Gary Caldwell Apraisal

[Sexton Blake]

Have just listened to Gary’s interview on the clubs website “one year as City Manager”.

Definitely deserves our respect the way he has dealt with the challenges being away from home, his children and partner.

He has shown himself to be a strong character coping as he has done with the flack that he has taken at times under these circumstances.

Well done Gary really looking forward to next season now.

 

[budegrecian]

The season still has another game to go but I think the outcome of that game isn’t really going to change my appraisal of our manager’s performance this season.

Appraisals should be measured against set targets and GC’s overriding target would clearly have been to keep us in League One, which having lost six of our better players from last year and then a further one to long term injury, was no easy task. To ultimately finish in the position we find ourselves in is a fantastic achievement. Job well and truly done.

Another target that I would have set would have been around promoting and developing Academy graduates and if we consider the progress of Sonny Cox and Jake Richards together with the contract extension for Ed James and Cheick, I think this target has also been achieved. The continuous run of always having an Academy graduate in the side has also been maintained and extended. I watch with interest to see what now happens contractually with some of our other youngsters, Harry Lee in particular.

Other less easily measured targets around playing attractive attacking football could be argued to be less conclusive, with a lack of goals this season, but certainly the way we’ve played since the new year, with a real positivity and swagger suggests that this has also been achieved.

Overall, for me, expectations have been exceeded and I can’t wait for next season.

 

[Bat Fastard]

The season still has another game to go but I think the outcome of that game isn’t really going to change my appraisal of our manager’s performance this season.

Appraisals should be measured against set targets and GC’s overriding target would clearly have been to keep us in League One, which having lost six of our better players from last year and then a further one to long term injury, was no easy task. To ultimately finish in the position we find ourselves in is a fantastic achievement. Job well and truly done.

Another target that I would have set would have been around promoting and developing Academy graduates and if we consider the progress of Sonny Cox and Jake Richards together with the contract extension for Ed James and Cheick, I think this target has also been achieved. The continuous run of always having an Academy graduate in the side has also been maintained and extended. I watch with interest to see what now happens contractually with some of our other youngsters, Harry Lee in particular.

Other less easily measured targets around playing attractive attacking football could be argued to be less conclusive, with a lack of goals this season, but certainly the way we’ve played since the new year, with a real positivity and swagger suggests that this has also been achieved.

Overall, for me, expectations have been exceeded and I can’t wait for next season.

Very strange season and fair play we’re playing some nice football now….still have a horrible feeling we’ll go on a textbook Caldwell doomer run next year though….we shall see!

 

[Snoop Fog]

Really strange season, incredible start, terrible middle, excellent end. The ultimate sh!t sandwich.

A few months ago it didn't even feel like we'd score again, let alone win a match, yet now im feeling really positive for next season.

Cut out the ridiculous bit in the middle where we looked worse than a pub team and we may well find ourselves pushing for the Championship.

 

[The 3 United's]

Not making excuses for GC but those former doomer runs were in part due to large scale injuries to many key players( and the Jevani situation last season). On both those bad runs we didn't have strength in depth, a situation that has been addressed to a degree but needs completion in the transfer window.
My wife gets annoyed at me as I'm not a pannicker and it may be due to this that I was never in favour of GC being sacked and feel vindicated, but I fully understand the opposite point of view bearing in mind that s**t run late last year.

 

[andrew p long]

Still too early to tell....you can only fairly/properly judge a manager 3 years in...

 

[grecIAN Harris]

Very strange season and fair play we’re playing some nice football now….still have a horrible feeling we’ll go on a textbook Caldwell doomer run next year though….we shall see!

I don't see that happening. The one at the end of last season you could have picked any average League 1 side and given it to them and they wouldn't have fared much better.
This seasons he had to bed virtually a new squad into a new set of ideas with base to build from. And that's before you add in the injury demolition of both flanks one after the other, first Rankine and Niskanen followed by Mitchell and Harper as soon as Rankine and Harper showed shoots of recovery. Then you have the lack of a recognised/competent striker after Nombe left for whatever reasons you wish to list. Coxy comes back from Yeovil and starts to look the part and lo and behold we start to slowly improve. Then we get both our flanks back together and all the ideals that Caldwell has been installing start to come together because he hadn't changed them from the second we kicked off to dump Wycombe on their arse, through the horrors of September to December and then on to the joys of our current unbeaten ten match run. Some added depth in January and players player in their right positions has helped and improved.
The crux of that is, next season he has the basis of a squad to work and build with. Players will leave, replacements will come in as is the want of football. The new players will bed in quicker and easier because those that have survived this seasons struggles know what it is all about so whilst the coaching staff are busy showing the new lads what's required the current lads are able to show them. We have two competent strikers in the shape of Cox and Alli to start the season with but they will probably need another addition. We have a solid back line. The midfield may need some settling in but at least there will be players in there that know what's what, this season we had nobody.
It's an opinion, read into it as much or little as you want.

 

[Exehausted]

I don't see that happening. The one at the end of last season you could have picked any average League 1 side and given it to them and they wouldn't have fared much better.
This seasons he had to bed virtually a new squad into a new set of ideas with base to build from. And that's before you add in the injury demolition of both flanks one after the other, first Rankine and Niskanen followed by Mitchell and Harper as soon as Rankine and Harper showed shoots of recovery. Then you have the lack of a recognised/competent striker after Nombe left for whatever reasons you wish to list. Coxy comes back from Yeovil and starts to look the part and lo and behold we start to slowly improve. Then we get both our flanks back together and all the ideals that Caldwell has been installing start to come together because he hadn't changed them from the second we kicked off to dump Wycombe on their arse, through the horrors of September to December and then on to the joys of our current unbeaten ten match run. Some added depth in January and players player in their right positions has helped and improved.
The crux of that is, next season he has the basis of a squad to work and build with. Players will leave, replacements will come in as is the want of football. The new players will bed in quicker and easier because those that have survived this seasons struggles know what it is all about so whilst the coaching staff are busy showing the new lads what's required the current lads are able to show them. We have two competent strikers in the shape of Cox and Alli to start the season with but they will probably need another addition. We have a solid back line. The midfield may need some settling in but at least there will be players in there that know what's what, this season we had nobody.
It's an opinion, read into it as much or little as you want.

Excellent assessment.

 

[denzel]

Difficult season to sum up . GC now has the makings of a decent League 1 side particularly when Demi returns. Goals have clearly been a problem but they are for most sides. Think Sonny has the makings and really like his unselfish attitude. Alli could well prove to be a real find too. Need a couple more strikers but doesn't everyone! Concerned about losing some loan players but t'was ever thus. Hopefully Woods will return and Chiek stays . Overall GC has more than fulfilled his pledges to the supporters, Trust and club. Although he will have loathed the 100 day famine' ...he'll be a better manager for it. As for next season ...I'm more than satisfied with League one top half. The Championship would ruin ECFC and put at risk twenty years sojourn on the part of so many true Grecians.

Whilst I agree with most of that, a flirtation with the play offs wouldn't hurt. A bit like Lincoln this season, it will be interesting to see how they cope should they go up.

 

[rifraf]

Can somebody PLEASE sort the spelling out on this thread ... or am I missing something?