In your opinion...

Why is it for the sake of a manager's ego?

If a player is a to$$er, he's a to$$er - and no matter how you dress it up, all a manager can do in order to stop dressing room morale etc being undermined is to move said to$$er on.

You can argue that the manager ought to be able to 'handle' these poor, highly-strung thoroughbred footballers like a decent jockey can handle a racehorse, but sometimes a manager has got no choice other than to move the player on.

It has happened from time immemorial. Sometimes a troublesome player can be accommodated, but more often than not they cannot.

It's the same with managers - a dose of BD has proved to be more than enough for Preston, Derby and Forest. Was that the fault of the individual boards on each occasion, or is it just that BD is an opinionated to$$er who is just more trouble than he's worth?

Fair point, Peeder, but the reason I think Our Nige (am I the only one who still calls him that?) is right for the long term future of DCFC is that his (perceived) lack of tactical astuteness will be compensated for if he can bring in cheap players, and make a team of them.

This was initially important because we were skint, but in the world of Financial Fair Play, this skill becomes absolutely critical to 99% of clubs.

I think there are 3 elements to achieving this:
1Team spirit - getting the team to be better than the sum of its parts. That odious little McCrankie did it very well, and, at times (especially this season), I think NC is doing it too. So that's a tick, just.

2 Finding lower league players who easily make the leap. Like Brayford & Bailey. That's a tick, despite the Buxton/Pringle/Deeneys who inevitably slip through.

3 Finding players who look like they’ll make the leap, but fail, and then coaching them into quality players. Perhaps I’m asking too much, but that's why I want to see Cwyka make it, so I know that NC (and his team) can turn these rough diamonds into quality players, and make us great, despite GSE's lack of mega-investment.

I think "Our Nige' -is very astute when it comes to building the team mentality. Okay, you could argue that he should have the balls/nous to handle 'big-time charlies', but I would posit that it is far preferable to dispense with the likes of such opinionated riff-raff and concentrate on building a team of solid, honest pros who would sweat blood for each other. It will turn us into something formidable, and I believe we are already seeing glimpses of that. But, as I reiterate until I'm blue in the face, such an undertaking TAKES TIME.

Look no further than Derek Hales

Zigger Zagger, wash your mouth - I mean fingers - out.

Dickinson - because he trashed Adam Pearson's place! That's more of a contribution than Martin had at the club in my opinion. My version of the story is that he was given Pearson's gaff for the night, as Pearson wasn't going to be in, Dickinson held a party and the house got totally trashed. As a result of this Jewell and Pearson decided to get rid of him.

Just had a quick look at what he's been upto - to date Dickinson has played for 16 clubs ( 4 non league) and currently plying his trade at Southend....where one Dave Martin has recently gone to.

Derek Hales , I played a part in that bloke coming to Derby , still have cold shivers over that .
No wonder folk on here think I know nowt !

I promised I would never mention that Rob.....

You said never to mention that Rob. You did say that Derek Hales would run through a brick wall to score a goal. You didn't add that he had to because he hadn't the skill to run round it.

But Rob, he did score one peach of a curler I think in the cup against Blackpool? Well worth the £300k we spent on him..........