The pros and cons of Mowbray (4 Viewers)

[Otis]

We've heard a plenty of criticisms of TM as the season played out, the tinkering, the 34 Year Club, the selecting certain players over others (ie Fortune), the slide etc., but would be interested to know what positives you see in the man. What is it you like about the bloke as manager?

For me:

1. The attempt to play attacking football and the game in the right manner. He wants to entertain and he wants to play quick, flowing football.

2. His post match interviews. For me more often than not he says it exactly as it is and I do feel I have been at the same game as him. With Coleman and Thorn and Boothroyd and Pressley that was never the case. Only Robins and Mowbray of late have been singing from the same hymn sheet as the fans to my mind.

3. I like his leaving attacking players up when we are defending a corner and I like the fact he is willing to take risks and throw bodies forwards if we are chasing a game. He's not afraid to be brave.

4. He seems a really decent bloke. Might seem a little trite and I many well be a softie, but that makes me want him to succeed all the more. If we can have success with a top manager who also appears to be a thoroughly good bloke too, then that I see as a bonus.

Anything else?

 

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[sw88]

He certainly knows how to get teams scoring goals. When was the last time we had such a positive, or a positive at all, goal difference?

 

[Ashdown]

He certainly knows how to get teams scoring goals. When was the last time we had such a positive, or a positive at all, goal difference?

I'm not sure that's quite true, we had a spell where we couldn't score for toffee, something like 4 goals in 10 games. I think his best attribute is that he wants the game to be played in an entertaining fashion, his worst by far is his changing the team every week and preventing a balanced side by doing so.

 

[Brylowes]

I to like the way he sets up to play good attractive football, he comes across as
very honest, when it doesn't go to plan I get the impression it hurts him as much
as us. Felt sorry for him this season, we started out better than he thought
possible IMO , and it was always going to be difficult to maintain it with the
squad he had.
Really hope it works out for him and us this season.

 

[SkyBlue_Bear83]

He has good contacts and well respected in the game which means we can get good loan players and on reflection I think his work in the transfer market has been good.

 

[percy]

so you dont want to hear the cons then
the pros for me:-
honest
old school
respected
experienced
makes no excuses
excepts when hes made mistakes

i like the way that he is going about his business here, and looks like hes surrounded himself with a good backroom

 

[fernandopartridge]

I think he's pretty honest and treats his players with an appropriate level of respect.

 

[dongonzalos]

Jodi Jones
Adam Armstrong
Jacob Murphy
Ryan Kent
Joe Cole
Vincelot
Ben Turner
Bigi

Style of football playing the game the right way

His connections and reputation in the game

Taking Coventry from 17th to 8th
In one season

The balls to get rid of a player if he is upsetting everyone else

 

[Otis]

so you dont want to hear the cons then?

No. Think we have had more than enough of those threads. Was really just trying to focus on his plus points here for a change.

 

[Deleted member 2477]

I ilke his honest opinion of the club and what a shit state the club was in before his arrival.
silly things like the team bus and training ground. He spoke out and rolled his sleeves up to change it telling sisu how it was.

couldn't imagine thorn or pressley doing that

 

[Otis]

I find him a breath of fresh air after Pressley and Thorn.

 

[rupert_bear]

I have criticised on here the
Management of the team, note the word management, starts with the manager but it's a team effort. There are a number of issues that I found alarming the most alarming the failure to arrest that mid season slump which lasted 4 months ffs!! However do I want him sacked ? No. But I want to see significant improvement all round. The first tests for me is recruitment, when you take into account of the 9 released players half were signed in January and hardly played a club like us just can't afford that to be honest, but as said not looking for him to go but TM himself has admitted being surprised about some aspects of this division let's hope he had learned.

 

[mrtrench]

He had the confidence to insist that he had control of the money to spend as he wished;
The best season in a very long time - and no evidence that he had more resources to use than any of the others;
Acknowledged mistakes quickly and acted (Ramage)

 

[rupert_bear]

Were Henderson, Hunt, Lorentzen, Bigiriamma successes then ?

 

[Otis]

I have criticised on here the
Management of the team, note the word management, starts with the manager but it's a team effort. There are a number of issues that I found alarming the most alarming the failure to arrest that mid season slump which lasted 4 months ffs!! However do I want him sacked ? No. But I want to see significant improvement all round. The first tests for me is recruitment, when you take into account of the 9 released players half were signed in January and hardly played a club like us just can't afford that to be honest, but as said not looking for him to go but TM himself has admitted being surprised about some aspects of this division let's hope he had learned.

Yep, agree with a lot of that. Did worry me greatly when he came in with his saying he knew nothing about League One.

Hopefully now with one season under his belt he will be a lot better equipped for the campaign ahead.

 

[skybluetony176]

The fact that he put an identity on the training ground. It was shameful that the ground we rent from a franchised London rugby club had more CCFC identity than a training ground we've owned for decades.

The fact that he's installed a scouting network that won't disappear with him the second he walks out the door for the last time. Whatever he achieves on the field he will always leave the club with a legacy. The scouting network.

The fact that he went to Joy and give it to her straight (insert your own pun here, ooer, I said insert) meaning that for the first time in a long time the people in control of the budget were true footballing people. It's no accident that we've had one of our best seasons in a long long time just as it was no accident that we've had years of decline. This was a big contributing factor in stopping the rot in my opinion.

MV. I think he has to take alot of credit for our progress. I'd like to see him move into the boardroom. I think he'd have been an ideal replacement for SW myself.

Attractive football.

Giving me hope and making me smile.

 

[stupot07]

This thread should just be called "Pros"

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[Otis]

This thread should just be called "Pros"

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Was going to do that, but then thought you might have thought it to be a thread on Hillfields.


The thinking was, Stu, that I knew the cons would be brought up and obviously there would be talk on putting right what he got wrong.

 

[stupot07]

The pro's have been pretty much sorted, so cons:
- inflexible with his tactics at times
- poorish transfer record, especially with permanent signings
- too much rotation of tbr midfield 3
- outcasted some players far too easily

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[Otis]

The pro's have been pretty much sorted, so cons:
- inflexible with his tactics at times
- poorish transfer record, especially with permanent signings
- too much rotation of tbr midfield 3
- outcasted some players far too easily

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I think some permanent signings appear rushed. It was also abundantly clear that we had far too many players right at the end of their careers (Henderson, Ramage, Hunt, Ricketts, Fortune). The balance wasn't right.

I personally didn't have too much of a problem with his tinkering. I think I just set his mind to pick the right team for each game.

Still not sure what happened with JOB, so not so sure on the outcasting. Overall TM seems to be well liked amongst the players.

 

[Otis]

The standing by Ricketts no matter how bad he was, was also a big concern for me. The bloke should have been dropped many games ago.

 

[phildownunder]

We've heard a plenty of criticisms of TM as the season played out, the tinkering, the 34 Year Club, the selecting certain players over others (ie Fortune), the slide etc., but would be interested to know what positives you see in the man. What is it you like about the bloke as manager?

For me:

1. The attempt to play attacking football and the game in the right manner. He wants to entertain and he wants to play quick, flowing football.

2. His post match interviews. For me more often than not he says it exactly as it is and I do feel I have been at the same game as him. With Coleman and Thorn and Boothroyd and Pressley that was never the case. Only Robins and Mowbray of late have been singing from the same hymn sheet as the fans to my mind.

3. I like his leaving attacking players up when we are defending a corner and I like the fact he is willing to take risks and throw bodies forwards if we are chasing a game. He's not afraid to be brave.

4. He seems a really decent bloke. Might seem a little trite and I many well be a softie, but that makes me want him to succeed all the more. If we can have success with a top manager who also appears to be a thoroughly good bloke too, then that I see as a bonus.

Anything else?

When I saw this post heading I thought here we go again "he has form for failures in 2nd half of season" for the umpteenth time. Instead a great post which sums up perfectly my own liking for TM and his football philosophy.

He has certainly got some things wrong this season as listed by Stu and others but like Otis, I want him to succeed. For me football is about entertaining as well as winning. This is the reason I enjoyed the Milne era so much. His teams never won anything but it was great fun watching them.

In this league entertaining alone won`t be enough I know as we need to get out of it, but entertaining and winning are not mutually exclusive, you can do both, and that`s what I`m sure TM will try to do.

Hopefully he has learned a lot about this league this season and will be better equipped next time.

 

[standupforcity]

The standing by Ricketts no matter how bad he was, was also a big concern for me. The bloke should have been dropped many games ago.

Ooops! You're getting negative here Otis. The Ricketts/Martin decisions do seem strange, but I'd prefer to think that TM has a plan and is setting about getting it right for next season. He certainly seems to be moving in the right direction and JJ is a real coup. I'm excited to see who comes in....especially now he has a better idea of what League One is all about.

 

[stupot07]

I think some permanent signings appear rushed. It was also abundantly clear that we had far too many players right at the end of their careers (Henderson, Ramage, Hunt, Ricketts, Fortune). The balance wasn't right.

I personally didn't have too much of a problem with his tinkering. I think I just set his mind to pick the right team for each game.

Still not sure what happened with JOB, so not so sure on the outcasting. Overall TM seems to be well liked amongst the players.

It was stuff like Lamieres being brilliant against sheff utd MOTM then dropped for the next match.

In terms of outcasts, Phillips getting bombed for so long, Tudguy being overlooked fortune, and obviously the JOB situation.

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[Otis]

It was stuff like Lamieres being brilliant against sheff utd MOTM then dropped for the next match.

In terms of outcasts, Phillips getting bombed for so long, Tudguy being overlooked fortune, and obviously the JOB situation.

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Right, got you.

Yeah, the Phillips one was a bit odd. Not quite sure what went on behind the scenes, but he seemed to almost disappear from the club at one point.

I do get the JOB one more. I liked him a lot, but one of the main criticisms of him was always that he lacked disclipine in sticking to a role and that he would often be out of position, earnestly chasing down lost causes and trying to win the ball back all over the park.

Not sure if JOB leaving was down to JOB or down to Mowbray.

Tudgay for me is clearly the better of the two players out of Fortune and himself, so that one always puzzled me.

The Lameiras one though I do tend to agree with. Too lightweight for my liking and I think that's why he flitted in and out of the team.

 

[stevefloyd]

As much as this season disappointed many many many of us, on reflection he has got the club to finish in the top half of a table with a positive goal difference for the 1st time for many a season, his young player finds including the loans seems he has a more than decent scouting network, he has set up the club to be better run behind the scenes (hopefully), he is an honest guy which has been said not trying to bullshit the fans
On the flip side some of his 'older' players let him down badly, he was loyal to them to a point but didn't get rewarded by them so hopefully he learns a lesson or 2 ....names over hunger don't seem to be working .... on our 'dip' he didn't appear to be motivating the players or maybe he did but they just kept letting him down

I have been more than critical because the sky blue blood flowing thro' my veins was desperate for some success for myself and the younger fans well indeed all the Cov fans, sometimes it rules your head but as I say on reflection our highest finish for many a year the summer will hopefully see our team laying the solid foundations of a positive charge up the division, hopefully without the big big dip...exciting times ahead??? I really really hope so because at times this season it was a joy to be a Cov fan again !!

 

[Wyken Sky Blue]

Biggest Con:

Being top of the league in November and not managing to finish in the top 6 after a very poor run of form. With two different clubs.

Sorry but that is inexcusable.

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[Moff]

Pros - Insisting on certain conditions being in place before telling SISU he would become the clubs manager
Attacking football
Honest
Upturn in fortune and better results
Scouting system and good use of the loan system
Giving us hope

Cons
Inflexibility when we hit a slump ......... BUT he will have learnt, I hope, and I have optimism for next season.

 

[standupforcity]

Some cons mentioned don't make sense...1) Inflexible... 'why doesn't he change things'? 2) Tinkerman....'why can't he stick with the same team'? Which is it, he can't be both.

 

[stupot07]

Some cons mentioned don't make sense...1) Inflexible... 'why doesn't he change things'? 2) Tinkerman....'why can't he stick with the same team'? Which is it, he can't be both.

No they are two different things.

1) inflexible is about the tactics, formations, no plan b. Especially when the slide because

2) his tinkerman was throughout the season but still inside the same framework/system/tactics. We would win and play well, then next game the midfield 3 were changed. This happened week in week out.


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[Moff]

Some cons mentioned don't make sense...1) Inflexible... 'why doesn't he change things'? 2) Tinkerman....'why can't he stick with the same team'? Which is it, he can't be both.

Personally I only saw the inflexibility, which like Stu mentioned above, was to do with tactics and formation. I think he has learnt and am hopeful for next season.

 

[smouch1975]

No. Think we have had more than enough of those threads.

Indeed. You after all started most of them

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[Ashdown]

The standing by Ricketts no matter how bad he was, was also a big concern for me. The bloke should have been dropped many games ago.

The continuation of standing by him is even more concerning, especially as he says 'Martin, was not quite up to what he expects'

 

[sw88]

I'm not sure that's quite true, we had a spell where we couldn't score for toffee, something like 4 goals in 10 games. I think his best attribute is that he wants the game to be played in an entertaining fashion, his worst by far is his changing the team every week and preventing a balanced side by doing so.

But even with us leaking silly goals, probably during the same dry scoring spell, we finished in a positive. When was the last time we finished with a positive GD?

 

[covcity4life]

lol otis trying to pretend he didnt want TM's head earlier in season

he plays good football
hes a throwback to good old days of football before money and chavs
he sees the game like i do most of time so interviews are not frustrating
he gives me hope for the future, not something other cov managers have ever done