Gray By Name And Gray By Nature

[jonnyowl]

I think he's done a great job!

He's brought in some excellent players but also some dross!

I worry about the players he will identify and bring in especially if we have money to spend this summer!

I just can't see him being the man to get us promoted!

Edited March 5, 2015 by jonnyowl

[Bluesteel]

I think he's done a solid job. Changing a manager is like rolling a dice even proven guys can struggle at some clubs.

I was of the mindset that new owners may want their own man but they look to have been guided by milan on this. Gray will need to hit the ground running but to be fair he does deserve this chance.

No manager is perfect but our inability to deal with teams who come to Hillsborough to get in our faces and get the ball in the box worries me as this is very basic stuff. Some of the recent tactical changes haven't been great either but I appreciate many of these are enforced.

[Blue and white]

20-1 for the sack,definitely worth a tenner me thinks.

[captain bucky o'hare]

Some are citing our lack of goals and attacking flair as reasons for Gray to be sacked. Others are referring to tactics.

So, on this basis, if we rewind to last summer who should Gray have signed with the resources available to him to improve our striker and winger options? I struggle to think of any when you consider we lost out on freebies like Fryatt presumably because we couldn't compete wages wise.

Who is being left out of the team that should have been in the team? Again I struggle to think what I would do differently. There is maybe some debate around left back. Centre mid you could have a bit of a debate but his hand has been forced by injuries for large parts of the season.

To me it just seems like some are bored by a lack of flair and the fact that we aren't in a scrap over relegation or the playoffs. Surely Gray has earned his chance to spend in the summer?

[m77owl]

Not won the Championship yet. He must go.

[markowl]

4/10 on the flounceometer

[Captain Sl-OWL-ly]

Boring,gutless,devoid of passion,tactically inept,out of his depth.

He has to go and go now.

It's never good to talk about yourself but on this occasion you are correct, you should go now !

[Blue and white]

It's never good to talk about yourself but on this occasion you are correct, you should go now !

Lilley bit on the childish side but hay Ho whatever floats your boat.

[Guest totemowl]

20-1 for the sack,definitely worth a tenner me thinks.

Get it on then and stop just talking about it.

Better than the 14-1 you were talking about 10 days ago.

[Dagmeister]

I think he's done a solid job. Changing a manager is like rolling a dice even proven guys can struggle at some clubs.

I was of the mindset that new owners may want their own man but they look to have been guided by milan on this. Gray will need to hit the ground running but to be fair he does deserve this chance.

No manager is perfect but our inability to deal with teams who come to Hillsborough to get in our faces and get the ball in the box worries me as this is very basic stuff. Some of the recent tactical changes haven't been great either but I appreciate many of these are enforced.

Agree with this. I hope he gets the summer to shape his team for the start of next season. Expectations will reflect the changed budget. We need to start next season well or he'll most likely go. I do hope that he gets that chance though. Edited March 5, 2015 by Dagmeister

[Guest AbbeyOwl]

Gray has done an amazing job from what he was left with, he stabilised the team and pulled everyone together. That was a great achievement the next step from stopping losing games and stabilising into a solid unit is to becoming more expansive and creative. Last night we started with a midfield with one creative player who is getting back to full fitness. No wide player, Maguire left on the bench, which was ridiculous, as soon as he came on we looked a different side, he runs at people up until that point we were creating nothing. Simply pumping long balls up to Nuhui and Keane, who were isolated. This is how we have been playing under Gray, we dont lose many, draw alot, win a few.

 

We will not get promoted playing like that, people say when he has money to spend it will be different, but look at what he did deadline day, we brought in a forward but needed wide players and creativity, he actually chose to strengthen defence and defensive midfield. Effectively try to make us better at what we / he has been doing.

 

If we want to get promoted we will have to spend alot of money, I have just checked the squad I had even forgotten about people like Corry and McCabe, there is going to be a huge clear out, people like Buxton will be released. There is no way Gray will be able to attract the players needed nor will he be given the amount of money needed. It wont happen but I wish he could be retained to work under a Manager like Nigel Pearson who has the experience to go to that next level.

 

I think we all respect what he has done but this is a pretty cold business, he did great for MM under the restrictions he was placed under, to make that move up we need to create alot more chances and have someone that puts them away.

 

Next season will be totally different to this it has to be the new owner hasn't spent the huge amount of money he has to watch that last night, it was poor, the team selection was poor and uncreative, if people say yeah because we dont have any wide players or pace. But really who's fault is that if we had brought in 2 wingers and won games we have drawn we could have been in a different position.

 

Stuart Gray I think you have done an amazing job, the Club owe you alot, Milan Mandaric owes you a hefty bonus, I hope you retain a place in any new structure as you deserve it but equally I would like to see us in the Premiership and I dont think you can get us there on your own.

[gurujuan]

Agree with this. I hope he gets the summer to shape his team for the start of next season. Expectations will reflect the changed budget. We need to start next season well or he'll most likely go. I do hope that he gets that chance though.

Agreed, but I do wish we were a little nearer seeing what the plan is. This aimless drifting along does nothing for our prospects of convincing people to get a season ticket

[Taximark]

Gray has done an amazing job from what he was left with, he stabilised the team and pulled everyone together. That was a great achievement the next step from stopping losing games and stabilising into a solid unit is to becoming more expansive and creative. Last night we started with a midfield with one creative player who is getting back to full fitness. No wide player, Maguire left on the bench, which was ridiculous, as soon as he came on we looked a different side, he runs at people up until that point we were creating nothing. Simply pumping long balls up to Nuhui and Keane, who were isolated. This is how we have been playing under Gray, we dont lose many, draw alot, win a few.

 

We will not get promoted playing like that, people say when he has money to spend it will be different, but look at what he did deadline day, we brought in a forward but needed wide players and creativity, he actually chose to strengthen defence and defensive midfield. Effectively try to make us better at what we / he has been doing.

 

If we want to get promoted we will have to spend alot of money, I have just checked the squad I had even forgotten about people like Corry and McCabe, there is going to be a huge clear out, people like Buxton will be released. There is no way Gray will be able to attract the players needed nor will he be given the amount of money needed. It wont happen but I wish he could be retained to work under a Manager like Nigel Pearson who has the experience to go to that next level.

 

I think we all respect what he has done but this is a pretty cold business, he did great for MM under the restrictions he was placed under, to make that move up we need to create alot more chances and have someone that puts them away.

 

Next season will be totally different to this it has to be the new owner hasn't spent the huge amount of money he has to watch that last night, it was poor, the team selection was poor and uncreative, if people say yeah because we dont have any wide players or pace. But really who's fault is that if we had brought in 2 wingers and won games we have drawn we could have been in a different position.

 

Stuart Gray I think you have done an amazing job, the Club owe you alot, Milan Mandaric owes you a hefty bonus, I hope you retain a place in any new structure as you deserve it but equally I would like to see us in the Premiership and I dont think you can get us there on your own.

Not often I say this about your posts, but word for word it's spot on.

 

Don't get a big head now.

[Dagmeister]

Agreed, but I do wish we were a little nearer seeing what the plan is. This aimless drifting along does nothing for our prospects of convincing people to get a season ticket

Agree in principle which is why I want to see him given the summer and see how it goes. We don't as yet know how he can perform with an increased budget. The recent acquisitions were a step up from Aldi but appear to be with the future in mind. Hopefully funds will be made available for us to compete for better quality players, not on fees maybe, but on wages which has put a halter in things in the past. Last summer we cleared loads of dead wood out and freed money up and nabbed Lees and Westwood who no doubt will be on good wages. I think Gray would have liked another couple like that but the budget provably wasn't there. I expect to see another swathe of released players in the summer and also a significant increase in budget to allow us to get both quality and quantity in.

[beef]

Mr. Chansiri said he wants us to go up by or around the time of our 150th anniversary and that he doesn't like losing.

I think he will quickly become accustomed to losing. We are far too inconsistent to become a play-off contender.

Our home form and our goalscoring/attacking options are abysmal for this level. Despite that we look like a mid-table side defensive side heavily reliant on our defence and keeper.

I can't see Gray being in charge next season if Chansiri is serious about becoming a contender for promotion at this level.

However it's possible Gray could be kept on as a coach or a DOF and a better attacking coach could be brought in to help him.

Despite the excitement of the takeover, we're still dire to watch and I can see this season fizzling out like season did once we were safe.

Gray like Megson and Jones has got his good and bad merits but not a lot as changed since they were in charge. We still play the same and we're still very inconsistent,

going on good and bad runs. Our inconsistency, home form and the lack of goals in our team aren't good enough to be a play-off/promotion or top half contender.

In my opinion we need something different. I'd like to see us bring in a foreign manager with a good coaching set up and someone who can implement a philosophy and make us more entertaining to watch or we should push the boat out and get a experienced big name. Either way, we're in need of freshening things up on and off the pitch, the stadium; pitch, facilities, training ground, commercial side of the club and the academy are as tired looking and dire as watching Gray's team.  

Like who?

[Bigowl84]

I must admit a few weeks ago I was wanting a change of management but I had good long think about it. He kept us up last season now who thinks chansiri would av bought us if we wer in league 1 so really Gray has made all this possible now at the least he deserves a chance too see wat he can do with a big budget give him a few months at beginning of next season if he's still not cutting it then change don't forget chansiri has given it 2 years too get back too premier so theirs no rush to act.

[Blue and white]

Like who?

Nigel Pearson

Gianfranco Zola

Or maybe look abroad like Middlesbrough have.

[TrickyTrev]

For league placings we are having one of our best seasons since relegation from the Premier League... I can't remember the last time we were outside the top half of the table.

 

In spite of this however, the attendances do really seem to be falling (19k last night with an offer on was really poor) and the only ereason I can see for this fall is due to the dour performances served up under Gray at Hillsborough this season. Off the top of my head we must have served up a handful of decent halves this season at home and last night was just more of the same.

 

I'd be more than willing to bet that Mr Chanisiri and his family were bored sh**less during the first half last night and it didn't get a great deal better in the second.

 

I'm not saying he should go as I have previosuly as I think I may have been a bit to hasty to judge him BUT few can deny that we have been awful to watch for lonr spells this season and combinig that will the falling attendances and I wouldn't be surprised to see Mr Chansiri make a change, regardless of what he said about Gray recently.

[Handball_!!]

Well we are on course for our highest league finish for a good few years so there has to be an appreciation that we've progressed under Gray.

 

Problem is the progression is largely based on away form which is disappointing for people like myself who don't get to many away matches.

 

We've currently got a very low scoring, low excitement rating home product and that's a problem.

 

I'm not sure if replacing Gray or the players is the answer, would be interesting to see what he could do with some good players.

 

If he was replaced by someone with some proven pedigree then yes, excellent, but if it's to be just another jobbing coach/manager then no.

 

Interesting summer coming up hopefully.

[gurujuan]

Well we are on course for our highest league finish for a good few years so there has to be an appreciation that we've progressed under Gray.

Problem is the progression is largely based on away form which is disappointing for people like myself who don't get to many away matches.

We've currently got a very low scoring, low excitement rating home product and that's a problem.

I'm not sure if replacing Gray or the players is the answer, would be interesting to see what he could do with some good players.

If he was replaced by someone with some proven pedigree then yes, excellent, but if it's to be just another jobbing coach/manager then no.

Interesting summer coming up hopefully.

It's a tricky one. Personally I'm in favour of continuity, and keeping Gray, but I had hoped we would be a little further down the road by the time May comes. Just giving Gray the money to see what he can do doesn't seem much of a plan.

Edited March 5, 2015 by gurujuan