Hugely improved

[floyd__streete]

55 points in 33 matches, W15 D10 L8.

The above represents Birmingham's improvement under Rowett, appointed as manager of a team who had lost 0-8 at home the week before and only stayed up by the skin of their teeth the season before.

Rowett - who I wanted at Reading at the time but our owners fiddled while Adkins crashed and burned - was appointed barely a fortnight before Clarke who, as we all know, averages under a point a game as Reading manager and under whom we have scored just 7 league goals at home in 8 months.

So don't give me this BS that it is impossible for Clarke to improve things more quickly. Both Brighton and Charlton have also shown early progress this season under managers appointed since Clarke.

Hopefully this post will be made to look foolish with a good win tonight backed up with a result at home to MK. But if we lose tonight and then suffer a drubbing by a newly promoted side on Saturday will Clarke begin running out of excuses

[Lacoste]

Good post. I agree

Fact is, our players aren't bad at all and a better manager would get the best out of them a lot quicker. Yes we've been unlucky with our wingers being out, but we had wingers last season and our results were just poor. Even with our wingers out, a decent manager would still find a way to win games with the players at our disposal.

How so many make excuses for him I don't know. If he was disliked like Adkins was, people would be calling for his head.

His results have been poor.

[Nameless]

Any stats on newly appointed managers who don't improve results, or long standing managers who go into decline ? Or new managers who take time but then produce record breaking runs ? Or managers who have some short term initial success and then fail ?
what happens at another club has little or no relevance to what happens here.
just changing managers every 6 months makes no sense though, Clarke should get this season to show what he can do.

[bobby1413]

Football isn't a game where you can just say "well so-and-so did it ... why aren't we?". It's not just a case of comparing it so two dimensionally and clinically.

Also if you're saying we would be doing better (which after two league games sounds rediculous) by employeeing Rowett then that again doesn't sound valid.

Some managers get sacked at clubs for poor performance... then are re-hired by other clubs who have just sacked their poor performing managers. We often see the case where the new manager does far better and impresses all.

[Schards#2]

Have to agree, Clarke has been deeply unimpressive thus far. The squad was underperforming under Adkins and has continued to underperform under Clarke, if anything, looking even less threatening.

I suppose any manager deserves a chance to put his own stamp on a squad but his failure to change the results, performances or general mood at the club in any way since joining does not auger well.

If he thinks a 0-0 at home to a terrible Leeds side is a point gained, it doesn't suggest were about to see a step change any time soon either.

[floyd__streete]

what happens at another club has little or no relevance to what happens here.
just changing managers every 6 months makes no sense though, Clarke should get this season to show what he can do.

Of course......and circumstances are never identical from club to club. But Birmingham just go to show that you can show more discernable improvement over a short space of time than Clarke has managed (albeit I prefer us defensively under Clarke, he's done a good job there).

Agree with your second point, provided we're not in and around the bottom 3 by Christmas.

I'm not saying 'Clarke Out'. I'm just saying 'Clarke Disappointing' thus far. I am sure nobody would argue that point 3 more (tough looking) fixtures in August of course. We could be near enough top by the end of the month

[Lacoste]

There has been no improvement under Clarke at all. (Results)

We are lucky to have the quality of player we have. Certainly Rowett and other manager sin this division would kill for some of our talent.

Clarke is a number 2 as I've said all along.

[floyd__streete]

Also if you're saying we would be doing better (which after two league games sounds rediculous) by employeeing Rowett then that again doesn't sound valid.

Just an example, an example to support a low-level deb8 on a football message board. I am well aware it isn't 'Thought For The Day' stuff

Two games is absolutely a ridiculous time to judge. After we've played Sheff Weds away, MK home and Brentford away (a difficult looking run to me) if we're still not scoring goals and if we're still not winning then the argument becomes a little more valid.

Rowett stats have been improved of course by playing Reading three times in his regime at Birmingham so far

[bobby1413]

Am I the only one happy with SC so far?

I don't even look at last season when he was in charge and in my mind have allowed him the summer to bring in promising players and make positive changes. He's done this tbf to him and now he's effectively built his team, I feel I can now make a proper and fair judgement.

[TBM]

I think the difference is, he went into Brum and looked at what they had and made it work........here SC looked at what we had and thought "fcuk this, i'm going to put my stamp on it", hence why we are seeing so many leaving and loads signing.

Give it a couple of seasons and i feel we will see the best from Clarke - however fans/owners won't wait that long

[Pandoras Box]

Obviously it's a results business, but if we had played the way Birmingham played two Saturdays ago under this massive improvement by Rowett, (although they got the win) - I would have far less hope for this season. Reading was simply unlucky (I thought) - it just needs to start clicking into place and we'll be away.

[Nameless]

We an only really start judging Clark now. He said there were issues that he couldn't address during last season. My assumption is he has addressed them now, and if he hasn't then he never will and therefore should have resigned.
But assuming he has, and that he completes his transfer business in the next 10 days there can be no excuses if he doesn't continue the rebuilding and transform that into consistent results.
The foundations of the team look solid, we've got the flair players on board and hopefully adding the edge we've been missing.
Let's discuss it again in January when we can be a bit more objective....

[Haag Royal]

I was on BBCRB last year after a game towards the end of the season saying that I really did not think Clarke was up for the job. I know it was not his team etc...etc. but I just didn't see him and RFC as a fit. And he was getting no more out of the team than Adkins. There was no new manager bounce if you like which is referred to above.

However, I did say at the time we should give the bloke a fair chance and that I would call the programme back after 10 games this season hoping to be proved wrong. 2 games in and I still do not know if he really knows a) his best team and b) the team's best formation.

It might be that the perennial RFC start of the season injury list means he is not able to field his best side but come end of October we should be in a better place to judge him and his back room team.

[Woodcote Royal]

You want a manager who knows his best team 2 games into the season, following a summer with many ins & outs, others still arriving and the transfer window still open

Some of you are so full of shit it just beggars belief.

Time to rejoin the real world.

[Waxy]

Stupid post. Firstly if you were even at the birmingham game you would have seen That we massively out played birmingham so if you wanted a manager to come in and turn reading into an average r championship team then rowett was your man.

Also you can't compare how a manager does at one club and say he could have done the same here. What about Brendan Rodgers??? He was dreadful at reading and was going to see us relegated before he went and did wonders at Swansea and is now Liverpool manager.

[Nameless]

To be fair Flloyd's posts may be provocative, controversial and attention seeking but he's not stupid.

[No Fixed Abode]

See where you are after 10 or so games Floyd. Then your meltdown might be more understandable m8!

[Z175]

If we look at the only competition that Clarke has been in charge of the whole way through his record (after 90 mins) is W4 D2 L0.

More to the point the team selection and tactics were spot on in all 6 of those games. You are not telling me he is just a number 2 I'm afraid.

Of course the league form went from bad to worse after he took over but the malaise that has surrounded our home league games has been around for a lot longer than Clarke and his ruthless clearouts show he knows the problem.

I'm a bit sceptical about his record in the transfer market and if you believe we have a good squad then I think we'd do well to get behind him.

If we work out a way to score at home we'll be flying.

[Winchester Royal]

Yeah, that's kind of the premise of football though, to work out a way to score goals without letting any in.

[Woodcote Royal]

Birmingham just go to show that you can show more discernable improvement over a shorter space of time than Clarke has managed

After we hit the bar 3? times, miss a penalty and they win by the odd goal.

This thread is a waste of bandwidth