Ten months ago ...

[deyres42]

 

 

Your last comment suggested that an optimistic post was nothing to do with what has been seen on the pitch (despite the good quality of football - agreed lacking end product ; despite the fine margin of every defeat we've suffered). The reality was that YOU were not considering what's happened ON the pitch. You are only concerned with the number of points we have acquired (or not). Points can be lost on fine margins.

You also cannot just wave a wand, decide on a new set of tactics and see them instantly adopted effectively. When you make changes you have to give them time to bed in and you have to give the people involved the time to adapt.

 

You have a short term, points at any cost mentality. You are also swapping your arguments round just to be as negative as you can be.

A win at any cost mentality is probably a good one to have when you are 5 points of the bottom of the league, if not all the time.

 

Leyton Orient certainly don't play pretty football, I wouldn't mind trading their squad and league position for ours though.

 

Plenty of examples of rookie managers having an instant impact at clubs.

[LaticMark]

Thought I'd look at the stats from last season and this season after 25 games:

 

 

P W D L F A GD PTS

2012-2013 18th 25 7 5 13 25 34 -9 26

 

2013-2014 16th 25 7 6 12 27 33 -6 27

 

 

http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/league-one/2012-2013/custom-table

[oafcmetty]

I expected we'd be around where we are now. I hoped for more entertainment.

[rudemedic]

Thought I'd look at the stats from last season and this season after 25 games:

 

 

P W D L F A GD PTS

2012-2013 18th 25 7 5 13 25 34 -9 26

 

2013-2014 16th 25 7 6 12 27 33 -6 27

 

 

http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/league-one/2012-2013/custom-table

We had the same number of points now as we did after 30 games last season.

[MaskedOwl]

I expected fewer losses against the teams below and around us. Not much more.

[Stevie_J]

Good post o4u. Where did I expect us to be now, when Johnson was appointed? League Two.

 

I thought (and still do) that he was the cheap option. I thought he was the wrong choice at that point, given the position we were in and his complete lack of experience. Of course, he kept us up and, gladly, I was wrong.

 

There will always be a few people who are unduly negative about whichever man is in charge. Equally, there are those who are unduly positive - some were suggesting we should get Johnson signed up to a five-year contract early on in the season.

 

He's made some good signings - Smith being the stand out. He's also made some bad ones - Schmeltz and Plummer. He's playing football which is pleasing on the eye but he's not (not yet, at least) getting results.

 

He's still got everything to prove, as far as I'm concerned. He should be afforded the time to do that though.

 

But he needs to keep us in this division this season. There seems to be a great deal of confidence that he will but I think I'm right in saying that we've won one in the last eight in the league. Another run like that between now and the end of the season and we'll be right in the thick of the relegation dogfight.

[leeslover]

I always expect us to make the playoffs, not sure if it's a taunt I play on myself or a mental prop. I strongly believe that there is an element of fluke in most successful teams barring the big spenders (and even then). I'll eat my hat if Big Joe had the first clue how good some of his signings would be - I think LJ is doing the right things to give himself a decent chance of getting lucky

[the_mighty_bosh]

At the start of the season I think I expected us to be around the same position that we are at present, but I expected us to be further away from the drop points-wise and I expected us to have scored and conceded more goals than we have.

Edited January 15, 2014 by the_mighty_bosh

[blueatheart]

Thought I'd look at the stats from last season and this season after 25 games:

 

 

P W D L F A GD PTS

2012-2013 18th 25 7 5 13 25 34 -9 26

 

2013-2014 16th 25 7 6 12 27 33 -6 27

 

 

http://www.statto.com/football/stats/england/league-one/2012-2013/custom-table

Beat the last 21 games of 2012/13 then, Mr Johnson.

 

.......................... P. W. D. L F. A. GD. Pts.

2012-2013 19th 21 7 4 10 21 25 -4 25

 

 

I fully expect he will.

 

Damn formatting...

Edited January 15, 2014 by blueatheart

[Forte_Baby]

When i first met him 10months ago i didnt know what to expect. What i found was a young intelligent manager in touch with the modern game but respecting old fashioned values such as players behaviour etc.

 

Johnson plans sounded long term rather than short term. Its clear in the football that has been played he his building a team for the future, he has tried to play football the right way. Of course there has been some games where it didnt happen or the opposistion made it hard for us.

 

Most his signings have been good he got it right with Korey, sadly not worked out with Sidney & from what i read on here and heard from the recent meet the manager he wanted it to work for Rooney which to me was a decent coup.

 

He has given youngsters alongside fringe players such as Kirk Millar a chance. After the end to the season and opening game of the season i had hoped we would of scored more goals, i didnt think promotion was capable but thought we be somewhere in between mid table & where we are now.

 

He still has my backing and some of the comments towards him mainly by some the so called trolls on twitter are not called for or out of order. Of course some people will always moan for any reason or may not be convinced, some fans i myself did hope he have a more experince number 2 however being in control for so long sure he rather do it all his own way.

 

The buzz fans had going into the start of the season was something i and others had not felt for a while.

 

With Yeovil also going up think that put ideas in people head we would also. Still to me he his a good manager and deserves time something the fans should give him.

Edited January 15, 2014 by oafctom

[ShireBlue]

Despite what's looking like the usual relegation battle/bottom half finish, I think there has been noticeably more positivity around the club for a reason.

 

There's some very good footballers in the team, who are capable of playing fast-flowing entertaining football under a highly rated young manager. I HONESTLY believe we're just missing that one peice (ie. a goal scorer) that's separating us from being a good top-half of the table side.

 

Prove me right Latics!! (please)

[welshgaz]

I'll chuck it out there but I really don't think Smith has been a stand out performer certainly from the games ive seen. In fact wes has contributed more.

[blueatheart]

I'll chuck it out there but I really don't think Smith has been a stand out performer certainly from the games ive seen. In fact wes has contributed more.

Wes has been a different player this season.

 

Smith is very consistent, not necessarily a 9 every week, but usually a 7 or 8.

[Forte_Baby]

I'll chuck it out there but I really don't think Smith has been a stand out performer certainly from the games ive seen. In fact wes has contributed more.

 

Considering talk was he be gone early doors Wes has improved alot.

Edited January 15, 2014 by oafctom

[whitey1980]

I don't fully understand why you have to be in a pro, or anti Johnson position.

 

He is clearly an intelligent and driven young man who has the makings of an excellent manager. He engages well with our small fanbase and offers real signs of progress from a disastrous period for the club (knocking down of the Lookers, diminished attendances, stalling in League 1 etc....). Crucially, he also shown an ability to identify and develop talent. The acquisition of Smith and development of Tarky are evidence of this.

 

BUT......we clearly should be in a better league position than we are. We lost and dropped points in a number of games early in the season that we should have claimed and that is what we are paying for now. As key players (Tarky and Smith in particular) who have not been rotated tire, we look stale and vulnerable and the level of our play has dropped markedly.

 

No sane man would want rid of LJ should we stay up or go down. His potential is clear and it is potentially a much higher ceiling than ours as a club. That said he is not beyond criticism - and neither are a number of his senior players who have let us down at times of late.

 

Its an average division, with a number of clubs without players capable of playing higher. I firmly believe that we have players who can. That begs the question why we continue to fail to progress from lower mid table? I believe LJ will sort this out - but hr hasn't yet!

Edited January 15, 2014 by whitey1980

[rudemedic]

I'll chuck it out there but I really don't think Smith has been a stand out performer certainly from the games ive seen. In fact wes has contributed more.

Wes has been immense this season, especially compared to last season. I'm going to put it out there that he will win the coveted OWTB player of the season.

 

However, the last player to win that was Croft, and I think Lee won it the year before.

[Guest Scratch2000uk]

Most players were overweight and lacking fitness under Dickov, at least that's changed and we seem to have seen an improvement in Wes and Tarky. Playing better football and not getting battered is a bonus too, I really do worry about the lack of goals though, they are of upmost importance, and it needs addressing. You can't keep blaming it on lady luck and bad refereeing decisions. Come on Johnson, sort it out. Most fans are still behind you.

[Lee Sinnott]

Has the football actually been that good? Some of the games I've seen, notably home games, have been on par (if not worse) than Dickov's reign...

Edited January 15, 2014 by Lee Sinnott

[BP1960]

Has the football actually been that good? Some of the games I've seen, notably home games, have been on par (if not worse) than Dickov's reign...

 

I've seen worse football in my time Lee, the problem has been the home results.

[leeslover]

I'll chuck it out there but I really don't think Smith has been a stand out performer certainly from the games ive seen. In fact wes has contributed more.

Smith is trying to carry the can for our lack of creative play. He rarely has an onrushing player out wide to pass to so ends up jinking about and trying to force a way through on his own. He's :censored:ing quality though.

[futchers briefs]

What an excellent original post. Full of thought, balance and a view outside of what many blinkered football fans could conjure up. Good read.

[ChaddySmoker]

I'll chuck it out there but I really don't think Smith has been a stand out performer certainly from the games ive seen. In fact wes has contributed more.

I haven't posted very much on here recently but I just cannot let that comment go! Smith is the engine of the team, although he has to play more defensively that I would like but his 'attacking' midfield partner (Wes) has scored 2 goals this season and created how many? Please tell me how many defence splitting passes Wes has played or is that not his job within our system?

Invariably in poor teams the midfielder has to drop further and further back to receive the ball, we have seen it ourselves with Sheridan and Wellens, hence Korey Smith not being in a position to create as much as he is capable of.

Let me just recommend that you, Gaz, watch when Smith receives a pass in a crowded area what options he creates with a drop of the shoulder or a dummy and then contrast that to Wes who will ping the ball backwards at an awkward height to a defender.

[welshgaz]

I haven't posted very much on here recently but I just cannot let that comment go! Smith is the engine of the team, although he has to play more defensively that I would like but his 'attacking' midfield partner (Wes) has scored 2 goals this season and created how many? Please tell me how many defence splitting passes Wes has played or is that not his job within our system?

Invariably in poor teams the midfielder has to drop further and further back to receive the ball, we have seen it ourselves with Sheridan and Wellens, hence Korey Smith not being in a position to create as much as he is capable of.

Let me just recommend that you, Gaz, watch when Smith receives a pass in a crowded area what options he creates with a drop of the shoulder or a dummy and then contrast that to Wes who will ping the ball backwards at an awkward height to a defender.

I agree that Smith is a very good player for this level. Contribution doesn't have to be a forward pass, Wes puts his foot in far more and from what I've seen even gets forward more.

But you're right Smith is always demanding the ball and trying to make us tick I would just like to see him add some creativity to his game.

[slystallone]

I haven't posted very much on here recently but I just cannot let that comment go! Smith is the engine of the team, although he has to play more defensively that I would like but his 'attacking' midfield partner (Wes) has scored 2 goals this season and created how many? Please tell me how many defence splitting passes Wes has played or is that not his job within our system?

Invariably in poor teams the midfielder has to drop further and further back to receive the ball, we have seen it ourselves with Sheridan and Wellens, hence Korey Smith not being in a position to create as much as he is capable of.

Let me just recommend that you, Gaz, watch when Smith receives a pass in a crowded area what options he creates with a drop of the shoulder or a dummy and then contrast that to Wes who will ping the ball backwards at an awkward height to a defender.

I think a simple gauge is when a player doesn't play - do you miss him badly?

 

When Wes was out of the side; we missed him so, so much it was untrue.

 

If Korey ever drops out of the side for injury/ suspension whatever, we'd see the same.

 

Both are crucial players for us; whether you're a fan of the partnership or not, you surely have to see the relative merit of each of them; and what they each bring to the side?

 

As for the OP, nice post.

I do worry though, I havent seen anything other than a small minority on here & Twitter speaking up of late. Posts & threads like this one; and Keegan's article appear to make it out that a large section of the fan base has turned? I dont see it.

Give absolutely anyone access to a phone & the internet and what you'll get are the type of posts seen on here & Twitter on Tuesday night.

 

I think most are balanced enough to see it as it is. It looks on the face of it, much improved. But results havent been good enough and that is why we find outseled where we are. Is Johnson the right man? It looks like he could well be. Will he turn it around and see us climb the table? The signs point to he will do. Do i trust him to do that? I think i do.

 

I just dont see a rising band of supporters calling for change. I think most can see what is happening and see it how it is. A very small (granted very vocal) minority of fans using 140 characters doesnt represent the majority of us.

[pukka]

"Has the football actually been that good? Some of the games I've seen, notably home games, have been on par (if not worse) than Dickov's reign..."

 

It's been a mixed bag. Generally better than ickovs overall tenure, but when Dickov first arrived, I'd say that football was better than 90% under Johnson. People forget that we played some decent stuff under Dickov for a time.

It had more cutting edge, games like Huddersfield 1-0, Brentford (3-1) Exeter and Carlisle (both 3-3) whilst showing some issues were more enjoyable than most games this season so far.

 

As for Johnson, anyone calling for his head is an idiot. He is doing par for the course for me. He is making mistakes, but it's his first full season. I didn't like his comment about "not being a social worker - its for Adam to do" when asked about how he will lift Rooney. His job is to lift the players, yes Rooney has to take responsibility too, but lifting and motivating players is a major part of his job. Can you imagine Mourinho saying that!?!

 

The fact is though we have to put faith in him, the constant revolving door of managers AND PLAYERS will not work. We need a settled team. On and off the field. That team is young and wil therefore make mistakes, as long as they are learned from (and I believe they will be) we will do ok.

Edited January 16, 2014 by pukka