Matt Taylor - 2 Years As ECFC Manager...

[CC]

It just feels very 'samey'. We keep going to bits at the end of this season when any reasonable run of form would have seen us comfortably in the play offs/autos.

This season we got 17 points from the last 14 games and dropped from from the Christmas 'I still think we can stay in the autos if we pick up our form' to 'oh well it's the play offs then but really that's still a good season' to 'well as long as we beat Barrow and someone else messes up we can still get in the play offs'. To be honest, how many people could honestly say that they could see us winning the playoffs if we got in them? Or even if we deserved to?

Last season we should have been in the autos but only picked up 12 points in the last 10 games of the normal season played to slip into the play offs, and the way we were playing there was more chance of us slipping out of the play offs rather than breaking back in to the top 3. The season before we got 20 points from the last 16 games (only 9 in the last 8) and fell out of the play offs.

It's also the way we always come apart when playing the bigger, stronger tougher teams. Northampton in the p/o final last year was as embarrassing as it was predictable. Teams that get in our face and physically dominate us more often than not beat us or at least get a draw. We tend to panic and lump the ball and turn into a very poor team indeed. We picked up 10 points in the 6 games against the three automatically promoted sides this season and that included two defeats against a big powerful Cheltenham side, but we couldn't win either of the games against two of the bottom four (Barrow and Southend) and only won one of the home games against these four, and that was against a Grimsby side who were winning until their lad got sent off with half an hour left.

Now I like MT and am in favour of him getting next season to see if he can go the next step, but please a bit less of the 'cut and paste' post match press conferences, as if you know what has happened then I'm more interested in you changing it for next time.
I'm also concerned about the dressing room and rumours about player's unhappiness. MT is a strong character and you need that to be a successful manager, but that is a positive when things are going well, but can soon be a negative when things aren't quite so rosy. I can't quite put my finger on it but I don't think everything is hunky-dory behind the scenes.

 

[Martin Lawrence]

No you wouldn't. You would much prefer
the club to.bumble along in Div 2 for another 10 years, not rock the boat, keep a nice and cosy small club atmosphere, and deprive the fans the chance of having new and more exciting experiences in Div 1.

Football is a business, not a local parish committee. I don't know the world you move in , but In business you get results or the boot. Four years for a manager who has inherited a fairly good team, been provided sufficient funds, and been given quite a lot of freedom is sufficient. And if the club is not providing the funds for the team to progress it is the directors who should get the boot.

I want Matt to stay, but being "a nice bloke" is not enough. We want results. We have to progress on the field and establish ourselves in Div 1. Standing still eventually results in a downward trajectory

I know some of our posters are close to the club and club people and don't like to read criticism of the club, but criticism is the driver for improvement, or at least it should be if taken in the right spirit

Finally, I too like Matt and hope the club will back him with serious intent, but if they don't back him or if they do but we still end up stuck in Div 2, Matt must carry the can, just the same as all managers must.

I wondered how long it would be before the personal attacks started

 

[shoot on sight]

Agree with most of this.
Had an idle few moments this morning and had a look at our season's results compared to Cheltenham's.
No doubt the stats bods here will rip this apart but I went through all the league games where Cheltenham and us scored just the one goal (irrespective of the final result).

Cheltenham had 20 such games and came away with 30 points (8W 5D 6L).

We had fewer such games -14 but ended up with just 14 points (W3 D5 L6).
So when Cheltenham were scoring just the one goal they were getting on average 1.5 points per game and we were getting exactly 1 point.
Somewhere along the line this points to one of our weaknesses throughout the season??

 

[IndoMike]

I wondered how long it would be before the personal attacks started

It's not a personal attack : it's argument.
You are free to argue against the points I have made. If you don't agree with something I said please justify your complaint. Hiding behind the "oh it's a personal attack" doesn't really wash with me. And I have no reason to attack you personally. It's the future of Matt and the club we're discussing.

 

[Jammers20]

For me. He's fine until Christmas next season. Then we will have had time to see any new signings he makes etc. If we look good and are doing well in the top 10 then he gets all of next season. If we are doing badly then I feel its time to look elsewhere. Anything short of play-offs come the end of next season and it's time for him to leave then.

The transition period has ended and now we need to see progress and a clear vision of where we are going.

 

[Jammers20]

It just feels very 'samey'. We keep going to bits at the end of this season when any reasonable run of form would have seen us comfortably in the play offs/autos.

This season we got 17 points from the last 14 games and dropped from from the Christmas 'I still think we can stay in the autos if we pick up our form' to 'oh well it's the play offs then but really that's still a good season' to 'well as long as we beat Barrow and someone else messes up we can still get in the play offs'. To be honest, how many people could honestly say that they could see us winning the playoffs if we got in them? Or even if we deserved to?

Last season we should have been in the autos but only picked up 12 points in the last 10 games of the normal season played to slip into the play offs, and the way we were playing there was more chance of us slipping out of the play offs rather than breaking back in to the top 3. The season before we got 20 points from the last 16 games (only 9 in the last 8) and fell out of the play offs.

It's also the way we always come apart when playing the bigger, stronger tougher teams. Northampton in the p/o final last year was as embarrassing as it was predictable. Teams that get in our face and physically dominate us more often than not beat us or at least get a draw. We tend to panic and lump the ball and turn into a very poor team indeed. We picked up 10 points in the 6 games against the three automatically promoted sides this season and that included two defeats against a big powerful Cheltenham side, but we couldn't win either of the games against two of the bottom four (Barrow and Southend) and only won one of the home games against these four, and that was against a Grimsby side who were winning until their lad got sent off with half an hour left.

Now I like MT and am in favour of him getting next season to see if he can go the next step, but please a bit less of the 'cut and paste' post match press conferences, as if you know what has happened then I'm more interested in you changing it for next time.
I'm also concerned about the dressing room and rumours about player's unhappiness. MT is a strong character and you need that to be a successful manager, but that is a positive when things are going well, but can soon be a negative when things aren't quite so rosy. I can't quite put my finger on it but I don't think everything is hunky-dory behind the scenes.

Superb post.

 

[ExmouthMart]

As I’ve said Taylor is a lucky boy. He would not have survived at any other club but Exeter City. He does come across as quite arrogant in the last interview in relation to his comments about players being told what’s expected and the consequences if they don’t. This as we know this is just talk because he couldn’t get anything out of Ajose could he and ended up just ignoring him...... so are we likely to have a number of players just picking up their wages and not playing because the Manager takes a dislike to them for whatever reason and the team suffers through lack of choice to pick a team?!

 

[Rosencrantz]

As I’ve said Taylor is a lucky boy. He would not have survived at any other club but Exeter City. He does come across as quite arrogant in the last interview in relation to his comments about players being told what’s expected and the consequences if they don’t. This as we know this is just talk because he couldn’t get anything out of Ajose could he and ended up just ignoring him...... so are we likely to have a number of players just picking up their wages and not playing because the Manager takes a dislike to them for whatever reason and the team suffers through lack of choice to pick a team?!

Or it is a manager making clear to the players the job he wants them to do and the standards that are expected.

 

[geoffwp]

. He does come across as quite arrogant in the last interview in relation to his comments

Actually one of the main things about Matt Taylor I always think is his complete lack of arrogance so I honestly have absolutely no idea where you are coming from or what the agenda is.

 

[DB9]

Actually one of the main things about Matt Taylor I always think is his complete lack of arrogance so I honestly have absolutely no idea where you are coming from or what the agenda is.

Perhaps the frustration of missing out and knowing the 2nd half of the season just wasn't good or enough and got a bit tepid, After 46+ post match interviews and you just missed out the interview might have come across that way, Like you Geoff, The last thing I'd call MT was arrogant.