Problem is the good stuff is being very quickly overshadowed by an abysmal end of season.
Everything is sweetness when we are moving up the league, but the manager earns his corn when turning it around. At the moment nothing is screaming he can turn it around.
Both interviews with Matt Cecil and Sam Avery are absolutely superb. You can really feel his anger and frustration. His will to win is really impressive, and I love how he cuts through all the bullshit.
In the interview with Avery I admire his restraint in not calling out any of the half-hearted shirkers by name and instead namechecks a player (Josh Scowen) who leads by example. We all know what an exceptional professional Josh is.
He has the distinction of having not just talked the talk, but walked the walk. A player for 20 years, over 600 appearances having dropped to eighth-tier Carterton Town after being released from three clubs youth systems for being too small. He persevered and went on to be promoted twice with Cheltenham Town and three times to the Premier League with Burnley, whilst also playing international football.
He’s done it as a manager too, leading Cheltenham Town to promotion and Barnsley to a League One play-off final.
I have absolutely no doubt Michael Duff is the right man for the job and given the time and support, he will bring success to Wycombe Wanderers.
I have plenty of doubt he’ll be given the opportunity however.
“Wasted 10 months of their lives”.
And ours Mike, and ours.
I think Duff will still be here next season, AP might be mobbed by a throng of burning chair wielding locals if the jinky boys stay and another side-side-back manager comes in.
Can I ask what makes you feel so confident, when we are on an awful run of form, which he clearly is struggling to arrest.
It seems, he is unable to manage the players he has got, for a variety of reasons
And, when we look at his recent record, hes been sacked at his 2 most recent clubs and not made a season.
I dont want him gone, but hes not giving out positive vibes.
Hes a canny chap, perhaps he’s negotiated a £24 million Rosenior style payoff, is tired of Ricey saying: ‘ You have to play Fink and Lowry…’ and wants the summer off and enough money for World Cup tickets?
He just has to be slightly careful about how his interviews have moved from being widely well received to becoming a bit more on the blame everyone else fare.
Hopefully just rightful frustration of how we’ve petered out into a half fit half interested badly balanced mob post Bolton.
Great point.
Need to remember the last guy before thinking about the next one!
Absolutely, Lincoln scored 4 goals from 33% possession. We’ve been ineffective in both boxes far too often.
Tbf I’d have been absolutely frothing if I was manager and the players gave up the 12 goals in 5 games we’ve all seen. Utterly horrifying defending and goalkeeping.
To be fair to Duff we have lost a lot of important players , if we are paying silly money for some players maybe he can question their attitude . I’ve heard Junior has caused a few problems at the club .
Wow, you wonder what on earth is going on.
He surely means the ones in the squad not the Lowry ones as they’re out of the picture anyway!
To repeatedly pick loanee or out of contract players when we have nothing to play for is quite something. He’s really hammering the nail into the likes of Lowry, Van Sas and co.
Separately, what’s this about fining players before Christmas and not after Christmas? Bizarre comment, that.
A few reasons…
Yes he can’t exactly blame any lack of effort in training from Lowry, van Sas etc for our recent slump as they haven’t played a minute.
I guess we have to look at the players he doesn’t seem to want to currently pick for the side despite their talents - Henderson, Mullins, Allen etc.
I just don’t see us winning matches next season if we’re relying on the likes of Scowen, Leahy, Harris and Woodrow. They’re all fine as part of a team but none of them are match winners.
For me Duff and the players are all just in a horribly mis matched club bought about by the senior management group.
We have a squad of players assembled via a data model for a manager who they sacked. That data model clearly values technical ability and for the most part has worked. It clearly gave no influence to the character traits all top sides need.
They then do an about turn to change not just the manager but the type of manager. A manager who values non data driven values. There is no data model on being late for training or dragging a less willing team mate to greater heights.
Remember the Jan 25 transfer window was conducted with no manager in place. Summer 25 was based on a different manager and style. Jan 26 was more about moving on from some and hoping it improved the culture. Was the Morley transfer one Duff really wanted.
Duff needs the support of those same people now. Let’s be honest the huge spectre of what could be was personified by Sonny Bradley today. A winner but one we had but we’re unable or unwilling to keep. All options are now on the table. I wonder if the club will back the manager or the vision. Remember not one academy player has made a Duff squad recently.
That caught my attention too. My understanding is the fines system within a professional dressing room is managed by one, or more, senior players.
My interpretation is one, or more, of those players has not been consistent in applying those fines before, and then after Christmas.
Yes. This was my interpretation too. Worrying.
Well two are loanees and one will be a morale guy on the bench.
Scowen could quite easily be a good starter.
Everything will look hugely different if we stumble across 2 or 3 very physical, very spot on character quality players.
