The Anomalies of Portsmouth FC

[Pompey1985]

I can't help thinking had the board enough ball$ to stretch the budget and find a proven lower league manager who knows how to formulate and galvanise a lower league team, we would be in a better position.

I was underwhelmed when Barker was appointed because I believe the gate receipts should allow us to fund a proven, grizzly, lower league campaigner who would get the club moving in the right direction. The bottom line is quite simple. Whilst accepting that the board is inexperienced and quite obviously make mistakes, it seems to me that the appointment of a Chief Exec with little real experience and the subsequent appointment of a manager whose credentials are at best average could and should have been avoided.

A club drawing up to 18000 fans for league two football should not be in this position regardless of it's financially shameful past.

I'm happy that the club fell into the hands of those who love it but those who were placed in the boardroom surely must realise first and foremost that, when you're in trouble, you need experienced football people alongside you to make it work. Coppell is the only name around who fits the bill but he's pressure averse, takes no salary and seems to come and go at will. Hardly a stonewall commitment.

We f**ked up and it shows - shines like a beacon. Time to bite the bullet and fork out for the management team that knows how to do the job.

[/rant]

Agree with a lot of this.

[Earl Grey]

I can't help thinking had the board enough ball$ to stretch the budget and find a proven lower league manager who knows how to formulate and galvanise a lower league team, we would be in a better position.

I was underwhelmed when Barker was appointed because I believe the gate receipts should allow us to fund a proven, grizzly, lower league campaigner who would get the club moving in the right direction. The bottom line is quite simple. Whilst accepting that the board is inexperienced and quite obviously make mistakes, it seems to me that the appointment of a Chief Exec with little real experience and the subsequent appointment of a manager whose credentials are at best average could and should have been avoided.

A club drawing up to 18000 fans for league two football should not be in this position regardless of it's financially shameful past.

I'm happy that the club fell into the hands of those who love it but those who were placed in the boardroom surely must realise first and foremost that, when you're in trouble, you need experienced football people alongside you to make it work. Coppell is the only name around who fits the bill but he's pressure averse, takes no salary and seems to come and go at will. Hardly a stonewall commitment.

We f**ked up and it shows - shines like a beacon. Time to bite the bullet and fork out for the management team that knows how to do the job.

[/rant]

Quite so. We're now a bit stuffed.

Do we hope that Barker has learnt enough that he can grab those points necessary to prevent the drop...

.....or do we go for another manager who might, with their honeymoon period, grab those vital points (we all know how dangerous a side can be who have just lost a manager or just appointed a new manager)?

Whatever we do I think we need to seriously consider whether Barker's the right man for next season. His stated ambition seems to be to avoid defeat which is not sending out great messages to fans and players alike. Not only that but his man-management skills seem to include the public humiliation of his own squad and individuals within it. Also......

....he was sacked for a goal drought.....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25127028
...... and is proving his credentials on that 'score' having got rid of Bird and Connolly and is doing his best to destroy Jervis's confidence by continually substituting him for players who simply don't look like they know how to find the back of the old onion bag.

I sincerely hope Barker finds the magic formula to keep us up so that we are in a position to make that decision to keep him or not because if we drop it would be impossible to justify keeping him.

[pomp 'n circumstance]

I can't help thinking had the board enough ball$ to stretch the budget and find a proven lower league manager who knows how to formulate and galvanise a lower league team, we would be in a better position.

I was underwhelmed when Barker was appointed because I believe the gate receipts should allow us to fund a proven, grizzly, lower league campaigner who would get the club moving in the right direction. The bottom line is quite simple. Whilst accepting that the board is inexperienced and quite obviously make mistakes, it seems to me that the appointment of a Chief Exec with little real experience and the subsequent appointment of a manager whose credentials are at best average could and should have been avoided.

A club drawing up to 18000 fans for league two football should not be in this position regardless of it's financially shameful past.

I'm happy that the club fell into the hands of those who love it but those who were placed in the boardroom surely must realise first and foremost that, when you're in trouble, you need experienced football people alongside you to make it work. Coppell is the only name around who fits the bill but he's pressure averse, takes no salary and seems to come and go at will. Hardly a stonewall commitment.

We f**ked up and it shows - shines like a beacon. Time to bite the bullet and fork out for the management team that knows how to do the job.

[/rant]

Whatever we do I think we need to seriously consider whether Barker's the right man for next season. His stated ambition seems to be to avoid defeat which is not sending out great messages to fans and players alike. Not only that but his man-management skills seem to include the public humiliation of his own squad and individuals within it. Also......

....he was sacked for a goal drought.....
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25127028
...... and is proving his credentials on that 'score' having got rid of Bird and Connolly and is doing his best to destroy Jervis's confidence by continually substituting him for players who simply don't look like they know how to find the back of the old onion bag.

I sincerely hope Barker finds the magic formula to keep us up so that we are in a position to make that decision to keep him or not because if we drop it would be impossible to justify keeping him.

It would seem that the Chief Barker and our CEO follow each other around like a job lot of matching bookends - both tainted by failure wherever they've roamed. It would suggest that the RB appointment was engineered in no small way by our CEO - both were at Bury FC (Barker as manager, Catlin a Director), both with suspect CVs of poor results, Barker gets the chop from Crawley for a goal drought, to be the stand out candidate (Strewth!) for the Manager's job and start engineering another goal drought. Quite honestly, the pair of them should be asked to quit.......

[Miss Tickle's bottom]

Pomp, can you indulge me by telling me exactly what Catlin has done wrong? I'd love to know as to my eyes the club is being run, off the pitch, better than it ever has in my lifetime. As Catlin is the Chief Executive, I'd give him a lot of the credit for this.
By the way, don't just come out with the he-picked-Barker drivel again, however much you seem to enjoy indirectly accusing oldspice of lying.

[portchesterblue]

It would seem that the Chief Barker and our CEO follow each other around like a job lot of matching bookends - both tainted by failure wherever they've roamed. It would suggest that the RB appointment was engineered in no small way by our CEO - both were at Bury FC (Barker as manager, Catlin a Director), both with suspect CVs of poor results, Barker gets the chop from Crawley for a goal drought, to be the stand out candidate (Strewth!) for the Manager's job and start engineering another goal drought. Quite honestly, the pair of them should be asked to quit.......[/quote]

what exactly is suspect about Mark Catlin's CV??
please give us some details that obviously the rest of the world dont know about?

[Lindford Saint]

A club drawing up to 18000 fans for league two football should not be in this position regardless of it's financially shameful past.

Why?
You are where you are because of that very reason and the fact that your current manager has no track record and is about as much use as a chocolate fire guard.

We f**ked up and it shows - shines like a beacon. Time to bite the bullet and fork out for the management team that knows how to do the job.

Who would you suggest that 1. Can do the job, and 2. Who the board can afford.?

[Lost in Transportation]

You are where you are because of that very reason

Its an "I agree with Lindford" moment - the club is operating below its weight because of the legacy issues.

[Milkins]

A club drawing up to 18000 fans for league two football should not be in this position regardless of it's financially shameful past.

Why?
You are where you are because of that very reason and the fact that your current manager has no track record and is about as much use as a chocolate fire guard.

We f**ked up and it shows - shines like a beacon. Time to bite the bullet and fork out for the management team that knows how to do the job.

Who would you suggest that 1. Can do the job, and 2. Who the board can afford.?

1. I just observe, complain and make wild accusatory statements.

2. Solutions are for the people who feckin' well get appointed to find them.

3. ...and I know why we are where we are - the point was that we shouldn't be and wouldn't be but for the failure at point 2 above.

[RadioDept]

.....or do we go for another manager who might, with their honeymoon period, grab those vital points (we all know how dangerous a side can be who have just lost a manager or just appointed a new manager)?

I'm unsure about this, mainly because this group of players didn't give Barker a new manager boost when he came in.

[Earl Grey]

.....or do we go for another manager who might, with their honeymoon period, grab those vital points (we all know how dangerous a side can be who have just lost a manager or just appointed a new manager)?

I'm unsure about this, mainly because this group of players didn't give Barker a new manager boost when he came in.

But that's because Barker's charisma-rating is just a fraction below absolute zero.

The players have to have at least a scintilla of respect for the new incumbent.