Willie Wastle wrote:1. He's meeting his annual target of keeping us up. Four years in a row, and counting. On the evidence so far, we're on course to stay up for a sixth consecutive season in the top flight - something we haven't done for 80 years. Too many people must take this for granted now, because they're very quick to shrug it off, but our history shows it's not an easy accomplishment. He could be doing better, as almost any manager at any club could, so let's consider that after the second point.
2. There is no credible alternative. Anyone who thinks we're going to make an appointment like say, Steve Clarke, Neil McCann, Kenny Miller or any foreign coach, hasn't been paying attention to how this club operates. The internal candidates are Imrie, Beuzelin, Scotland, and perhaps now (at a stretch) Kilgallon - anyone confident any of them would do better? And at the moment there aren't many obvious external candidates: Alex Neil could probably do better with this squad, but he isn't available, and even if he was I doubt we could afford him; and who would welcome the return of Billy Reid? We've just overhauled the squad, bringing in (by my count) 14 new signings and 2 loans - that leaves little scope for new acquisitions, and what prospective new manager would accept that?
3. So now is not the right time. However, every manager is on borrowed time. Even if, like the Accies board, you believe in giving managers a fair crack of the whip, and maintaining continuity, there comes a time when you need to part company. That time is nothing to do with win ratios, and everything to do with the criterion of staying up, while continuing to develop talent and move some on at a profit. So how do we take that step forward? If we could improve our win ratio just a bit, we'd be rising to the next level - just 5 or 6 more wins would put us in contention for top six. If we can identify a manager who could deliver that, without compromising the way the club works, we should appoint him - but no earlier than the end of this season.
Finally, I've posted this in good faith, as an Accies fan who wants the best for the club. I recognise some will disagree, and I'm happy to debate with anyone who can be respectful to my point of view, and equally respectful to the subject of this, Martin Canning.
Willie Wastle wrote:1. He's meeting his annual target of keeping us up. Four years in a row, and counting. On the evidence so far, we're on course to stay up for a sixth consecutive season.
2. There is no credible alternative. Anyone who thinks we're going to make an appointment like say, Steve Clarke, Neil McCann, Kenny Miller or any foreign coach, hasn't been paying attention to how this club operates. The internal candidates are Imrie, Beuzelin, Scotland, and perhaps now (at a stretch) Kilgallon - anyone confident any of them would do better?
3. So now is not the right time. However, every manager is on borrowed time. Even if, like the Accies board, you believe in giving managers a fair crack of the whip, and maintaining continuity, there comes a time when you need to part company. That time is nothing to do with win ratios, and everything to do with the criterion of staying up, while continuing to develop talent and move some on at a profit. So how do we take that step forward? If we could improve our win ratio just a bit, we'd be rising to the next level - just 5 or 6 more wins would put us in contention for top six. If we can identify a manager who could deliver that, without compromising the way the club works, we should appoint him - but no earlier than the end of this season.
Tumbleweed.. wrote:Willie Wastle wrote:1. He's meeting his annual target of keeping us up. Four years in a row, and counting. On the evidence so far, we're on course to stay up for a sixth consecutive season.
2. There is no credible alternative. Anyone who thinks we're going to make an appointment like say, Steve Clarke, Neil McCann, Kenny Miller or any foreign coach, hasn't been paying attention to how this club operates. The internal candidates are Imrie, Beuzelin, Scotland, and perhaps now (at a stretch) Kilgallon - anyone confident any of them would do better?
3. So now is not the right time. However, every manager is on borrowed time. Even if, like the Accies board, you believe in giving managers a fair crack of the whip, and maintaining continuity, there comes a time when you need to part company. That time is nothing to do with win ratios, and everything to do with the criterion of staying up, while continuing to develop talent and move some on at a profit. So how do we take that step forward? If we could improve our win ratio just a bit, we'd be rising to the next level - just 5 or 6 more wins would put us in contention for top six. If we can identify a manager who could deliver that, without compromising the way the club works, we should appoint him - but no earlier than the end of this season.
Ok, we're on course to stay up for a sixth consecutive season. We lose 2 games more than Dundee and St Mirren and we're bottom. Both of these clubs have had absolute nightmare starts to the season and if they improve just a wee bit and we stay as we are, then that rosy picture changes. It again seems to point to us looking to be the 2nd or 3rd worst team, not the 10th or 11th best team. And if neither of those teams improve and we finish above them, we will have stayed up because 1 or 2 clubs have failed to live up to their potential. I'm sure that has been called a lazy argument in the past, but it seems pretty clear. If we can use if to be positive, we can also use if to be realistic.
The no credible alternative argument is spurious. We keep playing rubbish under a manager who has had a number of seasons to improve and hasn't because there isn't anyone else who could do better? How do you know? What is that based on? Any change of manager is a gamble for any club, but it seems clear that the team is struggling and getting worse, with the past few games compounding this feeling for me - discipline lacking, effort lacking, tactics lacking, players repeatedly coming over at the end of games apologising, the manager repeatedly apologising to the fans in the media for his teams failures - it seems to be coming apart at the seams. If Canning is the best man we have to sort all this out and continues to approach the job the way he has for the last few seasons, then the evidence of decline will just become more and more obvious and the harder it will be to arrest the negativity about the team and manager evidenced on this and other forums.
Not being the right time for a change also confuses me. Do we allow him time to get worse because he's a nice guy and he's been here a while and who could do better and we're not bottom and we're Accies and wait til the season finishes and if your Auntie had testicles she'd be your Uncle? If the above scenario happens and we are bottom at Christmas, why would be give him til the end of the season to get better when he absolutely hasn't since he was given the job?
By suggesting just 5 or 6 more wins would make us challenge for the top 6, it seems more evidence of thinking small - why don't we think big and pray for just 10 or 12 more wins and go for the title? The point is the same, its just the parameters that are different.
If seems to be the operative word in the above analysis - but if we could improve our win ratio just a bit we wouldn't even be having this discussion. If Canning had evidenced the ability to improve our win ratio just a bit in the seasons he has been in charge then people would sit back and allow him to get on and work his magic. He hasn't, so they won't. I don't want Canning out because he isn't a good guy, Im sure he is, but he is not a football manager that I am comfortable will get any better than he has up to now. If he improves, people like me who want him out will fade away. But he hasn't done so yet and my opinion is that he never will. I base that on the evidence of what we have seen since the start of his managerial career, rather than wishing it was different.
Swift Frank wrote:The only reason that I can see for keeping Martin is who else could pull off wearing that jumper better than him?
Fantastic post.
Your contribution to this forum and realism is a breath of fresh air, posts from the likes of Swift Frank just turn 'canning out' into a joke and not a real problem.
Willie Wastle wrote:Swift Frank wrote:The only reason that I can see for keeping Martin is who else could pull off wearing that jumper better than him?
Brendan Rogers? Steven Gerrard?
I don't know if you've noticed, but v-neck jumpers are very common!
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