JW The "humble pie" thread

[Brunners 7,982]

What I like with what I've seen, especially in these last two games, is he is willing to play different shapes and players to nullify opposition threats, while keeping us looking dangerous.

Shows a level of understanding and ability I wasn't sure if he was going to have originally.

I just hope that this isn't an accident born out of necessity like CT said, but is something that continues when he has a full strength team available!

[Jamie-H 1,322]

Going into Charlton he was on the brink there was Warnock speculation and 'Boro higher ups are starting to worry', for good reason if he failed to win he'd have worse stats than Murdoch. Up until then besides McNair/Coulson there wasn't really any players you could point to Woodgate enhancing fast forward a month Fletcher is running marathon's, Spence has had a real influence offensively and so far hasn't switched off for the 20% of time that cost him a chance with Pulis and cost him in pre season. He's put a gangly legends son in net who's gone from a nervy debutant to a guy who's kept 7 clean sheets in 12 games top tier statistics that his growing presence has played a part in. Tav and Wing have stepped their levels up, Clayton's reintroductions solidified the midfield there's alot of factors going on but if you like me blamed Woodgate for his horrendous September-November you have to point out that we aren't the pushover team we were so I'll give him huge credit for his decisions the past month he's pulled well away from relegation which shouldn't be a real worry but somehow it was very real.

There's always ifs and buts to any run, if Fletcher didn't track 50 yards last minute vs Stoke to cutout a cutback does blowing that result stymie us vs Hudds etc maybe? We still let 30 crosses a game come into our box we just defend them better now, offensively our wide areas are providing better outlets during the run, Ayala's a cheat code and Howson's played everywhere except net and up front. But has Woodgate himself proven to me to be resourceful, innovative, bold and competent since essentially Leeds away? Yes.

 

Edited January 2, 2020 by Jamie-H

[chickenlunch 315]

haha I'm willing to suck it up and admit I was ready to pull the plug on JW way too soon!

I've always wanted him to succeed though, and understood he was in a really bad position with the squad and finances.. but his interviews didn't inspire me & some of the football on the pitch was abysmal. He seems to have finally either found a system that works or the players have fully adjusted to his methods.

Injuries seemed to have helped get dead wood like Assombalonga out of the team too. Hopefully he gets sold in Jan.

Not out of the woods yet, but at least we know Woody ain't a chump now.

[DanFromDownSouth 1,706]

3 hours ago, Changing Times said:

I'll say this though, over the last couple of games I felt like we were playing something closer to what Woodgate actually wanted to see from us at the beginning of the season and I've been moaning about that for a while now.  I'm happy with that and I hope it continues.

I agree with that mate. Hopefully he see the rewards and persists with this gameplan, even when people are back from injury and suspension.

[xathras 178]

Credit where credits due to the lads for posting this. 

I was one right behind Woody from start. I felt the club needed to be blamed for the bad start. Bad recruitment, lack of support and ambition in the market. 

Good to see Woody using Youth to back the team and glad that he hasn't make comprimises to his want to bring attacking and pressing football. 

Good to see a good start to January transfer market.

My only caution is lets not get carried away lads. Of course we'd all want promotion - but this season is a transition one for us.  Lets take it one game at a time. But whatever happens we need to behind manager and players. #UTB

[sackrobson2 371]

I’m not sure there is any need for humble pie just yet, after all, lots of the criticism which was made was deserved, we were a mess for a prolonged period of time. 
 

Having said that, I’m feeling happier now than I’ve felt for years to be honest as I can see really promising signs. Let’s hope this doesn’t turn out to be a blip and if we can maintain the current style and form for the rest of the season we will probably end up sneaking in the play offs, then we can start dishing out the pie. 

[Uwe 3,545]

Reaction is key. How we react to losing. Not the Spurs game as I see that as a free roll of the dice. But how react to a defeat in the league. Then we’ll see the true merits of JW

[RiseAgainst 3,793]

There are various ways to look at the question of whether people were wrong to criticise Woodgate in the way they did. Lawyers would argue over it for months.

I wanted him out at the start of December, and I readily admit that appears to have been premature. Though there was little evidence of progress or an overall vision taking shape at the time, we're seeing it now. Results and performances are improving, and confidence is coursing through the veins of the players. We're enjoyable to watch, which is a refreshing tonic after the lost years of Monk and Pulis. And while Woodgate's interviews occasionally veer towards Mike Bassett territory, football is a simple game which managers often complicate unnecessarily.

However, in the same way I and others were too quick to write Woody off, four good results doesn't mean it's the right time to declare him the best man for the job:

1. People were right to criticise Woodgate on here after some truly awful performances - as witless, sluggish and unenjoyable as I've seen in 23 years following the Boro. Including under Pulis.

2. Yes, we're in a good run of form. But a squad that finished 5th and 7th in the last two seasons is still 16th in the Championship, with negative goal difference. If Woodgate wants to take (part of) the credit for four straight wins, he has to take (part of) the blame for what preceded this run. 

3. Woody declared his intention to play in a certain manner but abandoned that philosophy within a month. That was bound to raise hackles among fans who'd seen Monk do pretty much the same thing.

4. Expanding on the last point, it shouldn't take four months for a manager's style or intentions to become evident. Karanka managed it almost immediately, and he had no experience of being in sole charge of a squad, either.

5. Even allowing for injuries and January uncertainty, I'm not sure Woody knows his best formation or team. It still feels as though he's throwing things against the wall and seeing what sticks.

6. I genuinely believe he'd have been sacked by now if injuries to senior players hadn't forced the introduction of Coulson and Spence into the team. A happy accident, rather than a strategic plan?

 

TL: DR - Delighted we're in good form, and pleased to see a local lad doing well. But I still think if we'd appointed a more experienced manager in the summer we'd be in a far better league position (and not having 'were we wrong to write him off' debates like this).

 

 

[Duvel 2,446]

No need for anyone to eat humble pie in my opinion. 

Things were really poor until about 2 weeks ago and although we've now got a bit of hope I don't think Woodgate has vindicated Gibson's decision to appoint him yet. 

For me and many others I think the criticism of Woodgate has been part of a wider discussion about Gibsons poor running of the club. After previous appointments this one made me fear another Agnew type situation again. Maybe Gibson has finally appointed the right manager for the first time in a few years, we'll see but like someone else mentioned I still think a lot of trust has been lost between the club and fans and that'll take more than a couple of wins to repair. 

As for Woodgate I think he does deserve a big pat on the back for our recent results. I was totally against his appointment (mostly for non-football reasons) but if we focus on the football side of things he looks to be turning things round a bit. The new loan signings suggest we are still looking to play a more positive brand of football although we probably still need to wait and see how the new lads settle in. 

 

[Downsouth 6,328]

On ‎1‎/‎2‎/‎2020 at 8:46 AM, Downsouth said:

Well what a difference a few weeks makes as well as some very good results to boost the spirits of even the most grumpy Boro fans!

I will be the first to hold my hands up and admit I was, along with many others, not best pleased with Woodgate's appointment and was soon calling for his head due to the way things were going, yes I was very concerned that, due to the financial issues surrounding the club, it seemed we were relegation certainties and JW did not seem to have a clue what to do.

I was wrong, I did not allow him the time, was too impatient and totally forgot that it would take sometime for players to get over the Pulis ethos and the mindset engraved within their footballing aspects.

Thank fully I declared on the forum that I was going to get off his back a few weeks ago and that was because we could all see improvements developing and a coming together of the team and this was before the run of four.

So if you are reading this thread Woody, a big well done, keep it going and you are ok...……………….so far!

You and the team have brought some bounce back into the fans!

Also well done for all of the members who always said  "give him time"

Famous last words

Spoke too soon

Here's egg on my face

All comes to mind!

[nunthorpered 1,922]

51 minutes ago, Downsouth said:

Famous last words

Spoke too soon

Here's egg on my face

All comes to mind!

Nah mate. i dont think many could have seen the reversion back to this dross. We really did look like we had turned the corner on the season, but came down with an almighty crash

[Liquid 284]

Don't be so hard on yourself DS.

Bizarrely, it could all turn around again and we could pick up loads of points between now and the season end and finish strongly. I'm far from happy with the way things have gone recently, but all of this doom and gloom could be as much in vain as the hope most of us had when we went on that brilliant run.

None of us are prophets, just normal, hopeful human beings when it looked like we had good reason to be.

[Essuuaitch 330]

interesting thread  this,   i shamefully admit that after the wba and reston away wins i actually studied the table and in my wildest dreamy moment of blind regained faith in the club(not woody)harboured stupid thoughts that we,d be THAT SIDE THAT COMES FROM NOWHERE to gatecrash the playoffs.anyway that moment of foolish optomismhas since been well and truly rammed back in my fkn face and the humble pie should be brought out for other teams much more deserved future causes. right at this moment us fans and boro followers feel like weve been in a wrong side of a one sided boxing bout and have been battered black and blue round after round but our corner wont put an end to it sending us back in the ring to suffer more punishment.  thank you steve gibson, jonny woodgate and whatever hotchpotch of 11-14 pathetic excuses of professional football players line up for MFC each passing game week in week out for making my life so horrible . you dont deserve me/us. i actually feel for sunderland fans if they had to endure a lot longer of this pain than were having to. 

re. Woody ... whats the opposite of ....the cream always rises to the top.

[RiseAgainst 3,793]

4 minutes ago, Essuuaitch said:

re. Woody ... whats the opposite of ....the cream always rises to the top.

I think the opposite is "sinking like a stone". Which is precisely what MFC is doing right now. And will continue to do as long as bad decisions are being taken by the wrong people.