Can I just say I really miss Neil Critchley?! I'll come to Badlan in a bit.
Because we were a bit of a shambles pre Critchley and we've been a bit of a shambles post Critchley. Quite a few people on here were dissing him before he left. Some fans turn on people regardless of how good a job they have done. We've seen it before.
Anyway the point I want to make is that we haven't made enough good football appointments since SS took over. Including Badlan, probably. In fact you might argue that Critchley has been the only one. Mansford is an administrator. I wouldn't be asking him to select football people. If that is what he does I think it's a bit odd. Especially if SS and Gerrity are also involved. Let Mansford sort out the east stand and training ground, player contracts etc. He's probably will equipped to do that sort of stuff. He doesn't know how to find head coaches it seems.
Grayson, Appleton and McCarthy are the same mistake, times three. It looks like a desire to avoid risk, but it's really poor decision making. Grayson was obviously not in a good place after Sunderland and hasn't recovered. A spent force. Appleton was not in a good place after cancer and Lincoln. A spent force in need of recuperation. McCarthy was in a golf and grandparent place. Fully ensconced in relaxation and retirement. And all three are old school and behind the curve. It would have been less risky to take a bigger risk than these three. They need to stop thinking they have the skills between them to make these decisions because they clearly don't.
Badlan and his sidekick were odd appointments too for me. We don't sign people like Gyokeres and O'Hare cos we are lower budget. Most of our current players have been identified by Critchley and Appleton I reckon. When Badlan arrived i imagined him handing lists to Mansford, and Mansford going back to him later asking for more names. "We can't agree terms with those." And us getting Appleton loans instead.
And why was it a shock to them that Critchley, after two very good first seasons in management and a period running Liverpool's academy, got a job offer with a huge pay rise that he couldn't refuse? Which resulted in the biggest mistake to date. Critch wasn't a natural fit for us, long term.
However. Sadler is our owner. He wants to do the right thing. He's a decent guy. He's learning on the job. He's repaired lots of damage and funded us through Covid. He has planned investment. He got us promoted quickly. He's a million miles from what we had before for 30 years and longer and we should be careful what we wish for. He just needs to wise up in recruitment terms. Somehow.
In the real world though it can be hard to find the right people when you need them. And they can disappear overnight. It's not easy. As a fanbase we expect our club to punch above its weight. Unreasonably. Then crucify people if they fail to achieve that standard.
Three clubs have to go down and we have one of the lowest budgets. So nature is having its wicked way. Assisted by a hierarchy that isnt functioning well, in terms of on field performance, it would appear. Partly cos it's a very difficult task running a football club in the English pyramid given the finances of the pyramid and the way it is run. Dodgy owners and money and contracts etc. we are punching upwards against opponents who don't all play by the rules and or have significantly bigger budgets. Could anyone else do better? Who? Are they prepared to take the plunge, take the flak and dip into their savings?
SS and co could do better certainly. They seem to be making the recruitment decisions, in a field of work they lack experience of, and the decisions tend to be based on fear, possibly. They look for the experience of Grayson ,Appleton and McCarthy but overlook the warning signs. Grayson's shot confidence, Appleton's cancer recovery and McCarthy's golf course retirement demeanour. Lack of rigour and lack of instinct. Think clearly. Examine the person and where they are at right now in the moment of recruitment. We don't have the funds to cherry pick, but we can do better by looking for the right skill set and the right energy. Like Critchley. Like Evatt.
I do also wonder if our fan base puts people off applying for the head coach job. Appleton looked scared, McCarthy even seemed wary based on previous experience at Bloomfield Rd. Critchley looked wary even though he was doing well. Mid table security first season wasn't enough for some. We needed more style, more goals and a play off push. When we tailed off after safety was assured the knives came out. Our fans don't help and I would never choose to own or run a football club. Especially one with a slightly unhinged, overly expectant, kind of adolescent bullying element in its fanbase. A mixed blessing set of supporters. With remnants still of a protest mentality, perhaps?
We need more emotional stability. Less fear. Smarter recruitment. Clarity of vision. Realistic expectations. Continuity.
Critchley was a good appointment but he was never really comfortable. He came from a very different culture. He wasn't going to stay here once a big pay rise was offered, at a better resourced club. You have to assess potential key employees for their ability to thrive within and enjoy the culture. It's one of the factors to take into account. You have to assess their energy. Grayson arrived drained. Critch arrived full of energy and confidence. Appleton arrived drained and a bit in denial of his past and his health situation. McCarthy arrived marking his scorecard, with a boot full of golf gear and his grandkids overnight bags. All these things can be spotted when you talk to people, if you listen and watch and take your time. And you know what you are doing. Evatt had the energy, he was starting his management career impressively, and he knows the culture at our club and saw how it could thrive, under Holloway, by using that culture as a positive. And he wanted to come here. Commitment. I was annoyed about the club's dismissal of him at the time.
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