Another lack lustre display when favourites

Criticism is fine but it's whether the criticism is justified.

90% of the time posters look at the game with hindsight and say "if they'd done x, y and z" like I thought then we would have won. They will then criticise our manager and team harshly for not doing plan x, y or z (without any chance of us ever playing that fixture again with plan x, y or z so effectively they're covered and can trumpet and applaud their tactical nous and if only Clarke would hand them the reigns we'd win every game....

...oh yeah. Winning every game. Is it possible? If we lose, we seem to work off the premise that we could have won if we had done something else. What if nothing would have worked? We are playing other teams with their own game plan. Where did this belief in people minds spring up that all games are winnable if the right tactics are employed. I doubt there is any instruction a manager could give me, a mid thirties 17 stone man, to beat a wing back. No words of encouragement or positioning can make me run faster than 5mph. I am just suggesting that people might want to consider phrases like "their midfield two played ours off the park" rather than "I said we should have played a three - he's got that wrong". Yes, but we would have been skinned up the wings if we did and lost anyway. Just please a little more humility. Please consider you would make mistakes.

Lastly, it's the inept nature of the criticism and its often tiresome repeating of obvious things. Not passing forwards is my favourite. Does this mean hoof it then? If we hoof it, we should have played it on the floor. If a player doesn't play, and he's fairly good, that's why we lost (despite not knowing what's going on for that player - he could be tired but also, low and behold, he might have had a row with the Missis or any nature of issues putting off his game. We don't know, do we, yet we demand his inclusion and claim our Manager is wrong on the basis of a wisp of information.

I gues I am saying that a lot of the criticism isn't justified. It's a hangover from the Higgs era perhaps when it was.

I like that programme tipping point although I find that Ben Shepheard to be a bit purvey with some of the young ladies!
Now then now then.

exactly right

and some forget - our promotion push in April/May last season was without Sincs 

"Worked wonders to improve the squad" - not much evidence of improving the front line. The permanent signings (Moore, Partington, Burn) are nothing better than average otherwise they would have been played more. Out of probably ten permanent & loan signings only 2 have proved to be good. Roos, Boeteng, Colkett, Jones? (Swansea) et al were average at very best. With the exeception of the top 4/5 clubs in this league it is pretty mediocre division with the bottom 6 very poor.  "Worked wonders " I don't think so. Let's hope he can work wonders in the summer because if he doesn't we will be in trouble next season.

IMO DC has worked wonders with the budget and players at his disposal, I am amazed we are 9th, I guess when the other teams currently below us play their games in hand, we will finish about mid table which is fantastic, seeing we have not had a goal scorer since the snake went south. We all know had the snake stayed James would not have got a kick. DC knows what he needs and it is know down to WAQ to give him some decent money to bring in better permanent players; however, I am not sure WAQ likes spending money on players, so it is likely we will be either looking for free transfers, kids out of the academies or 12 month loans, which is not a great strategy for getting into the championship. I also have a feeling WAQ might have to spend most of the summer "again" trying to hang onto DC, as well as convince the UWE they should sell him a plot of land below its market value.

I don't think your being provocative particularly I'm just surprised that you don't think DC has worked wonders to keep us in the top half and pushing for play offs all season after winning b to b promotions.
He's done that and he's done that with the squad he's built.
Some on here saying we need to ship out half our squad and bring a new half in just don't seem to appreciate how DC has achieved what he's achieved in these last 3 seasons.
If he does tear everything up he's built in the summer and ship out half our squad I'll be very surprised and I also think we'll do worse than if he does what he always does.

We were awful on Saturday reminded me of the Charlton match big away following but the team didn't turn up it happened at Portsmouth last season it's as if the team can't handle the pressure, sh**e innit!!

Problem is we don't know what budget DC's he could have worked wonder or not spent it wisely or just not spent it all, he's brought in some odd loan signings, Roos,James, Colkett Boateng & Roberts and even odder permanent signings Moore, Burn, Harris & Partington plus the jury is out on Hartley, meaning instead of improving the starting 11 we've still got a team made up mainly of the Conference side, bar Sweeney & Lumley all our best players were at the club last summer, if they depart this summer we'll finish up with a squad no better than we ended last season's meaning instead of adding a few players to a decent squad DC as a big rebuilding project in the summer.   

I do find it laughable when people keep talking about Conference players because the only relevant thing in that is the fact they played when we were in the Conference and DC has worked wonders in getting us to where we are now because when he took over we were relegated from League 2- for which John Ward was to blame as when DC took over he could not bring in any players and had little chance of saving us from relegation.
I still think that DC was not the man to save us from that fate as it needed an experienced fire fighter at that time who could have brought in a couple of non contract players to turn things around. However we have to look at what DC has done and he has not only got us back to where we were under Ward but has taken us to our highest position for years- A brilliant achievement without doubt.
The point I am making is that those Conference players are no longer Conference standard players but are now now mostly basic League 1 standard and what is important now is weeding out those that can't go higher and making some quality signings that can take us higher.
Looking at our squad I would say that they should be rated as following
Mildenhall- At his prime could go forward with us but is now at the age where he maybe could have a couple of seasons at League 2 or Conference level.
Puddy- Now he is a Conference standard keeper who should be released.
Lumley- Well capable of taking the step up and would be a fantastic signing if QPR are willing to release but at the moment we don't know. If DC could get him it would be a fantastic signing.
Sweeney- Another who would be a fantastic but very unlikely signing who could take us forward and probably will be a great Championship centre half but unlikley to make the Premiership and that is what gives us a slight hope of signing him if we are able to spend some real money.
James Clarke - I would say a League 2 defender who I doubt could go any higher than we are now but may be useful to retain as a squad player.
Leadbitter, Brown, Lockyer, Ollie Clarke, Sinclair, Moore, Montano, Gaffney, Harrison, Lines, Bodin - All these should now be considered as League 1 standard players who can at least play a part to maintain our current position and could form the nucleus of a side to push us forward with the right additions.
Hartley- Probably a good League 2 centre half
Burn, Partington, Both could be good enough to push us forward but not seen enough to say.
Easter, Mansell - Still think Easter is a League 1 player who could play for another year as a squad player whilst Mansell is a League 2 standard player now who should be released or because of his attitude should be kept on as a coach or potential coach.
Gosling Conference standard-Release
James Only League 1 or probably 2 standard
This assessment IMO shows just how far DC has brought us and HIMSELF on but we have now reached the stage where both Manager and players are at a Challenging level and none are proven above this level. Can DC go on to a higher level? Potentially he could be a future Premiership Manager but what we don't know at the moment is whether when given money he is capable of getting the better standard players which is why I think we will retain his services at least next season.