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Welcome Ian Baraclough To Fir Park


davkel
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I don't seem that bad anymore, do I?

 

Re.Baraclough, I'm pretty scunnered tbh.

 

We've seen none of the promised possession football and high pressing and barring 20 minute cameos, very little in the way of young players getting a run.

 

What we have seen, however, is the exact same as McCall. More hoofball, 4-4-2, erratic substitutions, failure to bench Lasley, Sutton and McManus and being caught on the counter constantly.

 

He obviously needs time to implement his ideas but it's not been inspiring so far.

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What we have seen, however, is the exact same as McCall. More hoofball, 4-4-2, erratic substitutions, failure to bench Lasley, Sutton and McManus and being caught on the counter constantly.

 

Is that surprising? That will not change much until Kenny Black's influence is diminished.

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I've liked what I've heard so far from Baraclough but I was a bit disappointed in his comments yesterday regarding losing in an acceptable way. Other than the spell after Thomas came on we offered very little and could have very easily been on the end of a heavy defeat. We had very little possession and seemed unable to string passes together.

 

Perhaps he's looking at things as a newcomer and seeing us playing the team at the top of the league with a much bigger budget and it's me that needs to adjust expectations but I'm used to used to us being on a par or better than Aberdeen and the likes. At the very least I'm looking for us to make some meaningful chances before considering a performance as being acceptable even if we lose.

 

Anyway, I didn't expect anything from yesterday and know it will take a while to get the passing pressing game together, or at least some players in or more available for selection. Happy to give him a chance but we obviously have different views on what is considered acceptable.

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I don't seem that bad anymore, do I?

 

Re.Baraclough, I'm pretty scunnered tbh.

 

We've seen none of the promised possession football and high pressing and barring 20 minute cameos, very little in the way of young players getting a run.

 

What we have seen, however, is the exact same as McCall. More hoofball, 4-4-2, erratic substitutions, failure to bench Lasley, Sutton and McManus and being caught on the counter constantly.

 

He obviously needs time to implement his ideas but it's not been inspiring so far.

 

Of course he needs time to change the way we play - these things take a full pre-season plus a few months of actual game time.

 

Moreoever, even if we had a team full of players able to implement it, when you are struggling and confidence is low, players typically revert to type and go back to their bad habits. It's a difficult cycle to break and won't disappear for some time yet.

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I think you are overestimating the role an assistant manager plays other than doing exactly what his boss tells him.

 

Ordinarily yes, but not in this case I would suggest.

 

I don't know how much Ian Baraclough knew about the squad before he signed on the dotted line but I would guess not that much. On starting he may have gleaned information directly from the players themselves and perhaps the physio he may have had access to Stuart McCall's files. I don't know. However, its almost certain that he would have relied very heavily on Kenny Black's advice. How much would he know about Luke Watt or David Ferguson for example? Now the team doesn't seem to be playing much differently from when SM was in charge. Unless the players themselves have heavily influenced tactics and team line ups by their comments then I would suggest KB was the source of much of this information and advice.

 

IB has only had a few games in charge but by now he's bound to be forming his own opinions surely. I would doubt very much if his own thinking is identical to Kenny Black's given their different backgrounds etc. So up until now I would expect Kenny Black to have had a much more comprehensive input into team selection and tactics than he would normally do as a No 2. That will change. Its very possible that IB will conclude that more or less sticking to the normal "Fir Park" way of doing things hasn't worked this season and its time to change things a bit.

 

 

 

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Ordinarily yes, but not in this case I would suggest.

 

I don't know how much Ian Baraclough knew about the squad before he signed on the dotted line but I would guess not that much. On starting he may have gleaned information directly from the players themselves and perhaps the physio he may have had access to Stuart McCall's files. I don't know. However, its almost certain that he would have relied very heavily on Kenny Black's advice. How much would he know about Luke Watt or David Ferguson for example? Now the team doesn't seem to be playing much differently from when SM was in charge. Unless the players themselves have heavily influenced tactics and team line ups by their comments then I would suggest KB was the source of much of this information and advice.

 

IB has only had a few games in charge but by now he's bound to be forming his own opinions surely. I would doubt very much if his own thinking is identical to Kenny Black's given their different backgrounds etc. So up until now I would expect Kenny Black to have had a much more comprehensive input into team selection and tactics than he would normally do as a No 2. That will change. Its very possible that IB will conclude that more or less sticking to the normal "Fir Park" way of doing things hasn't worked this season and its time to change things a bit.

 

 

Our best result and performance this season was when Kenny Black was in charge. The stick this guy gets is all speculation, hearsay or pure scapegoat stuff.

 

We've not performed all season with three different managers in charge. I'm afraid it's down to the individual players now and no one else. So many not trying, so many making terrible mistakes, so many not anywhere near playing to standards they have already established.

 

Kenny Black is not responsible for Fraser Kerr passing it straight to an Aberdeen players playing it out from the back or for Stephen McManus dozing off standing next to a guy that's scored 19 goals this season.

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Kenny Black is not responsible for Fraser Kerr passing it straight to an Aberdeen players playing it out from the back or for Stephen McManus dozing off standing next to a guy that's scored 19 goals this season.

 

Of course not but he's bound to have had a significant say in selecting him in a position to which he has proved unsuited in the past.

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Of course not but he's bound to have had a significant say in selecting him in a position to which he has proved unsuited in the past.

 

Pure speculation without any basis other than a dislike of Kenny Black (the same guy who was McCall's assistant when we finished 3rd in the league and 2nd in the league beating our best points total).

 

I didn't hear anyone bigging him up when we we beat Aberdeen in the last game of last season.

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Pure speculation without any basis other than a dislike of Kenny Black (the same guy who was McCall's assistant when we finished 3rd in the league and 2nd in the league beating our best points total).

 

I didn't hear anyone bigging him up when we we beat Aberdeen in the last game of last season.

Poor retort to a relevant point. If Mr Baraclough has selected Ketamine Kerr for that role unadvised we may well have made the wrong managerial appointment for some time...

 

As for your reference to our last game of the season victory - that will be the same game where he helped preside over a performance where we were 30 seconds away from not having a shot at goal in a game we had to win?

 

Steven Hammell heralded his continued appointment which suggested to me at least of the comfort zone that exists. New broom should sweep clean :nod:

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Who would be a manager? I think people are underestimating the problems the new man faces at the moment. Carswell, Lawson, Vigurs and Leitch are all out at the moment. The only first choice midfield player left is Lasley who is showing real signs of a player at the end of his career. It is very difficult to take control of a game with a make shift midfield. Hammell has been missing for large parts of the season, confidence is low and even with all players fit, Motherwelll have one of the smallest first team squads in the league. The problems that Baraclough has inherited are clear for all to see.

 

He cannot come out and slate publicly players that are already low on confidence. He cannot afford to alienate one single player at this time as he may just need to call on them should the injury list grow longer. I have been very impressed with his pre and post match interviews. He is striking what must be a very difficult balance between realism and positivety. He has already given the young players a chance, something the people on this board have been crying out for. Avoiding relegation will be a major achievement this year and will require some calm and assured management. From what I have seen so far I believe that Baraclough is the man to do it.

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Have to say I have never been a fan of Kenny Black. Also have to say his influence under McCall and Baraclough is conjecture by the people on this board. What was striking to me at least at the Hamilton and Aberdeen games was his apparent disinterest during the warm up sessions. He looked more interested in the equipment than the players while someone else ? took the sessions.

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What do I base my opinion of Kenny Black on?

 

Well I've heard from various sources that he was been in charge of training under Stuart McCall and we have concerns about fitness and preparation for this season etc. However I disregard that as I don't know that for certain. What I have based my view on was in his temporary period in charge. With the exception of one single game in which we beat Dundee United he didn't manage to improve results. I don't hold him responsible for that.

During his temporary spell in charge I specifically looked at games to see if there was any discernible change in team selection or tactics ie were these purely down to Stuart McCall previously and did KB have his own ideas? Perhaps KB had a huge input beforehand? Now I didn't notice any change in team selections, tactics or fitness during his temporary spell in charge. In short he persisted with decisions which had failed us all season. More of the same in other words. I therefore concluded that we needed fresh ideas and a new broom. To be fair to KB he didn't have a completely free hand due to our injury list. Still there were other options which he didn't pursue, one being limited introduction of youth. Thats what I based my view on.

I'm sure that Kenny Black is a decent guy who knows football inside out but he's maybe not the right man to continue as No 2. At the time of Ian Baraclough's appointment he was clearly disillusioned as was clear in his radio interview. Ian Baraclough may want to bring in his own man when the opportunity presents itself. Time will tell, as KB's contract is up in the summer.

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So you judge Kenny Black's ability to follow Ian Baraclough's directions based on his stint in a holding role as temporary manager that was forced on him due to circumstance (and which he said in public he didn't even know that he wanted)?

 

I'm not convinced it's lack of fitness this season as much as lack of confidence. It happens to different teams at different times - they lose form as a group, hesitation creeps in, they lose a yard, they are scared to challenge.

 

Just look at Everton this year to see another example; a team that was flying last season has been mince despite the same boss and mostly the same squad to choose from.

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