Rob Edwards Sacked

That training video today makes me think he'd be an excellent coach for young players and a mainly British squad. But he talks very quickly and not sure the foreign players whose English isn't the best will have a clue what he's on about.

Tough gig though, footballers look miserable sods and his enthusiasm was mainly met with stony faced silence. Highlight was him pulling Baah aside and asking him if he remembered him from an England youth training session he took and Baah clearly having no clue who he was and then having to pretend he did.

Edit: obviously I'm only going on his man management skills, I've no idea if those drills they were doing made any sense at all in the world of professional football!

 

You are right - a fish out of water - sacked before the autumn equinox

 

Highlight for me was him asking Cleverley and Cathcart if they need a breather

 

Poor bloke. He’s absolutely phucked, isn’t he.

 

What those videos showed me was that he have 0 leaders in the squad. So much silence, barely any communication on the pitch.

 

Just a group of young blokes mumbling to each other.

 

It's been an issue ever since Deeney left. No voice in the changing room. All quiet shy types. We do need to bring in some characters, but if Mogi Bayat doesn't have any of those....what can you do?

 

Got the impression he see Cleverley and Cathcart as problems. Telling Pollock not to spend time with Cathcart as he moans too much, questioning if Cleverley was ok then telling to get an early night.

Maybe wishful thinking.

Did feel like a youth coach the way he was talking, but perhaps that's just because he's trying to keep it simple with it being day 1 and there being multiple languages

 

Definitely.

I watched the game away at Villa last season on a stream and they had a camera in the tunnel at half time. The Villa players were all talking - looked like they were discussing tactics and getting themselves ready for the second half. Our lot all stood there in silence looking at the floor, with only Sissoko try to get things going. It was pitiful.

 

Surprised by the excitement on Twitter in response to that video, didn't fill me with confidence at all

Edwards seems like a good guy and very enthusiastic but the group he was talking to didn't seem at all interested or impressed.

 

How did that work out for Villa?

 

They stayed up.

 

I got the same impression. I get the feeling he has to win their trust first and foremost. Seems like he's going through the "How to be a manager" hand book, and page 1 is be nice, talk to everyone and make them feel good. But I commend the club for putting out the video and it's brave recording his first team talk with a new set of players.

 

What I’ve taken from that, admittedly very raw and early-doors, video is that Edwards is unlikely to be the problem. He’s a likeable, vocal guy who is trying to get a stubborn (in some cases) and shy (in other cases) bunch to attempt new things.

But as others have pointed out, we need 2-3 vocal players in the group who have a good but relaxed attitude to knit it all together. Not hard to see that people like Deeney and Chalobah did that. I would expect WTE to be that kind of player. He could be a conduit for Edwards - but we undoubtedly need more characters.

Yes Cleverley and Cathcart are experienced - but they are mute more often than not. Same went for Sissoko last season.

 

The look on Samirs face as Edwards was talking about "lashing diags" was priceless

 

I admit there was a small part of me watching that video thinking ‘omg, this guy just wants to be everybody's friend (call me Rob etc) and the players looked disengaged and worst still maybe thinking ‘well we’ve seen off seven coaches, this one won’t stick around either’.

After more considered reflection though, I’m of the opinion that change is rarely an overnight thing. The Edwards era will take time to establish itself. We currently are what we are, a squad relegated last season, confidence low, possibly up to a third of them won’t be here after the window shuts (if we include those already gone). As others have said, we also lack leaders too. Still time to address that. Footballers are human too, this was their first day/days back after their summer break. Bound to be some lethargy. What I saw in the video were two coaches, fresh from a success elsewhere last year, bursting with ideas, encouraging everybody including the younger players frozen out by Hodgson, trying to lift team morale. Change will take time and night not be pain free, but my goodness after the gloom of the RH time in charge, that video was a breath of fresh air.

 

Much like this forum.

 

Masina would’ve stormed out.

 

He'll get the usual 6-10 games.

 

He will get the whole season. People will be surprised.

 

If we stay in the top 6, then yes

 

You win nothing with kids

 

That will please Nath

 

Clearly I was referring to that game specifically.

 

I've been worried by this ownership for a little while but this summer I truly feel like is a turning point in that they have completely ******* lost it. You get one shot at promotion with the largest parachute payment, after that you are essentially competing against 3 prem clubs each new season.

We have sold two players who would be key championship players, that we could have easily afforded to keep (whole point of the 50% wage reduction we built into contracts and lost players over), whilst having no plans to hold on to Dennis/Sarr. That's well over £50M in, yet we seemingly plan to not suitably replace any of these players. We want to build the squad around aging crap and completely underwhelming young players. We were DREADFUL last time out in the Championship for large spells and got bailed out by having Hughes, Capoue, Sarr and Brentford shitting the bed.

This time we genuinely want to go into the season with Cleverley, Gosling, WTE, Cathcart as key players. It's ludicrous. We do not have the centre backs capable of playing in a back 3, we have one championship standard midfielder, and (currently) one striker yet they are talking about not needing to do much in the market.

Duxbury spoke about winning the league yet wants to give large sets of minutes to the likes of TDB, Hungbo (doesn't even have a position in Edwards sysyem), Pollock. It's going to be a real **** show this year.

 

Christ, there are a number of huge red flags here already

 

I like Edwards but he's clearly so happy to have got the gig that he's letting them get away with whatever they want. Silva has been the only coach we've ever had to tell the owners exactly what he thinks when it comes to our "recruitment".

 

Yeah i'm of exactly the same opinion, seems a really good guy but a little too "happy to be here" and I think both the hierarchy and some of the players will walk all over him as a result

 

Given that he wanted us to get used to the system we'll be playing straight away, then I'm guessing this will be the formation we'll mostly be utilising this season?

In which case it's actually more of a 3142, rather than a 3412 i.e. without a no.10 in behind the strikers. In which case it'd provide another reason why Zinc was sold (albeit for too little).

I wonder where that would leave JP though? I guess competing for one of the 2 CFs spots even though playing as a 10 would have been ideal.

 

There's two contrasting images shown. Later? there is one that is definitely 3-4-1-2 with Quina in the 10. Not unlikely we will be working on both.

 

Looks good other than the fact we haven't got a single defensive midfielder in the squad to cover in behind those very high wing backs!