Martin Allen out Stuart Pearce in!

[DefinitionofX]

Good afternoon folks,

With our early season gloom progressively getting worse, one can only hope it gets better? With things as they are they clearly won't, Martin needs to pack his bags and get the hell out of town, for we're not settling with this! I can't endure a second more of this campaign already, so make it stop already.

Stuart Pearce is the true psycho we need at the helm!

[Garawa]

Lol, welcome to the board. I was very sceptical when Martin Allen was appointed and our form last season kind of made my concerns irrelevant. I think it is too early to start panicking about changing the manager as we have had a tough start but we shouldn't have lost to Colchester or threw away the lead so badly at Crawley which makes the results look far worse. If we don't beat Bradford a week Saturday then I feel people will start to call for changes. We are set up to not lose rather than win which just about took us over the line last season but isn't working this time out. I heard all isn't well behind the scenes so we shall see!

[Rimshot]

Sorry to play the broken record again but this precisely what we saw with Scally and Pulis. A previously successful manager getting little or no backing when the going gets tough. Scally simply does not have any interest in football, it's all about personal income. It will be no surprise when they fall out and watch this space for another lawsuit and another giant bill to the club when we lose it.
In the latest farce, having lost a race relations case on such clear grounds - if you don't follow proper procedure you are stuffed - we then unaccountably went to appeal. Another sodding great chunk of of GFC money gone in a lost cause.
It's that kind of lunatic waste of cash, purely because Scally can't abide anyone besting him, that makes me despondent about the future.
We can't afford players but we can afford lawyers, consultants, Bentleys, a set of Chairman's quarters fit for the Premiership and regular first class air return fares to Dubai for the Scally entourage.

[DefinitionofX]

Great posts guys, as the great Martin Luther King, Jr. once said "Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?". I totally share your sentiments that Paul Scally is only interested in pocketing money for his own fanfare rather than digging deep and putting money towards the club. It's always convenient how he'll find the money out of nowhere to invest if gates are down but not when we should ideally have invested, IE start of the transfer window etc..

I think King was right, just what is Scally doing for the club that we'd find so detrimental if he wasn't doing it?

[Garawa]

I do agree with that, really I do. I still believe however (as mentioned more on another thread) that all Chairman to some degree use the club for their own gains even those perceived to be good head of clubs. Everyone has affection for Dave Whelan but he was no different, using the club to push the profile of JJB. I don't have an issue with Mr Scally taking a living from the club as someone else would do it instead but he does have a propensity to cost us silly needless money and I am sure most people see a much needed new signing is being taken up instead in expenses for the Chairman, something that will always alienate him from supporters.

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

I don't agree with those who want Allen to leave.This is the man that has given us our first Trophy in 50 years.Im not pleased with our start,or the style of play at the moment.But in my opinion Allen deserves the full season unless we're rock bottom by Christmas.I feel we lack quality in the side,but it's not like Allen does not want to bring in quality.He wanted to sign Sam Baldock,Aidan Flint,Emile Sinclair,and Marlon Pack.What has stopped him is the lack of money being given for some reason.It may be we used alot of money up on Cody or the debt.We do need more pace in the side,a leader in midfield like David Wright,and maybe a pacy CB that has played in League one to give us another option.Alternatively we could try Davies with either Legge or Barrett.So far Legge and Barrett as a partnership seems too slow for League one level.It worked brilliantly for League 2,but so far not at League 1.A new manager would want his own players,and we would have to pay for a decent manager as there is nothing much out of work.Also Allen is the best out there at keeping Teams up.Worse managers than Allen have been given a lot longer,and for achieving a lot less.

[Garawa]

I am very sceptical over a lot of what Martin Allen says to be honest! Much materialises into nothing! He promissed a giant flag for the Rainham End and said many things that turned out to not happen or be true. He has cast aside some of our best players and Callum Davies looks to be next. I know for certain that a lot is just to curry favour with the fans and it worked! I don't believe we should be getting shot at this stage and he has more than earned this chance (although I believe with the extra backing Hessy might also have achieved promotion). I just hope his comments don't back to haunt him about not firefighting for a change and nothing has truly altered the concerns I had from last season.

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

I thought Hess was backed on and off the field really well.I remember looking on the back of the programme and seeing around 30 players on there.He brought in Cody,Bayo,Whelpdale,Lee,Lawrence,Frampton,Kedwell,Martin,all good quality.Not once in Hessy's two seasons did we look like being top 7.I love Hess,But don't think we would have gone up last season with him.I don't think we would have ground out wins at places like Dagenham,Wycombe,Northampton etc like we did under Allen.We underachieved under Hess and he got longer than any other manager when it was obvious that February we would not be going up.That's why I feel its harsh for some to want Allen to leave when he has just given us success.Yeah he does exagerate things,but he is the best equipped to keep us up withe the amount of times he has saved Barnet,then Notts County and Brentford.

[gillsfan1066]

Martin Allen got us back to the 1st in style, he managed our promotion side in a very similar way Sir Alex managed Manchester United in the early years, never putting out the same side two games consecutively, keeping everyone on their toes and was very successful, just like Allen was last year.
Allen has not forgotten how to coach, and if I remember rite Wolves panicked when they got off to a bad start and fired Mick McCarthy after about 11 games of the season and they have been in free fall ever since until now .
Scally won't fire Allen , even if we God forbid got relegated he would give him another chance to bring us back, that's his way of doing things.
Winning the Division last year I thought Allen might have got rid of the good manager at avoiding relegation but can not win anything tag, looking at our present position I hope he did not throw the tag too far, he might be the guy we need to fight relegation again this year.
I think Scally and Allen may have underestimated the quality of the First Division, and I think Hessy must take some of the blame for that, wasn't he in charge of player scouting for the last couple of years ?
I guess we need to Carry on and not panic till the transfer window opens in January , and in the mean time hopefully we can get a few wins to keep us above the relegation zone , bring in a few GOOD players on loan, not players who are looking for long term contracts for next year, but maybe 12 weeks enough to keep us up, so we can permanently rebuild over the next 10/12 months.
Come on M A , get us a result at Coventry, (Northampton) on Sunday, open the gates and let the lads shoot on site, spread the field and run Coventry off the park, 20 shots, 12 on goal and a 3-1 win, lets get this season started.

[Rimshot]

I agree with that; Allen must be supported through this period, but not just by the fans !

[Garawa]

He brought in Cody,Bayo,Whelpdale,Lee,Lawrence,Frampton,Kedwell,Martin,all good quality.Not once in Hessy's two seasons did we look like being top 7

I agree Steve, but I believe Martin Allen's players have cost more once wages etc are taking into account. It's not just on the field either, he spent a fortune inside the stadium when the previous season we were asking for donations of pencils!! I think under Hess it was a couple of bad runs that ruined each campaign, Bradford were promoted with less points than Hessy secured the season before. Thanks to our start a similar bad run at the end of last season (continuing this season) didn't affect us, it really felt like we were the leading car in a race out of fuel creeping towards the line and had Port Vale not done the same we would have finished second.

What I cannot work out is if he made a name of saving clubs (especially in League 1) why haven't we won yet? He can come in and make a team win in their first game but not us in 8 and if were 8 games from the drop we would be doomed!? We should have held on at Crawley but we sounded like we was always going to throw it away. The same tactics from last season are being used this season and we have no alternatives to it available.

This all sounds critical and it isn't meant to be, just trying to figure out what is puzzling me! He did a good job last season as he had the backing and it isn't time to change now but things have to get better and not just from the players!

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

I didn`t know Allen had brought stuff for the Stadium,what did he buy? I agree we stumbled across the line,for some reason I don't know why we did.Our great start is what won the League as we had that cushion.I still feel he deserves time to turn it around.We need to change our style a bit as we hoof it too much,when we played it on the ground on Saturday we looked better.

[Garawa]

There are tons of bits of perspex with the club crest on and he had rooms repainted with the club crest on the wall as well. Apparently, he also bought mats with the badge on but had to get them from abroad at great expense because he couldn't find one locally!!!! When it came to the giant flag we were meant to get, he had spent the money and was told no, this before he bought any players in! ha ha!

Personally I think you do need those type of things to instill an identity into the players but it was very surprising when compared to before when asked people to help for free!

[Kent_UckyFriedGills]

They do look nice,but it must have cost a fortune.Yeah I remember reading before if the Club could borrow stationary etc.

[Garawa]

Well that says it all! We need more midfielders and he transfer lists 4 including 2 he purchased in the summer. Bonkers!