You look at Charlton's predicament and wonder what we have to moan about...

It continues to baffle me that anyone thinks a different manager would get a noticeably better tune out of the same set of players. Thats better, rather than just different.

I'm sure if we appointed Roberto Martinez he would be determined to play a different brand of football, but that doesn't make the players any better, or any more suited to attacking or possession.

We have two ball-playing centre-backs and two talented creative attacking midfielders (or one or none quite often depending on injury). Otherwise, we have the same type of top-flight journeyman pros we have always had.

So, exactly whose 'potential' is being held back by Roy here?!

Is it Mateta? Is he secretly fast and skilful?

Or Ayew? Is he in fact able to take the ball on the turn and pass forward quickly and with quality instead of trying to win free-kicks?

Is it Ward, or Clyne? Are they just bursting to overlap to great effect but being restrained, not by ability and age, but by dastardly Roy?

Maybe it's Lerma, who in his very prime and available for free was of no interest whatsoever to the big clubs?

Or Hughes? Or Schlupp?!

We have the squad that we have, which is largely the best we can afford and attract.

We might get a tiny 'new manager bounce' if we made a change in the dugout now, although we might just as easily go into freefall. Most relegated clubs have two or three managers over the course of the season, as they thrash about in panic.

The definition of new manager bounce is that it isn't sustained, only temporary. It is temporary because the players are still only as good as they ever were. It is also, of course, not a reliable outcome of change. As per my last, most relegated sides make unsuccessful changes in the dugout on their way down. It often seems to accelerate decline.

Even with all ten points handed back, Everton would only be 12th. Like us, they have moments of good form but in the main are pedestrian and dull. Thats because of the player they have. They are not capable of playing bright, attacking football regularly - only in patches. Dyche, like Roy, sees that for what it is and tries to ensure there is a structure in place to pick up points when they are not playing great, which is more often than not.

As per my last post, if we had a set of players capable of sustaining a noticeably different style of football then I would also point the finger at the managers tactics, but I don't see a single player having his potential held back.

Edited by TheBigToePunt (24 Jan 2024 11.56am)

Some examples from recent seasons :

Leeds - Terminated the services of Jesse Marsch after 20 PL games with the club 17th, appointed Skubala (Interim), Gracia and Allardyce and were relegated.

Leicester - Brendan Rodgers departed after 28 PL games with the club 18th, appointed joint-interim managers then Dean Smith but Leicester were relegated

Burnley - Removed Sean Dyche after 30 PL games with the club 18th, appointed Mike Jackson and got relegated.

Of course there must be examples of clubs in the relegation mire making changes and surviving.

It continues to baffle me that anyone thinks a different manager would get a noticeably better tune out of the same set of players. Thats better, rather than just different.

I'm sure if we appointed Roberto Martinez he would be determined to play a different brand of football, but that doesn't make the players any better, or any more suited to attacking or possession.

We have two ball-playing centre-backs and two talented creative attacking midfielders (or one or none quite often depending on injury). Otherwise, we have the same type of top-flight journeyman pros we have always had.

So, exactly whose 'potential' is being held back by Roy here?!

Is it Mateta? Is he secretly fast and skilful?

Or Ayew? Is he in fact able to take the ball on the turn and pass forward quickly and with quality instead of trying to win free-kicks?

Is it Ward, or Clyne? Are they just bursting to overlap to great effect but being restrained, not by ability and age, but by dastardly Roy?

Maybe it's Lerma, who in his very prime and available for free was of no interest whatsoever to the big clubs?

Or Hughes? Or Schlupp?!

We have the squad that we have, which is largely the best we can afford and attract.

We might get a tiny 'new manager bounce' if we made a change in the dugout now, although we might just as easily go into freefall. Most relegated clubs have two or three managers over the course of the season, as they thrash about in panic.