Who's the Rioch to Evatt's Neal?

[nicholaldo]

What kind of football do Schumacher teams play?

Here's the Stoke local press getting the lowdown from Plymouth on his appointment: https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/f ... er-8987544

Schumacher had Argyle playing an exciting brand of attacking football, which worked extremely well at Home Park. They have won 27 of their 34 league games there since the start of the 2022/23 season. He largely refused to compromise on his approach in away games and the Pilgrims have yet to win an away Championship match this season, although most of their matches on the road have been against the top sides, such as Leicester City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion.
Argyle played a 3-4-2-1 formation during their 2022/23 League One title campaign but Schumacher has largely gone with a 4-3-3 set-up this season with the aim of trying to give them more solidity playing against better teams at a higher level. One of his biggest strengths is undoubtedly working with young players and developing them. His use of substitutions to change the course of games has been good too.

And then by March:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68533796

Stoke City boss Steven Schumacher says he does not mind abandoning his footballing principles if it secures Championship survival for the Potters. [...]
"The football hasn't been exactly how we wanted it over the last three games, we haven't played out from the back [as much]. But I'm not bothered about that, I just want to get points."
At previous club Plymouth, Schumacher's Pilgrims were renowned for an attacking, free-scoring style but the 39-year-old admitted he has had to temper that philosophy in his new surroundings. [...]
"What I am really pleased about is that, in the last three games in particular, we are going until the very last minute," Schumacher added. "That wasn't the case when we first came in - the facts and the data were there, we didn't score from 75 minutes to 90, and now we look as though we can. There's also been a realisation from myself: 'What are we actually really good at?' And we're a physical type of team."

If you want a really in-depth tactical look, ask a numbers nerd (bless them).

His Plymouth team (in January of the promotion season):
https://totalfootballanalysis.com/team- ... is-tactics
In short: short passing through the thirds but also happy to mix it up

His Stoke team (Mar 2024):
https://totalfootballanalysis.com/team- ... is-tactics
In short: good high press, well organised defence, blunt attack

Cheers, DSB.

That's about the answer I was hoping for i.e. good football (for want of a better term) but with a dose of sanity.

[BWFC_Insane]

I'll be surprised if we go and try and get a manager in work and have to pay compo, they could use that cash for a couple of signings if they employ an out of work manager - it would be quite a surprise if it wasn't SS, just look at our poll.

I get what you are saying but I’m struggling to remember many times when the clear front runner and favourite at the start, and most obvious fan choice was picked as Bolton manager?

Maybe Coyle. Not many others. I guess Lennon was not seen as viable till later….but most seem left field choices. I’m pretty sure Roy Evans was popular choice over Sam.

[malcd1]

Des Buckingham has now gone odds on for the job. This is the shortest odds since Evatt left. By no means is he certain to get the job but there must be people who think he will.

https://www.oddschecker.com/football/fo ... nt-manager

[Harry Genshaw]

Buckingham would be a hard no from me. Reminds me of the Dougie appointment except Buckingham has less EFL experience than Dougie had.

[BWFC_Insane]

Buckingham would be a hard no from me. Reminds me of the Dougie appointment except Buckingham has less EFL experience than Dougie had.

Yeah not keen myself. He’s done one thing in his career of any consequence and that was be better at tactics than Evatt. Sorry but take that one game out and he has nothing of a record.

Fortunately I don’t think bookies odds mean much of anything at this stage.

[The_Gun]

I’d be quite excited about Buckingham. He has a lot more coaching experience than Schumacher, and has put in the hard yards travelling around the world learning his trade. He’s also seemingly excelled wherever he’s been.

[KeyserSoze]

Replacing evatt with the bloke who sparked the downfall seems like some sort of self-flaggelation

[Prufrock]

I'd be fine with it. Took a bang average team out of L1, and had them outside the relegation zone when he was sacked.

And he certainly knows what our weaknesses are. Wouldn't be my first choice, but fine.

[Harry Genshaw]

Steve Cooper would be expecting a Championship job next time around? Very unlikely I know but I'm surprised I've not seen him mentioned at least once.

[KeyserSoze]

Done a lot too and similarly to you post shortlisting usually you have someone in mind out of the group you are interviewing.

However, I always, always go on gut feel. I know it sounds ridiculous - I’m an evidenced based person but for me interviews you go with what your gut tells you about someone. Tests or tasks for me just check someone isn’t lying about their capability - and mostly people are not. But I think you get a good sense of someone from the interview and how they approach it. If they aren’t able to make it a good discussion and chat it’s always a red flag to me.

But I’d say the difference with football is - unlike many industries do those interviewing understand the sort of person who can build an effective team and manage footballers well? I suspect that’s where a lot of it falls down. Because there are two worlds. The board and the players and understanding what works with the latter is much more remote than many industries.

Middle par - yeah, the gut feeling is part of the "two heads" hygiene thing. You have to work with these people, and in football they may be asking your staff to run through brick walls, although hopefully only metaphorically, or HR would have to get involved again...

(I'd also note that task assessments are utterly vital in my particular creative industry, but that has nowt to do wi' this.)

Ha, I did my first subbing test interviee last year for the first time in about a decade when I moved from in-house comms to (relatively) boiler room subbing.

I got the job, but still have nightmares about the atrocity of an article I faced for the second half of that test. I just stared at it for 15 minutes of the allotted 30 wondering what I could even salvage from the wreckage some editors are cruel.

[KeyserSoze]

Done a lot too and similarly to you post shortlisting usually you have someone in mind out of the group you are interviewing.

However, I always, always go on gut feel. I know it sounds ridiculous - I’m an evidenced based person but for me interviews you go with what your gut tells you about someone. Tests or tasks for me just check someone isn’t lying about their capability - and mostly people are not. But I think you get a good sense of someone from the interview and how they approach it. If they aren’t able to make it a good discussion and chat it’s always a red flag to me.

But I’d say the difference with football is - unlike many industries do those interviewing understand the sort of person who can build an effective team and manage footballers well? I suspect that’s where a lot of it falls down. Because there are two worlds. The board and the players and understanding what works with the latter is much more remote than many industries.

Middle par - yeah, the gut feeling is part of the "two heads" hygiene thing. You have to work with these people, and in football they may be asking your staff to run through brick walls, although hopefully only metaphorically, or HR would have to get involved again...

(I'd also note that task assessments are utterly vital in my particular creative industry, but that has nowt to do wi' this.)

Ha, I did my first subbing test interview last year for the first time in about a decade when I moved from in-house comms to (relatively) boiler-room subbing.

I got the job, but still have nightmares about the atrocity of an article I faced for the second half of that test. I just stared at it for 15 minutes of the allotted 30 wondering what I could even salvage from the wreckage some editors are cruel.

[Prufrock]

Strike that for duplication.

How am I doing?

[KeyserSoze]

Strike that for duplication.

How am I doing?

Can't even seem to delete one of them #headsgone

[KeyserSoze]

Strike that for duplication.

How am I doing?

More to the point, who is marking whom?

[BWFC_Insane]

I'd be fine with it. Took a bang average team out of L1, and had them outside the relegation zone when he was sacked.

And he certainly knows what our weaknesses are. Wouldn't be my first choice, but fine.

Alternatively took over third placed Oxford. Finished 6th and scraped a play off place. Won the play offs against a tired Posh and hapless Bolton.

Left Oxford 20th in the championship and since he left they have massively improved and now sit 14th.

On the limited evidence we have he’s done well by virtue of one single game that may be a fluke. We have nothing else to suggest he’s capable of managing a big club with the presssure and expectation that comes with it. His record at Oxford is too limited to draw firm conclusions but the hint in the underlying data is that he broadly was underperforming.

[Prufrock]

Sure, there's not a huge amount to point to either way. Oxford last year very similar to Wycombe this though. Start very well, manager realises it's not sustainable and gets out at the top. If Wycombe go up this year, even if it's 6th and play offs I think the manager who comes in will have done very well.

And their fixtures this season are likely a big part. Buckingham was sacked after a really tough run, since then Rowett has done well but against teams towards the bottom. They'll say it worked but it still seems harsh to me.

Long way from underperforming for me.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Ha, I did my first subbing test interviee last year for the first time in about a decade when I moved from in-house comms to (relatively) boiler room subbing.

I got the job, but still have nightmares about the atrocity of an article I faced for the second half of that test. I just stared at it for 15 minutes of the allotted 30 wondering what I could even salvage from the wreckage some editors are cruel.

Congrats -assuming it was a move you wanted to make. Subbing (which, to explain for those who don’t know and might wonder, is essentially checking other people’s writing for accuracy, grammar, fluency etc) is definitely something I’d test candidates for… and whether I was setting or sitting the test I’d make clear how much change was allowed/expected. Sorry to hear you got a word salad, but I imagine that’s to show you’re happy doing major surgery and not just spellchecking.

Anyway, about Stephan Shoemaker…

[BWFC_Insane]

Sure, there's not a huge amount to point to either way. Oxford last year very similar to Wycombe this though. Start very well, manager realises it's not sustainable and gets out at the top. If Wycombe go up this year, even if it's 6th and play offs I think the manager who comes in will have done very well.

And their fixtures this season are likely a big part. Buckingham was sacked after a really tough run, since then Rowett has done well but against teams towards the bottom. They'll say it worked but it still seems harsh to me.

Long way from underperforming for me.

Yeah fair points. I guess instinctively with Buckingham I don’t get that sense that he has ‘something’ to fire everyone up. Schumacher you can see the spark. Des to me feels like a really good coach but I worry that we need more of a manager, a leader, someone who inspires.

Buckingham isn’t on my ‘god no’ list and I’d back him if he came here. He certainly knew how to beat us.

I just wouldn’t be massively excited.

For me how I’d judge any manager is that I think next season we have to be automatic promotion candidates. Anything beyond that is a bonus. But we’ve got a few months to assess the squad then a window to make the necessary changes.

So that for me is what I’m looking at. I feel of the candidates Schumacher has shown the ability to go away and do that.

[Prufrock]

Aye, I'm pretty similar. Schumacher [Ed: won't be calling him SS!] the clear front runner for me. Would only be looking at others if he was a no. Then Buckingham would be in there with the likes of Lowe as not my first choice but fine, a long way ahead of the Rooneys "oh god this will be a disaster".

[Prufrock]

Strike that for duplication.

How am I doing?

More to the point, who is marking whom?