So...

- What would you rather he said?
- If you don't care about that, what's your solution?

I'd rather he didn't say anything - less talk, more action!

So basically, you'd rather we won so he didn't have to say those things. Well, join the club. But, say we draw 1-1 with Hull on Saturday to an 87th-minute goal from Fryatt. What do you want then?

I'm trying to establish whether you're making a point or letting off steam. (Either's fine, but just for the sake of the debate.)

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I sympathise with your frustrations, Foxello, but my solution is patience. While that's an easy word to throw around, here's what I mean: We clearly have good individuals here. All of our defenders come with some sort of decent credentials (perhaps except Peltier) so they should be capable. Our front 2 are exciting and we have a good backup in Schlupp. The midfield has question marks over it but shouldn't be that bad. The players generally look pretty motivated to me, they just look devoid of any confidence.

How is that fixed? Only with experience of winning, IMO. They have to get used to the whole concept of closing out games, for this to become pretty much second nature. During Pearson's first tenure we were excellent at this; we beat a lot of teams who were as good or worse than us and struggled against the better teams. We managed to close out a lot of games by one goal, something that we don't look capable of at present. I believe the ability to do this is subtle, almost subconscious and formed from lots of practise.

I think the best thing we can do is to have the same players practising this together from the beginning of next season (you can't get into any useful habits in the rest of this season). I'd like to see much of the same personnel, with maybe two or three useful additions at most, and try to get them into a repetitive habit of winning. I also disagree with the idea of changing the manager for the same reason - I think we'd just end up back at square one yet again.

This is why I think patience is the long-term answer. Quite what we do for the rest of this season... Well, I'm set to just try and put up with it.

Patience? We've been patient for years! If we're any more 'patient' will end up having to see a doctor And more to the point, do you honestly think the owners will be patient having just flushed £53m down the loo? No chance.

We do have good individuals but they do not play as part of a unit or team. When I watch us, I don't see players running back to defend their team-mates, or fighting for the badge. When I listen to interviews, I hear half-hearted, cliche type replies from players who don't sound as if they care. Tactically we are naive and weak.

We're probably going to have to sell our better players, the ones who are worth money. Which means we might need a completely new team AGAIN. And what happens if we buy a new team, it doesn't click and NP isn't the man and is sacked September/October time? Another season wasted, that's what. If NP does stay, he needs to stay the whole of next season, not for part of it. If the owners don't think they can give him that time, then get rid in the summer and bring in someone with a proven track record of promotion, like McCarthy or Bruce.

If there was anything happening right now that was giving me optimism for next season, I'd be more upbeat. But there isn't. I just feel that this was our big chance this season.....and we've blown it.

"If there was anything happening right now that was giving me optimism for next season, I'd be more upbeat"

Beckford and Nugent have, between them, scored 18 goals in the last 15 games. Probably the best striker partnership in the country over the past 10 weeks from a scoring ratio perspective!

Any you honestly think they'll still be here next season?

Yes.

I doubt very much any other team who want them will be able to pay them more than we do. And any team who can afford them, will have better players starting.

But we haven't been patient. We've been anything but! We've lost or fired manager after manager and had clearout after clearout. Much of our team at present was not here at the start of last season, and we as fans start each season thinking that automatic promotion is on the cards.

I believe we have good quality players, a strong manager, ambitious owners and excellent support - at least numerical away from home. So why isn't it working? I think it's because we're well drilled in being inconsistant and letting points go. They say winning is a habit, and it's one we're not at present. That habit can't change overnight and would probably take until at least Christmas 2012 to cultivate. I still believe that we'll only know how Pearson is doing come the end of next season.

Patience is a good only if we have the right person to be patient with and he does not seem to be able to get them after nearly six months to do what he wants.

Right, let's go back to when Peter Taylor first got us relegated. We spent years in a downward spiral, which eventually and inevitably was completed with our relegation to League 1. Even the Mandarich era could not hold the slide as a succession of managers came and went, the club had no stability and no consistency.

Finally Nigel Pearson was appointed as Manager. We achieved promotion at the first attempt and finished the following season in the play offs - only missing out on the final after a penalty shoot-out. Nigel was shifted out and the cycle started all over again.

Is it really any surprise that we can't achieve any consistency? The same problems prevail that many of us have been commenting on for years? Like the midfield getting overrun and our team not defending as a unit. Sven should have been given more time to sort this out and now so should NP.

I can only see an answer in the recruitment and coaching that takes place in pre-season and not by the panic measure of changing managers in the middle of a season. We still don't have the players, especially in midfield: Sven's recruitment failed (Fernandes, Johnson) and Abe has gone. A midfield of Dyer, Wellens, Danns and Gallagher/Marshall, for example, is nowhere near being the best in this division.

I do support NP, but I'm not blind to his faults and, like others, am frustrated that he hasn't managed to change things around quicker. There is no guarantee that NP will be successful, but he has to have next season to try.

What's the alternative approach? That we sack NP, have a summer of more instability, whilst being linked to the same mediocre managers on the merry-go-round, before some panic recruiment before the start of next season. Have some of us observed and learnt nothing?

Nev -the man is an abject failure- he is now an embarrassment
He jumped ship from Hull and we paid the damages with him fully grasping the terms of reference and targets. Given full support both in players,infrastructure and finance from excellent owners he has failed completely to the extent that neither he nor the players understand what is his preferred team format or tactic. However Morgan figures whatever -presumably because Pearson signed him- its total abject chaos.
I am fearful that the results over past few games have not only been critical for the team but for the owners and their strategy


At this critical stage of the season we are shipping goals and points -14 goals in the last four away games!

The club morale is as bad as I can ever remember and recent poor results have not only been critical to any chances of making play offs but make me fearful regarding future strategies from the owners.

We are down to around 19000 core supporters and far away from approaching even a break even situation on basic costs.
Significantly -season ticket policy is late this year as the board and owners wrestle with the issue of pricing versus potential demand with the prospect of losing many key players in the close season- as Nev says -finance driven

In the midst of this we have people bleating about giving him more time or exercising patience
What work environment do you Pearson supporters exist in -where failure is tolerated -he lives in a highly paid -results driven business- like many businesses - when you succeed you receive appropriate reward -and when you fail miserably - you walk
I agree with Foxello - listening to Pearson's litany of predictable excuses after matches is an embarrassment to the club.

Meanwhile what can we do - as usual -and as many as possible- turn up tomorrow to support the players and owners - and full volume -and with no booing no matter what

John, I'd like to put something to you.

I am a Pearson fan; I've said on other threads that I believe he should be given until at least the end of next season barring a serious relegation scrap.

Many of the things you suggest about morale or football needing to be like your ruthless, cut-throat business (I obviously work in a very different business world to you, ont that's more supportive, although I know the area I work in is both profitable and doing well and don't see why football can't be the same) simply don't ring true with me. I don't believe that Pearson's tenure here has been an "abject failure" and I can see what might be described as "green shoots" of hope for next season.

So I know it's a long shot but perhaps you can invite me along to a box or wherever else it is that you get this information from so that I can experience first hand the evidence in front of you. I consider myself quite reasonable and logical and not blinded by loyalty to this one man over the club, but logically I cannot see why you're so set against him and his ways when I'm seeing things so differently. If he's such a monster, please show me.

john,

What is the alternative approach you recommend? Who do you suggest will come in and turn us round and is readily available? How long do you give the next man?

Like DM I do not see the evidence of the dooms day scenario you're painting, but am frustrated that NP has not turned it around more quickly. Another manager, more instability, more failure - where will it all end?

What really worries me is that the opportunity is lost and will not easily arise again. I hope I may be wrong but I feel that the investment programme with the single aim of achieving Premiership football may be withdrawn - and with it the opportunity for a manager with the tactical variation and vision to work with a talented footballing squad will disappear.
In my opinion, Pearson's abrasive style of man management together with his painting by numbers approach to format and playing style was never going to work with the Eriksson assembled group.
I honestly said it at the time and I still stand by it.
It does not make him a monster - just the wrong choice for the project already in progress.

Now - I just do not know until the owners show their forward strategy - but all we can do as supporters is get behind the team at the games for rest of season .