Dunn's Post Match Interview

[L1onheartNew]

How bad will it have to get for you to hear a bad word said against him?

 

I suppose it depends on how he interprets bad. Is there a +/- tolerance?

[boundaryblue80]

He's struggling and he might well be out of his depth.

 

I would like to see a more positive approach to our play.

 

I don't think it is much worse now then it was under Dickov and Johnson when they were struggling.

 

We have mainly been struggling since Blitz and Gazal departed and are likely to continue doing so until there is a change of ownership.

 

That's a decent comment/yardstick to measure the situation by. However, I would have to disagree on your conclusion. At present, I do think it worse for a couple of reasons. We still looked like we had match winners in the side under Dickov and LJ when times were tough. We blamed some defeats on genuine bad luck too (whether right or wrong) whereas with Dunn at the moment, we aren't able to say this. We only appear to have one player who looks to be our matchwinner and that is Danny P who quite frankly, has been dog:censored: for large parts of the season. But then in the odd game has popped with a couple of vital goals which keeps him in the side.

 

The other reason I'd disagree when comparing to if it is as bad as under Dickov and LJ is that when the decline got to the point of hitting the relegation spots we ALWAYS managed to grab a vital win or two to pull our heads above the waterline. Right now, we don't even look close to being able to do that.

 

Having said all the above though...even though his ultra positive comments are looking very naive, he should be afforded (as Kelly should have been) longer to try and turn our fortunes. But we have to be careful how long. The Blackpool game could be a tipping point as Millwall and Coventry will be tough to get anything from. January will be the time to decide if he has done all he can and needs moving on.

Edited December 7, 2015 by boundaryblue80

[deyres42]

i would say they both had a better quality of player, our one matchwinner in Forte has been injured all season and generally the football, apart from the start of Dickov's time and a brief time last year with Johnson, has been the same sterile stuff we are seeing now.

 

If there was an obvious replacement who could come in and guarantee improvement then I wouldn't be against a change, not sure if there is one though.

[bluear]

I'm sure there are plenty who could come in and motivate these to play as we know they can

[deyres42]

But they've won 7 games this year for 4 managers, that's a long period of time for so many to be so below their 'form'

[boundaryblue80]

i would say they both had a better quality of player, our one matchwinner in Forte has been injured all season and generally the football, apart from the start of Dickov's time and a brief time last year with Johnson, has been the same sterile stuff we are seeing now.

 

If there was an obvious replacement who could come in and guarantee improvement then I wouldn't be against a change, not sure if there is one though.

 

I wasn't including Forte as the lad isn't fit and there's no saying he ever will be. At present, Danny P looks the only matchwinner.

 

As for the quality of player, I'd disagree that they were better under Dickov and LJ. Dickov kept having the odd bit of quality sold underneath him. And people thought the likes of Wes Wilkinson and Furman were superstars. Last season, Kelly and Jones made them look quite average. Infact, 8 of the starting 11 on Saturday were here under LJ last season.

 

Football-wise, the sterile stuff you mention under the former two managers heralded enough results to have one eye below us, sometimes one eye on the top 6 but generally we knew we would probably end up safe. The old adage about "4 worse teams than us" was often a comfort and proved realistic. At the moment, I'm seriously struggling to say that this time. Even Crewe can now arguably be classed as better than us.

Edited December 7, 2015 by boundaryblue80

[Stevie_J]

Not much point talking about Forte; the club got him in for his op so he's fit in time for the transfer window reopening.

[HarryBosch]

 

That's a decent comment/yardstick to measure the situation by. However, I would have to disagree on your conclusion. At present, I do think it worse for a couple of reasons. We still looked like we had match winners in the side under Dickov and LJ when times were tough. We blamed some defeats on genuine bad luck too (whether right or wrong) whereas with Dunn at the moment, we aren't able to say this. We only appear to have one player who looks to be our matchwinner and that is Danny P who quite frankly, has been dog:censored: for large parts of the season. But then in the odd game has popped with a couple of vital goals which keeps him in the side.

 

The other reason I'd disagree when comparing to if it is as bad as under Dickov and LJ is that when the decline got to the point of hitting the relegation spots we ALWAYS managed to grab a vital win or two to pull our heads above the waterline. Right now, we don't even look close to being able to do that.

 

Having said all the above though...even though his ultra positive comments are looking very naive, he should be afforded (as Kelly should have been) longer to try and turn our fortunes. But we have to be careful how long. The Blackpool game could be a tipping point as Millwall and Coventry will be tough to get anything from. January will be the time to decide if he has done all he can and needs moving on.

 

Dickov and Johnson both bought themselves time by starting reasonably well though.

 

Johnson twice if you like as he somehow kept us up when we'd looked dead & buried under Dickov and then started the next season with enjoyable attacking football, albeit losing attacking football.

But we could see what he was trying to do and most of us liked it.

He then showed his managerial ability by quickly smelling the roses & pragmatically ditching the way he wanted to play in order to shore us up and keep us safe.

 

Dunn has taken us backwards from the off and it's getting worse.

And he keeps calling us :censored:.

[nzlatic]

 

 

Dunn has taken us backwards from the off and it's getting worse.

 

I dunno Harry, in a moment of extreme boredom (probably while listening to the Crewe game) I was reading back on the board to see what the general feeling about Dunn was in the first few games he took charge. And you definitely didn't think he took us backwards from the off!

[boundaryblue80]

 

Dickov and Johnson both bought themselves time by starting reasonably well though.

 

Johnson twice if you like as he somehow kept us up when we'd looked dead & buried under Dickov and then started the next season with enjoyable attacking football, albeit losing attacking football.

But we could see what he was trying to do and most of us liked it.

He then showed his managerial ability by quickly smelling the roses & pragmatically ditching the way he wanted to play in order to shore us up and keep us safe.

 

Dunn has taken us backwards from the off and it's getting worse.

And he keeps calling us :censored:.

 

We never looked dead and buried under Dickov. We weren't even in the relegation zone when he got the bullet. I understand the sentiments of what you're saying though. Dunn has to improve things soon or he will have to walk. He is also right that there are some :censored: about! (that's not aimed at you or anyone in particular)

[HarryBosch]

I dunno Harry, in a moment of extreme boredom (probably while listening to the Crewe game) I was reading back on the board to see what the general feeling about Dunn was in the first few games he took charge. And you definitely didn't think he took us backwards from the off!

 

Yeah, I remember being ecstatic after his first game v Doncaster.......

 

I was certainly optimistic about his appointment though but I don't think I stayed upbeat for long....

 

Feel free to show me if I posted otherwise......

[HarryBosch]

I dunno Harry, in a moment of extreme boredom (probably while listening to the Crewe game) I was reading back on the board to see what the general feeling about Dunn was in the first few games he took charge. And you definitely didn't think he took us backwards from the off!

 

err....

 

http://www.owtb.co.uk/index.php/topic/47762-ft-doncaster-rovers-1-oldham-athletic-1/?p=804097

[Stevie_J]

Talk about Johnson and Dickov all you like but, whilst they had poor runs, their records aren't anywhere near as :censored: as Dunn's is to date. Holden, Kelly and Dunn have been absolutely :censored:ing lame in their brief spells in the job. For me the three of them have shown themselves to be utterly out of their depth. But what do you expect if you appoint blokes who haven't got any really coaching experience or badges, let alone experience of management.

[Buckshawlatic]

Talk about Johnson and Dickov all you like but, whilst they had poor runs, their records aren't anywhere near as :censored: as Dunn's is to date. Holden, Kelly and Dunn have been absolutely :censored:ing lame in their brief spells in the job. For me the three of them have shown themselves to be utterly out of their depth. But what do you expect if you appoint blokes who haven't got any really coaching experience or badges, let alone experience of management.

Shush - lots of positives from Saturday and he's convinced we are going to climb the league....

[deyres42]

 

I wasn't including Forte as the lad isn't fit and there's no saying he ever will be. At present, Danny P looks the only matchwinner.

 

As for the quality of player, I'd disagree that they were better under Dickov and LJ. Dickov kept having the odd bit of quality sold underneath him. And people thought the likes of Wes Wilkinson and Furman were superstars. Last season, Kelly and Jones made them look quite average. Infact, 8 of the starting 11 on Saturday were here under LJ last season.

 

Football-wise, the sterile stuff you mention under the former two managers heralded enough results to have one eye below us, sometimes one eye on the top 6 but generally we knew we would probably end up safe. The old adage about "4 worse teams than us" was often a comfort and proved realistic. At the moment, I'm seriously struggling to say that this time. Even Crewe can now arguably be classed as better than us.

Even leaving aside the obvious ones like Baxter, Tarkowski and the two Smiths, I'd have to say the likes of Bouzanis, Cisak, Grounds, Mvoto, a fit Croft, even Simpson, are better options than we have now.

 

Last seasons spike in form is looking increasingly like an anomaly when you look at the before and after, nothing that we have done since February suggests we should be doing any better than what we are.

[HarryBosch]

Talk about Johnson and Dickov all you like but, whilst they had poor runs, their records aren't anywhere near as :censored: as Dunn's is to date. Holden, Kelly and Dunn have been absolutely :censored:ing lame in their brief spells in the job. For me the three of them have shown themselves to be utterly out of their depth. But what do you expect if you appoint blokes who haven't got any really coaching experience or badges, let alone experience of management.

 

I wanted Kelly out for numerous reasons but the main one was that the playoffs were starting to look unlikely under him

 

Walsall was good, Boro was alright, Bury was OK, Fleetwood was :censored: but we won, Colchester away was a creditable draw, the Peterborough defeat was awful but I'd seen far worse performances than the Bradford loss.

 

What the :censored: was our problem that resulted in us getting this?

 

[deyres42]

When you put it like that..!

[boundaryblue80]

Even leaving aside the obvious ones like Baxter, Tarkowski and the two Smiths, I'd have to say the likes of Bouzanis, Cisak, Grounds, Mvoto, a fit Croft, even Simpson, are better options than we have now.

 

Last seasons spike in form is looking increasingly like an anomaly when you look at the before and after, nothing that we have done since February suggests we should be doing any better than what we are.

 

Ok then...I'll do a comparison...

 

Baxter - Jones - Not a lot in it...Baxter often went hiding in games, people forget that. The Mike Jones of last season, I would have over him.

Tarky - Wilson - Would agree with Tarky being the better

K.Smith - Kelly - Another where I honestly don't think there is much to choose between the two. Korey was overrated by folk.

M.Smith - ???? - Who do we compare him with...Cassidy would be the obvious one but he's not been fit so unfair to compare. But let's not forget, most wanted rid of Matt Smith before he started scoring.

Bouzanis/Cisak - Fans were slating these two on an hourly basis. No different to Coleman (Cornell is :censored: so I'd say they're better than he is.)

Grounds - Mills - Didn't rate Grounds tbh. The odd good game. I used to rate Mills but not these days. Another tough call tbh. Neither player is much better than the other.

Mvoto - ????? - Nobody to compare him to. We all agree that CB is a massive issue tbh,

Croft - Croft - The Croft back then was a fat lump for 6 mths. Derby terminated his deal and then he sharpened up and became worthwhile to us. This season he's been :censored:ing awful.

Simpson - Danny P - These two remind me of one another. Both love to go MIA. Quality-wise I wouldn't say there's anything in it. Can find the net every now and then.

Generally, the theme of my comments above are that there isn't much difference between past seasons and now in terms of quality. The defence was better but then Mvoto would be sold or Tarky sold leaving Dickov in the :censored: and us to slump down the table...we all knew in preseason that the defence was a serious concern. I can't agree that Dickov and LJ had far better players to work with though.

Edited December 7, 2015 by boundaryblue80

[Stevie_J]

 

 

Ok then...I'll do a comparison...

 

Baxter - Jones - Not a lot in it...Baxter often went hiding in games, people forget that. The Mike Jones of last season, I would have over him.

Tarky - Wilson - Would agree with Tarky being the better

K.Smith - Kelly - Another where I honestly don't think there is much to choose between the two. Korey was overrated but folk.

M.Smith - ???? - Who do we compare him with...Cassidy would be the obvious one but he's not been fit so unfair to compare. But let's not forget, most wanted rid of Matt Smith before he started scoring.

Bouzanis/Cisak - Fans were slating these two on an hourly basis. No different to Coleman (Cornell is :censored: so I'd say they're better than he is.)

Grounds - Mills - Didn't rate Grounds tbh. The odd good game. I used to rate Mills but not these days. Another tough call tbh. Neither player is much better than the other.

Mvoto - ????? - Nobody to compare him to. We all agree that CB is a massive issue tbh,

Croft - Croft - The Croft back then was a fat lump for 6 mths. Derby terminated his deal and then he sharpened up and became worthwhile to us. This season he's been :censored:ing awful.

Simpson - Danny P - These two remind me of one another. Both love to go MIA. Quality-wise I wouldn't say there's anything in it. Can find the net every now and then.

Generally, the theme of my comments above are that there isn't much difference between past seasons and now in terms of quality. The defence was better but then Mvoto would be sold or Tarky sold leaving Dickov in the :censored: and us to slump down the table...we all knew in preseason that the defence was a serious concern. I can't agree that Dickov and LJ had far better players to work with though.

 

I was guilty of writing off Matt Smith before he came good but, by the time he left, he was obviously miles better than what we have now. Korey Smith, for me, was underrated by a lot of fans and was a cracking player for this level. Bouzanis and Cisak were both better keepers than the two we have now. Tarky was :censored:loads better than any defender we've got now. M'voto, for all his mistakes, would be an improvement on what we have now.

 

Like you, I wasn't a big fan of Grounds but, again, better than we have now. Simpson was a pain in the arse; turned up for the big games, couldn't be arsed the rest of the time.

[HarryBosch]

 

 

Ok then...I'll do a comparison...

 

Baxter - Jones - Not a lot in it...Baxter often went hiding in games, people forget that. The Mike Jones of last season, I would have over him.

Tarky - Wilson - Would agree with Tarky being the better

K.Smith - Kelly - Another where I honestly don't think there is much to choose between the two. Korey was overrated but folk.

M.Smith - ???? - Who do we compare him with...Cassidy would be the obvious one but he's not been fit so unfair to compare. But let's not forget, most wanted rid of Matt Smith before he started scoring.

Bouzanis/Cisak - Fans were slating these two on an hourly basis. No different to Coleman (Cornell is :censored: so I'd say they're better than he is.)

Grounds - Mills - Didn't rate Grounds tbh. The odd good game. I used to rate Mills but not these days. Another tough call tbh. Neither player is much better than the other.

Mvoto - ????? - Nobody to compare him to. We all agree that CB is a massive issue tbh,

Croft - Croft - The Croft back then was a fat lump for 6 mths. Derby terminated his deal and then he sharpened up and became worthwhile to us. This season he's been :censored:ing awful.

Simpson - Danny P - These two remind me of one another. Both love to go MIA. Quality-wise I wouldn't say there's anything in it. Can find the net every now and then.

Generally, the theme of my comments above are that there isn't much difference between past seasons and now in terms of quality. The defence was better but then Mvoto would be sold or Tarky sold leaving Dickov in the :censored: and us to slump down the table...we all knew in preseason that the defence was a serious concern. I can't agree that Dickov and LJ had far better players to work with though.

 

 

Yes, the calibre of players has been very similar whether you measure it over a month, 3 months, 9 months, a year, 2 years, 6 years - right back to Sheridan.......???

 

The rest of the League is, arguably, of a lesser standard than it was for most of that time...

 

All of which makes for an even more damning indictment against these tactics, performances and results....

[deyres42]

20 odd points behind the top 4, swap our manager for one of theirs, how much difference would it make?

[losesome]

20 odd points behind the top 4, swap our manager for one of theirs, how much difference would it make?

20 odd points that's how much !!!

[boundaryblue80]

20 odd points behind the top 4, swap our manager for one of theirs, how much difference would it make?

 

You want to be careful with that one....I don't think we should be sacking Dunn at the moment but I reckon if we did swap with any of the managers in the top 4 we would currently be playing a lot better and have points in the bag to show for it. But of course, it is all conjecture.

[singe]

I don

 

 

I wanted Kelly out for numerous reasons but the main one was that the playoffs were starting to look unlikely under him

 

Walsall was good, Boro was alright, Bury was OK, Fleetwood was :censored: but we won, Colchester away was a creditable draw, the Peterborough defeat was awful but I'd seen far worse performances than the Bradford loss.

 

What the :censored: was our problem that resulted in us getting this?

Your post reminds me, when Dunn said he had confidence it turning it round quicker than Royle, do you think he meant to say he had confidence in his ability to turn it round qucker than Darren Kelly....?

[singe]

 

 

Ok then...I'll do a comparison...

 

Baxter - Jones - Not a lot in it...Baxter often went hiding in games, people forget that. The Mike Jones of last season, I would have over him.

Tarky - Wilson - Would agree with Tarky being the better

K.Smith - Kelly - Another where I honestly don't think there is much to choose between the two. Korey was overrated by folk.

M.Smith - ???? - Who do we compare him with...Cassidy would be the obvious one but he's not been fit so unfair to compare. But let's not forget, most wanted rid of Matt Smith before he started scoring.

Bouzanis/Cisak - Fans were slating these two on an hourly basis. No different to Coleman (Cornell is :censored: so I'd say they're better than he is.)

Grounds - Mills - Didn't rate Grounds tbh. The odd good game. I used to rate Mills but not these days. Another tough call tbh. Neither player is much better than the other.

Mvoto - ????? - Nobody to compare him to. We all agree that CB is a massive issue tbh,

Croft - Croft - The Croft back then was a fat lump for 6 mths. Derby terminated his deal and then he sharpened up and became worthwhile to us. This season he's been :censored:ing awful.

Simpson - Danny P - These two remind me of one another. Both love to go MIA. Quality-wise I wouldn't say there's anything in it. Can find the net every now and then.

Generally, the theme of my comments above are that there isn't much difference between past seasons and now in terms of quality. The defence was better but then Mvoto would be sold or Tarky sold leaving Dickov in the :censored: and us to slump down the table...we all knew in preseason that the defence was a serious concern. I can't agree that Dickov and LJ had far better players to work with though.

 

Pretty much agree with your assessment, except Baxter Jones. We have Jones of this season not Jones of last season so Baxter wins that one.

 

You can't say Johnson had better players to work with either, quite a few are the same players!

 

I don't think the players have taken to Dunn at all, for many of the reasons us fans haven't. I don't think the players particularly respected Kelly, for obvious reasons, like the fans didn't. And I think that many of the players lost respect for Johnson after his Evans decsion, like many of us fans.

So I think our morale mirrors the players.

 

The problem is how deep could we be in it by the time the transfer window opens, and has Dunn got ability to get the players we need, and motivate and oprganise them?

 

 

As I have said a lot in recent weeks, a decent manager could get this lot performing. It might just be our only hope.