Rooney In!

[Highgate]

Just now, RoyMac5 said:

You don't think limited squad and then injuries to that squad might have err not been helpful?

I don't think they excuse our end of season form, no.  What I saw from Rooney was dull football, no consistent game plan, negative player development, constantly changing tactics designed to negate the opposition rather than take the game to them, and ineffective substitutions.  I saw nothing at all to suggest that he capable of being a competent manager.   And I'm a little baffled by those who did see something in his management to encourage them for next season. 

But I do agree that sacking him now may prove financially difficult.

[Jimbo Ram]

Just now, Highgate said:

I don't think they excuse our end of season form, no.  What I saw from Rooney was dull football, no consistent game plan, negative player development, constantly changing tactics designed to negate the opposition rather than take the game to them, and ineffective substitutions.  I saw nothing at all to suggest that he capable of being a competent manager.   And I'm a little baffled by those who did see something in his management to encourage them for next season. 

But I do agree that sacking him now may prove financially difficult.

Changing tactics ? Are you implying he had tactics ?

[RoyMac5]

1 minute ago, IslandExile said:

I guess not. It's just difficult for some of us to fathom your staunch defence of Rooney when you were so critical of Cocu.

However, the mess we're in, it's almost so bad that who the manager is is almost inconsequential.

I've explained before that I didn't think Cocu got the Championship, it wasn't just the results etc. What does it matter? It's just being used as a stick to beat my support of Rooney. Very tedious to be honest.

I think the mess we're in, the manager is most important - remember Burley and the 3 Amigos? Rooney has had an amazingly difficult start to his managerial career. He isn't just a figurehead, he understands the game. Can he take a step further, I hope so but only time will tell. #COYR

[Jimbo Ram]

Just now, RoyMac5 said:

I've explained before that I didn't think Cocu got the Championship, it wasn't just the results etc. What does it matter? It's just being used as a stick to beat my support of Rooney. Very tedious to be honest.

I think the mess we're in, the manager is most important - remember Burley and the 3 Amigos? Rooney has had an amazingly difficult start to his managerial career. He isn't just a figurehead, he understands the game. Can he take a step further, I hope so but only time will tell. #COYR

Your continued anti Cocu stance was tedious too, can you at least acknowledge that ?

[RoyMac5]

3 minutes ago, Highgate said:

I don't think they excuse our end of season form, no.  What I saw from Rooney was dull football, no consistent game plan, negative player development, constantly changing tactics designed to negate the opposition rather than take the game to them, and ineffective substitutions.  I saw nothing at all to suggest that he capable of being a competent manager.

So there were games we could have won with better 'luck'. We played well in most bar Preston. We had one striker who was injured but played on CKR, and Gregory who showed a scorers instinct. We had CBs injured and understandably conceded goals. Impossible to achieve any vague consistency with all the player injuries we had to work through.

[RoyMac5]

3 minutes ago, Jimbo Ram said:

Your continued anti Cocu stance was tedious too, can you at least acknowledge that ?

But right. Ahhhh never mind mate! ?

[Highgate]

Just now, RoyMac5 said:

So there were games we could have won with better 'luck'. We played well in most bar Preston. We had one striker who was injured but played on CKR, and Gregory who showed a scorers instinct. We had CBs injured and understandably conceded goals. Impossible to achieve any vague consistency with all the player injuries we had to work through.

All teams suffer injuries....but only one team out of 72 had the worst form in the EFL over the last third of the season.  And Rooney was the manager.

[RoyMac5]

1 minute ago, Highgate said:

All teams suffer injuries....but only one team out of 72 had the worst form in the EFL over the last third of the season.  And Rooney was the manager.

Injuries in such a young, limited squad. 

[Highgate]

Just now, RoyMac5 said:

Injuries in such a young, limited squad. 

I have a feeling you won't be persuaded by other Rams fans on Rooney..... ?    Fair enough.   We shall wait and see what happens.  If he stays on, we'll know a lot more by Christmas.  You never know in football.

[David]

15 minutes ago, Highgate said:

What I saw from Rooney was dull football, no consistent game plan, negative player development, constantly changing tactics designed to negate the opposition rather than take the game to them

To be fair he even admitted that, there was no attempt to apply any kind of style, he said that every game was just trying to get the points. 

Had he come out, tried to claim we're implementing a style and it's taking time, I could understand the frustrations, but he openly admitted to what was going on.

[LeedsCityRam]

55 minutes ago, David said:

The bold, highlighting this as I thought I did cover it, but I did say give him a couple of months, October, this wasn't a free pass to take us down as far as we can go as we can't afford to sack him. 

It's a calculated risk in that you hope he would be able to use his contacts to strengthen the squad, better than another manager would, for example Lampard with Mount, Tomori and Wilson. 

If we're heading into another disaster we will be left with little choice but to show him the door. 

It all comes down to expectations as well, if we're sat here thinking top 6 minimum finish next season then we need to question our sanity in all honesty.

With Bielik we was among the top of the form table, just that one loss saw our season nosedive, wasn't the most glamorous of football we was producing, but then we're not in that position to be demanding it.

Now you can argue no squad is one player, and I agree, but then Rooney was forced to drag lads up from the academy to fill the bench, hasn't been easy for the rookie. 

Definitely not expecting top 6....wouldn't even if he had 10m to spend. I'm also not pretending it must have been easy for him this past season but to his credit, he didn't complain about the unpaid wages or failed takeovers.

I'm a big advocate of youth development & attractive football and on both scores, we've regressed under his reign. I look at how Sibley, Knight & Bird have gone backwards under him and am concerned that this is just his style of management. Added to the style of play, it seems to run counter to everything I thought we stood for. You mention him leveraging his contacts for Prem loans...this to my mind is just creating another Lampard situation, a squad built on sand. It also tallies horribly with my belief that he will leave the moment we start doing well & a Prem club flutter their eyelids. No long term plan & no legacy if he left.

We obviously won't agree on Rooney but I do agree with the sentiment of your post. Given he is likely to stay for the reasons we all know about, get behind the team, no negativity at PP & hope to goodness there is something more about him than he has shown to date. Also not the type to want results to prove I'm right....I hope he builds this club back up, shows commitment if we do start doing well & rams the critics' words back down their throat. We all want heroes ultimately & to feel proud of our club again.

[RoyMac5]

2 minutes ago, LeedsCityRam said:

I look at how Sibley, Knight & Bird have gone backwards under him and am concerned that this is just his style of management.

Consider who they had to play with in the team when they did look good?

[Jimbo Ram]

7 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

Injuries in such a young, limited squad. 

Ditto Cocu ?

[Jimbo Ram]

17 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

So there were games we could have won with better 'luck'. We played well in most bar Preston. We had one striker who was injured but played on CKR, and Gregory who showed a scorers instinct. We had CBs injured and understandably conceded goals. Impossible to achieve any vague consistency with all the player injuries we had to work through.

Ditto Cocu ?

[RoyMac5]

2 minutes ago, Jimbo Ram said:

Ditto Cocu ?

Is he still here then?

 

[IslandExile]

15 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

I've explained before that I didn't think Cocu got the Championship, it wasn't just the results etc. What does it matter? It's just being used as a stick to beat my support of Rooney. Very tedious to be honest.

I think the mess we're in, the manager is most important - remember Burley and the 3 Amigos? Rooney has had an amazingly difficult start to his managerial career. He isn't just a figurehead, he understands the game. Can he take a step further, I hope so but only time will tell. #COYR

And 1 win in 15, 6 losses on the trot, tactics, lineups changing every game and bizarre substitutions give you confidence that  Rooney "gets it"?

You are right though.... The manager is always supremely important. I was wrong to say that it didn't matter.

I think if we had a manager that played entertaining football, and gave us a clear indication of the way ahead, then that would really help the majority of supporters cope with the current predicament that the club finds itself in (EFL, failed takeovers, no cash).

And, before you start saying that this season was all about survival, Rooney had more than enough opportunities to secure safety far earlier than leaving it until the last minute of Rotherham's last game of the season.

So, without a takeover, so no transfer funds, and with a possible points deduction next season, we will struggle again.

Does that mean we have to endure more turgid football, more of Rooney's pragmatic approach (not that practical given that it didn't deliver results)?

[IslandExile]

12 minutes ago, David said:

there was no attempt to apply any kind of style, he said that every game was just trying to get the points. 

Well that worked. Oh wait....

[David]

Just now, IslandExile said:

Well that worked. Oh wait....

Haven’t claimed it did, just reiterating what Rooney said. Take it or leave it.

[Highgate]

Just now, David said:

To be fair he even admitted that, there was no attempt to apply any kind of style, he said that every game was just trying to get the points. 

Had he come out, tried to claim we're implementing a style and it's taking time, I could understand the frustrations, but he openly admitted to what was going on.

And surely that startling admission (among others) should have worried any Rams fan. First of all it goes without saying that every team is trying to get the points. However, openly admitting that there was no consistent game plan for the majority of a season is surely almost unprecedented by a manager.  That there is a strong positive correlation between a team knowing what it's supposed to be doing every week and results is surely not a controversial statement. 

It's hardly any wonder we saw player's performance go backwards. They were being asked to prepare differently and play differently for every single match. 

We are really lucky we stayed up at all. 

[Jimbo Ram]

2 minutes ago, RoyMac5 said:

Is he still here then?

 

No he went after a difficult first season getting us on the fringes of the play offs and an eventual 10th place finish.....keep up....we can only dream of that now don’t you agree ?