Calderwood or Dougall?

Dougall, he does the work of 2 in midfield and controls it. I still prefer Robson with him, but he's even made Ward look better. The change in formation has helped as well, but I give alot of the credit to Dougall. Pure class. Now I can see why Barnsley fans loved him so much. Just praying he doesn't get injured.
 
Draw for me a coach who won't take no shit from his boss and will tell him as it is and a player who takes no shit on the field of play,both been the reason that we have turned around the season.
 
It's also down to time. Players getting to know each other, players arriving late and settling in etc. Ekpiteta has improved, as gave others. Dougall and Gretarsson arrived and improved the balance

Lots of factors. All down to time and patience really. Something a lot of fans didn't have, did they?!!!
 
Critchley.
Took him time to change his system ( too long) by playing Yates & Madine together up top.
However team blending now, hope it continues!
I'm sure Calderwood is a great influence too.
Dougall great signing, reminds me of David Vaughan?

I said Dougall - but I could equally argue for NC. It's all looking so much better and our fitness looks significantly better. I also feel that the best is yet to come. This team could be a dominant force in this division.
 
Personally think it was NC changing formation.

this stopped us shoe horning players into the squad out position, has started a partnership up top and given us control of the ball with options going forward.

Dougall was rightly put into this formation.
But really it was Critch seeing what was going wrong and changing things.

I would have liked him to figure it out a bit sooner but he looks to have got us humming.

Calderwood will obviously help, Dougall has improved us no doubt but the buck stops with Critch good and bad.
 
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Personally think it was NC changing formation.

this stopped us shoe horning players into the squad of out position, has started a partnership up top and given us control of the ball with options going forward.

Dougall was rightly put into this formation.
But really it was Critch seeing what was going wrong and changing things.

I would have liked him to figure it out a bit sooner but he looks to have got us humming.

Calderwood will obviously help, Dougall has improved is no doubt but the buck stops with Critch good and bad.

Credit to Critch for seeing what he was trying to do wasn't working and adapting his approach. The best managers are those that are flexible and he deserves credit for being so. He's clearly a nice guy who loves football; I'm really pleased for him.
 
For all the CC fans on here. I hope theres some perspective if and when we hit a bad patch.
 
Who's been the biggest influence on our change of form.
I think it went to extra time and penalties but I'll give it 11-10 to
This focus on Calderwood is infuriating- give Critchley the credit he deserves instead of assuming that someone who’s been in the door a few weeks is the key difference. If we’d lost the last few games it would be Critchley at fault rather than Calderwood
 
This focus on Calderwood is infuriating- give Critchley the credit he deserves instead of assuming that someone who’s been in the door a few weeks is the key difference. If we’d lost the last few games it would be Critchley at fault rather than Calderwood
Those few weeks have been very good compared with before he came in. It isn’t a coincidence...he was brought in for a reason. I suppose the new manager bounce is a figment of our imaginations aswell? Football is a psychological as well as technical and physical game and personnel changes certainly have immediate effects...just take Dougall as an example.

I get people want to credit Critchley but this dismissive attitude to Calderwood is just as infuriating!
 
Time and time only.
We had little and few practice games to see if Mitchell was the go-to full back, or was it Gabrielt, was it Nottingham at CH, was it Ekpiteta, who was up front, was it Yates, did Sarkicz figure, and Madine, what about Bez Lubala?
It was all about time.
 
Those few weeks have been very good compared with before he came in. It isn’t a coincidence...he was brought in for a reason. I suppose the new manager bounce is a figment of our imaginations aswell? Football is a psychological as well as technical and physical game and personnel changes certainly have immediate effects...just take Dougall as an example.

I get people want to credit Critchley but this dismissive attitude to Calderwood is just as infuriating!

The reason why it's infuriating is because we all know full well that if we go on another bad run (and we will!), the comments on here will not be maybe CC hasn't had the desired effect. It will be that Critchley isn't the man for the job. There is absolutely a reluctance on this message board to give credit to Critchley for the upturn in form, and I suspect that's because it means people admitting they were wrong.

Let's be honest though, we haven't achieved anything yet and it's still very early days as it was a few weeks ago when there was mass panic. So it may still turn out that people weren't wrong, and that he isn't the man for the job. I think CC has and will be an important piece of the jigsaw, but when we get good results or if we do well, all the credit should be Critchley's because CC can only offer advice, it's the managers decisions that will ultimately affect results.
 
The team are getting some stability & understanding so who is influential from the back room doesn't really matter, they are also a team. As for the introduction of Dougal he is one of the first new signings to make an instant impact, as for who plays alongside him that's still not really been addressed, we used Ward today & beat the top team, Williams does a decent job too, I'd like to see how a fully fit Virtue fits into this team now, I think he may surprise a few. The fact is we have a few choices. Whether we have cover if Dougal is unavailable is another thing. But with the team gelling that may not impact as much. Still buzzing from today it made the Saturday night crap TV almost bearable & another shite Netflix film, do they make any decent films these days? no wonder we usually go out on Saturday night (under normal circumstances) but it didn't matter as the Pool won.
 
The team are getting some stability & understanding so who is influential from the back room doesn't really matter, they are also a team. As for the introduction of Dougal he is one of the first new signings to make an instant impact, as for who plays alongside him that's still not really been addressed, we used Ward today & beat the top team, Williams does a decent job too, I'd like to see how a fully fit Virtue fits into this team now, I think he may surprise a few. The fact is we have a few choices. Whether we have cover if Dougal is unavailable is another thing. But with the team gelling that may not impact as much. Still buzzing from today it made the Saturday night crap TV almost bearable & another shite Netflix film, do they make any decent films these days? no wonder we usually go out on Saturday night (under normal circumstances) but it didn't matter as the Pool won.
Beat top of the league 90th min, result
 
The reason why it's infuriating is because we all know full well that if we go on another bad run (and we will!), the comments on here will not be maybe CC hasn't had the desired effect. It will be that Critchley isn't the man for the job. There is absolutely a reluctance on this message board to give credit to Critchley for the upturn in form, and I suspect that's because it means people admitting they were wrong.

Let's be honest though, we haven't achieved anything yet and it's still very early days as it was a few weeks ago when there was mass panic. So it may still turn out that people weren't wrong, and that he isn't the man for the job. I think CC has and will be an important piece of the jigsaw, but when we get good results or if we do well, all the credit should be Critchley's because CC can only offer advice, it's the managers decisions that will ultimately affect results.
It’s a results business and Critchley is responsible for results. He got the flack for the losses and he gets the kudos for the wins. There’s been loads of well done Critchley posts. It that doesn’t alter the fact that the balance of results changed when he was given the support he should have had from the outset. He probably had way too much to do and couldn’t see the wood for the trees and Calderwood has changed all that. It’s all just opinions anyway, as he’ll be a successful BFC manager if he takes us up and that means he has to keep winning irrespective of the content of message boards.
 
Who's been the biggest influence on our change of form.
I think it went to extra time and penalties but I'll give it 11-10 to Dougall.
Both helped, but the real difference is the forward players interchanging and working as a unit instead of as individuals
 
A few reasons....442 Change of tactics to suit our front two, Dougall, Ballard, Gretarson, Calderwood, originall staff and players, also due to injuries and international call ups leaving us with a team performing but not too much tinkering with personnel or formation, all resulting in results, confidence, players knowing exactly what their doing, comfortable and happy with the team, tactics and performance. Plus sticking with NC and backing him right to the end of the windows.
It’s a combined effort with a few things coming together at the same time for me, I really don’t buy into it’s all down to Calderwood but also can’t deny that he has played a part too.
 
A few reasons....442 Change of tactics to suit our front two, Dougall, Ballard, Gretarson, Calderwood, originall staff and players, also due to injuries and international call ups leaving us with a team performing but not too much tinkering with personnel or formation, all resulting in results, confidence, players knowing exactly what their doing, comfortable and happy with the team, tactics and performance. Plus sticking with NC and backing him right to the end of the windows.
It’s a combined effort with a few things coming together at the same time for me, I really don’t buy into it’s all down to Calderwood but also can’t deny that he has played a part too.
I agree with this. Dougall and Williams as two holding midfielders was probably down to injuries and suspensions but it worked! Credit to Critchley he saw this and kept it going.
I personally dont think our early wins were down to Calderwood at all , but we were so well organised yesterday, especially in defence against a very good Posh attack and I feel that was some of Calderwoods input coming through.
 
I think a bit of both, although there is no doubt Dougall has made a fantastic start and is exactly the sort of player we needed. I have been asking for proven L1 quality, he certainly brings that. With Virtue to come back soon our midfield options are good. I'd still like one more central striker to keep Yates and Madine on their toes but other than that, we should be set for a decent run.

Calderwood also brings more experience and ground level L1 knowledge. He is probably a little more pragmatic than Critchley, performances are great but results are king.

Whether its Dougall or Calderwood, the balance on and off the pitch is much better now.
 
The manager has changed the system to one that works in league 1 with this squad. We will never know if he did it off his own bat, whether he was advised by CC, or the board, or whether it grew organically from players becoming fit and communicative.

It worked, what went before didn't. NC got the brickbats when we were shocking, so he deserves the kudos now it is much better. That is why he is manager in a results game. We are all Pool fans, many of us for decades, we support through thick and thin, but to suggest as above that we should have infinite patience with something that was dire is deluded.

A team needs all elements, managers, players, coaches, backroom, if one is missing, it doesn't work. The playing team needs the skill players, the grafters, the bullies, the leaders, the callers, we are now closer to having the ideal combination.
 
It’s a results business and Critchley is responsible for results. He got the flack for the losses and he gets the kudos for the wins. There’s been loads of well done Critchley posts. It that doesn’t alter the fact that the balance of results changed when he was given the support he should have had from the outset. He probably had way too much to do and couldn’t see the wood for the trees and Calderwood has changed all that. It’s all just opinions anyway, as he’ll be a successful BFC manager if he takes us up and that means he has to keep winning irrespective of the content of message boards.

I think having a good assistant is definitely important, for any manager really. I think it's a good point about him having too much to do too, with so many new players especially. I just hope that when our next bad spell comes along we display a bit more patience than we did at the start of the season, but I guess it's not in a football fans nature - I get that. Anyway, whatever the reason I'm just happy we seem to be moving in the right direction! Yesterday was a performance and result to make people sit up and take notice.
 
We can see what Dougall brings to the team but just guessing with Calderwood so have to go for Dougall. Can see improvements in quite a few of the players whether that's gelling, full fitness, coaching or confidence who knows.

Best thing is think there's even more to come with this squad.
 
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