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Fonda wrote:Football managers certainly get better through periods of inactivity. Seems to have been completely forgotten how bad we were towards the end of Lings tenure.

Kit_robin wrote:Not forgotten by me!

I was losing patience with him before he left. The terrible attendance at Exeter (even though it was on the telly) for his first game missing showed how frustrated people were getting.

I think you may be able to make an argument that it was his illness that caused his seemingly stubborn refusal to make any changes to a team that was performing increasingly poorly. He obviously didn't get ill overnight. However we the public will never know that for sure.

For me we need an experienced conference manager. I was never buckles biggest fan but it is undeniable that his experience of being around at a conference level management team for a few years stood him in good stead when he took us over. He brought in nicholson, Philips, todd, zebroski, Hargreaves, Sills - all players who he had seen competitively at that level. We need a manager with this knowledge in place to make the most of our budget next season.

Gullscorer wrote:A huge budget would help any manager..

Fonda wrote:It was wrong when Hargreaves was making noises about Knill's job, and it's wrong that Ling is doing it about Hargreaves.

As for who we should get, we need to forget about 'previous connections' and just give it to the best man for the job. Actually invite applications, and after interview decide who offers the best chance of success - not who has the most recognisable name, or who would be most popular. The next appointment could prove to be one of the most important this club has ever made. Because we're currently standing on the edge of a precipice. Make the wrong decision now, and we might be part-time and further down the pyramid by the time this manager is being relieved.

I think we have to look for a man with experience or knowledge of the level we're at (that is what served Bucks well - as well as shed loads of cash obviously). Maybe move away from the lower-league 'journey-men' managers we normally get linked with. Maybe think outside the box a bit. Perhaps there are some excellent young managers in the league or two below ours that none of us have heard of. It might be a name that initially fails to get pulses racing, but it might just work.