[Devongone]

Even great managers like Clough and Wenger proved it is possible to lose that vital spark that made them habitual winners. Paul Cook was a lovely midfielder and he has been a very good manager, but I would contend that however long he stays in post he will NEVER get us back into the EFL.

He has become a hoarse caricature of himself, bellowing red-faced on the touchline and sending Danny Webb in to deal with the serious questions.

Our season is over. We won't go up and even we couldn't manage to go down. Now would be the ideal time to contemplate change so we can make the right choice for NEXT season. We started this season full of attacking hope and potential and are ending it with four good full backs and a lack of goal power.

I am an emotional man. Had I had a better temperament I might have been the real deal as a goalkeeper. I'd genuinely welcome your opinions. I haven't looked to see what Bob's idiots think. Salts is far more sensible and grounded than me, Dancing ran an entire business FFS and Matt can't help thinking things through. I jump to conclusions, sometimes too readily. But my thought is headhunt Leam Richardson if he's still available. What are your thoughts? Give me a kicking if you think I need it!

[Dancingwilldoit]

Hi Dev, I'd see if the doctor can up your anti depressant dose. It might make things a bit more bearable.
Speaking as someone who didn't want PC back in the first place, we just can't seem to get things right ATM. No need for him to go but I wish he would open his bloody eyes.
His decision making is flawed. He seems to be a one trick pony and when we play a team who have studied our game and put our back 4 under pressure he doesn't know how to deal with it and change tactics and formation mid game. It's not rocket science, if it ain't working then change it now. It's too late in the 80th something minute.
This is his team, if he can't get them to gel and we blow it again then give Danny Webb a chance. At least wait until the end of the season though.
Hopefully the boos on Tuesday mean Fitzsimmons will start in goal against Notts but you never can tell.

[Devongone]

At the end of the season more clubs will be after new managers. More managers will be readily available too ....... but we only need the right one!

Agree Covolan seems to have lost his confidence. Like me he's emotional, which isn't good. Fitzsimmons is safer but much less able. I couldn't sack Cookie if he beats County come Saturday, but I don't think he can become flexible enough to win it. As for Danny Webb - if he can't steer Cookie towards better decision-making can he be the right man for the job? Sitting there with your arms folded in not-my-fault pose doesn't impress me, on or off the anti-depressants.

Like you I didn't want Cookie back. And Leam Richardson might get a run for the Huddersfield job so ........ Once decision-making goes awry my impression is it doesn't get better (And I've got a Master's Degree In Decision Analysis - though I'm sure you're all better at it than me!)

[spireitematt]

Sometimes I over think too much Dev.

We've been in the top 7 for most of the season and got to the 3rd round of the FA Cup. We aren't going to win the league not the way Wrexham or Notts are playing but we can still finish in the playoffs and it will be a lottery. Paul Cook isn't a bad manager and his record speaks for himself. The problem is he's took away the Grimes and Williams CB pairing which was working with King and Horton in the back four and he needs to revert to that. He also needs to change the formation from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-3-1-2, we need 2 strikers up top not 1 especially if Quigley is playing as he can't play the lone role. We need to play Tim Akinola, Jez and bring subs on earlier.

My team for Saturday would be

Fitzsimons, King, Grimes, Williams, Horton, Akinola, Banks, Jez, Dobra, Quigley, Mandeville or Asante.

Dobra play behind the 2 strikers and can push forward to a front 3 or drop back into midfield into a 4.

We can't play out from the back either and I think we need Covolan to stop playing as a sweeper keeper. The 3 goals which Woking scored came from their keeper kicking it long down the field to the forwards and bamboozling us and the fact we were messing around with it at the back instead of clearing it.

If we play like we did against Woking then Notts could put 5 or 6 past us. We need to press Notts straight from the off and not give them any time on the ball and not make silly mistakes.

[Devongone]

You do sometimes overthink Matt, and that does sometimes mean you discard the actual solution, but you do always think things through (and past through too).

I don't think Cookie has to be a bad manager to deserve the sack. He just has to be one who isn't doing his job and that was to get us to the EFL and we are nowhere near it, even though we could beat most of EFL2. The Play-Offs aren't a lottery. The side best able at that point comes through. It just looks like a lottery if they originally finished seventh in the league programme. You specifically need to be in form, confident, and well able to spot and play on the weaknesses of your rivals. We currently are out of form, totally lacking in confidence and spirit and the opposition seems almost always to take us by surprise. All of that is the manager's responsibility in my book.

Yes your side looks better than Cookie's and you are right he solved a problem he didn't have with Ash Palmer. That said Palmer is at least as good as the other two. The irony to me is that Cookie seems to want to play out from the back and never considers his best defensive passer of the ball Maguire. My own thought is Quigley would be best suited by three up front which would involve Jez and Colclough either side of him. Alone up front he needs more support than the three behind him offer. One thing I would do is move Dobra inside much more. As I never tire of telling everyone - inside is where the goal is. It don't move.

I can appreciate what you say Matt just as I can Dancing's view, but I find it difficult to envisage any finish above fifth place and defeat once more early in the play-offs. A change of manager might not give much scope for a better performance this season, but it would offer him chance to build a platform for next, because we do have some good players. That's some.

[Dancingwilldoit]

McCallum rumoured to be signed from Dagenham. Could be interesting.

[Devongone]

He has signed. McCallum at times is the best centre forward in the league. But that is at times.

It looks like a desperation move to me from Cookie, because he knows he has royally fcked up. He hardly looks a pair with Quigley, but Notts County won't be looking forward to facing him.

[Devongone]

Even the voices of moderation around me can't change my mind.

PAUL COOK HAS LOST HIS MOJO AND LAST NIGHT'S SELECTION SUGGESTED HIS MARBLES WERE ON THE MISSING LIST TOO!

Quigley a better bet at centre forward than McCallum? Perhaps I can convince Man City I'm better than Haaland.

Dobra left on the bench as he's one the few who has looked like scoring in 2023.

King, who is widely considered the best full back in the National League and has also showed a propensity for scoring, benched for the entire game!

Jones in a home game selected to what purpose? To ensure we achieve no more than a struggling draw?

Cookie take your frigid fingers from round this team's throat and set it free to try and play! We've got a canal, where're the Shelbys when you need them?

[Dancingwilldoit]

The only reason we didn't win last night was down to the manager. The players played well and we had by far most of the play. Tactics and formation lost us the game.
Wealdstone were no mugs, they could play and they did. Nice movement and direct, the one thing we aren't.
It's painful watching us waste so many opportunities playing so called Cookball across the edge of the area then back and repeat. Teams have got us sussed and we give them time to get 11 players behind the ball until we inevitably give it away. We play such a high line that when we do lose it our defenders end up chasing the ball rather than attacking it. Grimes and Palmer are not fast so when they moved out quickly we looked vulnerable every time.
The only time a player shot from open play we scored.
Oh for the old 3-5-2 or even 4-4-2 we need it changed and quick.
Teams know exactly what to do to hurt us, we are so predictable.

[Devongone]

Wow, Dancing, yes. Cookie is keeping us doing the same thing that doesn't work. The better we do it the more predictable it is to the opposition.

He is disregarding two major factors - at football the aim is to win and you do it by scoring goals.

Within that very loose framework it is important to have players on the pitch who can score goals. Against Wealdstone we had none.

McCallum has top-scored at this level. Dobra chips in with goals and assists for goals. Kings scores very regularly considering where he plays and he creates a lot of problems for the opposition (and one or two for us). Ty Williams was showing an eye for goal before he was dispensed with. WE didn't put a single player on that pitch you'd say was likely to score, so scoring one was an achievement. Uchegbulam always looks keen to have a go at goal too .....

I like 3-4-3 as a system to get you goals, but I wouldn't argue with any change. It is simply ridiculous to keep setting up in such a way that everyone we play is confident they can keep us goalless to halftime. Eventually someone will slip up and lose to us and unfortunately that will encourage Cookie to keep going.

SOMEBODY APPLY FOR THE HARTLEPOOL JOB FOR HIM!