Post by RD on Apr 21, 2021 9:06:19 GMT
Don't worry! I can hear the collective groan from here - "not another Barton bashing post from RD - give it a rest!".
Don't get me wrong, this is about Barton - but I hope it's taken in the spirit intended; and that's the reason for starting a new thread, rather than adding to the "BARTON OUT" thread - that was always like to get people's backs up if they support him, so I'm hoping a fresh thread, approached in a different tone, might lead to a more constructive discussion.
Firstly let me start by saying that Barton's interview last night was a decent one. It's the first time I've heard him accept any blame, which was a pleasant surprise.
Let me also say that I 100% get the argument around this not being Barton's team, and that Garner and Tisdale (to a lesser extent) had an opportunity to do something about it, whilst Barton hasn't. It's a perfectly fair point.
My gripe has always been that - whilst this group of players is definitely horrendous - he could (and should in my opinion) have picked up more points than we have. I know many will say that's down to the quality of the players, and by and large I agree. However, the players have also lacked motivation - and for me that blame lies with Barton. At the very least, if he's as good as people believe him to be, he should be capable of getting this group to give 100%.
Last night (and many other occasions) this group of players failed to do that. And for me - it's quite obvious why. From the moment Barton's come in, he's slated all and sundry publicly. Not once did I ever think that was a clever move - it might work on one or two individuals, but the likelihood of it working on the squad as a whole was almost zero. Even if you argue he was slating the prior managers (effectively deflecting the blame from the players), he was still saying they had been trained poorly - he said they were "setup to fail"; if I were a player, that would come across to me that I was doomed to fail - that the chances of survival were bleak. We were even told we had "Everest" to climb - despite being just outside of the relegation zone at the time. Whilst you can argue this was designed to motivate and get the players fighting, it can also create the picture of an uphill, ultimately futile, nigh-on impossible struggle. For me, Barton has got it totally wrong on this front from day one. It doesn't matter if what he says is true, or whether we agree with it - any one of you or I could be employed as manager of BRFC if that's all that's required. His job isn't to tell it how it is, it's to pick up points - and for me his public outbursts have only made this increasingly challenging, as has been backed up by results and our relegation to League Two with three games to spare (and almost certainly finishing bottom of the entire league). I have no issue (by and large) with what has been said publicly, but it should have been said at the end of the season. It achieved nothing saying it prior to that (in fact it's almost certainly had a detrimental effect) and comes across entirely as shirking the blame and ensuring that no fingers are pointed at him.
All said and done, I can forgive all that - I really hope he learns from it and - next season - it will be his team, and so he has nowhere to hide in that sense.
Therefore, all said and done, I am to an extent happy to give him the summer/next season to assemble his own side. Do I think he can assemble a decent one? Yes - I do actually (pick your jaws up off the floor), as I do think he has the right contacts and knowledge to identify players to not only improve us (extremely simple task to be fair), but also give us a fighting chance of competing next season.
But here's the problem.
Even ignoring the fact that there is a court case hanging over him that could see him sent down (pretty big issue), he is a HUGELY ambitious individual. Of course there is nothing wrong whatsoever in that alone. But it does lead me to feel that - once a fairly decent offer comes in - he will be more than happy to move on. And let's be honest, any offer to leave this sh*te club of ours is therefore likely to qualify as a decent one. What's more, IF he doesn't get sent down/is found not guilty, his stock will instantly rise, leading to an increased likelihood of someone else coming in for him - so it's almost a lose-lose situation for us.
Now don't get me wrong, that risk (i.e. someone poaching your manager) will always exist on the face of it. But Barton wants COMPLETE control. It was one thing giving that to Garner had he demanded it (as he probably would have stuck around for the long-term), but it's another thing giving it to someone who may get sent down, or jump ship at the earliest opportunity. Let's not forget that he's miles away from home, and didn't say no when asked if he regretted taking the job last night...!
So here is where I am at:
- Am I prepared to give Barton the time to re-build the squad and make it his own: YES
- Should we?: I honestly don't know. For me it's an unbelievable risk - possibly the biggest Rovers have taken for generations.
I welcome thoughts around this from others who are more vocal in their support of Barton
Don't get me wrong, this is about Barton - but I hope it's taken in the spirit intended; and that's the reason for starting a new thread, rather than adding to the "BARTON OUT" thread - that was always like to get people's backs up if they support him, so I'm hoping a fresh thread, approached in a different tone, might lead to a more constructive discussion.
Firstly let me start by saying that Barton's interview last night was a decent one. It's the first time I've heard him accept any blame, which was a pleasant surprise.
Let me also say that I 100% get the argument around this not being Barton's team, and that Garner and Tisdale (to a lesser extent) had an opportunity to do something about it, whilst Barton hasn't. It's a perfectly fair point.
My gripe has always been that - whilst this group of players is definitely horrendous - he could (and should in my opinion) have picked up more points than we have. I know many will say that's down to the quality of the players, and by and large I agree. However, the players have also lacked motivation - and for me that blame lies with Barton. At the very least, if he's as good as people believe him to be, he should be capable of getting this group to give 100%.
Last night (and many other occasions) this group of players failed to do that. And for me - it's quite obvious why. From the moment Barton's come in, he's slated all and sundry publicly. Not once did I ever think that was a clever move - it might work on one or two individuals, but the likelihood of it working on the squad as a whole was almost zero. Even if you argue he was slating the prior managers (effectively deflecting the blame from the players), he was still saying they had been trained poorly - he said they were "setup to fail"; if I were a player, that would come across to me that I was doomed to fail - that the chances of survival were bleak. We were even told we had "Everest" to climb - despite being just outside of the relegation zone at the time. Whilst you can argue this was designed to motivate and get the players fighting, it can also create the picture of an uphill, ultimately futile, nigh-on impossible struggle. For me, Barton has got it totally wrong on this front from day one. It doesn't matter if what he says is true, or whether we agree with it - any one of you or I could be employed as manager of BRFC if that's all that's required. His job isn't to tell it how it is, it's to pick up points - and for me his public outbursts have only made this increasingly challenging, as has been backed up by results and our relegation to League Two with three games to spare (and almost certainly finishing bottom of the entire league). I have no issue (by and large) with what has been said publicly, but it should have been said at the end of the season. It achieved nothing saying it prior to that (in fact it's almost certainly had a detrimental effect) and comes across entirely as shirking the blame and ensuring that no fingers are pointed at him.
All said and done, I can forgive all that - I really hope he learns from it and - next season - it will be his team, and so he has nowhere to hide in that sense.
Therefore, all said and done, I am to an extent happy to give him the summer/next season to assemble his own side. Do I think he can assemble a decent one? Yes - I do actually (pick your jaws up off the floor), as I do think he has the right contacts and knowledge to identify players to not only improve us (extremely simple task to be fair), but also give us a fighting chance of competing next season.
But here's the problem.
Even ignoring the fact that there is a court case hanging over him that could see him sent down (pretty big issue), he is a HUGELY ambitious individual. Of course there is nothing wrong whatsoever in that alone. But it does lead me to feel that - once a fairly decent offer comes in - he will be more than happy to move on. And let's be honest, any offer to leave this sh*te club of ours is therefore likely to qualify as a decent one. What's more, IF he doesn't get sent down/is found not guilty, his stock will instantly rise, leading to an increased likelihood of someone else coming in for him - so it's almost a lose-lose situation for us.
Now don't get me wrong, that risk (i.e. someone poaching your manager) will always exist on the face of it. But Barton wants COMPLETE control. It was one thing giving that to Garner had he demanded it (as he probably would have stuck around for the long-term), but it's another thing giving it to someone who may get sent down, or jump ship at the earliest opportunity. Let's not forget that he's miles away from home, and didn't say no when asked if he regretted taking the job last night...!
So here is where I am at:
- Am I prepared to give Barton the time to re-build the squad and make it his own: YES
- Should we?: I honestly don't know. For me it's an unbelievable risk - possibly the biggest Rovers have taken for generations.
I welcome thoughts around this from others who are more vocal in their support of Barton