| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it 11:45 - Dec 30 with 2695 views | SomethingBlue |
*Sigh*
I like Lambert — there, I've said it and I'll stick with it. What he has tried to do, and by & large succeeded in doing in a short time, in terms of making this feel like a football club again is really admirable and don't kid yourselves that he doesn't really believe in it. He does, he's got football in his blood, he's not some shill spewing out slogans fed to him by the media team; he's giving you what he believes in. The football, until recently, has on balance been decent enough when you consider that barely anyone in the entire Football League plays a particularly consistent tune.
But however this awful run has come about, he has to turn it around now. I hesitate to say it because I think in the modern world the appetite for drama and news can easily obfuscate what's actually going on. It encourages people to get off on strife and the need for change and stamping their feet angrily. It probably hasn't actually helped this club in the past. If all things were equal, there's no way I'd be putting Lambert on a clock at this point.
They aren't though. The stakes are higher for us than anyone else in the division. I've said it a million times but if relegation was a disaster then failing to bounce back at the first time of asking will be even bigger. The financial implications will be huge and, in the continued absence of canny management & structure right up to the very top of the club, we will lose most of the advantages we had over anyone else. We'll become a decent enough top-10 League One club. The crowds will dip again and it will be a case of waiting to see if the stars align in such a way that we find exactly the right personnel to get us going again. I wouldn't hold out too much hope of that based on the last dozen years.
We are fortunate that, bar an Oxford team that seems the real deal to me, there isn't a lot to be scared of in League One. At any point two or three straight wins would change the entire complexion. I still think we can and will be OK. But we can't rely on that forever. Again I'm reluctant to say it but for me I think Lambert has the next two games to show he can get a grip on this. Get something, pretty much anything, at a Wycombe side that will not ultimately finish in the top six and then see Accrington off comfortably at home. Anything bar that and we're on a path to critical — perhaps terminal — damage and it will have been going on too long for a side that wants to finish in the top two.
In short: really not an ideal position because I think, whatever our individual views on Lambert, the need this season is so extreme that we all have to think a bit shorter-term than we'd like. Let's hope he pulls it out of the bag in the next two games, then, otherwise things will start to look pretty dire.
[Post edited 30 Dec 2019 11:47]
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 11:49 - Dec 30 with 1736 views | J2BLUE |
Good post, I agree with it. I hope Lambert is thinking new year, new start in terms of his rotation and formation |  |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 11:51 - Dec 30 with 1717 views | clive_baker |
Well said.
There's no getting away from Lambert's limitations but this is the time for us to really stick together and try to put an end to this horrible run we're on. Yesterday was dire, but perhaps it's a penny drop moment and the embarrassment the team needed to kick start themselves in the new year. 2020 is a fresh start, we desperately need a win or 2 to galvanise the squad and get the belief back. We are still well placed for a challenge on promotion, win Wednesday and we're 3 points off the leaders with a game in hand, and 10 days off before Accrington at home to put the work in on the training ground. Big big game Wednesday in the context of our season IMO. |  |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 11:52 - Dec 30 with 1719 views | Bluefish |
Can you just listen to your own advice and stop trying to force everyone to follow your view? We all know you heart PRP and that it doesn't matter how bad we are. Cheers |  |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 11:54 - Dec 30 with 1696 views | sparks |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 11:52 - Dec 30 by Bluefish |
Can you just listen to your own advice and stop trying to force everyone to follow your view? We all know you heart PRP and that it doesn't matter how bad we are. Cheers |
This is the sort of deliberate provocative inane crap which really has no place here and should have led to your departure by now, irrespective of whether there is a solid kernel of valid criticism within the trolling. |  |
| The presence of those seeking the truth is infinitely to be preferred to the presence of those who think they've found it.
(Sir Terry Pratchett) | | Poll: | Is Fred drunk this morning? |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 11:55 - Dec 30 with 1675 views | Bluefish |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 11:54 - Dec 30 by sparks |
This is the sort of deliberate provocative inane crap which really has no place here and should have led to your departure by now, irrespective of whether there is a solid kernel of valid criticism within the trolling. |
Enormous double standard. Good day to you | |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 11:56 - Dec 30 with 1680 views | SomethingBlue |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 11:52 - Dec 30 by Bluefish |
Can you just listen to your own advice and stop trying to force everyone to follow your view? We all know you heart PRP and that it doesn't matter how bad we are. Cheers |
Please leave my thread alone. I'm trying to add my own bit of reasonable discussion to the board. You are being poisonous, divisive and narcissistic as ever. No place for that or, let's be honest, for you. [Post edited 30 Dec 2019 11:56]
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 11:57 - Dec 30 with 1665 views | Bluefish |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 11:56 - Dec 30 by SomethingBlue |
Please leave my thread alone. I'm trying to add my own bit of reasonable discussion to the board. You are being poisonous, divisive and narcissistic as ever. No place for that or, let's be honest, for you. [Post edited 30 Dec 2019 11:56]
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Nope I simply did what you do on every thread that I make. Your double standards is extremely childish | |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 11:59 - Dec 30 with 1654 views | SomethingBlue |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 11:57 - Dec 30 by Bluefish |
Nope I simply did what you do on every thread that I make. Your double standards is extremely childish |
You aren't intelligent enough to sustain that argument, sadly. Please do this on a different thread — *please*. I wanted a good discussion and you aren't capable of that, so I'd be obliged if you would spout off elsewhere. | |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:00 - Dec 30 with 1640 views | Bluefish |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 11:59 - Dec 30 by SomethingBlue |
You aren't intelligent enough to sustain that argument, sadly. Please do this on a different thread — *please*. I wanted a good discussion and you aren't capable of that, so I'd be obliged if you would spout off elsewhere. |
Childish and now very rude. Shall we count how many times you have posted similar on "my" threads on a the public forum. Do you think I am intelligent to count that high? | |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:02 - Dec 30 with 1629 views | J2BLUE |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:00 - Dec 30 by Bluefish |
Childish and now very rude. Shall we count how many times you have posted similar on "my" threads on a the public forum. Do you think I am intelligent to count that high? |
No | |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:08 - Dec 30 with 1590 views | ITFC_Forever |
My biggest concern is that we started the season well and gained points while others (eg; Pompey) were struggling following the summer and the enforced squad changes when the bigger boys came and took their best players.
However, now their new recruits have settled in to the club and their style of play and they are finding their form. Other clubs in and around us in the League have an identity, a style of play and a relatively settled starting eleven that has now bedded in following the opening half of the season and they now have a system which allows them to produce above the sum of their parts.
We have have opposite. We don't know our system, identity or starting eleven. And that comes from ME (other than doing everything at lowest possible cost), through PRP and in to the team.
And that's why other teams are now catching us up.
If, following a sluggish start we had improved to fourth, I wouldn't have a major issue. But we're the opposite - having made a brilliant start, we are going backwards and are now fourth, devoid of form and confidence...... we have moved through wobble and blip, we're almost through slump and will enter collapse very soon - the only thing left is England cricket batting farce. |  |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:10 - Dec 30 with 1578 views | sotd78 |
This post is intelligent and thoughtful and I agree with most all of it.
Let's just see if we can ride out the bad times and see if things come good again. We've again been unlucky with injury to a leading scorer and an ongoing right back/left back situation.
The manager seems to be doing his best with limited budgets. He has unfortunately forgotten his own mantra of picking a side and system and playing to that through thick and thin - it was something he did when he first arrived.
Unfortunately I think he's trying to balance too many things - keep players happy, stop the owner selling the best youngsters, and still win games - it worked for ten matches - then we lost continuity - the International breaks were/are a mistake.
We need to go back to a formation with players in their right places and then we'll be okay. But it might mean a bit more pain before it improves again. |  |
| Blue shirts/white shorts - sotd78 |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:13 - Dec 30 with 1553 views | ITFC_Forever |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:10 - Dec 30 by sotd78 |
This post is intelligent and thoughtful and I agree with most all of it.
Let's just see if we can ride out the bad times and see if things come good again. We've again been unlucky with injury to a leading scorer and an ongoing right back/left back situation.
The manager seems to be doing his best with limited budgets. He has unfortunately forgotten his own mantra of picking a side and system and playing to that through thick and thin - it was something he did when he first arrived.
Unfortunately I think he's trying to balance too many things - keep players happy, stop the owner selling the best youngsters, and still win games - it worked for ten matches - then we lost continuity - the International breaks were/are a mistake.
We need to go back to a formation with players in their right places and then we'll be okay. But it might mean a bit more pain before it improves again. |
With regard to the international breaks, I think I am right in saying the decision has been taken out of our hands for the next one (in March) as we were supposed to be playing Bury. | |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:13 - Dec 30 with 1542 views | SouperJim |
This is an excellent post and sums up my feelings entirely. This is such a critical season for us, either we go back up at the first attempt or we face several years in the wilderness rebuilding without all the advantage we have this year.
The frustrating thing for me is I think complacency and arrogance have led us where we are. We didn't pull up any trees over the first 15 league games, but kept doing the necessary to pick up the points. I think the rotation for the cluster of cup games in November really threw us off course and Lambert has to take responsibility for that. We started talking like we already had the league sewn up, prior to the two defeats in October Lambert was openly discussing with the press the possibility of us not losing a league game this season. We started to believe our own hype.
We got less points than we deserved from Blackpool and Wycombe, but since then the wheels have come off. The only way back is to pick a settled side and go back to basics. If we can't do that pretty quickly, then regrettably I think Evans has to pull the plug. That goes against everything I would usually feel, but such is the importance of this season. The likes of Warnock would surely get us hard to beat again and with a couple of key defensive signings automatic promotion would be well within our grasp.
Lambert is a good manager and I like him too. He has done much to correct many of the problems with our football club which ultimately have led us into League One, but unless he can arrest the slide in terms of results ASAP, Evans has got a vital call to make. |  |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:15 - Dec 30 with 1533 views | Steve_M |
Yes, pretty much agree with that.
The off-field stuff and rebuilding the sense of a club in tune with supporters was, and still remains, essential for the future of ITFC. Those who are disparaging of it are being as short-sighted as those who mocked McCarthy for bringing in players with a decent mentality instead of wastrels and criminals.
And yet, it's not enough and can't be enough unless we can get promoted this season. We've got away fairly lightly from relegation so far - Lambert's positivity and the increased season ticket sales no doubt part of that - but it won't last.
I really do think that Lambert is over-thinking things, trying to out play sides when being well drilled and organised is the route to success in this division - let the quality of our better players shine through within that. On that basis he has it within himself and his coaching team to turn things round. |  |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:16 - Dec 30 with 1520 views | ITFC_Forever |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:13 - Dec 30 by SouperJim |
This is an excellent post and sums up my feelings entirely. This is such a critical season for us, either we go back up at the first attempt or we face several years in the wilderness rebuilding without all the advantage we have this year.
The frustrating thing for me is I think complacency and arrogance have led us where we are. We didn't pull up any trees over the first 15 league games, but kept doing the necessary to pick up the points. I think the rotation for the cluster of cup games in November really threw us off course and Lambert has to take responsibility for that. We started talking like we already had the league sewn up, prior to the two defeats in October Lambert was openly discussing with the press the possibility of us not losing a league game this season. We started to believe our own hype.
We got less points than we deserved from Blackpool and Wycombe, but since then the wheels have come off. The only way back is to pick a settled side and go back to basics. If we can't do that pretty quickly, then regrettably I think Evans has to pull the plug. That goes against everything I would usually feel, but such is the importance of this season. The likes of Warnock would surely get us hard to beat again and with a couple of key defensive signings automatic promotion would be well within our grasp.
Lambert is a good manager and I like him too. He has done much to correct many of the problems with our football club which ultimately have led us into League One, but unless he can arrest the slide in terms of results ASAP, Evans has got a vital call to make. |
Can't see Warnock coming to us.
He lives in Cornwall, and has often said he will retire and live there. I think there was an element of appreciation that he has done his time and can enjoy his retirement now when he left Cardiff. | |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:17 - Dec 30 with 1518 views | waveneyblue |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 11:52 - Dec 30 by Bluefish |
Can you just listen to your own advice and stop trying to force everyone to follow your view? We all know you heart PRP and that it doesn't matter how bad we are. Cheers |
Listen to yourself. Like a bloody stuck record.
Something Blue is by far one of the more sensible and reasoned poster on here, which is something nobody would say about you. |  | | |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:19 - Dec 30 with 1484 views | Bluefish |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:17 - Dec 30 by waveneyblue |
Listen to yourself. Like a bloody stuck record.
Something Blue is by far one of the more sensible and reasoned poster on here, which is something nobody would say about you. |
Seems full of double standards and abuse to me | |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:19 - Dec 30 with 1482 views | clive_baker |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:08 - Dec 30 by ITFC_Forever |
My biggest concern is that we started the season well and gained points while others (eg; Pompey) were struggling following the summer and the enforced squad changes when the bigger boys came and took their best players.
However, now their new recruits have settled in to the club and their style of play and they are finding their form. Other clubs in and around us in the League have an identity, a style of play and a relatively settled starting eleven that has now bedded in following the opening half of the season and they now have a system which allows them to produce above the sum of their parts.
We have have opposite. We don't know our system, identity or starting eleven. And that comes from ME (other than doing everything at lowest possible cost), through PRP and in to the team.
And that's why other teams are now catching us up.
If, following a sluggish start we had improved to fourth, I wouldn't have a major issue. But we're the opposite - having made a brilliant start, we are going backwards and are now fourth, devoid of form and confidence...... we have moved through wobble and blip, we're almost through slump and will enter collapse very soon - the only thing left is England cricket batting farce. |
I think there's a counter argument that we *should* in theory benefit from fresher legs come Feb - May. I fundamentally disagree with the heavy rotations we've made thus but but IF we can find our form again and land on a settled side we should be fresher than those around us and start peaking at the right time. It's a big if, and does rely on Lambert changing his approach, but there's 22 league games left this season and we need to get in our stride ASAP. The task is still very doable on paper. After Wednesday we've got 12 at home and 9 away. We probably need 15 wins to be sure, from 22. Wednesday is a massive game against a side I don't rate particularly, but we need to get back to basics and really dig in and be prepared to fight against sides like this, it wont necessarily be pretty but we need to shift this mindset that we can turn up and just outplay sides. We can't. | |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:29 - Dec 30 with 1418 views | SouperJim |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:16 - Dec 30 by ITFC_Forever |
Can't see Warnock coming to us.
He lives in Cornwall, and has often said he will retire and live there. I think there was an element of appreciation that he has done his time and can enjoy his retirement now when he left Cardiff. |
Well if not Colin then the nearest equivalent | |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:31 - Dec 30 with 1406 views | ITFC_Forever |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:19 - Dec 30 by clive_baker |
I think there's a counter argument that we *should* in theory benefit from fresher legs come Feb - May. I fundamentally disagree with the heavy rotations we've made thus but but IF we can find our form again and land on a settled side we should be fresher than those around us and start peaking at the right time. It's a big if, and does rely on Lambert changing his approach, but there's 22 league games left this season and we need to get in our stride ASAP. The task is still very doable on paper. After Wednesday we've got 12 at home and 9 away. We probably need 15 wins to be sure, from 22. Wednesday is a massive game against a side I don't rate particularly, but we need to get back to basics and really dig in and be prepared to fight against sides like this, it wont necessarily be pretty but we need to shift this mindset that we can turn up and just outplay sides. We can't. |
But knowing us, we will dither while the games tick away.... if we're at the stage of saying "give it until the xxxx game, then if we don't have yy number of points he should go", then that's effectively saying a decision has been made and we're prolonging the agony. | |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:33 - Dec 30 with 1396 views | ITFC_Forever |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:29 - Dec 30 by SouperJim |
Well if not Colin then the nearest equivalent |
The fact Pulis and Allardyce are both available at the point we may need a new manager makes my blood run cold.
Thankfully they will both see us as beneath them, so we "should" dodge those particular bullets. | |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:37 - Dec 30 with 1384 views | homer_123 |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:15 - Dec 30 by Steve_M |
Yes, pretty much agree with that.
The off-field stuff and rebuilding the sense of a club in tune with supporters was, and still remains, essential for the future of ITFC. Those who are disparaging of it are being as short-sighted as those who mocked McCarthy for bringing in players with a decent mentality instead of wastrels and criminals.
And yet, it's not enough and can't be enough unless we can get promoted this season. We've got away fairly lightly from relegation so far - Lambert's positivity and the increased season ticket sales no doubt part of that - but it won't last.
I really do think that Lambert is over-thinking things, trying to out play sides when being well drilled and organised is the route to success in this division - let the quality of our better players shine through within that. On that basis he has it within himself and his coaching team to turn things round. |
This is, very much, what I struggle with.
Out breadth and quality lies in the middle of the park with players such as Downes, Dozzell, Judge, Huws et al.
That's our strength area (or it should be) but we spend far too long looking for a longer diagonal ball...which is tempting with the pace of Jackson but ends up with us losing possession more often than not.
I think you are right in that Lambert is over complicating this. Keep it simple...play to our strength. On paper we have enough about us to force opponents to worry about us and not the other way round. |  |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:41 - Dec 30 with 1369 views | Herbivore |
A good post and some interesting thoughts, particularly on the sincerity of Lambert as opposed to him just being a PR man. I hope that's right that he genuinely cares about the club.
My main issue is that I'm just struggling hugely to have any faith in him at all. I can't work out what he's trying to do. What is it now, 31 games and 31 different starting XIs? As a League 1 side? That is utter madness. It's not like we're retaining a shape and system either, that changes game by game too. It's not a recipe for success, it's an issue he's had elsewhere too. I'm not sure he's ever turned it around at a club when it's started to go wrong, often he's not hung around long enough for that. My gut feeling tells me that whatever magic he had at Norwich is long gone now and I'm searching for reasons to keep the faith but I can't find any. |  |
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| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:47 - Dec 30 with 1336 views | Garv |
| It's a really delicate situation, isn't it on 12:13 - Dec 30 by SouperJim |
This is an excellent post and sums up my feelings entirely. This is such a critical season for us, either we go back up at the first attempt or we face several years in the wilderness rebuilding without all the advantage we have this year.
The frustrating thing for me is I think complacency and arrogance have led us where we are. We didn't pull up any trees over the first 15 league games, but kept doing the necessary to pick up the points. I think the rotation for the cluster of cup games in November really threw us off course and Lambert has to take responsibility for that. We started talking like we already had the league sewn up, prior to the two defeats in October Lambert was openly discussing with the press the possibility of us not losing a league game this season. We started to believe our own hype.
We got less points than we deserved from Blackpool and Wycombe, but since then the wheels have come off. The only way back is to pick a settled side and go back to basics. If we can't do that pretty quickly, then regrettably I think Evans has to pull the plug. That goes against everything I would usually feel, but such is the importance of this season. The likes of Warnock would surely get us hard to beat again and with a couple of key defensive signings automatic promotion would be well within our grasp.
Lambert is a good manager and I like him too. He has done much to correct many of the problems with our football club which ultimately have led us into League One, but unless he can arrest the slide in terms of results ASAP, Evans has got a vital call to make. |
In fairness Lambert said a million times we would lose at some point. |  |
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