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These 18 comments are related to an article called:

"We need to firm up our status''

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comment by (U7380)

posted on 9/4/12

Hills interview describes supporters as monkeys on his back.
Attendances will never increase without a little hope and ambition, we were stagnating when Clarke came and provided this and gates in the fourth division often reached 15.000 and this without criticising fans.
Hill should concentrate on the team not supporters.

posted on 10/4/12

Different circumstances entirely, Clarke was a big name back then, although untried as a manager. Hill has his limitations, many of which I'm sure he'd recognise at this level, but if he keeps us up and then goes, he's due a lot more credit than he's had from the fans overall, based on the limited resources he's had to contend with. Deserves another season in my opinion. If he does go, I'm very nervous as to who we might get next.

posted on 10/4/12

"Hill should concentrate on the team not supporters"
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I seriously hope that yourself and Plank (The Spanner Sisters) don't consider yourselves supporters!

posted on 10/4/12

Agree with you there Cuderth, another season in charge should be the least that hill deserves

comment by Murbay (U6488)

posted on 10/4/12

I will back Hill all the way and I totally agree with commments previously made by spart that we have struggled because we have head the heart of our midfield ripped out from under us since January. To lose our influential players in the manner we have done is difficult for any team and while Hill has tried to bring in suitable replacements, to replace Vaz Te, Butterfield and Drinkwater has been difficult. On paper we have some good signings, but ambition and passion are key too and Hill cannot be held solely accountable for that.

What does grind though is the focus Hill spends on the fans. I like his brutal honesty at times but it is starting to wear a bit thin. 4-0 down against West Ham and the fans were still singing and backing the team. The fans are trying to play their part but if the players can't be bothered to turn up on the day, what does Hill expect from the fans? It has to be a 2 way deal. As one guy said the other day at the game, he would rather we lost 7-0 and gave them a fight than go down 4-0 with no effort. That's what fans want, it's not about winning or losing, it's about the effort and if we lose after a tough battle, then as long as the players have given their all, I'm happy (doesn't mean I wouldn't prefer a win though )

comment by Plank (U12042)

posted on 10/4/12

''Asparagus'' You have simply no idea how to spell the word ''supporter'' ........I think you'll find watching the Reds has been a life long labour of love for me. From the days of Tony Leighton, Roy Ironside, Winnie, Pat Howard, Anton Outalowski, Ali Miller, Mick McCarthy, Alan Clarke, Trevor Aylott, Redfearn and Craig Hignett, I will continue to criticise the last 12 years of uninspired leadership from both Up and Downstairs. By comparison to today's efforts and the last 8 incumbent managers, Arthur Edwards seems Philanthropic and Johnny Steele a Messiah. Having a so called copyright against your user name really does make me wonder who really is the spanner on here.

posted on 10/4/12

There were many things that made sense in his post match. However there were also many things he just did not need to say.

He should have been maximising the positives of a hard fought point away. He should have been praising the 1500 or so who travelled. He should have been rallying the squad to kick on from here.

Instead, he went on a 5 minute diatribe, laid into the squad, then promptly laid into the fans. Again.

I can only assume he's not getting very good advice from the people around him. Or if he is, he's choosing to ignore it.

I genuinely do not believe he's getting a particularly hard time from the vast majority of fans. After an absolute embarrassment against West Ham, the Ponte were chanting his name. But that never got a mention.

In many aspects, I have a lot of respect for what he says. I'll back him fully next season. But he really needs to think much more, about his own actions and some of the things he says.

posted on 10/4/12

Murbay

Admittedly I didn't think we'd have done as bad as we have since losing our key players, but how anyone thinks we should be smashing the top half of the table after losing Butterfield, Drinkwater and Vaz Te permanently as well as Perkins and O'Brien for most of the season after Christmas is beyond me. The objective, however well we were doing before losing our key players, was to avoid relegation and considering we are 8 points ahead with 12 left to play for I quite fancy our chances of playing Championship football next season. We've spent sod all, had to cope with having our team decimated by injuries and have still pretty much secured our Championship status for next season. People can point to some shoddy replacements that Keith bought from League 1/2 and ask why he didn't buy known quality, all I can say is look at our neighbours down the A635. Brought in well known names such as Piquionne, Diouf, Beye, Illunga and a number of unknowns, and they're all but relegated. If Hill is still here at the beginning of next season ( and I hope to God he is) then the aim will be to survive again. Anything else is a bonus, though I'm pretty sure Keith doesn't want to just settle for lower-midtable obscurity. After a season learning his trade in the Championship and learning from his mistakes, he will come back stronger next season and who knows, maybe we'll finally do more than scrap it out near the bottom. If we do find ourselves in 18th again, then that will be mission accomplished.

posted on 11/4/12

Royal this is not a pop, merely an observation...

Why get upset if Hill has a rant? You know the type of "fan" he's referring to...Supporters are too precious.

I'm also in favour of players being allowed to have a go back at terrace geniuses, Cantona should have been given a honorary knighthood when he floored that xenophobe at Palace.

Spannered...Oh dear..where does one begin?

Winstanley, Howard, Outalowski, Miller Aylott and Macca... All fine players bought on the cheap or product of the youth system...sound familiar? Granted, we spent a few bob on Hignett and a few others at that time...but can you not remember administration a couple of seasons later!!!

Can't remember Tony Leighton...you must be really old...Explains your senility I s'pose...

posted on 11/4/12

Spart I think a lot of the grumblers forget the time we went into administration and wonder why Cryne is trying to tighten our finances.

I will also admit that I had to look up Tony Leighton too as he was before my time:

Played for us for 2 seasons (1962 - 1964) and scored 59 goals in 107 appearances. Could do with someone with a similar strike rate at the club nowadays but thanks to the money driven business that football has become getting a player like this to stay with us long term is not going to happen

posted on 11/4/12

Ha no-one has a scoring record like that these days!

15 a season is excellent as far as I am concerned. Last player I remember breaking 20 for us was Andy Payton,

Or have I forgotten someone?

posted on 11/4/12

Steady on Spart, I can remember Tony Leighton, and I'm not senile. There is clearly something not quite right about Plank though! LOL.

posted on 11/4/12

I'm not getting upset. I'm behind him, however there are very obvious flaws in his armour. What probably frustrates me more, is the absolute refusal of others to recognise these flaws.

Performance mgmt rule #1 - focus on the things you can influence, ignore the things you can't.

His constant reference to these 'fans' truly baffles me. It's not on the terraces. Not from what I see, week in week out. Yes, booing happens when we're rubbish. But you know what - welcome to the 21st century. And we have been rubbish - regularly. It happens at almost every Club in today's game. It's not personal and it's not a direct attack on Keith Hill and his family. Surely he knows this???

Beyond that - what? Idiots on BBS forums? If he even looks on these things, I would be astonished.

As another example - Steve Kean. What Hill has 'endured' pales into absolute insignificance, when compared with the unbelievable levels of abuse that Kean has been through at Blackburn.

Not once did you hear Kean even criticise the Blackburn fans - when he had absolutely every right to. Instead, he politely acknowledged their frustrations and focused his energy on the things he could control - the performances on the field.

It's just starting to wear thin, that the vast majority of fans are not being acknowledged. Instead, it's the almost invisible minority.

He's burning too much energy on negative influences.That's not what a coach should be doing.

But, for the avoidance of doubt - once more - i'm behind him.

posted on 11/4/12

I do agree with you royal Hill has to stop adressing the minority of fans but to bring in Steve Kean as an example of how a manager should react is not a good one.

Unlike Hill, who tries to take the numpties on verbally I think that Kean has let the media do the work for him and attack the fans for being harsh on him with the occasional bits to make him sound more like a victim. I could go into a long rant about this as the whole Kean situation can really rile me but this is the Barnsley part of Ja606 so I will leave it at that.

erm...COYR

comment by (U7380)

posted on 11/4/12

Believe Tony Leighton signed from a local club and never gave less than 100% for the club. Big centre forward, tough yet fair and unfortunately died very young from Motor Neurone disease or something similar.

posted on 11/4/12

Signed from Doncaster, then played for Huddersfield and Bradford City!

I saw him score a goal by beating the defence and goalkeeper so comprehensively that he had time to stop the ball on the line then stoop to head it into the net. Reight laugh.

Great goalscoring record albeit at Level 4!

posted on 12/4/12

I saw him score a goal by beating the defence and goalkeeper so comprehensively that he had time to stop the ball on the line then stoop to head it into the net.
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And I though that this thing only happened when you were having a kickabout with your mates. Would loved to have seen it.

posted on 12/4/12

I believe he would get a yellow for it these days...

Ain't footy great...

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