| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil 08:45 - Aug 13 with 5082 views | unstableblue |
The deep admiration for McKenna and his persona/style, his intelligent communication, the culture he formed, will always remain
But slowly interview after interview, combined with changes in style/system on the pitch - the slow building of a bond to O’Neil
I liked the short snippets from his welcome speech to young academy entrants (TownTV)
Simple
Enjoy the opportunity, don’t look too far ahead but be the best version of yourself each time you train/play
Delivered with an approachable style
The bond commences
A win against Sunderland and it accelerates
How are you feeling towards the new man at the helm? |  |
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| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 09:01 - Aug 13 with 3804 views | hsg78 |
100% the most important continuity piece to get right for me was to have a manager that spoke as well as Kieran.
I've been very impressed with GON thus far, and am really looking forward to the season. Additionally, really excited to see if Sindre can continue his good work over the off season in the 10. |  | | |
| I think it also worth pointing out…. on 09:08 - Aug 13 with 3763 views | Bloots |
….that if/when both Enciso and Ouattara join then that has to be seen as some sort of endorsement of his coaching too.
Obviously it won’t have been the only factor (£££) but to see them following him here has to be viewed as a positive. |  |
| "....get on, get on, get on, my groovy train” - Peter Joseph Hooton (Aug 1990) |
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| I think it also worth pointing out…. on 09:10 - Aug 13 with 3715 views | Metal_Hacker |
| I think it also worth pointing out…. on 09:08 - Aug 13 by Bloots |
….that if/when both Enciso and Ouattara join then that has to be seen as some sort of endorsement of his coaching too.
Obviously it won’t have been the only factor (£££) but to see them following him here has to be viewed as a positive. |
100% good point
Speaks volumes |  |
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| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 09:16 - Aug 13 with 3652 views | LA_Tractor_Boy |
He needs some early results IMO.
The majority of fans have realistic expectations, but GON himself has said he's 100% confident we'll stay up. Managers tend to get defensive in interviews when under pressure, as we saw with KMc last season. | | | |
| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 09:19 - Aug 13 with 3613 views | Metal_Hacker |
| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 09:16 - Aug 13 by LA_Tractor_Boy |
He needs some early results IMO.
The majority of fans have realistic expectations, but GON himself has said he's 100% confident we'll stay up. Managers tend to get defensive in interviews when under pressure, as we saw with KMc last season. |
Think we all including GO'N need to be patient . This could without stating the obvious , go down to the last day and to be fair if we're in that position last day of the season with Everton at home ...I'd take it right now | |
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| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 09:21 - Aug 13 with 3557 views | Guthrum |
| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 09:01 - Aug 13 by hsg78 |
100% the most important continuity piece to get right for me was to have a manager that spoke as well as Kieran.
I've been very impressed with GON thus far, and am really looking forward to the season. Additionally, really excited to see if Sindre can continue his good work over the off season in the 10. |
O'Neil does seem to be the same kind of considered, analytical manager as McKenna.
That walk and talk through Christchurch Park (before he'd even had a chance to properly meet and work with the players) left me with a positive impression. Starting his managerial learning process early (still only 43, with good experience under his belt), always analysing and thinking. Answers questions calmly, not bullish cliche-spewing. Confident in his abilities without overmuch arrogance or unrealistic expectations.
Obviously, we haven't yet seen his technical prowess in a competitive environment (properly, from close up with our team). But personality-wise, he seems fine. |  |
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| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 09:28 - Aug 13 with 3500 views | John_Warks_Willy |
Sounds a bit grumpy, but it isn’t. I’m genuinely holding judgement for when the season starts. I think it’s virtually impossible to judge him properly until then. Performances, results, reactions and interviews under pressure, fan unrest, heavy losses, etc etc. I’m hopeful and optimistic, and def support him, but let’s wait.
I am impressed with the recruitment so far though, and if that’s on GON then 👌 |  |
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| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 09:28 - Aug 13 with 3492 views | Broadbent23 |
GON must have qualities to push Wolverhampton, Bournemouth and Strasbourg to enhanced performances. The game against Rayo showed how our team is changing for the better. Yes definitely he is building momentum. | |
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| I think it also worth pointing out…. on 09:28 - Aug 13 with 3474 views | John_Warks_Willy |
| I think it also worth pointing out…. on 09:08 - Aug 13 by Bloots |
….that if/when both Enciso and Ouattara join then that has to be seen as some sort of endorsement of his coaching too.
Obviously it won’t have been the only factor (£££) but to see them following him here has to be viewed as a positive. |
Very good point 👍 | |
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| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 09:30 - Aug 13 with 3465 views | bsw72 |
I've been pleased to have him since it was announced - think he is an excellent coach and tactician with recent Premier League experience and his teams try and play a quick, pressing style of football and he is happy to play it longer when needed (as we have seen in some of the pre-season games).
Nothing I have seen or heard from him so far has changed my opinion - I'm pretty excited about this season with him at the helm and the squad we are assembling. |  | | |
| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 09:51 - Aug 13 with 3295 views | BloomBlue |
It has but... 1 point from the first 5 games and the hordes will turn quicker than you can imagine. TWTD will be filled with 'told you so' 'we're here because of the happy clappers" |  | | |
| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 10:09 - Aug 13 with 3193 views | J2BLUE |
I like him. Was perhaps a bit uninspiring at first but I soon got over it.
He clearly has something and as much as people love to criticise Ashton, he's no mug. There will be a reason why GON was the one he went for. |  | | |
| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 10:11 - Aug 13 with 3171 views | hammo56 |
Have to admit I wasn’t overly keen on his appointment. Having said that,imo whoever got the job would do well to keep us up and if GON achieves this then he deserves credit for doing so. | | | |
| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 10:14 - Aug 13 with 3117 views | jasondozzell |
| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 09:01 - Aug 13 by hsg78 |
100% the most important continuity piece to get right for me was to have a manager that spoke as well as Kieran.
I've been very impressed with GON thus far, and am really looking forward to the season. Additionally, really excited to see if Sindre can continue his good work over the off season in the 10. |
Doesn't speak as well as KM (who could?) but he still carries himself well and speaks with insight.
Think he was an astute pick. |  | | |
| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 10:21 - Aug 13 with 3054 views | MalcolmBlue |
I agree he’s grown on me a lot, having said that I obviously would have hoped he did well regardless. I think we’ve made the right choice post McKenna, easy to say without games being played but he sounds the part and is building a team that I think works for what we need in the Prem. I’m also excited by the flexibility the signings offer, I think we do need to be adaptable to survive and it seems Gary is good at that. We’ll see but I’m hopeful.
Also, I do believe regardless of what happens (barring anything demonstrably woeful like with Paul Hurst) we should give Gary time, personally I’m not a fan of changing managers midway through the season. Giving managers time is the Ipswich way. |  |
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| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 10:27 - Aug 13 with 2998 views | Bluemike31 |
I am really impressed with GON so far, I am liking what I hear and albeit very early I liked much of what I saw in that first half against Vallecano. It has to be said GON was on a bit of a loser succeeding a Manager who in a lot of supporters eyes could do no wrong whatever he did, there was always going to be pressure there because of the McKenna factor.
I particularly like the apparent willingness to adapt and change things to suit the opposition, GON has openly spoken about the need to this, that was One of KM's biggest weaknesses, yes he tinkered with things but was rigid in much of what he did, of course he got us results and with it success but in the Premier league it was massively found wanting.
I also like the playing of players in their best/natural positions, none more so than Sindre Walle Egeli who already looks like a new player with a bit of a swagger and new found confidence, again early days but the signs are there, I stand by what I said in that the kid was done no favours with how he was being asked to play.
So all in all I cannot wait for the season to be up and running and GON will have my full support, even when the going gets tough, which undoubtedly it will at times, I can't see any scenario where any Town fan is not behind him. [Post edited 13 Aug 10:38]
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| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 10:37 - Aug 13 with 2918 views | ITFC_Forever |
Got to admit, I was one of the biggest cynics, but I’m coming round to the idea and warming to him.
Ashton is backing him with signings, and while there’s a few more to come, I think the signings we have made have been pretty solid. |  |
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| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 10:51 - Aug 13 with 2817 views | BackToRussia |
So far, so good. This is the easy bit, of course! But he seems to have a confidence that can only really come from having been there and done it and the players will pick up on that.
I think the big test will be how he deals with the pressure if/when things go badly. It all fell apart quite spectacularly at Wolves, but I think Ipswich is a good place to be for a manager - we are very supportive as a fanbase (almost to a fault, see Lambert). |  |
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| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 10:54 - Aug 13 with 2793 views | Gary_Knows |
For his sake, I really hope we beat Sunderland on the opening day. Think it would do wonders for people who still have reservations about him. |  |
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| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 11:07 - Aug 13 with 2666 views | ArnoldMoorhen |
His record was, at the very least, "sufficient" for him to be a realistic and credible Manager for ITFC this season.
The Summer recruitment has been very good. How much of that is down to him, and how much down to the Scouting Network and Data Analysis embedded over the last couple of years, we don't yet know.
He is speaking very well, at this stage.
I love high press and find it easy to like and, as a fan, "bond with" players who play with absolute commitment and a smile on their face. My favourite players in recent years have been Stephen Hunt, Conor Chaplin and Wes Burns (and Greg Leigh!). The signings of Maeda, in particular, and Fatawu are incredibly positive from this viewpoint. I hope that O'Neill is able to commit to this approach for the whole season. Another huge plus point for me.
I believe that O'Neill has demonstrated in his career that he is more tactically flexible than KM, who replaced like-for-like, and pretty much always at the same predictable time on the clock, even when we were losing. Much as I love full throttle high press, sometimes a Plan B or even Plan C are required in-game. I think O'Neill will be more open to this.
Finally, he deserves a chance, anyway, and shouldn't be judged until at least a third of the way into the season, but early signs are positive. He isn't an "everybody back, lump it to the big man" dinosaur, he has a modern approach and (albeit limited) continental experience, he seems to understand the importance of the Club to the community, he appreciates the journey we have been on and the role of his predecessor, and he wants to create a brand of football that gets Portman Road rocking.
All very positive! | | | |
| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 11:07 - Aug 13 with 2646 views | billlm |
I have no problem with GON,
admit I was hoping for someone more flamboyant but then on my reflection that isn't needed this season, a steady hand is needed and is what we got,
I don't expect us to get relegated this season, |  | | |
| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 11:26 - Aug 13 with 2511 views | brazil1982 |
I wonder who was in on the interview? Not just Ashton, Shirley? |  | | |
| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 11:29 - Aug 13 with 2475 views | Keno |
feeling much the same as you |  |
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| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 11:37 - Aug 13 with 2406 views | hoppy |
| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 11:26 - Aug 13 by brazil1982 |
I wonder who was in on the interview? Not just Ashton, Shirley? |
I think the chairman AND the CEO were both involved. |  |
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| The slow building affection for Gary O’Neil on 11:56 - Aug 13 with 2260 views | Blue_Heath |
Wasn't ecstatic when appointed but you are right affection is growing for him. Really hope he gets some early wins on the board or things could turn sour very quick. | |
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