Keates Factor

[NottsRed]

Speaking to a friend on Sunday and his view is that Keates is now starting to turn it around with the new signings that are coming into the squad.

IMHO though the jury is still out. Players like Jarvis and Ponticelli have come in and done more in a few games than players like JBB have done all season. If Keates does keep us up this season it going to be a major rebuild in the summer on what I imagine will be a reduced budget. If Keates can retain players like Ponticelli and bring in similar quality whilst shipping out the rest of the deadwood then there is a glimmer of opportunity. However rebuilding this squad to push for promotion in one summer is a massive ask.

[Back of the Kop]

Keates and this board have zero credit with me which is why I've not been since August.

He left us when we needed him and they're running the club like it's a game on monopoly.

Massive if, but IF changes are made in the summer, as in we are making some quality signings and there is a real shake up behind the scenes I may even fancy going to games again.

[redfronner]

Originally Posted by Phils-an-alki

Its hardly a surprise if he does given what he said earlier in the season about massive changes being needed at the club. The fact he and most of the other players downed tools on Hughes needs to be considered too. He isn't the great leader I thought he was.

He said the club needs changes - that could mean all sorts, we just don't know.

Downed tools? Thats an opinion, fair but I just think the team looked rock bottom on confidence.

My question to you on this then is would you be happy to let him go?

[Phils-an-alki]

Originally Posted by redfronner

He said the club needs changes - that could mean all sorts, we just don't know.

Downed tools? Thats an opinion, fair but I just think the team looked rock bottom on confidence.

My question to you on this then is would you be happy to let him go?

Nah not really. I very much doubt he would be replaced with someone as good or better.

There's being rock bottom on confidence and not really giving it your all. Under Hughes in the latter stages of his time here, Pearson had his tongue removed it seems, no excuses for that. Lets also not forget the game Dibble clearly threw.

[moynkeepthefaith]

Originally Posted by Phils-an-alki

Shame its 46 game table isn't it.

Where were we in the table when Hughes got sacked? 18th wasn't it?

21st and I am sure you get the poster's point which ,for me, is valid.

I am no Keates fan but I believe he was handed a very difficult task by Hughes who was clearly clueless. DK will get my thanks at the end of the season if we stay up which I expect us to do.
I will also be more than happy for him to have another season as I see no point in such change if we survive with what is shaping as a reasonable squad (full backs aside) .
As to Pearson - i question his and many other players commitment under BH which is for me inexcusable. Having said that if he does the job then so be it but if he starts to fade then get rid to match that same commitment.

[Prodigal Dragon]

Like him or loathe him, Keates mission is to avoid relegation. He would not have been my choice but that is irrelevant. Whilst the required improvement has been slow — and we invariably take 2 steps forward then one back — he appears to have halted the decline under Hughes by getting rid of most of the underperforming players and, most importantly, replaced them with better quality players.

It is still far too early to be confident of staying up, but there are signs that give us hope — well, some of us hope!

Ultimately the choice whether to support our team is down to the individual. But it is possible to do so yet be critical of certain aspects of both Keates and the Board. IMHO, change is needed at the top because they are clearly not accountable — made worse because the system is designed not to have a single POC who is accountable — and many of their football related decisions over management appointments have been on the whim of individuals.

Keates might save the day. Whether there were better options available at the time, and whether he can go on to create a truly promotion capable squad are unknown. I suspect that if he does keep us up he will be given the opportunity to rebuild. As suspicious as I am, I do not want him to fail, and think it only right we support him — or at least remain neutral — until our fate is known.

But, as BARTONBANK’s stats show, there has been a marked improvement, so far. We do need it to continue and not simply rely on there being 4 worse teams than us.

[moynkeepthefaith]

Originally Posted by Prodigal Dragon

Like him or loathe him, Keates mission is to avoid relegation. He would not have been my choice but that is irrelevant. Whilst the required improvement has been slow — and we invariably take 2 steps forward then one back — he appears to have halted the decline under Hughes by getting rid of most of the underperforming players and, most importantly, replaced them with better quality players.

It is still far too early to be confident of staying up, but there are signs that give us hope — well, some of us hope!

Ultimately the choice whether to support our team is down to the individual. But it is possible to do so yet be critical of certain aspects of both Keates and the Board. IMHO, change is needed at the top because they are clearly not accountable — made worse because the system is designed not to have a single POC who is accountable — and many of their football related decisions over management appointments have been on the whim of individuals.

Keates might save the day. Whether there were better options available at the time, and whether he can go on to create a truly promotion capable squad are unknown. I suspect that if he does keep us up he will be given the opportunity to rebuild. As suspicious as I am, I do not want him to fail, and think it only right we support him — or at least remain neutral — until our fate is known.

But, as BARTONBANK’s stats show, there has been a marked improvement, so far. We do need it to continue and not simply rely on there being 4 worse teams than us.

Could not agree more - exactly my take off and on the pitch

[moynkeepthefaith]

Originally Posted by Phils-an-alki

Nah not really. I very much doubt he would be replaced with someone as good or better.

There's being rock bottom on confidence and not really giving it your all. Under Hughes in the latter stages of his time here, Pearson had his tongue removed it seems, no excuses for that. Lets also not forget the game Dibble clearly threw.

Your last point is one that still makes me angry and is something that you and I (for once ) can agree on.

[Phils-an-alki]

Originally Posted by moynkeepthefaith

21st and I am sure you get the poster's point which ,for me, is valid.

I am no Keates fan but I believe he was handed a very difficult task by Hughes who was clearly clueless. DK will get my thanks at the end of the season if we stay up which I expect us to do.
I will also be more than happy for him to have another season as I see no point in such change if we survive with what is shaping as a reasonable squad (full backs aside) .
As to Pearson - i question his and many other players commitment under BH which is for me inexcusable. Having said that if he does the job then so be it but if he starts to fade then get rid to match that same commitment.

But he could only improve us by throwing money at it and that improvement has been a real slow process.. The majority of this squad came pretty close to winning the league so you could argue a very good manager would have come in after BH and turned things around a lot faster, seeing us make real progress up the league.

Fact remains when he came in at the beginning of October we were in a relegation battle, its now almost March and we still are. There's been ample time for him to pull us clear, he hasn't been able to even with January spending.

I just don't rate him, as everyone has probably guessed. The way he sets his team up is ultimately negative and designed to win games 1-0. I'm far from convinced he's good enough to manage us and is far inferior to Ricketts in every single way.

Happily eat my words this time next season, obviously.