27-12-2021, 21:29
(27-12-2021, 20:42)BaggieSteve Wrote: Agreed, Slick. I think he has a replacement for Furlong in TGH but won’t play him. For me, it also showed - and has done all season - just how much we miss Pereira, not just for his personal contribution but also how he made those around him better players, particularly thinking of Diangana and Robinson.
Also agree with you comment on the tactic of punting high balls into the area when we have largely a dwarfish set of “strikers”. We have used the long ball tactic via throw ins to some success but even that is drying up now.
Like you, I’m not calling for the manager’s head if only because I’m not sure who’d replace him and the fact that there are deeper issues within the club that make that position very difficult. However, a poor transfer window and a finishing position outside the play offs and I reckon it’s curtains for him. Having said that, who was the bright spark who gave our third choice manager a four year contract? Genius!
Agree about Gardner-Hickman, it is difficult to fathom why he was dropped after man of the match performances against Coventry and Reading. I appreciate he was filling in different positions covering for covid absentees, but on both occasions he was our best player.
Even more baffling that he wasn't reintroduced after the dross we served up against Barnsley, which he was dropped for.
I can only assume Ismael doesn't trust him defensively and that's why he's not replaced Furlong, because TGH is a vastly superior football. Either that or Ismael is worried about losing Furlong's long throw. The latter would be a fairly illogical reason to stick with Furlong considering the long throw is barely yielding and Ismael persists with the small strikers.
The 4 year contract is beggars belief. Having said that, I don't even know who identified him for the role. Do we even have a director of football at the club anymore? The entire running of the club seems to be more of a joke as each day passes. While Jeremy Peace clearly used the club for his own financial gain, primarily, at least he had people around him with footballing knowledge. The Lai administration seems desperately short of any know-how. Hopefully I'll be surprised and we pull a few rabbits out of hats in January, but I'm really not hopeful with the names linked so far.
