Conors managerial future thoughts

If he does well over the next four games I’d be tempted to give him the job. Don’t think Warne would come and I’m not sure he’d be a good fit anyway with his style of play. Duff would be ok as would Buckingham or Luke Williams but they’d all cost a decent buck when we’re skint. Really not keen on an unknown foreign coach. Apart from Stendel (who had a Championship squad) I can’t recall another who’s been a success in the third tier.
Edit. Forgot to add that the main decision needs to be the removal of Sormaz from his role.

 

Sounds like the kind of ideas that will sell plenty of season tickets.

 

Hmm, not sure you'd say Danny was average in his first full season as manager. Had us flirting with a play off spot in the second tier for a goodly time.

 

I think what is required from the club is some honesty.

The narrative that we are a top four side is entirely false and to be honest completely laughable. I think the word that is used these days is gaslighting?
the supporters need a vision to get behind and that vision must be honest and achievable.

If the vision is that we are going to give the job to a young manager who is learning his trade, who loves the club and that he has some excellent young players to work with then Conor and would be a good choice . tell us that we will be seeing young exciting players play who will be given the chance to express themselves and develop but don’t expect the finished article.

he has got a lot of qualities that would make him a very good manager for the club but he will inevitably need time. He understands the club and is very driven. He’s respected.

If the club pedal out the narrative that they expect promotion next season then he is most certainly not the man for the job, because he would be set up for failure and I would not want to see that that happen to a club legend.

 

Wholeheartedly agree.

 

I said on another thread if he was to get the job I would like him to have experienced coach with him. I suggested Steve Agnew they would have been together at Villa I think loads of experience and obvious connection with the club.

 

I wouldn't say the narrative of being a top 4 team is entirely false.Coming into the new year we had been there and there abouts.My view was this team was more than capable of a top 6 finish .I thought the game against Huddersfield at home was the start of our downward turn. Being one nil up and comfortable the Huddersfield team getting bo-od off we needed to keep the intensity up but we didn't.Our organizaton and motavation levels in the second half were simply dreadful and cost us the game.We never seemed to hit the same heights again and rightly in my opinion the coach left his post.
Saturdays performance was all that I and I hope many other fans wanted and if we'd have shown the same desire in the past couple of months we possibly would have been a top 4 team at least.The ability has always been there the overall coaching level less so.

 

I would like to see Conor get the job permanently, as I have remarked elsewhere. Our last 3 games have seen some excellent attacking football. Admittedly, we lost the first two of them, but the second half display v Exeter was very good and a big improvement on most of what we've seen this season, until De Gevigney threw the game away. There were many very complimentary comments from Brum fans about the quality of our football in the heavy defeat at Birmingham, despite the eventual scoreline. In the Bolton game, as everyone acknowledges, we played really well, with Jalo and a revitalised Humphrys providing some genuine excitement on the wings. Another very positive point about that match is the virtually complete absence of faffing around at the back and getting ourselves into trouble. We saw mainly good long goal kicks from Flavell, often leading to attacks. The effort put in by the whole team was a thing of joy to those of us who have endured a pretty awful season. The relationship between head coach and players is vital. The players are showing that they both like and respect Conor. He has one other point in his favour; he has never been sacked from a head coach position! Almost every experienced head coach has been sacked by at least one club often by several. That certainly applies to any that we might attract. I don't see Conor as being any more of a "risk" than anyone else.

 

Wilson was average in his first season?!? He brought one new player in didn’t he? An aged Mal Shotton. We finished 18th the season under Anderson, but in Wilson’s first season we finished 6th, which every other season would have seen us into the play-offs, but that year they were reducing the Premier League from 22 teams to 20, so only teams finishing 2nd to 5th made the play-offs. We went into the final game knowing a Reds win and a Tranmere defeat would see us into the play-offs on goal difference, but Tranmere drew and we lost. Still, I’d say Wilson did a bit better than average as a manager in his first season. What’s more, he also won Player of the Year!

 

agreed. We were awesome that year.

 

Over my time watching the Reds, the good far outweighs the bad, when it comes to rookie permanent managers.

Allan Clarke - a promotion and completely turned the club around
Norman Hunter - a promotion and probably the best Reds team I’ve seen
Viv Anderson - underwhelming
Danny Wilson - well…
Super Johnny Hendrie - mid-table Championship, but brought in Hignett and there was that Huddersfield game
Simon Davey - a bit of a twonk, but kept us up for 3 years and we nearly won the FA Cup
David Flitcroft - ultimately the job was too much for him, but that first half season under him was one of my favourite periods as a Reds fan, and as for that game at Huddersfield…
Paul Heckingbottom - a promotion, a Cup and flirting with the Championship play-offs till the rug was pulled

 

one of my favourite seasons. You’ve also reminded me of Mal Shotton. The heir to Alan Little.

 

pretty much this

 

Took a side that nearly went down the year before under Vivian and turned them into promotion contenders all against the backdrop of a ground that was half closed plus the club couldn't sign anybody has it didn't have a pot to piss in. Tailed off season season after mind but Danny cleared out the dead wood and made some astute signings plus bringing some of our top yooof talent through and well, we all know the rest.
Wasn't he player of the year too? .........sithi.

 

We played some lovely stuff that season too from (very distant) memory

 

I realise he got them promoted but I thought the Derby team managed by Warne last year at Oakwell were absolutely garbage and the football they played was basically long ball and look for set pieces. All that with a (probably) significantly bigger budget than us at the time. Admittedly that is my only experience of watching a Warne team, but it certainly my wouldn’t excite me about his appointment.

 

My concern about Connor is less about his ability, more about his ambition. He has all the attributes to be a good manager, hard working, contacts, intelligent, determined, a winner etc.
The problem for me is that he's very ambitious. If he had a great season next year I think he would take the first upwards offer that came along.
The same drive that got him to the premier league as a player will mean that that's where he want to go as a manager. I'm not saying he doesn't have a soft spot for the club, he does, but that would not stop him moving on.

Perhaps he would accept a ridiculous 'buy out' clause as its his first job?

 

You’re completely right.

But Darrell would have jumped at a bigger offer too. Every coach BFC appoints, if successful, will leave for a better offer.

 

But tell me one manager out there who, if successful with us, won't jump at the first chance if a bigger club came in. Look at Paul Warne - literally relegated himself to a lower league to take a new job. Just like when we poach managers from smaller clubs than ours.