Leicester Ram

Key word here is form. Has Rowett improved Vydra’s form? Definitely. Has he improved him as a player? Not really, he’s built the team around maximising the chances a former Championship POTY gets. Unsurprisingly he’s scored lots and played well. Still the same player he was though. If you look at Guardiola and Sterling, for example, there’s someone who improved someone as a player as well as gave him form. Same could be said for golden boy Mac and Martin/Bryson/Ibe/Forsyth.

A previous Championship POTY, more of a return to form really.

Not meant to be an aggressive thread but I’m just wondering why some people have so much faith in Rowett? I understand that we need to stop sacking managers (I’m all for a DOF reform) but from what I’ve seen of him, he’s not done much to give me faith that he can take us to the next level or should be entrusted with another transfer window. - our purple patch was due to an unsustainable level of clean sheets and a complete defiance of expected goals, it doesn’t seem to be a realistic model of play - the football is overly cautious and negative - we score goals but we rarely find goals when we need to; we have had 13 games this season where, with 20 minutes to go, we have needed one goal to gain points (whether that be a draw or a win) but have failed to do so. We have only scored 4 times in the last 20 minutes to gain points, a strike rate of 4/17 - I struggle to see any players he’s really improved outside of Weimann and possibly Sam Winnall - we have 11 points from the past 15 games, so he’s given us relegation form in the most crucial part of the season and shown little to no tactical flexibility in that period, despite the poor run. - a focus on results over performances still leaves us outside the play-off’s with 4 games left to play - he has actively tried to sign older veterans despite our squads age and not attempted to integrate any youth players other than Luke Thomas out of necessity. - he appears to have lost the dressing room, which in fairness doesn’t seem to be too hard at Derby Outside of the fact he’s young, is nicely dressed and speaks well in the press, what exactly has suggested he’s a manager that’s going to take us to the next level? I just get the feeling people want the Rowett we thought we were getting rather than the one we actually have. What action has he taken that’s made you think he’s the manager for us? So why do you have faith in him and think he deserves more time?

I would happily let him, imagine the money I’d get to keep our love child a secret. Hope you’re reading, Mel

Correct answer, I’ll lock the thread.

I think the players and a lot of us have lost faith in Rowett’s tactics, big time. But that’s no excuse for some of the performances we’ve seen, regardless of what you think, we were in the play-off places until yesterday, we should still be fighting tooth and nail because a promotion (regardless of style, personnel etc) is massive for everyone’s careers. I can see it from both sides, honestly. I think the players must feel sabotaged to a degree, Rowett’s decision making and tactics since January have been crap. I’ve been embarrassed watching some games, before the dip even really happened. Bristol and Sheff Utd was where I really noticed the problem was serious, after that Reading home game acted as a warning. We were 1-0 up against United in the second half but let them back into the game by sitting back and just letting the ball bounce back off Vyds and Nuge, giving Sheff all the time in the world to find an equaliser. When they did, we clearly didn’t have an attacking plan to get a goal quickly. Balls over the top don’t constitute efficient attacking. He’s hung them out to dry with those tactics during the bad run, he’s barely changed the way we play even when we’ve got 11 points from the past 15. If I was a player, I’d be so pissed off about this slow motion car crash, no wonder they’ve lost faith when we’re playing Burton with two holding midfielders and the same tactics we used against Wolves. I get the ‘always start a winning team’ theory but with Rowett I think it’s emblematic of a larger trend of unflexibility. Tactically, Preston, Bolton, Wolves and Burton were all very different games but he’s done the exact same thing in all those games. It’s like he’s petrified of taking any sort of risks. Ffs we’ve been crying out for Palmer to start for so long now. It’s not that soaking up pressure and counter-attacking isn’t a legitimate tactic, you just need to have more than one gear in a promotion push. Situations pop up where you need to go out and let’s say, get two goals against Fulham in the second half; Rowett’s tactics for those situations seem haphazard at best. If I was a player, I’d resent Rowett for how badly we blew second place and his overtly cautious tactics regardless of opposition. But equally, the players have made it look even worse recently. I said before the Sunderland and Burton games, no matter the tactics we should beat these comfortably with the talent we have. The application and desire simply hasn’t been there at this time of the season...again. It shouldn’t matter the tactics are uninspired, we haven’t been midtable we’ve been well in the play-off’s with a massive incentive to play for. Even if you don’t think we’ve got what it takes to go up, you should be giving it your all when promotion is such a real possibility. They’ve all let me down, they’ve let you down and most importantly, they’ve probably all got themselves sacked.

Actually going to be looking for a job soon, so wouldn’t mind Mel hitting me up.

Got an exam on the Monday, was gonna go anyway but not now. Watching the climactic stage of a Derby County collapse is the last thing I need.

Proper decent innings that, best wishes to you, mate. Worst thing in the world losing my dog a couple years back in the same week my girlfriend dumped me, but laughing at old photos of the old bitch made me feel much better. Shame we never took many photos of the dog though

Understand the Mac DOF calls but he’s a world class coach, surely he’d be better for the Head Coach role. I’d go with Nigel Clough for DOF, definitely has an eye for a player. That’s completely stupid from me though, I’m just going with what I know; the two most positive influences on the club from the past decade. Realistically, I’d like someone I’d never heard of from Germany or Holland as our coach, with someone canny that Mel can work side by side with as DOF.

Course I’d have him back, shouldn’t have been sacked last time but he’s out of his mind if he comes back here. Too much history for some fans, saw someone on here saying they couldn’t ever forgive him for the Newcastle business, which I personally find ridiculous but will always be a blot for some. Even when he was sacked last season, I was amazed how unaware people were of our situation and how quick they were to write him off. I remember listening to the dcfc podcast and hearing one of them say it was time for him to go because it was the same old problems with the same old excuses. What?! He was put in an awful position with an awful team, polished a turd then got fired because it still tasted like ****. The circumstances for both of his “failures” were massively against him (and completely different), more so than other managers we’ve had recently. I doubt Mel and him will be on good terms either, he must have felt like Mel hired him almost purposely to embarrass him all over again. Mac’s got a massive PR issue and Mel’s only made it worse for him, for reasons I never thought were overtly justified, I don’t think he wants to come back here to be embarrassed all over again. It will remain a what might have been with Mac forever, I’m afraid. God I wish now more than ever he’d got the benefit of the doubt and built something this season. You can only talk in what if’s but I think at least one of Hughes or Ince would still be here, as would Martin obviously. I’d have him back in a heartbeat but I don’t think it’s a realistic possibility, don’t get your hopes up.

Makes me laugh that people think Mac would come back to work with DCFC

There are also countless teams in Europe who have been using the system successfully for years. Done the right way, it works. Id also back us to not be as shambolic as Leeds United regularly are, despite all recent evidence.

Have a good one mate, see ya next season 👋