Jose Riga arrived at the Club with very little notice (I assume) and was thrown straight into the deep end with critical games against Huddersfield and Millwall. He inherited a squad lacking in quality and which, following the abject capitulation against Sheffield Utd, appeared lacking in spirit and confidence. The wheels could really have come off during that first week.
He was in an alien and, potentially, hostile environment, having never managed in England before and being the stooge of an eccentric Owner who had just sacked a Club icon and about whom conspiracy theories were rampant. Despite this, he almost immediately steadied the ship, demonstrating both tactical awareness and courage in his team selections and decisive substitutions. Most importantly, his new team has, from the off, displayed passion and commitment.
The margins between success and failure are very thin indeed and it is fair to say that we could easily have drawn, and not won, one or more of the games against Bournemouth, Forest, Leeds and Yeovil. There are always "ifs, buts and maybe's", but the fact is that the Club have won four games out of the last nine, having won just six of the previous thirty.
Riga has done all of this without any drama, with dignity and with a friendly face. In his various interviews and programme notes he has appeared open and honest and been thoughtful and informative.
I've been very impressed. We are not safe yet, but I'm not sure we could have hoped for anything more.
Let's not over-hype Riga. We've had the new manager bounce and he has done a good job. He has also managed to select the wrong team, pick the wrong tactics, devise the wrong game plan and make the wrong substitutions in a few matches. In the Reading game, he managed a full house and the tactics against Brighton werent too impressive.
I suspect recent successes have been as much about the attitude of the senior pros, as the manager. If they had decided to "throw the towel in" when CP was sacked, we would have been relegated without question, because the network players coming in haven't been good enough. The players deserve a lot of credit for fighting on and achieving some good results, against the odds.
Let's not over-hype Riga. We've had the new manager bounce and he has done a good job. He has also managed to select the wrong team, pick the wrong tactics, devise the wrong game plan and make the wrong substitutions in a few matches. In the Reading game, he managed a full house and the tactics against Brighton werent too impressive.
I suspect recent successes have been as much about the attitude of the senior pros, as the manager. If they had decided to "throw the towel in" when CP was sacked, we would have been relegated without question, because the network players coming in haven't been good enough. The players deserve a lot of credit for fighting on and achieving some good results, against the odds.
I understand your point but we would not have beaten Leeds or Yeovil(we needed the first goal for our confidence IMO) if it was not for some individual great play from two of those network players.
Yet again tonight (post Barnsley) wrong line-up and senseless substitutions. Play Solly and Wilson in tandem, not as alternatives. Does Riga pull the players names out of a hat? There seems no reasoning behind either his starting lineup, or, perhaps more worryingly, his tactics when substituting. Players come on and any semblance of a plan goes out of the window. Powell was, rightly, castigated for delaying his substitutions but with Riga, it isn't easy to fathom what team instructions are being followed when subs are made.
I'm not a pessimist but does anyone have the timetable for trains to Shrewsbury?
All hail the special one.. 2-0 down and his eyes go to resting Poyet and Solly, it's like a merry go round of players to please them all. Pick a team to win the match, keep it with a very large spine, and adapt from there. Not change your strike force, formation and everything else every game. No wonder we concede so many
Riga is nowhere near the deeply unpleasant 'all about me' managers like Dowie or Pardew, he is not the deeply focused manager like Lennie, Curbs, or Powell, he puts me in mind of Parkinson. A nice bloke, competent to an extent, but unable to have the steely focus when it matters. Parkinson has the odd genius moment, the nine man Swindon was undoubtedly his finest hour, but then again, Northwich Victoria, relegation, loans galore, the play offs yes, but then failure there, all mishing and mashing. At the moment Jose feels like a Parkinson/Les Reed kind of incumbent. However, there is still a chance, all the cards are fully dealt, and they need to be played with precision for the rest of this season. I want Jose Riga to do it, but I fear there are too many reasons, too many excuses, too many hard luck stories waiting in the wings.
It felt like watching a Parkinson era team tonight.
Why try to play a passing game if you don't have the players to make it work? Surely good management is knowing how to get the best from your available resources?
How many think the dapper Riga is the man you want to see in the dugout at the fag end of a tho season when you are scrapping for your life. Nope, me neither.
It felt like watching a Parkinson era team tonight.
Why try to play a passing game if you don't have the players to make it work? Surely good management is knowing how to get the best from your available resources?
I'd rather attempt to keep possession with Poyet than hoofing up to Church like before. His record is still better than Powell's so far this season despite 2 poor results and not having Kermorgant. Bad results happen when you have a terrible team but I still think there has been a clear improvement.
Also he has to rotate players as we are playing a ridiculous amount of games this month because of our dreadful pitch and it is probably catching up with the squad now.
He seems out of his depth but given Powell was in part sacked over picking the team, perhaps Riga is the fall guy and is largely doing what he is being told to do. Why else appoint him? Because of his managerial brilliance?
He seems out of his depth but given Powell was in part sacked over picking the team, perhaps Riga is the fall guy and is largely doing what he is being told to do. Why else appoint him? Because of his managerial brilliance?
Because he was already lined up to take over at The Academy, so came a few months early, as a stop gap, as 1st team coach.
Comments
I suspect recent successes have been as much about the attitude of the senior pros, as the manager. If they had decided to "throw the towel in" when CP was sacked, we would have been relegated without question, because the network players coming in haven't been good enough. The players deserve a lot of credit for fighting on and achieving some good results, against the odds.
I'm not a pessimist but does anyone have the timetable for trains to Shrewsbury?
At the moment Jose feels like a Parkinson/Les Reed kind of incumbent. However, there is still a chance, all the cards are fully dealt, and they need to be played with precision for the rest of this season. I want Jose Riga to do it, but I fear there are too many reasons, too many excuses, too many hard luck stories waiting in the wings.
Why try to play a passing game if you don't have the players to make it work? Surely good management is knowing how to get the best from your available resources?
In no way is he Phil poxy Parkinson.
The closest I've seen to a PP performance was Sheff Utd away and JR wasn't in charge for that.
Also he has to rotate players as we are playing a ridiculous amount of games this month because of our dreadful pitch and it is probably catching up with the squad now.
Be careful what you wish for comes to mind....