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[bighairedmike]

The real question is : Did Tolson get the job because he's a nice chap and well in with the board, or because he was already there and represented a cheap option ?

I rather fear it's the latter, and it'll take a few more Bill Watersons to miraculously appear before we get this club back on track.

I'm convinced he'll still be in charge at the start of next season and a top half finish in North is the best we can expect. My glass is more than half empty, and is leaking.

I'm not so sure. There does appear to be a culture of putting friends/family in important positions within the club. Now this is all well and good if it can be demonstrably proved that they are the best people for the job, but I fail to see how this is possible when no selection process is even entered into. It's one thing to be seen as a family run, friendly club, but quite another if that approach is actually to the detriment of the club itself.

I don't think for one  second think that Graham or the board wanted us to be in a position to be relegated. They  probably thought given our relatively easy (on paper at least) run-in that even if they did appoint Neil we would surely pick up enough points to see us safe. This has of course proved to be (barring a miracle of Lazarus proportions) somewhat misguided at best.

I'd be interested to see what happens at the forum, although I strongly suspect people will not hear what they want to hear and could probably predict the answers to their questions now.

To quote The Strangles 'Something better change'.

I think it is a complete mixture of the all of those points. Tols is well in with the board and CSH, so they've given the job to a mate. They've probably also thought that this is the cheapest option and given our "easy" run in it wouldn't matter too much.

The fact is, any one of these reasons is the wrong basis to appoint a new manager. All three together is, to quote the BFG "a catasterous disastrophe!"

[markecky]

Not got involved in this debate for a number of reasons (too much going on in the outside world) plus I have been travelling hundreds of miles to watch predictable defeats (more on that later) but a few have asked me my thoughts and it struck me today that not getting involved might be seen as me wanting Neil Tolson to be manager next year, which I don't.

Stop reading if I bore you as this could be a long one.

A decision was made to make Neil the manager until the end of the season.  The announcement and the PR was handled badly, he set it off on the wrong foot with his "no promises" interview and results have shown that the decision was ultimately a mistake. 

It didn't work out, although the consequences are harsh we all make decisions in life and business that don't work out.  I disagree with Jim that he should not have applied for a job he wasn't qualified for, he has been the assistant for five years and must have felt that he could do it and he took his chance.  The board felt he could do it and I don't doubt he has given his all. 

In terms of performance they haven't been awful and we haven't been 5-0'd all over the show, the players have tried but they haven't put bodies on the line for their leader because there is no leader. 

I've not seen arguments between the players and the management, although I don't doubt there may have been some if it was seen on Radio Robins.  Bet they weren't too fierce as we are the quietest nicest team ever.   It is all too predictable on the field, I was one of the drivers to Torquay on the bus and I didn't think we would get a thing and I'm not sure many others on it did either.  That's fine at Eastleigh, their players man for man are 10 times better than ours and they pay for that, however it is not acceptable at what to an outsider is a game that we must and can win for me to know we just won't.  If I have no hope, we're properly knackered!

I don't believe that Neil Tolson will be manager next season because as I understand it he is caretaker manager until the end of the season.  Therefore he has to be appointed manager for next season.  If he wants to put his application in then that is his choice.  However applications have to be invited.  If they are not invited then that is wrong.  We have made one mistake, let's not do it again.  It has to happen that way.

The second reason he won't be manager is that no manager should in my opinion stay after a relegation. It's not all his fault we have gone down but as well as sealing it he also played his part in getting us into the mess in the first place.  You start the next season with this seasons baggage.  I don't agree with Jezza's sub 500 crowd post because we no longer know all the people in the ground anymore like the olden days, it's not fair to try and speak for hundreds of fans.  However I don't know anyone who does want him to have another crack at it.

And finally, when emotions are taken out of it his CV and results of this tenure are not good enough.  I don't expect us to beat Eastleigh but we have had at least 5 games where we had our chance and have not taken one of them.

I don't doubt he has tried, he is a decent bloke with feelings for the club after 5 years of hard work and I wish him no ill but he would be a fool to take this on next season even if offered.  It we go 1-0 down to Gainsborough on 20 mins the whole thing starts up again.  It isn't worth it for anyone. 

We need a new lift, a new manager and some different faces on the field.  I'm utterly bored of seeing half of these players now (not all lads but I ain't listing them yet), new blood is needed.  That lift gives a lift to fundraising as well and that is certainly needed.  Talk of cancelling the race night, a fundraiser that people have donated to and needs support rather than a joyous "who cares if we go down" celebration, shows that raising money is way down the list and that has to change.

So I believe we will get a new manager, I won't allow myself to consider what happens if we don't.

Finally, I really hope that when we get a new manager he is given more respect than Lee Sinnott was from the off and is given some time to put his mark on it.  I genuinely think this modern internet culture of the race to be first to make the smart quip or be outraged will be very sad if we don't afford the new bloke some time. 

I can almost see the posts now of "what's he won" or "look at his record here five years ago".   People set up against Sinnott and were forced to stick with it, even when we lost about 1 home game in 18 months and won 5-0 quite often people weren't happy.  That worries me deeply, let's hope I am proved wrong (don't want to start a Sinnott debate!)

And even more finally, I really hope that we don't throw the baby out with the bathwater here.  We have had (FA cup aside and a couple of good home wins early doors) a poor season culminating in a bad decision that has lead to a relegation that saddens me.  The board made a mistake and boy have they been told.

However lets not forget that they are volunteers working for our club, fans like us who have been around years as well. This isn't some faceless £50,000 a year CEO that is under fire here.  The work they have done should not be wiped out and they should at least be afforded the respect of answering some questions on Saturday.   Likewise the CSH shouldn't be dragged into, that could well be the platform that allows us to get back up that we didn't have in recent years.

It's a mess but at some point we have to draw a line under it and move on and start to rebuild. Won't be just yet but we have to. That starts with a new manager for me....

[Paul Cain's Chip Pan]

Great post mate ^^^^

[robininstockport]

Pretty much bang on Ecky

[wayno]

Great post i think most of the sinnout stuff was in jest

But some certainly was not

But lets be clear heathcote got the same treatment

Some people simply have no grasp of football or leadership.

[bighairedmike]

Great post i think most of the sinnout stuff was in jest

But some certainly was not

But lets be clear heathcote got the same treatment

Some people simply have no grasp of football or leadership.

Heathecote got nowhere near the amount of stick Sinnott got. We hadn't even played a pre-season friendly and people were judging him and calling him a disgrace.

Most of the I'll feelin towards GH was towards the end of his tenure, not at the beginning.

I agree a lot of the Sinnout stuff was in jest, but it came from people mocking the ones with a vendetta against him. And it was a vendetta, whether they claim otherwise or not.

[Jimmy]

Great post i think most of the sinnout stuff was in jest

But some certainly was not

But lets be clear heathcote got the same treatment

Some people simply have no grasp of football or leadership.

Heathecote got nowhere near the amount of stick Sinnott got. We hadn't even played a pre-season friendly and people were judging him and calling him a disgrace.

Most of the I'll feelin towards GH was towards the end of his tenure, not at the beginning.

I agree a lot of the Sinnout stuff was in jest, but it came from people mocking the ones with a vendetta against him. And it was a vendetta, whether they claim otherwise or not.

not completely true I went the first game at Bursough when Heathcote took over and the vast majority did not celebrate the 3 goals because they were not happy he took over from Bernard

[im not really here]

You're right Jimmy, Heathcote's appointment wasn't celebrated largely because it was very similar to how and why Tolson was appointed - because he was mates with Rowley and he had been been waiting for Bernard to get sacked for several weeks. Although Heathcote was a playing legend and had a good coaching record, he didn't start off well and was divisive throughout even though he was largely successful.

[Jimmy]

You are bang on however he did start well he won his first 3 games and eventually took the team from bottom to about 10th to qualify for the new conference north,however like Sinnott his end justified him going.

[im not really here]

Sorry, I meant he didn't start well, supporters view wise. He did well in his first season and if we hadn't have qualified Conf North that season god knows where we would be now.

[wayno]

Sorry, I meant he didn't start well, supporters view wise. He did well in his first season and if we hadn't have qualified Conf North that season god knows where we would be now.

forgot about that !

[Jimmy]

Sorry, I meant he didn't start well, supporters view wise. He did well in his first season and if we hadn't have qualified Conf North that season god knows where we would be now.

although he was mates with the chairman and Bernard was popular it was the correct decision

[im not really here]

It was right that Bernard was replaced but not necessarily by Heathcote at the time, we could have advertised the post, although hindsight would say it was the right decision.

[Jimmy]

Fair point

[Jezza]

Excellent post....can i just point out my prediction of sub 500 gates was only if nothing changed....it would be a disaster if the new faces on the terraces lost interest having been attracted by the excellent community side of the clubs work.

The new faces on the terraces and the growth in replica shirts seen around the town has been a real positive and the club should be applauded for this as much as they get slated for things that havent worked.

A new manager and fresh faces on the pitch we can have an exciting season culminating in another 5000 gate celebrating promotion.