Baraclough Out

[ML1]

 

and didn't stop to think why we were in the play offs in the first place.

 

 

Make this a sticky.

[Lobey_Dosser]

 

 

It's been a textbook move from a professional bluffer.

 

Embed a new structure and fill with new staff. Due to the inevitable consequences, it takes longer than usual to be dismissed for incompetence.[/quote ]

I'd be more worried about a new guy who didn't have a vision for the way he wanted a club to be set up and didn't want to mould a team to his way of working. That wouldn't be a bluffer, more of a lazy passenger

What would your identikit manager do then?

 

A manager with a bit of savvy who can deliver what he promotes.

 

Baraclough came in and said all the right things but he hasn't came close to fulfilling any of his objectives. Infact many of his actions have contradicted his ethos.

[BigCDawg]

Trying hard to stay outbof it but after hearing that clown on the radio on the way home I lost it.

On the radio he's saying how he's concerned at the lack of goals and we create chance after chance in games.

Has he been at the same games as us?

What chances are we creating?

He can talk a good game but thats it.

Time for him to go.

He's had plenty of opportunities but enough is enough.

Never been to so many games leaving feeling so low watching such poor displays.

[GrahamH]

Trying hard to stay outbof it but after hearing that clown on the radio on the way home I lost it.

On the radio he's saying how he's concerned at the lack of goals and we create chance after chance in games.

Has he been at the same games as us?

What chances are we creating?

He can talk a good game but thats it.

Time for him to go.

He's had plenty of opportunities but enough is enough.

Never been to so many games leaving feeling so low watching such poor displays.

On the Alba interview he downgraded the "chances" to "situations". I think that's one pass short of a "chance". He's the biggest chancer out there so he knows what he's talking about.

 

For those who want him to be given the time, can you please give some positive reasons for it?

[Andy Harrow]

The powers that be appear to be fixated with looking for Jim Gannon Mk2. No matter what you think of the guy, he had the right ideas, brought in some decent, sellable quality from the lower leagues and brought many positives (amongst the negatives).

Baraclough, exactly fits the 'lower league knowledge', 'unknown quantity' (for the media one-upmanship' we like to play and talks a good game(Gannon Mk2). However it would appear, that maybe, rather than be a good or bad manager, he is someone out his depth at this level and his signings would probably suggest that. There certainly doesn't seem to be any true quality in his signings to date and the lack of goals and the nullifying of our midfield would suggest this.

 

It would appear that we have put in a philosophy into the club (Boyle by learning from his mistakes), it was carried forward by some professionals who in turn have passed that to the current stakeholders who probably, the same with Baraclough, are out their depth) and unless that changes, I would be inclined to think it will continue.

 

We don't need a manager that knows lower league England, we need the best man for the job. There are bargains in every country, Scotland, Poland, Romania, Holland, etc. The biggest issue is that we now have a set agenda for interviewing and looking for individuals to fit pigeon holes and using people with no experience, knowledge or intimidation to conduct the interviews.

 

I have seen several times people talking about brining Tommy McLean back to the club. I would, he would be someone I would bring into the interview process when looking for a new manager to ask pertinent questions, intimidate and help make sure we appoint the best candidate.

 

None of this solves the existing predicament, but as above its deeper rooted than Baraclough. It's clear we will not make quick appointments and I don't see we have any real experience at the club to act as caretaker, so sacking him now will ensure another 6-8 weeks of lost points, but as the season goes on, this situation will get worse. So sacking Baraclough would be pointless unless it is part of a far reaching clear out and change and I doubt anyone would plan to fall on their sword.

 

If Baraclough does go and the club need a quick fix, they would do well to appoint Gannon, even on a temporary basis, it is who they are looking for anyway and they are clouded by his time here.

[The African]

When McCall left, the team were a bit of a shambles. Small squad with a few players on deals that were unwarranted because they were past their best. We needed a serious clear out and rethink and Baraclough was selected as the best man for the job. A year on, just about, and things are still shambolic, all be it a different shambles. The squad is now bigger but not producing anything acceptable on the pitch, either in terms of performance or results. The aging players are a little older, no better, and still,it would seem, a serious part of our manager's plans. We have average goal keepers ( being kind ), defenders who struggle to defend, a plethora of wide players who drift in and out of matches with the same alacrity as they drift in and out of form, and an over abundance of strikers who cannot score goals. We also have Jake Taylor who looks like he was signed on as extra bar staff and got lost. In short, we are in need of another clear out and I am fairly certain that the current manager is not the man for the job.

No point being too hard on anyone about this. As with all signings/appointments there is probably only a fifty percent chance that they will turn out for the best. The fact is though, this one hasn't worked and the time to do something about it is now.

We need to get somebody in who is prepared to get stuck into the first team squad and see if there is a half decent side in there. It probably won't be pretty but we need players who are up for the fight and prepared to show the necessary grit and gumption to get us out of the mess we assuredly find ourselves in. If players aren't up for it, they should be let go. If players aren't good enough, they should be let go. We have no space for dead weight. We are fortunate that we are not in a particularly strong league and that we don't require a team of world beaters ro get us out of this mess. A fit, organised and committed side of professionals will be a good start. Too much to ask for?

[Spiderpig]

 

From November Rangers won 9 out of 23 matches at Championship level. They were closer to being a 3rd tier side than being a 1st tier side.

 

I said from the very beginning I wanted them in the play off final because they were the only team we were going to beat.

 

Too many people think those results were better than they were and didn't stop to think why we were in the play offs in the first place.

 

As far as I am concerned what is holding the Baraclough reign up is the scaffold of those results but if you actually look at those results they weren't that good. Queen of the South had beaten Rangers 3-0 a few weeks before and Livingston and Alloa Athletic both got results against Rangers twice each.

 

Baraclough should be judged on his Premiership level league record and I'm afraid it's pretty dismal.

 

 

 

They were feckin great results considering we had not beaten that mob in over 13 years, so to give them a pumping over 2 legs and stay in the top division is up there with some of the great Motherwell wins i have witnessed over the years, it was a very good end to an otherwise shit season.

[The African]

They were feckin great results considering we had not beaten that mob in over 13 years, so to give them a pumping over 2 legs and stay in the top division is up there with some of the great Motherwell wins i have witnessed over the years, it was a very good end to an otherwise shit season.

On paper they were cracking results. How much of the substance of those victories was down to the fact that we were awesome or that they were really really shite?

Results and performances this season tend to point to the latter.

Doesn't mean that beating them convincingly twice wasn't fan-fuckin'-tastic because it was, but a lot of that was down to how utterly ghastly the vast majority of their support are and the equally vile elements within the Scottish media who were just waiting to welcome them back to their rightful place at the head of the top table, but to read too much into it in terms of football and any hope for future success would be folly.

[decorator]

Now is the time for the board to step up and act before any further damage is done. With the money that we have splashed out there seems to be a bottomless pit so can we not sound out Paul Lambert to take a short term deal until the end of the season, with maybe some sort of bonus built in and he can try to raise his profile. Bring up Craigan to be his No.2 to give him a good bit of mentoring so that he can step in next season??

 

It's either try something drastic or the Championship becons with the club's future in doubt!

[Ya Bezzer!]

 

They were feckin great results considering we had not beaten that mob in over 13 years, so to give them a pumping over 2 legs and stay in the top division is up there with some of the great Motherwell wins i have witnessed over the years, it was a very good end to an otherwise shit season.

 

I'm not saying they weren't good results, especially under the circumstances of the play off.

 

What I'm saying is that in people's minds we beat the old Rangers 3-1 and 3-0. Not an utterly useless mob that was failing to beat bottom of the table Livingston multiple times, had been put out of cup competitions by Raith Rovers and Alloa and was generally dysfunctional.

 

Beating Rangers boosted Baraclough's reputation more than it would have been done if we'd beaten, say, Dumbarton or Raith Rovers, but the reputation Rangers carried into the game was total poppycock, and as a football side they were at best a middling Championship team by the time we played them and at worst no better than teams at the very bottom of that league.

 

Really people ought to be making the connection between players that day giving their best performances for the club, while totally failing week after week at a higher level. It's because Rangers were just a bad team and their results against other teams confirm that.

[steelman1991]

Please just go - that's all.

[underboyleheating]

Baraclough has lost a section of our support, however, what percentage I am not sure. If results don’t improve soon it won’t be long before we see the board releasing the dreaded vote of confidence.

[wellfan83]

I have wanted to like Baraclough. I've tried, but I can't. It's some of the worst football I've seen at Fir Park in his time here. The two rangers games were two of the best games I've experienced, but two games can't possibly make him untouchable. Thanks for the memories of those two matches, but see you later! The club need restructured from to to bottom. Flow, it has to be said, loves the club and was outstanding in his media role, however he is not the man for the job he finds himself in. He is out of his depth. I don't even blame him, who wouldn't take a job like that given a chance? But if he does really love the club, he needs to realise he's out his depth, the club are suffering and walk away. There needs to be a strong leader at the top, that is what will then lead to strong people being the backbone of the club. Stop paying wages to people who are falling short in their jobs, players included!!!

[Big Wispy Flossy]

Please just go - that's all.

The thing that gets me is, we are almost man man on paper better than last season but we are still putting out the same turgid displays under McCall this time last year. With possibly a higher budget too.

The promise was a high pressing high intensity passing game. We are being subjected to exactly the opposite. First time if said it Bara out!

[dossertillidie]

Now is the time for the board to step up and act before any further damage is done. With the money that we have splashed out there seems to be a bottomless pit so can we not sound out Paul Lambert to take a short term deal until the end of the season, with maybe some sort of bonus built in and he can try to raise his profile. Bring up Craigan to be his No.2 to give him a good bit of mentoring so that he can step in next season??

 

It's either try something drastic or the Championship becons with the club's future in doubt!

This was my thoughts, a McLeish or lambert until the end of the season would do me. By all means make an internal appointment then

[du_du_dubordeaux]

McLeish? Seriously?

[Bart Verheul]

If that ginger tosser comes anywhere near fir park again, I will hand in my season ticket.

I know barely 24hours ago I said I'd back whoever is in charge,but that should have come with a disclaimer that anybody who bought John hendry for 200k is exempt

[mfc]

if or when barraclough goes we need an experienced manager to come in and get a grip of the place,george burley would be choice.

[David]

I was always one of Baracough's defenders last season, going with the belief that he needed a full summer and the opportunity to bring in his own players and ship out some of the ones he didn't fancy. I said I'd judge him after that.

 

That time is almost upon us, and I have to say that the results don't look promising.

 

It's not just the actual results themselves, but the way in which we've managed to play the games. There's never been a time when I've walked away thinking "we're on the cusp of turning this around, the team looks like it's starting to click"

 

I've found the transfer policy during the summer to be confusing at best. I'm also not sure what happened to the plan that we heard about cutting our cloth and all that? I assumed we'd use the opportunity that we got in the summer to offload a lot of our deadwood and relatively high earners to start bringing down the money being spent in that area?

 

Instead we've seen seemingly stupid signings of players that likely won't be featuring, and loan signings where I believe our own youngsters could have stepped up. For example, do we really need five forwards? Wouldn't we be better served having Craig Moore on the bench rather than David Clarkson?

 

Is Jake Taylor really all that better than what we have already?

 

None of that really made any sense.

 

Anyway, as I said, even for someone who believed the manager deserved time to put together his own side I think the time to judge him is not too far away. and it doesn't look good.

[Bart Verheul]

I have always been a defender of bara too david and agreed with your assessment that it wasn't really his team last season and that he deserved a pre-season and transfer window where he could get his own players in as I always maintained (probably incorrectly in hindsight) that he couldn't implement his own philosophy with the players he had last season.

 

However, what is tipping me over the edge (if I am not already over it) is that yes on paper the squad looks better but we are still playing the same hoofball/counter attack hybrid that didn't work last season.

I have to admit having seen us preseason versus Preston, I thought we looked like we were going to see a refreshing brand of football but for whatever reason it hasn't happened.

Is it down to having no plan b - Pearson and Fletcher can't be that vital can they? Is it down to a lack of confidence that the players have resorted to long balls to moult or is it just that the manager is unfortunately looking out of his depth?

Sadly it looks like the latter, which would be a shame as I genuinely think bara is a good guy and his ideas are the way I like the game to be played but and it's a big but he doesn't seem able to translate these ideas across to the players.

[Malky79]

If Barraclough walked tomorrow I wouldn't be upset but still willing to give him at least to the first round of fixtures is up.

 

What concerns me is performances if anything are heading backwards. On the whole we have been threatening to be ok but occassionally abysmal. When we have been a bit better we haven't really gotten the results we should have. We should have beaten Utd and St. Johnstone, those two games alone would have had us sitting very comfortably and taken a heap of pressure of Barraclough.

 

The biggest concern is he looks like he starting to chop and change and doesn't know his best XI. To be fair to him some inconsistent performers and downright underperformers aren't helping him. There is no good reason why Scott McDonald should be so poor right now for one. Laing has pretty wildly inconsistent, arguably I am being kind to him. Without wanting to pin to much on one player we do sorely miss Pearson as well.

 

A couple of wins again this week and things will look considerably better. Look at Killie for fuck sake, absolutely rank rotten first 6 games bar one game, they get a couple of wins and are now above us. Shouldn't Killie have sacked Locke already, he had plenty time in the job. No ones patience should last forever but too many people are looking to see the manager fail, not convinced he'll turn the ship around but plenty time yet. Even the end of October there is loads of time to salvage a season if the wheels really look to have fallen off.

[Bart Verheul]

I think there are still enough people who are willing to give him the next few games at least to see if things finally click, but the numbers in this group are getting smaller by the week.

 

I do think the vast majority of fans will want a change if we don't win both the next two games.

 

On the other hand I'm sure there are people who have had enough and can't see how it is going to get better and therefore would probably be quite happy for us to lose either one of the next two in order to speed up the changes that they feel are needed to save the season and avoid a repeat of last season.

[star sail]

 

I'm not saying they weren't good results, especially under the circumstances of the play off.

 

What I'm saying is that in people's minds we beat the old Rangers 3-1 and 3-0. Not an utterly useless mob that was failing to beat bottom of the table Livingston multiple times, had been put out of cup competitions by Raith Rovers and Alloa and was generally dysfunctional.

 

Beating Rangers boosted Baraclough's reputation more than it would have been done if we'd beaten, say, Dumbarton or Raith Rovers, but the reputation Rangers carried into the game was total poppycock, and as a football side they were at best a middling Championship team by the time we played them and at worst no better than teams at the very bottom of that league.

 

Really people ought to be making the connection between players that day giving their best performances for the club, while totally failing week after week at a higher level. It's because Rangers were just a bad team and their results against other teams confirm that.

 

I seem to find myself quoting and replying to you a lot Ya Bezzer. I think it is because, I often find that much of what you say is well reasoned and I agree with, but there is often something within that, that shows the irrational way in which Baraclough is being treated at the moment.

 

The idea that Rangers were performing like a team at the bottom of the Championship makes no sense. The fact that they were in the play-off is testament to the fact that they were best of the rest in the Championship. They had just beaten, QoS and Hibs to prove it. Had we beaten QoS or Hibs in the playoff's 6-2, it would have been an equally impressive result, particularly given the horrendous season that we had all endured.

 

I do agree with you however, that many of the senior players gave their best performance in the play-off's having not performed like that, prior to or since the play-off's. McDonald and McManus are the perfect examples of that for me. If these players were playing ever week with the same commitment and energy that they showed in these games then we would not have a problem as a team.

 

Going back to yesterday's game. Motherwell do not have a divine right to go to New Douglas Park and get a result. Hearts and Dundee Utd have already shown what a difficult place that will be to go to this season. I think we need to get away from the idea, that we have any rights to even be in the top 6, never mind finishing 2nd or 3rd in the Premiership.

 

People on these very boards have talked about how we are a selling club and that we should be bringing on young players to sell in the future. The word 'future' is key. That they will be sellable assets in the future, suggest that they are not sellable assets now and that we should not be expecting the level of consistency of a player who is. Laing, Fletcher, Moult, Chalmers, Thomas, Johnston all fall into this category and yet suddenly we want them to be the finished article.

 

For this model to work however, the senior players have to perform and guide. I don't think that is happening at the moment.

 

Somebody made a comment that should be beat Morton and Thistle, we are only delaying the inevitable as the next poor result is just around the corner. I say, with the model we are trying to promote, why should we expect anything else at this moment in time?

 

Seems to me that we like the idea but we don't like the reality. As Jim Morrison sang, it seems to me that 'we want the world and we want it NOW!!!!!'

[Kmcalpin]

The biggest concern is he looks like he starting to chop and change and doesn't know his best XI. To be fair to him some inconsistent performers and downright underperformers aren't helping him. There is no good reason why Scott McDonald should be so poor right now for one. Laing has pretty wildly inconsistent, arguably I am being kind to him. Without wanting to pin to much on one player we do sorely miss Pearson as well.

 

I'd give him, as you say, a few games more, but not many. Yes, some players are underperforming but as far as Scott MacDonald is concerned we simply are not using him to his strengths. He is an out and our striker nothing more nothing less. Until he is given a run in that position we shouldn't judge him.

[Malky79]

I agree to an extent about McDonald, but some attributes should transfer anywhere on the pitch. Ability to control a ball and make simple passes. McDonald has struggled to do even this, as for whether he is purely a striker, I think he has played a deeper role enough times in his career to expect better. Playing to his strengths maybe not, I'd rather see him in the 18 yard box more personally but a player of his quality should be at least competent playing a deeper role.

 

Like to see McDonald start on Tuesday, manager hooked and dropped in last two games so hopefully point made, a role right up front Tuesday and hopefully get his and our season back on track.