Speculation...

[OUFC4eva]

If CW was to leave I would probably expect Mickey Lewis and Andy Melville
to go with him.

Who would therefore become the U's caretaker manager ?

Chris Allen, maybe even Dubes or would Jim come back in as he did in 2008 after Patto was sacked.

What's Jim doing these days?

[Mooro]

Please not Jim, or at least if he does tell him he is not allowed to bring anybody new in - we aren't safe from the drop yet you know!

Anyway, would Wilder take Lewis and Melville - weren't they sort of thrust upon him, rather than being his men?
I'd expect at least one to remain, at least temporarily, until any new man was appointed.

[JoeyBeauchamp]

Chris Allen, maybe even Dubes or would Jim come back in as he did in 2008 after Patto was sacked.

Dubes, legend that he is, would surely be among the worst choices we could ever make - unless Rix is spirited back?

[YF Dan]

Chris Allen, maybe even Dubes or would Jim come back in as he did in 2008 after Patto was sacked.

Dubes, legend that he is, would surely be among the worst choices we could ever make - unless Rix is spirited back?

Err, why?

[JoeyBeauchamp]

Chris Allen, maybe even Dubes or would Jim come back in as he did in 2008 after Patto was sacked.

Dubes, legend that he is, would surely be among the worst choices we could ever make - unless Rix is spirited back?

Err, why?

Managerial experience, coaching experience? Appointing a semi-legendary ex-player, whoever he might be, would be a massive gamble. Looking at someone who has worked his way up with good effect - Edinburgh for example - would be a more sensible route. Anyway, hopefully this is all premature.

[YF Dan]

I don't think Dubes would be an awful choice, he's a great pro, has played under a number of good managers, clearly has a passion for the game, and a knowledge of and the respect of the current players.

A horrific choice would be someone like John Gregory, just appointed by Crawley for instance.

[Kernow Yellow]

I don't think Dubes would be an awful choice

Compared to Chris Wilder he'd represent a massive, massive gamble. I know which one I'd choose every day.

Would you prefer Duberry to be managing our club next week over Wilder? Serious question.

[Dr Bob]

I don't think Dubes would be an awful choice

Compared to Chris Wilder he'd represent a massive, massive gamble. I know which one I'd choose every day.

Would you prefer Duberry to be managing our club next week over Wilder? Serious question.

And for me, the only serious answers to this question are (i) CW; or (ii) if CW goes, then someone who will have been brought in as a result of the same selection process as that which delivered us CW. As has already been said on another thread - trust in IL. He got it right once, and whilst there is no guarantee that a proper selection process will deliver the right person for the job, there is a greater chance of it working out than the Firoz Kassam/Andy from Little Britain approach.

[slappy]

Look at what Lenagan did with Wigan Warriors. Appointed an overseas coach rather than a big name. Took someone who bought into the whole youth development and bringing through local players.

I'm not sure how much Lenagan had to do with Wilder's appointment, but I suspect that was more to do with a young cheap manager who knew the lower leagues and Conference, and would work within a budget.

[YF Dan]

I don't think Dubes would be an awful choice

Compared to Chris Wilder he'd represent a massive, massive gamble. I know which one I'd choose every day.

Would you prefer Duberry to be managing our club next week over Wilder? Serious question.

Answer: I'd prefer Wilder.

That wasn't the point of the original post however.

The original post suggested that Dubes would be one of the worst decisions we could make, which I thought was incredibly harsh. I was merely was suggesting that if Duberry got the job, after what you'd expect to be a fairly rigorous selection process, then actually he actually has a lot of things in his favour.

Yep, he hasn't got managerial experience, but once upon a time, neither did Sir Alex Ferguson and let's not forget not too long ago Jose Mourinho was an interpreter. Somebody once took a gamble and gave them a first job, presumably having spotted something they liked in an interview process, and the rest is history.

This does not mean I'm orchestrating a Wilder Out, Duberry In campaign. Nor does it mean that he'd be my first choice either. However, I generally I trust IL's decision making, and if Dubes was appointed our manager after that proper selection process, I'd fully support him, whereas clearly some on here wouldn't.

[Kernow Yellow]

Answer: I'd prefer Wilder.

That wasn't the point of the original post however.

I appreciate that. I was just wondering whether you'd strayed so far into the 'Wilder Out' camp that you'd prefer anyone but him [insert random name of ex-player] to become our manager, as some (not on this forum so much) seem to. I don't see the point of bandying names around, as IL has shown with Wilder's appointment that he doesn't necessarily go for obvious candidates.

Despite my strong desire to see Wilder stay, I'm getting very concerned by the way things are panning out. Lenagan could have refused him permission to talk - he didn't. Wilder could have declined the opportunity - he didn't. He could have gone to talk to them, heard what they had to offer (or not) and then said 'ok, I'm staying put', but he doesn't appear to have done that either. He seems to be involved in an ongoing process, which implies to me that he hopes to get the job, and this process doesn't look like being completed until we've played a cup game or two. All most unsatisfactory really. And if he now doesn't get offered the Pompey gig, he's going to have lost a fair bit of face, and Portsmouth will have done a good job of unsettling one of their league rivals. I don't see how it can work out well for us now.

[JoeyBeauchamp]

Yep, he hasn't got managerial experience, but once upon a time, neither did Sir Alex Ferguson and let's not forget not too long ago Jose Mourinho was an interpreter. Somebody once took a gamble and gave them a first job, presumably having spotted something they liked in an interview process, and the rest is history.

Not quite sure I understand your point - Mourinho had no playing experience so isn't that relevant. Of course all managers have to start somewhere, but why would that suggest that Dubes himself is an overwhelmingly good candidate? Why him than, eg, Edinburgh, Graham Alexander, Richard Money, or any relatively experienced manager who is doing well at our level or just below?

To counter your point about SAF, look at how many ex-pros have tried and failed - Hamann, Sutton, Craig Short, Shearer, Roy Keane, Adams, Merson, Barnes, McAllister, Dowie - the list goes on and on.

[YF Dan]

I have never even mentioned him as a candidate. I simply thought that when he was being described as the worst choice ever, it was unnecessarily harsh. Here's a worse choice for a start: Nicky banger. Here's another awful choice: David kemp, or mark wright, or etc etc.

Dubes by contrast ticks many boxes, not experience I'll grant you, but lots of other valid qualities. And if he made it through IL's selection process, I reckon he'd be worthy of the post.

Bit, he's not my preferred candidate.

I agree with KY the timing's not great but the way IL has dealt with it has been. Better he chats to Pompey with our consent than without. If he doesn't get the job, he simply says "I didn't want it anyway", and carries on.

[YF Dan]

Oh, and as for "drifting so far into the Wilder out camp", I left that camp when IL imposed the restrictions on CW at the end of last season.

I think CW was incredibly lucky to still be in the post given the disappointment of the previous two seasons. However, IL identified his strengths and more importantly his weaknesses and has made him work to his strengths while refusing to allow him to drift into the bad practices that regularly screwed up his previous years in charge. This is good management.

Here's a really interesting comparison. This season, like previous seasons, we appear to have been 'unlucky' with injuries. However, this season, CW has been told to get on with it, not seek short term 'solutions'. As a result, we are top of the league, with senior pros leading by example and there's clearly a good team spirit thing going on. Hearing the players talk glowingly and protectively of the youngsters is a sure sign of a happy camp.

This isn't a squad that has been unsettled by numerous players appearing from nowhere on monthly deals, taking the place of contracted regulars, becoming the manager's favourite, then disappearing on a similarly rapidly changing whim.

I don't love Wilder, but I think this season has been good for him, and for that reason, we are performing as we should have done for the previous two years.

It won't be great news if he leaves, it might lead to a few dodgy results in the interim, but I don't think he is a one in a million manager who is performing miracles. So, whisper it, if he does go, we might even find someone better and given the general intelligence of our chairman, we might well do.

[Paul Cooper]

Look at what Lenagan did with Wigan Warriors. Appointed an overseas coach rather than a big name. Took someone who bought into the whole youth development and bringing through local players.

I'm not sure how much Lenagan had to do with Wilder's appointment, but I suspect that was more to do with a young cheap manager who knew the lower leagues and Conference, and would work within a budget.

I think that the buying into the youth development is critical (and understanding that the budget is the budget and the manager can't simply expect that it will be stretched).

CW has improved in the YD front (Ruffels especially against Fleetwood), but I don't think that it is second nature to him. I think that Il would like to have somebody who wanted to use the youth players without having to be forced into it.