Dolan got what he deserved last night

[SSS]

I take no pleasure in forming this view, but City lost to a poor Waterford last night and I don't particularly blame the players.
City made Waterford look good in the second half.

The key problem remains midfield, which is no surprise. But can anyone really claim that Dolan is using the best midfielders he has at his disposal?

Give Hedderman a chance I hear you say -he phas layed about 10 times and I haven't seen even a glimpse of proof that he is worthy of a place on the left .
As for K Murray in centre mid - he's lost there.
But I guess they have height so Dolan likes them.

As long as Dolan insists on playing two defenders in midfield, City will suffer on the pitch. Sometimes the performances of others (notably, Flynn, George and Colin T last night) will compensate, but not last night.

As for taking Hoggie off and bringing Carey in - talk about a waste. He broke up the back four who had kept a clean sheet to that point and left the invisible midfield on the pitch.

Dolan will use the smokescreen of the peno decision to cover up a disasterous second half, but lets get to the real questions - like did Dolan take lessons in substitutions from Liam Murphy!

[patsh]

I completely agree.
This was the Rovers away game all over again.
We were well on top of Waterford, who were sh*te in the first half, same as up in Richmond.
We are winning at half time, yet come out with a sit back and let them attack us attitude.
Hedderman has had enough chances, he is not good enough.
Hoggie was playing very well, but, off he goes.
Kevin Murray was not too bad, but as a sub,maybe, not a starter yet.
OK, Connor, the scut, who could not stop a sneeze last week, made 3 great saves, but thats no excuse.
We should be finishing teams as bad as Waterford off by half time.
F*king sickening result, especially when I heard the rest of last night's results. $hels are not winning the league, the rest are giving it to them.

BTW, if the plank who told me last night that "George was the worst player on the field, is too light for soccer and should have been subbed he was so bad", is reading this, you are a complete f*cking tool !

[Neil]

I think it's a bit unfair and also pointless getting on Dolan's back over this. It was a bad result. Sickening considering we were 1-0 up and by far a better team. But it happens.

Dolan will be the first to say that he has to fix midfield but it's easier said than done. Would you agree we have the bones of a great team? Just short possibly three players? I'm certain we'll have new signings coming soon so between now and then we just have to keep supporting them and help the team stay in with a shout of the League, Europe, the Cup.

Next season is what we're building for. Anything we win this season is a bonus.

[patsh]

Originally posted by Neil
I think it's a bit unfair and also pointless getting on Dolan's back over this. It was a bad result. Sickening considering we were 1-0 up and by far a better team. But it happens.

It happens too often, Neil.
Dolan seems to be very happy with a 1 nil scoreline.
It may be pointless, but I'm fairly p*ssed off with Dolan last night.

[
Dolan will be the first to say that he has to fix midfield but it's easier said than done. Would you agree we have the bones of a great team? Just short possibly three players? I'm certain we'll have new signings coming soon so between now and then we just have to keep supporting them and help the team stay in with a shout of the League, Europe, the Cup.

Next season is what we're building for. Anything we win this season is a bonus.

Fair enough, I'll support the team no matter what, and will never get on a players case, (well, ok maybe Deccie ! ) but why is he continuing to play Hedderman in the midield then ?
I don't want to be completely condeming a player, but Robbie is a passenger, he is not contributing at all. Kevin Murray needs the experience, I know, but surely Mucka would do a better job than Robbie ?
Again, we have a wide midfield player in Dave Warren, but he is not even on the bench. He is surely as good as, and is comfortable in midfield, as Robbie Hedderman, a defender.
In such a short time, we have come to really rely on Doyler a lot, and he was so badly missed last night.

[Neil]

Originally posted by patsh
surely Mucka would do a better job than Robbie ?
we have a wide midfield player in Dave Warren, but he is not even on the bench. He is surely as good as, and is comfortable in midfield, as Robbie Hedderman, a defender.

I agree. I'd have Mucka and Warren in ahead of Hedderman but we may not know the 'behind-the-scene' stuff. It seems strange that Murphy AND now Dolan have frozen out Warren. More to it?

For what it's worth I'd put Billy back on the left of MF and play Hedderman at LB.

[Éanna]

Originally posted by Neil
I think it's a bit unfair and also pointless getting on Dolan's back over this. It was a bad result. Sickening considering we were 1-0 up and by far a better team. But it happens.

Dolan will be the first to say that he has to fix midfield but it's easier said than done. Would you agree we have the bones of a great team? Just short possibly three players? I'm certain we'll have new signings coming soon so between now and then we just have to keep supporting them and help the team stay in with a shout of the League, Europe, the Cup.

Next season is what we're building for. Anything we win this season is a bonus.

it might be a bit harsh, but Ithink mos of the criticisms are justified and are purely down to peoples concern. no harm in having a say about it. I honestly believe we gifted waterford 3 points last night, and Dolan has to ship some of the blame for it.

[SSS]

Originally posted by Neil
I think it's a bit unfair and also pointless getting on Dolan's back over this. It was a bad result. Sickening considering we were 1-0 up and by far a better team. But it happens.

.

That's the main point though - it will continue to happen when the team selection and substitution decisions are inexplicable.
I agree that the team is not far from being top class, but Dolan is not maximising the potential of what he has at his disposal now. The way the league is going, City could be in with a shout if the manager plays his best players in their preferred positions.

Last night we had two passengers in midfield - unnecessarily, despite the injury problems.

( Conor's booking early on didn't do any favours either - he couldn't risk being sent off.)

[Cityace]

Does anyone know why Devine was booked??

Does anyone know why no waaaaaaaterford players were booked even though i saw at least 2 of them throwing slaps????

[Gary]

I actually thought Hedderman did quite well last night. Certainly not as bad as some would have u belive. As for K Murray, i thought he did quite well.


One thing which does my head in about Dolan is the fact he substitutes substitutes. That must be shattering for a players confidence,a nd that is the 3rd-4th time he has done that this season.


Apparently Dolan had strong words with McKeon after the game. McKeon reckons Dolan could have started a riot.

As for Waaaaaherfur saying it was their biggest crowd of the season? there were only 2000 max at that game last night.

[Neil]

Originally posted by GWA
Apparently Dolan had strong words with McKeon after the game. McKeon reckons Dolan could have started a riot.

I heard an interview on RedFM this morning which was done stragiht after the game last night in the tunnel....

Dolan was on about the penalty and then McKeon passed by so Dolan grabbed him and asked him what he gave the peno for...

For putting two hands on the ball I think is what he said.

[razor]

Originally posted by Neil
I think it's a bit unfair and also pointless getting on Dolan's back over this.

What total rubbish, Dolan is the manager, the club lives or dies by his decisions, last night we died by them.

We outplayed Waterford in the 1st half and we showed ourselves to be far superior to them.
In the 2nd half we sat back, allowed them to come on to us, our midfield disappeared and we paid the price.

We needed a change in the midfield, Hedderman is rubbish get him out, K. Murray is a bit young and wasn't up to it last night,
What does Dolan do ?, he tampers with the back 4 which is doing alright up to now and the sub he puts on costs us the game.

Yes we lost to a ridiculous decision, but Dolan will only use this to cover up his own obvious inadequacies.

I said before that I would give him a chance but as we move through the season I can honestly say I have no confidence in Dolans ability as a manager with Cork City FC.

U know what comes next !!!

[Colm]

Lads, it's one loss, one minor setback. Dolan needs to be given time and I'm confident he will ultimately bring us success.

Anyway, I didn't think anyone played particularly well last night, Colin T was one of the few that had a reasonable game.
Dan Connor was acting the knacker last night but if we had a player doing the same to our advantage we'd think it was great!

The ref was screwing us throughout and, from where I was, it didn't look like a penalty. I actually thought he was going to give a free. For the ref to be coming out saying things like 'Dolan could have started a riot' is an admission of gulit in my book, McKeon is a absolute disgrace and, in the words of Guersie last night, "I'm ****ing sick of this Dublin bias".

[Colm]

Originally posted by razor
I said before that I would give him a chance but as we move through the season I can honestly say I have no confidence in Dolans ability as a manager with Cork City FC.

What a load of boll0cks! Go away ya ****ing fool, I haven't heard someone come out with something that stupid for a long time.

How can you say you have no confidence in Dolan's ability as a manager? You only have to look at his record throughout his managerial career to realise he is a talented manager who brings success. He would be a huge asset for any club and we are lucky to have him.
We are third in the league with a game in hand, I know for a fact that, if they were being realistic, most City fans would have been happy with that at the start of the season.

[Neil]

Originally posted by razor
We needed a change in the midfield

But thats the problem!
We haven't any real options in midfield. Hedderman is a centre half. Doyler is/was a striker.

WE NEED TO SIGN MIDFIELDERS. And we will but until then we have to patch things up. And to be in 3rd place in the League with a patched-up team is not bad.

Give it time.

[Neil]

Originally posted by razor
I can honestly say I have no confidence in Dolans ability as a manager with Cork City FC.

UNDER DOLAN:
Players fitness has improved. The players themselves will say that.
Match-day routines have improved. The City squad get to away games with plenty of time to relax and prepare.
All the off the field activities have a lot to do with Dolans enthusiasm and professionalism.

Actually f*ck this.
If you can't see what Dolan brings to city, forget it.

[SSS]

Originally posted by Neil
But thats the problem!
We haven't any real options in midfield. Hedderman is a centre half. Doyler is/was a striker.

WE NEED TO SIGN MIDFIELDERS. And we will but until then we have to patch things up. And to be in 3rd place in the League with a patched-up team is not bad.

Give it time.

I disagree with the assertion that we have no real options here.

LM: Billy Woods. Aswell as he is doing at LB, Hoggie can play there, or even Hedderman. Hoggie at LB leaves Carey as a reasonable RB ( a better RB than Hedderman is a LM anyway)

RM: Colin T, Warren, Mucka.

CM: Conor & Colin T. Possibly George with Colin P or Behan coming in up front. Even Hoggie was once a CM so he'd have some glimmer of positional sense etc

What I'm saying is that there is NO NEED to play 2 defenders in midfield, even with the current shortage of class midfielders.

Pop Question: If you lack a top class midfielder, what do you do:
(a) play the midfielders you have (who "know" the position) or
(b) play some defenders out of position, and even when it doesn't work out, persist anyway.

[tiktok]

Originally posted by SSS
Pop Question: If you lack a top class midfielder, what do you do:
(a) play the midfielders you have (who "know" the position) or
(b) play some defenders out of position, and even when it doesn't work out, persist anyway.

i'd agree with that SSS, we all say that we are lacking a bit of attacking ability in midfield, why not give george a run there with Behan up front.

we say we are soft in midfield, but we're not short of midfielders, tomorrow, even with greg injured we could put

CT O'Brien__O'Grady__O'Callaghan__Woods or
CT O'Brien__O'Grady__O'Callaghan__Warren/Mucky (if you like woods at LB)
or any combination of them in.

there are options there to try without persisting with something that's not working

[niamh]

I think we all know that players are currently being played out of their best positions because we've not got a squad with depth but Dolan is trying to improve that and it will take more than a couple of months. How long has he been in the job and people are on his back?
I was not sure about his appointment but he deserves a fair chance and AT LEAST a season or two in charge before people can start drawing any definite conclusions.

[Éanna]

If i was dolan reading the kind of crap people are posting here, i'd say "right, fu*k ye so" and leave. What the hell is wrong with people? A third of the way through the season, we could be in second if we win our game in hand and we nearly made the league cup final- looks ok to me! It's a lot better than we have been for the last 3 or 4 years. We have 10 full time professionals and probably the best trained squad in our clubs history and people are still whinging

By all means criticise and question where you see fit, but saying you have no confidence in the guy? Come off it. The least the man deserves is a full season to show us what he can do, any fair person would give him that. Anyone getting on his back already, we're better off without

[foureyes]

Originally posted by niamh
I think we all know that players are currently being played out of their best positions because we've not got a squad with depth but Dolan is trying to improve that and it will take more than a couple of months. How long has he been in the job and people are on his back?
I was not sure about his appointment but he deserves a fair chance and AT LEAST a season or two in charge before people can start drawing any definite conclusions.

Yeah he deserves a couple of seasons but what then? Call me pessimistic but we said that about our last two managers aswell. Every season seems to be a season of building and I'm sorry to say that I'm of the 'if we lose against shels in the cup our season is over' brigade. Whats to look forward to then? Racing for the intertoto spot?

Does this make me less of a fan? Maybe. I know its not a popular opinion on here but I'd say, in fact I know, that its the way a lot of people think. Whats the incentive for players like John and George to stay if we arent really challenging? Ollie went to Shels and now theyre going for the league, Coughlan at Bohs is in a similar position. I've been following City since 94/95 and all we've won is one cup (I dont count that piece of **** league cup), every other season we've been nearly men or also rans.

In almost all of those seasons I felt we had a chance at the league so its no consolation to say to myself half way through the season "ah next year boy".