Why are we going down?

It is not my intention to wind people up but that is what I seem to do when I come on here, so that is why I do not appear very often. I believe in the true northern way of being blunt and to the point, presenting things as they are, not the way everyone wants them to be. My last article posted a few weeks ago had the title "Who is going down?", and I forecast that it would be Bolton, Blackburn and Wolves . Perhaps some of those who criticised my article would like to reconsider their comments as my prediction turned out to be 100% accurate. I based my forecast on the quality of the most important person at a football club, that is the manager. Bolton, Blackburn and Wolves all had in my opinion poor managers, not up to the standards required in the Premiership. On the other hand Wigan and QPR had much better managers. Villa also had a poor manager but I considered they already had enough points on the board to survive. It is much better to have the points than matches in hand. Bolton had 2 matches in hand, but even after playing these 2 games were still in a relegation position, not a good sign.

So this new article is titled "Why are we going down?" and the answer is the same as my last article, which is - the manager. Coyle has made some poor signings, and his tactics are so often questionable with team formation, player selection and substitutions. But in my opinion his greatest failing is his total inability to motivate the team and get them playing EVERY match as though they want to win it. And to do this for the full 90 minutes. How many times have we thrown away vital points in the last few minutes of a game? In some matches this season the players go out on a Saturday afternoon as though they would rather be out shopping with their wives or on the golf course than playing a football match. I often listen to his after match commentary and many times have to replay it because I do not get what he is saying the first time. His commentary is given at speed in a low voice and in the same monotone. If he talks to his players like this, no wonder they have lacked the enthusiasm necessary. When I do work out what he is saying it is similar after every match, he praises the opposition, blames the officials, says they were unlucky, mentions injuries and the bad run of fixtures. In every company I have ever worked for when people are off sick, even key people, those left have got to get the job done by working harder. On bad runs of fixtures, everyone in the Premiership has to play the top teams twice in a season, and it is inevitable that sometimes these fixtures will come together. No team can have had such a bad run as Wigan in the last few weeks, yet they have beaten Arsenal, MU, Liverpool and thrashed Newcastle. The manager and players at Bolton always seem to be intimidated by the top clubs and most matches are lost on attitude even before they are played. Wigan does not have better players than Bolton but they certainly have a better manager.

Coyle most of the time as well as not acting like a Premiership manager does not even look like a manager. The manager is not part of the team and should not try to look like it. He is the boss. Look at the successful managers such as Wenger and Ferguson, you would not expect to see them at a match in a track suit or shorts.They always wear a suit and tie and look like they are the boss. They even speak as though they are the boss.

Nevertheless I have supported Coyle for most of the season but my patience finally snapped on 11th February after we lost to Wigan at home, at a time Wigan were not doing well. This was a must win match and we were beaten. At this point I believe Coyle should have gone.

Therefore in answer to my the question in my article " Why are we going down?", in my opinion the answer is the manager, for the main reason he has been unable to motivate the team and get them to believe in themselves. Success in sport is very much a state of mind. and before anyone comes on here and rubbishes this statement consider this. Many years ago it was considered a physical impossibility for man to run a mile in 4 minutes. Then along came a man called Roger Bannister who finally did it. In the following year 37 broke the 4 minute barrier and the year after that 300! People did not change physically in just 2 years, but their mental attitude did.