Richardson out

[WestYorksRoyal]

Mbengue's pace at the back, Knibbs' relentlessness pressing to keep us up the pitch and the personality they both brought to the dressing room has been desperately missed. We're a top 6 side with those 2, much more so than Smith and Bindon.

Don't mean to state the obvious, but we didn't finish in the top 6 with those two....

We finished 7th...

I know vibes count for a lot nowadays, but history is history...

We had a better, deeper squad this year and a better 1st XI last year. I think a bit more 1st team quality would have been enough.

[rabidbee]

Mbengue's pace at the back, Knibbs' relentlessness pressing to keep us up the pitch and the personality they both brought to the dressing room has been desperately missed. We're a top 6 side with those 2, much more so than Smith and Bindon.

Don't mean to state the obvious, but we didn't finish in the top 6 with those two....

We finished 7th...

I know vibes count for a lot nowadays, but history is history...

Perhaps we would have been a top-6 team if we had kept Smith...

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Mbengue's pace at the back, Knibbs' relentlessness pressing to keep us up the pitch and the personality they both brought to the dressing room has been desperately missed. We're a top 6 side with those 2, much more so than Smith and Bindon.

Don't mean to state the obvious, but we didn't finish in the top 6 with those two....

We finished 7th...

I know vibes count for a lot nowadays, but history is history...

We would have made top 6 if Selles had stayed....Hunt didn't have the tactical nous to get us through.

[leon]

Mbengue's pace at the back, Knibbs' relentlessness pressing to keep us up the pitch and the personality they both brought to the dressing room has been desperately missed. We're a top 6 side with those 2, much more so than Smith and Bindon.

Don't mean to state the obvious, but we didn't finish in the top 6 with those two....

We finished 7th...

I know vibes count for a lot nowadays, but history is history...

We would have made top 6 if Selles had stayed....Hunt didn't have the tactical nous to get us through.

not 100% convinced by that

[WestYorksRoyal]

Don't mean to state the obvious, but we didn't finish in the top 6 with those two....

We finished 7th...

I know vibes count for a lot nowadays, but history is history...

We would have made top 6 if Selles had stayed....Hunt didn't have the tactical nous to get us through.

not 100% convinced by that

In the circumstances of last season (I.e., Dai still here, Smith sold in January to pay the bills) neither am I.

What I am 100% convinced of is if the takeover had gone through in May/June 2024 like it should have, we'd have been top 4 or so. Selles here setting a clear playing identity, good players on the books, the opportunity to strengthen and add depth. We had everything in place to make our L1 stint a short one and Dai fcuked about rolling the dice again.

[West F]

We would have made top 6 if Selles had stayed....Hunt didn't have the tactical nous to get us through.

not 100% convinced by that

In the circumstances of last season (I.e., Dai still here, Smith sold in January to pay the bills) neither am I.

What I am 100% convinced of is if the takeover had gone through in May/June 2024 like it should have, we'd have been top 4 or so. Selles here setting a clear playing identity, good players on the books, the opportunity to strengthen and add depth. We had everything in place to make our L1 stint a short one and Dai fcuked about rolling the dice again.

We did too well. I think Dai held out to see if we were going to be promoted before the end eventually came.

[stealthpapes]

Mbengue's pace at the back, Knibbs' relentlessness pressing to keep us up the pitch and the personality they both brought to the dressing room has been desperately missed. We're a top 6 side with those 2, much more so than Smith and Bindon.

Don't mean to state the obvious, but we didn't finish in the top 6 with those two....

We finished 7th...

I know vibes count for a lot nowadays, but history is history...

We would have made top 6 if Selles had stayed....Hunt didn't have the tactical nous to get us through.

Yeah, 100 %.
Really enjoyed the Selles spell. Even when we were losing every away game, you could see what he was trying to do.

And for someone who ed Andy Carroll, that Selles had the balls to ‘lose the dressing room’ and make it a positive makes me think even higher of him.

[leon]

Don't mean to state the obvious, but we didn't finish in the top 6 with those two....

We finished 7th...

I know vibes count for a lot nowadays, but history is history...

We would have made top 6 if Selles had stayed....Hunt didn't have the tactical nous to get us through.

Yeah, 100 %.
Really enjoyed the Selles spell. Even when we were losing every away game, you could see what he was trying to do.

And for someone who ed Andy Carroll, that Selles had the balls to ‘lose the dressing room’ and make it a positive makes me think even higher of him.

Now you’re just doing this for the s

[Linden Jones' Tash]

And if only Archie had scored that penalty...

[The Cap]

And if only Archie had scored that penalty...

I spoke to Archie, after a game at Elm Park, during the following season and he said there wasn't a day that passed when he didn't think about 'that penalty'. Really felt for the bloke, such a congenial guy as well. I note that he's on punditry duties up in Bonnie Scootland now.

[Sutekh]

Leam now 20/1 for the Blackburn job.

[morganb]

Are there any clubs out there who are looking for a manager who would legitimately be considering Leam (rather than wishful thinking on our part)? He was out of work for years and hasn't exactly set the world alight

Then do we think Leam would jump at the chance to move back up north, nearer his family, or would he want to stick with his mate JJ and the "Reading project"?

[tidus_mi2]

Are there any clubs out there who are looking for a manager who would legitimately be considering Leam (rather than wishful thinking on our part)? He was out of work for years and hasn't exactly set the world alight

Then do we think Leam would jump at the chance to move back up north, nearer his family, or would he want to stick with his mate JJ and the "Reading project"?

Can't see this Blackburn move being anything substantial, it will be easy to discover the criticism he's received and steer well clear, even for a basket case club like Blackburn

[stealthpapes]

We would have made top 6 if Selles had stayed....Hunt didn't have the tactical nous to get us through.

Yeah, 100 %.
Really enjoyed the Selles spell. Even when we were losing every away game, you could see what he was trying to do.

And for someone who ed Andy Carroll, that Selles had the balls to ‘lose the dressing room’ and make it a positive makes me think even higher of him.

Now you’re just doing this for the s

am curious, why

[West F]

Are there any clubs out there who are looking for a manager who would legitimately be considering Leam (rather than wishful thinking on our part)? He was out of work for years and hasn't exactly set the world alight

Then do we think Leam would jump at the chance to move back up north, nearer his family, or would he want to stick with his mate JJ and the "Reading project"?

I think he would jump at the chance of going to a bigger club in the Northwest. But then I don’t think any club bigger than us would touch him with a shitty stick on the end of a barge pole. More chance of Beattie getting an interview.

[leon]

Yeah, 100 %.
Really enjoyed the Selles spell. Even when we were losing every away game, you could see what he was trying to do.

And for someone who ed Andy Carroll, that Selles had the balls to ‘lose the dressing room’ and make it a positive makes me think even higher of him.

Now you’re just doing this for the s

am curious, why

well...your entire post?

[Extended-Phenotype]

I think Papes is saying that Selles navigated through a tricky spell involving Carrol backstage that ended positively, though I don’t really know much about what happened there.

On Selles, I think we were playing some good football and there was a cracking “in it together” atmosphere with fans and players; I’d love to witness the alternate reality in which he stayed on, especially if that reality also included Dai selling before Selles fvcked off. One or both of those things might have meant keeping more of the team together and perhaps this season being less of a frustrating reset.

Can’t access alternate realities though.

[tidus_mi2]

I do think the idea of Carroll being dropped while popular seems exaggerated, feel a lot of people turned on him when he got sent off with his handball goal vs Luton

[Lower West]

not 100% convinced by that

In the circumstances of last season (I.e., Dai still here, Smith sold in January to pay the bills) neither am I.

What I am 100% convinced of is if the takeover had gone through in May/June 2024 like it should have, we'd have been top 4 or so. Selles here setting a clear playing identity, good players on the books, the opportunity to strengthen and add depth. We had everything in place to make our L1 stint a short one and Dai fcuked about rolling the dice again.

We did too well. I think Dai held out to see if we were going to be promoted before the end eventually came.

Dai wasn't in control of the situation though. He had been convicted of fraud in China by then. The "creditors" were running the show,

[stealthpapes]

Theres multiple things there.

Selles spell, once it clicked, was the most fun I had watching games in ages. But I remember coming back from Port Vale and thinking, from the warm up, that he had a clear plan in terms of style and approach. Hell, if the search function worked, I’d find the post as it was mocked at the time.

The received wisdom is that a manager is doomed once they ‘lose the dressing room’. That season, Selles binned off not only Carroll but also to a greater or lesser extent Holmes, McIntyre and Guinness-Walker then Hutchison a month or so later. It took time, it took patience, but it came together

(And I say this as someone who thought Carroll was one of the few players who seemed to give a shit the previous season or two. I thought he’d tear up League One, I was wrong and it was probably better he left).

So yeah, I firmly believe we’d have gone up - or at least given the play offs a proper go- had Selles stayed.

He gone. Sad times now.