A serious debate

[H9crx]

I don't go to games as I'm true to my word and have not been back to NDP since I gave up on canning! Game two as temp gaffer.

2 games seems a reasonable amount of time to give a new manager

I think we all knew it deep down after he got the job after the worst caretaker run in history. I so wish my gut was wrong. Would like him to stay in as player, the defence needs canzo the player just now.

[Alfie Olek]

Well its hard to start a serious debate by slagging people off on the first line.

Nobody is slagging just stating fact as evidenced by your posting. Anyway glad to see some reasoned debate. the Accies Facebook page makes some interesting reading. A lot of unhappy individuals including some who usually are more supportive. I am still of the opinion that Martin will be manager next season however. It will be interesting to see if the Board do invest in the squad in the next few weeks.Sadly a striker isn't going to help until the defence is sorted.

[redandwhite1874]

Well Martin has said he can turn it around, so I suppose the question for him is within what timescale HE thinks he can do that and should be judged against. By the time the next 4 games pass, a continuation of our current form will see us clearly in the play off spot and potentially struggling to hold on to that.

Longridge going is logical in many ways but it perhaps also hints at continuing to ditch the 5 in midfield set up that was our signature as we don't exactly have depth in the wide midfield positions. I have mentioned before that the fitba Hacks podcast has an interview with Mark Wotte where he talks about the Scottish obsession with 2 up and it is worth a listen. The other potential is that players are going to come in and that MC's comments re Mandiangu were designed to take pressure off him?

[Bluesy]

After some cooling down time I do actually think it is worth sticking with Canning just now.
I agree with the previous poster that sticking to our 5 in midfield is the way forward - it has been successful for us so far. A panic move to 2 up front (which I must admit I wanted) isn't the way forward. Our slick one touch passing can only work when there are plenty of options to pass to. It gets the best out of Ali, Dougie and Kurtaj. Congo Chris looks like he could fit in really well to our standard formation.
Things are nowhere near as bad as they've been before in the premier league. We have a fighting chance.
Leaking goals is the problem and if Canning does play he has to set out a game plan then hand over the reigns for the 90 minutes to his assistant as that was a real problem last year when they all stood waiting for instruction whilst he tried to concentrate on playing.
Not as grim as it might seem (our car was extremely depressed on Saturday)

[southoftheborder]

(our car was extremely depressed on Saturday)

not as bad as ours!!!

We'd driven 340 miles to get there

[redandwhite1874]

(our car was extremely depressed on Saturday)

not as bad as ours!!!

We'd driven 340 miles to get there

That is a real long journey for a non performance and horrendous result. hopefully you will be rewarded at some point.

[ColinS]

A lot of talk about lack of leadership from the bench which I tend to agree could be a lot better but there is a distinct lack of leader ship on the park. That is no disrespect to our captain. He is just not in the right position to influence the team during the game. I would never make a keeper captain if he is expected to be the leader on the park. The 'leader' should be one the outfield players but we have no real leaders there who can organise and bring about sustained encouragement to the team when things are going wrong or at strategic moments in a game.
Perhaps we should be looking to find someone with that ability to bring in during the window.
Just a thought.

C'mon the Accies

Keep on believing

[redandwhite1874]

A lot of talk about lack of leadership from the bench which I tend to agree could be a lot better but there is a distinct lack of leader ship on the park. That is no disrespect to our captain. He is just not in the right position to influence the team during the game. I would never make a keeper captain if he is expected to be the leader on the park. The 'leader' should be one the outfield players but we have no real leaders there who can organise and bring about sustained encouragement to the team when things are going wrong or at strategic moments in a game.
Perhaps we should be looking to find someone with that ability to bring in during the window.
Just a thought.

C'mon the Accies

Keep on believing

As much as everyone likes and respects McGovern; I think most people would agree with you re the captain role; however it is not that unusual in football in general.

[redandwhite1874]

Kurtaj and Imrie being available again should help us in the coming games; and hopefully the return of Devlin and Lyon will do us good as well. I cant see us bringing in another striker when we have a number at the club (unless we thinned the current ones down a bit? although I still think this is the single biggest issue for us just now and why I am surprised Morris stayed (unless we are getting him for nothing or next to nothing).

[accies1874]

Imrie's been our best player this season but I can't think of a bad game Docherty's had for us and he's currently taking up Imrie's position and you'd imagine Kurtaj will be starting too with Crawford behind the striker.

[Accies73]

Why cant we start a game with Nade he has more to offer than Morris at least he has a bit more about him.

[redandwhite1874]

Why cant we start a game with Nade he has more to offer than Morris at least he has a bit more about him.

Nade hasn't impressed me with his levels of effort anytime he comes on; so looks like back up to me.

[YeOldeHamiltonian]

Why cant we start a game with Nade he has more to offer than Morris at least he has a bit more about him.

Nade hasn't impressed me with his levels of effort anytime he comes on; so looks like back up to me.

Neither has Morris and he gets a game every week and has had his contract extended.Morris putting in more effort than Nade.I'll have some of what you're smoking.

[judgeflash]

I echo the opinions of nearly every other Hamilton supporter, Canning just doesn't have the ability to manage a top flight club. Promoting from within may have worked by chance with Neil, you could see the players were eager to impress him. Seems more of a disconnect with Canning, who is often found sitting looking absolutely feckless.
His signings have been poor, his lack of tactics is apparent, the players and fans obviously have lost any faith in him. If we finish bottom 2, can I see us defeating Hibs or Rangers over 2 legs? I sure as hell can't.

I see arguments constantly about us fighting above our weight, whilst this holds some water, I think talent wise we have better footballers than the likes of Killie, we need a manager who can get them playing to the best of their ability, something that Canning shows zero capability of.


42 games with 9 wins. Division 1 ahoy.

[hughjarse6309]

Agree with some of the posts here - just a point or 2 (admittedly from afar)

Firstly, as much as some of us disagree with some of the decisions made by the BOD, we do still at least have a club - I live in Hereford and I've seen what the loss of a town's/city's club means to the fans. The sound financial footing the Accies have means that the club will at least survive, in whatever capacity, and that has to be the first goal, especially given the past tribulations. That said, we DO have the talent at the club to not be struggling with relegation - we have shown that early season. I don't know whether MC should go or if he does who should replace him - I'll leave that discussion to those of you who watch the side first-hand every week - but it's clear that we need something to change - and soon.

[Accies 4 Ever]

The team need to get back to basics. You don't lose your skills overnight. They need to start working together again and forget about big money moves to big teams. Guys like Ziggy, Ali and Gills have been with Hamilton for a long time and as such, although still relatively young, are senior players who should be leading by example not spitting the dummy because they are not getting their big move. They are letting the team, and themselves down - not that they are the only ones!
Canning, unlike Alex Neill, is not a natural Manager, but he wasn't helped by getting thrown in at the deep end by the board. He should have been allowed to develop by coaching the youth teams and progressing to Assistant Manager before getting the big job. Not surprised that he is hanging on to his job. His reputation is in tatters, where would he go? Who in football would take him? He has been a professional player all his working life and so what else does he do. He has a wife and young family to look after. So although he isn't up to the job I can see why he doesn't give it up. He has to believe he can turn it arounnd.

[judgeflash]

The team need to get back to basics. You don't lose your skills overnight. They need to start working together again and forget about big money moves to big teams. Guys like Ziggy, Ali and Gills have been with Hamilton for a long time and as such, although still relatively young, are senior players who should be leading by example not spitting the dummy because they are not getting their big move. They are letting the team, and themselves down - not that they are the only ones!
Canning, unlike Alex Neill, is not a natural Manager, but he wasn't helped by getting thrown in at the deep end by the board. He should have been allowed to develop by coaching the youth teams and progressing to Assistant Manager before getting the big job. Not surprised that he is hanging on to his job. His reputation is in tatters, where would he go? Who in football would take him? He has been a professional player all his working life and so what else does he do. He has a wife and young family to look after. So although he isn't up to the job I can see why he doesn't give it up. He has to believe he can turn it arounnd.

He started coaching the u17s in 2013, mate.
He's had coaching experience, he's just nowhere near talented enough for his current role.

[H9crx]

This is why he should be asked to step down as to a player, Keep him on as 1st team coach and take some training. So he still has a job (this is a good way for accies to be loyal) he would get some pride self-respect and confidence. But we need to bring in a Manager for the first team.

Loyalty only works when it is fair to all parties involved and the canning situation is not fair to Martin or the football club.

But the board only want a Yes MAN

[redandwhite1874]

Focus, rightly on the manager but last night just looking at the highlights you can see individuals making basic and fundamental errors and lack of responsibility. Goal 5 is a horrendous for many; and Canning didn't tell the players to leave their opponents for the first or for McGovern to stand still.

A real struggle to justify MC staying any longer; however a man of his standing and contribution to the club deserves more respect. The last 10 games have been shocking and its no knee jerk reaction from anybody.

However supporting a club during their struggles is hard; far easier to walk away. If people in the past didn't support the club in far worse circumstances perhaps many of us wouldn't have ever had the chance to watch Accies let alone boycott Accies.

I also struggle to accept the wild speculation and lies that people make up in response to the Board's attitude. I don't agree with the Board on this but I try to understand them having a different opinion without trying to rationalise that they must be mad or bad, wanting the club to go down or wanting a yes man or insert any number of wild conspiracy theories punted around on here. That said, a bit of visible leadership and engagement with the fans would be valuable and allow Les to put his plan to turn things around.

In trying to figure out the club's thoughts on this I can only think that the expectation was for the club to fight relegation and at this time that is still very much in play. I cant see past the last 10 results but they are perhaps having regard to early season form that can be recaptured.

So MC should go but whilst he is there I will support the team as usual and absolutely love to be proven wrong on this one.