Mild Rover wrote:
It may very well be part of it.
The flawed thinking that has gripped the club about losing now to win later has probably been more disheartening than the losing itself at times.
This, from Moneyball, resonated with me.
Of course, no one in pro sports ever admits to quitting. But it was perfectly possible to abandon all hope of winning and at the same time show up every day for work to collect a paycheck. Professional sports had a word for this: “rebuilding”. That’s what half a dozen big league teams did more or less all the time. The Kansas City Royals had been rebuilding for the last four or five years. Bud Selig’s Brewers had been taking a dive for at least a decade.There are differences between MLB and SL, and I’m not suggesting individuals have behaved unprofessionally or didn’t try. But a malaise set in at an organisational level. Patience (aka acceptance of losing) is definitely a virtue that can be taken to far, even for club with limited resources.
I
think the leadership at Rovers might now be awake to this. But if not, stuff like this will highlight it.
Or maybe his partner has just got a good job in Manchester or something.
A good summary and the ‘Moneyball’ book and film do challenge the traditional approach to running sports teams.
I agree too many clubs sack a manager or have a takeover and then commence a project or process to take their club ‘back where they belong.’ If all were successful in football, they’d be about 50 teams in the Premier League. No club has a given right to be anywhere other than their current league position.
Along with recruitment, the role of the Coach is also pivotal and can make such a difference. It’s still early days with Brett, but he’s only made one signing (Grub), but we are already seeing a material change in our attitude, work rate and defence.
Previously, we had Brian Smith transform an indifferent Hull side and turn players like Andy Dannatt and Paul Eastwood from average club players into Internationals. So sometimes it is buying the right player, but also getting players to apply themselves correctly.
With Rovers, they seem to have changed approach several times under NH. They created a good team under Justin Morgan, but have just drifted since. Their squad strategy changed, they had some quality players, then went for less quality but more strength in depth and said they are now aiming to go for a smaller squad with more quality. They’ve also become a plucky loser team. One short kick off last season on Sky propelled them to innovators with an expansive game, which ultimately ended in defeat.
With regards Watson, it will be interesting to see how he goes at Huddersfield . They are showing signs of imprioving, they ran Saints close the other night. However, he has openly stated that they are on a ‘process journey’. This will result in either him being an astute appointment, or a failed 2-3 year tenure, only to be replaced with another transition period.
