MJB wrote:
ReturnofMoo wrote:
Are you Manning in disguise?
If I were
really Manning, I'd be talking more about "good behaviours" and noting that "we don't get too up, and we don't get too down" when posting on here. Not sure if he trotted out these soundbites in interviews at MK, but they generally get used in every interview here at Oxford. You could ask him what his favourite colour is and he'd manage to get those comments in I think!
I'm always intrigued by what Manning's reputation is generally at MK. When he joined us, one of your local journos talked to our local media and said that he was still very measured and calm in interviews as your Coach, even when going through a terrible run which eventually lost him his job. Almost to a fault.
(As you might have guessed), I really like his calm and considered approached to the media and fan engagement, but I'm guessing that it rubbed some fans up the wrong way when things were going badly?
Still, I certainly prefer that to how Karl Robinson was when things were going badly here, when he would just blame everyone but himself and generally get less and less coherent.
One man's "calm and measured" is another man's "dull".
My biggest gripe with Manning was that he didn't seem very inspirational. Sure, when we were riding a wave in his first season (a unique situation for any incoming manager - best squad in the league all motivated by a betrayal after game 1), he was great at that although we fell just short.
But when shit hit the fan the next season - only partly his fault by the way - he never looked like turning it around. From my very outside, lay person perspective he seemed too meek, too soft (players allowed to be unfit etc). It was the right thing to sack him, even if we know there is a technically very good manager there.