Rich Walker quoth "It's not a question about who is winning or losing
it's who rates Blackie and who doesn't".
Surely you're not saying the argument is about which people support
Blackwell and which don't?
If so then that is the closest thing I've seen on the list to 'absolute
drivel' (see http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Absolute_20Drivel#1137163488 for
definition)
The debate is not even about whether Blackwell is a good manager despite
your attempts to make it so. The position I and several others hold is that
Blackwell is a good enough manager - ie. he has exceeded expectations and
has by and large managed the club through the most difficult time in it's
history successfully. Blackwell has proved himself as a crisis manager, now
he must step up a level and prove himself as a good manager.
Blackwell deserves to be given the chance to show us what he can do next - I
think everyone is in agreement that next season needs to show a substantial
improvement in the quality of the football. However Blackwell improved the
team last season and I believe he will improve it again this season. If he
doesn't then I expect he will be fired because football is all about
results.
The reality is that the only justification for firing Blackwell now would be
if a proven better manager was available and willing to come to Leeds. I
think we can rule Martin O'Neill and Alan Curbishley out because I doubt
either one of them harbours any ambition to work in the championship - on
the basis of last season, Ian Dowie would not qualify as a better manager
and I would rather boil my own privates than have to listen to the likes of
Adie Boothroyd week after week (never mind the football).
What I like about Blackwell is that he is passionate about the job, does not
blather in the press about signings until after they have signed, has
exceeded his own and my expectations about where we would finish in the last
two seasons and seems like a decent man in a difficult job. I accept that
the football has not often been pretty, and I'm prepared to accept that I
got lucky in the games I saw last season (Reading, Sheffield Utd,
Southampton, Crystal Palace, Blackburn spring to mind as being nothing to
complain about), but the second semi final against Preston was inspirational
in a 1960's kind of a way and some of the credit for that has to go to
Blackwell's performance as a manager - tactics and motivation were spot on.
Like some others on the list, after the disappointment of losing the play
off had receded I realised that promotion for the current team would have
been less than ideal - two things need to happen before we can compete in
the premier league 1) The spine of a three year team need to be
established - priority get the midfield sorted, Miller was not the answer.
2) The team needs to move from being difficult to beat to being difficult to
stop - I think if we can solve those two before next season starts then we
will have a team high on confidence by Christmas and crucially, one that
needs only minor adjustments to make it in the premier league.
In a nutshell, whether Blackwell is good, lucky or inept, lucky is beside
the point - he has delivered resuts and the club is demonstrably on an
improving curve - there is no obvious candidate who would better that
trajectory as far as I can see - therefore I vote that Blackwell be given
the next season to take the club back into the premier league.
This summer will be interesting - there need to be signings to take us up a
gear - no doubt we will have plenty od opportunity to debate the quality of
those signings - though I'll stick my neck out now and say I'd prefer to see
Hulse/Healy than Hulse/Jeffers...
Chris Wright
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Walker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Chris Wright" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, June 01, 2006 10:21 AM
Subject: Re: [LU] He might just have learnt something
Chris,
It's not a question about who is winning or losing
it's who rates Blackie and who doesn't. The argument
will come to its logical conclusion next season.
Pro-Blackwell List
Mark Humphries
Mark Bursa
Chris Wright
Terry Emmott
Sean Emmott
Anyone else want to add their name to the list. Anyone
not on this list doesn't rate Blackie by default.
--- Chris Wright <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Ignoring the perspectives of the individuals engaged
in this highly
entertaining debate, I would say a winning position
would be the one where a
well articulated, reasonable argument is put forward
without effective
rebuttal. A losing position would be one where faced
with a reasonable well
articulated argument the protagonist resorts to
verbal abuse.
By that definition, I would say that Mark Humphries
is winning the debate by
a country mile....
Chris W
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nigel Holcroft" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 31, 2006 6:14 PM
Subject: RE: [LU] He might just have learnt
something
> Winning???? Was there a poll?
>
> Oh winning in your opinion... Or, put more
correctly, agreeing with your
> view of the situation...
>
> Surely, a fairly shallow victory at best!
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
> BTW Rich, Mark H is winning this highly
entertaining contest hands down,
> for
>
> the simple reason that he has his expectations in
perspective.
>
> _______________________________________________
> the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and
the list administrators
> accept no liability for the personal views and
opinions of contributors.
> Leedslist mailing list
> [email protected]
>
http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist
> oh alright then :-)
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and
the list administrators
> accept no liability for the personal views and
opinions of contributors.
> Leedslist mailing list
> [email protected]
>
http://list.zetnet.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/leedslist
> oh alright then :-)
>
_______________________________________________
the Leeds List is an unmoderated mailing list and
the list administrators accept no liability for the
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Leedslist mailing list
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oh alright then :-)
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