Roberto Di Matteo

[Genie]

12 hours ago, Gary Thomas said:

That's ridiculous mate. We do not have massive problems up front.  We could be more clinical, we can improve, but we will score plenty of goals this year.

I agree completly. Creating chances and not finishing them off is far better than we've had the last few years of not creating enough. Soon enough the goals will flow, and then there's less pressure on keeping a clean sheet.

[sexbelowsound]

I'm tired of sacking of managers and backroom staff but i'm also tired of us being completely naive no matter what level the opposition.

I'm conflicted.

[hippo]

1 hour ago, Paul33 said:

Heard RDM talk of "two year project" very many times !

 

Yes - but I think he hasn't said after Dr Tony said - Promotion at the first attempt is the aim . I don't think RDM has said anything about it taking 2 years since then. Personally If we have poor season this year - I wouldn't expect RDM to get a second attempt.

[hippo]

6 minutes ago, sexbelowsound said:

I'm tired of sacking of managers and backroom staff but i'm also tired of us being completely naive no matter what level the opposition.

I'm conflicted.

If you make poor appointments - you will have to sack more managers. Cause and effect.

Since MON left the only manager who I thought could possibly do it for us was Lambert. But he lost his way in the end.

The others I had no confidence in from the moment they were appointed. I included RDM with those.

[AntrimBlack]

24 minutes ago, hippo said:

Yes - but I think he hasn't said after Dr Tony said - Promotion at the first attempt is the aim . I don't think RDM has said anything about it taking 2 years since then. Personally If we have poor season this year - I wouldn't expect RDM to get a second attempt.

He won't get a second year, in my opinion, unless we improve dramatically and miss promotion by a whisker. RDM spoke of 2 years, Xia never did.

[Dr_Pangloss]

24 minutes ago, hippo said:

If you make poor appointments - you will have to sack more managers. Cause and effect.

Since MON left the only manager who I thought could possibly do it for us was Lambert. But he lost his way in the end.

The others I had no confidence in from the moment they were appointed. I included RDM with those.

If this form continues for the 6 next week he rightly will be out of a job, you can bet that.

[rubberman]

19 minutes ago, AntrimBlack said:

He won't get a second year, in my opinion, unless we improve dramatically and miss promotion by a whisker. RDM spoke of 2 years, Xia never did.

I reckon the only chance of a second year would be if we came 3rd, maybe 4th, and lost in the playoff final.  

 

Or get promoted...

[a m ole]

2 hours ago, KHV said:

Considering RDM spent his entire career as a midfielder you would like to think he knows a thing or two about organising a midfield too. Baffling

which makes your think, is it the man who has spent his entire career as a successful midfielder and won a champions league and promotion to the premier league as a manager whose judgement is off - or the fan kicking off on a football forum?

[tinker]

2 hours ago, KHV said:

Considering RDM spent his entire career as a midfielder you would like to think he knows a thing or two about organising a midfield too. Baffling

To risk half a season on the fitness of one player who's injury record is terrible is negligent. If I was to risk 6 months production on an unreliable machine with no backup while lending my spares to someone else I would be sacked. There may be contributing factors that we don't know about but until we do the buck stops at the manager.

I may sound reactionary and I hope I'm wrong and he pulls it around but how i see it now if he does it will be more luck than judgement, which moving forward is a worry. UTV

[Richard]

I see the argument that says give him time it is far too early in the plan to make knee jerk reactions and I have some sympathy for it.  But I guess for me it boils down to whether or not you think he will turn it around.  I dont.

[markavfc40]

16 hours ago, Gary Thomas said:

Personally, I would give RDM the whole season and review it then. 

I am not sure at this stage you can say give him until the end of the season. That is a long way off and off the back of 1 win in 7 I don’t think you can look that far down the line. I would go as far to say that pretty much no manager gets until the end of the season from this point as who knows how results will pan out.

For me results obviously can’t continue as they are. I’d imagine he needs to win one of the next 3 otherwise he will be under huge pressure. Ten games is probably too short a time to judge but when you have spent the amount of money we have and frankly given the standard of the opposition, this isn’t the Prem after all, then to continue to average a point a game for much longer would be unacceptable.

I am still confident we will start to win games but it needs to happen pretty much now otherwise I would not be in the least bit surprised to see Xia pull the trigger.

[AJ]

Thinking of positives, at least he has learnt never to let Richards back on the pitch.

[Demitri_C]

for me thus far the CM is RDMs biggest mistake. He signed Tish who already seems as injury prone as joe cole. Kept Gardner and westwood who are both pants. That leaves jedinak. I think this could be our downfall. 

[ferguson1]

For me, I would give him 4 more games, which ends with Preston away on 1st October.   I think we then have a two week break prior to Wolves?   7 points from the next 4 games, otherwise it is simply not good enough.  I too am bored with changing managers, but we simply have to string a few good results together or we will be cut off from the top two places.  I was ok with things, even after Forest, but this week has got me doubting and questioning.  

[ferguson1]

5 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

for me thus far the CM is RDMs biggest mistake. He signed Tish who already seems as injury prone as joe cole. Kept Gardner and westwood who are both pants. That leaves jedinak. I think this could be our downfall. 

Totally agree with this by the way.  I wonder if RDM thought that Westwood and Gardner were better than they actually are?  Both are simply not effective enough at both ends of pitch, as neither score or protect the back four well enough.  

[bobzy]

11 hours ago, Zatman said:

in fairness you could make similar arguments for Sherwood, Garde or even Lambert. every goal conceded is usually a mistake

Yeah, that's fair - and I think I did.

Sherwood and Lambert were rightfully sacked imo, but I'd have been happy with Garde for a while longer.  Strolling slightly off topic here, but I think he and the squad were completely disillusioned after that January window where we did nothing.  Results and performances (which weren't great in the first instance) took an absolute nosedive after that - it almost seemed that no-one could be arsed because the club as a whole couldn't be arsed.

Back on topic, I think Di Matteo has us playing some good football and results will absolutely pick up.  I know it's a really narrow oversight of things, but WhoScored statistical geniuses have us as the "joint 6th" best performing team in the league (alongside Burton ).  

[Demitri_C]

1 minute ago, ferguson1 said:

Totally agree with this by the way.  I wonder if RDM thought that Westwood and Gardner were better than they actually are?  Both are simply not effective enough at both ends of pitch, as neither score or protect the back four well enough.  

Exactly we have to rely on these two together for most games and each time it has failed miserably. They may work better with a different cm alongside them, but together they are a disaster. Big cock up there from RDM in my opinion. 

[Mjvilla]

I'm still yet to see a realistic, competent, respected and exciting coach named in here who could possibly replace RDM. And for me, that's the main reason I wouldn't get rid just yet.

[itdoesntmatterwhatthissay]

I worry this is another Lambert situation where I'm waiting for a manager to realise they have a lot to learn but in reality they think they have it nailed.

In my mind any manager who plays 4231 and doesn't recognise how vital the two wide men are in creating the majority of chances is a bad manager. Grealish can probably play that position, though he needs to play the outside ball sometimes and Aly needs to learn how to cross, but on the right it's pointless. 
And we have nothing behind the front man....just lot's of front men!

Adomah was a great signing because it lets us play 442 and 433 but RDM will need to account for the fact he's not a naturally incisive passed.

Then we have Westwood and Jedinak. Any manager player two sitting midfieders in this formation needs their head checking. And even more so if they players aren't doing what they're asked.

Villa needed a culture change and like the manager that requires time. But I do worry that RDM is stuck in his ways.
His managerial career hasn't exactly seen him do a whole lot for young players or player development. And though West Brom played nice attacking football it didn't last and he didn't change when it faltered.

I'm not saying I don't think he'll be good for us, it's far too early to tell, but I have seen a few things that made me shake my head or raise an eyebrow.

[ferguson1]

1 minute ago, Demitri_C said:

Exactly we have to rely on these two together for most games and each time it has failed miserably. They may work better with a different cm alongside them, but together they are a disaster. Big cock up there from RDM in my opinion. 

I also wonder if those two are making Elphick and Chester look worse at present, as they simply offer limited protection to them?  Once Jedinak is up to speed this should improve hopefully?  Agree, that neither Westwood and Gardner should play together though.