Roberto Di Matteo

[Vive_La_Villa]

15 minutes ago, BOF said:

Yeah that's true too I suppose.  Still, I liked the response Shows he's 'getting' the media and I like his use of tongue in cheek humour

Yep and he seems to have calmed down on the number of tweets too.  Quality over quantity.

[terrytini]

2 minutes ago, villa89 said:

The point you are (deliberately?) missing there is that Rowett had a terrible squad (and a filthy fanbase). RDM has a squad and budget that's the envy of every championship club bar Newcastle. Apples Vs Oranges. 

No, you see you are making my point for me.  For HIM, now, you are rationalising the idea, that's all.  People quote the points tally, but then equivocate when presented with the same scenario.  All you are doing is finding a reason why its different.

There are as many circumstantial things anyone could raise.  Yeah, terrible squad - yet he had them winning left right and centre for 2 months before that ?

RDM's squad is an envy.yeah but have you checked how many times the best of those have played compared to the best of Rowetts, what about the relative pressure of taking over at Blues, at the bottom, and being asked to rebuild US ?  Could swap back and forth.

 

But the crux of it is, over those games his results - the main criticism of RDM, were the same, and the same people wanting rid of RDM now would by and large have been wanting rid of him

And that's the trouble.

[markavfc40]

29 minutes ago, terrytini said:

Not clear to me whether you would keep him if performances improved but results didn't, or results did and perfromances didn't !  But that's maybe just me  

I know we can "IF and BUT" forever, it is a rocky road to be sure, but.......IF we had just scored one more goal in any of those draws, and conceeded one less in another one, our average points per game would be on target for a play off chance...........which IMO would be pretty remarkable as a start with a brand new Team, most of whom have played less than a full part.  So it seems odd for it to be results only.

 

The game is all about ifs and buts isn't it and any manager that has been sacked you could say if only so and so hadn't missed a sitter or a keeper hadn't had an howler, or so and so hadn't been injured etc. There is always an if only. Even under Sherwood when he was given 10 games had we have gotten a result against Swansea, and we were one up, then I think he would have kept his job as it as we conceded two late goals and he was gone.

I think had Di Matteo have kept with the attacking formation and mentality/intent the performances would have eventually yielded the results they deserved.Since Forest equalised though he has gone too negative and that makes me question if he knows what he is doing. We created 25+ chances against Forest and we didn't not win that game because we started it too attacking. We failed to win because after taking the lead we started to sit too deep but only had one natural centre midfielder on the pitch. He should have bought Jedinak on as soon as we took the lead. Due to that error on his part though he has thrown the baby out with the bath water for me and gone too defensive/negative when that wasn't the issue that needed addressing.

We have looked at our best when we have set up with an attacking formation and played positive. I personally would be far more forgiving if we had maintained that over the last three games even if we had drawn all three games as at least I could still point to the fact that our performances deserved more. Based on the last three games, due to the negative way we have set up and played for most of those games, I can't.

 

Edited September 27, 2016 by markavfc40

[decamoto]

People who want a new manager only want one for changes sake. Realistically RDM is the best man for the job at the minute.

At our level, there is no one better that you can honestly say doesn't represent taking a massive gamble where we could arguably be in the exact same scenario 9/10 games into their tenure. The main other options for the post that most people wanted were moyes and Pearson and judging by their starts their equally as good/poor as RDM

Performances for the most part have been good and it's just a matter of time before results come good and the team becomes settled. 

[Grasshopper]

RDM can go asap as far as I'm concerned. Clarke till we get a new one in.

RDM has made far too many judgement errors.

1 I think he thought AVFC, Ch, New owner giving it £££'s. Easy job (yes if you're a good manager) underestimated the job - overestimated his managerial abilities.

2 Thought we are good enough to go 2 in MF, not realising how fragile we can be in defence. Got that wrong trying to correct everything around that issue, too stubborn/scared to address the issue.

3 Lost it, gone into his shell, now its trial and error.

RDM's tactics and lack of learning while doing has been our downfal far nearly/probably all our dropped points.

RDM starts us off either wrong or reverts to wrong. A reactional manager, that doesn't react or reacts wrongly.

Regardless of how much time he's given or how much mo ey he spends. He'll either mess it up or lose his bottle.

Why delay the inevitable?

Get rid - give us a chance while one's still there for the taking.

P.S. Giving him a whole season to fail makes next season even harder. 3 moneylaiden PL teams and AVFC having to buy more Ch players. Lets just get up ffs.

[terrytini]

Ok, well its unusual to find myself in such major disagreement with you Mark, but I am, so there you go   Some of the earlier ones read like you would sack him if the results in the next 2 games were no good, this one reads like you would keep him if we played good football..............I appreciate I am paraphrasing..........................in either case it highlights my point, which is after such a short time the decision is way too easily influenced by outliers.

[markavfc40]

20 minutes ago, terrytini said:

Ok, well its unusual to find myself in such major disagreement with you Mark, but I am, so there you go   Some of the earlier ones read like you would sack him if the results in the next 2 games were no good, this one reads like you would keep him if we played good football..............I appreciate I am paraphrasing....................

No problems mate. I may not be explaining myself very well.

To try again I think had we continued to play as we did for the first half dozen games the results our performances deserved would have come. The manager has lost his bottle though for me over the last three games and gone too negative so now instead of a point being the least we deserved from games it has gone the other way and that is all we have deserved. The fact he has had such an about turn after so few games and changed our formation and the positive attack minded way we played does make me wonder if he does know what he is doing. There was no need to change our attacking approach to games. That wasn't the issue. We were dominating possession in games, creating plenty of chances, it was a failure to take those chances, some bad luck, a tendency to sit too deep late in games and individual errors, both from the manager and the players late in games that were the issue.

It will be interesting to see how we line up tonight and how positive we are. To get the best out of the squad he has assembled we have to go with an attacking formation and start games on the front foot.

If we fail to win either of the next two but play some good stuff will that be enough for me to be screaming to keep him? No it won't. I won't be screaming for him to be sacked either but I do know that the bottom line would be one win in eleven, twelve if you include the cup, and that would rightly be seen as not good enough regardless of performances and the if onlys.

Edited September 27, 2016 by markavfc40

[bobzy]

2 hours ago, Demitri_C said:

Rowett is one of them and he would be my pick to replace rdm if he gets the elbow

Rowett is not one of the 2 managers who have been at their club over 2 years (appointed at Blues in October 2014 - close!)

2 hours ago, El-Reacho said:

McCarthy?

Mick McCarthy is, though.  Appointed 1 Nov 2012 at Ipswich.

 

Who is the other?!

[alreadyexists]

8 minutes ago, bobzy said:

Rowett is not one of the 2 managers who have been at their club over 2 years (appointed at Blues in October 2014 - close!)

Mick McCarthy is, though.  Appointed 1 Nov 2012 at Ipswich.

 

Who is the other?!

Johnathan Manager?

[It's Your Round]

22 minutes ago, alreadyexists said:

Johnathan Manager?

He'd get the best out of Jonathan Benteke. 

[Eastie]

6 hours ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

He doesn't. 4 will do. But he probably needs a win tonight.

Agreed , 4 is the absolute minimum in these 2 games - if we fail then I expect he will go 

looks like Pearson is finished at derby having been suspended this afternoon by the club and reports he will be sacked tomorrow - Derby have acted fast and Steve Bruce and Gary rowett will be strongly tipped for that job so if xia is considering one of those he will need to act fast . 

[Tommo_b]

1 hour ago, terrytini said:

That would be the Rowett who after starting very well had the following 9 game sequence from 17/1/15 - 28/2/15

Pld 9 W 1 D 5 L 3 F 9 A 12..............................as opposed to RDM's

Pld 9 W 1 D 6 L 2 F9 A 9 .......................?

SO those who would sack RDM after 9 games would've done the same with Rowett ? And in his case this was definite evidence of a massive downturn in form and results, not a case of him not having quite got it right yet.

Fortunately, for them, and especially for his reputation on here, they persisted with him for more than those 9 games..................

 

Haha great point!

[Demitri_C]

1 hour ago, terrytini said:

That would be the Rowett who after starting very well had the following 9 game sequence from 17/1/15 - 28/2/15

Pld 9 W 1 D 5 L 3 F 9 A 12..............................as opposed to RDM's

Pld 9 W 1 D 6 L 2 F9 A 9 .......................?

SO those who would sack RDM after 9 games would've done the same with Rowett ? And in his case this was definite evidence of a massive downturn in form and results, not a case of him not having quite got it right yet.

Fortunately, for them, and especially for his reputation on here, they persisted with him for more than those 9 games..................

 

Remind me what was rowetts net spend in comparison to di Matteo's?

[Tommo_b]

9 minutes ago, Eastie said:

Agreed , 4 is the absolute minimum in these 2 games - if we fail then I expect he will go 

looks like Pearson is finished at derby having been suspended this afternoon by the club and reports he will be sacked tomorrow - Derby have acted fast and Steve Bruce and Gary rowett will be strongly tipped for that job so if xia is considering one of those he will need to act fast . 

I pray he isn't considering those two

Edited September 27, 2016 by Tommo_b

[Delphinho123]

1 hour ago, decamoto said:

People who want a new manager only want one for changes sake. Realistically RDM is the best man for the job at the minute.

At our level, there is no one better that you can honestly say doesn't represent taking a massive gamble where we could arguably be in the exact same scenario 9/10 games into their tenure. The main other options for the post that most people wanted were moyes and Pearson and judging by their starts their equally as good/poor as RDM

Performances for the most part have been good and it's just a matter of time before results come good and the team becomes settled. 

Why is it just a matter of time? No, genuinely? I remember thinking that last season is all.

We are guaranteed nothing in this league nor do we have a divine right to finish in the top 6. Yes, we've created chances but we've also been overrun in midfield in most matches I've watched.

Will results come? I'm not sure under RDM.

[Johnnyp]

Monk looks like an impressive young manager. Showed an eye for talent too with his shrewd buys at Leeds, add in the fact he's working for a lad who's batshit crazy and he ain't doing half bad.

[AshVilla]

Anything less than a win tonight and he can leave

 

 

Edited September 27, 2016 by AshVilla

[Mjvilla]

1 hour ago, bobzy said:

Rowett is not one of the 2 managers who have been at their club over 2 years (appointed at Blues in October 2014 - close!)

Mick McCarthy is, though.  Appointed 1 Nov 2012 at Ipswich.

 

Who is the other?!

Been really, really pissing me off this has - Simon Grayson?

[rubberman]

1 hour ago, markavfc40 said:

No problems mate. I may not be explaining myself very well.

To try again I think had we continued to play as we did for the first half dozen games the results our performances deserved would have come. The manager has lost his bottle though for me over the last three games and gone too negative so now instead of a point being the least we deserved from games it has gone the other way and that is all we have deserved. The fact he has had such an about turn after so few games and changed our formation and the positive attack minded way we played does make me wonder if he does know what he is doing. There was no need to change our attacking approach to games. That wasn't the issue. We were dominating possession in games, creating plenty of chances, it was a failure to take those chances, some bad luck, a tendency to sit too deep late in games and individual errors, both from the manager and the players late in games that were the issue.

It will be interesting to see how we line up tonight and how positive we are. To get the best out of the squad he has assembled we have to go with an attacking formation and start games on the front foot.

If we fail to win either of the next two but play some good stuff will that be enough for me to be screaming to keep him? No it won't. I won't be screaming for him to be sacked either but I do know that the bottom line would be one win in eleven, twelve if you include the cup, and that would rightly be seen as not good enough regardless of performances and the if onlys.

Whilst I broadly agree with you that performances would have come if we'd continued aggressively, I think that it was understandable (if not effective) to be more defensive against Newcastle in particular.  If he'd gone 4-2-4 from the outset we would have thought he was going mad.  There were plenty on here wanting to try 3 at the back.  It didn't work and as long as we don't see it again, I'm OK with him trying it out.

In contrast to Sherwood's wild changes of formation weekly, it does feel RDM is doing it in a considered way, even if it hasn't worked out.  I hope and expect to see a 4-3-3 / 4-2-4 tonight as we have players back and that seems to be most effective.

(If it's a back 3 tonight I reserve the right to take that all back and agree he doesn't know what he's doing!)

[brummybloke]

Bobby Robson was classed as one of England's best and most successful managers. He bumbled his way through world cups not knowing his best team until he was forced through injury or suspension. 

That's what I'm clinging to with RDM 

 

That somehow he stumbles on the correct team.

 

It would help if he stuck with a 4 4 2 obviously.