Caldwell out?

[edwin_price]

That’s exactly what I’m saying. They were too scared to make a decision, and too scared to come out and say publicly they were backing him. Fortunately for them their inaction has proven, so far, to be right, but don’t ever kid yourself it was by design, it was pure fluke.

What would constitute public backing? This was one of their statements: "In keeping with our ethos, when we appointed Gary Caldwell last year, we took a view that this would be a long-term appointment with the aim of helping us grow and develop all aspects of the football club. This view has not changed," I don't get your point. They backed him in the teeth of strong opposition from fans. That shows more spine than capitulating to the majority view. And then he's proven them right. Surely it's time for us to show a bit of humility on it?

 

[tavyred]

That’s exactly what I’m saying. They were too scared to make a decision, and too scared to come out and say publicly they were backing him. Fortunately for them their inaction has proven, so far, to be right, but don’t ever kid yourself it was by design, it was pure fluke.

Pure conjecture.

 

[Antony Moxey]

What would constitute public backing? This was one of their statements: "In keeping with our ethos, when we appointed Gary Caldwell last year, we took a view that this would be a long-term appointment with the aim of helping us grow and develop all aspects of the football club. This view has not changed," I don't get your point. They backed him in the teeth of strong opposition from fans. That shows more spine than capitulating to the majority view. And then he's proven them right. Surely it's time for us to show a bit of humility on it?

I‘m more than happy to acknowledge the way Caldwell and the team have turned results around, but I’m not swooning over the board’s role in all this. Hawker’s interview, which came about due to increasing pressure from the fans to do something about the dreadful run of results we were having, was one of the most clueless and hopeless pieces of film I’ve ever seen - he couldn’t have looked less like someone we should trust with the running of the club if he tried.

 

[MJP_Exeter]

What would constitute public backing? This was one of their statements: "In keeping with our ethos, when we appointed Gary Caldwell last year, we took a view that this would be a long-term appointment with the aim of helping us grow and develop all aspects of the football club. This view has not changed," I don't get your point. They backed him in the teeth of strong opposition from fans. That shows more spine than capitulating to the majority view. And then he's proven them right. Surely it's time for us to show a bit of humility on it?

At this moment, they are being proven right and fair play, long may this recent form continue and long may the performance aspect of this recent form continue.

I still would say though, if we had fired him after Fleetwood or Bolton, no one now would be clamouring for him to return. In those moments after Fleetwood, if the board had fired him, it would have been completely justified and fair. Now whether this is by design or a fluke, at the moment it is working. At this moment fair play to the board.

But as we know with Caldwell's reign we are really patchy and we have huge parts of being really poor / unable to obtain results and then a month of exceptional. Lets hope this isn't just a month of exceptional followed by another huge poor part.

 

[tavyred]

But as we know with Caldwell's reign we are really patchy and we have huge parts of being really poor / unable to obtain results and then a month of exceptional. Lets hope this isn't just a month of exceptional followed by another huge poor part.

Maybe a tad early, but “Caldwell’s reign” may actually be about to give us three seasons of third tier football. With our history that’s an achievement not to be sniffed at.

 

[Sexton Blake]

Nonsense. They backed him. It's only spineless if you presuppose that binning him was the choice to make. They've been proven right. We've been proven to have been wrong. You surely can't be saying they were right, but accidentally, through spinelessness?

Agree with all you have said how about a word of congratulation to those at the Club who stood by him and their original decision and in particular the much maligned chair of the Trust who took a great deal of stick both on here and elsewhere on social media.

 

[edwin_price]

Agree with all you have said how about a word of congratulation to those at the Club who stood by him and their original decision and in particular the much maligned chair of the Trust who took a great deal of stick both on here and elsewhere on social media.

Amen

 

[edwin_price]

I‘m more than happy to acknowledge the way Caldwell and the team have turned results around, but I’m not swooning over the board’s role in all this. Hawker’s interview, which came about due to increasing pressure from the fans to do something about the dreadful run of results we were having, was one of the most clueless and hopeless pieces of film I’ve ever seen - he couldn’t have looked less like someone we should trust with the running of the club if he tried.

You don't have to swoon. They made the right call, we called them idiots for it. Results proved them right. Churlish now to claim that choice was an accidental consequence of their character defects. They just made the correct (and difficult) decision.

 

[mfcrocker]

He's probably got until the end of the season now for me. We seem to be exceptionally streaky under him and I don't think I'm ever likely to be a fan of his, but I will enjoy this form while it lasts.

 

[Rosencrantz]

At this moment, they are being proven right and fair play, long may this recent form continue and long may the performance aspect of this recent form continue.

I still would say though, if we had fired him after Fleetwood or Bolton, no one now would be clamouring for him to return. In those moments after Fleetwood, if the board had fired him, it would have been completely justified and fair. Now whether this is by design or a fluke, at the moment it is working. At this moment fair play to the board.

But as we know with Caldwell's reign we are really patchy and we have huge parts of being really poor / unable to obtain results and then a month of exceptional. Lets hope this isn't just a month of exceptional followed by another huge poor part.

You are right in saying no one would be clamouring against the decision (or I would say surprised) if GC was sacked around that time. Even those who might have been against it. Because of that i do feel that would have been the easy decision for the board to make. Because as many have said on here, it's what most other clubs (if not all) would have done.

I was of the opinion that because of the circumstances, one self inflicted in the striking department, one down to one of those things with the injuries, that i would be inclined to give him more time, for at least the injured players to come back and to rectify the striker situation. But if he was sacked I wouldn't have been surprised or gutted. The form and relationship with the fans at that point seemed too far gone to turn around. The first is going in the right direction, the second very much in very early days with many which is understandable, particularly if you are not a fan of the style of play, even when it's played reasonably well.

I still don't think the striker situation is 100% resolved. We could still do with another of a different profile, which they seem to think as well. I do feel this is still early days in a rebuilding operation. Last time we fell back to L2 and took a while to be competitive in promotion terms. I feel the challenge is not to make that length of slip back, and we are better set financially now than what we were. So by initially staying up and then stabilising in L1 is a decent ambition. I think GC actually wants more than that and maybe quicker.