Positives about Cocu

[nottingram]

I am very much Cocu in.

However, I really don’t think he is helping himself at the moment. To a very large extent his hands are tied but some of his decisions are confusing to say the least.

Maybe I am being an idiot and don’t know what I’m on about. But surely it is now obvious we aren’t going up or down. Surely it is better to decide on some sort of system - be that 4231 or 433 or 352 or a diamond or whatever, and make it a complete priority to start having players in the team who will be here next season. If that means a Bielik, Sibley, Knight midfield so be it - surely those players will be all the better for 6 months of being allowed to make mistakes while we’re not going anywhere. It’s not like by next August they’re going to be much better. Sibley is the best player on the pitch pretty much every time he steps on it, so what is he learning? Let him curb his aggression in the first team when he’s got Ben Pearson or Kalvin Phillips winding him up, if that’s his issue. What that does mean is an attitude change would be needed from a large proportion of fans. 
 

Anyway, I like Cocu. Find him interesting to listen to but I would like him to go back to what he was doing at the start of the season. The West Brom game stands out to me. It’s become clear they’re going to get promoted and we were the better team comfortably, with Knight and Buchanan playing.

[Woodley Ram]

16 hours ago, RoyMac5 said:

... based on what?

History, he has had success before and I think he will again with us

[Rample]

I am truly baffled.

We have an awful team in terms of both quality and morale, and apparently are all about long term plans and progressing our youngsters, yet we insist on playing stop-gaps like Dowell, older players over the future (Malone v Lowe) or players out of position rather than actually playing and developing our own prospects.

I'm not saying we throw Buchanan, Bird, Sibley, Knight. Whittaker and Lawson all in, but surely one of those has to start in midfield, and more should in the squad.

We have 3 options.

1. We put our strongest team out, in a formation that suits them and aim for the play offs 

2. We play a mix of our better players and integrate a few youngsters in the formation we intend to use going forward and call this transition

3. Play only players we see having a long term future here and go for a hard reset knowing we will struggle

Obviously 3 isn't a sensible option. but the other 2 are, and  a mixture of 1 until January and see if it's worth carrying on with, before switching to 2 would have been acceptable, as to an extent would 2, switching to elements of 1 in January if we were in a good place. I just don't see where or how what we are doing now is trying to achieve.

I'll accept most of what people say about injuries, off the field hoohaa, the prolonged Lampard exit etc, but that's no excuse for abandoning or seemingly having no plan.

[Bubbles]

3 hours ago, NottsRam77 said:

So who’s fault is it we signed pato, Dowell and bielik ?

at what point does the buck stop with the manager ?

if u were Mel would u not be considering how much to allow cocu to spunk on players that contribute little to the squad 

Amongst other things ... results and performances being the obvious ones transfer recruitment is usually something managers are evaluated on 

no one can defend cocu on this front our recruitment has been shocking under him 

if u were Mel would u not be thinking twice about letting him go at it again ? 

The recruitment team maybe?

First of all Bielik isnt too bad.

You can NOT put the summer signings down to the manager.

He came in late and had to deal with what was left.

once you see January and Summer you’ll see the players Cocu actually wants come in.

Our recruitment has been shocking under every manager!!

Only reason we was anywhere near the top 6 last year was because Lamps used his links!

And he had a full pre season!

Give PCoc a window or two atleast.

 

[Sheikh n Bake]

41 minutes ago, Squid said:

The recruitment team maybe?

First of all Bielik isnt too bad.

You can NOT put the summer signings down to the manager.

He came in late and had to deal with what was left.

once you see January and Summer you’ll see the players Cocu actually wants come in.

Our recruitment has been shocking under every manager!!

Only reason we was anywhere near the top 6 last year was because Lamps used his links!

And he had a full pre season!

Give PCoc a window or two atleast.

 

I don't buy that you can't put the summer signings down to Cocu. He had 4 weeks to do his homework and identify any necessary replacements for what we lost. If the fans can see that we're short on the wings, why can't Cocu? He also then insisted on playing 433!! Not to mention he's spent over £8m on transfers and we're looking down rather than up... so many teams above us would love the spend that sort of money.

[KCG]

Positive about Cocu? Hmm... he seems like a nice guy. That's it, that's all I've got!

[May Contain Nuts]

1 hour ago, Nick_Ram said:

I don't buy that you can't put the summer signings down to Cocu. He had 4 weeks to do his homework and identify any necessary replacements for what we lost. If the fans can see that we're short on the wings, why can't Cocu? He also then insisted on playing 433!! Not to mention he's spent over £8m on transfers and we're looking down rather than up... so many teams above us would love the spend that sort of money.

Ridiculous nonsense from one of the moaners in chief who are an expert on absolutely ducking everything when the team is in poor form.

4 weeks is bugger all in pre season (it's not like there's a constant run of games) when trying to evaluate a squad of 30, 40 players, including running rule over the U23/U18 players because you've been given a brief of including then in your plans, absolutely duck all time.

How come the fans who've been watching some of the same players for 4 years can see what someone who's seen them play for 4 months can't? Well I don't know, how do you bloody think? The clues in the question.

Of course that's assuming he can't see them. Maybe he can see them but doesn't really have any viable options to fix the issues, maybe he can see we have no wingers, but we do have attacking full backs who should be comfortable playing at wingback? 

Maybe what is viable one week isn't the next? Maybe we wouldn't have won the 5 homes games in a row if he hadn't made adjustments to the team?

duck me, the impatience and the lack of trust is intolerable.

If you moan about absolutely everything that goes on at a mid table championship club you'll be proven 'right' far more than wrong. Don't wear that as a badge of ducking honour.

[NottsRam77]

3 hours ago, Squid said:

The recruitment team maybe?

First of all Bielik isnt too bad.

You can NOT put the summer signings down to the manager.

He came in late and had to deal with what was left.

once you see January and Summer you’ll see the players Cocu actually wants come in.

Our recruitment has been shocking under every manager!!

Only reason we was anywhere near the top 6 last year was because Lamps used his links!

And he had a full pre season!

Give PCoc a window or two atleast.

 

I agree our recruitment has been shocking for a while, no arguments there at all

Wheres cocu’s links ???

holds just as much prestige as lampard ... internationally too... also been in the management game longer ... surely he should have more contacts .. shouldn’t he ?

weren’t we told repeatedly though the Chelsea lampard situation wouldn’t effect pre season preparations ??

and I’m not having cocu had no input into those signings 

at the very least he approved them ... in the same way any other Manager does.

ur not telling me they’re not his signings ... all considered “technically able” although after yesterday’s poo show that’s a very loose way of describing them 

Tbh the recruitment isn’t my biggest concern 

My biggest is that how individually and collectively players performances are steadily regressing 

[Carnero]

7 minutes ago, NottsRam77 said:

ur not telling me they’re not his signings ... all considered “technically able” although after yesterday’s poo show that’s a very loose way of describing them

Yeah, I've heard he spent most of his time whilst out of work watching Bristol City, Portsmouth, Charlton and Everton/Sheff Utd (Reserves)

[1967Ram]

He brought Martin back in from the cold ?

[RoyMac5]

14 minutes ago, 1967Ram said:

He brought Martin back in from the cold ?

For a while.

[Sheikh n Bake]

2 hours ago, Coconut said:

Ridiculous nonsense from one of the moaners in chief who are an expert on absolutely ducking everything when the team is in poor form.

4 weeks is bugger all in pre season (it's not like there's a constant run of games) when trying to evaluate a squad of 30, 40 players, including running rule over the U23/U18 players because you've been given a brief of including then in your plans, absolutely duck all time.

How come the fans who've been watching some of the same players for 4 years can see what someone who's seen them play for 4 months can't? Well I don't know, how do you bloody think? The clues in the question.

Of course that's assuming he can't see them. Maybe he can see them but doesn't really have any viable options to fix the issues, maybe he can see we have no wingers, but we do have attacking full backs who should be comfortable playing at wingback? 

Maybe what is viable one week isn't the next? Maybe we wouldn't have won the 5 homes games in a row if he hadn't made adjustments to the team?

duck me, the impatience and the lack of trust is intolerable.

If you moan about absolutely everything that goes on at a mid table championship club you'll be proven 'right' far more than wrong. Don't wear that as a badge of ducking honour.

Its his full time job you belter. Of course he should know more than the fans!

You're desperation for him to succeed has blinded you to the fact that this style of play is even worse than Rowett ball.

[NottsRam77]

1 hour ago, Carnero said:

Yeah, I've heard he spent most of his time whilst out of work watching Bristol City, Portsmouth, Charlton and Everton/Sheff Utd (Reserves)

No but u think the minute he got the job or got wind it was happening he would have got his ear to the ground 

Isn’t that what our “championship specialist” was employed for 

 

[rammieib]

14 hours ago, Theres’s Only Wan Chope said:

Bogle looks like an attacking threat, always thought he’s better attacking than defending. 

Attacking threat from RB, from Right Winger he looks lost.

[Dean (hick) Saunders]

1 minute ago, rammieib said:

Attacking threat from RB, from Right Winger he looks lost.

He is quite a threat to the fans in row z based on current crossing accuracy.

[Mucker1884]

51 minutes ago, Nick_Ram said:

Its his full time job you belter. Of course he should know more than the fans!

You're desperation for him to succeed has blinded you to the fact that this style of play is even worse than Rowett ball.

Despite your obvious disagreement with the comments from @Coconut, it's heartening to see you call him a "belter", which as we all know is a term that carries nothing but positive connotations.

I like that we can all get on here, and congratulate you on not reverting to childish name calling.  Have a like.  

[1967Ram]

2 hours ago, RoyMac5 said:

For a while.

Yep, odd really. Hopefully he'll see the sense in keeping him in a two up front system

[LeedsCityRam]

8 hours ago, GrimsbyRam said:

The problem is he cannot live on his past glory in a 'two team' league.  He was terrible in Turkey and our situation is much more like the situation in Turkey than Holland.  He does not know the championship.  

We are nearly half way through the season and we are no nearer to understanding his preferred system or starting line up (regardless of injuries).  Even leaving aside injuries, he has changed the keeper, he has changed the left back, he has changed the striker position. He then rotates between Dowell, Jozefzoon, Paterson and Bennett when all of them are average at best. He now decides to tinker with the right back position.  He needs to realise with Forsyth, Davies, Malone and Wisdom, we cannot hold the ball or bass through around the back.  Sadly, we need to be more direct if he wants to keep that defence. 

We desperately need steel and energy in midfield.  Dowell brings neither.  Sibley and Knight (in the mold of Wilson and Mount - not comparing but they have the energy) should be given a run in the side with Bielek.  The 'diamond' seems to work our players (Bielek holding and Lawrence behind the strikers). He can then play Martin and Marriott up front.

Holland isnt a two team league. At least 5 clubs have won the title in the past 10 years (Ajax, PSV, AZ, Feyenoord and Twente). The standard is also high as Ajax's CL performances demonstrate. 

Cocu's time in Turkey lasted 4 months so difficult to judge a manager on that basis particularly as it's common knowledge his Turkish backroom staff revolted against him. 

I do agree with you that we seem to be suited to the diamond but injuries and lack of form isnt helping. I also would've liked to see more of Sibley and Knight but Cocu clearly doesnt trust them to start yet. Given he is openly passionate about developing & playing young players, I trust he is doing this for the right reasons.

[May Contain Nuts]

2 hours ago, Nick_Ram said:

Its his full time job you belter. Of course he should know more than the fans!

You're desperation for him to succeed has blinded you to the fact that this style of play is even worse than Rowett ball.

Not blind to anything, just tired of the ceaseless droning bores who love to point out all the negatives and dismiss anyone's attempt to look at mitigating factors as excuse making and 'desperation', posters who never offer any balance in their opinions and never even attempt to look at situations from more than one angle.

We can all see that we have some major issues! Just because we can see them it doesn't mean we have to endlessly spam topic after topic after topic making the same 3 points. 20 posts an hour saying the exact same bloody thing.

It's even more boring than the football.

The fact you said 'your' desperation for him to succeed says a lot, it would indicate that there are people who aren't desperate for him to succeed?

 

 

[G STAR RAM]

10 hours ago, Squid said:

Our recruitment has been shocking under every manager!!

Only reason we was anywhere near the top 6 last year was because Lamps used his links!

So our recruitment is shocking and the only reason we did well last season was because of 3 players we recruited?

But of course they were down to the manager.

So bad recruitment is down to the recruitment team and good recruitment down to the manager.

Any evidence to back this up?