Gary Caldwell Apraisal

[grecian-near-hell]

Transfer wise I’ve been really impressed with who he brought in in January and have been even more impressed with those signed this summer due to some of them being a completely untested in the men’s game. My one criticism on player turnover is that we don’t appear to have many players under contract for next season and it’s got to the stage where I’m worried about GC doing such a good job he will be poached from a club higher up, leaving us with a big rebuilding job to do with someone for less competent.

This will be interesting with from what he says I don't think he will. From the start he made no secret that he applied for the job because we give manager's time and I think he will do the same (particularly as he has been burnt in the past) and that he is a man of integrity

 

[jimbo-gould]

This will be interesting with from what he says I don't think he will. From the start he made no secret that he applied for the job because we give manager's time and I think he will do the same (particularly as he has been burnt in the past) and that he is a man of integrity

I get that impression as well. My worry is if a transfer window does not go to plan and we are very short going into next season it may well be that he is highly regarded but doesn’t have the tools to maintain our league position. I hope I’m wrong.

 

[Grecian Max]

I think it's a bit of both in regard to the discussion around longevity.

He had a hard couple of stints and needed to repair his reputation, which he's in the process of doing so. The 3 year contract (I think it was) is representative of the club's willingness to give him time but also - and this is a guess based of what I've seen of him - a clear time-based project. I think he'll see it through, despite possible interest over the next 12 months - purely because I think he wants something tangible on his CV. Getting us to the play offs, or up to the Championship would make him a bright young coach again to the rest of the football community.

I've said before that his on-going living arrangements aren't exactly optimum long term - he's living away from his family with Perks in an apartment. Now, this was compared a few days ago to the Tisdale travelling down from Bath situation which I really think is quite different. A long-ish commute (not even every day for Tis) down from a comfortable home life isn't comparable to living some distance away from your family for a long period. Of course, he may get comfortable here and want to settle more but I doubt it. Particularly as whilst we give a good amount of time to managers, no one can ever be sure of when the axe might fall or, there is a new opportunity. Were we in an area where there were lots of clubs around us maybe it'd be different.

 

[Trampus]

Makes you realise what a wasted 10 years the Tisdale period was, followed by his mini me. Just think where the club might be now had it appointed and retained more wisely.

 

[denzel]

Makes you realise what a wasted 10 years the Tisdale period was, followed by his mini me. Just think where the club might be now had it appointed and retained more wisely.

I love this reinventing history.
Two managers with three promotions between them are suddenly consigned to the bin.
We have had a great ride, and who knows where we are going next, but don't go overboard

 

[The 3 United's]

To be honest Trampus I think that is a bit hard on Tisdale, as he did take us from the Conference to a League 1 8th finish. As we all no it went downhill badly from there and he seemed to actually believe his own hype. As has been said on countless occasions before the problem was the two year rolling contract. At least the people running our Club now, I presume, will not make this error again.
GC as a manager in most respects makes Tisdale look ordinary, at best. I also think Matt did a great job getting us promoted and would not compare him to Tisdale in any respect.

 

[Egg]

Makes you realise what a wasted 10 years the Tisdale period was, followed by his mini me. Just think where the club might be now had it appointed and retained more wisely.

Quite right. If it wasn't for those 10 'wasted years' I have little doubt we'd be up there with Man City challenging for the Champions League and the World Club Championship by now!

 

[grecIAN Harris]

I'm surprised Rosie hasn't pulled up Sturtz about the youth production line. If I recall correctly, we would have had Pond, Chrisene and Stanno coming through at the moment if they hadn't have up sticks and left. Not every youth player is going to make but it's probably fair to say, as Stanno proved last season, that those three would have made a serious impact on the first team if they were still here. Unfortunately they left which makes the current crop look a little thin but that's just this crop. To say that Caldwell is abandoning the youth system seems a bit presumptuous three or four around the squad now. The trouble for them is they're not trying to break into a League 2 side as their predecessors were but a League 1 side and, on the face of it so far this season, a bloody good one too.
As for the man himself, I said from the start I liked the cut of his gib. He hasn't done much to change that.

 

[crocks]

As for the man himself, I said from the start I liked the cut of his gib. He hasn't done much to change that.

Excellently put.

 

[denzil]

GC - A+++++++++++++++++++++++++++