Taxi for Tommy?


George Grieve
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44 minutes ago, john.w said:

As I said !! based on what I read on here!! hard for me to get to games every week since Stagecoach dropped the Tuktoyaktuk to Perth service :wink:

Thought that was why we got the minibus instead of Britten from Uncle Roy at Ross County??

Edited by Templar Saint
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On 2/11/2019 at 1:23 PM, andrew said:

2 subs from Celtic last week from PSG and Dortmund. That’s what we’re up against. It’s nigh on impossible to get anything from them.

Hearts, Accies and even Rangers we can at least expect to compete. Hopefully having failed to do so with the first two we can improve next Saturday.

We did not compete . This weekend showed what poor teams Hearts & Hamilton are & we played them as if they were teams to fear.

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16 hours ago, Cagey said:

We did not compete . This weekend showed what poor teams Hearts & Hamilton are & we played them as if they were teams to fear.

Yes. We did compete at Ibrox and arguably should have won. I don’t get all the plaudits for the Aberdeen game. Stupid mistakes cost us, but for them we’d have drawn? We created a lot of chances? I must have had my eyes shut and missed the chances. No clear chances, a deflection that hit the post, but nothing too clear for me. I just had my annual eye test too! :)

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On 2/25/2019 at 12:55 PM, andrew said:

Yes. We did compete at Ibrox and arguably should have won. I don’t get all the plaudits for the Aberdeen game. Stupid mistakes cost us, but for them we’d have drawn? We created a lot of chances? I must have had my eyes shut and missed the chances. No clear chances, a deflection that hit the post, but nothing too clear for me. I just had my annual eye test too! :)

Kennedy had a clear chance after about 5 minutes. 

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  • 1 month later...

If keeping Saints in the top league is the be all and end all then Tommy Wright is still the best man for the job. If we want to see some half decent attractive football ( I appreciate that this does not guarantee wins) then it is time for The Board to think seriously at a managerial change.  Whilst the last 5/6 seasons has clearly represented the most successful period in the Clubs history including some very special moments we cannot  ignore our style of play during the same space of time. No doubt some supporters will feel happy to watch our boring/turgid football if it brings results but I feel sure the present  tactics are resulting in many fans staying away . I have brought my 12 year old son to 10 Home Games in the  past 2 Seasons and only 2 of these matches provided some decent entertainment. Is it any wonder the Family Stand is empty(despite under 12 getting in free). The Board gave Tommy good backing in the Summer to bring in some fresh faces , and I had high hopes with this recruitment we would enjoy a more free-flowing football . Unfortunately Tommy seems to have been unable to get the best out of the new signings and on Wednesday against St Mirrin left Ohalloran,Watt and Swanson all on the bench !! . The result was a win but the entertainment value was ZERO.  Time for Change.

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I didn't realise that changing manager was guaranteed to bring exciting football. If I'd known that I'd have signed up to the Tommy Out Club ages ago. Silly me.

Maybe we could bring in Neil McCann, he played good football apparently.

The idea that fans that can't be bothered supporting the team during the most successful prolonged spell in the club's history will come flocking back if we pass the football a bit better is as hilarious as it is naive.

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Our away performance against Dundee made it clear the standard of football these lads can play to and the style of play we can put together.

Keep it simple, play players on merit and one of the most important aspects of football..... Make sure ALL your central midfielders like to take the ball to feet and are able to make space for a pass for 90 minutes- amazing how that changes a teams style of play.

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18 minutes ago, callander saint said:

It costs me £40.00 plus to attend a Home Match and I expect to see an attempt to entertain the fans whatever the final result. 

We won on Wednesday and the manager criticised the performance. His job though is, whether folk like it or not, to keep the club in the Premiership. We can change the manager but that target won't be altered. 

Anything on top of that is a bonus. This manager has brought us four top six finishes, three European campaigns and a Scottish Cup. Things aren't going so well now and there will be a point he can't rely on past success but I really don't understand the mindset of those wishing that man away. 

I'm under no illusion that we don't play great football a lot of time but I'm not prepared to blindly bin a manager that has brought success in the hope of replacing him with someone that will replicate that with flowing football, on a budget bigger than only two or three other clubs in the division. 

Can anyone come up with even one name of an obvious candidate to replace Tommy Wright? If not an obvious candidate then are we really willing to gamble on replacing a manager that has never come close to getting the club relegated, which to go back the the original point, is what his remit is to avoid every season.

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8 hours ago, callander saint said:

If keeping Saints in the top league is the be all and end all then Tommy Wright is still the best man for the job. If we want to see some half decent attractive football ( I appreciate that this does not guarantee wins) then it is time for The Board to think seriously at a managerial change.  Whilst the last 5/6 seasons has clearly represented the most successful period in the Clubs history including some very special moments we cannot  ignore our style of play during the same space of time. No doubt some supporters will feel happy to watch our boring/turgid football if it brings results but I feel sure the present  tactics are resulting in many fans staying away . I have brought my 12 year old son to 10 Home Games in the  past 2 Seasons and only 2 of these matches provided some decent entertainment. Is it any wonder the Family Stand is empty(despite under 12 getting in free). The Board gave Tommy good backing in the Summer to bring in some fresh faces , and I had high hopes with this recruitment we would enjoy a more free-flowing football . Unfortunately Tommy seems to have been unable to get the best out of the new signings and on Wednesday against St Mirrin left Ohalloran,Watt and Swanson all on the bench !! . The result was a win but the entertainment value was ZERO.  Time for Change.

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9 hours ago, callander saint said:

 Certain Fans will keep turning up whatever the product . It costs me £40.00 plus to  attend a Home Match and I expect to see an attempt to entertain the fans whatever the final result . Looking at our attendance figures I would suggest that I am not the only fan who feels this way. All  about opinions. 

 

While the way we play isn’t great to watch I think it’s very naive to think a change of style would have the fans flocking back if the results aren’t there or that a new manager could necessarily produce this.

If Saints had lost all 10 games you d been at with your son 4-3 would you both be happy ?   Bottom of the league but scoring plenty goals. Fans won’t turn out in bigger numbers to watch a losing team either.

Certain fans will keep turning up whatever the product , well of course they will because that’s what fans do otherwise nobody would ever turn out to watch any team in any country unless your talking about the top 3 or 4 teams.

Take Notts County as an example, second bottom of the bottom league in England, been through something like 20 managers in 19 years yet still get over 5000 most weeks.

 

 

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Let's not be critical of those fans who are shouting for change. They pay their money, they aren't enjoying the football and are entitled to a view. We've now had two stinking runs this season and these runs are becoming frequent.

I don't think its fair to drop Tommy yet though, he absolutely deserves a chance to fix it. He quite rightly has a wonderful reputation for building strong, direct, competitive, effective teams that defy stats on possession, expected goals and everything else. He's been a huge success for us even if the product hasn't been the most exciting. This in my opinion has seen him overlooked for many jobs as he's not seen as a progressive, modern manager.

This season Tommy has decided to change perception. He's reduced the age of the squad and started adding flair on the wings and up top. It started well, we had a nice balance. The board backed him, he seen more opportunities for success and brought in more attacking players. This, in my opinion, was the mistake. 

Tommy's teams are built on heart and determination. Too many of the attacking players (Swanson, Mikey, Watt) just don't have those attributes. All can be match winners when things are going well but we've all, including Tommy, seen what can happen to these players when things are not. Swanson and Mikey in previous seasons have gone from hero to zero due to off the pitch issues almost overnight.

Now we are in a rut. Unbalanced and with very few leaders. Less experience and struggling for form. Tommy doesn't appear to know how to make these attacking players effective without exposing the defence. He has failed to understand the type of midfielder he needs to give better players a platform to play. He's ballsed up but these players are not losers overnight. Tommy now has 7 games to find a system to make it work. If he can't he deserves the summer to find the right players to make it work. 

If after 10 games next season he looks to have failed then fair enough, maybe it may be time before things get too bad but let's not shit the bed and become a Dundee or a Dundee Utd. We all make mistakes, Tommy has, now it's his job to fix it.

But just remember, the players need to step up here too. 11 players cross that white line on a Saturday. Tommy isn't telling them to punt the ball 80 yards in the direction they are facing every time they get the ball. They should be hurting and embarrassed and we should be seeing a reaction. If they don't, they won't have a job much longer. 

Edited by Broon
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21 hours ago, Strawman said:

 

While the way we play isn’t great to watch I think it’s very naive to think a change of style would have the fans flocking back if the results aren’t there or that a new manager could necessarily produce this.

If Saints had lost all 10 games you d been at with your son 4-3 would you both be happy ?   Bottom of the league but scoring plenty goals. Fans won’t turn out in bigger numbers to watch a losing team either.

Certain fans will keep turning up whatever the product , well of course they will because that’s what fans do otherwise nobody would ever turn out to watch any team in any country unless your talking about the top 3 or 4 teams.

Take Notts County as an example, second bottom of the bottom league in England, been through something like 20 managers in 19 years yet still get over 5000 most weeks.

No we would not enjoy seeing Saints continually defeated 4-3 but I am still of the opinion that the poor entertainment /style of play contributes to our low attendance figures. 

 

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On 3/31/2019 at 10:04 AM, callander saint said:

If keeping Saints in the top league is the be all and end all then Tommy Wright is still the best man for the job. If we want to see some half decent attractive football ( I appreciate that this does not guarantee wins) then it is time for The Board to think seriously at a managerial change.  Whilst the last 5/6 seasons has clearly represented the most successful period in the Clubs history including some very special moments we cannot  ignore our style of play during the same space of time. No doubt some supporters will feel happy to watch our boring/turgid football if it brings results but I feel sure the present  tactics are resulting in many fans staying away . I have brought my 12 year old son to 10 Home Games in the  past 2 Seasons and only 2 of these matches provided some decent entertainment. Is it any wonder the Family Stand is empty(despite under 12 getting in free). The Board gave Tommy good backing in the Summer to bring in some fresh faces , and I had high hopes with this recruitment we would enjoy a more free-flowing football . Unfortunately Tommy seems to have been unable to get the best out of the new signings and on Wednesday against St Mirrin left Ohalloran,Watt and Swanson all on the bench !! . The result was a win but the entertainment value was ZERO.  Time for Change.

I'd like to comment on your earlier post if I may.

You make some pertinent points but it concerns me (and you are not alone) that some Saints fans seem to think that we need to go down to the Championship to start playing exciting football and in turn fans may start flocking back and enjoy their football again - that league we were so fond of ten years ago where free flowing football and  plenty of goals exists.

The reality is something completely different: the Championship is now a brutal league and teams in that division know of the rewards in getting to the Premier so its win at all costs, grind out a win, pack defenses away from home etc etc- and throw every expense at players if you can get them - it's very much a carbon copy of the top league without the quality.

I share an office in Dundee with both Dees and Terrors and  these guys are home and away with their teams and the mood among them is melancholic resignation at what the next few weeks hold for them. And before Saints fans start rejoicing at their plight the worst outcome for St.Johnstone in that scenario -  Premier league survival and promotion is a Dundee derby in the lower league next year.

Early in the season I seen some nice football from Saints - no doubt Drey Wright had a lot to do with that but I've also seen some drab 1-0 away from home wins and I've celebrated these just as much as a convincing 3-1 win. Whether you like it or not football has changed and not necessarily for the better but we have an established top league team and a lot to do with that is the pragmatism of Tommy Wright. It doesn't excite me watching Saints grind out wins against Hamilton for instance but that is what it takes to remain where we ultimately want to be.

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Certainly not in the Taxi for Tommy camp but something is very stale at Saints right now

The manager has had pretty good backing from the board but the spark is missing.After a defeat and pre the next match we get the manager with his "disappointed" and "not good enough" quotes and the players with their "we let the fans down" and weve prepared really well" quotes but there is such a staleness at McD right now.

Think we need to limp to the end of the season ,and have a major re-think about whats what for the next campaign.

Unless we can score more goals CONSISTENTLY then we will continue to struggle in many matches where we could win.

I really hope we can get at least one striker on the park and scoring and sort out our best midfield combination.

In Tommy we trust

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27 minutes ago, Kilgour said:

Certainly not in the Taxi for Tommy camp but something is very stale at Saints right now

The manager has had pretty good backing from the board but the spark is missing.After a defeat and pre the next match we get the manager with his "disappointed" and "not good enough" quotes and the players with their "we let the fans down" and weve prepared really well" quotes but there is such a staleness at McD right now.

Think we need to limp to the end of the season ,and have a major re-think about whats what for the next campaign.

Unless we can score more goals CONSISTENTLY then we will continue to struggle in many matches where we could win.

I really hope we can get at least one striker on the park and scoring and sort out our best midfield combination.

In Tommy we trust

Agree with all except the last sentence.

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