bluer than bluesThat's the biggest issue with Rooney so far, there has been no consistency in team, shape or system. You can forgive the team to degree considering injuries but we should be playing to a specific system.
The managers that have long term success after poor starts - Arteta, Dyche (at Everton) - never deviated from their systems.
It’s hard to disagree with any of that. He has still made more than his fair share of unforced changes though.
He lacks confidence in the system, why would the players not?
Unfortunately he was appointed for reasons other than his management record, and it shows.
It looks like another relegation battle boys, it’s a shame after all the positives we have had
I’m on the fence here. The owners have probably noticed that Leeds, Wolves, Norwich, and Southampton all got relegated to league one and eventually got promoted all the way up to the PL. Rooney is giving us a great platform to follow this model. I say stick with him and the glory days will be back before 2030. Now that’s a project.
TamI backed him and the team again for 44 minutes. My nipper went to the bar after half an hour. He was bored. We spent the rest of the game with hundreds of the others in the concourse. We drank red wine rather the usual choice, lager. We have no identity on the pitch. Juke cannot start. We have no leadership and you have no idea what anyone will do when they get the ball. Jordan James is the most comfortable in this side at trying to play football. But he got injured for the first goal, was on the floor for over a minute whilst they were celebrating, and got ignored by our bench and was still limping when we kicked off. Not one player alerted the bench. Not one person on the bench seemed perturbed by it. It’s crazy how weak we are vocally on the pitch and seemingly are on the bench too.Some very fair points in this thread - I'm really interested in the posters that voted to back him and what the train of thought was behind that opinion
RagsAt present it it would be very hard to mount a compelling argument to keep him based on our football in his first nine games. The opposite is nearer the truth and they’re plenty making it and more joining them as games pass. Rooney was not employed for his record as a manager as I see it. His record was in the main poor. He was employed because those that own the club believed he has potential. He clearly is very knowledgeable about the game as evidenced by those fans who heard him speak at the Open House. For the record I was not one of those but trust the opinions of those that were. I suspect those who appointed him are quietly reflecting on whether they have made a mistake despite what they may say in public.
I would not, despite my concerns with current form and performances, sack him. I think nine games is to short a period of time and he deserves at least one window to bring in a few players to improve us. There are significant weaknesses in the squad particularly in central midfield where Bielik has been poor all season and up front where we are crying out for a striker. I think we actually need two central midfielders in reality and a striker in January. I want Rooney to succeed. I think some of the abuse he got by some Blues fans was uncalled for. He is actually trying to improve us albeit that is not working out too well to date. He is intentionally making us as bad as we are. He may be responding to the expectations of the owners in trying to imply a no fear, front foot, high press, possession based football too quickly where a more experienced manager might have told the owners that would need to wait until the summer to introduce. I also don’t want to have pay off another manager and his back room staff unless or until they have had a fair chance to prove themselves. I don’t think we will need to tell the owners that it is not working out if it comes to that. I know for many we have reached that point already but Tom Wagner is no fool and won’t hesitate to take action when it is required. I, for better or worse trust the new owners and don’t think fans losing their temper with them at games will motivate them greatly.
You make some good points, but the fact remains that given the exact same tools JE has proven he can create a more successful, cohesive, competitive football team than Rooney can.
So why are we persevering with Rooney if he is actually worse than JE ? Surely we need to get rid and try and attract someone else, someone with a track record of improving teams and getting the best out of players.
Maybe Rooney should now be given a further few games to see if he can implement JE's strategy.
The benefit being, Rooney brings in more money to the club and can attract better players than JE ever could.
That could be the reset, we get on an even keel and then restart the transition to more progressive football.
I am minded to give Rooney a few more games to see if he can now implement that - though if he is given any budget then it has to be players that can operate in a number of styles. We cannot afford to waste money on players that could be jettisoned if the Rooney experiment is cut short.
Still can't get my around this sort of talk. So you're happy for us to be relegated to keep Rooney at the helm on the off-chance we might come back up
Agree with this. Although I think the Leicester game might test Wagner's metal. Aside from all the Media "Rooney v Vardy" bollox that we'll inevitably be sucked into, a heavy defeat by four or five goals might be the catalyst.
CastleBlueI’m pro Blues and anti abusing our players, staff and officials. That’s why I’ll do a full day at work on Wednesday, go to watch us at Cardiff, then get up at 0515 Thursday to do another full day at work all with a dodgy ticker and aching body. I’ll support our team and save my vitriol for the Welsh, the police, the ref and his lino sidekicks, the stewards and Tom JonesTha Project OBEI’m not pro Rooney. I’m not anti Rooney either.
I thought from the start he deserved more of a chance than some fans were giving him now I feel obliged to defend the fecker. Now he’s had a decent run of games I’m not so inclined to defend him but still think it’s too early to write him off. The worrying thing is that the last few games, against less than stellar opposition, have been nasty to watch.
You’re fooling no one. You have been very pro rooney and almost embarassing in putting a positive spin on constantly losing.
Bluesince62bluer than bluesThat's the biggest issue with Rooney so far, there has been no consistency in team, shape or system. You can forgive the team to degree considering injuries but we should be playing to a specific system.
The managers that have long term success after poor starts - Arteta, Dyche (at Everton) - never deviated from their systems.
We're doing a vile, ent we? Mega rich and ambitious owners allow a trusted underling to get in a stella name to herald the new era (Gerrard in the scums' case) and it falls flat on its face.
WR is our Gerrard and I hope that eventually, it comes good for us in the way it has for them disgusting oafs across the way.
I hope so.
Garry Cook is obviously very good at business but at Man City there were examples of poor conduct that seem, to a degree, to have been displayed here. The sacking of Hughes for Mancini is very to similar to what's happened here, albeit he came with pedigree and was a success.
He's had his pick and it's not working. I hope if we continue to struggle, he has the humility to change it and make a decision based solely on footballing evidence.
I respect he has belief in Rooney, who is still young and learning. However, I question what evidence led him to believe in Rooney's progression. Did Rooney do a good pitch? Did he pitch at all? You'd hope so but when you consider that he came in via the back door through an agent connection, was already at a struggling club and with the evidence we're currently seeing, alongside his poor record prior to us, well... It's hard to see a good case for him getting the job.
If he does go, we need to take our time and do seem real due diligence on any replacement.
BluestainesRoyalblue
I don’t doubt that personally but having bought the club I guess it was their call who they wanted to manage the team. They did not handle that very well but it is water under the bridge now. They are inexperienced owners and will get some things wrong. It looks like Rooney might be their first mistake and my point is they will realise that themselves in due course. Sacking him now only nine games in is not going to look good and attract just the sort of media they don’t want. They will have a line in the sand I am sure and it might change if results do not improve. Mistakes in life are unavoidable, it is not doing anything about that is the real problem. One way or another they will sort it out but right now I can’t see three worse teams in the division than us and if I can see that I am sure they can to.
Cook has been brought in though on the proviso that he is a football expert and should not be making these kinds of mistakes.
Wagner may be inexperienced so he has brought in big names that know how to run a club - an excellent idea. Cook has been brilliant on one side but appears to have made a mistake on this side that cannot be excused by inexperience.
NewbsStill can't get my around this sort of talk. So you're happy for us to be relegated to keep Rooney at the helm on the off-chance we might come back up
I did write it with a raised eyebrow, which isn’t probably an effective way of communicating online.
You’re right though that there are some who genuinely advocate a period of “taking our medicine”, which is generally an argument used by those who have already lost but can’t quite bring themselves to accept it.
Tom TheProject BradyTha Project OBEI hope and pray Garry isn’t reading this message board tonight
Why? Please explain? People expressing genuine concerns in a constructive manner.
Calling the manager a fat Scouce chav or a player a disgusting pig isn’t constructive.
Express concerns all you want but no need for any vitriolic abuse. It’s exactly the thing Cook said that isn’t on.
Sorry I must have missed that earlier in the thread? Who called him a fat scouse chav or disgusting pig? I know I'm getting old and eyes not so good but I didn't read that. If it's true you need to report it.
Remember after the w.c break when we went something like 14 or 15 games with only one win which was in the f.a. Cup ( i think ) abject performance after abject performance.
Well i didn’t call for the managers head then & i won’t now.
montypenguinTom TheProject BradyTha Project OBEI hope and pray Garry isn’t reading this message board tonight
Why? Please explain? People expressing genuine concerns in a constructive manner.
Calling the manager a fat Scouce chav or a player a disgusting pig isn’t constructive.
Express concerns all you want but no need for any vitriolic abuse. It’s exactly the thing Cook said that isn’t on.
Sorry I must have missed that earlier in the thread? Who called him a fat scouse chav or disgusting pig? I know I'm getting old and eyes not so good but I didn't read that. If it's true you need to report it.
I called bielik a disgusting pig on here last night. Not my finest hour i’ll admit but i did apologise.
Report away
NovakainianFalstaffNovakainianExactly this. No idea where our next win or point is coming from. 2 more loses incoming with Cardiff and Leicester. Surely at that point Knighthead will have to read the room and act.
I’m not certain that they will. I think they may take the same view that Troy Deeney seemed to have last night, which was basically, ‘it’s not the style of play, it’s the lack of effort from the players’. For that reason, I think Rooney will get the rest of the season and a summer budget, and he will start next season with his own players.
If the owners were to decide to change manager, they’d have my total support. I just don’t believe that they will. I also don’t think that they should.
Or another conclusion could be Rooney's not a manager the players want to run through walls for. Point still remains where are our points coming from to keep us in the division?
My worry is they will be reluctant to sack him as it proves they have made a mistake.
They did at Derby.