Should Danny Cowley be given a longers audition?

[Hammer Dave]

Hi all as a new member and a West Ham fan ,I have always followed Portsmouth with such a great fans base .the Cowley brothers were managers of my local team concord rangers on canvey island .you won’t get a more honest and hard working pair and I am sure they will do a brilliant job at Portsmouth.good luck all look forward in following my second favourite team

[Keeprblue]

The question I ask myself is this: If we didn't appoint someone until the Summer would we offer them a similar deal of a 3 month trial period \ probation and if so how many managers would take up such an offer? I'm not so sure we would nor would any of the managers take up such a deal.

Your fears of a repeat of the Awford situation are fair. It's very easy to rally the troops when you only have 1/4 of the season to go and is no indication of long term success. That is the risk. However if we decide not to go with them long-term it's still going to be a risk getting someone else in in the Summer who I imagine wouldn't be up for a similar trial deal.

I guess it comes down to whether you think one of those risks outweigh the other or whether or not we're going to be able to attract (keep in the case of Cowley) managers on a trial \ probation?

Hell maybe with the Cowley's we will have an Ole \ United situation and the players like the manager so much they want to do everything that can to keep them at the club (read as: play well and put some effort in!).

I couldn't have put it better Sam.

[Blue Walter]

I think both scenarios (long term or short term contract) have pluses & minuses. As someone said earlier you have to decide which one outweighs the other. The Cowley's could do a brilliant job and get us up only for some other club to come in and grab him. Conversely he could turn out to be rubbish and if he was on a longer contract we could be stuck with him and be in a Jackettesq position. One reason some people think a short term contract has been given by the club is that they have got their first choice lined up for the seasons end.

My opinion is that we should have given him a longer term contract to see the job through. He may well fail this season but his longer term vision with his own choice of players could be the real winner. I do have one concern though at the moment and that is he does seem somewhat 'star struck' to be at Portsmouth.

[PakefieldBlue]

I think both scenarios (long term or short term contract) have pluses & minuses. As someone said earlier you have to decide which one outweighs the other. The Cowley's could do a brilliant job and get us up only for some other club to come in and grab him. Conversely he could turn out to be rubbish and if he was on a longer contract we could be stuck with him and be in a Jackettesq position. One reason some people think a short term contract has been given by the club is that they have got their first choice lined up for the seasons end.

My opinion is that we should have given him a longer term contract to see the job through. He may well fail this season but his longer term vision with his own choice of players could be the real winner. I do have one concern though at the moment and that is he does seem somewhat 'star struck' to be at Portsmouth.

If it is true that we have a "first choice" lined up for the summer then that might depend on which league we're in - Championship equals a higher profile manager. The problem with that is that if the Cowleys perform well over these 12 games (especially if they get us promoted) then it will be very difficult to not give them a longer contract. Therefore I think they'll be given a 2 year contract if they continue to make everyone as happy as they have done so far.

[Rick Pumpkin]

It's a bit like when a new girlfriend comes into your life and all you see are the good bits - she's an angel and doesn't have a single fault. Give it a year and she's morphed into a farting, lazy, foul-mouthed she-devil and you're looking to get out as soon as possible.

Bearing that in mind I'm playing the long game on the Cowleys (well, 12-match long game). No doubt they started well with the result and performance improvements on Saturday, and Danny is a polished interviewee saying all the right things, so fingers crossed he stays that way. Watching him talk at the weekend reminded me of a sales director I interviewed a few years back who gave the most polished interview performance I ever witnessed, having us all eating out of his hand. We gave him the job and....he turned out to be like the new girlfriend, great at first but...

I think a 12-match audition is the right thing to do and hope the club are not being underhand by having someone else lined up in the summer, but saying otherwise. If they do a good job, and by 'good job' I don't necessarily mean promotion but improve individual and team performances and show some consistency and continued improvement, then give them a longer deal, sit back and hopefully watch them take the club onwards and upwards.

I like the pair of them and hope it works out, but then again I liked Nicola Vickers when I first met her...

[Betelgeuse]

You've met my wife!!

[streetrifle]

Even if he somehow fails to get us promoted but as a basic requirement we reach the play-offs I would expect to see him get at least a 2-year contract. I will be surprised if he hasn't made such a good impression on everybody, built the team again and built up such good relationships with both the owners, staff, players and fans by then that his permanent appointment is a given.

[Pompey Penguin]

Even if he somehow fails to get us promoted but as a basic requirement we reach the play-offs I would expect to see him get at least a 2-year contract. I will be surprised if he hasn't made such a good impression on everybody, built the team again and built up such good relationships with both the owners, staff, players and fans by then that his permanent appointment is a given.

I think this is right. However, if we get to the play-offs, I would want to see how he approaches them; do we try and win or try and not lose? If the former and it goes wrong, I can be forgiving, but if the latter, then I will be less happy as it's too close to the last two years' negativity (0-1, 0-0, 1-1, 1-1 do not suggest proactive intent).

[Blue Walter]

I love the girlfriend analogy from Rick but it has shattered an image bubble for me. I thought that girls were all fluffy bunny rabbits and talcum powder and definately do not fart and who is Nicola Vickers?

I think that some coaches are guilty of stealing the game of football away from the fans for their own self indulgence and I think Kenny Jackett is guilty as charged. They seem to forget that football is also an entertainment but they kill that with negative tactics simply to get themselves results. As I say KJ was a real exponent of that and set his teams up not to lose so even when we were winning entertainment was in short supply. The Cowleys have been tagged as 'long ball merchants' but I would rather watch that than the negative stuff and so called 'possession football'.

My hope is that both the club & the Cowley's have approached this next 3 months with appropriate integrity and this is really a 'trial' period for both parties. I have seen the Cowley's videos, which I presume are made by them to showcase their knowledge and ambition. I have also seen their interviews which, along with the video's, are very impressive. They have had nothing to do for 6 months and that prospect was liable to exist at least to the seasons end so taking this job can impress, our owners, as well as other clubs that might be impressed in what they achieve. Being out of contract at the season's end they be could tempted away. As for our owners I hope they are not just using this period as a stop gap by keeping the seat warm for someone else at the end of the season.

The Cowley's would not have been my number one choice but looking at those video's and the interviews plus the input from supporters of Lincoln and others on this site I think I would have liked to have tied them down to a longer contract.

[Sam_Brown]

but then again I liked Nicola Vickers when I first met her...

You've met my wife!!

You mean my girlfriend? Oh dear.

and who is Nicola Vickers?

I think we all know a Nicola Vickers. If you are curious you can get her details from the walls on the bogs at the Milton End.

[The Cincinnati Kid]

Its just as much an advantage to Mr. Cowley. If he does very well he'll be in a great position to get a better contract than he could get today.

Also, I like the appointment. You get youff, new ideas, a bit of modernity and a bonus Cowley brother.

[GlasgowGirl]

Maybe were biding our time for Steve Bruce !!!

He will be Free at some point ,,

[GreenBlue]

Maybe were biding our time for Steve Bruce !!!

He will be Free at some point ,,

Bruce? No thanks. Happy with Cowley.

[Mickemo]

Answering the OP's question - YES!

Give this young, hungry, forward thinking Management team more than 15 games.

I genuinely believe if we back these guys over the next 3 or 4 years we are heading back to the Premiership

[Keeprblue]

But is he the manager?
I think his title is head coach, and that appeared to be a problem at Huddersfield.