins.

The only alternative is to blow smoke up supporters' arses as DU was doing. The Emperors new clothes approach. That unravelled as quick as our gameplans do at home. I can't find much fault in MM's approach to interviews. He's being as diplomatic as possible, scarecly picks out a player for criticism publically and said pretty much what was on the tin. It's in striking contrast to someone like Marc White (who I admire in other ways by the way) or Luke Garrard (who I can't stomach) who week to week were regularly picking out negatives in players in post match pressers. That's certainly not how to handle pressure, demonstrated by Dorking and Boreham Wood's league positions.

Isn't building a team about getting a blend right? Not having too many rhomboids in star shapes, as @lookersstandandy likes to say. We've elements of it right. I'd say the defence is fairly sound in the centre for this division. The forward line has plenty of talent running through it in it that are starved of service. Much of which boils down to the midfield being woefully underequipped to control matches and deliver ammunition. It's fairly evident to me where immediate improvements can be made ove rthe summer.

Isn't that effectively what he has said?

Home form hasn't been addressed by about 30 managers since JR left us. We've lost on average 8-10 home matches every season since. You can't place that specific blame at MM's feet. Even Dowie's team. The hardest (in a physical sense) team I've ever seen us field, lost around 6-7 at home the season we made the play-offs. The issue is an endemic one.

‘Cracks were just papered over, that’s all. It wasn’t fine.

Sheron is versatile. I’d only keep him based on that alone. He’d not be a starter but a useful player to bring on in-game to replace an injury. MM has finally sussed him out hence dropping him for the last 3 matches. A hallmark of our midfield; just not quite good enough.

I’m very envious of the way they turned LLLLLL into WWWWWW when it mattered tbf.

it’s not a difficult decision. A new manager will still inherit the same problems next season. We have to stick to a plan and see that plan through. Offer MM the chance to make sweeping changes and hope that it’s enough to turn a squad (that still won’t quite be there, it must be said) from play-off fringes to where Bromley and Barney are; two teams which have evolved to where they are over 3-4 seasons. Sacking MM, as much as a growing number of fans want to do, simply puts us at bigger risk of a repeat season.

I don't think it was bizarre. It was one of his most revealing yet. Plainly obvious he's had to bite his lip since he came in with an assessment after just two matches that there were huge problems ahead. He'd love to throw 75% of them under the bus immediately but he still has to try and get a tune out of them. He's not without blame of course. Mistakes have been made, probably by trusting players he couldn't and who have let the club down during the season. I'd back him to ensure we had a much leaner, much better team next season. It'll take a lot of wheeling and dealing and I don't think we'll be the finished article by any stretch. But I'd expect we'll field a side that can turn 1-0 leads into wins and matches like today into three, fairly ugly points. Man's a proven winner and not someone you'll want to underestimate to get it right in my opinion. Back him.

You need some exclaimation marks bud. I can't take it seriously.

Some pictures were posted in the Oldham's Past FB page (a great thing by the way). They're such good quality. Noticable how old fellas dressed back then Off to the footy in suit and tie! Group is here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/621240799724797/?hoisted_section_header_type=recently_seen&multi_permalinks=958186086030265&__cft__[0]=AZW6AqDWz5CHy18LNpxpFwMClg6GWhNMd8sXtoamPZD5YeNFGVwwBwvwOqnXcWtwlhZU7eB-G-oD5bN4zXGG41qkjO_H9uykLdjklc-oZYMbVpwccKzav0vSmNyNLhApPlutFnOlkGO3vqSq54ZpmAsbaG9i4YaJf9ydyCCARvEKQjxVI9Ay6jO2j_LJY0UnWLA&__tn__=-UC%2CP-R

I think there's some fair observations in this. @BPAS mentioned that they'll try and get DR, MM on for an interview soon. It'll be a good question to directly ask; if SB was employed and used last summer, why was the overrall recruitment so unbalanaced? I suspect I know what the answer is going to be though.

Freeman was a total panic buy after DU, having spent days fawning over his new marquee signing, suddenly realised we were still without a RB.

MM's fewmin at Halifax / The League going off his pre-match presser, isn't he? And rightly so. Having to play just 36 hours ahead of our [potentially] final match of the season is a disgrace and I'm glad he pointed that out.