Thomas Frank

[sonofabee]

No doubt thomas is good coach come across as very cool and calm and after saturday he said it was a lovely day.So wondered if he may be a bit soft on players and not ruthless enough to be the main man and the bloke to kick the players asses when needed like dean smith would do.

So what was Dean doing when we had our previous barren runs of games without a win in the last three seasons that we’re a ball mark of his tenure? This run started while Dean was responsible for man management and we weren’t winning and looked decidedly average against sides like Ipswich and Reading ?

 

[davewfilms]

So what was Dean doing when we had our previous barren runs of games without a win in the last three seasons that we’re a ball mark of his tenure? This run started while Dean was responsible for man management and we weren’t winning and looked decidedly average against sides like Ipswich and Reading ?

He has gone now but that was dean smith win a few lose a few win a few lose a few ect he was the same at wallsall so this run is normal for us so not thomas franks fault players need a kick just feel he isnt that man listening to his interviews and players interviews and ramus.All the players have said that training is better since he took over training when assistant and was told tacitly he is spot on and often see's things that others dont. We need someone who is going to get the players performing and isn't worried by upsetting the players by giving them a kick when needed

 

[andyrew]

A manager can occasionally kick players up the backside as a shock tactic, but some players will not react well to that sort of treatment and indeed if it is used on a regular basis then I would suggest you have the wrong manager/players.

 

[JANORAK]

A manager can occasionally kick players up the backside as a shock tactic, but some players will not react well to that sort of treatment and indeed if it is used on a regular basis then I would suggest you have the wrong manager/players.

Or, you just need a better combination of sadists and masochists....

 

[Balders Bee]

He has gone now but that was dean smith win a few lose a few win a few lose a few ect he was the same at wallsall so this run is normal for us so not thomas franks fault players need a kick just feel he isnt that man listening to his interviews and players interviews and ramus.All the players have said that training is better since he took over training when assistant and was told tacitly he is spot on and often see's things that others dont. We need someone who is going to get the players performing and isn't worried by upsetting the players by giving them a kick when needed

So now we have an assistant in place hopefully some of the burden will be removed from TF's shoulders. However I think you are underestimating Frank, I think the urbane demeanour actually hides a steely resolve and his eloquence for conveying his message (in not his first language) shines through in all his communications in media or in person. No I don't believe he will be unleashing expletive laden rants or indulging in histrionics on the touchline but I'm sure he will be capable of getting his point across as and when needed. A couple of anecdotes that suggest he got certain gifted midfield players to considerably up their work rate and off the ball movement and his success in that despite early resistance would appear to bear that out.

Let's give him the time and space to find his feet, appoint his team and have an impact. In many ways he inherited the current slump in form and team issues so let's see what he can do with it over the coming dozen games or so.

 

[jbee]

Let's be honest, as fans we talk about man management and kicking the players up the arse etc. etc. because we don't for the most part understand the intricacies of what is going on. It's just a knee jerk easy answer and I'm sure those at the club have a better idea of what is needed.

 

[BlueJayBee]

Let's be honest, as fans we talk about man management and kicking the players up the arse etc. etc. because we don't for the most part understand the intricacies of what is going on. It's just a knee jerk easy answer and I'm sure those at the club have a better idea of what is needed.

Steady on, we can't have people posting sensible, level-headed comments on the GPG. :thetruth:

 

[AB]

Let's be honest, as fans we talk about man management and kicking the players up the arse etc. etc. because we don't for the most part understand the intricacies of what is going on. It's just a knee jerk easy answer and I'm sure those at the club have a better idea of what is needed.

From player interviews I have the feeling that we don’t recruit the sorts of players who need shouting at and being made to jump into the freezing Thames for a punishment swim. So we don’t need coaches and management who rely on the hairdryer treatment to get them going.

 

[beebopalula]

I feel a bit sorry for Franks. A few games back it looked like we probably had found our best starting eleven and ' finishers ' off the bench. Unfortunately we have lost our mojo a bit and the oppo seem to have found ways to disrupt us. Our starting mid now looks ineffectual and we need to sort it pdq.Franks nailed all the issues in his post match PNE interview which is half the battle. Let's see if he can sort them. Not sure how he can crack our abysmal finishing which has been a major element in recent failures . Maybe Da Silva can alter the mid balance but it's a big ask for a young player to solve all the issues in that area.

 

[sonofabee]

I feel a bit sorry for Franks. A few games back it looked like we probably had found our best starting eleven and ' finishers ' off the bench. Unfortunately we have lost our mojo a bit and the oppo seem to have found ways to disrupt us. Our starting mid now looks ineffectual and we need to sort it pdq.Franks nailed all the issues in his post match PNE interview which is half the battle. Let's see if he can sort them. Not sure how he can crack our abysmal finishing which has been a major element in recent failures . Maybe Da Silva can alter the mid balance but it's a big ask for a young player to solve all the issues in that area.

It's Frank. I agree with you 100%

 

[beebopalula]

It's Frank. I agree with you 100%

I keep calling him Franks ��

 

[IDontBeeLieveIt]

I feel a bit sorry for Franks. A few games back it looked like we probably had found our best starting eleven and ' finishers ' off the bench. Unfortunately we have lost our mojo a bit and the oppo seem to have found ways to disrupt us. Our starting mid now looks ineffectual and we need to sort it pdq.Franks nailed all the issues in his post match PNE interview which is half the battle. Let's see if he can sort them. Not sure how he can crack our abysmal finishing which has been a major element in recent failures . Maybe Da Silva can alter the mid balance but it's a big ask for a young player to solve all the issues in that area.

It's Frank. I agree with you 100%

Agreed that Frank isn't to blame for anything lately. It's simply a continuation of the previous issues.
However I do think he needs to make changes to our midfield. I think our best current option is McE+Kamo+1 (I'd give Sawyers a final chance there but he's got to start performing much more like he did last year otherwise it's probably worth giving Judge a go there until Marcondes is ready).
Not sure on the wingers but Sergi deserves to start as he's been looking better.

 

[Kingston Bee]

Agreed that Frank isn't to blame for anything lately. It's simply a continuation of the previous issues.
However I do think he needs to make changes to our midfield. I think our best current option is McE+Kamo+1 (I'd give Sawyers a final chance there but he's got to start performing much more like he did last year otherwise it's probably worth giving Judge a go there until Marcondes is ready).
Not sure on the wingers but Sergi deserves to start as he's been looking better.

Don't disagree we have problems in midfield, but the issue we have had in the past is that its generally horses for courses. So McE and Lewis have generally started at home but away Kamo and Nico did a sterling job at Leeds and Villa when they came on for a missing McE and Lewis. So whilst I understand where you are coming from I dont think its that easy. Cant wait for Marcondes and Dasilva to be available to give us further options. I think we have to mix it up and rest players, and select players depending on the opposition.

 

[IDontBeeLieveIt]

Don't disagree we have problems in midfield, but the issue we have had in the past is that its generally horses for courses. So McE and Lewis have generally started at home but away Kamo and Nico did a sterling job at Leeds and Villa when they came on for a missing McE and Lewis. So whilst I understand where you are coming from I dont think its that easy. Cant wait for Marcondes and Dasilva to be available to give us further options. I think we have to mix it up and rest players, and select players depending on the opposition.

I know that home and away thing is a common theme on here but I don't think we really NEED to play two different sides home and away.
There is some value in rotation sometimes but I think nothing is better than the continuity of a settled side building understanding and second nature football (with people fighting for their place and coming in for underperformance - or resting if they actually are tired). The way we play only makes this all the more important imo. In fact I'd argue some of our passing has been a bit sloppy and would potentially benefit from the same set of players having a run of games together.
I think our biggest issue has been the lack of running, covering, and ball winning, ahead of McE, and playing Kamo instead of MacLeod, has a good chance of being enough to solve that issue, with the person in attacking midfield performing.
I don't think we need to drop one of our best players this year (McE) for Nico just because it's an away game.
So I'd have McE straight back in, with Kamo ahead of him, and hope that Sawyers starts to step up. If he does I think the other two have been performing really well for most of our matches and could kickstart us into life.
All about opinions though as people say on here. Who knows what TF will do.

 

[jbee]

Don't disagree we have problems in midfield, but the issue we have had in the past is that its generally horses for courses. So McE and Lewis have generally started at home but away Kamo and Nico did a sterling job at Leeds and Villa when they came on for a missing McE and Lewis. So whilst I understand where you are coming from I dont think its that easy. Cant wait for Marcondes and Dasilva to be available to give us further options. I think we have to mix it up and rest players, and select players depending on the opposition.

The Kamo/Nico midfield didn’t look so great at Preston or Blackburn. Rather have McEachran in there for most games.

 

[sonofabee]

I know that home and away thing is a common theme on here but I don't think we really NEED to play two different sides home and away.
There is some value in rotation sometimes but I think nothing is better than the continuity of a settled side building understanding and second nature football (with people fighting for their place and coming in for underperformance - or resting if they actually are tired). The way we play only makes this all the more important imo. In fact I'd argue some of our passing has been a bit sloppy and would potentially benefit from the same set of players having a run of games together.
I think our biggest issue has been the lack of running, covering, and ball winning, ahead of McE, and playing Kamo instead of MacLeod, has a good chance of being enough to solve that issue, with the person in attacking midfield performing.
I don't think we need to drop one of our best players this year (McE) for Nico just because it's an away game.
So I'd have McE straight back in, with Kamo ahead of him, and hope that Sawyers starts to step up. If he does I think the other two have been performing really well for most of our matches and could kickstart us into life.
All about opinions though as people say on here. Who knows what TF will do.

You said you were going to stop?

Sawyers may have been angry Weds but he was the one midfielder who made things happen.

 

[IDontBeeLieveIt]

You said you were going to stop?

Sawyers may have been angry Weds but he was the one midfielder who made things happen.

No someone asked us to stop arguing. I agreed. I didn't agree to stop mentioning Sawyers because a few of you throw a tantrum when his name is mentioning and try to make it solely about him every time. There's only two midfielders that have played really well for us the majority of the time this season and that's McE and Kamo. It's costing us points and trying to pretend he's been good is pointless.

 

[sonofabee]

No someone asked us to stop arguing. I agreed. I didn't agree to stop mentioning Sawyers because a few of you throw a tantrum when his name is mentioning and try to make it solely about him every time. There's only two midfielders that have played really well for us the majority of the time this season and that's McE and Kamo. It's costing us points and trying to pretend he's been good is pointless.

He was the best of a bad bunch on Weds.

 

[IDontBeeLieveIt]

He was the best of a bad bunch on Weds.

I would say I'll take your word for it but you're not very impartial :tongue: Although the man of the match poll where he got no votes and Kamo got a couple suggests he wasn't even the best of a bad bunch in other people's eyes
Suspect he was probably the same as usual, which is the odd bit of nice stuff for people to focus on but mostly anonymous for 90 minutes, as he has been most of the season, and it's not good enough.

 

[The Pipe]

Gentlemen I think you are possibly arguing over small percentages. I am a fan of both Sawyers and Josh but can also see their weaknesses. Sawyers has not been as dynamic as last season however to a degree I think it’s because with McLeod playing he has to be a bit deeper.

Josh is capable of making some sublime passes and has also shown more tenacity in tackling and blocking, he also reads the game well and gets into position for intercepts, against that he is not blessed with pace and as a holding midfielder lacks the ability/skill/ size for a physical battle.

Kamo has the potential and, sometimes the ability, to be the driving and battling force in our midfield but, like others remains a tad inconsistent.

As a final point one thing that does annoy is how the merits or otherwise of Sawyers tends to end up being discussed at length on every other thread, Idontbeleiveit being the major culprit as he is like a dog with a bone whilst Sonofabee can’t help but react!!!!! A truce gentlemen??????

 

[lanzabee]

Think they could all do with upping their game after the last few fixtures tbh. Not a great fan of the home/away midfield rotation either. Hope we try a blend of both today, eg Josh starting with Kamo or Nico. Sawyers is always a starter for me.

 

[GP200]

.............not a good start for him...........

 

[westy]

Gotta give him 10 games.

 

[whyteleafebee76]

Gotta give him 10 games.

As an absolute minimum.

 

[Kingston Bee]

I know that home and away thing is a common theme on here but I don't think we really NEED to play two different sides home and away.
There is some value in rotation sometimes but I think nothing is better than the continuity of a settled side building understanding and second nature football (with people fighting for their place and coming in for underperformance - or resting if they actually are tired). The way we play only makes this all the more important imo. In fact I'd argue some of our passing has been a bit sloppy and would potentially benefit from the same set of players having a run of games together.
I think our biggest issue has been the lack of running, covering, and ball winning, ahead of McE, and playing Kamo instead of MacLeod, has a good chance of being enough to solve that issue, with the person in attacking midfield performing.
I don't think we need to drop one of our best players this year (McE) for Nico just because it's an away game.
So I'd have McE straight back in, with Kamo ahead of him, and hope that Sawyers starts to step up. If he does I think the other two have been performing really well for most of our matches and could kickstart us into life.
All about opinions though as people say on here. Who knows what TF will do.

Did you watch the first half of the AV game?

 

[wanderer paul]

What a tough start for him. Haven’t really deserved to lose any of the three games in charge. Just sloppy errors and needing a bit of luck.

Hope the players come good. Some I will question their position in the team at the moment.

 

[whyteleafebee76]

What a tough start for him. Haven’t really deserved to lose any of the three games in charge. Just sloppy errors and needing a bit of luck.

Hope the players come good. Some I will question their position in the team at the moment.

I think Preston we definitely deserved to lose, if you concede 4 goals you deserve to lose a game.

 

[Bill Benn]

I think Preston we definitely deserved to lose, if you concede 4 goals you deserve to lose a game.

And if you score 3 goals away from home maybe you deserve to win

 

[whyteleafebee76]

And if you score 3 goals away from home maybe you deserve to win

Not if you concede 4 in the same game.

 

[Jam Jar]

People say give him 10 games but what happens if we lose our next 5 games. Do we pull the trigger. 3 home games in November so hopefully this becomes an irrelevant conversation

 

[Bill Benn]

Not if you concede 4 in the same game.

I would say with the same stats as the winning side 15 shots 8 on target and having 60% of possession we deserved more.

 

[wanderer paul]

I think Preston we definitely deserved to lose, if you concede 4 goals you deserve to lose a game.

No. Errors. That’s our problem. PNE weren’t all over us like rash. Should’ve had points from last three matches, imo.

 

[Kingston Bee]

I would say with the same stats as the winning side 15 shots 8 on target and having 60% of possession we deserved more.

Unfortunately Bill that has been the storey of several games this season, including several of the previous 8. Think it comes down to being more clinical in front of goal (obvious I know!).

 

[whyteleafebee76]

No. Errors. That’s our problem. PNE weren’t all over us like rash. Should’ve had points from last three matches, imo.

Fair enough, I thought we were dreadful against Preston and that the scoreline flattered us, loads of errors, sloppy passing, poor discipline, defence all over the place. Preston weren't all over us but after going 3-0 up with 25 minutes on the clock they didn't need to be. Can't comment on today but I agree we should have got a point or more against Bristol City.

 

[whyteleafebee76]

I would say with the same stats as the winning side 15 shots 8 on target and having 60% of possession we deserved more.

Fair enough regarding the stats but from what I saw it was a very poor performance and our 3 goals masked a poor display. It sounds like we were a bit better today and lets hope for 3 points next Saturday even if the performance isn't great, I'd take a scrappy 1-0 win with a 90th minute own goal at this stage.

 

[Adam]

Played well today. I know we didn’t create much but it was a solid away performance against the most inform team in the league. A million miles from Wednesdays performance.

 

[jbee]

I have total faith in this fella to get it right. His interviews always give a good impression and as the coaching team around him takes shape I expect us to improve on the Dean Smith era. But it might be too late for this season.

 

[JCMcBee]

....that 'hot seat' has just got hotter for TF today....his 'arris might be roasting this time next week....and neil and his bermondsey boys wont be packing a fire extinguisher in their kit bag next week.

 

[IslandBee]

Don't think there is any pressure on TF at all tbh and think it is pretty absurd even to have to state this. He took over a team which was struggling a bit for form, and with fewer individual errors and a bit more luck we could have won all his three games in charge. I imagine aggregated expected goals have us only just behind in these games if at all. MB knew what he was doing when he appointed TF and he ain't going to throw everything over board because things have not started ideally.

 

[Isleworth_Bee]

I have total faith in this fella to get it right. His interviews always give a good impression and as the coaching team around him takes shape I expect us to improve on the Dean Smith era. But it might be too late for this season.

Then we will be in for another 2-3 seasons of rebuilding as a load of players will be off in the summer. 3-4 out of contract, plus bids for Mepham, Watkins, Konsa?

 

[jbee]

Then we will be in for another 2-3 seasons of rebuilding as a load of players will be off in the summer. 3-4 out of contract, plus bids for Mepham, Watkins, Konsa?

Not at all, I think a top six push has been plausible in all of our Championship seasons. If we lost those players we would just have to replace them and go again like we always do, why would we have to wait 2-3 years?

 

[Isleworth_Bee]

Not at all, I think a top six push has been plausible in all of our Championship seasons. If we lost those players we would just have to replace them and go again like we always do, why would we have to wait 2-3 years?

Lets be honest, We've never been "that" close to the top 6, plausible yes but not been close enough IMO. Yes we had a push last season but that came to an abrupt end. Each year we build and this season was supposed to be the one where we dont sell anyone as the cycle/time for this squad had come. The DOF talk about the cycles of the squad and if you think we wont have a big rebuilding task on our hands in the summer if we dont go up then the club would have turned down a lot of cash and extended some contracts (which i cant see happening).

We will lose IMO

Judge
Josh Mc
Lewis M
Watkins
Mepham
Sawyers

Maybe

Konsa
Bentley
Nico

 

[mattbee]

It was very plausible the year we finished 5th.

 

[jbee]

Lets be honest, We've never been "that" close to the top 6, plausible yes but not been close enough IMO. Yes we had a push last season but that came to an abrupt end. Each year we build and this season was supposed to be the one where we dont sell anyone as the cycle/time for this squad had come. The DOF talk about the cycles of the squad and if you think we wont have a big rebuilding task on our hands in the summer if we dont go up then the club would have turned down a lot of cash and extended some contracts (which i cant see happening).

We will lose IMO

Judge
Josh Mc
Lewis M
Watkins
Mepham
Sawyers

Maybe

Konsa
Bentley
Nico

I don't think having a major rebuild in the summer necessarily means you have to wait a few years for it to come together. That's just an excuse. I trust us to replace those players if they go. But let's focus on improving this season first!

 

[readingbee]

I don't think having a major rebuild in the summer necessarily means you have to wait a few years for it to come together. That's just an excuse. I trust us to replace those players if they go. But let's focus on improving this season first!

We know these players are going at the end of this season and my bet is some will go in January and most of those named will be replaced by better this coming transfer window. No need to panic yet.

 

[Twickenhamben]

I don't think having a major rebuild in the summer necessarily means you have to wait a few years for it to come together. That's just an excuse. I trust us to replace those players if they go. But let's focus on improving this season first!

We need to be realistic. We will likely continue to lose players if the price is right and they are near the end of their contracts.... Many fans think that when we move to a new stadium we will just be able to keep hold of all our players because we have a shiny new ground. In reality we will have a standard ground for this league....which is fine. I’m happy to watch this team in a great division.

 

[Indian Bee]

We would have lost the last three games with Smith in charge also IMO. Still the right appointment for me he just needs a little luck and in fairness he has not had a whole week with all the players since his appointment. Big game next weekend.

 

[IDontBeeLieveIt]

Gentlemen I think you are possibly arguing over small percentages. I am a fan of both Sawyers and Josh but can also see their weaknesses. Sawyers has not been as dynamic as last season however to a degree I think it’s because with McLeod playing he has to be a bit deeper.

Josh is capable of making some sublime passes and has also shown more tenacity in tackling and blocking, he also reads the game well and gets into position for intercepts, against that he is not blessed with pace and as a holding midfielder lacks the ability/skill/ size for a physical battle.

Kamo has the potential and, sometimes the ability, to be the driving and battling force in our midfield but, like others remains a tad inconsistent.

As a final point one thing that does annoy is how the merits or otherwise of Sawyers tends to end up being discussed at length on every other thread, Idontbeleiveit being the major culprit as he is like a dog with a bone whilst Sonofabee can’t help but react!!!!! A truce gentlemen??????

I mentioned Sawyers as just one part of an overall discussion of our side with the content hardly any different to what you just posted.
However, every time, one of the usual suspects just picks out the bit about Sawyers and turns it into some load of twaddle purely about him (even though many of you seem to have a viewpoint that's very little different!)
We can't have a truce when that's all they do. You're as much as a culprit, and dog with a bone, based on your comments.
If I reacted to your post, the same way they do to my posts, I would have simply replied to your post with something like "you're talking rubbish you hate Sawyers anyway".
This is why the merits or otherwise of Sawyers end up taking over every thread.

 

[PJ]

What a tough start for him. Haven’t really deserved to lose any of the three games in charge. Just sloppy errors and needing a bit of luck.

Hope the players come good. Some I will question their position in the team at the moment.

Re your last point, i'd say TF is hamstring to a degree.
Ollie is completely out of sorts but his discipline is much better than Said's, whose silly fouls in nothing situations have cost us dear recently.
Sawyers has nobody challenging his position and IMO is at his best when he has.
Would like Moses to have a run at RB as Henrik's been ordinary lately (probably needs a rest).
Da Silva hopefully will sort the midfield out but no idea how good he is. Just excited to see what he can bring to the party having been given a 5 year deal. Could transform us, who knows

 

[brentfordfc4ever]

This guy took on a team that had not won in 7, i believe?

This is not his fault and he needs time to implement his style