Thoughts on Ian Foster

[Lancastergreen]

I have read so many posts ever since he has been our head coach and there are so many doom mongers on here.
A week in to the job, one game proper and he is being slated and we are doomed for relegation again, yet we gained a point at Huddersfield, a game we maybe should/could have won but you still have to earn it and they weren't going to roll over and let us have the three points.
I don't really know what people were expecting so soon, we wanted to see the defence sorted and to a degree you can see what he has been working on as in particular the first half the defence were right on it and moving in to spaces they needed to be in.
OK so Mumba made a mistake, but if we were to be critical of everyone we would be here forever writing about this pass, that pass and so on.
As for the long ball, well I don't think that will be a way of playing for us but as we are adapting to a new coach, maybe the advice was, if we need it gone then go long unless you have an easier pass, it relieves the pressure and we re set, I'm no coach so I am just having a guess
Everything is going to take time and you'll argue we don't have time but i would argue that we do, we have a league game and a cup game to play of which really only one game matters and that's the league game, so we have time to get little things here and there sorted out.
It would be nice to see people give the guy a break, he has been a coach for a long time, one of only 20 elite coaches in the country so I feel he deserves to be given a fair chance and not be picked apart at every opportunity, I would say that about the players too, they need supporting not picking apart.
We are one point better off from relegation than before the game started so what's the panic about?
No point worrying about something that hasn't looked like happening all season, everything will come together if everyone just stays together.

 

[Pilgrim Sean]

100% agree. There are a number of people here who in my view are creating an undue sense of panic and a toxic environment that threatens to undo all the good work of the last few years.

And being provocative I think a change in style was needed or relegation would have become a real concern.

 

[truejanner]

100% agree. There are a number of people here who in my view are creating an undue sense of panic and a toxic environment that threatens to undo all the good work of the last few years.

And being provocative I think a change in style was needed or relegation would have become a real concern.

Surely a change in style threatens all the good work of the last few years and if we wanted to go more direct surely a Warnock type manager would have been the answer. Keep to the football we have all been enjoying just give Foster the players required to improve the team. He has lost two very important players in a week and hopefully we can replace them with the same quality somehow and keep building a decent attractive football team.

 

[Tugboat]

I think it’s healthy to challenge what we see.

You call it toxic, I call it airing opinions.

Fwiw I don’t agree with it. Most don’t agree with me but it’s a forum of opinions and debate. You choose to read it, you choose to agree or disagree.

Stop trying to control the narrative.

 

[Pilgrim Sean]

I think it’s healthy to challenge what we see.

You call it toxic, I call it airing opinions.

Fwiw I don’t agree with it. Most don’t agree with me but it’s a forum of opinions and debate. You choose to read it, you choose to agree or disagree.

Stop trying to control the narrative.

One of my favourite things is the reaction of people who are ‘challenging’ when they are challenged, tells me a lot about the person.

I’m choosing to ‘air’ a different opinion to others, that’s not controlling the narrative. FWIW my clear opinion is that people are being overly negative, prematurely so.

In fact I think change is/was needed. You can choose to agree or disagree.

 

[Pilgrim Sean]

Surely a change in style threatens all the good work of the last few years and if we wanted to go more direct surely a Warnock type manager would have been the answer. Keep to the football we have all been enjoying just give Foster the players required to improve the team. He has lost two very important players in a week and hopefully we can replace them with the same quality somehow and keep building a decent attractive football team.

As highlighted on another post the tactics we had were leading us into a very clear relegation battle. We don’t need radical change but we do need to change from a basketball type game style to a football system that is pleasing and effective at the higher levels.

Take Azaz, Cundle and Gibson out of the team in a week and Schumacher would have struggled.

My key point is that people seem to have formed strong negative views on Foster and that is not healthy for the club. I just think it’s a pretty p!$$ poor attitude.

 

[Tugboat]

I will. I agree with the sentiment but I don’t with trying to cull negativity.

It goes hand in hand with positivity post win or success.

I do however see the difference from the same people who have a downbeat attitude to a defeat. Unfortunately I think I am one of those people. The raw emotions and hurt sometimes overrule the brain. Again we shouldn’t try to control this, but certainly confront it with an argument.

I think this platform (and many others) allows people’s emotions to be released. A venting platform. It’s important to allow that.

Again, allowing it and agreeing with it 2 completely different things.

 

[Argy1e]

I think a lot of people are ignoring that the change in style away from home actually started weeks ago. At Cardiff after taking the lead we rarely went forwards until they took the lead, content to sit back on a 1-0 lead. We ended that game quite attacking but we had the momentum and Cardiff rarely threatened. A lot of that was on the counter attack though. At Southampton we sat back and absorbed pressure and tried to counter, it didn't work, but it could have done had Mumba's goal been given. I think the tightening up away from home is more likely to be a directive from Dewsnip than something Foster actively wanted to do, but it's ultimately something we probably need to do to get the points we need. We know Dewsnip has said that Schumacher called him a boring coach, perhaps that was to do with how he wants us to set up away from home. We did it well at Cardiff, and if we can have a few more away games like that one in terms of performance then I think people would be happy with that. I think that is what we're wanting to work towards. At home, I'd expect us to be more attacking, and more expansive, as we have continued to be since Schumacher left.

 

[SWTT]

100% agree. There are a number of people here who in my view are creating an undue sense of panic and a toxic environment that threatens to undo all the good work of the last few years.

And being provocative I think a change in style was needed or relegation would have become a real concern.

Hold up, no way was yesterday's performance a deliberate change of style?

I just wrote it off as a poor performance from too many in the context of the squad being thin on quality.

 

[StroudGreen]

In fairness to the new coach, losing Azaz and Cundle, who were instrumental to our quick attacking transition play under Schuey, is always going to be a big problem until they are adequately replaced, fingers crossed for this week.

 

[cornishcol62]

My take is it’s game 1 and yes I’m disappointed we didn’t carry our first half performance into the second . But he’s only had 4 sessions with the players . We are now 8pts clear of the drop so a point better off . We are all entitled to our opinions and not everyone will like him , I’m personally happy with the players he’s bought in and hopefully more will arrive and surely the most important thing is the club we all love needs to stay up , so let’s give him our support COYG .

 

[The Doctor]

Surely a change in style threatens all the good work of the last few years and if we wanted to go more direct surely a Warnock type manager would have been the answer. Keep to the football we have all been enjoying just give Foster the players required to improve the team. He has lost two very important players in a week and hopefully we can replace them with the same quality somehow and keep building a decent attractive football team.

That little word ‘just’ in the middle of this paragraph makes it sound so easy!

 

[Steve Evans]

Surely a change in style threatens all the good work of the last few years and if we wanted to go more direct surely a Warnock type manager would have been the answer. Keep to the football we have all been enjoying just give Foster the players required to improve the team. He has lost two very important players in a week and hopefully we can replace them with the same quality somehow and keep building a decent attractive football team.

the players are here.

 

[Biggs]

Hold up, no way was yesterday's performance a deliberate change of style?

I just wrote it off as a poor performance from too many in the context of the squad being thin on quality.

Yep I think this is more likely.

 

[Monster Green]

In the first half, I think it's fair to say that we could see what IF wants to do away from home. Apart from a few sloppy passes (Bali's being the critical one) we could have been 3 up at HT. Darren Moore perhaps showed his experience in the second half by changing things - I suspect IF didn't want to push mixed messages out there and wanted the team to learn this away formation and style. Changing to a 4 and disrupting everything that had been worked on during the week could have more damaging consequences going forward.

IF needs time, as do the players, both new and existing. The emotive responses by some is understandable, however I am more of a reflector (after any initial disappointment!) and will try to approach things pragmatically. I believe we'll click soon, especially with potential new signings coming in too.