What would McClaren do with this team?

[Uptherams]

There are other managers I like on this list, but McClaren ticks more boxes. The most realistic are McClaren, Cook, Howe and Cooper. 

Benitez too big and too much money. Rooney, Terry and some others, not enough experience. We aren't about to appoint anyone who has never managed in England before, again. 

Howe is most likely waiting on a PL club job that could come in the next few weeks. 

Can Cook and Cooper work alongside Rooney? Could they manage a bigger budget and ego's? Do they have the contacts? Have they ever managed above a club our size...

McClaren ticks more boxes than everyone else. 

[Day]

3 minutes ago, Van Cone De Head said:

It’s a challenge.

If you don’t pick you end up in Igor’s dish with Chris Martin.

I just don’t get why Gregory, why not Burley, Brown, Rowett, Lampard? Where does Gregory fit into this?

[Coneheadjohn]

Just now, David said:

I just don’t get why Gregory, why not Burley, Brown, Rowett, Lampard? Where does Gregory fit into this?

I thought Gregory had been rumoured as coming in with Rooney short term.

[Andicis]

1 minute ago, David said:

I just really struggle with this idea that he’s the safe choice, is the world of football managers really that small we need to go back to a man that in terms of promotion has failed us twice?

Safe in terms of, we aren't going to get relegated. If you take a punt on a manager from abroad, they might take a while to adapt to the Championship, and we need to hit the ground running. We've already seen how Nigel Pearson and his ilk do at Derby. McClaren would get a bounce. 

It doesn't even have to be a long term contract you give him, but one to see us safe wouldn't be a bad thing. 

[Day]

Just now, Van Cone De Head said:

I thought Gregory had been rumoured as coming in with Rooney short term.

Only by one outlet, even so shouldn’t the question be Rooney or Mac as the talk was Gregory would assist him, not be the manager.

In which case I would take Rooney if you wanted to me answer that one.

[Red Ram]

50 minutes ago, Lamp Frankard said:

I suspect McClaren would follow his usual cycle by presiding over a sudden upturn in both performances and results followed by the usual downturn, lack of a plan B and the inevitable parting of the ways.

Time to move on.

Exactly this. He did this twice with us and again with QPR. He's an excellent coach and can therefore have a dramatic temporary effect on team performance. But once opposing teams work out how to play against his tactics (basically high press our defenders so we can't play out from the back) he has absolutely no answers whatsoever.

We went to a Q & A session with him at David Lloyd's when Derby were on the initial incredible winning run after he replaced Clough. My Dad asked him what he'd done to turn things around and he said something along the lines of "honestly all you can do is find a wave and then ride it for as long was possible". I remember being somewhat disappointed by the apparent passivity of his response but thought he might not have been being entirely serious. However his trajectory at both Derby and QPR suggests that's pretty much exactly what happens when McClaren is your manager. Once the initial wave ebbs away he has absolutely no idea how to find another on. He seems to be completely incapable of turning things around once the initial winning run comes to an end.

Then there's the issue of his signings. Dawkins, Shotton, Albentosa at Derby, Ishmael Miller at Forest etc.

Was incredulous when we reappointed him after the Newcastle job debacle. We need a manager with a proven track record of getting clubs promoted, not a coach who can't manage. 

 

[Day]

6 minutes ago, Andicis said:

Safe in terms of, we aren't going to get relegated. If you take a punt on a manager from abroad, they might take a while to adapt to the Championship, and we need to hit the ground running. We've already seen how Nigel Pearson and his ilk do at Derby. McClaren would get a bounce. 

It doesn't even have to be a long term contract you give him, but one to see us safe wouldn't be a bad thing. 

Would Paul Cook not be seen as a safe choice? Once Wigan were hit with admin, he managed to get the team fighting again, picking results. Ultimately went down but that was out of his control with admin points deduction.

Pretty much what we need now, bit of fight in the team to scrap our way out if you’re happy to look short term.

Doesn’t come with the previous baggage either. Completely clean slate, wouldn’t cost that much to appoint him you would assume. I’m seeing more safe boxes being ticked with him. 

[Andicis]

6 minutes ago, David said:

Would Paul Cook not be seen as a safe choice? Once Wigan were hit with admin, he managed to get the team fighting again, picking results. Ultimately went down but that was out of his control with admin points deduction.

Pretty much what we need now, bit of fight in the team to scrap our way out if you’re happy to look short term.

Doesn’t come with the previous baggage either. Completely clean slate, wouldn’t cost that much to appoint him you would assume. I’m seeing more safe boxes being ticked with him. 

Yes, I think he would be a pretty safe choice. I wouldn't be opposed to that move. 

[Rammy03]

30 minutes ago, jimbobram said:

Cocu far too overly cautious. To the point that when we did go behind the whole clubs midset is that we are never winning this game.

And that's why he was always destined to fail

[Anag Ram]

23 minutes ago, David said:

It’s more than that though, you can’t compare and match as many players as you want but will Knight and McClaren get on, or will they run each other up the wrong way. 

Can McClaren recreate the same team spirit with this set of personalities in the dressing room? 

It’s not as easy as saying Bird can be Thorne, Knight can play Hendrick and Sibley Hughes.

But if we did make it that simple for a second, who plays Martin as he was a key ingredient to what made the team successful, we saw what happened without him.

When people say he had no plan B, I would imagine him chucking Bent in there and hoping for the same result is what they thinking.

Who’s to say he would even instantly play 4-3-3?

I don’t see it as being this “safe” appointment others see it as, it would be a risk as any other appointment would be, but he would come without the clean slate, fans won’t just forget the Newcastle thing, they won’t forget him having a laugh with Hughton on the sideline whilst Brighton are ripping us apart on the pitch. 

It would be a nostalgic appointment that makes very little sense at this point.

It’s so frustrating seeing the talent we’ve got in the squad but not seeing them playing to their potential.

We need a manager like McClaren who can put an arm round players and convince them they can be brilliant with a few small adjustments.

Byrne being told he’s getting too close to his man so he can be beaten on the inside. Clarke having the confidence to play the pass he wants to play, not the safe one. Wisdom being aware of what’s behind him. Te Wierik being reminded why he was brought here. Knight being told he can score us ten a season if he times his runs well. Shinnie being encouraged to shoot more. Sibley being told a one-two is better than trying to run through defenders and will get him the shooting opportunities he craves. Lawrence being reassured that hard work will reap rewards. Waghorn being told to look up so he will know whether to shoot or pass. Forwards being told to get close to Jozwiak, who time and time again beats his man only to find himself isolated.

And everyone being told:

    to relax when they cross the ball, not hit it as hard as they can - also that we don’t have anyone who can head the ball, so a         drag back is not such a bad idea (see Knight above)

    that scoring a goal is the greatest feeling that they should all want and to think where they should be to achieve that (I would suggest standing still between two defenders is not optimal for that outcome)

[Earl of Tupton]

45 minutes ago, Andicis said:

He never got given the chance to sustain it long term. He got no time the 2nd spell, and the 1st spell as soon as our form fell due to injuries, he got booted. He'd have turned it around on both occasions if Mel had afforded him the same patience he afforded Cocu. 

Well. Maybe you’re right, maybe you’re wrong. The fact is neither you, I or anyone else will ever know. For what it’s worth I didn’t agree with him being sacked on either occasion. He should have been given at least another season. 
 

During 2014/15 season it’s fair to say injuries to both Eustace and then Mascarell in the midfield holding role then later on Martin didn’t help. But he still had a squad of players more than capable of making the play-off’s -especially from the position we were in prior to Fulham away. But just two wins from the final eight games suggests that if he had a plan B it didn’t work.

McClaren’s record it is somewhat chequered and littered with similar fall-offs. So he’s not for me this time around.

Edited November 17, 2020 by Lamp Frankard

[RoyMac5]

27 minutes ago, DC-1975 said:

However, he's 32 now and doesn't play for us anymore, hence time to move on.

Lots of posters continue to mention him as we have no replacement and that has been the biggest problem of this season - how can we move on? With Colin? He's not even started!

[europia]

It's a hypothetical question, but an interesting one. Steve Mac has enough managerial know how to put out a reasonable team out from the current squad, and get a decent enough points tally between now and January, that would at least stabilise us and prevent us from falling adrift at the bottom of the table. Realistically, that's the best we could expect, who ever comes in.  

[DCFC27]

20 hours ago, DCFClks said:

Given a lot of people seem to be wanting Mac3, What would he do with the current team, and would it work?

This would be my prediction.

The main problem is obviously the absence of the icon Chris Martin. I think he'd try and get Rooney to play a similar role. He has the vision and passing ability to play there and his pace is probably similar to Martins. But no one can hold the ball up as good as CM. But as we saw last season, Martin was ineffective without players around him up top and Rooney would be the same.

The other main problem is the 3 midfielders. During Mac1, the midfield was so good it could dominate other teams midfield even if they were outnumbered.

I actually think we have better quality wingers now than under Mac and I think they'd flourish playing his style. 

 

I’d see him playing Waghorn up top in that Martin role and playing Rooney in the role Eustace played so well. 

[jono]

19 hours ago, Rammy03 said:

It was such a good team

I was a good team, but it had its good days and bad days. There were flaws aplenty. It’s great to remember the good games, the good moves, the stand out players but they weren’t all conquering. We need to look forward 

We need a manager who can get the best from today’s quality: Bielik, Clarke, Joz, Knight,Buchanan, Sibbo. It’s different ingredients. Need a new chef.

[Nuwtfly]

6 hours ago, David said:

Lampard took us to Wembley, that’s how far McClaren took us. Did it without Martin as well, something McClaren couldn’t do.

Not that I dare wade into this debate with you as neither of us would end up changing our minds, but Lampard did it with Harry Wilson, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori...two of these plays in the actual Chelsea first team...and one of these now plays for England! THE England! 

Both commendable achievements in their own rights, but let's not suggest that Lampard's was more impressive than McClaren. It definitely wasn't. Especially considering how the McClaren side had started that season under our Nigel! ?

[Nuwtfly]

McClaren is something of a holy prophet in my eyes, but I have to say, I am on the side of @Davidon this one.

It's time to move on. Those days were brilliant but they're behind us, and if we were going to recapture, it would of happened during Mac2. It wasn't to be.

I want us to go and find the next Steve McClaren now. Let's find him!

[NottsRam77]

23 hours ago, Andicis said:

The plan B argument ducking grates on me. No manager has a plan B. It was a stupid criticism people came up with because we couldn't win every game. It was our fanbase being ducking spoiled. 

No ... but there’s not having a plan B and there’s not trying literally anything to stop the slow death that was that season ending with the spectacular capitulation to reading 

he could have tried anything ...

literally anything but instead kept rolling out the same line up and style with players that cos of injuries to others didn’t suit that system and the season fell apart 

Instead of trying to adapt the a system to fit what he had available 

[Andicis]

9 minutes ago, NottsRam77 said:

No ... but there’s not having a plan B and there’s not trying literally anything to stop the slow death that was that season ending with the spectacular capitulation to reading 

he could have tried anything ...

literally anything but instead kept rolling out the same line up and style with players that cos of injuries to others didn’t suit that system and the season fell apart 

Instead of trying to adapt the a system to fit what he had available 

McClaren has a far better win rate than any of our recent managers. His season went to hell because we simply didn't have the players. We could have changed it up, but it likely wouldn't have changed the result. I'm sure they would have tried stuff in training and Mac decided it wasn't going to help. At the start of this season, people rightly said Cocu should get time to get his squad fit, yet Mac isn't afforded the same luxury, despite the fact he lost the spine of his team to injury. 

[i-Ram]

I think Newcastle deserve a Mac2 before we give him another go.

l have also had the horrible thought that later in the season he will be laughing on the touchline, giving Chris Hughton a playful punch, as Grabban wheels away to make it 3 - 0.